Danny Walder took the skipper’s armband after Liam Quinn pulled up in pre match and produced a captain’s display topped off by a stunning 40 yard curler to get Herne Bay’s noses back in front.
“It was better and we said at half-time 3-1 was a dangerous score-line and we had a lot of chances and the game should have been dead and buried”, said Herne Bay manager Sam Denly, “we’ve got to be more clinical, then they go and get a goal and we’re hanging on slightly but the most important thing today was to get the win and stop the run we’ve been on. We’ve improved on last year’s points tally and that was important”.
Herne Bay ended their run of five defeats with this victory but it didn’t exactly start in the best possible way. An innocent looking back pass in the first 15 seconds resulted in a calamitous faux-pas by Herne Bay ‘keeper Jack Delo that allowed Kofi Quartery to nip in and rock the Bay ship before it had even left port.
As howlers go this measured quite high on the howler scale. Delo later redeemed himself with an important save from the same South Park forward midway through the second half.
The response to this early set back was immediate from the home side. Phillip fired narrowly wide when fed a chance by Mark Lovell in the fourteenth minute and Harrison Nicholls saved with his legs from Phillip again seven minutes later. But Herne Bay were not to be denied and were duly level after 23 minutes when Danny Williams swept home Kane Phillip’s left wing cross.
Nine minutes later they were ahead thanks to a spectacular Danny Walder power drive from fully forty yards that curled and was clearly too hot for the goalkeeper’s hands to handle as it beat his despairing attempt to stop the ball bulging the net. A class goal worthy of the accolade ‘worldie’.
With first half stoppage time looming, Walder produced a corner of magical proportions that eluded everyone and came to rest in the visitor’s goal. He might even have had another just before the interval whistle blew but for a finger-tip save from Nicholls.
After the break it was virtually one way traffic with Nicholls palming Parkinson’s shot round the post, Danny Williams taking a touch too much when through one on one with the ‘keeper and Sam Hallett being denied his first senior goal again by the impressive young Nicholls who somehow got a finger-tip to a cheeky chip.
With Bay pressing high up the field, South Park reduced the arrears thirteen minutes from time when Kieran Lavery drove home but the destiny of the points was never in doubt once Bay had overcome that early calamity.
“We want to finish the season well, it’s been a good season overall”, said Denly, “I’ve learned a lot about players especially over the last month when things haven’t being going well and I’ve learned about myself as a manager.”
“It’s all about improvement, we’ve done well this season and the club’s in a good position. Let’s get this campaign over with, there’s no question we need to strengthen in the summer which I will do, I’ll have those conversations and we’ll move forward”.
Herne Bay: Jack Delo, Michael Turner, Gary Sayer, Dan Johnson, Harry Brown, Connor Sanders, Dan Parkinson, Danny Walder, Kane Phillip (James Turner 73), Mark Lovell, Danny Williams (Sam Hallett 70), Sam Hasler (Joe Nelder 63).
Subs not used: Ben Emery. (four named after Harry Brown replaced Liam Quinn following pre-match warm up)
Sent Off: none Cautioned: none.
South Park: Harrison Nicholls, Jake Gill (Josh Parrott 86), Dean Lovegrove, Asa Rixon-Nicholls, Javk Stafford, Michael Smith, Ryan Smith (Alec Brown 33), James McElligott (David Watts 35), Kieran Lavery, Dan Moody, Kofi Quartey.
Subs not used: none (only three named)
Sent Off: none Cautioned: none.
Referee: Peter Killip Assistant Referees: John Hyde & Ronald Albert.
Herne Bay Man of the Match: Danny Walder
Herne Bay (3) 3
Danny Williams 23
Danny Walder 32, 45
South Park (1) 2
Kofi Quartey 1
Kieran Lavery 77
Attendance: 186
Ryman Isthmian League Division One (South)
Saturday 9th April 2016
(at The Altira Park Stadium, Winch’s Field)
Photo credit: Steve Barton – Danny Williams equalises for Herne Bay.