Lancing go third in Isthmian south east with win over FA Trophy battlers Hythe Town

Lancing 2 Hythe Town 1

Isthmian south east

At first glance, Lancing were facing a mid-table side for this re-arranged fixture at a very cold Culver Road on Tuesday night, but closer inspection of the league table tells you that Hythe are at least five games adrift of most sides, largely due to a successful FA Trophy run, which came to an end on the previous Saturday with a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Chorley.

Needless to say, Lancing would have their work cut out if they were to continue their successful run. Ben Pope was back in the starting eleven for Lancing and a last-minute change brought Charlie Pitcher in for Knory Scott who had succumbed to an injury during warm-up.

Hythe came at Lancing from the off and full back Marcus Goldsmith made good progress down Lancing’s left driving a cross into the box, which forced Louis Rogers to make an early save. Hythe were sending long searching passes down the flanks, mainly down Lancing’s left putting Charlie Gibson under some fairly intense pressure’ but the young full back battled hard to win the ball.

Lancing’s first attack of any threat came from Alex Laing driving forward from deep on the right and delivering the ball from distance forcing Hythe keeper Steven Phillips to stretch to make a one-handed clearance. Lancing maintained the pressure, with George Taggart cutting inand hitting a good effort just wide of the upright.

It was not long before Hythe unleashed one of the strong weapons in their armoury, namely the long throw in from the long-armed and much-travelled Jack Steventon. He showed that he was quite capable of reaching the six-yard box from the half way line but Lancing met the challenge well with defenders attacking the ball, as it came in, to make headed clearances and Rogers coming off his line to claim the ball. He coped well to resist some physical challenges, and on more than one occasion was grateful to referee Luke Charman for spotting some illegality.

Charlie Bennett was a real driving force for Lancing with determined runs in possession towards the Hythe box. A fine long pass put Hythe’s left winger Bradley Schaffer in behind but his well struck shot flew just wide. Another opportunity came for Hythe when a careless cross field pass was intercepted but Jack Meeres was quick to spot the danger and took the ball away, conceding a corner.

Lancing were being harshly penalised by the award of free-kicks and had a lot of defending to do to but Sam Bull and Jack Meeres were equal to the task and anything beyond their reach was safely gathered in by Rogers. Every time Lancing conceded a throw in in their half it was tantamount to giving Hythe a corner. But no clear-cut chances were being created, despite the pressure in and around the six-yard box.

Lancing were not able to make much progress through the centre of the attack. Pope was working hard to create openings, but he was well shackled by a defence which has the second best record in the league. More joy was coming from wide on the right, with some promising moves initiated by Laing, who was proving too hot for the Hythe defence to handle and was linking up well with Bennett, Taggart and Briggs.

Lukas Franzen-Jones was on the receiving end of a nasty challenge and took some time to recover, and had a fairly legitimate claim to a penalty when bundled over in the box.

Hythe continued to benefit from some favourable referee decisions which allowed them the opportunity to deliver some dangerous crosses into the box, but the closest they came to profiting was from a header which cleared the cross-bar.

Bennett finished off another driving run, shrugging off a couple of tackles and looked to have provided the assist fora “goal” from Pope who turned and found the net with a quick low shot, only to find that the offside flag had been raised.

Lancing got a vital breakthrough within the first minute of the second half. Another superb break from attacking full back Laing, playing a one two with Bennett, finished with a pass to Pope who cleverly laid the ball off to Taggart, whose finish hit the bottom corner in a flash.

Play was held up for a while for an injury to Hythe’s Aaron Barnes. It did not look good when he hobbled off. He came back on but clearly in some distress with an injury to his ankle and had to be helped off, to be replaced by Kane Phillip.

Laing performed exceptionally to create Lancing’s second goal on 55 minutes. He looked to have been felled with a foul tackle. Nothing came from the referee and it was assumed, without any real evidence, that he allowed advantage as Laing struggled to get to his feet. He was soon brought down again but fought to get to his feet and laid on a perfect pass for Franzen-Jones who did not waste the opportunity to put Lancing two up.

Hythe gave themselves a boost by closing the gap with a header from a corner on the right. Johan Candy-Bryan found some space as the corner cleared everyone and he powered it back across the goal into the far top corner. Gibson had put in a terrific shift but he seemed to be tiring and was replaced immediately afterwards by Dan Howick in the centre of the defence with Sam Bull switching to left back.

Lancing came close with a couple of headers, the first from Meeres, and then Dan Howick. Bennett had been massaging the back of his leg for a while and was clearly struggling with what looked to be hamstring strain. With a little over 25 minutes to go, he was withdrawn with Alex Plummer coming on. He was soon on the wrong side of the referee as he was forced to bring a threatening break to a halt with a trip and earned himself a caution.

Lancing did not sit back but continued to take the game to Hythe. Laing was again the provider, giving Harry Heath an opening, which saw him hit a low drive put behind fora corner. Meeres got his head to the ball from the corner but could not direct it goalwards. Heath then delivered a fine cross for Franzen-Jones but keeper Phillips just reached the ball first.

