THE gulf between the top two divisions of the County League was evident as YM breezed past a toothless Crawley Down.
After a pretty uninspiring first half, where YM took the lead through a Mark Francis penalty, the visitors got their game together and added two more through Mick Hennessy and Paul Young.
Down, on the other hand, did not create much in front of Jason Dumbrill's goal. Their best chance. when the scores were still level, fell to Darren Tidey. Unfortunately for the home side, his finish. having rounded the YM keeper, was anything but
tidy as he blazed over. Nick Flint and late substitute Mick Deathcould have wapped up in style but missed good chances as YM finished strongly.
"I thought it was is hit of a srappy affair" said Terry Botting, he club's joint reserve team manager.
who look charge of the team while manager John Suter took time out to relax in the Mediterranean sun. But the most important thing is that that are in the next" he added.
"I was is speaking to the lads in the changing room afterwards and they said they thought it was the
worst they had played all season. It's always difficult playing against a team from a lower league - they
bring you down to their level" he added.
On warm autumn afternoon YM kicked it down the slope and immediately found the rock solid Crawley Down pitch difficult to play on.
The hosts, prehaps bouyed by the thought of recording a cup upset started with some zest but were guilty of giving the ball away too easily, as were YM.
But the visitors struck the first blow in the 28th minute when the referee gave a penalty for a handball in the box and mark Francis made no mistake from the spot.
Minutes later the in-fom Young was denied by home keeper Danny Todman after Phil Fitzgerald and Flint had combined well on the left wing to set the former heath striker through on goal.
YM nearly doubled their lead three minutes after the interval but Tom Carter's header, after Peter Durrant had cleverly back-heeled Fitzgerald's corner, went over the bar. To be fair to YM's blonde centre-back. he had little time to react after Durrant's deflection.
Matt Duffield was his usual busy self on the right flank and his cross nearly caught Todman in no-mans land as it looped just over the far post.
Flint should have scored number two but his header from another Duffield cross was somehow saved at point blank rouge by Todman after Damian Francis had initiated the move with an inventive pass from the outside of his right foot. Young flashed the rebound wide from the edge of the box.
For a brief period Crawley Down began to look threatening. A minute after surviving a scare in their own box, the hosts came forward and should have levelled as Tidey rounded Dunbrill but his shot nestled in the trees behind the goal rather than the YM net.
Moments later, only a marvellous save from Dumbrill diving full stretch to his right after Tidey had put Matt Lake clear, kept YM ahead.
But that was about as good as it got for Crawley Down as YM began to assert themselves on their lesser opponents. Flint had a shot deflected wide and Damian Francis' sweetly struck volley rasped over the bar.
Butt YM did not have to wait long to find the net for a second time. In the 70th minute, Young won the ball back mid-way into the Crawley Down half and threaded a measured pass through the middle of the defence to Hennessey who sold the keeper a glorious dummy before casually stroking home. The goal-scorer had only been on the pitch a mere three minutes.
The game was as good as over five minutes later when YM scored their third. Stewart MeCreadie
spread the ball out to Young on the right who looked inside, found Flint free on the edge of the area and continued his run into the box to lift the ball into the roof of the net after Flint had forced Todman to lamely parry his shot.
Duffield. who looked like he had picked up an injury, was replaced by Nathan Sleat which allowed Durrant to roam the vacant right flank. And he did it in some style too, even drawing a few tongue in cheek comparisons with David Beckham from his amused team-mates as he looked at home in his new position
Death nearly made it four but he shot over the bar after Flint had squared the ball and Carter crashed a Fitzgerald corner onto the bar in the dying minutes
Match Report