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Jamesdidd
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goffybun
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ERITH & BELVEDERE manager Micky Collins says his side made very hard work of beating a poor Selsey side to book a trip to last year’s FA Cup heroes Hythe Town in the First Qualifying Round on 17 September.
The Deres were the better side throughout this one-sided Preliminary Round tie, but Selsey snatched the lead, against the run of play, with their one and only shot on target, when striker Jake Goulding gave the Sussex County League strugglers a 58th minute lead.
Collins threw on pacy substitute Hinga Amara and the striker levelled with twenty minutes left, before Erith & Belvedere scored three goals in the final three minutes through Luke May’s stunning strike, Andy Constable’s fifth goal of the season, and a second from Amara.
“We made hard work of it, made very hard work of it,” admitted Collins, despite the comfortable looking scoreline.
“I thought the lads’ played very well in the first half, created enough chances to have won the game – twice – but as we found to our cost last week (a 2-1 home defeat to bogey team VCD Athletic on August Bank Holiday Monday), if you don’t take your chances, normally it comes back to bite you!
“Unfortunately today we conceded, went behind, and the lads’ showed great character. I made a couple of changes and to be honest they’ve come on and turned the game a little bit for us and we’ve gone on and won the game comfortably, like we should’ve first half.”
The Deres, who won their opening four games of the season, before losing to Ricky Bennett’s Vickers’, started on the front foot, against a Selsey team that have lost all three of their Sussex County League games, and needed a replay to beat Mile Oak in the Extra Preliminary Round.
A clearance from keeper Richard Stroud (following Paul Gross’ back-pass) was flicked on by Constable and Marcus Elliott made a reverse pass to Marcus Cassius out on the right wing, and after cutting inside he sliced a right-footed shot past the near post.
Visiting keeper Sam Joyce denied Lee Radford, who went off injured with a turned left ankle shortly afterwards.
Cassius played the ball inside to six-goal striker Elliott, who spread the ball to Radford on the left and he drove a left-footed shot across Joyce, who scooped the ball away with his left hand.
Erith & Belvedere’s approach play was slick, as you would expect on the immaculate Park View Road pitch, and Adam Gross played a pass into Elliott’s feet, who flicked the ball to substitute Callum O’Shea, who took a touch before floating in a cross towards the far post where Constable’s back header went past the post from six-yards.
Another chance went begging for the home side as skipper John Wilfort had time and space to whip in a cross from the right, which was trapped well by Elliott, who spun and turned and his shot deflected off Marc Hinshelwood and looped into Joyce’s gloves.
Joyce was called into action in the 25th minute when Elliott delivered a cross from the right and Cassius brought the ball down with fine control and his shot on the turn was tipped over by the diving Selsey keeper.
However, despite all that dominance, Erith & Belvedere went off the boil for the final fifteen minutes of the first half, although central defender Paul Gross came up for debutant James Evans’ corner, but Joyce caught his header.
Selsey almost grabbed the lead with four minutes before the break when David Styles reached the by-line and cut the ball back but Goulding’s slight touch from close range rolled across goal.
Joyce made an excellent reflex save to deny Erith & Belvedere a breakthrough within the opening three minutes of the second half.
Right-back Wilfort made progress down the right and cut the ball back to Evans, who whipped in an excellent cross into the edge of the six-yard box and Elliott’s glancing header was pushed up in the air by Joyce, who ensured the ball didn’t drop into his net by flicking the ball away before Constable could pounce.
Despite creating all those chances, it was inevitable that Selsey would have one chance and take it.
But to their credit, they produced their one piece of quality during the whole game to grab the lead just before the hour mark.
Alun Morey and Max Thoms combined with a slick passing move down the left and Thoms played a low pass to Goulding, who cut through two defenders and swept the ball across Stroud, and the bouncing ball caressed the far post before nestling into the back of the net.
Collins said: “We’ve made a mistake, we’ve gone into an area we shouldn’t and they’ve got in and he’s finished it well, good composure in the box and then you’re always up against it, especially in a Cup game.
“Then you’re looking at Tuesday night, is it going to be a replay or are we going to get back into it at all? Fair play, if anyone was a neutral watching this game, they’ll be honest and say we did deserve to win but we just made very hard work of it.”
Collins replaced Wilfort and Elliot for Allan Matthews (who took the captains armband) and Amara and the Deres tried to utilise Amara’s and Cassius’ pace at every opportunity with attempted balls over the top of Selsey’s three central defenders.
Amara’s trickery down the left saw him cut the ball back to Cassius, whose right-footed drive from 25-yards flew just over the Selsey crossbar, before Erith & Belvedere’s deserved leveller came in the 70th minute.
