Herne Bay slipped to their fourth successive defeat with this reverse at the hands of The Stags and with it went all but a mathematical chance of making the Ryman One South play-offs after having spent the lion’s share of the season in or around the top five.

This ‘bad day at the office’ started within 180 seconds of the kick off. Casuals’ Stefan Cox was allowed the freedom of the half down the Bay left then he strode into the penalty area and chipped in from an acute angle.

Having won their last three games, Walton Casuals might have been forgiven thoughts of running riot but the returning Sam Hasler gave Bay hope when his 14^th minute curler flashed across the face of Brannon Daly’s goal.

The game ebbed and flowed and Gabriel Odunaike really ought to have done better four minutes later for the home side but put his shot wide when through one on one with Delo.

Midway through the half, flashpoint! The usual handbags in the penalty area, the home penalty area, with referee Leigh Crowhurst calling for eye witness reports from both of his assistants.

The result was a booking for both Casuals’ ‘keeper Daly and Herne Bay skipper, Liam Quinn. All this against the backdrop of an earlier booking for two Walton Casuals players, Jack Sammoutis and Jake Nicholson, the latter for returning to the field without the referee’s permission.

Five minutes before the break a trade mark Sam Hasler free kick was pushed for a corner by Daly and from that resulting flag kick, Bay’s captain Liam Quinn saw his header cleared off the home side goal line.

Just time before the half closed for another yellow card to be flourished, this time in the direction of visiting striker Mark Lovell. Worse to follow, after the break…….

Thirteen minutes after the restart Walton Casuals doubled their advantage in suspicious circumstances. Two players clad in un-missible bright orange appeared to be in outrageously offside positions as the ball was pumped forward over the half way line. No flag and Omar Folkes ran on and slid the ball past the advancing Delo.

The angle of climb had now become appreciably greater for the visitors and it became virtually perpendicular when first Liam Quinn was given a second yellow producing the mandatory red card in the 71^st minute, then seven minutes later Mark Lovell also received his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card.

It didn’t stop there! Danny Williams, two minutes later and only having been on the pitch for 19 minutes as a substitute, was on his way back to the dressing room; a red card for an inappropriate comment to the referee. In amongst all that was a yellow card for Georgio Russo who had been recalled to the Herne Bay squad.

Down to eight, but it didn’t get any worse, it hardly could now, could it? Bay saw the final ten minutes out without further mishap but, by then, the damage had been done.

 

Walton Casuals: Brannon Daly, Isaac Olorunfemi, Liam Collins, Jack Sammoutis, Quincy Rowe, Jordan Cheadle, Stefan Cox (Sam Bello-Balogun 89), Scott Day (Dominic Bowman-Flavell 85), Omar Folkes (Calogerro Scannella 81), Jake Nicholson, Gabriel Odunaike.

Subs not used: Glen Malyon, Harvey Cheadle

Sent Off: none Cautioned: Jake Nicholson, Jake Sammoutis, Brannon Daly.

 

Herne Bay: Jack Delo, Nathan Eastwood (Georgio Russo 59), Gary Sayer, Dan Johnson, Liam Quin, Connor Sanders (Danny Williams 59), Danny Walder, James Turner (Sam Hallett 70), Mark Lovell, Kane Phillip, Sam Hasler.

 Subs not used: Dan Parkinson, Elliott Cutts.

Sent Off: Liam Quinn, Mark Lovell, Danny Williams         Cautioned: Liam Quinn, Mark Lovell, Georgio Russo

 

 

Referee:  Leigh Crowhurst                      Assistant Referees: Isaac Searle & Jack Owen.

Herne Bay Player of the Match: Sam Hasler

 

Walton Casuals (1) 2

Stefan Cox 3

Omar Folkes 58

 

Herne Bay (0) 0

 

Attendance: 47

 

Ryman Isthmian League Division One (South)

Saturday 2^nd April 2016

(at Moatside)

 

Photo credit: Steve Barton – all handshakes at the start….. but then!