Herne Bay returned to winning ways to keep their play-off ambitions alive with a second half blitz that condemned Swans to a heavy defeat and a continuing battle against relegation.
“It wasn’t a great first half but what we’ve got to expect is that teams are going to scrap against us, we’ve got to be patient and accept that teams are going to make it hard for us to break them down”, said Bay manager Sam Denly, “the second half we were much better, we played higher up the pitch and that was the game plan”.
The first forty-five was largely forgettable with few chances but after the break Herne Bay applied more pressure on the Swans and it paid dividends with Walton & Hersham gifting the visitors two own goals as a result of that pressure to get the party started. Three disastrous minutes for the home side sealed their inevitable fate and propelled Herne Bay to fourth in the league.
Four minutes after the interval Sam Hasler’s left wing cross was fumbled by the exotically named Borja Loeches Teixeira in the home goal, fully six yards from his line, appearing to throw the ball into his own net. Three minutes later a second own goal increased Bay’s lead. The excellent Dan Johnson sent in a cross that Charlie Slocombe, under pressure from Danny Walder, sliced passed his own ‘keeper.
Bay were now rampant and just after the hour mark, Lee Browning capped a fine performance heading home Sam Hasler’s cross for his first goal for the club.
Still there was fight in this Walton & Hersham outfit though and Gareth Chendlik reduced the arrears six minutes later with, perhaps, the strike of the match; turning Quinn then rifling a swerving shot out of the reach of Delo. Any chance of a dramatic comeback were snuffed out eight minutes from time when Walder’s corner was headed back across goal by Quinn for Connor Sanders to stab home.
Herne Bay manager Sam Denly said, “A couple of soft goals to get us started, we haven’t had much luck with that this season and it turned for us today. We were excellent in the second half, we worked hard and there were some decent individual performances. Lee Browning got his first goal for the club and we go home happy”.
Walton & Hersham: Borja Loeches Teixeira, Lea Van Sullivan, Steve Panayi, James Richmond, CJ Williams, Charlie Slocombe, Brendan Murphy-McVey, Joe Wallbanks (Gianfranco Mici 59) , Gareth Chendlik, Michael Salako, TJ Nkoma.
Subs not used: Jamil Okai, Jason Cardona Cruz, Charlie Gillard (only 4 subs named).
Sent off: none Cautions: Joe Wallbanks, Michael Salako
Herne Bay: Jack Delo, Michael Turner, Nathan Eastwood, Dan Johnson, Liam Quinn, Connor Sanders, Danny Walder (Dan Parkinson 84), Joe Nelder, Mark Lovell (James Turner 76), Lee Browning, Sam Hasler (Elliott Cutts 63).
Subs not used: Gary Sayer, Kane Phillip.
Sent off: none Cautions: Sam Hasler, James Turner, Connor Sanders.
Referee: Tristan Greaves Assistants: Andrew Mawby & Andrew Connor
Man of the Match: Lee Browning (Herne Bay)
Walton & Hersham (0) 1
Gareth Chendlik 67
Herne Bay (0) 4
Borja Loeches Teixeira (og) 49
Charlie Slocombe (og) 52
Lee Browning 62
Connor Sanders 82
Ryman Isthmian League Division One (South)
Saturday 17th January 2016
at Stompond Lane
Attendance: 90