A cup tie against the form team from our Division 1 was never going to be easy. Forest Row came into the game unbeaten in the league since the beginning of October and their only recent defeat being in a Division 1 Cup match to their championship rivals Seaford Town. Our first half performance was disjointed but we still took an early lead. It was all square by half time and then a goalkeeping error gave them the lead. We got an equaliser with a couple of minutes remaining but not for the first time conceded again and then with the tie gone conceded a fourth.

The first half was not a footballing feast as without being able to keep a stable line up we lacked cohesion. Forest Row looked a good footballing Step 6 side that did not rely on physicality much like the Billingshurst side we faced in the FA Vase. This time though the early goal was scored by a Linger. With six minutes played Conor Wilford played a ball through to Keanan Allassani to win a corner from the left. Jason Stripp delivered the ball into the centre of the box and Forest Row failed to clear the ball so Jack Porter was able to tuck it home on 7mins. Having lost our goalkeeper Jack Webb Olley to Newhaven, having impressed them in our fundraising game on the South Coast, Raffy Pearce was in goal and was in action with a confident claim on 16mins. Elliott Cannon went down in a challenge and required treatment but sadly had to be carried from the pitch with a bad injury. On 24mins Kobi Asante came on as a replacement. Three minutes later it looked like Forest Row would equalise as Pearce saved a shot and it ran loose to their forward but he contrived to miss the goal only for his blushes to be spared by the offside flag.

There was no saving flag next time as we failed to clear the ball on right. Cutting inside and firing in a shot that from my position I could see curling into the bottom left corner, it beat Pearce's dive and it was all square on 34mins. There was a chance to lead again two minutes later as a Stripp free kick into the box was headed goalwards and although there was no power behind it their keeper had to tip it over. Allassani had a half chance a minute later getting on the end of a ball into the box but not able to direct his header on goal. On 42mins Wilford controlled a long ball nicely and set up Asante for a shot that was deflected around the right post. Forest Row were not without a threat and Pearce pulled off a good save from a shot from a central position. The best chance came in added time as collecting a long ball Wilford drove into the box and shot only to see the ball glance off the top of the cross bar. Forest Row bounced back and it required a great tackle from goalscorer Porter to win the ball and send us forward. With four added minutes played a final chance came for Allessani from a Stripp free kick but his shot was high so 1-1 it remained.

It did not stay level for long as three minutes into the second half and a Forest Row free kick from the right was saved but not held by Pearce. He looked to have reached the ball but it was put into the net. The referee consulted the linesman presumably on whether it had been kicked out of his hands but the goal stood. An obstruction on Ollie Powers presented Wilford with a free kick chance on 52mins but his shot was high. Forest Row failed to hit the target in the next minute as Pearce blocked a long ball and the loose ball provided a chance for a shot. Unlike Billingshurst, Forest Row were not content to just defend their lead. They gifted Allassani a chance on 55mins as he dispossessed a dawdling defender but should have hit the target with his shot. Too much talking earned a spell in the sin bin for one Forest Row defender but as we showed against Horsham YMCA recently a man advantage is not always easy to benefit from.

Approaching the hour mark and Frank Little was replaced by Ousmane Balde Dansoko in an attacking change. It was a trademark last tackle by Stephen Hodge on the hour to avert the danger at the expense of a corner that was dealt with. On 63mins a Stripp free kick into the box was flicked on for Wilford to have a shot but it was wide of the right post. Two corners a minute later failed to produce a clear opening for us and on 67mins it was time for change as Reuben Zamorano was replaced by Jack McDonnell. It is frustrating when players fail to look along the line and so as Powers and Wilford linked up to play in Allassani the flag was raised. The final two changes came on 73mins as Powers and Allassani made way for Richie Wetton and Khavarn Williams. Having had to be moved into defence our goal-a-game man from the start of the season Wilford was back up front and finding the openings but as yet not tuned in his scoring boots as he shot wide when clear on goal.

Into the last ten minutes and Balde Dansoko chased down a ball and earnt a corner for his efforts. The ball was delivered into the box by Stripp only to come back to him. His second ball found Porter but he could not keep his header down and add a second goal. From another corner the ball was headed out to Balde Dansoko only to see his shot blocked and the keeper tidy up. Four minutes left and Hodge made a covering tackle that was collected by Pearce to roll back out for Hodge to send long to McDonnell. The keeper came out to challenge and collected the ball outside the box only to crawl back in before the officials noticed. Two minutes to go and Stripp delivered the ball from the left into the box on the right, Wetton volleyed it to Wilford in the centre and he headed it home for the equaliser. All we had to do was see it out and take our chances from the penalty spot, but not for the first time this season we conceded just after scoring. A free kick from the right was not cleared properly and Forest Row took the lead in the last minute. Into added time as we pushed to get another equaliser only to concede as Forest Row sent a free kick long from left to right and Hodge cleared it only to be beaten in a foot race to the lose ball. Forest Row saw the first shot blocked but the follow up was tucked home to end the contest at 4-2.

The team in form won on the night but should have been taken to a penalty shoot-out We have one cup left but face a trip to Dorking Wanderers next month for that with the winners facing a trip to Farnham Town who lost in the final of the Surrey Senior Cup last season to South Park. More pressing though is the league and we host a Roffey side, for what we assume is our final First Team game at Oakwood, who have been unbeaten in the league since the start of last month and are now up to a distant third in the division. Like most teams they did not play last Saturday due to the weather but before that put eight past Loxwood and would have been playing bottom club Little Common. Saltdean United did not play either but Loxwood again lost heavily and Pagham lost to leaders Hassocks both of which keep them close to us having played two games and one game more respectively.