KENT COUNTY LEAGUE: STEAMERS THWARTED BY NINE MEN

Ashford FC failed to bring home all three points against nineman Guru Nanak on Saturday as their title ambitions suffered a blow in a lively 3-3 draw in Gravesend.

Two goals from Jordan Griffin and one from Joey Wealthyland looked to have given Ashford an important victory on the road in Division 1 Central & East but hosts Guru Nanak came back twice despite ending the game two players short due to red cards.

The Steamers were without forward pair Riley Alford and Matt Forster as well as midfielder Bekim Ahmetaj who joined long-term injury victims Ryan Prior and Zac Cowley on the side-lines. Shqipron Ahmetaj was also missing due to the red card he picked up earlier this month.

Ashford took the lead in unusual fashion, Wealthyland scoring direct from his corner kick in the 19th minute.

Ashford doubled their lead in the 33rd minute.

After half a dozen midfield exchanges, Kieran Shrimpton’s through ball split the home defence for Jordan Griffin to race into the box and fire home into the bottom left-hand corner.

The hosts pulled a goal back before the break when Shrimpton’s pass was intercepted and Luke Collett scored from a cross.

Before the half was out, Guru Nanak were down to 10 when Abiola Ameen was sent off following a stamping incident. Eight minutes into the second half, the referee spotted a push in the box and the hosts were awarded a penalty. Collett stepped up to send Louis Burton the wrong way and grab his second goal of the game.

Hope was restored for Ashford midway through the second half when a sloppy clearance was intercepted by James HaylockAshdown. The forward danced his way into the box before squaring the ball to Griffin at the back post for an easy side foot finish.

Guru Nanak came back again though and levelled things up at 3-3 when Vasile Spinu had time to pick his spot to finish off a counter attacking move.

Spinu’s afternoon was ended prematurely soon after when he received a second yellow card, but Ashford failed to capitalise with a two-man advantage in the final 10 minutes.

Ashford have only taken one point from their two previous away league fixtures and try again on Saturday with a trip to bottom-of-the-table Burgess Hodgson.

Ashford: Burton, Annand (Argar 77mins), Deverson, Hurst, Loyza, Shrimpton, Honeysett (Gower 70),

Cowell, Wealthyland (Santo 65), Griffin, HaylockAshdown.

Manager Steve Watt admitted Hythe took a significant step back with Saturday’s heavy Isthmian South East defeat at Three Bridges.

Encouraged by good performances in their previous two games, the Cannons were guilty of a first-half capitulation in Sussex, going 3-0 down inside 39 minutes. A goal from the returning Frannie Collin – on as a halftime substitute – was just about the only positive for Watt who admitted he was at a loss to explain the performance.

Watt, whose side are now without a league win in six matches, explained: “I can stomach defeats, like the one against Hastings, when I felt we were excellent, but the way things kind of fell apart in the first half, it’s just not acceptable. It was not about tactics, or the shape we played it was people just not doing their jobs.”

Hythe were on the back-foot from the word go with Andre McCollin and Tadley Bromage both going close from headers and Alex Laing shooting wide. Further home pressure was rewarded on 12 minutes as Andrew Sesay crossed and Ruben Soares Junior headed past Hythe keeper Will Godmon.

McCollin then saw had a far post header deflected out for a corner and Brannon O’Neill’s curling free kick went just the wrong side of the post.

Hythe did muster a couple of efforts in response with Alex Flisher’s shot being turned aside by home keeper Tarrell Annaike and Jamie Coyle’s downward header bouncing over the bar from a Kiernan Hughes-Mason corner. However the respite proved only temporary and two goals in seven minutes put the hosts firmly in control.

Laing added the second, pouncing after McCollin’s shot had been parried by Godmon, and on 39 minutes it was 3-0 as Sesay nipped in at the near post to divert the ball home. Hythe looked to have grabbed a lifeline on 52 minutes when half-time sub Collin forced the ball home after being fed by Ross Ibbertson.

Godmon was then forced to tip over from Bromage and, at the other end, Collin had a shot parried away by Annaike but Hughes-Mason couldn’t quite get the ball under control to take advantage.

Solomon Taiwo saw his long-range effort well saved by Godmon but the home midfielder was not to be denied, firing home on 88 minutes.

Hythe: Godmon, Divine (Alex Brown 70 mins), Simpson, Rogers, Coyle, Rowe, Dembele, Ibbertson, Flisher, Hughes-Mason (Walmsley 89 mins), Okoh (Collin 46 mins).

Attendance: 61.