Pitcher had been kept fairly quiet but still had plenty of running left as the game reached the final minutes and burst forward, slipping the ball to Franzen-Jones. Heath had motored forward into space in the box but an opportunity for a third goal went begging as Franzen-Jones mishit his pass to Heath.

Lancing opted to play it safe in 7 minutes of added time keeping possession near Hythe’s right corner flag, winning a couple of corners which allowed them to retain possession and see the game out.

Lancing had to maintain a disciplined and strong defence to keep Hythe at bay. They were an attacking force but their finishing was not good enough to severely test Louis Rogers. He was put under pressure from the long throw ins and a number of free-kicks but his handling was sound throughout. Lancing made the most of their limited scoring chances.

Laing was named MoM

Lancing now move up to third.place on 41 points, level with Cray Valley in second, but with a superior goal difference. Sittingbourne are two points below but with a game in hand on Lancing.

Lancing: Louis Rogers, Alex Laing (Capt.), Jack Meeres, Sam Bull, Charlie Gibson (Dan Howick 59),Andrew Briggs, George Taggart, Charlie Bennett(AlexPlummer,76),Charlie Pitcher, Ben Pope(Harry Heath,82),Lukas Franzen-Jones. Unused subs : Eliot Jenks, Knory Scott.

Erith and Belvedere 0 Lancing 3

Isthmian south east

by Dave Wilmott

A rare Sunday fixture for Lancing was brought about by Erith and Belvedere’s ground share with Welling as Utd’s Saturday cup fixture took precedence over the scheduled Isthmian League match.

The Deres languish in 19th place with only Beckenham Town below them but, with a new manager in place, Lancing were not approaching the game with a sense of complacency. There was a strong starting XI with only two changes from the Cray Valley team, Charlie Pitcher and Harry Heath coming in for Knory Scott, who had received a knock in that game, and Ben Pope, who was on the bench.

The Deres began brightly and had the first effort on goal in the third minute with a well struck shot which swerved wide. Lancing gradually exerted some control with Lukas Franzen-Jones prominent, laying a pass into the path of Alex Laing who had made strides towards the box, but his finish was way off target.

Harry Heath was busy on Lancing’s right flank and finished a good break with a pass in to Lukas Franzen-Jones but he was beaten to the ball when keeper Dillon Addai raced from his line to clear. Franzen-Jones was again in the thick of the action when the ball was rammed into George Taggart, rebounding to the Lancing striker in the clear on the left but his shot was blocked.

He came close to opening the scoring after good interplay on the left between Charlie Pitcher and Charlie Gibson ending with a precision cross which Franzen-Jones met with a header which struck the cross bar.

Lancing took the lead on 26 minutes, Pitcher proving once again what a good signing he has been. Heath executed a sublime flick of the ball over an advancing defender, which Pitcher met with a block buster of a volley which beat the keeper on his near post landing in the top corner.

The Deres came close to levelling when a low hard drive from a free-kick came back off Louis Rogers and it was a bit of a scramble in the Lancing six-yard box before the ball was eventually cleared. Heath had a header saved before he put Lancing two up on 32 minutes. Keeper Addai was put under pressure by Franzen-Jones, the ball dropping to Gibson. He looked to have put himself in position to score but, unselfishly laid the ball into the path of Harry Heath, in a better place, who fired into the unguarded net.

Khemani Aiyanyo was showing some fine skill on wide left for the Deres and it needed Andrew Briggs to win the ball from him to prevent a dangerous attack from him.

The pass of the game saw Sam Bull hit a 50-yard cross-field ball from deep on Lancing’s left to reach Heath on the right touchline. He cut in towards goal and let fly with his left, the ball whistling past the far upright. Bull’s fine passing then picked out Alex Laing who had motored from the right back position and who came close with a well struck shot.

Lancing introduced Alex Plummer for Taggart for the second half. The Deres looked much sharper in the opening 15 minutes or so of the second half. Khemani Aiyanyo dispossessed Jack Meeres and broke towards the goal but failed to take advantage of a good opportunity to try for a goal and was soon closed down.

Heath relieved some continued pressure on the Lancing goal, sprinting clear before releasing the ball to Franzen-Jones. Pitcher had made a supporting run but the pass fell behind him

The Deres had not given up and made some good progress towards the Lancing box but Lancing were dangerous on the counter attack. Alex Plummer set Heath in on goal but his effort on goal was just wide.

Gibson made way for Dan Howick on 70 minutes, followed soon afterwards by Eliot Jenks replacing Briggs, as Lancing settled into a possession game preserving energy, no doubt with the forthcoming fixture against Hythe Town, barely 48 hours away, at the back of their minds.

Louis Rogers had enjoyed a fairly quiet spell but had to bring off a fine save getting a hand to the ball before it was volleyed clear. Lancing finally killed off any lingering hopes the Deres might have had of getting something out of the game, when Bull broke down the left and drove the ball low and hard towards the near upright. Bennett was sharp enough to make contact steering the ball home with keeper Addai unable to keep it out, despite getting down low. Four minutes of normal time were left and Lancing saw the game out comfortably.

