'˜Awesome' first-half showing helps Horsham YMCA up to third place

YM, who have won ten of their last 14 league games, went into the game looking to continue their impressive run and it took 19 minutes for them to make the breakthrough.

Centre-half Tom Gilbert poked in from Callum Donaghey’s flicked pass, following a corner, to open the scoring.

The visitors then capitalised on defensive errors to double their lead, with an unmarked Ashley Dugdale slotting in on the 39th minute mark from a Phil Johnson cross.

Dave Brown made the scoreline comfortable with a well-taken strike from the edge of the area, following a fantastic ball from Mark Cave.

Slight knocks meant Buckland was forced into making all three substitutions before the 65th mark, as EP grew into the game.

Jack Barnes, Lukas Franzen-Jones and Jake Heryet all went close, before they got on the scoresheet after 79 minutes, when Josh Etherington was found by a free kick eight yards out, and he found the far corner.

However, YM resisted further pressure and made sure of the points in injury time, as Luke Donaldson side footed home at the far post after another Cave cross.

Buckland was delighted with the first half display, but felt early second half changes ‘disrupted’ the tempo.

He said: “It was very pleasing because it is not an easy place to go to, several teams have come unstuck there so I’m really pleased with the result.

“The first half was awesome and it’s fair to say we totally dominated going into half-time at 3-0 up. Second half, East Preston showed what they are capable of and it became a really tight game.

“A bit of the disruption in the second half came because I made three early changes- one on half time, and then two more within 20 minutes of the restart which is not good practice.

“I usually would want to use the three subs at 15 minute intervals to let them settle in. However, I had to take them off as they had little knocks.”

“The consistency is the most pleasing thing. Obviously the win and three points was the ultimate goal but the form also continued and that’s very pleasing.

“It makes the team talks easy, the selection easy and the whole squad is buying into everything that we’re trying to do. I can’t see any reason why this form cannot continue.”

YMCA: A.Jeal, Carden, Harding, Gilbert, Donaghey (Evans 45), Gedling (C.Jeal 65), Donaldson, Dugdale (Humphreys 59), Johnson, Cave, Brown.