Match Report
County League:Division One
 Arundel 0 |  Horsham YMCA 1 Flint 18 |
Date: 28th March 2005 Location: Arundel
Source: Steve Payne, West Sussex County Times
HISTORY was created by Horsham YMCA on Saturday when they secured their first county league title in 107 years.
The goal was the highlight of a scrappy, dour match, but it was the result that mattered and the three points left YM as the untouchables in Division 1.
Manager John Suter was on the receiving end of several hearty hugs from players at the final whistle.
Having recovered from those and asked how he felt now his side were champions, he said: "Incredible, incredible. Almost surreal. We thought about it enough times, but to have it happen is unbeh'eveable."
Suter conceded it was not a great match, however.
"It's not been an enjoyable game. It was not for the purist. The pitch was difficult to play on, it's been lively, the ball has been light and we've been uptight and not playing at our best.
"I don't think I expected it to be one of those free flowing games."
Nick Flint's 18th minute strike, however, was worth the entrance money alone.
Under pressure, Ali Russell, close to the right hand touch-line, slipped the ball to skipper Matt Duffield. He reached the right byline and floated over a cross which Flint, charging in, met perfectly to head home at the far post.
"It was a quality goal," said Suter, "and it deserved to win the game. We should have had more goals but, to be fair, they (Arundel) didn't threaten us."
While 1-0 proved enough, a lucky bounce or a mistake on a rock hard pitch could have cost the visitors.
But the only heart-stopping moment for YM was a good shout for handball by a visiting defender in the penalty area.
The referee, though, who tried to allow a free-flowing game, didn't blow for this or, in fact, any other of the various handball incidents.
For all their rushing around and encouragement from their manager, Arundel struggled to string two passes together and could only frustrate YM in their attacks.
Flint, Russell and Joel O'Hara all had decent attempts for the visitors, but Ben O'Conor in the Arundel goal proved their best player.
With the home side registerŽing no shots on target all game and YM's best second half effort being James Grant's simŽple tap-in that was ruled offside - it was a relief all round to hear the final whistle.
YM's superiority in the league has been obvious all seaŽson and the fact that they secured the title with still three games to go showed their strength.
As Suter said on Saturday: "I told the lads, 'you've been winŽning the league all season, this is just the three points that clinches it'.
"What pleases me in particuŽlar, though, is that we've been top of the league from the start to the end of the season."
Team: (4-4-2): Chatfield, Garden, Levett, Hooper, Westgate; Duffield, Butcher, Grant, O'Hara; Russell, Flint (Davies 78).