Vs Bury Town

[FAV Army]

Full-time score: Faversham Town 0 Bury Town 1.

I'll leave Dave to fill-in all the details but my analysis - the better team lost and we are slice of luck away from turning the corner.

Please also note that Tuesday's game has been postponed because Folkestone will be playing an FA Trophy Replay (they drew 1-1 today).

FAV Army!

[dave]

Faversham Town 0-1 Bury Town

Starting line up:

William Godmon,
Ryan Cooper, Ashley Brown, Matt Bourne, John Scarborough, Jamie Maxted,
Charley Robertson, Dan Carrington, Wayne Wilson,
Dean Grant, Joe Lester.

Football, t'is a cruel game.
If this game of ours was won based on possession, territory, committment, chances, or just
simply being the better team on the day, we'd have walked this. But, unfortuantely not.
Some similarities to the game against 3 Bridges in midweek. In both, We've been the better team,
fashioning by far the better chances, but in both, we succumb to a late goal.

So, some detail.
Early doors, we're awarded a free-kick. The lino on the far side, flags up an off the ball incident.
Dean Grant is injured on the ground. We're awarded a free-kick, no action taken against the Bury
man involved. Wayne Wilson swings in the free-kick, John Scarborough's header is well saved
by their keeper. Bury immediately attack down their left, a shot on target. William Godmon makes
the save with his legs. Good save. Dean Grant is substituted, still struggling with the injury
sustained earlier. Liam King is on. Joe Lester does well down the left, gets a fine cross in,
Charley Robertson attacks the ball, gets in front of his defender, but the header is just wide
of the left hand post. A long ball out of defense, the ball bounces over the Bury defense, Joe
Lester is in on goal, keeper to beat, keeper comes, stands up and makes a really good block.

0-0 at H-T.

Early chance for Bury, in on goal, get a shot on target, but our keeper makes a great save
diving to his right. Our defense clear up. A Ryan Cooper throw, our right, into the box,
John Scarborough flicks the header backwards, Liam King improvises with an overhead kick, but
over. And on 53, controversy, Bury attack, into the box, last ditch defending to prevent the goal,
but John Scarbourgh clears up. Referee shows John a straight red and awards Bury the penalty.
To comment or not to comment that is the question. Sod it, I will.
I am at a complete loss as to what the penalty/sending off was for. Hand-ball apparently, well
I had a damned good view and I saw no hand ball. So, if not handball, a foul? Well it was
desperate on the line type stuff, but foul? Again, I can't say I saw any foul. Incidentally, no Bury player appeared to appeal. So the only man who seems to see an infringement waves his red card. And we're down to 10. Hhhhmmmm.
William Godmon brings some semblance of justice to proceedings by making a fantastic save, diving
to his right, gets a strong hand and on to the the bar. Jamie Maxted is on hand to clear the rebound.
With 15 to go Bradley Webb is on for Jamie Maxted.
Liam King does well down the left, get the ball in the box, a shot on goal, saved, the ball is
on the line, we've bodies in the box, just needs a touch to force home, but it just won't fall for
us. Cleared. Charley Robertson runs right through their defense, into the area, shoots, saved,
the rebound out to Bradley Webb, but the strike is scuffed and saved easily.
And on 77, for the first time, the extra man tells, a decent passing move, into our area, passed
into the right hand side of our net.
We continue to press, a series of half-chances, Liam King's long shot curling just wide, perhaps
being the closest, but Bury hold on for their win.

0-1 at F-T.

So, out of the FA Trophy. To repeat my opening statement. Football, t'is a cruel game.
And that was most cruel today. The performance was more than good enough to win that game,
as was the performance at 3 Bridges to win that game.

So reasons to be cheerful:

a) really fine performance today (and at Bridges)
b) and also important, to add to a), we know we're on a bad run of results, but we've shown real
character/bottle to go and put those performances in when result aren't going our way. Top stuff.
c) FTFC is still the best place to be on a Saturday afternoon
d) and to agree wholeheartedly with FAV Army - we were the best team today, and yes, that piece of
luck would be much appreciated. This team more than deserves it.

COYW.

[FAV Army]

Great stuff again Dave.

I wasn't going to comment on this thread again but I've just watched the Rugby...

Completely agree with everything Dave says but also would like to make a few more points:

1) on the penalty - Bury Town's report says the penalty was for a foul. I thought (and the general consensus was everybody around me had seen the same) that the penalty was actually given for handball. Now, if the team receiving the penalty are not sure why they are being awarded a penalty, then may I suggest that the decision to award the penalty was wrong. The fact no Bury player appeared to appeal also supports my point.

2) I feel I should point out how young the team was that finished the game. I believe 6 of the players (Godmon, Carrington, Webb, Robertson, L.King and Lester) are either 21 or younger. Willo was the only player 30+ (he has just turned 30) on the pitch and even Cooper is in his early 20's.

For me, today was definitely a day when boys became men. It's hard to pick a standout youngster because they all did so well - but Carrington dealt with moving into defence from midfield amazingly for a 19-year-old.

Also, to think, 3 of them played for the U21s less than 48 hours before today's game.

3) Recently, Steve McCartney of Kentish football published an article from an official suggesting respect in football in Kent is currently in rapid decline.

May I suggest that this may be because the standard of officiating is on the decline in Kent - I know it is a hard job but there were so many dodgy decisions.

1) The penalty/ red card. See above.

2) The blatant Bury dive shortly after the penalty with the score still 0-0. Correctly, no penalty awarded but no yellow card either? It had to be one or the other.

3) The foul on Robertson. This looked a clear foul but, from my position, you can't tell if it's in or outside the area. After the game, various supporters (including a Bury one) told me it had been in the box!

4) Carrington's yellow card. The fact the Bury no.9 turned to the crowd after this particular 'foul' and laughed said it all.

5) Everything else - the unnecessary regular stops in player in the 10/15 minute period after the red card. Presumably, just to catch-up with the linesman, 9's constant kicking the ball away and the silly 'offside' in the final 10 minutes against a Bury player inside his own half (yes, they didn't quite all go Bury's way).

I understand that nobody is perfect and don't mind the odd mistake but that is just way too much!

Fav Army!

[CJK]

Link to match video . . . youtu.be/qjFv4wSWp1s

[4500x]

Ray Turner's lilywhite army