Broadbridge Heath taste Sussex derby success – Horsham YM well-beaten by United
There were mixed midweek fortunes for Broadbridge Heath and Horsham YM – the Bears closing in on the Isthmian South East play-off places with a Sussex derby win but YM losing heavily in a home SCFL Premier clash.
Broadbridge Heath 2-1 Crowborough Athletic
Isthmian SE
by Andrew Crisp
Broadbridge Heath welcomed Crowborough Athletic to the Air Engineering Stadium for this midweek clash between two former Southern Combination League clubs but it was Bears manager Chris Simmons’ side that picked up the points.
Crowborough came into the game on a run of four games unbeaten and they started on the front foot forcing a corner in the opening minutes which saw the ball come out to the lively Rushaar Samuel-Smikle who hit a right foot shot high and wide of target.
On 18 minutes George Hutcheon won the ball off a Heath defender wide on the right and played it inside to Harry Forster, who played it into the path of Findlay Chapman. He struck a fierce right foot shot from the edge of the penalty area that was saved brilliantly by Alfie Hadfield diving across to his left to push the ball out for a corner.
The half continued that way with the Crows pressing high up the pitch and preventing Simmons’ side from playing their free-flowing football and it was no real surprise when the visitors took the lead on 24 minutes.
Marcus Goldsmith won the ball wide on the right and just inside the Broadbridge Heath half, the Crows skipper played a long diagonal right foot cross into the penalty area to Harry Forster who leaped like a salmon to place a looping header over Hadfield and into the net.
On 30 minutes another Crows interception, this time by Hutceon, saw him win the ball wide on the right on the halfway line and playing it forward to Samuel-Smikle who advanced towards goal before he cut inside on to his left foot and hit a shot just wide of the far post.
With 5 minutes of the half remaining Forster received the ball in the middle of the park and played it forward to Goldsmith who then picked a pass to Samuel-Smikle who hammered a right foot shot just wide of the post and it remained 0-1 at the break.
Whatever was said in the Broadbridge Heath changing room at half-time certainly had an impact on the game with the Bears more lively, sharper and passing far more accurate than before.
They equalised on 64 minutes when Ben Royall received the ball in the left back position and drove forward before playing the ball to the feet of Sam Hards who played a pass between two defenders to allow Zac Jeanes to get away down the left flank.
The Heath forward took the ball to the goal-line before playing a pass across the face of goal to Charlie Connell in acres of space for a simple tap-in.
The game was changed completely within a minute of the restart when Sal Marino played a diagonal pass from the halfway line down the left channel to Jeanes who played it inside towards Sam Church. A defender intercepted the pass but only managed to play it straight to Sam Hards some 14 yards from goal who dispatched a low left foot shot that flew under the diving Charlie Holmwood to give the Bears the lead.
It was the fifth straight game that young Hards had got on the scoresheet.
The Bears continued to create chances with Lewis Hyde heading a Jeanes free kick just wide of the post, Zac Young trying a long range shot that was gathered comfortably by Holmwood and a goalmouth scramble saw the ball ping around the 6 yard box. But the game ended with a win for the Bears in what can best be described as the proverbial ‘game of two halves’.
Simmons said afterwards: “It was a really disappointing 1st half performance, they out worked and out fought us and our quality on the ball was poor, 2nd half was better, our equaliser was more like us and then Sam continued his great form with the winner.”
BBH: Hadfield, Richardson, Royall, Holden, Hyde (Salaam 77), Peters, Young (Rawlins 90), Church (Marino 70), Hards, Connell, Mann (Jeanes 60).
Horsham YM 0-5 Eastbourne Utd
SCFL Premier
by Martin Read
After being sidelined for two weeks, injury hit and struggling Horsham YM were unfortunate to host Eastbourne United in rampant mode, bouncing back from their heavy defeat against Hassocks in the FA Vase on Saturday.
YM kept the visitors at bay for most of the first half, only to be overwhelmed in the second. In the slippery conditions an early sliding chance for Eastbourne went wide and although there were corners at each end, YM were getting limited possession and when it seemed inevitable that Eastbourne would score, Ryan Blunt duly obliged for them.
Amid two corners Eastbourne hit the post, but despite living dangerously, YM had done well to keep the deficit down to a single goal at the break.
As the second half progressed the gulf between the sides from opposite ends of the table became more apparent after an early second goal - with Blunt’s hat trick following in the 55th minute.
A rare YM chance was ballooned over ahead of Eastbourne’s fourth goal from Callum Barlow, just after the woodwork had spared YM.
Under constant pressure YM kept scrapping, and Eastbourne keeper Alieu Secka had to rush out to smother the ball – until, with little time left, sub Baran Kartel twisted the knife with the visitor’s fifth goal.
YM Joint Manager Alex Walsh told the County Times: "Eastbourne are a strong side and we never gave up but the quality isn’t there at the moment. We’ve got two potentially easier games coming up but we need to start getting the ball in the net.”
On Saturday YM travel to take on AFC Varndeanians in the sides’ fourth encounter this term, YM losing in the first game of the season but knocking the Vs out of the RUR Cup in the recent replay, while Eastbourne United visit 14th-placed Wick. Then on Tuesday YM travel to Midhurst & Easebourne.