Match Report
County League: Division One
| Horsham YMCA 3 Duffield 24 Young 80 O'Hara 90 |
Southwick 1 Donoghue 32 |
Date:24th January 2004 Location:Gorings Mead
Source: Russell Staves, West Sussex County Times
A LOSING habit can be hard to break and YM manager John Suter will be hoping the win over Southwick will kick-start a revival in his team's fortunes.The Gorings Mead side had won just once in 14 games before Saturday and they looked like continuing that run when Southwick's Jon Donaghue, who could earn a few quid as an
Audley Harrison double, cancelled out Matt Duffield's opener.
In recent weeks, YM have scored first only to lose 2-1 and there would have been a few nervous glances when Donaghue landed his potentially knock-out blow.
But the home side controlled the rest of the match and once Paul Young scored a rare second goal -something YM have done on just one occasion since November 4 -the game was never in doubt.
Joel O'Hara, whose energy levels are sorely missed when he is absent, tapped home a third to give the scoreline a more realistic look.
"I thought we deserved to win," said a relieved Suter. "We played over 90 minutes and that makes a lot of difference. We worked hard and played some good football."
Suter admitted that he had a case of deja vu when Donaghue equalised for the visitors. "We often go one-nil up, but when they scored the obligatory equaliser, it did cross my mind. I still felt we would go on and win, but I thought that against Whitehawk and Pagham."
YM lined up with Horsham keeper lan Chatfield, who has just recovered from a kidney problem, replacing the promising James Plumley in goal, while the rock solid Barrie Westgate dropped back into the centre of defence.
The sparse crowd had only just settled down when YM had their first chance after just 40 seconds, Jason Tighe giving the ball straight to Duffield who shot just over.
Such was the brisk temperature that Moise Kamjiue limped off with a hamstring injury after just three minutes. But despite the cold, it did not take YM long to warm up although their efforts in front of goal would have drawn a few icy glares from their coaching staff.
O'Hara was guilty of the worst miss in the ninth minute, half-volleying over the bar from five yards after Young's cross had left him with the simplest of tap-ins.
The pair linked together five minutes later to fashion a chance for Steve Davies who made keeper Adam Laudon work to save his low shot.
Southwick, perhaps buoyed by the fact that they were still level, began to play themselves into the game with Jack Dineen at the forefront of their best work.
The former Brighton and Eire under-21 player pulled on Upper Beeding's jersey a few times last season and while he is not in the first flush of youth, he was the best player on the park for an hour and caused the hosts problems.
His first proper involvement was to send Donaghue clear with a beautifully chipped pass that the forward pulled wide of Chatfield's goal.
Dineen then had the ball in the net in the 17th minute but his curling free-kick was disallowed as referee Selwyn Kemp ruled it was indirect.
Despite the visitors' best passage of play, it was YM who scored first with a lovely move in the 23rd minute. Young sent Davies through as Southwick pleaded for offside but the forward ignored their calls before squaring the ball to Duffield to tap home from five yards.
Southwick's equaliser came just after the half hour. Lawrence Edwards, whose diagonal blond Mohican looks like a lopsided halo, delivered a heavenly ball which Tighe flicked on for Donaghue to side-foot home from close range.
Terry Streeter nearly put the visitors ahead when he deflected Dineen's shot wide and YM had a half-chance in injury time when Young pulled a cleverly worked free-kick involving Duffield and Sleat wide of Laudon's right post.
It was Young who had the first chance after the break but a poor connection on Davies' cross left the game there for the taking.
Ali Rennie had spent most of the game barking orders from the dug-out but showed he is a pretty useful human taxi by piggy-backing Davies halfway round the pitch after the forward was left in a heap with an ankle injury.
Phil Churchill was the ready-made replacement and he immediately made his mark by linking with Dean Garden before Ryan Andrews set Young free.
The striker deftly controlled the through ball, beat the keeper with a left-foot shot but not the near post. Churchill then picked out O'Hara with a precise cross but he headed the chance wide.
Southwick were a far cry from the side that won impressively at Gorings Mead last year and looked down and out when Young put YM ahead with a clinical side-foot volley from Churchill's pin-point cross. Lee Silsby, whose calmness in possession caught the eye, had started the move with another raking pass out of defence.
You need a bit of luck when results are going against you and YM got their share of good fortune four minutes later when Chatfield's poor clearance fell straight to Streeter.
The Southwick player had a clear run on goal but handled the ball as he bore down on Chatfield and was halted by Mr Kemp.
Young almost put daylight between the two sides when he side-footed Duffield's pass over the bar and Churchill should have done better four minutes from the end when he was sent clear with only the keeper to beat.
But, perhaps with too much time to think, the substitute shot tamely at Laudon.
However, Churchill kept his head up and crossed to O'Hara to tap home the winner in injury time.
Team: Chatfield; Garden, Silsby, Westgate, Sleat; Duffield, Andrews, Potter, O'Hara; Young, Davies (Churchill 52).