Match Report
Sussex County League: Premier Division
| Horsham YMCA 2 Duffield 49 Churchill 90 |
Sidley United 2 Tate 55 Fenn 87 (og) |
Date: 3rd Apr 2004 Location:Gorings Mead
Source: Richard Bryne, West Sussex County Times
A PHIL Churchill goal two seconds from the end of normal time saved YM from an afternoon banging their heads against the dressing room walls.
The striker eased the hosts' frustration when he hammered home Matt Duffield's cross via the underside of the bar, but they should have had the game won long before that.
YM rarely looked in danger of losing, and once skipper Duffield put them ahead shortly after the break it should have been a comfortable afternoon.
But Wez Tate equalised with a freak goal and Ian Fenn through his own net after a communication breakdown with keeper James Plumley, to gift the visitors an unlikely lead.
The Mead men had all the energy of a horse lumbering along the last few furlongs of the National but luckily found a finish, to at least take something from the game.
YM manager John Suter stuck with his attacking 4-3-3 formation and the hosts should have been galloping clear by the time Sidley came to grips with the home front three of Paul Young, Churchill and Duffield.
"We could've put the game out of their reach in the first quarter of an hour," rued Suter. "I counted five times when a goal could've come. I think the system would work if we could just put away our chances early on in the game.
"We should've won," he added. "Their first goal was a cross - he was embarrassed that it went in -and the second was an own goal. I just feel frustrated. I feel we could be better than we are. It was the final ball, every time we needed that bit of quality it didn't come. We pick the wrong options."
Suter's frustration with his side's inability to turn dominance into goals was compounded by their ability to let in bad goals at bad times.
"How many times have we given away stupid goals this season? They were both at fault for the second but there are a lot of players at fault for not scoring goals and not delivering. We dropped our tempo; we didn't play with any urgency."
But GLS man of the match Duffield always runs up and down the flanks with the energy you would expect from a PE teacher.
"That was the bit of quality that was lacking for the whole game. He's got to the byline and whipped in a wicked ball," acknowledged a grateful Suter.
On a crisp bright afternoon, the game kicked off an hour early so that the visitors could get back in time for a charity night in memory of Sidley players James Duffeld and Liam Cox who were killed in a car crash in October.
YM made their now characteristic flying start. After two minutes Churchill embarrassed Ben Smith when he got in front of the big defender as he chased Nathan Sleat's clearance.
Smith stuck out a despairing boot and knocked the ball back towards the goal where Rob Wiley handled as Duffield followed up. The home side expected it to be ruled a back-pass but play continued.
Former pro Smith, strikes a sweet pass but looked uncomfortable against the pace of the YM forwards and his hesitation allowed Duffield to nip in and cross.
Churchill controlled the ball at the near post but his shot lacked the power to trouble the lanky Wiley who, with his mop of hair, was a dead ringer for Dave Beasant.
After 19 minutes Duffield appeared to be pushed in the back as he tried to head and implored the referee to give a penalty. YM went closer in the. 24th minute when Churchill headed Young's deep cross back across goal and although Duffield's snapshot beat Wiley, White cleared off the line.
Sidley's only chance came when Dave Ward controlled the ball nicely and homed in on goal, but his weak shot was straight at Plumley.
The visitors hardly looked like a team that have won seven times on the road this season and only three times at home but YM lost their way.
The combative James Bird snapped at the Sidley players' heels like a rabid terrier but too often YM's attacking moves ended on the head of big skipper Chris Copley. When they did get into good positions the hosts wanted a touch too many or took the wrong option.
It took YM only four minutes to go ahead when Taylor's precise first time pass opened up the Sidley defence and Duffield charged through and lifted the over the advancing Tate and in off the underside of the bar.
It should have been the cue for YM to step up but it was the visitors who reacted. They equalised when Tate waltzed past Charman and his mishit cross into the top far-corner giving Plumley no chance. "If he tried that 100 times he wouldn't again," commented one disgruntled home fan.
Sidley were lifted by the goal and had their best spell of the as YM faded badly. Suter took off Young, who at least had the consolation of winning the National sweepstake organised by Ali Rennie, and switched to ' pushing Taylor forward and bringing on Jamie Still on the left of a four-man midfield.
But the hosts continued to good openings as crosses and sailed into the netting behind the goal.
Typically, it was Duffield who almost put them ahead. He conjured half a yard and curled in a sweet left footed shot but Wiley tipped over.
The game looked to be heading for a draw before Fenn, who had done little wrong in the previous 87 minutes, and Plumley, whose handling had been immaculate all afternoon, had a collective insane j moment.
There appeared little danger as YM broke up a Sidley counterattack but the home fans watched in horror as Fenn's back pass rolled past Plumley and had just enough strength to cross the line before the keeper could get back and clear.
It was hard to work out how YM were behind with two minutes left to play, but the goal gave the home side the collective kick up the backside they needed and they produced the best move of the game in the final minute.
Duffield skipped past Craig Ottley, hared to the byline and whipped in a low cross that just invited one of his team-mates to score.
Churchill timed his arrival at the far post and although his shot bounced down off the underside of the bar, it had crossed the line before Taylor made sure by nodding home.
Team: Plumley; Charman, Westgate, Fenn, Sleat; Taylor, Potter, Bird; Duffield, Churchill, Young (Still 67).