Loxwood FC

At kick off Lingfield stood 12th in the table on 11 points, 6 places and 6 points above our visitors Loxwood. With several changes from the team that played in midweek, there was an optimism that our unbeaten run of four games in the league could be extended.
The first attempt of the match came our way in the 2nd minutes when Dennis Asante got clear on the left and brought a save from the Loxwood keeper. The resulting corner was cleared and second corner on 5mins also came to nothing. Loxwood then pressed forward and a great saving tackle from Tom Green stopped them from getting a shot away. Minutes later Luke Richardson lost possession but made a great recovery block to clear the danger. Our optimism was taking a bit of hit as Loxwood were having a good spell. On 12mins what looked like a missed offside by the linesman needed a good clearance off the line by George Branton to keep it at 0-0. This was followed by another shot from the left that narrowly went past the righthand post. Loxwood had another chance just past the midway point in the half but Richardson was there to block it.

In the 28th minute a cross ball to left on the Loxwood box found Stephen Hodge in space but hit shot across the box went out but at least it was positive for us. Haydn Dickinson forced a corner a minute later and from the resulting pinball in the box the ball came to Richardson who hit a shot wide. The chances started to come as Richardson had a shot saved, as was Dickinson’s follow up, and from the resulting corner Green headed wide. Then on 36mins a great ball forward from Green saw Dickinson challenge their keeper, and from his resulting spill Asante found the net for 1-0. Keeping up the pressure, Asante controlled a goal kick and laid it to Branton to have a shot that was saved. The corner by Jay Simpson was headed past the righthand post by Richardson. Ending the first half on a high, Simpson dribbled into the box and fed Asante, whose shot just cleared the bar. It had been a mixed first half but a change of formation brought an improvement so The Lingers went in leading 1-0.

The lads started the second half strongly and two minutes in Jimmy Williams dribbled into their box and got off a shot that needed saving. Asante received the ball in a central position, passed left to Simpson who advanced into the box to shoot and from their keeper’s save, Dickinson made it 2-0 with 51mins on the clock. Loxwood went down to ten men with a sin bin and we brought on some fresh legs with Tyrone Magala-Bryan replacing Toby Allen and Toby Hill coming on for George Branton. It would be fair to say that The Lingers were in control as Hill fired a shot from the edge of the D over the bar, and Asante had a shot that won a corner. Carl Brown came on for Asante. On 77mins a corner taken by Dickinson set up Simpson for a shot that he couldn’t keep down. Loxwood were briefly back to 11 before getting a second player sin binned. Time to rest Simpson and bring on Jamal Robinson-Davids. On 84mins Williams made a break down the left, crossed to Brown and from the resulting save Hill forced the ball home for 3-0. Charlie Davies was replaced by Daniel Harvey as the game headed into an additional 7 minutes. Dickinson hit a free kick that was just tipped round the lefthand post, and to complete our chances, he supplied a ball from the left that Hill couldn’t convert so it remained 3-0 at the final whistle. A dominant second half but still with some room for improvement that will hopefully come next time out in midweek versus Saltdean United. The win moved The Lingers up to 11th in the table.