Frustrating For Bay

Herne Bay (0) 0

Corinthian Casuals (0) 1
Shaun Okojie 80

Attendance: 172

Ryman Isthmian League Division One (South)
Saturday 20th February 2016
(at The Altira Park Stadium, Winch’s Field)

by Peter Guise

(photo credit: HBFC Library - Sam Denly)

Herne Bay slipped out of the play-off berths following this frustrating display against a side they were expected to beat but failed to net pushing their goalless sequence to a new record for their Ryman League tenure of 531 minutes.

“I’m getting fed up with us not putting the ball in the back of the net, we’re never going to finish in the top five if we can’t score”, said Herne Bay manager Sam Denly, “I’ve said to the lads, forget about the ref, forget about the penalty, it’s not good enough, if we want to get on, compete, stay in the top five, we have to score goals. We’ve got one of the best back fours in the division, that’s not an issue, but now for some reason we couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo. It’s got to change”.

The reference to the penalty was an incident early in the second half when Hasler appeared to have been scythed to the ground but the man in the middle declined to award a spot kick which might have changed the course of the game that was goalless at the time. Hasler, indeed, was the driving force for the home side in the first half who might have put the game out of sight with strikes in the 14th, saved by the busy Danny Bracken and 24th when Bracken tipped the effort round his left hand post for a corner.

After the break neither side could gain an advantage and the game became increasingly scrappy and frustrating for managers, players and spectators alike. The non award of a penalty sparked a period of tit for tat niggles and with ten minutes remaining Casuals performed the perfect smash and grab. A break down the left wing resulted in a cross that Okojie forced home at the near post, his being the final flailing leg amidst the crowd. Joe Nelder ought to have rescued a point for the play-off chasers, although Casuals will now come into that category following this victory, but he shot straight at Bracken from point blank range.

“We controlled the whole game, the penalty incident was a massive moment”, said Denly, “I think we need to stop talking about the play-offs, what we need to do is to start winning games again. We’ve been in the top five for the last three months so we’ve earned that right and respect but at the moment the main focus has to be to take it game by game and worry about the play-offs when April comes”.

Herne Bay: Jack Delo, Michael Turner, Gary Sayer, Dan Johnson, Liam Quin, Connor Sanders (Kane Phillip 81), Danny Walder, Joe Nelder, James Turner (Elliott Cutts 72), Dan Parkinson (Lee Browning 68), Sam Hasler.

Subs not used: Nathan Eastwood, Danny Williams.

Sent Off: none Cautioned: Jack Delo, Joe Nelder, Dan Parkinson.

Corinthian Casuals: Danny Bracken, Warren Morgan, Dave Hodges, Ben King, Terry Murray, Niall Wright, Jeuvan Spencer, Kervant Sebony, Shaun Okojie, James Cottee (Matt Reece 86), Emmanual Akokhia (Sekou Kaba 71).

Subs not used: Jack Strange, Ben Cotton, Cherno Mendy.

Sent Off: none Cautioned: Warren Morgan, Kervant Sebony, Shaun Okojie.

Referee: Saul Kay Assistant Referees: Piotr Zachweiga & Marcin Indyk.

Supporters Association Man of the Match: James Turner