Match Report
County League:Division One
 Horsham YMCA 4 Flint 6 Moore 11, 24 O'Hara 51 |
 East Preston 3 Farrell 35 Biggs 61 Huckett, Matt 90 |
Date: 8th October 2004 Location: Gorings
Source: West Sussex County Times
YM BOSS John Suter has warned his players not to turn into 'big time Charlies' after they fumbled their way past East Preston.
The veteran manager has guided the unbeaten Gorings Mead side to the top of the County League, but has noticed an unwelcome swagger amongst his troops and has pleaded with them not to be complacent.
"People were yawning after the Littlehampton win saying 'it's boring, we've won again'. I can't have that and it is something I feel strongly about," said Suter.
The YM players had every right to be cocky after racing into a 3-0 lead against East Preston in just 24 minutes. Former Spurs defender Justin Edinburgh, who is in charge of East Preston's FA Cup opponents Billericay, would have smiled from the sideline as he watched the hosts carve open the visitors' defence at will.
But rather than consolidate their lead, YM continued gung-ho style and handed East Preston a reprieve ten minutes from the interval when Lee Farrell lobbed Ben Courtney from 35 yards.
Joel O'Hara restored YM's three-goal lead in the 53rd minute but East Preston fought back gallantly and hauled themselves back to 4-3 when Jim Smith and Mike Huckett scored to set up a nervous finale.
"I think we have a lot to learn," said Suter. "When you are 3-0 and 4-1 up, you don't need to score again. I should have fined anyone trying to score. We need to do the simple things better, we don't keep possession in the opposition's half enough."
Watching YM play like Newcastle under Kevin Keegan is certainly entertaining, but the former Geordie hero with the famous perm failed to bring the title to Tyneside and Suter's side are in danger of suffering the same disappointment if they continue to leak goals.
"We have got away with it again, but there will come a time when a team scores more than us," he added.
On a chilly evening – the game was brought forward due to the England-Wales clash – Nick Flint handed YM a dream start in the eighth minute.
Clinton Moore beat keeper Andy McCarthy to Nathan Sleat's long pass and rolled the ball towards goal. The covering East Preston defender cleared the ball off the line straight to Moore who crossed for Flint to tap in the opener.
The provider turned scorer when YM went 2-0 up four minutes later, Moore heading in after Ali Russell flicked-on James Bird's corner.
East Preston, who up until now had spent the evening moaning at the officials, finally let their feet do the talking. Renowned for being one of the best passing teams in the league, Vic Short's men should have scored from a lovely move midway through the half but Farrell shot straight at Courtney when he had other options.
But it was YM who scored next when Moore stabbed home from close range after James Grant's cross caused problems in the visitors' box. It was the striker's sixth goal in three games since joining from Three Bridges.
Courtney then made an excellent double save to deny Farrell and Matt Huckett but the keeper, who impressed during the win at Littlehampton last week, handed East Preston a lifeline in the 35th minute when he cleared straight to Farrell.
The forward, who plays for the Great Britain deaf squad, took a touch before expertly lofting a shot over the retreating Courtney.
If Matt Huckett is on song then East Preston often play well and, worryingly for YM, he was beginning to pull the strings for the visitors.
Another pinpoint pass sent Farrell streaking clear but he lost his composure with just the keeper to beat and fired over before doing a monkey impression on the crossbar.
YM could have gone further ahead three minutes before the break when O'Hara hit the far post, but the combative midfielder got his radar right in the second half, shooting powerfully past McCarthy after a quick break.
O'Hara's goal prompted an East Preston fight-back which gathered momentum in the 62nd minute when the unmarked Smith reduced the arrears by tapping home from close range.
East Preston continued to push forward, helped by YM handing over possession on a regular basis, and the visitors gave themselves a chance of an unlikely point when they scored in injury time.
Suter's assistant, Ali Rennie, was discussing who should win the team's man of the match award when East Preston switched play from the left to the unmarked Mike Huckett who shot past Courtney, the keeper getting a touch but not enough to stop it rolling agonisingly into the unmanned net.
But YM hung on, despite another East Preston attack, and will travel to Southwick tomorrow confident of a ninth league victory, but hopefully swagger-less.
Team:(4-4-2): Courtney; Duffield, Russell, Carter, Sleat; Carden (Bidwell 77), Bird (Comper 81), Grant, O'Hara; Flint (Churchill 68), Moore.