Clarke winner lifts Westfield

WESTFIELD 1 ST FRANCIS RANGERS 0

WESTFIELD'S rise into the upper echelons of Sussex Division Two has largely been the result of decent football and bags of goals.

But style had to play second fiddle to substance on Saturday as they ground out three more valuable points in heavy conditions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Their sixth win in seven league games nudged them into the top four of the table, just four points behind leaders East Grinstead Town with two matches in hand.

Twelfth-placed St Francis had more of the ball during the opening 45 minutes, but Westfield undoubtedly enjoyed the better goalscoring opportunities.

The one they converted came on the half-hour mark and it was a ninth in nine outings for the division's equal fourth highest scorer Dominic Clarke.

Away goalkeeper Simon Lehkyj seemed to get a strong enough hand on Clarke's sweetly-timed side-foot volley from an inviting Lawrence Brand cross, but the ball dipped just under the crossbar and went in via a post.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Parishioners should have made it 2-0 only six minutes later, but Alan Johnson skewed a gilt-edged chance wide of the target after Clarke and Ashley Paine combined to tee him up.

Danny Pepper then had a goalbound shot blocked by Luke Philpott after Clarke and Carl Morris again troubled the visiting defence in the air.

Westfield came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second half, Chris Smith, Clarke and Johnson all testing Lehkyj within five minutes of the resumption.

Then came the major talking point of the afternoon as St Francis, who won at second-placed Pagham in their previous outing, were reduced to 10 men.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A fuming Dan O'Farrell took an early bath for a professional foul on Pepper, whom he clipped in pursuit of a long ball over the top.

Pepper just about stayed on his feet and his shot was touched wide for a corner by Lehkyj, but referee Martin Smith pulled play back for the original foul before eventually producing the red card.

The hosts failed to really cash in on their numerical advantage, however, and their inability to kill the game off resulted in a nerve-jangling finish.

They did manage to cling on, but only thanks to a superb save by Gavin Bourne low to his right.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It meant that Trevor Burgess got off to a winning start as acting manager and the fact that the contest even took place at all was a credit to the drainage of the pitch and hard work of the ground staff.

Westfield: Bourne, Miller, Morris, Podmore, Paine, Harris, Smith, Pepper, Clarke, Brand, Johnson (Drinkwater). Subs not used: Devine, Foster.