Match Report
Ryman League: Division One South
 Horsham YMCA 0 |  Burgess Hill Town 2 |
| Source: Chris Francis, West Sussex County Times |
THE BOXING Day blues were suffered by Horsham YMCA as they lost 2-0 at home to Burgess Hill Town.
Burgess Hill skipper, Steve Harper and experienced former Bognor defender Stuart Tuck proved the difference in the derby.
Harper showed plenty of signs of his class - notably the two goals. He played a big part in the first and scored the second himself and Tuck also showed his quality.
"It's another possible nail in the coffin and it's disappointing," remarked manager John Suter.
"I thought we might have done better.
"You've only got to look at the league table to see where we're going wrong, we've only scored 21 goals.
"If we had have defended better, we could have gone in 2-0 to the good, rather than two down. We had chances but we didn't play very well.
"It's a hugely disappointing result and a very disappointing performance."
Scott Marshall was particularly lively in the first half and opened the scoring with his first goal for the club. Harper was the architect on 23 minutes when he turned Dean Garden with ridiculous ease and pulled the ball back from the by¬line. Player-manager Jamie
Ho well's shot was half stopped but Marshall forced the ball over the line.
It was a deserved lead as Hillians looked much the sharper and five minutes earlier Marshall had forced a marvellous save from young Albion keeper Chris Winterton, who spent the three first months of the season at Leylands Park.
In this match Winterton again showed his immense potential with some excellent saves although an ex-Brighton keeper, Chris May playing against his former club, also pulled off one memorable stop.
Despite looking second best, YM had hit the post on 15 minutes when from a short corner the ball broke to Greg Palmer. Marshall was covering the near post but allowed the resulting shot to go under his foot before it cannoned off the woodwork.
And after the opening goal Nick Fogden cleared off the line from Joe Keehan after May had punched out a free-kick. It was in the same sequence that May pulled off his stunning reflex stop when Matt Russell thumped in a shot from close in.
Soon after that Fogden got in a solid clearing header when Garden made a good overlap on the right.
But while there were bright moments for YM, it was Hillians who looked the more menacing and a great break ended with Harper just failing to get enough on Marshall's cross to seriously test Winterton.
The dead ball kicks of Andy Ottley posed a few problems for Hillians and one got all the way through to May without getting a touch that could have brought the equaliser.
But the visitors increased their lead with a vintage piece of Harper finishing on 42 minutes. They broke swiftly from a YM free-kick and Neil Watts released Harper, who beat his marker before taking the chance with cool precision.
It could have been well and truly all over five minutes after the break with a superb Hillians move in which Marshall was prominent. His cross from the right cleared the defence and Kenny Hewitt's left foot volley was magnificently saved by Winterton.
At the other end James Grant got goalside of the defence but his cross just eluded Matt Simpson before Howell and Marshall combined to send in Lloyd Cotton for a chance that Winterton saved with his legs.
At 2-0 YM were in still in the contest and Ottley's curler was comfortably saved by May before Grant blazed over a good chance late on when Hillians failed to clear a free-kick.
But in the closing minutes, with Russell having been pushed forward, you would have put good money on Harper grabbing his second when bursting through, only for him to fire his shot inches wide.
"Our goalkeeper is playing very well but all of us need to play better," said Suter. "Molesey and ourselves are being isolated at the bottom - it's not very enjoyable."
Teams:
Horsham YMCA: Winterton; Garden, Keaney, White (Kazemi 71), Wopdburn, Simpson, (Greenfield 62), Russell, Keehan, Palmer (Flack 76), Ottley, Grant.