'IT'S a game of two halves' may be the oldest cliche in football but proved true as YM engineered a dramatic turn around to win a game they had looked like losing badly before the break.
The visitors were glad to reach the sanctuary of the dressing room after a first half "1-0 hammering" but instead of throwing the tea cups around manager John Suter adopted the simpler plan of if it isn't working change it.
He switched to a back-three and changed the personnel as well as the system. It took only five minutes to come good when substitute Micky Hennessy headed a wonderful equaliser. Gil Taylor twice finished classily to put them 3-1 ahead and Hennessy rubbed it in when he cheekily danced around the home defence and slotted home a fourth to complete an unlikely comeback.
Drastic action was certainly needed after the visitors trailed to Mark Burt's ninth minute header, and they could have been two or three behind but for Jason Dumbrill's brilliant goalkeeping and the woodwork.
"I said 'well done for keeping it down to 1-0"' admitted Suter, who had wanted to make the changes before the break but felt it was easier to reorganise in the dressing room. "It's nice when it works out but it was all pretty obvious," he added.
"That's the first thing he's got right in 15 years," joked a happy Dumbrill who was typically reliable between the sticks. "Jay kept us in the game. I desperately wanted half-time to come," acknowledged his boss.
With 'Jiggy' Potter in Rome, Nick Flint at his sister's wedding and Mark Francis injured Suter was forced to rethink his approach and started with 4-4-2 formation with Peter Durrant and Stewart McCreadie in the middle of the park.
"We never came to grips with them in the first half," admitted Suter. "I think it's a good system but we did lose it in midfield. We didn't have the right people to pick up their players,"
Hennessy, who was not risked at the start because of a dodgy hamstring.
was the catalyst for the recovery. The midfielder plays in the
shirt out, ponce about style of Lelissier or Hoddle
and can be as enfunat ingly casual or breathtakingly bril
liant. But behind
his nonchalant approach is a
quick brain, equally quick
feet, a deft
touch, short, quick
passes and clinical finishing.
"It was a most satisfying win. Coming back from 1-0 down to win and the fourth goal just emphasised what a good result it was," said Suter. "It was a good team performance. What I should do is rollock the manager for not playing Hennessy to start with."
The win consolidated YM's second place behind Hillians, but Suter was playing down his side's title chances. "I think Burgess Hill will win it. They have the strongest squad, because
they pay players they can keep a lot more up there."
He also expects Whitehawk, East Preston and Pagham to be
in the shake-up but is pleased
that YM can compete.
"There's people playing here who could play for money elsewhere. I feel privileged to have these players at this club. I feel ever so lucky. Everyone gets treated the same and there's a good team spirit."
The tight Old Barn Way ground is not one of the more picturesque in the league but does have a press box with an electric heater, and some of the visiting fans might have been tempted to wire themselves up to it after YM's first half performance.
They struggled from the start and went behind when Burt powered home Danny Smith's corner after just nine minutes although O'Shaughnessy appeared to be fouled before the corner was awarded.
The hosts' Ben Milford and Simon Jones controlled the middle and Danny Smith looked dangerous down
the right.
Dumbrill who is so consistently good between the sticks he is often taken for granted, denied Simon Funnell three times. First he
touched over an attempted chip, although a goal-kick was given, then he saved low to his right and finally he reacted
sharply to block he striker's powerful first-time effort.
YM made little impact on big Southwick centre-half Burt and his partner Damien Webber, the only real chance of the half falling to Paul Young whose effort was parried by home keeper Leigh Howe.
The visitors
clung on and only the post prevented Tony Holden scoring in stoppage time after he weaved his way into the area.
At the interval Suter pulled Durant back into a back-three with Mark Turner and McCreadie at sweeper and pushed big Rob O'Shaughnessy into a five-man midfield with Nathan Sleat moving to left-wing-back because Phil Fitzgerald was struggling with an ankle injury.
In the 50th minute Young tore down the left and put in a wonderful deep cross to the unmarked Hennessy, who equalised with a beautiful cushioned header back across the goal into the far corner.
The reorganised YM were as in harmony as the Three Degrees with
McCreadie stepping-up time and time again to catch Southwick players offside.
YM could have gone ahead in the 57th minute when Young escaped from Burt and was through on goal but referee Martin Smith blew-up for handball against the defender who was lucky not to concede a penalty as the offence looked inside the box.
However in the 72nd minute, Taylor, who ironically was having one of his less effective games, robbed a defender, strode into the area and slipped the ball past Howe to put the visitors ahead.
The only real wobbly moment at the other end came when Dumbrill blocked Graham Martin's pile-driver and Sleat cleared before Holden could bury the rebound. Minutes later Martin's deft pull-back set-up Milford but the midfielder's shot was in more danger of smashing a windscreen in the car park than beating Dumbrill.
YM's David Oakes was now enjoying himself in a more-tucked in position on the left and set up two late goals to clinch the win.
First he played a great ball into the path of Taylor, who finished brilliantly, controlling the ball with his first touch and lifting it over the advancing Howe.
And as Southwick pushed men forward, Gakes broke and found Hennessy with another diagonal pass. The midfielder was the man you wanted on the ball. He waltzed round Stuart Garrod, left Howe sitting on his backside and drilled the ball into the net past a despairing defender
The cheeky rnidfielder was denied a chance to bag a richly deserved hat-trick by a marginal offside decision as he raced away and none of the home supporters would have put money on him missing.
Match Report