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Match Reports by Tony Rickson
Saturday 8th October 2016
Buildbase FA Trophy
Sittingbourne 0 Bury Town 2 Att 150
Well, I don’t think I’ve seen a match of two
halves quite as contrasting as this.
Sittingbourne dominated the first half and Bury
Town the second.
Trouble is, Sittingbourne didn’t convert their
chances when they were so much on top, and
that’s why they went out of the FA Trophy at the
first hurdle.
They truly outplayed Bury for 45 minutes and it
wasn’t until after the break that you could see
what a good side the Suffolk team was, and
why they’re second in Ryman League North
and haven’t lost an away game this season.
Sittingbourne made two changes from the team
that lost at East Grinstead the previous Saturday
with fit-again Simon Overland returning in
goal for Ben Bridle-Card, who has switched to
Faversham, and Jordan Gallacher back from
suspension and replacing Hicham Akhazzan.
In front of their biggest home crowd since August,
Sittingbourne stormed into the game and
Dan Rumbol thumped a sixth minute header
against the bar from Conrad Lee’s corner and
then twice went close to scoring when the next
corner swung in.
With Stefan Wright energetically bursting forward
from midfield, Sittingbourne pressed on
and after Gallacher put a good chance wide,
Miles Cornwell missed a great opportunity when
he got clear only to drive his shot against the
foot of the post.
A spate of corners, some good attacking
moves, and the woodwork struck twice all in the
first 15 minutes. How Sittingbourne would go on
to regret not turning their superiority into goals –
though without being clever after the event, you
somehow sensed that even at the time.
Extraordinarily, Bury took the lead midway
through the first half from what was their first
attack. And it wasn’t even an attack – just a
long throw, even longer than Jack Steventon
can do it – into the box and headed on by a giant
centre-half for Canfer to score easily at the
far post.
Back came Sittingbourne, undeterred, and
Wright headed into the keeper’s arms from a
good position, Gallacher forced the keeper into
a good save, and Jono Richardson had his
close range shot blocked following yet another
dangerous corner into the box.
Surely, the second half would produce more of
the same and Sittingbourne would eventually
get the equaliser they clearly deserved, at the
very least.
But that couldn’t have been further from the
truth as Bury put an iron grip on the game right
from the start of the second half, with Overland
straightaway called on to make two excellent
diving saves when all the first half he’d been a
virtual spectator.
In what was only a rare Sittingbourne attack,
Cornwell had a good chance to pull it back but
he tried to put too much power into his shot and
it soared over the bar.
Bury had some good players but their domination
was all about forcing set pieces – corners,
free-kicks and especially throw-ins which they’d
fire into the six-yard from miles out.
But it was a free-kick that gave them their second
clinching goal, and even though it was almost
right out by the corner flag, Barber sent it
immaculately straight in to the far top corner.
Worse followed for Sittingbourne with their first
red card of the season – harshly shown to Steventon
for what looked an honest, though conceivably
mistimed, challenge.
The referee had previously shown leniency to
Bury players for blocking a keeper’s quick clearance
and kicking the ball away after the whistle
had gone, but showed none at all here for a
teenager committing his first foul of the game
after 80 minutes.
That’s both major cup competitions Sittingbourne
have gone out of now at the first attempt,
having been drawn rather unluckily
against more than decent teams both times.
Their season has gone a bit awry in the last
couple of weeks, but they have to take consolation
from the way they played in the first half
and must have scared the living daylights out of
their opponents before ending up with nothing
to show for it.
Sittingbourne: Simon Overland, Tom Brunt
(Hicham Akhazzan, 77 min), Conrad Lee, Danny
Rumbol, Jono Richardson, Jack Steventon
(Red card), Ricky Gundry (Josh Wisson, 66
min), Stefan Wright, Jordan Gallacher, Miles
Cornwell, Tom Carlse (Steven Ita, 69 min).