Faversham Town 1-1 Corinthain-Casuals
Ryman Division One South
Saturday 4th October 2014
Attendance 179
By: Darren Pasley
Casuals became the first side this season to leave the Shepherd Neame Stadium with something as they held Faversham to a 1-1 draw.
It was a deserved point and certainly gives Casuals a platform to build on with nearly a third of the season gone.
It felt like the new season albeit 2 months into it had finally arrived on a wet cold and miserable day in East Kent. Casuals without Jamie Byatt who came off injured last week handed a first start to Jason Turley.
The slippery surface was causing difficulty for both sets of players as they struggled to adjust to the conditions. Referee Bentley gave Hall and then more so Turley the benefit of the doubt for two early heavy challenges.
A scrappy affair was lit up in the 13th minute with the games opening goal. A corner from the right for the home side wasn’t cleared and with the ball still in the box Keiran Oliver managed to squeeze in a shot from 12 yards which appeared to take a deflection as it went past Bracken.
Naturally this gave the hosts confidence and the initiative to push on and the Casuals backline were being tested as the Lilywhites mixed up their game in an attempt to capitalise on their early dominance.
In spite of this early pressure the visitors came close to equalising on 22 minutes when Dave Hodges right wing corner was met by the towering Danny Dudley but home keeper Simon Overland flung himself to the left to keep the header out.
Faversham’s two strikers Kieran Oliver and Dean Grant were proving a real handful and it was the latter who was next to have an attempt at goal after weaving through the challenges of two defenders but to Casuals relief he slipped whilst shooting enabling Bracken to gather with ease low down.
There was a hairy moment for Brackens opposite number Overland in the 32nd minute when he fumbled Juevan Spencer’s right wing cross but the home custodian was able to recover and catch the ball on the line much to his relief.
The visitors were seeing more of the ball in the final 10 minutes of the half and creating a spell of pressure for the first time, the main outlet was Hodges with a series of superb crosses but each time they were defended brilliantly by the home side
Corinthian’s should have equalised 6 minutes before the break. After winning the ball in his own half Dudley broke forward and fed Hodges down the left. His low cross was blocked on the 6-yard line and scrambled away but fell to the arriving Bettache. Somehow though the young midfielder shot wide with his weaker left foot with the keeper beaten.
Into first half stoppage time and the hosts went close twice to doubling their lead. Firstly skipper Jason Scarborough arriving at the back post from a set piece saw his effort deflected past his own post by Spencer. Bewick went even closer with a low side footed effort, which skimmed past Brackens far post after good work from Grant.
Casuals emerged for the second period looking to press the home side further up the pitch. Bettache was the first to find an opening on 54 minutes after a neat passage of play but he elected to shoot harmlessly over with others well placed. The home side continued to offer a threat of their own and ex-Hythe man Sam Bewick headed narrowly over from Maxted’s fizzing cross.
Grant still proving a real handful saw another effort beaten away by Bracken in the 56th minute as the game ebbed and flowed. Bracken again was called into action on the hour mark, making a superb point blank range stop following a corner. Hicks on hand to clear the danger.
On 65 minutes the visitors drew level. Welch-Turner’s ball to Bettache appeared to zip of the surface and away from Algerian playmaker. However home captain John Scarborough who had been superb all afternoon slipped on the surface allowing Mahres to take control of the ball and play in Dave Hodges who arrived before the onrushing Overland to poke the ball home.
The set back rocked the home side and suddenly Casuals started finding space that had eluded them in the first half. With the game seemingly open it was the visitors with their abundance of pace who looked most likely and 15 minutes from time they fashioned a glorious chance to take the lead. Referee Ian Bennett played the advantage as Gill was crunched in the centre and down the right Juevan Spencer raced towards goal. His low cut back found Bettache 12 yards out but his first-time effort was magnificently blocked by the legs of Overland despite the keeper going the other way.
Matt Howard threw on Reece Placid who returned after 7 weeks injured sensing the points were there for the taking.
There was a final scare for each side in injury time. Firstly Joe Hicks came within inches of heading into his own net with Bracken stranded following a corner. Scarborough nearly did the same at the other end as he sliced Spencer’s low cross but the ball spun into the chest of a grateful Overland.
Honours finished even which was probably the right result over the 90 minutes although both sides will feel they could have won on another day.
After the match Matt Howard commented
I’m not going to be greedy; we’re happy with a point. It’s Faversham’s first points that they’ve dropped at home this season… played seven and won seven, so it’s good to come here and get what we got.
“On another day, maybe we do nick it and to be fair, the last ten minutes it could’ve ended 4-4, but we’ll take the point and go into Friday’s league game against Whyteleafe and stopping the rot.
“We played really well as a team and it’s nice to see Reece Placid back after being out for seven weeks.
“Friday is our fifteenth game in the league and that’s a third of the season gone, and we’re pleased with where we stand at the moment.
“We’ll more than likely mix it up a little on Tuesday for the cup game and in theory it’s a brilliant idea to have the game on a Friday but it might come back to haunt us having two games in three days. But we have players chomping at the bit to be playing so we can move it around quite comfortably.”
