Ashford 2 - 1. Daventry

[Tel]

Ashford keep the dream alive, another three points against a top team. Many young players can hold heir heads up and give a S M I L E ( I don't know how to put a smiley on the text)

 

It's never over until the final whistle

[fatboyatmfc]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssss!!!

 

3points in the onion bag!

 

Well done all !!!

[Swifty]

The smiley face is a colon, then a dash, then either a capital D or an end bracket, Plenty of those around the club tonight!

 

What a magnificent effort - again. We started out defending as if our lives depended on it, blocking everything Daventry threw at us, then another wonderful run by Conor resulted in a trip in the box and a 39th minute penalty, coolly slotted into the corner by Jimmy "Hasselbaink" Awofisan, who then celebrated with the halfway line terrace like I've never seen in 24 years watching the lads. 

 

We needed a second goal to steady the ship and, oh, what a second - Tom Brunton lashing it low into the corner from at least 20 yards out in the 54th. As with Rugby Town, having been pegged back for most of the first half, we believed in ourselves more after the break and gave very little away, the only truly nervous moments coming after Tyler's foul for Tommy Berwick's 87th minute penalty.

 

We were perhaps a little lucky that, for the second consecutive Tuesday, we faced a top team who had to endure an awkward midweek journey. Daventry looked a bit jaded but showed plenty of class and skill and, as with Rugby, their supporters / committee took the result with very good grace. Where we didn't need luck was with our performance, the very essence of tenacity. As one supporter put it to me during the game, where on Earth could we have ended up if we'd had this particular set of players all season? I couldn't pick a man of the match, everyone gave it their all. 

 

Six games unbeaten and ten points earned in those games. A win against a team who'd narrowly lost away to League Two pacesetters Chesterfield in the FA Cup first round. Now level on points with Chertsey Town and one point behind North Greenford United. That's still only halfway up the mountain, though. We still have to keep going and overtake those teams. No taking our eyes off the ball and thinking we can coast it from hereon. 

 

Mind you, remember where we were three weeks ago and compare to now. Unthinkable. Astonishing. Brilliant.  :-)

[Beano]

From our new Hayes End penthouse, I've spent the evening watching Twitter, having dropped the programmes at the ground after doing the school run this morning and I'm over the moon tonight.

 

Steph had appointments at the Charing Cross Hospital today, which kept me away from both the office and the RPS but, now that we finally have broadband at home I was able to keep fully abreast of matters thanks to our visitors' Twitter feed (and my retweet button).

 

The hard work starts now - we need to get ahead of NGU and Chertsey and, with a match at NGU to come on Easter Saturday, there is every chance we can as long as we remain focused.

 

I couldn't be there this evening, so my thanks to all that were, whether on the pitch, in the bus shelter on the halfway line or doing their matchday thing in other ways. How good would it be to finish the season with the new roof done, survival on the pitch and (hopefully) work underway on the training pitch restoration?

 

As someone once said on t'telly... it's up for grabs now! Keep it going, everyone. 

[Swifty]

Beano, don't forget you're on the mic for the last home game against Egham Twn on Easter Monday.

 

Love to Steph and Lilly and, while we know you've got loads on your plate, come back to your spiritual home whenever you get a chance - don't be a stranger.  

[ZolaPower]

Swifty from where i stand we never really looked under to much pressure albeit Daventry had their chances but found Tyler on top of his game again and our back four also where at it.We now have a Team that defend from the front line and have an understanding of each others game. Cinor and Jimmy up top really gave the Daventry back lime a good going over. Credit has to go to the management Team who are also responsible for the change in our fortune as they have installed belief but most importantly taken the pressure off the boys.We still have a long way to go but i now believe its in our hands now. These boys want it and now have the ability to get it, yes its ugly at times but its abt putting points on the board so sexy football or dig deep and get what you can ? Who cares!!! Some big games coming up lads but fear no one !!!!

