BackSat 18 Apr 2015 · Premier Division
Ashford United
First Team
2
0
UNBEATEN SEVEN MATCH RUN ENDS AT HOMELANDS.
Malcolm Boyes19 Apr 2015 - 07:26
Not the best away game and performance from the Crows sees the points remain with Ashford United on a blustery Saturday afternoon.
Not a bad time to experiment in reality.
This game, in front of 188 spectators, will not live long in the memory of anyone who saw it, due mainly to a dry, bumpy pitch and a strong wind blowing from one end of the pitch to the other.
The home fans went home happy in the end as Stuart Zanone scored a goal in each half to secure the points and the 30 odd travelling Crow fans probably knew it wasn't going to be their day when they arrived at the Homelands.
Having left Crowborough in nice sunshine and little wind and therefore, attired accordingly, it became a shock to the system to find that the weather in Ashford didn't quite match up to what had been left behind, the strong wind lowering the temperature somewhat. I saw at least one person from Crowborough eventually ditch the shorts and sandals for more suitable attire, although the now removed had brought a tear to many eyes.
As for the game itself, Crows won the toss and captain, Jonathan Trotter, selected to play with the prevailing wind in the first half so it was the home side who kicked off.
In reality, not a lot happened within the first 15 minutes, the dry, bumpy pitch and wind made passing the ball a harder task than it should have been and therefore, a plethora of high balls and throw-ins occurred which didn't make for the best entertainment in the world.
The Crows side had an experimental look about it, with Will Jagger being used as a midfield holding player, just in front of the centre halves and this meant that the substitutes bench had a strong look about it. Theregore, perhaps, the away side had a reason for what seemed to many, to be an end of season performance with not a lot to play for.
Another reason why both clubs seemed to find it hard to get any rhythm going was the amount of free kicks being awarded during the last 30 minutes of the half, having no free kicks being awarded in the first 12 minutes, 12 were given in those remaking minutes and the constant whistle-blowing affected both teams.
Of the chances which did come around, the home side had the better of those, with right-winger, Mickelborough giving Ryan Hinkson a busy afternoon and some of the low crosses he put over did cause the Crows defence a few problems.
In the end, it was from one of his crosses that the home side took the lead, Zanone tapping home at the near post to make it 1-0 after 40 minutes and it was just about deserved, although the Crows will feel had they got to half time without conceding, then things may have eventually turned out differently.
Therefore, the tea at the interval didn't taste as nice as it could have done but at only 1-0 down, you never know what's going to happen once the game resumes for the second period.
One thing they did not want to do though was to concede again early in the second half, unfortunately, that's exactly what happened, Zanone scoring his and Ashford United's in the 47th minute, tucking the ball away after it had rebounded off the upright.
It was maybe a bit fortunate that the home side scored but at 2-0 down now, it was going to be a hard task for the Crows to get back in the game, especially as this second goal gave the home players more confidence and they started to dominate possession of the ball, even if they did not create too many clear chances.
In an effort to get back in to the game, Baitup was replaced by Funnell after 53 minutes, Waterman was replaced by Death in the 61st minute and the hobbling Carrington was replaced by Barton in the 70th minute.
However, in reality, these changes made little difference to the performance of the Crows and to confirm to all concerned that it was never going to be 'our day', the Crows wasted an indirect free kick inside the home side's penalty area, given for a back pass, by taking it in too much of a hurry and it was eventually cleared to safety.
In the end, the result will go down as a deserved home win by 2-0 and then will be forgotten by most, except the Crows management perhaps, who can now go away and consider how their experiment went in the cold light of day.
Cray Valley (PM) are next up for the Crows on Wednesday, our last away game of the season and let's hope the weather is the same at Badgers Sports Ground as it is in Crowborough so we can dress accordingly and not freeze as we did during this game.
This game, in front of 188 spectators, will not live long in the memory of anyone who saw it, due mainly to a dry, bumpy pitch and a strong wind blowing from one end of the pitch to the other.
The home fans went home happy in the end as Stuart Zanone scored a goal in each half to secure the points and the 30 odd travelling Crow fans probably knew it wasn't going to be their day when they arrived at the Homelands.
Having left Crowborough in nice sunshine and little wind and therefore, attired accordingly, it became a shock to the system to find that the weather in Ashford didn't quite match up to what had been left behind, the strong wind lowering the temperature somewhat. I saw at least one person from Crowborough eventually ditch the shorts and sandals for more suitable attire, although the now removed had brought a tear to many eyes.
As for the game itself, Crows won the toss and captain, Jonathan Trotter, selected to play with the prevailing wind in the first half so it was the home side who kicked off.
In reality, not a lot happened within the first 15 minutes, the dry, bumpy pitch and wind made passing the ball a harder task than it should have been and therefore, a plethora of high balls and throw-ins occurred which didn't make for the best entertainment in the world.
The Crows side had an experimental look about it, with Will Jagger being used as a midfield holding player, just in front of the centre halves and this meant that the substitutes bench had a strong look about it. Theregore, perhaps, the away side had a reason for what seemed to many, to be an end of season performance with not a lot to play for.
Another reason why both clubs seemed to find it hard to get any rhythm going was the amount of free kicks being awarded during the last 30 minutes of the half, having no free kicks being awarded in the first 12 minutes, 12 were given in those remaking minutes and the constant whistle-blowing affected both teams.
Of the chances which did come around, the home side had the better of those, with right-winger, Mickelborough giving Ryan Hinkson a busy afternoon and some of the low crosses he put over did cause the Crows defence a few problems.
In the end, it was from one of his crosses that the home side took the lead, Zanone tapping home at the near post to make it 1-0 after 40 minutes and it was just about deserved, although the Crows will feel had they got to half time without conceding, then things may have eventually turned out differently.
Therefore, the tea at the interval didn't taste as nice as it could have done but at only 1-0 down, you never know what's going to happen once the game resumes for the second period.
One thing they did not want to do though was to concede again early in the second half, unfortunately, that's exactly what happened, Zanone scoring his and Ashford United's in the 47th minute, tucking the ball away after it had rebounded off the upright.
It was maybe a bit fortunate that the home side scored but at 2-0 down now, it was going to be a hard task for the Crows to get back in the game, especially as this second goal gave the home players more confidence and they started to dominate possession of the ball, even if they did not create too many clear chances.
In an effort to get back in to the game, Baitup was replaced by Funnell after 53 minutes, Waterman was replaced by Death in the 61st minute and the hobbling Carrington was replaced by Barton in the 70th minute.
However, in reality, these changes made little difference to the performance of the Crows and to confirm to all concerned that it was never going to be 'our day', the Crows wasted an indirect free kick inside the home side's penalty area, given for a back pass, by taking it in too much of a hurry and it was eventually cleared to safety.
In the end, the result will go down as a deserved home win by 2-0 and then will be forgotten by most, except the Crows management perhaps, who can now go away and consider how their experiment went in the cold light of day.
Cray Valley (PM) are next up for the Crows on Wednesday, our last away game of the season and let's hope the weather is the same at Badgers Sports Ground as it is in Crowborough so we can dress accordingly and not freeze as we did during this game.
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