"I'm bitterly disappointed with the result, we should have won," said YM manager John Suter after the top of the table clash ended in stalemate on a bitterly cold Tuesday night.
The hosts were the width of the woodwork away from nicking victory when striker Nick Flint hit the post midway through the second half and they missed a good opportunity to close the gap on the leaders.
Hillians have dominated the County League over recent years and have developed an invincible aura hut this season. after four defeats, they have lost some of that psychological advantage and teams have to wake up and realise it is not a foregone conclusion the champions will retain their title.
Unfortunately it took the hosts the first period to get over this mental block and with a little more self-belief they would have won.
In the end Danny Bloor's side will he much the happier with the point and the vocal away fans will probably feel they deserved it although after creating three good openings in the first half their attack was as toothless as Liam Gallagher after the break and Jason Dumbrill did not have to make a serious save in the whole match.
"It was a better draw for them than us, but having said that there were a lot of positives," acknowledged Suter. "There's a myth about Burgess Hill that they're unbeatable, people give them too much respect. t reminded the lads before the game that Sidlesham have done the double over them."
Suter was able to field his strongest side but Hillians, who were without Sean Edwards, Ashley Carr and Steve Harper, looked far less impressive than the side that won the Norman Wingate Trophy seasonal opener 3-2 at Gorings Mead in August.
"Obviously they have a strong squad but they're a different side without Ashley Carr and you're always glad when his name is not on the team sheet," admitted Suter.
But the YM manager was pleased with his side's performance, particularly in the second half, after their dismal showing against Hailsham three days earlier.
"We've gone from the pits to very positive," summed up Suter, who feels his side still lack the consistency they need if they are to make a serious title challenge. He made changes after the surprise defeat andadded: "It didn't need me to tell them it was a poor performance:'
Overall he is unhappy with their recent form:
"We've been a bit vulnerable at the back and we haven't passed the ball and kept the ball as well as we can. You can't afford to do that if you are going to win anything or achieve a high place."
The return of left-sided midfielder Joel O'Hara was a boost and new signing Scott Langridge also
looked solid. "He was very positive at the back and is a good header of the ball," was Suter's verdict.
On a night when most sane people were tucked up in the warm watching the Gunners on television an enthusiastic crowd settled in for what promised to be an entertaining contest between the division's two top scorers but as with the European tie, defence dominated.
Both sides ignored the cold, only two players were wearing woolly gloves, and started positivety despite the chill. The hosts went close after only three minutes when Micky Hennessy weaved his way into the box and clipped a shot across the goal-mouth.
O'Hara, making his first start of the season after a successful summer's golf, had a typically busy game. The gangly midfielder was never afraid to
shoot and after ten minutes had Pat Gannon scrambling across his goal although the hall slid past the post.
In the 16th minute, hillians' Nick Sullivan cut in from the right but shot across the goal to get the away fans' horn honking. A minute later he wasted an even better chance, failing to find the target after Phil Churchill had taken advantage of Stewart McCreadie's slip.
But the visitors' best chance fell to Leo Day who blazed over from the edge of the six-yard box after a corner fell invitingly to him.
YM made life harder for themselves by frequentiy giving the ball away and although Hillians enjoyed more possession, they struggled to create openings as Peter Durrant used all his experience to subdue former team-mate Churchill and McCreadie
was invariably in the right place to pick up the pieces.
Debutant Langridge. a former Hillian. made his mark early on with some strong bui fair challenges but was unlucky to get the first card of the game when he overstretched in a clumsy attempt to re-win the ball and caught an opponent.
At the other end former YM player Ben Andrews looked assured at sweeper, spraying long passes out to the flanks and cannily using the tricks of the trade he learned as a pro at Brighton, to test the laws to the limit when challenging for headers.
It might he the Christmas season hut reteree
Martin Savage was overgenerous in dishing out
cards, booking YM skipper Matt Duffield for bringing down Matt Geard in the centre-circle although the contact was minimal.
Day headed a chance wide at the near post but YM were causing themselves most of the problems by over-complicating it in their own half.
"Stop
playing it square, play the ball forward
quicker." Suter screamed at his players.
Flint showed occasional glimpses of skill sip front and went closest to putting the hosts ahead three minutes before the break when he dribbled in from the left and shot across goal but Gannon saved well, one-handed to his left.
The game was remarkably clean considering its importance to both teams and a good playing surface helped. hut when Day went down easily after being challenged by the hard-working Wayne Potter. one home fan urged: 'Get
roller skates off."
The second half started slowly but came to life in the 57th minute when the home players unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty after Andy Lutwyche bounced Langridge over in the area. Although the YM player was going away from goal it was the sort of challenge that would usually gain a free-kick anywhere else on the pitch.
A minute later Flint and Duffield tried their Manchester United short-corner routine but Duffield's rising first-time strike a Ia Paul Scholes was always going over.
Mr Savage had the home fans foaming at the mouth
when he booked O'Hara for a perfectly fair challenge but the unbothered YM midfielder almost broke the deadlock in the 65th minute with a crisp left-foot drive from 25 yards. Gannon managed to parry the shot and Flint following up turned the rebound onto the inside of the post from a tight angle and the ball bounced out kindly and was cleared.
YM gained in confidence and looked the likeliest to grab the points. Paul Young had a couple of speculative efforts and almost scored the winner when he brushed past Lutwyche and fired a shot across the face of the goal when it might have been better to pull ii back to an oncoming player.
Fitzgerald, who had a typically combative game on the left, was penalised for another strong but fair tackle and the wing-back summed up the home sides frustration when he hit a late corner straight into the side-netting, and they failed to get the winner they just about deserved.
Suter was equally frustrated, perhaps realising it was a case of two points lost, but he was typically reluctant to talk up his team's chances and would not be drawn on who he thinks will be on top in April. "The title is not decided at Christmas. Its December the 10th, it's too early to predict."
Match Report
"I'm bitterly disappointed with the result, we should have won," said YM manager John Suter after the top of the table clash ended in stalemate on a bitterly cold Tuesday night. 