A controversial stoppage time winner from substitute James Turner earned Herne Bay three precious Ryman League South points against a Chatham Town side who were left scratching their heads on what might, or even should, have been.
After taking the lead through Luke Medley’s expert penalty early in the second half, the Chats valiantly defended their lead until 15 minutes from time when Danny Williams rammed the ball home after Ian Pulman’s drive came back off the left post.
Then after the home side had laid siege seemingly in vain, in stoppage time, as the visitors tried to clear the ball, Pulman lunged into a challenge that left a defender in a heap. Whilst many including some of the Chats defenders stopped and waited for a whistle that didn’t come, the ball fell to Kane Phillip who’s shot looped wide of the post. And from the resulting corner Turner swept the ball past Alex Hyde and into the Chatham net.
After the game we asked Chats boss Paul Piggott for his view and he shrugged his shoulders and told us, “I don’t know what the referee was looking at as it was right under his nose and the assistants too! But we’re only talking about it as we’ve lost another game of football but we’ve got to worry about what we’ve got to do rather than anyone else’s and we’ve got to turn the corner. We were so close to getting a point and that’s what’s so disappointing. We defended for long spells in the second half and didn’t keep the ball. We were stronger in the second half against Hythe on Tuesday, but today we didn’t and with more quality in the today, we’d have got something out of the game.”
Herne Bay boss Sam Denly meanwhile was philosophical about the official’s “non” decision. “Maybe,” he said, “But there was a few things tonight that we’ve felt hard done by, and if we’ve had a bit of luck with one I’ll take that. We haven’t had a lot go our way this season down the league and so if one has we’ll take it!”
“I thought we deserved the three points tonight particularly for the way we played in the second half – disappointed that we went one nil down but thought we showed great character to get back into the game. When you’re down the bottom as we are, when you’re one nil down you start to think is it going to be one of those days again but we showed resilience today that we haven’t in other games this season. On an awful night for football – cold, foggy and a freeing pitch – really pleased that we got the points. Probably wasn’t the best spectacle but its two wins out of two over Christmas which is what we targeted…”
Herne Bay started the brighter and had already hit the woodwork when the frame of the goal denied Michael Turner after his original cross had been headed back across goal by Williams. With Pulman a constant menace, the visitors defence creaked but didn’t really look like conceding whilst going forward whilst Medley was a constant threat, sadly there was little offer to cheer the travelling support on a bitterly cold night.
That however all changed just before the hour as Enoch Adjedi’s may run towards goal was crudely ended unfairly and Medley stepped up for his sixth goal in the last six games and his 16th goal of the season.
The home side responded and responded well – Williams forcing a fine save out of keeper Hyde with a rasping drive, before Williams levelled with fifteen minutes left. Pulman turned magnificently in the box and only to be denied by the left post. Williams though reacted quickest and drilled the ball home.
It was then a case of “what we have, we hold” for the Medway side and they got close but then came James Turner’s late late show. Turner had only come on for Connor Sanders just before the Bay equaliser and was now in the right place at the right time to sweep home the winner in stoppage time from the corner that on another day wouldn’t have been given.
Six points out of six then for the Bay over Christmas with wins against Ramsgate and now Chatham – next up is a tantalising derby on Bank Holiday Monday against Faversham.
For Piggott the end of the game really summed up his first games in charge at Maidstone Road. “We’re not keeping enough clean sheets which isn’t good enough – since I’ve been here we’ve let in something like 16 goals so nowhere near good enough defensively – that’s a collective thing, but we’re looking to address that,” starting on Monday when the Chats visit Cray Wanderers…