Stags stun Seaford with fightback... Selsey made to pay at Billingshurst

Midhurst had an excellent come-from-behind win over Seaford - but Selsey had to settle for a point at Billingshurst.
Midhurst on the attack in their win over Seaford / Picture by Kate ShemiltMidhurst on the attack in their win over Seaford / Picture by Kate Shemilt
Midhurst on the attack in their win over Seaford / Picture by Kate Shemilt

Read the latest reports from division one of the SCFL below and don’t miss the Observer every Thursday for all the local football action.

SCFL division one

A hard-fought, ugly win at the Rotherfield gave Midhurst their third successive win in extremely windy conditions.

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Going with the wind in the first half Midhurst started the brightest with an attack straight from kick-off.

Lewis Hamilton, Gary Norgate and Joel Stevens combined to set Alex Brazier free. Brave goalkeeping from the visitors’ No1 thrawted any effort causing major concerns.

Seaford got a foothold and looked to attack whenever possible. On six minutes a ball whipped in to the Stags box wasn’t cleared and Casy Ham smashed home. A couple more efforts from Seaford could have seen them two or three up but Patrick Cowell in the Stags goal pulled off a couple of smart saves.

On 15 minutes Midhurst got their equaliser. A dangerously-high tackle on Ant Kirby on the edge of Seaford’s 18-yard box led to Hamilton smartly slotting home from the resulting free-kick.

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Five minutes after Hamilton’s equaliser, Seaford retook the lead. Some sloppy defending right through the Stags team left several Seaford players unmarked and a rocket shot put them 2-1 up.

It was only five minutes until the equaliser. Liam Dreckmann with a pinpoint cross from the right found Gary Norgate to head home from 12 yards.

Midhurst now pushed for another goal and it was Joel Stevens who got the third on 35 minutes. The right-back picked the ball up from a pass by Kirby and rifled home from 25 yards.

The second half was a battle with Midhurst attacking up the slope and against the strong wind. The Stags were restricted to only a few half-chances which fell to Norgate, who couldn’t capitalise.

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Mark Broughton and Luke Martin in the heart of the Stags defence had a great second half as did full-backs Nathan Hunt and Stevens.

Midhurst: Cowell, Stevens, Broughton, Martin, Hunt, Hamilton, Kirby, Dreckmann, Brazier, Norgate, Kemplin, Subs: Casselton, Grantham, Larvin.

Billingshurst 2 Selsey 2

SCFL division one

An extremely strong wind, a resolute home side and some inexplicably poor defending meant Selsey were happy to leave with a point – and not the three they had hope for in their quest to finish in the top six.

Selsey were a goal behind within the first two minutes. Defending against a very strong wind Selsey made a mess of clearing a hopeful punt into the area and Billingshurst forward Patrick O’Sullivan tapped into an empty net.

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Selsey regrouped and attempted to play football on an excellent playing surface, but the gale-force wind prevented any real flow to the game.

On the half hour Selsey equalised when Lindon Miller was fouled in the box and James Parsons slotted home to make it 1-1.

With the wind at their backs in the second half, Selsey dominated possession but the home side kept the clear-cut chances to a minimum.

Billingshurst retook the lead when Selsey defender Parsons had a moment to forget, gifting a goal for the hosts to take a 2-1 lead.

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Again the Blues rallied and created some decent chances, the best falling to Miller and Ben Mepham, both of whom managed to make a mess of their opportunities.

Not for the first time this season it was left to 17-year-old Joe Clarke to salvage a point for Selsey, heading home to level.

Selsey: Smith, Corell, Chittock, Kilhams, Parsons, Groom, Manners, Lynch, Morey, Miller, Clarke, Mepham, Dean, Forry.

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