Shoreham

Shoreham had a very tough start to this season but with a new manager and some new players have produced a run of two wins and two draws. To keep our good run going would need a good performance down on the coast but I am not sure anyone expected it would be pretty much over by half-time as Shoreham were down to nine, two goals behind and the manger sent off.

The first chance fell to Jamal Robinson-Davids in the fourth minute as he latched onto a long ball down the left and curled a good shot just past the right hand post. A minute later Louis Gates played a good ball across to Josh McArthur Nolan on the left. Keeping the ball well and fending off tackles he crossed to the centre of the box. Robinson-Davids tangled with two defenders but put the ball in the net to open the scoring. McArthur Nolan tormented the Shoreham defence again on 8mins with another run down the left and into the box but his shot was saved. On 12mins the ball was played down the right this time. Dennis Asante took the ball into the box and set up Jay Simpson for the second goal. Just a couple of minutes later Shoreham took a quick free kick from inside their half to put their forward clear on goal but the shot went over the bar. On 17mins Shoreham had the ball on the left and a delightful scoop lifted the ball over our defence but again the shot went over the bar.

After Shoreham spurned their two good chances, the game had a spell of to and fro with no clear chances but on 32mins the game changed. Having been subject to a rough challenge earlier in the match, Simpson was felled by a reckless and thoughtless challenge by the Shoreham captain. No doubts for the referee on this as out came the red card. Strangely there were some who thought this was the wrong decision. If this was a gamechanger, even more so was a rough challenge by the new Shoreham skipper on Tyrone Magala-Bryan for a ball into our box. No doubts from the referee again as out came the red card. The player considered it harsh but a later explanation from the referee was that it was a reckless and uncontrolled challenge endangering an opponent. So, with 37mins on the clock a red mist had descended and just two minutes later this extended to the Shoreham manager as he received his marching orders. With a numerical advantage it was a disappointment that chances for Gates – twice – and Robinson-Davids were not taken so it was 2-0 at half-time.

Given the match situation, Haydn Dickinson was replaced at half-time by Daniel Harvey as he was feeling a knock. Making a good start to the second half, McArthur Nolan had a looping shot in the first minute that just sailed over the bar. Shoreham had regrouped at half-time and were putting up a good response to going down to nine men. In the second minute they created an opening for a shot from the D that was comfortably saved by Jack Webb-Olley who was having a quiet game. Robinson-Davids was having a good game and on 52mins had a shot from the right side of the box that was deflected for a corner. The corner came to nothing but Robinson-Davids had another shot from the left blocked two minutes later. The lads were moving the ball around and working it from left to right on the edge of box created a chance for Gates to shoot that resulted in a corner. Nothing came from it and on 58mins it was time for another change as Asante was replaced by Richie Wetton.

On the hour Gates set a chance up for Wetton that was pushed behind by the keeper. From the resulting corner into the box the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty. Simpson stepped up for the penalty and had he gone left it was 3-0, but he went right and so did the keeper and with the ball at a nice height it remained 2-0. A change on 66mins saw Robinson-Davids off and Ellis Newbold come on. Wetton had a shot from the edge of the box hit the post on 71mins. The final two changes came on 78mins with Gates replaced by Toby Allen and Simpson by Jimmy Williams. Shoreham had a good chance when a push was missed by the referee allowed them clear on the left. The ball was crossed but their player was closed down and the ball went out for a corner; the delivery of the corner was poor and it went straight out. As the game entered the last ten minutes, McArthur Nolan had the ball in the box on the left and was taken down for a second penalty. So, 3-0 this time? Er, no. Unbelievably it was a repeat of the first penalty as David Heaton took it and went to the right and so did the keeper. Shoreham had a chance from a free kick into the box on 85mins that was headed on but saved by Webb-Olley. A minute later Allen had the ball on the right and set up Wetton for a shot but he could not work enough space to hit the target. So, it ended 2-0 but with a feeling that we should have put in a couple more goals, missed penalties aside.

A satisfying run of three wins and three clean sheets puts us in good shape for next week’s visit to Crawley Down Gatwick. At the halfway point of our league season, we have a neat 7-5-7 record and a zero goal difference while now up to tenth in the table. Congratulations to Josh McArthur Nolan for his Man of the Match performance as the left wing back.

A correction has been made to the last match report to give due credit to Haydn Dickinson for his pass to Jay Simpson to set up the winning goal against Hassocks. Haydn had a much closer view that I did. Merry Christmas everyone.