Buckland buoyant after YM’s ‘best win of the season’

Defender Dan Pollard’s tenth-minute volley gave the visitors a deserved lead at the break, following a dominant first-half display.

Injuries to Dean Carden and Sam Schaaf resulted in forced YM changes at half-time, after which the Mullets posed a much-improved attacking threat.

Niall O‘Hagan finished from close range to restore parity midway through the second 45 minutes, but the spirited visitors responded superbly.

Anthony Hibbert converted Dave Brown’s cross to net the winner 14 minutes from time, before Arundel midfielder Liam Da Costa was sent off for a second booking late on.

YM manager Peter Buckland said: “It was a really good win. I reckon that is our best win of the season, I really do. I always keep my ear to the ground and that was the first time Arundel have been fully stacked. We know that they are a good side down here.

“It’s a good three points. We’ve switched our formation around a bit. We’re playing 4-3-3, but with the wide men of the three alternately tucking in, and it seems to be working well. There is intensity about our play now that hasn’t been there all season.

“That result really needed to be dug out though. It was a little bit of a soft goal that we gave away to allow them back in, because at half-time I couldn’t see them scoring. But they did, and so we had to show a bit of character then.

“I had two forced changes at half-time. Dean Carden had to come off with an injury and so Alex Gathern went on at right-back, which he is unfamiliar with, and Schaafy (Sam Schaaf) twisted his knee, so Luke Donaldson came on, who is a really promising young player.

“We showed good shape during the game, which must have been good to watch for the neutral. It was very competitive and a great advert for the league.”

Horsham YMCA: Lockwood, Carden (Gathern 46), Pollard, Zydonik, Evans, Gedling, Dugdale, Hibbert, D.Brown, Wright (White 85), Schaaf (Donaldson 46). Unused subs: Fox.

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