Match Report
County League:Division One
 Eastbourne United Association 0 |  Horsham YMCA 3 Russell 27, 74 Moore 66 |
Date: 15th January 2005 Location: Eastbourne
Source: Steve Payne, West Sussex County Times
CLINICAL finishing by YM proved the difference as they continued to rack up the points on Saturday.
In a match where classy football was a rare sight, it was a question of YM grinding out a result against a side with hopes of rising into the top four.
Three superbly taken goals provided some cheer for the small group of visiting supporters, while home fans were left cursing United's bad luck and inability to string more than two passes together.
However, until YM's opening goal after 27 minutes, the home side looked busier.
Their best chance was a Scott McDonald effort that YM keeper lan Chatfield managed to push away.
The visitors had to re-organise, though, after just ten minutes when Lee Butcher limped off and Clinton Moore replaced him.
Seven minutes later, in YM's first decent attack, Steve Davies was felled outside the box during one of his penetrating runs.
With a defensive wall facing him, Ali Russell easily curled the ball round it low into the far corner.
The rest of the half saw little control by either side, but, just before the break, a big scramble in the YM box was finally cleared after the ball had pinged around like a pinball.
The visitors' attempts to pass the ball around proved more successful after the break and they had a golden chance to score.
Davies beat the offside trap, took the ball round three players and slotted it to Moore, but he fired wide with clear site on goal.
United then came within a whisker of scoring when substitute Mark Goodwin hit the underside of the bar after 69 minutes when YM had dwelt on the ball in defence.
YM's second goal was rather a gift as the home keeper scuffed an attempt to clear a back-pass.
It eventually fell to Moore who coolly lifted the ball into a gaping net with the keeper stranded.
The best was left to last, though. After 74 minutes, Russell collected the ball well outside the box and drilled it like a guided missile past a fully stretched diving keeper.
United could have had the final word, though, when it was Andy Atkin's turn to smack the ball against the underside of the bar and the rebound was headed straight at Chatfield.
The only blemish to the match for YM was the sight of Davies being carried off after damaging an ankle.
Manager John Suter was pleased with his team's performance.
"We dug it out. There wasn't a lot of football played. It was a question of getting in the other team's half and working it round the box.
"I felt we did that with a very committed performance, getting to the ball first and the work rate was tremendous.
"We had people who chased down everything. We rode our luck a little bit, but I like it when people work hard to give 100 per cent.
"We did very well today - I'm very impressed."
Team:(4-4-2): Chatfield, Duffield, Levett, Westgate, Hooper, Garden, Butcher (Moore 14), Grant, Russell, Davies (Ahearne 79), O'Hara.