Match Report
County League: Division One
| East Grinstead Town 1 o.g. |
Horsham YMCA 0 |
Date:25th November 2003 Location:East Grinstead
Source West Sussex County Times
A JOKE own goal condemned YM to their eighth defeat, 1-0, in ten County League Division 1 games on a night as miserable as the weather.
While defender Peter Durrant was credited with the dodgy first half strike, several of his team mates were equally guilty after combining to produce a slick goal that was perfect apart from the fact it went in at the wrong end.
After some neat interplay between Nathan Sleat and Joel O'Hara, Tim Brown, standing five yards inside his own half, inexplicably played the ball straight into the path of Steve Banks. The Wasps striker homed in on goal, Durrant dived in desperately to clear, but simply hooked the ball over James Plumley into the empty net.
The wet and disgruntled visiting fans had to laugh at an advert for an 'Own Goal and Gaffs' video as they watched the Arsenal against Inter Milan highlights in the clubhouse afterwards because their side's effort would have easily have made top-billing.
On a night when the appalling weather demanded attitude and application, it was always likely the game would be decided by a mistake but that was little consolation to YM manager John Suter.
"It's frustrating," he said. "We've won only one of our last ten games but we're not being beaten by better sides. With respect to the opposition, we are the equal of them, they're just playing better than us."
Suter felt that East Grinstead had the edge in the match and that his keeper was the busier but neither side really deserved to win a pretty dire affair. "We just seem to lack that little bit of quality," rued Suter. "We need that bit of luck because we worked hard enough."
Suter was not helped by the late withdrawal of Steve Davies, Andy Lutwyche and Phil Churchill and with Ramin Jarvand and Gil Taylor unavailable was forced to call up reserve team centre-back Josh Maynard as a makeshift striker.
The one plus point was the return of midfielder Wayne Potter, who came on for the last 20 minutes after being out injured since mid September.
The brave fans huddled in the main stand must have wished they had stayed at home to watch the Champions League as the rain swirled around East Court. The hosts should have gone ahead in the second minute when the unmarked Banks tamely headed a deep cross straight at Plumley.
YM missed an even better chance when Maynard streaked down the left and played a great low ball across the box to the unmarked Paul Young. It looked like a simple tap-in but the ball got stuck under his feet in the muddy conditions and Dave Tidy spread himself to save his weak effort.
Both teams struggled to adapt to the slippery pitch but the hosts, led by skipper Dave Gellatly, had the better of the opening minutes. The stocky midfielder, who had a trial at Horsham this season, is not pretty to watch but battled for everything and really got up the noses of the YM bench. The visitors had no one to match Gellatly's tenacity although Ryan Andrews was always trying to do the right thing in the middle of the park.
YM struggled to find any fluency together and pressed the self-destruct button in the 24th minute when Durrant's own goal gave the home side the lead.
They were almost caught out again when they gave the ball away in midfield. Wasps quickly counter attacked and Phil Thompson, sporting Attila the Hun locks, overlapped on the right and forced a good low save from Plumley.
The visitors had a good spell before the break but Young, who after a fantastic start to the season is struggling to score, missed two good chances. First Greg Brabon rolled the ball into the tall striker's path but he blazed over. Then Brown played a great ball in from the left that Young could not steer on target.
The game was even uglier after the break as both sides became bogged down. Confidence is like petrol, and YM were running pretty low. They tried hard but posed little threat, Andrews' speculative, low 35-yarder, which flew wide, was as close as they got. At the other end, Sleat's brave block denied Banks the chance to net the second.
When Young got a glimpse of goal after Brabon and Andrews' neat passing, Scott Stratton timed his challenge perfectly.
Suter threw on Neil Vanson and Potter but Wasps had the better chances. Plumley saved smartly at substitute Andrew Twinn's feet and a minute later Potter slid in to prevent Banks poking home a loose ball in the six-yard box.
Young's night to forget was completed as he raced clear only for the flag to go up, and minutes later he summed up the visitors' evening when he passed a corner straight to an opponent after Durrant had run the length of the field to get in the box.
Team: Plumley, Durrant (O'Carroll), Carden, Sleat, Duffield, Brabon, Andrews, Brown (W Potter 73), O'Hara, Maynard (Vanson 69), Young.