Bognor held by Bowers and Pitsea - but it's nine unbeaten in league

The Rocks defend to keep Bowers and Pitsea out / Picture: Lyn PhillipsThe Rocks defend to keep Bowers and Pitsea out / Picture: Lyn Phillips
The Rocks defend to keep Bowers and Pitsea out / Picture: Lyn Phillips
A disappointing display from Bognor in Essex saw the Rocks fail to find the net in a goalless draw at Bowers & Pitsea - bur the result does keep their unbeaten run going.

Just one good chance for Jordy Mongoy was all Bognor fans could get excited about in a game where the defences of both sides prevailed. That's nine games unbeaten in the league now for the Rocks, who sit sixth ahead of a big home clash with Folkestone in midweek.

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Bognor were without Ashton Leigh through injury. Joe Hancott was also missing after picking up a knock in midweek against Pagham during the friendly at Nyewood Lane. The shuffle in the side meant that young Harrison Brook got an opportunity in the Rocks starting line-up and Joe Dandy returned after being rested against Pagham.

Early on Craig Robson passed it back towards Amadou Tangara but Bradley Sach caught them out by stealing the ball. Luckily for Bognor, his cross was poor and gathered by the Bognor goalkeeper. Joe Cook pulled out a great tackle to scoop the ball off for a throw-in. Quentin Monville's looping throw in was headed out by Ethan Robb from the heart of the box.

Jake Flannigan stole the ball from Danny Norton before running on and getting a low cross in to win a corner. Brook was the taker but it was headed clear. James Crane tripped Monville and conceded a free-kick on the right. Luca Albon curled it into the box but Tangara gathered it high in the air.

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Mongoy made good ground into the Bowers box but had too many defenders to beat. Crane's curling ball in, after Brook had won it back, was good but cut out by Mitchell's Beeney as it bounced dangerously into the area. Crane won the ball back for Bognor in a dangerous area. Mongoy fed it back inside to Brook, who was looking for Nathan Odokonyero, but he was blocked off for a corner. Brook was looking for Mongoy but Beeney caught it just above him.

Crane tripped Monville on the turn in a similar position to the earlier incident, wide on the right. Crane redeemed himself by heading the cross out again fom Albon's ball in. Thomas Stephen wound his way into the box beating two Rocks defenders but his pass inside along the deck was hacked away by Crane.

The referee missed Odokonyero's shirt being pulled before Mongoy was closed down. Calvin Davies' short pass out wide to Mongoy saw him whip the ball in. It was diverted with no Bognor players to follow it up. Albon went down clutching his stomach when a Bognor clearance was hit straight at him. The playmaker had to be seen to by the physio.

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Monville did well to cut the ball back to Daniel Trendall who did all the hard work by turning his marker but after running inside the box he smashed his effort wide for the hosts. A swirling free-kick by Albon was headed wide by Stephen but he was offside anyway so it wouldn't have counted, as Bognor were sloppy in possession.

Flannigan nutmegged two defenders to win a corner. Davies drove it low into the box but Crane missed it completely. Then Flannigan's cross was headed out before Davies dipped another cross in which was gathered by the goalkeeper. Mongoy couldn't get his cross away but his pass back found Brook who hit it disappointingly over the bar from outside the box. HT 0-0

Tangara gathered an early left sided cross from Stephen. Then Cook hooked it away for a corner as Pitsea pressed. A low ball from the corner fell out to Alex Bentley but it was hit into the 3G turf and into Tangara's hands. Robb got a rare shot away on the rise but it was kept out by the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. Mongoy spun in a cross but Beeney was there to gather as it flew just over Odokonyero.

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Straight from Crane's throw-in Mongoy turned and hit the ball on the rise and it fizzed towards goal and it was Beeney and the crossbar that denied him. Davies was searching for Cook but it was just too high for the defender who rose well. Davies' free-kick was headed out but Flannigan followed this up before whipping another ball in but Beeney was equal to it.

Flannigan was battling hard to win the ball. He found Mongoy with a through ball. Mongoy won a corner but Davies' ball in was headed out at the near post as Bognor were taking a foothold in the game. Sach won a freekick under a challenge from Robson. Albon went for goal but it was good hands from Tangara that denied him.

Brook was replaced by Charlie Bell on 62 minutes. Dandy found Odokonyero on the right but his cross was struck behind Mongoy. Then Davies' freekick from the far left was hit straight at Beeney. A positive passage in play involving Crane saw Mongoy win a corner. Davies hit the corner ball low and hard but Cook, on his first touch, diverted it spinning high and wide.

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Jamie Dicks spun a free-kick from the left across the box but Callum Leahy was off balance and missed his header completely as he fell backwards. Another freekick, this time direct from Bowers was struck well over the crossbar by Dicks fom 25 yards out. Stephen fired a cross high into the area with Max Cornhill on the end of it. His volley hit with his first touch was poor and rolled out for a goal kick.

Harvey Whyte replaced Robb in midfield on 77 minutes. Then Davies got booked for a challenge seconds later on Monville. Whyte was affecting the game already though. He whipped it across the box. This flew beyond Odokonyero but it fell to Bell who was blocked with his chance. Tangara was solid to deny Sach with his turn and strike as Bognor failed to clear their lines.

Flannigan sped down the right but his cross was shut down. Then Crane clearly pulled back Monville as he run around him on the turn and received a yellow card. Monville was substituted. Cook inadvertently bounced a header off the crossbar from a cross, as Tangara was off his line before the goalkeeper eventually gathered it in a nervy moment for the Bognor defence.

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Mongoy was set through and held the ball up for Bognor but he was fouled by Danny Norton. Davies' forward ball was played low and wide for Odokonyero on the left but he was offside. Then right at the end Crane and Odokonyero combined to win a corner. But the goalkeeper gathered Davies' cross high in the air.

Bognor dropped two points in a disappointing performance, but will look forward to being back at Nyewood Lane on Tuesday as they welcome Folkestone Invicta, in the rescheduled game, with kick off at 7.45pm.

Rocks: Tangara, Flannigan, Crane (c), Dandy, Cook, Robson, Robb (Whyte 77), Davies, Odokonyero, Brook (Bell 62), Mongoy. Sub not used: Diedrick-Roberts.

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