Common slump to heavy defeat

Action from Little Common's 5-2 defeat at home to Rustington yesterday. Picture courtesy Paul Field

Common went down 5-2 at home to Rustington in Macron Store Sussex County Football League Division Two yesterday (Saturday).

Despite their late arrival at the Rec, it was Rustington who exerted the early pressure, seeing a goalbound effort blocked before striking the post from the resulting corner.

Common played their way back into the match and enjoyed long spells of possession, but lacked the final pass through to the forwards and failed to create too many noteworthy opportunities.

Steve Morris saw a header drift wide, while Lewis Hole rounded the goalkeeper, but from a tight angle, his pull back into the area was safely cleared.

The visitors opened the scoring 10 minutes before the interval when a delivery into the area was met by the head of Rustington forward Steve Gettings before the stranded Ryan Darvill in the Common goal.

Common started the second half slowly and were fortunate not to be 2-0 behind when a failed attempt to play offside saw a one-on-one chance hit the post and bounce back into Darvill’s hands.

Martin Denny’s long range effort cleared the crossbar before the equaliser arrived in the 58th minute when Jake Sherwood raced on to a Denny throughball to prod into the net.

While many may have felt this would have given Common the impetus to go on and claim all three points, it wasn’t to be and Rustington were soon back in front when a mix-up on the halfway line following a throw-in led to the Blues breaking quickly before a well-placed effort over Darvill by Gary Peters nestled into the net.

2-1 soon became 3-1 when a Regan Miles free kick from the left deceived Darvill and dropped into the net before a fourth was added by Joseph Stakim following a quick break after Common had lost possession in the Rustington half.

Common almost reduced the arrears following a goalmouth scramble and Hole did pull one goal back late on, but it was the visitors who completed the scoring in added time with a neat Tom Baker lob to end a miserable afternoon for the Commoners.

Common: Darvill, R. Mote, S. Mote, Eldridge, Smith, Burton, Sherwood, Brown, Hole, Morris (Ham), Denny. Subs not used: McEniry, Tudor.