Match Report
County League: Division One
 Horsham YMCA 3 Russell 4 Massaro 25, 66(pen) |  Sittingbourne 4 Doerr 15, 46, 73 Campbell 76 | |||
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Source: Patrick Corlett, West Sussex County Times |
A SEVEN goal thriller graced Horsham YMCA's first home game in the Ryman League but they lost to Sittingbourne.
After Sir Michael Checkland's opening of the facilities, Wednesday evening was the first Division 1 South game at Gorings Mead and it didn't disappoint in terms of entertainment.
The home side led three times thanks to Matt Russell and a Pat Massaro brace -including a fantastic free-kick - but due to woeful play at the back they could not gain their first points of the season.
A rookie defensive line up that was missing the suspended Dean Garden and Ellis Hooper and injured duo Phil Fitzgerald and Matt Duffield were not helped by a very nervous display in between the sticks from Eric Pudaloff as three of the Sittingbourne goals should have been dealt with.
"We conceded some pretty awful goals," said manager John Suter.
"To score three goals at home and lose is not very good. To have the lead three times and lose is not very good.
"You cannot get away from it - the goalkeeper did not have a good game and with a rookie back four in front of him. Unfortunately when a goalkeeper has a bad game it is magnified and the consequences can be quite devastating."
He added: "There were a lot of positives from it - we played some good football and scored some good goals."
YM started brightly and deservedly took the lead in the fourth minute when a long diagonal free-kick from Rob Mills found Russell at the far post and he looped his header over Steve Williams for YM's first goal at this level.
They were unlucky not to have doubled the lead minutes later when Russell headed home a corner but the referee had spotted a foul in the area.
It took nearly a quarter of an hour for Sittingbourne to get into the game but they levelled after a comedy of errors.
Steve Best sliced a clearance horribly and it went high back into the YM area where Pudaloff flapped but Tom White came to the rescue and the ball was scrambled clear.
Clint Gooding sent back in a shot from 35 yards which the keeper just parried and the ball was chipped back into Andy Doerr to nod home his first of three.
Doerr was a menace all night with his movement and got in again but Pudaloff held his weak chip.
Midway through the half Scott Kirkwood was chopped down 25 yards out.
Massaro punished them as he bent the free kick round the wall into the top corner to open his YM account.
As the half drew to a close Russell blazed wide and Massaro passed to his offside strike partner instead of going on himself.
Defending was at a premium in the first half and it did not improve after the break as Sittingbourne equalised immediately when hesitancy at the back from the keeper allowed Glen Woodburn's header to drop to Doerr who drilled home.
The two sides exchanged chances as Massaro fizzed a shot wide that nearly caught the keeper by surprise and Doerr spun dangerously but was inches off target.
Russell was body checked by the keeper having timed his run superbly and a penalty was awarded. Massaro clinically sent Williams the wrong way from the spot.
Pudaloff pushed a header from James Campbell away but YM did not take heed of the warning as the visitors levelled again in the 73rd minute.
Doerr glanced a free header goalwards that Pudaloff did well to save but it fell to the striker to complete his hat-trick.
Three minutes later the captain Campbell headed a free-kick into the bottom corner unopposed to give Sittingbourne the lead for the first time.
YM pushed for an equaliser but substitute, Kevin Keehan's, chip was tipped round the post by Williams and Best headed over from the corner.
They were caught on the break in the dying moments when Pudaloff spilled a header from Michael Smissen but the rebound went wide and YM were left pointless when, attacking wise, they had done enough to get something from the game.
"It was a game we should have won if we hadn't have conceded sloppy goals. It was a very disappointing result because I didn't think they were a great side," bemoaned Suter.
Man of the match:
Tom White - looked neat and tidy in midfield.
Magic moment:
Pat Massaro's first goal for the club was an absolute beauty of a free-kick
YM (4-4-2): Pudaloff; Mills, Best, Woodburn, Shuga'a; Shoefield, White, Gellatly (Grant 64), Kirkwood (Keehan 88); Massaro, Russell (Davies 68).