[Roystonjez]

Got to say that after watching you twice and Chertsey twice, you should easily overcome them and NGU. Chertsey in the second half seemed to be resigned to their fate. Talking to their management team, they have already started planning for life in the Combined Counties League.

[Swifty again]

Thanks, Jez. Much appreciated. We're not taking anything for granted, though. Catching the other teams up is one thing, overtaking them is another. Still, thanks for helping us out last night. Best of luck to your lads.      

[Savagebee]

What a good result for Ashford Town against a very decent team who I saw beat North Greenford United the other Saturday 0 1.

 

Good luck on the rest of the great escape.

 

I would love to see Ashford Town FC stay up.

[Roystonjez]

Its such a shame when you have 3 very decent clubs struggling at the bottom that have always  given the Crows a friendly welcome, treated us with respect and played a fair game. Then you have Kettering....

 

Good luck to all three teams, unfortunately only one of you will stay up

[lazarus]

Here is the official Daventry report- seems very fair:

 

After snatching a point late on in the match against promotion rivals Slough Town on Saturday, Daventry Town were looking for all three points at bottom of the table Ashford Town, but `The Ash Trees` who are now unbeaten in their last six matches, stunned the `Purple Army` by winning the game by 2 -1.

With Kettering and Dunstable Town both dropping points, it was an opportunity missed for Daventry to pull ahead of two of its promotion rivals. Playing eight matches in a week is clearly beginning to take its toll on the players, in a rather lack lustre display!

Daventry Town Manager Darran Foster would not accept any excuses for his team’s poor performance, `Ashford are an improving team, but that is no excuse for our lack of ideas and the absence of any passion from my players!

`It was tough losing Ashley Robinson so early in the match, just as it looked like he was getting the better of their defenders! `We created a few chances in the match, but we really must do better if we are to have any chance of winning the title. We were second best to a side fighting to avoid relegation at the foot of the table.

`No excuses, on the day we were beaten by a better side, we were very poor, which I am hugely disappointed about! `We will need to put in some much stronger performances over the next couple of matches, if we are to have any chance of moving up the table!

Ashley Robinson was substituted early on in the game, after a leg injury, his replacement Luke Keen almost scoring within minutes of coming on! Mykel Beckley had a shot blocked, but the ball rebounded back to him, his second cross went inches wide of the goal, with Luke Keen very close to getting a touch!

Ashford went ahead after 39minutes; Marcel Simpson was judged to have bought down an Ashford striker in the penalty box. James Awosifan duly stepped up and converted the kick, to put the `The Ash Trees` unexpectedly in front, against the run of play!

After the break, Guy Sanders came on to replace Ashley Deeney, but Ashford went further ahead when former Egham striker Tom Brunton scored after 55mins. You could almost hear the chatter of supporters from Kettering, Slough, Barton, Dunstable and Rugby, as their Twitter feeds went crazy!

Daventry replaced Mykel Beckley with Ryan Howell on the hour, as Daventry desperately tried to get back into the game, but it was keeper Richard Morris who was called upon to prevent Ashford from going three goals in front, Morris pulling off a fantastic save by diving full length across his goal to stop a powerful header from going inside his right hand post!

The referee awarded his second penalty in the 87th minute, this time to Daventry Town, striker Tommy Berwick stroked the ball home comfortably, to give Town some hope of saving a point, but it was not to be!

The alarm bells will be ringing at Communications Park, the Town have picked up just one point from their last three games, and this situation will need to be corrected at Chertsey on Saturday (22nd), before meeting second in the table Dunstable Town at Communications Park next Tuesday (25th.

[lazarus]

A ground hopper's view, from the Kempster forum:

 

Given the more than enthusiastic response from the PA announcer at the end of what was an excellent display plus relegation rivals Chertsey and North Greenford both losing, pretty obvious that the Ashford Town contingent of this parish were more than happy with...

