Pagham

Having dominated most of the home game against Pagham back in September but only got a draw, the trip to the coast was more of the same. In this game the lads were probably more in control but went behind to Pagham’s only attempt on target of the first forty-five minutes just before half time. Minutes later the equaliser came from the spot in added time but for all their efforts in the second half, the winner would not come so it remained 1-1.

Both teams have been victims of waterlogged pitches and last played on 20 February and a sleepy start saw Pagham win a corner in the first minute but it was put behind for a goal kick. The lads were soon on the attack and on 3mins Jay Simpson was played in but could only find the keeper with his header. A few minutes later Richie Wetton won the ball and slid it on to Louis Gates surging down the right. His ball went to the far side of the box where Josh McArthur Nolan controlled it superbly and pushed to the byline but could not deliver before the keeper claimed the ball. It was a ball into the box from the left by Simpson a minute later that just cleared Wetton’s head as the pressure was kept up on Pagham. Jason Stripp played Simpson through with ten minutes on the clock only for great tackle to dispossess him and clear. A Wetton shot from the left edge of the box went wide of the right post was followed by another from a central position that was deflected by a challenge for a corner. The corner from Stripp was played to Gates but Pagham cleared it and that was the quarter hour gone.

After a slight pause in the action, on 21mins it was Luke Richardson driving forward, looking to continue his attacking form from the Loxwood game, and being felled just outside the box. Wetton lined up for a shot and stung the keeper’s palms with a low drive. Gates pushed forward on 24mins and played in Simpson. A tackle saw the ball run free to Stephen Hodge to play it back to Gates for a shot that was saved. Pagham had offered little so far but on 28mins put a long ball down the pitch that our alert keeper Nathan Carter came out to win and clear. Two minutes later Carter was in action again to punch a free kick from the right side of the box clear. On 38mins Tyrone Magala-Bryan was caught in possession on the edge of the box but the Pagham forward saved his blushes by tamely lobbing the ball into Carter’s hands.
The last five minutes of the half brought a Stripp free kick into the box where McArthur Nolan won the ball to set up a Richardson shot deflected behind for a corner. Stripp’s corner from the left was flicked on perfectly by a defender as if he were a Linger but Richardson could only head this gift wide of the post. A Wetton long throw found Stripp but he could not apply any power to his shot and the keeper gathered easily. The punt down field went down the centre of the pitch and ended up with a Pagham head looping it over Carter and under the bar for the opening goal much against the run of play being their first attempt on target. Gutting just a minute before the break but as we went into added time McArthur Nolan was surging into the box only to be dragged down for a penalty. Wetton stepped up for the kick and drilled it home to equalise just three minutes after going behind.

Chace Hanmer had taken a blow to the chest in the first half and was replaced by George Branton as the second half got under way. A fast start in the first minute of the half saw Stripp combine with Wetton set Hodge free into the box but the final ball was collected by the keeper. Pagham responded by attacking down the left, getting to the byline but just gave Carter catching practice with the cross. The second half was not producing the same level of chances as the link up play was breaking down with the final ball or decision making. Pagham were attacking on 55mins but a solid challenge on the byline by Richardson snuffed out the danger. A second change on 65mins brought Dennis Asante on for Wetton up front. On 69mins there was a great period of possession around the Pagham box with a string of slick passes but once again the final ball produced no goal threat. A rare slip by Hodge saw him lose the ball in a challenge on the right that allowed Pagham to advance, put a cross to the left and end with a shot that required a good save from Carter.

As the last fifteen minutes approached, Jimmy Williams came on for Hodge and on 82mins Tom Green replaced Gates. As the final few minutes ticked by, Pagham came to life with a corner delivered into the six yard box and a free header flew over the bar. Having had most of the play and chances, we were in danger of not even leaving with a point as in added time Carter needed to come out of the penalty area to clear a long through ball. In the third minute of added time a Pagham corner from the right was headed onto the bar and then cleared. Failing to clear the ball down the pitch was bringing pressure as a free kick was barely cleared from the box and allowed another Pagham attack on the left that ended with the ball in the side netting. The final whistle came with a sigh of relief in the end as it remained at 1-1.

The gap between games has lost some of our fluency in attack such that we could not force a win in a game that we controlled for the most part and should have won. The result leaves us still tenth in the table, five points behind Midhurst & Easebourne but having played an extra game. Peacehaven & Telscombe are two points further away but have played two games more than us. However, behind us our neighbours Crawley Down have closed the gap to two points but with two games in hand. Next up is a Tuesday evening trip to AFC Uckfield Town who have just picked up their first points of 2024 with an important win over fellow strugglers Saltdean United.