Pagham suffer an 'after the Lord Mayor's Show' night against Alfold

Pagham lost three precious SCFL premier points to an excellent Alfold side that gave it their all for the whole 90 minutes. On the night a draw would probably have been a fairer result but as they say, some you win some you don’t.

Maybe suffering slightly from the grandeur of Saturday’s great win in Eastbourne, the Lions did not look up to their best right from the start and although the ball swung from end to end it was the away side that benefitted from the first chance of the game, on 18 minutes, with Jacques heading home at the far post.

Two excellent saves by Lewis Boughton in the Pagham net kept the deficit to a single goal as the Lions forced their way back into the game. It took until the 35th minute for Pagham to level it up, thanks to the Fold’s defence giving away possession deep in their own half. Ollie Hambleton collected the ball and lobbed the Alfold keeper from the edge of the box for 1-1.

With Pagham looking to push forward from the start of the second half it was a shock when Callum Kilkenny, looking well offside, strode away from the home defence to beat Boughton from close in. Pagham made chance after chance to get back level, but it just wasn’t The Lions night, and it was the visitors doing the celebrating at the final whistle.

Pagham’s team was: Lewis Boughton, Matt Hambleton (Grant Radmore), Ryan Hallett, Conor Geoghegan, Dylan Jelley, Joe Clarke, Ryan Morey, Ross Edwards, Jack Langford, Ollie Hambleton and Jack Barnes Unused Subs: Conor Kelly, Jack Ratcliffe and Charles Griggs.