Match Report
County League:Division One
 Horsham YMCA 0 |  Three Bridges 1Massaro 69 |
Date: 26th December 2005 Location:Gorings Mead
Source: Steve Payne, West Sussex County Times
LAST year's YM coach, All Rennie, and his mid-table Three Bridges picked the Gorings Mead men's pockets for all three points on Boxing Day.
The match had been heralded as an emotional return of Rennie, along with a number of former Gorings Mead players.
The only emotions at the end of the game for the home team and supporters, though, were despair, frustration and disappointment.
A bumper crowd of 229, many presumably getting some fresh air after the Christmas celebrations, were probably expecting to see some quality football and a comfortable win for YM.
What they saw was the home side dominate possession, but fail miserably to turn all this into efforts on goal.
Unbelievably, YM managed just two shots on target and another couple that went wide of the mark. To be fair, Bridges fared little better but turned one of their two on target into a goal.
It was hardly the stuff to get the crowd warm on a bitterly cold and drizzly day.
To add insult to injury, YM missed out on narrowing the gap between them and table toppers Ringmer who slipped up and could only draw against Hailsham.
Bridges looked like they might get overwhelmed early on as YM's slick passing carved holes through the visitors' midfield. But Bridges kept a pretty tight defence with eight men behind the ball at times.
James Grant had a couple of efforts in the first half, the best six minutes before the break with a header that the keeper had to save close to the post.
At the other end, lan Chatfield also made a save when YM's Glen Woodburn allowed Kevin Joyce to chase down a loose ball.
The crowd were hoping that one side would crank it up a gear after the break, but were treated to much the same poor quality in the final third as in the first 45 minutes.
YM brought on Ali Russell for a bit more height up front, but the switch didn't really make much difference.
In a rare attacking moment, after 68 minutes, Grant sent Joel O'Hara through the Bridges defence, but he shinned the ball which flicked off the bar.
Straight from the resulting goalkick, the visitors moved down the right wing. A decent cross found Pat Massaro who, although shadowed by two defenders, fired home.
There seemed no way back for YM who had few ideas, but, in the dying seconds, they had a free-kick in a great position.
Matt Russell seemed to be fouled in the area among a bunch of players as the ball came in but the referee waved play on.
Russell was incensed and was finally booked for complaining too much.
Mercifully, the whistle was blown on a forgettable game, leaving YM's management to try to pick the side up and get back on track before Ringmer disappear out of sight in the title chase.
"I think we overindulged at Christmas," said manager John Suter.
"We weren't with it on Boxing Day. We were totally in control without creating anything in the first half then we couldn't pass the ball in the second. It's the worst we've played all season."
Team: (4-4-2): Chatfield, Garden, Hooper, Woodburn, Eldridge; Duffield (A Russell 60), Potter, Gellatly, O'Hara (Levett 76); Grant, M Russell