Match Report
County League:Division One
 Horsham YMCA 2 Flint 50 Davies 90 |
 Ringmer 0 |
Date: 6th November 2004 Location: Gorings Mead
Source: Patrick Corlett, West Sussex County Times
FOR YM manager John Suter, talk of winning the County League is a taboo subject.
The cautious Gorings Mead boss is refusing to get carried away despite his side extending their lead at the top of Division 1 to 11 points following a 2-0 win over Ringmer.
"I'm not going to talk about winning leagues," said the YM supremo.
However, he might not be able to swerve the issue if his troops continue their excellent form past Christmas.
Unbeaten, top of the table and a goal difference of +16 - YM are the form team at present, although fourth placed Ringmer made the hosts fight all the way.
Fireworks? Hardly. More of a sparkler than a rocket, but YM finally ignited in the second half and secured the points thanks to goals from Nick Flint and substi¬tute Steve Davies.
"I was pleased with the performance and the result," said Suter. "Everyone contributed."
However, the game could have turned out differently had referee Jorge Martins - who has finally decided to get rid off his wispy hair - sent off Barrie Westgate after 31 minutes.
The YM defender, caught dillydallying on the ball by the impressive Darren Tidy, pulled the Ringmer player's shirt just before he entered the penalty area.
Mr Martins decided a free-kick was sufficient punishment much to the annoyance of Ringmer manager and former Brighton defender John Crumplin who ranted that a red card should have been shown.
Suter agreed with his opposite number.
"He could have gone, and on another day he could have walked. But the ref thought there were defenders coming in from the other side. Nick Levett said he was getting across the box," he added.
The penalty decision aside, and a spectacular effort from Dominic Shepherd that clipped the crossbar, there was little to separate the sides in a first half that ended in stalemate.
Ali Russell, who looked com¬fortable in central midfield after eye-catching spells in defence and up-front, had the first effort on goal in the eighth minute when he fired at Ringmer keeper Ross Standen from 25 yards. An effort from the same player four minutes earlier would have been successful at the Millennium Stadium as it soared into a Gorings Mead garden.
The vociferous Crumplin shouted encouragement at his players who were having the best of the early exchanges, but the former Albion man would have met his match had YM assistant Ali Rennie, who barks with equal ferocity, not been absent from the touchline.
Joel O'Hara then flashed a header wide midway through the half before Shepherd nearly lit up the game with a wonderful effort.
With seemingly little chance of a shot, the pesky forward turned and sent a curling shot from 25 yards that left Ian Chatfield rooted to the spot.
Fortunately for the home side, the ball skimmer the bar.
YM should have taken the lead on the half-hour when Flint set up O'Hara but the winger weakly side-footed straight at Standen. In mitigation, O'Hara hit the ball with his wrong foot while Flint blazed the rebound wide.
With Westgate still on the field after a lenient decision, YM had a chance to rub salt in the wound when Flint played in Phil Churchill.
With the goal gaping and the forward about to pull the trigger, full-back Danny Bird leapt in with a fantastic last ditch tackle to clear the danger.
Flint, perhaps tired of seeing his team-mates missing chances, took matters into his own hands six minutes after the break.
Matt Duffield, YM's talismanic captain, charged down the right and crossed deep to the unmarked Flint who buried a rare header at the far post.
The hosts improved after taking the lead and their passing game, which was infrequently seen in the first half, began to frustrate Ringmer.
It could have been 2-0 in the the 64th minute when Churchill shot straight at Standen following Russell's clever flick.
'Ali Russell is just enormous, Just in stature but in ability and attitude. He can play centre forward, centre midfield and centre back - what an asset to have," said Suter, who is clearly impressed with his newly found utility player.
Flint was the width of the post away from doubling the advantage with ten minutes to go but Ringmer responded and could have equalised in the dying minutes.
Tidy, Ringmer's best player, initiated another promising move which led to Kieran Perkins crossing into the box.
A goal mouth scramble ensued until Chatfield ended the melee by clearing the ball to safety.
But the visitors must have realised that luck had deserted them when Shepherd hit the wood¬work for the second time when he crashed a shot against the post in the 90th minute.
Davies, a last minute replacement for Churchill, settled the game when he waltzed through the defence before calmly slotting home his first goal in a month.
Crumplin pleaded with his strik¬ers to gamble, and even he must concede that YM look a fair bet to win the league.
Team:(4-4-2):Chatfield; Duffield, Carter, Westgate, Levett; Garden, Russell, Grant, O'Hara; Churchill (Davies 89), Flint.