Match Report
Norman Wingate Trophy
 Horsham YMCA 5 Russell 51 Carter 63 Bidwell 64 Eldridge 77 Trevor 85 |  Rye & Iden 2 Gould 61, 79 |
Date: 13th August2005 Location: Gorings Mead
Source: by Steve Payne, West Sussex County Times
YM STARTED the new campaign the way they left off the last, collecting silverware for the trophy cabinet.
The current league champions met the league cup winners at Gorings Mead for the County League's curtain-raiser, the Norman WingateTrophy. With Rye finishing runners-up behind YM last year, it also proved a worthy warm-up for the league proper.
"It was an adequate performance," said YM manager John Suter.
There were plenty of cobwebs to clear in the first half and while YM struggled to find the target, Rye were worse, failing to mount a single effective attack.
The home side's best moment was after five minutes when Dean Garden robbed Nathan Harding of the ball and then attempted to lob John Gardner between the sticks.
His dramatic leap ended with the ball going wide, but with the keeper injuring himself, which had an impact on the game later as he stayed on the field.
Just six minutes after the break, YM took the lead after a disputed free-kick ten yards outside the box. With Ali Russell standing over the ball there was only going to be one option and the burly forward smacked his shot low and-hard to the struggling keeper's left, as if the defending wall didn't exist.
But Rye hit back ten minutes later after a YM move broke down. The ball was swept to Chris Gould who was clinical with his fierce drive past keeper Ian Chatfield.
Rye finally substituted their keeper, but he couldn't stop Tom Carter's flick header from inside the area for 2-1 and, two minutes later, was left adrift when Gary Bidwell collected the ball in the box, beat a defender and slotted in from close range.
Rye's attacking frailties were obvious when, in the 73rd minute they got only their first corner in a sustained period of pressure.
However, a long ball at the other end on 77 minutes saw the sub goalie and his defence make a shocking mess of clearing the danger, leaving Russell Eldridge a shot from an angle which he took well.
Two minutes later and Gould pounced on another defensive error to smack his shot home with venom and give Rye a hope of better things.
But YM had the final wore with five minutes to go, as the sub keeper's punch at a cros left Kris Trevor with a simpl shot for 5-2.
Team: (4-4-2): Chatfield Garden, Carter, Woodburn Fitzgerald; Bidwell (Potte 59), Westgate, Grant, Eldridge; Russell (Hennessey 75), Trevor.
