Brilliant Bexhill hit rivals for six

Cameron Burgon scored his first senior goal in Bexhill United's 6-1 win at home to Steyning Town. Picture courtesy Mark Killy

The Pirates were resounding 6-1 winners at home to Steyning Town in Macron Store Southern Combination Football League Division One.

Bexhill struck twice in the first half and four more times in the second period, with Portuguese young talent Vitor Pestana bagging a brace on an eye-catching debut.

Although Bexhill were kicking into a strong wind before the break, it took them just five minutes to go in front. Central defender Dan Cruikshank met a near post corner with a good finish into the bottom corner.

Fifteen minutes later it was 2-0. Kevin Barden chased down an opponent in typically industrious fashion before crossing for captain Jack Aston to finish well at the end of a determined forward run.

In addition to the goals, Bexhill defended very well during the first half. Josh Elliott-Noye did a good job of breaking things up in front of Cruikshank and manager Marc Munday.

Bexhill proceeded to boss the second half with the wind at their backs and went 3-0 up with the goal of the game on 59 minutes. Cameron Burgon scored his first senior goal of the season with a tremendous 25-yard strike into the top corner after a corner was only partially cleared.

Aston rattled the crossbar with a great effort from distance before Pestana opened his account with Bexhill’s fourth goal on 72 minutes. Allan McMinigal produced a lovely piece of footwork and pass, and Pestana did the rest with a first class touch and dink over the goalkeeper.

Steyning - who knocked Premier Division leaders Horsham out of the FA Vase earlier in the season - pulled one back through Rob Clark only for Pestana to head his second and Bexhill’s fifth on 83 minutes.

Munday put the icing on the cake in the dying seconds with his first goal for a couple of years, heading a well-delivered Nathan Tudor corner into the roof of the net. Munday became Bexhill’s 17th different scorer this season in the process as Bexhill completed their first ‘league’ double of the campaign.

He said: “I was really pleased. It was a good performance all in all and 6-1 didn’t flatter us either. It was a fully deserved result and we were disappointed in the end that we conceded a goal completely against the run of play.

“The first half performance really was outstanding. As a unit we defended really well and second half we just kept pressing them - we spent probably 35 minutes in their half.”

Bexhill: S. Cooper, A. Cooper, Munday, Cruikshank, N. Tudor; Elliott-Noye (McMinigal), Aston, Burgon; Garman, Barden, Pestana. Sub not used: Ottley.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make this website your homepage

2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex

3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!