Herne Bay 35s 1 – 4 AFC Westgate
S Curtis (pen)

This was the 35s’ last league game of the season and one in which they were looking to finish on a high. Victory would ensure a 6th place finish, and a loss would see us finish in last place.

We started with Richard Parker in goal, his first game for the 35s, with a reasonably settled back four of Simon Bates, Lee Foad, Tom Powell and Mark Kidd. The midfield trio were Stu Munday, Matt Betts and Dave Close, little more than a slightly warmed corpse having been plucked from his sick bed that morning following a couple of pull outs. The front three were Craig Gilpin, Scott Curtis and Matt Huckstep.

Those pull outs meant a recall for Lee McEvoy and our first ever on-the-day emergency signing of Phil Mogg. Miki Radulovic completed the bench.

We were though eclipsed by our opposition who made no less than four emergency signings on the day, one of who proved to be the difference in the game. Those four signings meant Westgate were effectively an unknown entity compared with the the side we played on the opening game of the season, a narrow 2-1 defeat some of the players are still rueing, and one that ruled out Royston Gough, one of our main attacking threats, for the entire season.

And this unknown entity caught the 35s napping twice in the opening three minutes. Firstly from a counter attack in the 2nd minute following a misplaced throw in, one of Westgate’s emergency signings was able to run at the home back line and hit a low and hard drive from the right ride of the box into the opposite corner. That was followed a minute later by another goal from the same player, who shrugged off a couple of half-hearted challenges to plant the ball past Parkie.

Bay though wobbling somewhat, rallied and on 18 minutes, Craig Gilpin hits the bar
After latching on to a through ball he took it past the keeper, went a little wide and as he came back from the byline he managed to dribble in and worked a left-footed shot that was heading for the far corner but hit the cross bar.

Despite a period of possession Bay were hit by a sucker punch on 20 mins when the keeper punted it high down field and Westgate ringer managed to get a hold of it and run at the defence. He rounded the keeper and tucked it away to complete his hattrick.

This was followed four minutes later by an own goal following a cross from the left. The attempt to cut out the cross backfired as it took a massive deflection which deceived the keeper Richard Parker.

But Bay were still in the game. On 36 mins they had the ball in the back of the net after a ball was clipped over the top and Craig Gilpin took it in his stride. He rode a defender’s challenge and made it to the byline where he cut it back for Huckers to tap in.
Unfortunately, the linesman judged that the ball had gone out of play when Gilpin cut it back. Herne Bay goal disallowed.

Then just six minutes later, another great chance for Matt Huckstep following a clipped ball to the back post but he couldn’t direct his header on target.

It finished HB over 35s 0-4 Westgate at half-time but the dressing room team talk was one of encouragement. The home side were out of the game by any stretch.

And in fact, this was shown to be true in the first minute of the restart when Miki was agriculturally up-ended in the penalty area by a visiting defender after he’d got the better of him in a shoulder to shoulder challenge. As Miki opened up the angle, the defender came across, lunged and took him out for a penalty so blatant that referee Booker pointed straight to the spot.

Up stepped Scott Curtis to place his penalty calmly to his right-hand side of the keeper who guessed completely wrong.

Then just a minute later on 47 mins Miki was clean through slightly to the right of the goal but misjudged the effort and skied it high and wide to the right.

And the chances were coming thick and fast – on 48 mins Miki slid the ball through and Gilpin was unable to beat the keeper from a tight angle. Bay were pushing their opponents hard.

On 56 mins it was Scott’s chance to join the attempts. Some good build up play resulted in a shot from Curtis but his low shot was into the near post and just wide

Westgate then fashioned a rare second half chance of their own. On 59 mins the ball was chipped over the Bay back line for two opposition runners. Following a save from Parkie, the rebound was turned in - but the goal was disallowed for handball in the build-up.

With Bay working their way in to the game now, Stu Munday got in on the action – blasting a shot wide from the edge of the box on 70 minutes.

Westgate then hit back with a visitor dribbling past Lee Mack and then firing his shot over the bar from the edge of the box. And minutes later they created a one v one wit the keeper but the striker delayed over his shot and the chance went.

But it was the home team in the ascendancy and it took a wonder save with his legs from the keeper to deny Craig Gilpin who managed to hook his leg around a cross and shoot goalwards.

As Bay kept pushing they were a little more open at the back. This was evident on 84 mins after a dangerous looking Herne Bay cross was gathered by the keeper who then launched a counter attack. The attack looked promising but the attacker dribbles the ball into the keeper.
The game finished shortly after, the scoreline still the same.

Overall, after a terrible start to the game Bay slowly improved and were the better team in the second half, but had left themselves too much to do.

This was typical of the season as a whole. Two wins, one home and one away (versus Baypoint and Bourne respectively) were followed by defeats by the odd goal to Gate Fossils, Bourne and Westgate, all games we feel we should have won. The draw versus Ramsgate away too felt like two points lost. Heavy defeats against HBV and Baypoint were merited and ultimately meant we had the worst goal difference.

Those games apart, the 35s were never out of any of the games they played this season and arguably deserved a higher league finish.

Bay were and are better in the cups beating Hamstreet comfortably, Baypoint on penalties only falling to finalists Glebe in the quarter finals of the Kent Cup and are now in the quarters of the League cup facing Real Social Dads on 8 April.

Cup success would give us a very different end of season feeling.

R Parker

S Bates L Foad T Powell M Kidd

D Close S Munday M Betts

C Gilpin S Curtis M Huckstep

Starting from the bench: M Radulovic, P Mogg, L McEvoy

Result: Ramsgate 1 – 1 HBFC O35s
Man-of-the-match: Player's vote: C Gilpin
Man-of-the-match: Opposition vote: C Gilpin
Referee: P Taylor [90]

Herne Bay FC

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