Match Report
County League: Division One
| Crawley Town 7 MacDonald 4, 7, 33, 44 Plummer 40 Harkin 60 Forde81 |
Horsham YMCA 1 O'Hara 70 |
Date:1st November 2003 Location:Gorings Mead
Source West Sussex County Times
NOT even an ugly brawl could take the shine off Steve Davies' afternoon after the YM striker netted an impressive hat-trick against St Leonard's.
The former Littlehampton forward Put YM in front with a poacher's goal on 32 minutes and twice finished clinically in the last ten minutes to guarantee the points before the two teams started hurling the handbags in an incident that is becoming all too familiar at grounds around the country.
Joel O'Hara lit the blue touchpaper when he fouled Jody Ricketts and the St Leonard's midfielder reacted by aiming a crude knee at his opponent. The episode looked like dying down after a bout of pushing and shoving until O'Hara appeared to spit at Ricketts sparking players from both sides to get involved in the melee.
Referee Adrian Hudson managed to get control and booked the two players, although Ricketts walked having been yellow carded earlier for abusing the man in charge.
"We don't have good role models," said YM manager John Suter. "Just look at Arsenal and Manchester United, everyone sees it."
Suter was quick to defend O'Hara, who pleaded his innocence by telling the enraged St Leonard's players that he was not aiming a mouthful of phlegm at Ricketts. "I felt Joel was unlucky to be booked. He committed the foul and the bloke reacted. I thought it was ever so harsh."
On a brighter note, the YM manager was pleased with Davies' performance and hought it was just rewards for a player who has an exemplary attitude.
"He never misses training and when he was injured, he was there watching every ame. He's been very good. Hopefully this vill be the start of goals," said Suter. As a former striker himself, Suter marelled at the quality of Davies' finishing, articularly the second and third goals where he bore down on the St Leonard's keeper and drilled low into the net. "He fin-shed like the striker he was at Littlehampton wo years ago when I tried to sign him. He deserved to be man of the match," he said.
But Davies' inability to put his hand in his ocket is something Suter hopes to rectify. 'He did not even buy a jug of lager," joked Suter.
Davies' finishing was the difference 'etween the sides and had St Leonard's been as clinical in front of goal as the YM number nine then the result would have been differ. ent.
"I thought their play in midfield and their passing was good, but they ran out of finesse. Their final shot was erratic, I was thankful for that," admitted Suter.
The visitors embraced each other in a Celtic style huddle just before kick off, but their blue and white strip looked a bit odd when combined with their red socks which they had to borrow from the hosts to avoid kit clash.
YM began in untidy fashion by continual. ly giving the ball away, but they had the firs attempt on goal in the fourth minute wher Greg Nessling tipped over Paul Young's free-kick.
The game by-passed midfield, even at such an early stage, and it was the visitors who looked the most potent as they attacked in numbers.
Only Dean Carden's bravery prevented Leonard's taking a ninth minute lead when he blocked Andy Cyrus' close range drive The ball rebounded back to the dreadlockec midfielder but he slashed at the ball and seni it over the bar.
Both sides had a chance to score in a frantic 17th minute. O'Hara missed the first opportunity when he glanced Young's inviting cross wide and seconds later David Flemming, who spent two seasons plying his trade over the fence at Horsham, forced James Plumley to beat away a powerful drive.
With neither side in the ascendancy, YM took the lead on the half hour when Carden drove a low ball to the back post where Davies beat Nessling to touch it in.
Both Ramin Jarvand and Matt Duffield had half chances to extend the lead but it was an unlikely source that gave YM a second goal six minutes after the break, Peter Durrant jumping highest to head Young's free-kick over Nessling.
There was little danger at the other end as Durrant and the excellent Andy Lutwyche expertly marshalled the defence, but St Leonard's were gifted a goal two minutes later when Duffield sold Plumley short with a back pass and Flemming nipped in to toe the ball home.
The home side did not panic, despite St Leonard's goal from nothing, and continued to get forward with Young and Davies the likeliest to restore YM's two-goal lead.
In the 55th mInute, Mr Hudson waved away shouts for a penalty when Davies was bundled over in the box by Nick Whiteman and Young should have done better just after the hour when he skipped between Ben Watson and Cyrus but shot straight at the keeper.
The strike pair then linked well to set up Jarvand, switched to the right wing to allow Young to move up front, who shot wide when Davies might have had the shot himself.
But the miss did not prove costly as Davies put YM 3-1 ahead in the 80th minute when he chased O'Hara's high ball and shot low past the exposed Nessling.
The goal deflated the visitors and their misery was completed when Davies intercepted Dave Minnis' poor crossfield ball and scored a carbon copy of his second goal with another finely executed low drive.
Team:Plumley; Garden, Durrant, Lutwyche, Sleat; Young, Duffielcl Brown, O'Hara; Jarvand (Churchill 90), Davies.