Match Report
County League:Division One
 Horsham YMCA 1 M.Russell 44 |  Shoreham 2McMillan 12 Bently 74 |
||
Date: 4th February 2006 Location:Gorings Mead
Source: Allan Norbury, West Sussex County Times
A SMASH and grab raid from Shoreham saw YM lose ground on leaders Ringer, in a match described by manager John Suter as 'thoroughly disappointing'.
The two sides managed eight shots on target between them in a game which lacked a real spark. And Suter pointed the finger at a lack of creativity, while two controversial refereeing decisions upset the YM faithful.
Shoreham's Nicky Wyatt looked offside in the build up to the visitors' first goal, and YM right-back Dean Garden was denied a penalty when upended on the edge of the box with minutes to go.
A despondent Suter commented: "We didn't create enough chances and the final ball too often lacked quality, that was our undoing.
"We battered their defence and it stood up. It was a thoroughly, thoroughly disappointing afternoon.
"I thought the first goal should have been disallowed," added Suter.
"I agree that the man who scored was not in an offside position, but the man he flagged for was in active play. I know it's schoolboy stuff and you play to the whistle, but it was a cast iron offside, everybody dropped their shoulders and waited to get the ball back."
Ringmer's 4-0 thrashing of Hassocks on Friday compounded YM's frustration.
YM started the match with pace and energy, so Shoreham's opener on 12 minutes was a bolt from the blue.
Aaron MacMillan raced onto a high pass from Miles Scerri, ignoring the assistant's offside flag and the YM defence's protests, he coolly lobbed lan Chatfield for an unlikely lead.
YM then endured their most uncomfortable period of the match, a defensive mix up between Ellis Hooper and Chatfield almost cost a second goal, and Wyatt shot straight at Chatfield when clean through.
It took a while for the Gorings Mead outfit to reassert themselves, Dave Gellatly headed over from Garden's cross on 25 minutes, but chances were still few and far between.
Shoreham were prepared to sit back and play on the counter, proving difficult to break down.
Matt Russell was starved of service in the YM front line and was forced to go looking for the ball, until the goal a minute before the break.
Matt Duffield won a corner after chasing down a ball from Gallatly, and rose highest to head home the equaliser at the far post.
The second half was much the same story, plenty of YM possession, but no cutting edge. The first chance of note came on the hour mark, a long kick from Chatfield found Duffield who combined well with Russell to hand Russell Eldridge a chance which was spurned.
Hooper and Nick Levett shot over in quick succession and a goal looked likely, if not inevitable. YM were controlling the tempo and the ball, but still struggled to carve open a dogged Shoreham defence.
Shoreham grabbed the winner by turning defence into attack, sub James Bentley sprung the offside trap and hit a low shot underneath Chatfield, who had been a virtual spectator.
As time ran out YM poured forward and Eldridge caused panic when his whipped corner almost embarrassed Ronan Callaghan in the Shoreham goal, before he blasted over from 25 yards.
Garden then skipped into the Shoreham box but fell over a stray Shoreham foot, and despite a loud shout from the YM players and bench, ref Boris Erguven waved play on
Team: (4-4-2):Chatfield; Garden, Levett, Hooper, Woodburn; Potter, Duffield (Trevor 72), Gellatly, Eldridge, Russell, Grant (O'Hara 60).