Sidley return to winning ways

Their reward is a third round tie at neighbours Westfield a week before Christmas.

"Perhaps I would have swapped it for three league points," confessed Blues joint manager Andy Laskey. "But we needed a win. And it was a good win because we had to do a fair bit of defending but we did that very well. I was pleased with the defending and the only complaint I would have is that, more than any other game this year, we gave the ball away too much both in their half and our half."

Nonetheless Sidley, whom Laskey believes "have got the basis of a team which is defensively sound," showed that resilience which was doubtless aided by the fact that they actually scored the opening goal for the first time in six matches.

And it took less than four minutes for that goal to arrive. Steve Morris took a short corner, Jordan Wood flung the ball into the area and Kevin Rose volleyed it home for his fourth goal in five matches.

They wasted even less time in finding the Redhill net at the start of the second half. Steve Morris was again the source, supplying the delivery for Graham Morris to head his second in as many games within 60 seconds of the re-start.

But the Surrey-based outfit, in Laskey's view "a good side", were by no means finished. They pulled a goal back on the hour when Jones beat Greg Thurstans, who had produced fine stops at the end of the first and start of the second periods, from the penalty spot after Owen Ball was penalised for challenging an opposing striker "shoulder to shoulder" as Laskey saw it.

Rose, Wood and Ball all went close to extending United's lead, however, whilst eye-catching former St Leonards winger Michael Morgan blasted a fierce strike against Blues' crossbar. But Blues held firm for a win over a relegation rival which Laskey "hopes" will boost them for the remainder of the campaign.

Sidley turn to the league on Saturday November 20 with a home match against Littlehampton Town.