Sussex County League: Division One
Match Report
Sussex County League: Division One
 Horsham YMCA 0 |  Ringmer 2 Mbaye 19 Lyons 64 |
| Source: Tom Norris |
'CLEVER' RINGMER TOO STRONG FOR LACK-LUSTRE YM
Former Horsham YMCA manager Sammy Donnelly got one over on his old club on Saturday afternoon, as his new side Ringmer took all three points from a one-sided affair at Gorings Mead.
|
Match Stats |
||
|
Horsham YMCA |
V |
Ringmer |
|
5 |
Shots On Target |
5 |
|
7 |
Shots Off Target |
9 |
|
1 |
Offsides |
3 |
|
4 |
Corners |
11 |
|
14 |
Fouls |
8 |
|
1 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
|
0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
The hosts were poor from start to finish, lacking quality in the final third and missing their usual passing game in midfield.
YM boss, Peter Buckland, said: "It was a little bit of a reality check today, and a reminder of how far we still are away from being serious contenders [in the league]. Man for man, player for player, position for position we could have matched them on individual ability, but collectively, they were too clever for us.
"When they scored a goal, they killed the game for ten minutes, taking all of the sting and urgency out of it. And it helped that they've obviously played a lot together. We're still a relatively new collection of players and we're still getting a feel for each other, but they were just cleverer than us today."
The visitors opened the scoring when Sasha Mbaye rose highest to head home a Richard Thompson corner, before they continued to make in roads through the lively Aaron Watson.
The winger first fed Scott Marshall, who shot wide when well placed, before minutes later, he beat two men and flashed a shot just wide of the far post himself.
YM lacked their customary prowess in front of goal, strikers Martin and Lee Smith's usual eagerness and sharp movement nonexistent up front, as they saw very little in the way of scoring opportunities.
The hosts' best chance of the half fell to skipper Ashley Dugdale, whose volleyed effort from close range was somehow cleared off the line by Ringmer's Glen Matten, right on the stroke of half time.
"We had three or four players that just weren't at it today." Buckland added. "I was very disappointed with Lee and Martin up top because they were just static and didn't give us any options. They made their centre backs look like world beaters."
The visitors created a lot more chances in the second period, and the game could well have been out of sight for them with half an hour still to play. Watson had a powerful shot well kept out by the legs of YM 'keeper Simon Lockwood, Marshall lobbed an effort over the bar when clean through, before Seb Saunders hooked a shot wide of the target.
A rare YM chance then saw Martin Smith finally glimpse a sight of goal, as he fired a rasping strike inches wide of the far post, before the Blues responded by doubling their lead moments later. The hosts poorly gave the ball away in their own half, and Marshall made no mistake in picking out former YM front man Tom Lyons, to tap home from close range.
Lockwood then kept Buckland's side in the game with a series of smart stops, before the hosts' best chance of the entire game, and a possible route back into the fixture, saw substitute Lewis Scally's goal bound strike agonisingly cleared off the line with twelve minutes left to play.
YM boss Buckland concluded: "I'm disappointed, but perhaps it could have been a different game. We had two cleared off the line just before half time, and we had Scally's cleared off the line at the end. Goals change games. I'm not saying we would have got something out of the game, because that would be harsh on Ringmer, but if we'd gone in at half time at 1-1, it may well have been different."
YM take a break from league action next Saturday, as they face a home tie with Holmesdale in the second qualifying round of the FA Vase.
YM (4-4-2):Lockwood, Gardner, Burgess, Hartt, Lowe, Cox (Martin 67), Sullivan, Dugdale (c), Hunter (Scally 45), M. Smith, L. Smith
Unused Subs:Sawyers, Mutungi, Vinten
