March

Saturday 4 th March 2006 – Southern League Division One West

Beaconsfield SYCOB 0 (0) – (0) 2 Ashford Town

Ashford manager Mark Butler elected to start with Scott Todd partnering Gavin Smith up front with Scott Harris on the bench while in midfield fit again Ricky Wellard replaced Simon Langley.

A poor ball by Russ Canderton very nearly gave Beaconsfield a dream start but Paul Burgess came to the rescue saving Allan Arthur's low shot with his legs.

An early caution for Kieron Gradwell for a foul on Ashford winger Anthony Joseph gave Todd a chance to test Julian Taylor from the free-kick but the Beaconsfield keeper was equal to it.

Todd combined well with Joseph on 15 minutes, picking out the winger with a good cross-field pass but Josephs shot whistled past the far post for a goal kick. At the other end a last ditch tackle by Ashford skipper Steve Battams denied a chance for Arthur who was threatening to break through the Ashford lines.

By the half-hour stage the visitors were enjoying a great deal of the possession but a rare break by James Prichard gave him a shooting opportunity which he spurned by firing the ball high over Burgess' bar.

Gavin Smith had a good header, from a Joseph cross, saved by Taylor before Terry Gibbs tested Burgess from a free-kick at the other end just before half-time.

The second half got under way in controversial fashion when, on 51 minutes, Jason Bowler was dismissed for aiming a head-butt at Ashford striker Smith.

A long, aimless ball down toward the left corner was chased by Todd and Taylor on 56 minutes which Todd just got to first and with the keeper in no-man's-land the Ashford striker fired the ball back over the him and in to the net from a difficult angle to give his side the lead.

Jack Jefferies came to Beaconsfield 's rescue on the hour as Todd and Joseph exchanged passes, diving in with a well timed tackle on Todd as he was in the act of shooting but even Jefferies was powerless to prevent Ashford from going two goals to the good on 65 minutes. A juggling act and over-head cross by Joseph on the right was seized upon by Smith loitering in the penalty area. Smith laid the ball back into the path of the incoming Ricky Wellard who shot low and hard past Taylor and in to the net at the far post.

Paul Johnson had a good effort well saved by Taylor after good work from Jason Chewins and Wellard and another soon after which flew just over Taylor's bar as Lee Passmore relieved Gibbs of the ball in midfield to present Johnson with the chance.

Substitute Scott Harris and Todd had further chances to increase the lead before Burgess produced a great save from Luke Evans at the other end to keep the score at 2 – 0 and give Ashford three more valuable points as they continue their fight for promotion.

Monday 6 th March 2006 – Surrey Senior Cup Q/F

Woking FC 0 (0) – (0) 1 Ashford Town

Ashford manager Mark Butler, himself a veteran of several campaigns against Woking for Aldershot , elected to bring in goalkeeper Tony Wells in place of Paul Burgess, who replaced him on the bench. Also missing was Vinnie O'Sullivan, who suffered a slight knock on Saturday and the unavailable Anthony Joseph replaced by Brett and Mike Cooper respectively. Scott Harris started along side Scott Todd and Gavin Smith as Mark Butler showed his attacking intent from the off. Woking welcomed back Justin Richards, the Conference top scorer, from suspension and he was joined up front by Luke Townsend with the dangerous Steven Ferguson on the right and Liam Cockerill on the left.

Townsend had an early chance latching on to a quick ball from Stephen Evans but he shot wide of Tony Wells right hand post before the visitors had their first attempt at goal when a free-kick by Todd was half cleared to Ricky Wellard. Wellard's first time effort was comfortably taken by Clint Davies in the Woking goal.

Wells was back in action on 13 minutes saving low down from Evans after strong work from Richards and a good lay-off. As the half progressed the rain which had started earlier grew heavier and Todd came into his own as he ran and chased every ball giving the big Woking defenders a torrid time.

A tremendous tackle by Steve Battams on Ferguson , as the winger tried to wriggle through, saved a potential goal chance before the Ashford skipper found time to very nearly claim an assist at the other end nodding on Todd's corner to Jason Chewins at the far post but Chewins powerful header was superbly saved by Davies.

A clumsy aerial challenge by Matt Ruby with Smith left the Ashford striker prone on the turf for a while and it was clear that his match was over as he left the pitch on unsteady legs and with blood pouring from a wound in the side of his head. Smith was promptly attended to by Woking 's club doctor, to whom the club and player are very grateful, who inserted 6 stitches in the strikers head. Smith was replaced at half time by 17 year old Matt Baxter.

Three minutes into the second half Woking very nearly took the lead when a good run and cross from Liam Cockerill was met by Townsend whose shot hit the post.

Baxter linked well on the left with Chewins, on 55 minutes, and only another great stop by Davies prevented the young striker from scoring with a blistering left foot drive at the near post, but even the heroics of Davies were powerless to stop the Southern League side from taking a deserved lead 5 minutes later. Ricky Wellard, whose vision and ability had been in evidence all game, started and finished the move. Good work on the right by man of the match Todd and a slide rule pass inside found Wellard who beat two men before advancing into the penalty box and sliding the ball past Davies to the delight of the small but vociferous crowd of Ashford supporters.