Ashford Town (Middx) 2 v 1 Daventry Town - Southern League Division 1 Central
Prog 28 pages £2.00 - Att 85 - Admission £8.00

... Given the respective positions of these two with Ashford at the bottom and Daventry lurking just behind the leaders but with the best PPG, this actually went very much to form with Ashford now unbeaten with six and the visitors not showing championship form with them accruing just one point out of the last nine. On the balance of play the hosts thoroughly deserved their win with one of the most confident and enthusiastic display shown by a bottom of a table team seen in living memory.

I am sure that the whingeing Daventry bench would come up with a host of excuses like the bouncy nature of the pitch and the fact that they had lost both Robinson and Beckley to injuries by the restart of the second half, but if there is one team that I have seen this season and I find difficult to believe as to why they are doing so well then it is Daventry. An ugly brute of a side, without hardly finesse or subtlety, but on this occasion they were nearly always second best.

In contrast, difficult to work out why Ashford are marooned at the bottom of the league. There was some very good approach play and clearly the team has been rejuvenated with confidence. The visitors missed the only early clear cut chance with the unmarked Keen heading over from close range after a very good cross from Berwick and Ashford were a little fortunate when a header from Confue came back off the outside of the post. However, collectively Ashford pushed forward purposefully. Awosifan perhaps should have done better to direct a clear header in the direction of goal but it was no surprise when Ashford took the lead just before half time when a move involving Awosifan broke down but the loose ball arrived at the feet of Conor Moody who was rather unnecessarily brought down in the box leaving Awosifan to send Morris the wrong way from the spot.

If those assembled were expecting a more coherent display from the visitors in the second half then they were mistaken with them making little progress against deermined defending. Awosifan could have doubled Ashford's advantage but headed wide. However, given that the creating cross from Moody was struck with venom it was a case that the ball rather came off Awosifan's head rather than him genuinely guiding the header goalwards. Did not have to wait too many more minutes for the hosts lead to be doubled, on this occasion a perfectly struck twenty yard daisy cutter from Brunton which beat Morris for sheer pace and you knew it was a big ask for Daventry to gain anything from their predicament.

In the final half hour we saw a Daventry team which had rediscovered it's direction but when shooting Keen et al always seemed to find an Ashford boot in the way or we had the slightly amusing fall from Berwick who was clear of the last defender but clearly stumbled almost theatrically to the ground. It took the visitors until two minutes from time to pull a goal back when Berwick was bundled over by the Ashford keeper who was perhaps a tad fortunate not to see a red. But Berwick dispatched the penalty and then was promptly cautioned for trying to extricate the ball from Tobin's grasp as he was intent of trying to waste a few seconds. Problem was that an Ashford performance where they successfully gave their opponents barely room to breathe let alone produce anything creative had prevented their opponents from pulling a goal back to a time when an actual comeback was constricted by time.

At the end the Ashford supporters were fully appreciative of their teams display and even though they are still bottom, talk is of avoiding relegation.

Clearly much hard work has been undertaken to bring Short Lane up to a reasonable standard. However, the presence of the Esso Petroleum depot with all the (aviation?) fuel tanks behind the near goal is a surreal view. Had several visions occasionally in Supermarionation of exploding fuel tanks and Famile de Tracey coming to the rescue.

[Swifty again]

"Given the more than enthusiastic response from the PA announcer at the end"

 

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Me and my big mouth!   

[brighton_rebel]

Cheers from Slough Town!

Your one club we like visiting - really hope you stay up - but please don't dent our play off chances when we visit in a couple of weeks!

[ZolaPower]

Red Card ?? Never the save was made by the keeper !!! The clas that followed was momentum the ref dropped his only clanger of the night. I was dead level with the incident and if it was a foul he should have seen Red as for the incident after the penalty he should have seen the Red Card you cannot do that in modern day football.Some complimentary words from the Dav gaffer though he just about summed it up. Also had the pleasure of some time with the Dav chairman a true gent ...C'Mon the Ash Trees !!!