Bay make the Greens Blue

Ashford United fans arriving at Homelands for today’s Pitching In Isthmian South East Play Off Match against Herne Bay managed the trick of appearing both confident and nervous at the same time.

They were confident, perhaps, because they had home advantage. They were also confident, you would expect, because their side had already defeated these opponents twice this season, by an aggregate score of five goals to one- and indeed hadn’t lost to them since 2017-18.

They were nervous, however, not just because they were about to witness and end of season lottery, which sometimes doesn’t reward the side who have been superior all season, but because they’d been here before, relatively recently. The last time we managed to complete a South East season- which seems such a long time ago but was, in fact, on Friday 3rd May 2019- they’d seen their side reach the Play Off Final, travelled to Culver Road, Lancing, and watched a Rob O’Toole goal after one hundred and ten minutes for Horsham confine them to another season- or as it turns out, three years- at Step Four.

Horsham have gone on to establish themselves in our top flight and picked up our Velocity Trophy just a few weeks ago, winning the Final in Aveley with ease. Would that have been the Nuts and Bolts destiny had they triumphed three years ago? Could it be their destiny if they triumphed this afternoon?

We’re getting rather ahead of ourselves, because opponents Bay would have a great deal to say about that. The visitors had never before been in our top flight, indeed this was already the closest they’d got to it, but they have some fine players- chief amongst them Zak Ansah, the top scorer in our Division on league goals alone, and already assured of a golden boot. They were also on a fine run, their hard-fought midweek victory in the Semi-Final against Haywards Heath Town, after one hundred and twenty minutes and a penalty shootout, their fifth win in a row. The Nuts and Bolts had been able to rather stutter over the line- there was no doubt that Bay were the form side, and their fans were full of seaside swagger as they made their way to the away end this afternoon.

Many fans arrived early. The sun was shining brightly as the first queue formed two hours prior to kick off- although that queue was mainly due to the fact that the card machine had packed up and someone had gone to replace it! The car parks, however, were already filling up, and the queue for burgers and cheesy chips was also substantial, as were the burgers and cheesy chips. The two sides were already out on the pitch, but not warming up as such, just chatting. Bay were so relaxed that much of their squad took the opportunity to have a lie down. Perhaps they were still a bit tired after Tuesday night!

That pitch, incidentally, will only have one more season- no matter what level the club are at- until it is rolled up and taken away, and a new carpet will replace it. We suspect that even if the carpet is of a new design, it will be the same colour- and will be accompanied by a new covered area for supporters, new changing rooms, and what is ostensibly a new business park around the ground. It seems that on and off the pitch the club have big plans.

The sides ran out to the sound of Sham 69, we had the obligatory huddle, and we were off, Bay, attacking the end populated by their own fans, getting us underway, serenaded by a rendition of “We are the Bay.” Someone in the away end had brought an air horn, which he sounded regularly but without a great deal of rhythm, rather like a Herne Bay version of Ed Sheeran. Josh Wisson, meanwhile, had the first shot of the match, well wide.

The next effort, in the sixth minute, wasn’t well wide- indeed it brought a fine save from Jordan Perrin, as United’s top scorer Gary Lockyer tried to add to his tally, set up by the athletic Tashie-Jay Kwayie. “We all follow the Herne Bay” sang the Herne Bay crowd in response, rather stating the obvious.

Bay were quickly up the other end and Hamilton Antonio earned the game’s first corner. It came to naught, but created a lot of hot air behind the goal.

On fifteen minutes United had a penalty shout, or at least their fans thought so, a barge on Kwayie sending him to the turf. The referee decided he’d gone down too easily and waved play on. The massed ranks of green and white told her differently. Bay needed to get to grips with Kwayie, who was always just a little quicker than his nearest opponent.

United were close again in the twenty fourth minute, a cross from the left finding Lockyer unmarked at the back post, but he could only head across the goal and wide, much to his annoyance.

The best move of the match so far arrived in the twenty eighth minute. Rory Smith got the ball just inside the United half and charged forward, weaving past defenders, before firing in a shot which Jordan Carey had to save smartly, down to his right, as the supporters behind him willed it in. At the other end, almost immediately, Lockyer forced another diving save from Perrin. Things were finally heating up, and a moment later Smith fired a shot against Carey’s left hand post, the keeper beaten. Ashford’s turn, and Wisson fired wide. Smith again, at the other end, tormented the home defence, and Carey had to save, again. Straight back into the Bay box, and it was Jay May’s turn to head over. Lockyer then tested the Bay keeper again, but his header was easily held.
At the other end, West flicked the bay over the bar after good work from Ansah. Surely a goal was coming soon?

It didn’t come before half time, which arrived with not a moment added on.

United got the second half underway, and the Herne Bay Ed Sheeran had competition amongst the home fans, a green and white Taylor Swift playing an even less rhythmic airhorn at that end. Sadly we were unable to shake it off, but we did feel like shoving it somewhere- as did the home steward who received its force far too close to his ears.

The Nuts and Bolts were immediately on the attack, and within ten seconds Tariq Ossai’s shot was deflected for a corner. Lockyer met that, but volleyed it over. Was it to be another half of missed opportunities? The home fans sang “Take me home, country roads” in response, which is a funny way to describe the M2.

The one thousand, eight hundred and sixty five watching on weren’t given much else to shout- or sing- about in the first thirteen minutes of the second half. And then, a long throw, a header on, and Kwayie forced a save from Perrin at the back post. Close, but not close enough, which had been the story of the game so far. We reached the hour mark with the game still goalless, and the prospect of extra time beginning to occupy the thoughts of those in the main stand.

On sixty five minutes Kwayie skinned the right back, crossed, and May went down like a ton of bricks in the box. Play on, signalled the referee, up the other end we went, and the breakthrough arrived. Kieron Campbell did it all on his own, cutting in from the left and firing an unstoppable shot across Carey and into the corner. It was a thing of beauty, worth waiting for, and exactly what the contest needed. “The Bay are going up,” sang the blue and white throng, as Thomas Fagg tried a long range effort that Perrin saved without much trouble. Lockyer then had a go, but again the shot was wide.

With nineteen minutes left United made a change, Luke Burdon on for May, and a small boy appeared in front of the main stand blowing a vuvuzela. We don’t believe the two actions were connected, unless that small boy is actually the Luke Burdon fan club.

United immediately began to apply pressure, with two corners, and skipper Friend hooked the second of those over the bar. The hosts had had plenty of the ball, but it wasn’t possession they were short of, it was efforts on target. Another corner, but before it was taken changes for both sides, Aaron Millbank and Mamadou Diallo entering the fray. A header from Lockyer was easily held by Perrin, and into the last ten minutes we went. It was all United, and then a break, a through ball, and a penalty- and Bay had the chance to make it two-nil. Millbank, cool as a cucumber, fired home, and some of the home supporters took that as a cue to beat the traffic.

“Come on ref, put a blue shirt on,” yelled a disgruntled voice from behind the dugouts, but in truth the decision to award the spot kick looked right, as had most of the others. We had three added minutes, and Bay had begun to take the ball towards the corner, understandably- but the hosts looked spent. The whistle came as a release- both to the home players and the away fans, who swarmed onto the pitch to hug their heroes.

It’s a cruel way to end a season, but Bay scored a glorious goal and were more dangerous than their hosts throughout. We’ll see them in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier next season- for the very first time.