Match Report
County League - Division One
| Burgess Hill 1 | Horsham YMCA 1 |
| Edwards 45 | Flint 22 (pen) |
Date: 19th April 2003
by Richard Bryne
at Leylands Park
"I'M BITTERLY disappointed," said YM manager John Suter following his side's failure to beat ten-man Burgess Hill after the league champions had a player sent off in the second half.
The visitors took the lead when Nick Flint slotted home from the penalty spot after former YM player Ben Andrews blocked Wayne Potter's goal bound volley with his arm.
Andrews completed a miserable afternoon when he was given a straight red in the 58th minute for a two-footed lunge at Joel O'Hara.
Referee Adrian Taylor was about to blow for a foul on O'Hara when Andrews jumped in to tackle the YM midfielder. O'Hara got up straight away before Sean Edwards pushed him over again and after a bit more shoving Mr Taylor called over Andrews and sent him off although the defender was reluctant to walk.
In between Edwards headed the equaliser in first half stoppage time but apart from that there was little to remember from the first versus second clash which was a bit of an anticlimax as neither keeper had a serious save to make.
YM, who have played some of their best football of the season in recent matches, gave the champions too much respect, failed to take advantage of their extra player and never looked like winning.
However, Hillians showed their mental toughness when down to ten men, with a gritty performance and went closest to snatching the points when Edwards smacked a shot against the bar late in the game.
"We were desperate to win but we weren't good enough," admitted Suter. "We lacked quality, especially in the second half when they were down to ten men. Our control and passing was not good enough and we never got to the by-line and got crosses in. Even with ten men there were little episodes where they played better than us. They had a better touch and kept the ball better.
"I suppose we should've won but we certainly didn't deserve to. I've let off steam and upset a few people but I feel we've let ourselves down today – we didn't do ourselves justice. We should've got three points in the circumstances."
Suter did not clearly see the sending-off, but has a lot of respect for Andrews, who he rated as the best player he has signed in his management career when the former Brighton man played at Gorings Mead last season. "It was a long way from the dug out but I was surprised when he was sent off," said Suter.
The YM manager knows that on their day his side can beat anybody but they have a long way to go to achieve the consistent standards of the champions. "They've won the league by 20 points. They're in a class of their own," said Suter.
The vocal Hillians fans gathered at one end of the club's impressive new stand but had little to cheer in the opening quarter. The dry dustbowl of a pitch and swirling wind made it difficult for both teams to get the high bouncing ball down and play.
YM looked a bit tentative and failed to find the flowing football of the previous games. The Gorings Mead men seem to have a slight mental block when they play the champions and would have won their home match with Hillians if they had been a bit more confident.
The visitors' hesitancy almost cost them in the tenth minute when keeper Jason Dumbrill waited for a pass to run through to him and Hillians striker Nicky Sullivan nipped in, stole the ball and clipped a shot across the face of the goal.
The hosts enjoyed more possession but YM striker Flint had a shot blocked after good work from O'Hara down the left and when the ball fell to him again hit his shot straight at Pat Gannon in the home goal.
The visitors should have opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Gil Taylor's neat flick released Matt Duffield down the right. The YM skipper cut in from the flank but instead of going for goal lobbed a ball across to Flint who brought it down well but shot tamely past the post.
But three minutes later they took the lead after Hillians failed to clear a corner. The ball fell to Potter on the edge of the area and the midfielder's fierce volley hit Andrews. There were loud appeals from the YM players, Mr Taylor pointed to the spot and Flint made no mistake with a low shot past Gannon.
There was plenty of commitment if not quality, Adie Downey nearly decapitating Dean Carden with one challenge for a bouncing ball.
Ryan Andrews skimmed the home cross bar with a long range effort. "Pick it up again," urged busy YM midfielder Wayne Potter.
The visitors' centre half Scott Langridge, who was sent off in the corresponding fixture two seasons ago while playing for the yellow and blacks, was typically aggressive at the back and an outstanding tackle on Sullivan halted the striker as he raced towards goal.
Nathan Sleat hammered a clearance against the new stand. "Mind the stand we've paid good money for it," shouted one spectator.
Burgess Hill almost equalised just before the break when Matt Geard volleyed over Wayne Joseph's delightful cross.
Almost exactly a year ago Geard was sent off for swearing at the referee while playing for Ringmer in their John O'Hara cup final defeat against YM, but the youngster's sweet left foot delivery always looked Hillians' most likely source of a goal from set pieces.
In the third minute of stoppage time the hosts levelled when Langridge gave away a silly free-kick on the right hand side of the area. Geard whipped in another inviting cross and Edwards arrived among a mass of bodies and buried a downward header at the far post.
It was a bad time to give away a goal but YM started the second half more positively. After five minutes O'Hara got involved in a bit of handbags that may have been the catalyst for later events.
After 58 minutes it boiled over again when Andrews and O'Hara clashed and Mr Taylor sent off the Hillians defender. The home fans, who were unhappy with the decision, launched aimed a chorus of "who ate all the pies" at the referee but it certainly looked a reckless challenge.
Ironically just as when Brazil made England look silly in the World Cup, Hillians kept the ball well and frustrated the visitors.
When YM did get into promising positions they invariably chose the wrong option and although Suter sacrificed Sleat at the back and threw on Micky Hennessey as an extra striker they never realty troubled the hosts.
Burgess Hill continued to look dangerous from set-pieces and with eight minutes left Tom Marshall glanced a corner across goal and Edwards arriving unmarked at the back stick, hammered the ball against the bar.
Neither side deserved to win but Suter would like to have beaten the county league champions in what could be their last league meeting if Hillians move up to the Dr Martens league next season.
Team: Dumbrill; Carden, Langridge, Fenn, Sleat (Hennessey 77); Duffield, Potter, Andrews, O'Hara; Taylor (M Francis 81), Flint.