Mens 1st XI v Eastbourne

Details	Players
Season: Season 2008-2009 Date: 29.11.2008 Time: 14:30 Team: Mens 1st XI Competition: League Location: Away Opponent: Eastbourne Our Score: 3 Opponent Score: 3 Result: Draw	Chris Sciandro - 0 Goal(s) Matt Ansell - 0 Goal(s) Andy Williams - 0 Goal(s) James Godber - 0 Goal(s) Joel Shepherd - 0 Goal(s) Bryan Lock - 1 Goal(s) Chris Binns - 0 Goal(s) David Clayton - 0 Goal(s) Dan Ginnaw - 0 Goal(s) John Massie - 1 Goal(s) Matt Sewell - 0 Goal(s) David Beales - 0 Goal(s) Craig Paterson - 0 Goal(s) Cirdec Atkinson - 0 Goal(s) Alex Warner - 1 Goal(s)

Match Report(s)

WORTHING ANSWER BOURNE ULTIMATUM

Eastbourne 3 v 3 Worthing

Scorers: Warner (pc), Massie (pc), Lock

 

Worthing set out for The Saffrons with the clear objective of avoiding defeat and thus preserving their status as Kent Sussex Regional League pacesetters. A defeat to Eastbourne would see the home side leapfrog Worthing back into top spot.

This was a huge game for both sides, played under floodlights in front of a large and vocal home crowd - the recipe for a cracking atmosphere! Worthing welcomed back Andy Williams to the squad after some stellar performances for the 2nd XI. Starting with their progressive 2-3-5, Worthing looked the stronger of the two sides in the opening exchanges with plenty of possession, predominantly down our left.

Eastbourne were set out with a very strong defensive unit, relying on their young and quick forwards for counter attacks. It was from one of these counter attacks that Eastbourne won their first short corner which was duly dispatched into the top corner, much to the delight of the home support. Worthing responded well, regrouped and started applying pressure back down in the opposition 25. Finally, midway through the half, Worthing won the short corner they had sought. Alex Warner stepped up and delivered a now customary rocket into the roof of the net to restore parity. Such has been the regularity with which Warner has found the target from the set piece that it has almost become the expected outcome. However the quality of the strike was put firmly into context as Worthing continued to probe and won two further short corners in quick succession. The goalkeeper made 2 excellent saves and showed himself to be of quick reflexes with the agility to back it up - likely to get to the most venomous of strikes. Reflecting on the equaliser, he got nowhere near it. 

The game was tight and extremely tense. Challenges were flying in and some players were operating very close to the line. In these circumstances it can often be a mistake that proves costly and this is exactly what happened, when the ball was given away carelessly by the Worthing defence and the young Eastbourne forward found himself fee in the D to apply a cool finish for a 2-1 half-time lead.

The second half started in much the same vein as the first. The aggression and commitment levels were raised up another notch. It appeared as though Eastbourne had built this into their gameplan to perhaps unsettle their visitors. Their two main protagonists came in the unlikely shape of the slightly built, angelic faced, young forward and the perma tanned, finely coiffured mullet sporting centre back. The Worthing enforcers come in much more regulation fashion, with the fiercesomely bearded Lock, the bulging biceps of Shepherd and the mad dog eyes of Clayton. Worthing had done well not to get overly involved but the game had reached such a point that the umpires were going to have to start dealing in yellow cards. It was Worthing skipper Matt Ansell, with one of his clumsy challenges just inside our 25 that was the first to be sin binned. This suggested that more cards would follow, yet a couple of cynical challenges from Eastbourne defenders were met with nothing more than free hits.

At times like these a cool head is required and the uber experienced Johnnie Massie was summoned from the bench. Within minutes of his introduction he found himself dragging out a short corner - something nobody can ever recollect him doing before! It came out rather nice, and Alex went for a low powerful flick which caught the Eastbourne defender square on the knee, right on the goal line. The umpire allowed an excellent advantage as Johnnie Massie had crept in from his injector spot to poke the ball in. 2-2 and game on.

An Eastbourne player soon received a yellow for some verbals, which meant the game opened up with 10 v 10. Clanger received the ball out on the right hand side, around the half way line and was about to get those legs pumping down the touch line when he suffered what was probably the worst attack he has ever received despite all those years in the Navy!

The angelic faced forward from Eastbourne who had been involved in several heated incidents throughout the game, completely lost the plot. He executed a two footed lunge at Clanger's ankles with no intention of playing the ball, as his stick was nowhere to be seen. If you read the laws of hockey this is a straight red card. Perhaps the umpire had been unsighted by another player, but he could see enough to issue a yellow. It shouldn't really be for me to comment on another clubs internal discipline procedures, but I have to say it was disappointing to see the reaction towards this player, who rather than being heavily chastised from his bench and team mates, appeared to receive some element of approval. Eastbourne has a deserving reputation for producing some fine young players and this player could easily be considered to enhance that, however if he continues to behave like that without guidance, you do worry as to how much hockey he'll actually ever get to play.

