Bay Pay Penalty

Herne Bay (0) 0

Hythe Town (0) 1
Thompson 73

Attendance: 170

Ryman Isthmian League Division One (South)
Tuesday 15th April 2014.
at Winch’s Field

by Steve Barton

It was a makeshift Herne Bay side for the visit of Hythe Town. With centre-backs Calum McGeehan, Connor Sanders and Joe Kennett all unavailable Sam Denly recalled Steven Lloyd from his loan spell at Canterbury City to cope with the physicality of Shaun Welford and Craig Thompson in the Hythe attack.

The Forters have a formula that gains them points but is not pretty to watch and fails to win any plaudits from the neutrals. It was successful enough for them to reach the play-offs last season but this campaign it has served them less well and they have dropped to midtable.

It was Herne Bay who had the best of the opening exchanges and in the 10th minute James Turner made space in the box for Stuart King who turned, beat off the advances of a defender and tested ex-Bay custodian Dan Eason with a thunderous shot. Two minutes later a long throw from Joe Nelder from just inside the Hythe half found James Turner and his shot hit the side netting.

There were some heavy challenges going in and Bay were not to be bullied on the ball. Dan Eason was again in action on 37 when Sam Hasler’s long range shot bounced just in front of him and the keeper managed to turn the ball away. Within three minutes Hythe thought that they had taken the lead when Craig Thompson was left alone in the area and his header from a corner was hooked acrobatically off the line by James Turner with protests from the away side that the ball had crossed the line.

On the stroke of halftime James Turner jigged into the box and was felled. Stuart King’s penalty was hard and along the ground but went to the wrong side of Dan Eason’s left upright. For the second time this season Hythe had survived a Herne Bay penalty.

The football in the second period was ugly and rarely was either keeper brought into action. When Hythe took the lead in the 73rd minute unsurprisingly it came from a long ball over the top which was headed over Jack Delo, making his 50th appearance of the season, by Craig Thompson. The game petered out with the number of games in such a short space of time taking its toil. Expect more of the club’s promising youngsters being blooded against champions Peacehaven on Thursday.

Herne Bay: Jack Delo, Michael Turner, Gary Sayer, James Turner (Elliot Cutts 62), Steven Lloyd, George Benner, Sam Hasler, Joe Nelder, Stuart King (Jaimie O’Connell 72), Jordan Casey (Kane Butler 83), Dean Grant.

Subs not used: Jake Page, Connor Partridge