Match Report
County League:Division One
 Horsham YMCA 1 Russell 88 |  Eastbourne United Association 2Warren 4 84 |
Date: 5th February 2005 Location:Gorings Mead
Source: by Patrick Corlett, West Sussex County Times
YM WERE left frustrated after they could not break down Eastbourne United, losing for only the second time in the league this season.
The table toppers were beaten 2-1 at home, a result which cut their lead to 14 points as their title rivals all won.
"It is still a big lead, what we must not do is panic," said manager John Suter whose side has not won in the last three matches.
"It's not a crisis, we have run into choppy water. Everybody raises their game against us and wants to beat us," he added.
Runaway leaders YM are there to be shot at and sides like Eastbourne United will make life difficult for them at Gorings Mead, but Suter's men should have won the game.
YM were not at the races during the early exchanges and found themselves one down after four minutes. Mark Warren laid the ball off for strike partner Mark Goodwin and the lightening quick forward made no mistake, drilling the ball under Ian Chatfield.
The visitors were unlucky not to have extended their lead minutes later when Andy Atkins' shot was spilled by Chatfield and Warren followed up but watched in horror as the ball was scrambled to safety.
It took ten minutes for the hosts to launch their first decent attack. Matt Duffield and Dean Carden linked up well on the right but the ball was cut out for a corner.
The resulting set-piece was taken short to Duffield and he whipped in a lovely cross that was headed over by Tom Carter from close range.
Barrie Westgate's bullet header was then brilliantly saved by Mark Oldroyd, flinging himself to his left to claw it away.
Nick Flint was running the show, causing the opposition all sorts of problems. His fantastic 50-yard pass went straight into Joel O'Hara's path but the winger hit his shot straight at the keeper.
More good football led to Carden finding Ellis Hooper 25 yards out, he unleashed a cracker that was well pushed away by Oldroyd and Clinton Moore put the rebound over the top when he should have done better.
Westgate then missed a golden opportunity when he had all the time in the world but put the ball into the nearby gardens just before the half-time interval.
At the beginning of the second half a deep ball found Max Dyer but he was denied by Chatfield at full stretch who palmed it away.
Moore's flick was then latched on to by Duffield but Oldroyd produced another great save and the defence were just able to clear under pressure.
The hosts continued to create chance after chance, Westgate turned and fired wide and YM had a goal ruled out for offside.
With the defence pushing out, James Grant tried to get on the end of his own knock through and would have made it but Hooper took the ball off him and calmly tucked it in. However, if he had left it the linesman's flag would not have gone up allowing Grant an easy chance.
With ten minutes to go the visitors were hanging on and even the quiet Suter was barking encouragement from the touchline.
But the hosts were caught on the break in the 83rd minute. A long ball was hoofed up the pitch, Chatfield strayed from his area to try and head the ball clear but was beaten to it by Warren who nodded into an empty net.
Russell pulled one back with three minutes to go in a rousing finale. The keeper fumbled a cross and Russell was on hand to score via a slight deflection off the man on the line.
YM nearly salvaged a point in time added on but it was not to be as Hooper's effort took a big deflection leaving the keeper stranded. The ball agonisingly span towards the goal before it was cleared.
Team:(4-4-2): Chatfield; Carden, Carter, Hooper, Levett; Duffield, Westgate, Flint (Davies 68), O'Hara (O'Carroll 86); Russell, Moore (Grant 61).