7/4/2008

Sport

Focus shifts to play-offs after poor Fleet defeat

by Chris Harris

FLEET Town’s faint title hopes were dealt a crushing blow on Saturday as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat to AFC Hayes at Calthorpe Park.

With league leaders Farnborough not in action over the weekend Andy Sinton’s men had the chance to close the gap at the top of the BGB Southern 1 South & West to just three points.

But a limp and lifeless display against a Hayes side with little left to play for saw them spurn that chance, and in truth they can have few complaints about the result.

Although they started the better of the two teams, taking the lead after nine minutes through striker Mark Anderson, they totally lost their way from that point on.

There was an alarming lack of intensity about their play that was in stark contrast to two weeks ago, when they out-muscled and out-played Farnborough. Too often Fleet were reduced to long, hopeful punts forward that the Hayes backline easily dealt with, and two second half strikes ensured that it was the visitors who went home happy.

A win would have also guaranteed Fleet a play-off place, and whilst they will still surely end up in the division’s top five, with tough trips to Burnham and Paulton to come this was an important game.

It was a well below-par performance that shocked Fleet’s manager, and Sinton conceded that they have made things easier for their local rivals Boro to clinch the title.

“We have certainly done Farnborough a favour today,” he said. “They will be sitting at home and be delighted with this result.

“We told the players not to worry about other teams and just concentrate on themselves, but for what ever reason we were poor today.

“It was a very disappointing display; I don’t think we turned up. We simply didn’t perform and we looked lethargic, even in the warm up.

“I don’t know why that was the case and you get displays like that from time to time. Maybe it’s a mental thing. They can raise it for the big games like against Farnborough, but then not against the middle of the road teams like Hayes.”

It was a Fleet performance marked out by a lack of composure on the ball as all too often they smashed long balls from the back looking for Anderson and Ben Wright up front. That meant bypassing their most creative players like James Field and Simeon Howell, who barely had a kick.

Coupled with the lack of energy and desire that crept into Fleet's game almost from the moment they took the lead they were hardly good value for their half time lead.

Hayes began to show at the end of the first period that they were not going to let their hosts off the hook if they produced that sort of effort after the break. And so it proved, as their quick moving of the ball saw them dominate the second half, and ultimately they were rewarded for their creativity with two goals to clinch victory.

Sinton was certainly disappointed with his side’s unattractive style of play, and their all-round determination to win the game.

“The intensity was nowhere near where it should be,” he said. “We didn’t win enough first ball, we didn’t win enough second ball.

“There was too much long ball stuff. It’s not something we practise, or preach either.

“Having said that we had four or five good chances to add to our lead. But we gave away two poor goals, and in fairness we got we deserved.

“But we move on and we are virtually assured of a play-off place. Let’s see what we get from our last three games and if we have to go through that route then so be it.”

For the third game running Sinton was able to name an unchanged side, and having won those three games, they got off to the perfect start.

With nine minutes on the clock Will Salmon was scythed down as he raced up the right and Field whipped in a dangerous ball from the resulting freekick. Wright met it with a thumping volley that crashed against the bar, and Anderson was on hand to tap the rebound home.

A minute later and Fleet should have doubled their lead, when Field crossed for Wright, but he got his volley all wrong and it flew well wide.

But from that point on a slackness came into Fleet’s play and gradually Hayes gained a foothold in the game.

They began to look more and more threatening, but it was the home side that could have stretched their lead again when Field broke through down the right.

His initial shot was well saved, and he then whipped a low ball across the goal that was just begging to touched into the gaping net.

It was Hayes who bossed the closing stages of the half, and Fleet had a real let off with seven minutes to go when Mark Paterson’s weak backpass allowed Marlon Stuart to block Paul Smith’s attempted clearance. Skipper Steve Noakes raced back in vain to try and clear the ball, and there was relief all round as it trickled inches wide.

After the break Hayes imposed themselves on the game from the off, and Fleet should have taken heed when Stuart when through again, only to produce a tame shot under pressure from Noakes.

But Fleet ignored the warning, and they made a disastrous error on the hour when they left the league’s top scorer Danny Jordan free in the area.

The prolific marksman scored his 23rd goal of the campaign when he controlled a hopeful ball forward on his chest, swivelled and drilled a low volley into the corner to level the match.

Hayes were well on top after that, and Jack Smith did well to clear off the line from Jerome Pereira’s effort, although Anderson should have done better when Field played him through, but he dragged his shot wide.

A second goal for the visitors was looking increasing likely, and they duly obliged on 77 minutes. A neat exchange of passes between Jordan and Dean Clark allowed the latter to chip the ball through for Stuart. The nippy striker beat Paul Smith to the ball, heading over the advancing keeper, who clumsily clattered into him, giving the referee little option but to award the penalty. Clark thumped the ball into the top corner from the spot, and in truth it was no more than Hayes deserved.

Fleet dominated the final ten minutes of the match, but Hayes were more than comfortable at the back, as the home side made life easy for their visitors with a series of mis-placed passes and wild long range efforts.

The defeat leaves Fleet in third place, six points behind Boro, after Oxford City leapfrogged Sinton’s men with a 2-1 win at Slough Town. Didcot Town closed to within a point of the Calthorpe Park side thanks to a 4-0 win at basement boys Newport IOW.

Next up for Fleet is tomorrow’s trip to Farnborough in the quarter-final of the Aldershot Senior Cup. Kick off at Cherrywood Road is at 7.45pm.

Fleet: Paul Smith 5, Salmon 6 (John 6), JACK SMITH 7 (Hemmings 6), Noakes 5, Paterson 6, Field 6, Howell 5, Damien Smith 6 (Campbell 5), Smart 6, Wright 5, Anderson 6.

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail