Worthing Women defeated by AFC Wimbledon – controversial red card costs Roffey dear

Despite a dominant first-half performance, Worthing were ultimately undone by AFC Wimbledon’s superior finishing after the break.

Manager John Donoghue was forced into one or two changes, with injuries mounting. But Rachel Palmer and Hayley Bridge returned to the squad and injuries to others meant places for Emily Linscer and Sophie Humphrey.

The Reds took the game to their table-topping opponents in the openin g exchanges, Humphrey’s persistence paying off and producing a chance for Linscer that the striker forced a corner from.

The corner went back out to Palmer. Her second attempt found Linscer for another take two but she couldn’t quite stretch enough to turn home.

For the Dons, leading league scorer Ashlee Hincks dispossessed Dani Rowe and embarked on a burst down the left. Emma Blakely headed the cross away from any immediate danger, then blocked Emily Donovan’s effort.

Worthing debutant Tierney Scott sent in a delivery that narrowly eluded Humphrey at the far post.

Then, a brilliant counter-attack, emanating from keeper Lauren Dolbear, sent Skipper Gemma Worsfold on a mission that keeper Faye Baker put an end to by smothering at the forward’s feet. Worsfold came close again after Steph Mann had seen yellow for a foul on Humphrey.

Ellie Dorey blazed over from long distance and Hincks had Dolbear scrambling towards her left-hand upright approaching the interval, with home captain Hannah Billingham causing a commotion, aided and abetted by Ashleigh Goddard.

Katie Young denied Goddard at close quarters, prior to the crossbar rescuing Worthing.

Sunshine, after the rain, greeted the players when they made their way back out for the second period but it was the high-flying Blues who stunned their guests.

Two minutes in, Dorey found the top corner at least twenty-five yards out.

Baker had to be alert to divert Young’s long-range screamer aside at the expense of a corner, drawing a period of sustained pressure to a close.

Just after the hour mark, Dorey enjoyed an unchecked run to get on the end of Hincks’ right wing free-kick and power home a header to make it two.

Dorey claimed the matchball, scoring ther third after a Hincks assist.

Dolbear made more fine saves but ten minutes after entering the action, Portuguese player Sandra Soares Martins put the icing and cherry on the cake by bagging a late double.

Worthing will look to put the loss behind them when they host Cambridge in a third v fourth clash at Woodside Road on Sunday.

by GARETH NICHOLAS

A controversial red card for Roffey’s Devon Fender overshadowed the Boars’ latest point in their bid for SCFL Division 1 honours.

Roffey made the long trip to Selsey for the unusual 5.45pm kick-off time to fit in with the SCFL Groundhoppers Day.

They drove through torrential rain but arrived to find the pitch in excellent condition.

Roffey boss Jack Munday knew that playing Selsey on their own patch was never going to be easy.

Kieron Thorpe was unavailable so Blake Williams took over again in goal. George Cousins and Kelvin Lucas were out with injury but Damien Fortune was back in the squad, as was Jake Le Grange after being cup tied for the FA Vase win over Lordswood.

The Boars started well and moved the ball quickly on the slick pitch and looked dangerous from the off. As in the home match, Syd Davies in the Selsey goal was forced into several good saves before, in the 20th minute, Terrell Joseph jinked through the home defence and set up a tap-in for Fender.

Five minutes later Fender returned the compliment by setting up his strike partner to finish clinically with the outside of his foot.

Joseph again outstripped the defence and went round the keeper but, in the difficult conditions, the angle proved too much and the ball went in to the side netting. Half-time came with the visitors in charge at 2-0 up.

The second half was barely five minutes old when the ball was played up to Fender who chested the ball back as Thomas Blamire, the Selsey defender, challenged from behind and ended on the floor.

There was no appeal from the home players or the crowd but the referee blew his whistle, called Fender towards him and brandished a red card.

There was a moment of confusion and Ricardo Fernandes was sent to the sin bin for dissent over the decision.

It looked like Fender, unaware of the defender, had simply been chesting the ball in the normal manner with his bent arms out and the defender had run into him.

Suddenly the Boars were down to nine men, and before they had reorganised Selsey had pulled a goal back when James Henton got on the end of Ryan Morey’s cross to squeeze the ball past Williams.

With Fernandes back on the pitch Roffey looked more solid but they lost their other striker, Joseph, to injury and then a Higgins Pearce cross evaded everyone except Ryan Morey who brought the scores level.

Munday brought on more pace with Morgan Prill and Jehobi Maher. But without rediscovering their first half form, the Boars began to make inroads into the Selsey half without managing to hit the target.

As the pitch began to hold some of the torrential rain the game became untidy but Williams still had to make one excellent save.

One decision had probably changed the game, and the Boars had dropped two points. But they went back to the top of SCFL Division 1 with a game in hand.

by SAM CHAPMAN

Wick 2 Oakwood 3

(abandoned)

SCFL Division 1

A deluge forced Wick’s five-goal fiesta with Oakwood to be abandoned after just over an hour of play at rain-lashed Crabtree Park.

Extensive efforts through the week meant the Southern Combination Division 1 match went ahead as the Sunday morning sun briefly shone over the Coomes Way ground.

A bumper crowd of 189, the biggest of the season for the Dragons, was boosted by a large contingent of groundhoppers on a Sussex weekend tour and they saw the visitors take an early lead when Darrell Agyemang rounded off a flowing move.

Josh Irish hit the visitors’ crossbar and James Thurgar was denied by a diving save.

The Dragons equalised when Dave Crouch fired in from 15 yards after a flowing move involving Nathan Hawker and Alex Kew.

And less than two minutes later it was raining goals as the Dragons went in front with Sam Hack finding the bottom far corner from the edge of the area.

The rain continued to hammer down during the break and referee Mark Spence held an inspection before allowing the restart with Oakwood turning the game on its head with two stunning finishes.

The first was a superb free-kick from Noel Etherington, then Adil Raman followed suit with a fantastic finish.

The referee held another inspection in the 64th minute and it was hard to argue with his decision to abandon play, with puddles forming on the pitch.