Anyway back to the match and with boiling point having been reached, the game entered its closing stages. Unfortunately a defensive lapse from the otherwise excellent James Godber, allowed Eastbourne another clear run at goal and another cool finish, this time on the reverse stick. To their credit Worthing kept believing and were determined to make their numerical advantage count. Constant pressure was applied, a short corner chance went begging. Eventually a shot from Mark Humphries was parried back off the keepers pads to the ever reliable Bryan Lock to notch the equaliser with barely a minute remaining. There was still time for Eastbourne to receive their 3rd yellow card, but honours ended even and Worthing maintained their undefeated status and more importantly kept their 3 point lead at the top of the table.

Squad: Binns, Shepherd, Godber, Beales, Clayton, Sciandro, Warner, Ginnaw, Atkinson, Humphries, Ansell, Lock, Williams, Sewell, Massie.

   

  

 

 

 

  

Worthing travelled to Eastbourne on Saturday for a later game under floodlights. The game promised to be a short corner striker X Factor contest with Warner and Barnes being the top scorers for their respective teams. This top of the table clash was important to both teams with Eastbourne looking to bounce back from a defeat to Blackheath and Worthing looking to maintain their position at the top of the table. Capt. Ansell opted to revert to the successful attacking formation after last weeks tinkering and took a larger squad this week to cater for all options, welcoming back Williams and Massie coming along for an afternoon out.

It was a cold day and I can let you know that Thermo Man wore his tights again!!! (to stop the cramp!!!!).

 

Worthing formed up to expect the traditional early onslaught from Eastbourne but found themselves taking the game to Eastbourne and starting the brighter. Chances were made and Eastbourne’s fast running game was nullified. Captain Ansell seemed to fancy himself at Centre Forward and was ably supported by Humphries and Atkinson. Chances were created and Eastbourne pinned back in their half, but as in recent weeks chances, procession did not transmitted itself into open play goals. Then against the run of play, Eastbourne broke away and got a short corner; the contest was on and it started badly for Worthing. The ball was flicked hard and wide to Binns’s right but an unfortunate deflection from Warner took the ball into the roof of the net (1-0).  The set back galvanised Worthing and play was resumed in Eastbourne half with Beales and Clayton making inroads and causing the opposition problems with their overlapping down each wing. This sustained pressure led to a Worthing short corner and up stepped Warner to fire an unstoppable flick off the cross bar and into the net (1-1). The game then became a bit end to end with Worthing getting sucked into Eastbourne’s running game and trying to match the opposition at what they are good at; and coming off second best. Shepherd and Godber had marshalled the Eastbourne forwards well, but a quick one, two at the top of the D and Eastbourne were 1 on 1 with Binns and the ball was tucked across him for Eastbourne’s second of the match (2-1). Worthing had further short corners, with Warner bringing the best out of the Eastbourne keeper on two occasions.

 

Half time came and Worthing regrouped but consoled themselves with the fact that they were playing well and creating chances.  With Warner reverting to his centre position his bite and passion bought an added something to Worthing and with Ginnaw’s strong running Worthing made more and more inroads into Eastbourne.

A short corner found the defenders knee on the line but Massie was on hand to slot the ball home (2-2). With Worthing probably happy to settle for a draw this was when the fun and games started. Capt. Ansell went off with a yellow card for a deliberate foul, and Worthing down to 10 men struggled to impose themselves for a brief period. With Clayton remembering that he was playing Hockey this week (after last weeks kicking misdemeanour), he found himself on the end of two terrible two footed challenges; yes I did say TWO FOOTED CHALLENGES; that would not have looked out of place on Hackney Marshes on a Sunday morning. With ‘Long John Silver’ Clayton managing to carry on, Eastbourne were down to 10 men. Worthing looked comfortable and in control with Godber and Shepherd playing the ball around the back looking for openings. Then Eastbourne closed down Godber faster than he anticipated on the top of the D, Godber was robbed; and the Eastbourne forward smashed a reverse stick shot past Binns (3-2).

CUE THE CAVALRY!!!!

Worthing knew that this was not the end of the story and encamped themselves in the Eastbourne half and then the 25. A good linking move involving Humphries, Ansell and Warner, found Lock in the D. Despite 3 defenders round him, Lock clinically finished to bring Worthing level (3-3), and that’s the way the game stayed, honours even.

 

Next week Worthing entertains Blackheath at St Andrews.

 

Squad: Binns, Godber, Shepherd, Beales, Warner, Clayton. Ansell (Capt); Sciandro, Humphries, Lock, Sewell, Ginnaw, Atkinson, Williams, Massie.