Sussex County League: Division One
Match Report
FA Vase - Round 1 Qualifying
 Worthing United 5 Staines 35, 89 Welbelove 48 Donnelly 92 Shoebridge113 |  Horsham YMCA 5 M Smith 24, 102, 112 Evans53 Cox 87 |
| Source: Tom Norris |
SMITH HATRICK HELPS YM EARN CUP REPLAY
Horsham YMCA failed to replicate Monday's 6-1 league mauling of Worthing United on Saturday afternoon, as a hatrick from Martin Smith helped them twice come from behind in extra time to force a replay against the Mavericks in the FA Vase.
YM boss Peter Buckland said: "What a day! How can you not win a game of football when you score five goals? It may sound bizarre, but I never thought that we were going to lose the game. I just didn't expect to score five goals away from home, and not win. It tells you a lot about how our defence played.
"But to be honest, and I'm not exaggerating, the score should have been 10-5 to us. We had so many openings that we created, but it just wasn't going to happen."
Smith opened the scoring for the visitors, and YM then wasted several great chances to extend their lead, before Worthing responded through defender Alex Staines.
Buckland continued: "I lost count of how many one-on-ones we wasted. And then I think that because we were so dominant, we tended to switch off and their game, the long ball over the top, kept catching us out time and time again.
"We were missing some big guns in Kevin Burgess, Liam Hunter and Lee Smith today, but it was a shocking game. We defended like nine-year-olds.
"The midfield and the forwards did OK, but the back four, well, I just don't know what was the matter with them. They were like statues - I've never seen anything like it."
The sides entered the break all square, before four second half goals sent the game into extra time.
The hosts made it 2-1 when striker Chris Welbelove slotted home, only for YM's Matt Evans to equalise shortly after, before YM then took the lead when Dean Cox's deflected shot looped over the hosts' 'keeper and into the net.
And it looked as if Buckland's side had done just enough to progress into the second qualifying round, only for the Mavericks to equalise in stoppage time, Staines again finding himself on the score sheet.
"Extra time was a nervous and panicky affair for both teams, although for the ninety minutes we absolutely dominated them, but just couldn't score." Buckland added.
Tom Donnelly, the Mavericks' only scorer in their heavy defeat to YM in the league on bank holiday Monday, put the hosts back in front with a neat finish in extra time, only for YM striker, Smith, to double his tally for the afternoon and make it 4-4.
But the hosts kept knocking at the YM door, and when Russell Shoebridge made it 5-4, Worthing looked set for the win, only for Smith to complete his hatrick seven minutes from the end, and force a replay at Gorings Mead on Tuesday evening.
Buckland concluded: "There will be three or four changes for Tuesday night, and we'll be going for it. There'll be no pratting about and we'll put a very offensive line-up out. I still won't have Lee Smith back, which is a shame as he and Martin Smith are forming a deadly partnership up front, but we'll be ready."
YM (4-4-2):Lockwood, Gardner, Stillwell (Scally), Crane, Lowe, Sullivan, Dugdale (c), Hartt, Cox (Martin), M. Smith, Evans (Vinten)
Unused Subs:D. Smith, Aquilina