Constable laid the ball off to left-back Adam Gross inside the Deres’ half and his ball over the top released Cassius down the left and once inside the box his initial shot was blocked but he had a second bite of the cherry and cut the ball across the face of goal for Amara to thump a right-footed shot into the roof of the net from six-yards.
Collins explained Amara’s background.
He said: “Hinga’s played a lot of non-league but he’s played out of our area. He’s played more over in the Surrey area for teams over there and he came to us pre-season for a trial and we took him in. The squad was at the maximum really but I’ve stuck with him. The lad’s got a fantastic attitude and today I just wanted to liven it up a little bit. I put him on, he’s strong. He came on against Woodstock and looked very lively and today, fair play to him, he took his chance.”
Collins also spoke about Evans’ background, a 31-year-old central midfielder, who was a professional at Tottenham Hotspur and Bristol City earlier in his career.
He said: “Evo’s a good player, been around the circuit. We signed him last weekend in anticipation of playing him last Monday against VCD and then on Sunday night his wife was rushed into hospital ill and wasn’t looking good so he couldn’t play Monday.
“He hasn’t had many minutes this year so he’ll look to get some fitness on board but he’s a quality player. He was at Godalming last year but he was with Metropolitan Police in their successful side. He was at Carshalton Athletic in their successful side, so he’s been round the block but sometimes at this level you just need that little steady head in there.”
Collins knew his side would go on and win the game.
“We spoke about that at half-time,” he said. “We said if we got our noses in front we’ll go on and win it comfortably, but as these games always are, the longer it goes on the more difficult it is to turn the tap back on and it just wasn’t happening for us.
“I thought we deserved the equaliser and then really it was, as you say, a bit of a stalemate and Luke May’s come up with a great strike and then you’re back in it.”
Selsey could have won it, with ten minutes left, when Graham Bush played the ball inside to Thoms, whose effort from outside of the box went wrong and curled around the far post.
But Erith & Belvedere scored three goals in a clinical 237 seconds at the end of the game – proving you shouldn’t leave a game early!
The Kent side took the lead in the 88th minute when Stroud cleared the ball straight down the middle of the pitch and the ball fell nicely to May, who cracked a right-footed shot from 25-yards, which looped into the roof of the net.
They made it 3-1 just 77 seconds later, when Constable found substitute O’Shea down the left and the winger drilled a low shot towards the near post, which was parried by the diving Joyce and Constable steered the rebound past the keeper.
O’Shea, who was making his second substitute appearance following his swift move from Cray Valley (PM), impressed Collins.
“Callum has come in from Cray Valley, he’s got a work commitment, otherwise he’ll certainly be playing higher,” said Collins. “He put in at least nine fantastic crosses. We just haven’t done them justice at the end.
“He’s had the shot, Andy’s scored from it then he’s put the cross in and Hinga’s scored from it so the boy’s got a great talent. He’s come off the bench today and hopefully he’s got his opportunity.”
And the hosts scored again with 46:39 on the clock when Cassius produced some dazzling skills down the right before whipping in a cross, which should have been converted by Amara, but the ball was retrieved by O’Shea, who floated in another quality cross and Amara nipped ahead of Joyce to glance a header inside the near corner.
Collins takes his side to Hythe Town in the First Qualifying Round on 17 September – Hythe knocked his side out with a 4-1 win at Reachfields Stadium in the Second Qualifying round en-route to the First Round Proper last year.
Scott Porter’s side scraped through a 1-0 win at Chessington & Hook United yesterday and Collins revealed his squad are looking forward to the Kent derby.
He said: “I think that’s the one that the lads’ wanted. Scott’s a good friend of mine and they’ve been fantastic getting out of our league and hopefully they’ll do well in the Ryman.
“That’s a great fixture for us to go down there with them as the higher side and being the underdogs we’ll go down there and do ourselves some credit.”
Erith & Belvedere
1. Richard Stroud
2. John Wilfort (capt, sub Allan Matthews 61)
3. Adam Gross
4. Luke May (goal 88)
5. Richie Davies
6. Paul Gross
7. Marcus Cassius
8. James Evans
9. Andy Constable (goal 89)
10. Marcus Elliott (sub Hinga Amara 61, goals 70, 90+2)
11. Lee Radford (sub Callum O’Shea 14, caution 53)
Unused subs: Mike Azzopardi, Harry Dolby, Adam Lisney
Selsey: Sam Joyce, Mark Lee (capt), Marc Hinshelwood (sub Daniel Cox 76), Sean Dobbs, Toby Pointing, Max Thoms, Callum Britton, Alun Morey, Graham Bush, Jake Goulding (goal 58), David Styles. Unused subs: Luke Killner, Jamie Dowsett, Joss Parsons, Bradley Miles
Referee: Mr M Quinn (Romford)
Attendance: 92
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