Lancing remained in 4th place with this win, one point behind Sittingbourne but more tough challenges are looming when, firstly Hythe, then Cray Valley visit Culver Road on Tuesday night (Jan 16th).

For his overall energetic display, a fine assist for Pitcher’s goal and a good finish himself, Heath was selected as Player of The Match.

Lancing: Louis Rogers, Alex Laing (Capt.), Jack Meeres, Sam Bull, Charlie Gibson, (Dan Howick 70) Andrew Briggs(Eliot Jenks 71), George Taggart( Alex Plummer45), Charlie Bennett, Harry Heath, Lukas Franzen-Jones, Charlie Pitcher. Unused subs: Jacob Thompson, Ben Pope.

Wick 2 Dorking Wanderers B 0

SCFL Division 1

Wick manager Lee Baldwin produced a tactical masterclass as the Dragons made it six straight league wins in a row by outplaying league the leaders.

Baldwin tinkered with his side’s approach and was rewarded with a victory which lifts them into a play-off position with games in hand on all the teams above them.

Jake Hawker headed Wick into the lead when he rose highest to meet a 38th minute corner and Josh Irish completed the victory 11 minutes into the second half by charging on to a through ball from Harry Williams and finding the bottom corner from a tight angle.

Dorking were denied a late way back into the match when Keelan Belcher made a superb arching save with Hawker clearing before the visitors could pounce and Baldwin said: “That was Keenan’s only save in what was probably our most complete performance of the season. We were brilliant.

“Everything we did was we did was spot on and it was a display that has been coming. We changed the tactics a little bit because we knew Dorking are a quality act and implemented the plan perfectly. They are the best footballing team in the division and we starved them of opportunities.”

Baldwin added of Irish’s 26th goal of the season: “There was only one place he could put that and he was spot on.”

London Seaward 0 Worthing Women 1

National League Div 1SE

by Gareth Nicholas

A gritty, hard-working display saw Worthing grind out three more points at London Seaward to move up to second place in the table.

Looking to reverse September’s 3-0 defeat at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium, Reds made two starting changes to the squad that won at Chesham United last week. Becs Bell and Emily Linscer came in for Sophie Humphrey and Becki Bath. Illness seven days ago meant Sammy Quayle was only fit enough for the bench, while Leah Morris and, after a few years away, Caz Hodgson joined Izzy Glass-Oliver to complete the awesome foursome.

Playing on a sometimes unpredictable surface, the main talking point of the game’s early stages sadly revolved around a lengthy delay, following Maise Cannon’s clash with Shannon Albuery. While Shannon was able to continue after treatment, sadly the same couldn’t be said for Cannon, a goalscorer the last time these two teams met, who was subsequently replaced by Sam Lanza just ten minutes in.

It took nineteen minutes for the game’s first real chance and it was the visitors who fashioned it. A short corner routine involving Dani Rowe and Emma Blakely earned the former a second bite at the cherry; this time evading a sea of Seawardians to pick out Albuery and leave the centre-forward with the relatively simple task of forcing the ball home from close range.

Little had been seen of the hosts up to this point but a well-drilled team were always likely to become a threat sooner rather than later. Never more so than when Katherine Long fired a warning shot across the bows from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

Katie Young, imperious all afternoon at the back, then sensed the danger to make a perfectly-timed block tackle, just when it seemed Shamoy Campbell was about to break through down the middle of the pitch.

An even better opportunity presented itself to Cheryl Anderson in first-half stoppages, thanks to Mira Hoteit sending over an inviting right wing cross, only for Anderson to drag wide of the near post when well placed.

However, it was the high-flying guests who might have doubled their advantage due to captain Gemma Worsfold, outside the eighteen yard box, nearly beating netminder Tia Ginn but having to watch on in anguish as her effort landed on the roof of the net.

Holding a narrow lead at the break, Hodgson entered the fray unexpectedly early in place of Tierney Scott, prior to the second forty-five getting underway.

Once again, chances were at a premium, nothing of note really happening until we’d reached the hour mark and it required the services of Rowe to converge on Campbell, to ensure things went no further. Lauren Dolbear in the Worthing goal left with a comfortable gather, courtesy of ‘Dan’ feeling the full force of the Seaward centre-forward’s (icy) long range blast, at close quarters.

Hodgson almost made the long wait worth it with a goal moments later. Uncertainty in the Blue’s rearguard eventually resulted in Caz capitalising on a rare mistake, to force Ginn into scrambling frantically across her six yard box and smothering practically on the line.

Ramping up the pressure, Albuery went on a central charge, driving through the middle before Jo Butler-Williams got her intervention spot on to keep the tie evenly poised.

The Reds’ backline wasn’t to be breached, even after Rachel Palmer was penalised for handball wide on the right to offer a set-piece opportunity to substitute Lucy Cockerill, following fellow replacement Livia Capparelli seeing her ball into the box stopped, illegally, on route.

Cockerill’s floated free-kick passed over everyone’s heads, to be greeted by a sigh of relief from the away dugout but met with the opposite response from the home one.

Bell raced clear of three dark blue shirts on her way towards (potentially) finally putting the result beyond doubt, deep into added time, only ended via a sharp, shrill blow of the referee’s whistle.