Ferguson was shown the yellow card for a wild kick at Todd, which fortunately missed, as the Ashford man took the ball off him and turned to start an attack of his own.

Both Todd and the excellent Scott Harris strove to cover every blade of grass and chase every ball, as Woking went on the offensive, often deep into their own halves.

As the game wore on, the Conference side started to show their superior fitness but great tackling from Russ Canderton, Battams and Chewins along with Brett Cooper's selfless running kept the Woking attack at bay.

Ashford survived a scare, two minutes into injury time, thanks to a brilliant diving save at the far post by Tony Wells from a well-worked free-kick at the expense of a corner. From the kick Wells blocked a point blank shot from Ferguson and then, again, from Stuart Nethercott's follow up.

At the final whistle Ashford's triumphant but exhausted players trooped off the pitch to the sporting applause of the Woking supporters while the Chairman and fellow committee men retired to the Directors lounge to partake of the very welcome hospitality of their illustrious opponents.

The reward for winning this match is a home game against the victors of the Guildford United and AFC Wimbledon match in the semi-final.

Southern League Division One West			11 th March 2006

Ashford Town FC	4	(1)	(1)	2	Paulton Rovers FC
Smith (3), Canderton			Kilgour (2)

With the exception of the unfortunate Tony Wells who, after an tremendous display in midweek, was back on the bench with Paul Burgess taking his place in goal, manager Mark Butler electing to field the team that were victorious at Woking in the Surrey Senior Cup quarter final. The Somerset club started the livelier as some of the Ashford players struggled to find their rhythm. With six minutes on the clock Richard Perry won a tussle for the ball with Russ Canderton but shot wide of Burgess' far post. Ashford had a good chance of their own just a minute later when Scott Todd and Scott Harris combined well to set up a chance for Gavin Smith but he too shot wide. After ten minutes Ashford started to find some form but it was Paulton who opened the scoring against the run of play. A deflection from a shot from Andy Catley went out for a corner. From the resulting kick giant veteran defender Michael Kilgour reacted first to glance the ball past Burgess and into the Ashford net. Ashford's reaction to this setback was to gradually dominate the play and set up chances of their own with Gavin Smith leading the line well and linking with Harris on several occasions one of which the 18 year old will have been very disappointed with, shooting wide from inside the eighteen yard box. The home side's pressure on their visitors told in the 37 th minute after a good passage of play. Ricky Wellard touched a ball on from midfield to Smith whose low shot was tipped round the post by John Rendall, in the Paulton goal, for a corner. Todd's corner was half cleared out to Michael Cooper whose cross back in was delicately headed over Rendall and into the net by Smith for the equaliser. Wellard saw another chance narrowly clear the bar just before half time when he latched on to a clearance from another Todd corner. Rovers made their first change at half time, Matt Latham taking the field for the second half in place of Steve Bridges. Two goals in the first five minutes gave an explosive start to the second half. The first came on 47 minutes when Canderton received the ball from a Jason Chewins throw-in on the left and played in a right footed ball toward the incoming Harris whose missed header left Rendall in no-man's land with the ball ending up in the back of the net to give the home side the lead. The second, 3 minutes later, was at the other end when Kilgour, again disappointingly from an Ashford point of view, found the space to head home a cross from the left by Ben Cleverly to equalise. Parity lasted 6 minutes before Ashford regained the lead when Smith's fierce drive was deflected behind for a corner by Dale Peckham. Todd's kick was half cleared to Smith who rammed the ball into the net. Dan Cleverley had a good chance to equalise again on the hour mark when Matt Denton won an aerial battle with Canderton, the ball falling to the Paulton striker but Burgess came to the rescue. Paulton's game resistance was effectively ended in the 74 th minute when man of the match Gavin Smith pounced on the ball, following great work from Chewins from Todd's corner, and hammered in his 17 th goal of the season. Unfortunately frustrations boiled over as the Ashford players turned in celebration and Peckham appeared to aim a punch at Canderton for which the Paulton man was dismissed with Canderton and Michael Cooper earning cautions. An unfortunate incident which went against the nature of this game which had been played in good spirit by both teams. With Paulton's resistance all but ended Ashford could have had 2 or 3 more goals but for the heroics of Rendall, one save in particular from substitute Matt Baxter was astounding, and some unlucky deflections as chances fell to Harris, Smith, Baxter and fellow substitute Anthony Joseph. Lee Passmore was Ashford's unsung hero involved all afternoon quietly and efficiently breaking up Paulton's attacks through the midfield and providing the base from which Ricky Wellard could pick out his team mates with his astute passing and launch into his runs from deep. One such mazy run late in the game saw the 17 year old drift past 4 opponents to get into the Paulton penalty area and only a last ditch block prevented Wellard from adding to the score-line.