Ashford United’s FA Vase journey came to an end against a well organised, pacey Salisbury side, who many consider to be the favourites for the Vase.

That said, Ashford had the chances to make the final scoreline very different, but it just didn’t happen on the day.

Although they were the better team throughout, Salisbury’s opening goal had its fair share of good fortune, as a shot from Tom Whelan rebounded off Shaun Welford perfectly for White’s skipper Kane O’Keefe to volley into the empty net.

Paul Booth missed a golden opportunity to level from 4 yards; his attempted header being a little too precise being directed towards the corner of the net and sliding wide, and Jon Pilbeam also saw a good chance drift wide just before the interval.  Ashford were made to pay for this miss, as less than 60 seconds later, in stoppage time, Taurean Roberts doubled the lead.

Danny Lye made two changes at the interval to refresh his side, but O’Keefe killed the game off within 70 seconds of the restart, heading home an accurate cross from Roberts.

Lye, who withdrew himself as one of the interval changes had to admit his side had been beaten by the better side, and added “Salisbury are a good side.  Chances change games and Boothy is so disappointed as if he’d scored that one it would have put us right back in the game.  That’s football!”

“They were better organised and had better players than us on the day.  I haven’t had a go in the changing room as this run has been a bonus.  OK, we’ve missed a couple of chances and made some bad decisions for their second, and that made it really hard to get back into the game.”

“We were too deep again at times, and against good players like (Whelan) it allows them time to run the game and you get punished.  I’ve been trying to say to the team that they need to be braver and get up the pitch, but we’ve got a lot of youngsters, and I’m sure we’ll come back stronger for the experience.  I possibly didn’t pay the Vase enough respect at the start, but we got into the cup rhythm and you realise just how big a Cup this is.”

Ashford couldn’t have asked for a tougher opponent that Wessex League Salisbury, a side on a run of 14 consecutive wins and having scored at least three goals in all but one of that run.  And it was the home side who made all of the early gains, with wide men Dan Dimkev and Taurean Roberts running at the Ashford defence.  Salisbury had early appeals for a penalty for a challenge by Adam Cuthbert on George Colson waved away as the White’s fullback appeared to go to ground without any contact being made.

Dan Young had an early shot blocked and Roberts drew the first save from George Kamurasi, but the Nuts & Bolts’ keeper had to put his body on the line on 24 to deny Kane O’Keefe.  Tom Whelan’s diagonal ball over the Ashford back four was lofted back into the middle by Dimkev towards O’Keefe’s run.  Kamurasi met the aerial challenge, which forced the ball away from Salisbury’s leading scorer, Sam Wilson, and behind, but collapsed to the ground as he tried to take the subsequent goalkick.

Hampered by the injury – Pat Kingwell taking over goalkicking duties – Kamurasi was in no position to react to Salisbury’s opener on 27.  Whelan fired in a shot from the edge of the box, that struck Shaun Welford, with the ball falling into the path of O’Keefe who guided the ball into the empty net.

With Ashford struggling to retain possession, let alone build any sort of threat on the Salisbury goal, Roberts had another shot blocked on the line by Josh Wooley, before Wilson drove the rebound straight into the midriff of Kamurasi.

On 35, Ashford finally got a sight of the Salisbury goal, with the White’s manager, Steve Claridge, sitting in the press box, going apoplectic at the chance.  Ryan Palmer clipped a cross in from the left wing, and Paul Booth, Ashford’s leading scorer, somehow steered his header past the left post from only 4 yards out.

Roberts drew a full-length save out of Kamurasi following a quick interchange between himself and Wilson on the edge of the Ashford box, but Booth and Jon Pilbeam showed Ashford could move the ball quickly with a deft 1-2 that released Pilbeam on the right side of the area.  The winger, who played for Tunbridge Wells in the Vase Final, dragged his shot wide left as the clock ticked round to 45 minutes.

The difference in the finishing was clear less than 60 seconds later though.  Intense pressure high up the field caused Luke Cuthbert to play a speculative crossfield ball towards brother Adam, which was read and intercepted by Roberts.  He released Wilson in behind the fullback, before running onto a return ball, and drilled a shot into the bottom right corner.

Ashford made two changes at the interval to try to compete more in the middle of the park, but while they were reorganising, Salisbury hit with the killer blow.  Roberts drifted past challenges from Adam Cuthbert and Mickey Phillips before crossing from the left.  O’Keefe made a late run into the box that wasn’t picked up and planted his header past Kamurasi before the keeper could react.

The normally reliable Pat Kingwell was caught out as he tried to drive forward, he’d hit a 40-yard shot at Charlie Searle in the first half, but this time Whelan was given space for a shot that was blocked by Luke Cuthbert, with the follow-up header from Young being saved by Kamurasi.

Ryan Palmer showed some nice touches on the left, skipping past Colson and hitting a shot against Searle, before clipping the rebound goalward, only for Callum Hart to clear off the line, but that was as good as it got for Ashford.

Pilbeam did drag a later shot wide, but the game just drifted to a conclusion with Salisbury happy to sit on their lead, and Ashford rarely able to threaten the Salisbury defence.  There was time for Kamurasi to beat away one further shot from Young, but Ashford now have to concentrate on League action – with a trip to Croydon on Wednesday night.

SALISBURY: Charlie Searle, George Colson, Eddie Perrett, Tom Whelan, Steve Walker, Callum Hart, Dan Dimkev (Claudio Herbert 60), Kane O’Keefe, Sam Wilson (Ashley Jarvis 74), Danny Young, Taurean Roberts (Sam Roberts 71).

Subs not used: Robbie Matthews, Jamie White.

Goals: Kane O’Keefe 27 & 47, Taurean Roberts 45+1,

Cautions: Claudio Herbert 70.

ASHFORD UNITED: George Kamurasi, Adam Cuthbert (George Savage 60), Josh Wooley, Luke Cuthbert, Danny Lye (Chris Saunders 46), Pat Kingwell, Ryan Palmer, Mickey Phillips, Shaun Welford, Paul Booth (Micky Dalton 46), Jon Pilbeam.

Subs not used: Taser Hassan, Tom Fagg.

Caution: Shaun Welford 37

Attendance: 1,791
Referee: Mr Dean Treleaven
Assistants: Mr Gary Parsons and Mr Paul Lister
Fourth Official: Mr Neil Morrison