Highlights of the game are available to view courtesy of the Favershams C K Kent Youtube channel
Please click here
Ryman Division One South
Saturday 4th October 2014
Attendance 179
By: Darren Pasley
Casuals became the first side this season to leave the Shepherd Neame Stadium with something as they held Faversham to a 1-1 draw.
It was a deserved point and certainly gives Casuals a platform to build on with nearly a third of the season gone.
It felt like the new season albeit 2 months into it had finally arrived on a wet cold and miserable day in East Kent. Casuals without Jamie Byatt who came off injured last week handed a first start to Jason Turley.
The slippery surface was causing difficulty for both sets of players as they struggled to adjust to the conditions. Referee Bentley gave Hall and then more so Turley the benefit of the doubt for two early heavy challenges.
A scrappy affair was lit up in the 13th minute with the games opening goal. A corner from the right for the home side wasn’t cleared and with the ball still in the box Keiran Oliver managed to squeeze in a shot from 12 yards which appeared to take a deflection as it went past Bracken.
Naturally this gave the hosts confidence and the initiative to push on and the Casuals backline were being tested as the Lilywhites mixed up their game in an attempt to capitalise on their early dominance.
In spite of this early pressure the visitors came close to equalising on 22 minutes when Dave Hodges right wing corner was met by the towering Danny Dudley but home keeper Simon Overland flung himself to the left to keep the header out.
Faversham’s two strikers Kieran Oliver and Dean Grant were proving a real handful and it was the latter who was next to have an attempt at goal after weaving through the challenges of two defenders but to Casuals relief he slipped whilst shooting enabling Bracken to gather with ease low down.
There was a hairy moment for Brackens opposite number Overland in the 32nd minute when he fumbled Juevan Spencer’s right wing cross but the home custodian was able to recover and catch the ball on the line much to his relief.
The visitors were seeing more of the ball in the final 10 minutes of the half and creating a spell of pressure for the first time, the main outlet was Hodges with a series of superb crosses but each time they were defended brilliantly by the home side
Corinthian’s should have equalised 6 minutes before the break. After winning the ball in his own half Dudley broke forward and fed Hodges down the left. His low cross was blocked on the 6-yard line and scrambled away but fell to the arriving Bettache. Somehow though the young midfielder shot wide with his weaker left foot with the keeper beaten.
Into first half stoppage time and the hosts went close twice to doubling their lead. Firstly skipper Jason Scarborough arriving at the back post from a set piece saw his effort deflected past his own post by Spencer. Bewick went even closer with a low side footed effort, which skimmed past Brackens far post after good work from Grant.
Casuals emerged for the second period looking to press the home side further up the pitch. Bettache was the first to find an opening on 54 minutes after a neat passage of play but he elected to shoot harmlessly over with others well placed. The home side continued to offer a threat of their own and ex-Hythe man Sam Bewick headed narrowly over from Maxted’s fizzing cross.
Grant still proving a real handful saw another effort beaten away by Bracken in the 56th minute as the game ebbed and flowed. Bracken again was called into action on the hour mark, making a superb point blank range stop following a corner. Hicks on hand to clear the danger.
On 65 minutes the visitors drew level. Welch-Turner’s ball to Bettache appeared to zip of the surface and away from Algerian playmaker. However home captain John Scarborough who had been superb all afternoon slipped on the surface allowing Mahres to take control of the ball and play in Dave Hodges who arrived before the onrushing Overland to poke the ball home.
The set back rocked the home side and suddenly Casuals started finding space that had eluded them in the first half. With the game seemingly open it was the visitors with their abundance of pace who looked most likely and 15 minutes from time they fashioned a glorious chance to take the lead. Referee Ian Bennett played the advantage as Gill was crunched in the centre and down the right Juevan Spencer raced towards goal. His low cut back found Bettache 12 yards out but his first-time effort was magnificently blocked by the legs of Overland despite the keeper going the other way.
Matt Howard threw on Reece Placid who returned after 7 weeks injured sensing the points were there for the taking.
There was a final scare for each side in injury time. Firstly Joe Hicks came within inches of heading into his own net with Bracken stranded following a corner. Scarborough nearly did the same at the other end as he sliced Spencer’s low cross but the ball spun into the chest of a grateful Overland.
Honours finished even which was probably the right result over the 90 minutes although both sides will feel they could have won on another day.
After the match Matt Howard commented
I’m not going to be greedy; we’re happy with a point. It’s Faversham’s first points that they’ve dropped at home this season… played seven and won seven, so it’s good to come here and get what we got.
“On another day, maybe we do nick it and to be fair, the last ten minutes it could’ve ended 4-4, but we’ll take the point and go into Friday’s league game against Whyteleafe and stopping the rot.
“We played really well as a team and it’s nice to see Reece Placid back after being out for seven weeks.
“Friday is our fifteenth game in the league and that’s a third of the season gone, and we’re pleased with where we stand at the moment.
“We’ll more than likely mix it up a little on Tuesday for the cup game and in theory it’s a brilliant idea to have the game on a Friday but it might come back to haunt us having two games in three days. But we have players chomping at the bit to be playing so we can move it around quite comfortably.”
Highlights of the game are available to view courtesy of the Favershams C K Kent Youtube channel
Please click here
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