Mixed week for Chichester City FC teams - men lose 2-1 but women win 5-4

Hythe Town 2 Chichester City 1

Isthmian south east

Chichester City suffered a third straight league loss - beaten by Hythe substitute Jack Mayhew’s strike with two minutes of normal time to go.

Miles Rutherford & Co were forced into changes with key men unavailable.

A pitch inspection deemed the surface playable, but Storm Eunice had left its mark at the Reachfields Stadium and in driving rain and swirling wind both teams had to deal with testing conditions.

Chichester City coach shoots down rumours.

The hosts won an early free-kick which Tyler Sterling whipped in and Chi players smuggled away.

City’s Ethan Prichard delivered a cross too close to Cannons keeper Henry Newcombe.

Luca Woodhouse grabbed the opener in the sixth minute as Kieran Magee’s defenders tried to walk the ball out of the box.

At the mid-point of the first half Chi were level with Josh Clack scoring his first goal in his second spell at Oaklands Park after a measured ball from Kaleem Haitham got his teammate one-on-one with Newcombe.

Rocks unveil improvement plans.

Nice feet on a tricky surface by Haitham presented Clack with an opportunity which was bravely blocked, as was Prichard’s attempt.

In a spell of Chi pressure, Tyrone Madhani had a shot cleared.

Jacob Gilbert received the first yellow card of the match and Sterling struck a set-piece over the top with the last kick of the half.

The wind dropped somewhat, but misplaced passes and other errors featured regularly, and unsurprisingly, in the second 45 as things got heavier and heavier.

We have to beat teams who turn up for something other than football.

Prichard drove just past the left hand post. Ben Pashley dealt calmly with a Hythe move.

Newcombe denied Clack in the 57th minute and Pashley got a boot on the subsequent corner. Another two chances came and went for Chi and then on the hour Gilbert blew a chance to shoot following a smart passage of play.

There was a bit of Six Nations stuff from Rob Hutchings as his free-kick sailed over the woodwork.

Rowlatt and Haitham set Prichard up for a decent opportunity which was wide of the mark.

Clack and Lewis Hyde, both at the back stick, spurned a chance when the subsequent corner came through everybody.

Hutchings caught Gilbert and the midfielder, with a bloody nose, was replaced.

Hutchings joined Rogers in Jake Woodman’s notepad before Sterling went close with a low drive.

Chi had the ball in the back of the net after nice play by Ben Mendoza, Pashley and Madhani but the referee’s assistant flagged for offside.

Mendoza picked up a booking for a challenge on Woodhouse.

Hythe nicked victory in the 88th minute after Luca Woodhouse broke swiftly, fed sub Jack Mayhew, who rifled the winning goal in off the post.

Chi welcome league leaders Hastings United to Oaklands Park on Saturday (3pm).

IAN WORDEN

Selsey lost 4-1 at Midhurst in the quarter-finals of the SCFL Division 1 Cup on Tuesday night. See a picture special here.

AFC Stoneham 4 Chichester City Women 5

Mia Gardner scored a dramatic late winner as Chichester City won a nine-goal thriller on Sunday. Captain Gaby Hobday scored the first goal for Chichester, but the hosts equalised 11 minutes before half-time.

Molly Jones put Chi back in front two minutes into the second half and Katie Long gave Chichester a two-goal advantage six minutes later. Charlotte Long made it 4-1 to Chichester City with a long-range strike.

The hosts pulled it back to 3-4 by 73 minutes.

It looked to be late heartbreak for Chichester when the home side scored an equaliser on 90 minutes.

However, in injury time Gardner scored to win the game for Chi.

Hobday opened the scoring. The Chichester captain showed a brilliant turn of pace to get past the defender and she unleashed a powerful shot across the goalkeeper and into the net.

Stoneham brought the game level with a long-range shot that beat Simmonds.

Jones scored to regain Chi’s lead with a low and hard shot into the bottom corner.

Katie Long made it 3-1 to the visitors from a Bundy cross and Charlotte Long added her name to the scoresheet.

Stoneham would not lie down and eventually levelled the scores at 4-4, their fourth coming in the 90th minute.

But straight from kick-off, Chi went on the attack. Hobday picked the ball up inside the area and played it to Jones, she laid it off to Gardner who found the far corner.

Chi City Women host AFC Bournemouth Development on Sunday (2pm).

MARCUS LEE