Shelley injury mars derby draw

Shelley was stretchered off midway through the second half of the County League Division 1 match at The Sportsfield after a challenge by Littlehampton’s Jamie Thompson and an ambulance arrived to take him to hospital after the game.

In a tweet this morning, East Preston said Shelley has a chip in his leg bone and a suspected broken foot but the swelling is still too bad to confirm.

East Preston boss Dominic Di Paola was furious with the challenge and, speaking after the game, said: “I hate challenges like that, it’s cowardly. He’s gone straight over the top and it’s an awful challenge.

“I’m sure it’s not malicious or anything like that, it’s just a bad challenge but there’s no need to do something like that in football and our players don’t do that.

“It was absolutely needless. The kid’s still running round at the end of the game and the ref’s let it go with just a booking. If you’re doing something like that, it’s a sending off.

“Joe’s probably going to be out for the season now and he doesn’t deserve to be.

“That’s put a right dampener on things as I don’t like tackles like that. Whether he meant it, or it was an accident, whatever it was, it’s frustrating. I’m sure he’s a nice enough lad but it’s a bad challenge.

“It was a disappointing night all-round and it was just a rubbish game of football, to be honest.”

On the challenge, Golds boss Mark Bennett said: “I didn’t see it, to be honest, and that’s not a cop-out.

“I’m not going to comment on something I didn’t see, that’s not an Arsene Wenger either.

“We’re not that kind of team, if anything it would be clumsy, that’s all I can say. It certainly wouldn’t be malicious. There’s nothing worse than seeing a player like that.”

On the game, Bennett said: “It was a bit of nothing, to be honest.

“We’d gone in to it on a poor run, just lacking that little bit of confidence but, hopefully, this result will help kick us on for the last five games.

“We’re punching above our weight but I just want us to finish the season strongly and enjoy it. I think most people thought we would struggle to stay up this season, so we’ve surprised a few.”

Littlehampton keeper Jon Hendrick comfortably dealt with shots from Darren Boswell and Evan Archibald in the opening 20 minutes, before Golds almost went ahead on 26 minutes.

Ben Gray did well down the left and from his cross Dan Simmonds side-footed an effort against the inside of a post, before the ball rebounded to him and he shot over from 12 yards.

Archibald fired a shot straight at Hendrick after a neat turn on 37 minutes, before Shaheen Sadough’s flick put Archibald through but his shot was well saved by Hendrick, when a square pass to Rob O’Toole might have been the better option.

EP lost Fred Foreman (knee) and Mike Huckett (hamstring) to injuries in the first half, while Golds were also forced into an early substitution as Alex Kew went off injured after 13 minutes.

Shelley blazed over from the edge of the area on 62 minutes, before he was stretchered off, after a lengthy delay, on 70 minutes.

The closest either side went to a winner was on 81 minutes but O’Toole was denied by Hendrick, who was quick off his line, to deny EP’s winger.

LITTLEHAMPTON: J.Hendrick; Wiggans, McKay, D.Hand, M.Hand; Kew, Thompson, Humphreys, Kempson, Kew; Simmonds. Subs: Lewis (Kew 13), Packer (Wiggans 55), O’Callaghan (Kempson 90), Bates, M.Hendrick.

EAST PRESTON: Harding; Farmer, Pullan, Gainsford, Axell; O’Toole, Shelley, Huckett, Boswell; Foreman; Archibald. Subs: Sadough (Foreman 15), Boddy (Huckett 41), Duncan (Shelley 70), Lockyer, Levitt.