Buckland bemoans bad luck as injury-hit YM crash out of cup

Liam Hunter gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot on the half hour mark, after Lee Thomas had been fouled in the box.

But the Mussels, buoyed by progressive cup wins over Oakwood and Ryman League outfit Walton Casuals in their last two fixtures, turned the tie on its head with second half goals from Carl Dunk and Elliot Quant, as a weary YM slowly petered out.

YM manager Peter Buckland said: “Our bad luck continues. I find it crazy that we’ve got injury problems so early in the season. It’s reminiscent of last year.”

YM were without the crocked Matt Crane (leg), Adam O’Carroll (back) and Brad Curtis (broken nose) and although they featured, Craig Grantham and Liam Hunter had only just returned from holiday, Adam Hutchings was starting his first game in well over a month, Dean Cox has only just returned from a lengthy ankle injury, and Dave Brown and Kieran Greig were both struggling with illness.

“I said to the players that we’d have to go down there and try and avoid defeat, and maybe nick a win if we could.” Buckland said. “And it all went to plan in the first half. We matched them all over the pitch. It was a bit nip and tuck, and I wouldn’t say that either team was better than the other.

“I said to the lads at half time that I didn’t have the resources to change it a great deal and that they’d really have to dig in. We were alright for about the first 15 minutes of the second half, but then there were some tired legs out there.

“I could see the game slowly ebbing away from us, but there wasn’t a great deal that I could do change wise to influence it, which was very frustrating.”

As YM weakened, former Peacehaven striker Dunk levelled the scores midway through the second period.

And ten minutes later the Mussels completed the turnaround. With no immediate danger present, Kevin Burgess made an uncharacteristic mistake in the YM defence, allowing forward Quant to steal the ball and fire home.

The visitors’ Dan Evans had a late goal disallowed, as he was adjudged to have handled the ball over the line from close range after Lee Wood had picked him out at the far post.

Buckland is targeting all three points in this Saturday’s league match at home to bottom of the table Hailsham Town.

YM (4-2-3-1): S Smith, Sullivan, Burgess, Dugdale, Evans, Wood, Hunter, Hutchings (Cox 75), D Brown (Greig 75), Thomas, Symons (Grantham 75)