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Chelmsford City 1-3 Margate, Saturday 14th April 2007, Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre, Kick-Off 3:00pm, Ryman League Premier Division.
Danny Hockton's scoring exploits continued as he netted twice against former club City to effectively end their automatic promotion hopes and secure three crucial points for Margate. The League's leading marksman scored once in each half, taking his seasonal haul in all competitions to 39 and partly ensuring the Blues were only the second side to leave Melbourne this season with a victory. This meant his team were in a stronger position to make the play-offs which are now the best Chelmsford can hope for as two games now remain. Pivotal strikers Lee Boylan and Kezie Ibe were missing from the Clarets' line-up for the visit of the Kent club. Boylan was serving a one-match suspension after his dismissal at Ramsgate while Ibe sustained an ankle injury which saw him included on the substitutes' bench in name only. Bryan Glover also began a three-game ban for his red card at Ramsgate. The disruption in the line-up, which also saw Richard McKinney return to replace Ashley Harrison in goal, could have been a contributory factor in the nervy opening the defence exhibited. In only the second minute, Margate's Rob Haworth got between a defensive header from Ben Chenery and the City 'keeper before watching as his high toe-poker bounced freakily onto the top of the net. In the 11th minute the 'Gate then tried their luck again, this time James Pinnock's hopeful half-volley sailing over after a handful of dangerously-delivered City free-kicks from Spencer Knight at the other end. Jimmy Jackson's own pinpoint delivery from deep nearly picked-out Pinnock three minutes later but, on 18 minutes, the deadlock was broken. Haworth fared better this time around as he beat the offside trap to roam down the right and square the ball inside to an off-balance Hockton ten yards out who managed to get enough of a touch to guide the ball past McKinney and into the net. In the ensuing minutes old Billericay Town adversary Pat Sappleton was forced to leave the field with a knock after stretching too far to foul Jason Hallett and later-on another replacement was made by the visitors who swapped injured goalkeeper Charlie Mitton for Scott Chalmers-Stevens. However, Chelmsford's makeshift strike-force of Hallett and Dwain Clarke rarely threatened either custodian. With 26 minutes played a Jeff Minton corner was headed just wide by Fiston Manuella for City and a flash-point arose shortly afterwards as Spencer Knight was booked for a foul on a visiting opponent but the referee was loathe to punish substitute Dean Standen for raising his fist in the aftermath. Frustrations then grew for the hosts who fell further behind on 33 minutes. The Chelmsford defence was caught-out once more to enable a grateful Pinnock to hook home Margate's second along the floor from ten yards. Either side of the interval the Clarets attempted a reply, firstly Minton powering a header wide from near the penalty spot after a Knight corner then, three minutes into the second half, Jamie England's deep free-kick had to be finger-tipped over the crossbar by Chalmers-Stevens. However, it was potent marksman Hockton who would steal the show with his personal second on 51 minutes. Having won a free-kick several yards outside the penalty box, he dusted himself down to dispatch the dead-ball classily into the top corner, leaving McKinney helpless. For the rest of the game, City actually enjoyed the majority of the chances, with Knight's left-wing centre being bundled wide by a combination of Ricky Holmes and a defender and from the resulting corner Minton's dangerous cross missed all present in the danger zone. An England close-range header was comfortably caught by the 'keeper while Holmes 67th-minute drag-back preceded his driven shot from the edge of the box that flew too high above the target. The flurry of attempts around the middle of the period continued with Minton playing his way into the box and finding he couldn't get a toe to the ball ahead of Chalmers-Stevens. The same player's mis-hit shot also fell to Hallett with twelve minutes left but the young striker could only rattle the post from close range to sum-up the afternoon Jeff King's team were enduring. A consolation was managed, though, a minute into injury time. Hallett sprinted down the right and supplied Holmes at the back post who took a couple of touches before blasting into the roof of the net. But it meant little to the wider perspective, which leaves City requiring further points to safe-guard their play-off entitlement. City: 1 Richard McKinney Margate: Charlie Mitten, Greg Oates, Justin Skinner, Robin Trott, Pat Sappleton, Louis Smith, Rob Haworth, Jay Saunders, James Pinnock, Danny Hockton, Jimmy Jackson. Subs: Lee Protheroe, James Donovan, Dean Standen, Nick Bagley, Scott Chalmers-Stevens. Bookings: City: Knight (28, foul). Margate: Skinner (7, foul), Sappleton (19, foul), Trott (47, foul). Referee: Lee Venamore (Maidstone). Assistant Referees: Michael Cottee (Hornchurch) and Andrew Langsdon (Wivenhoe). Attendance: 1,194. City Man of the Match: Ricky Holmes. |
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By
Chris Evans
(Picture by Matt Bradshaw)
