In truth, neither side deserved to win this game and it is no surprise that the weather played its part in the only goal as strong winds battered the ground. In position for a routine catch, the wind took the ball from Jack Webb-Olley's grasp and in the following scramble Lancing scored the winner.

As the management team work on strengthening our squad there were two new starters in Matt Feeney-Hill and Nahum Green, two lads Noah Estrada and Deven Reid-Solanki promoted to the bench from the U23s and a swap from the bench as Matt Cheeseman starts and Gus Ward is a substitute.

The Lingers made a good start in the game with plenty of possession in the Lancing half looking to get an opening on goal. From a corner Jeff Duah-Kessie was nearly in on goal with eight minutes played. A free kick from the left by Matt Feeney-Hill was headed on by Matt Cheeseman but Duah-Kessie was then flagged offside. A back pass to Jack Webb-Olley, riskier in the wind, was cleared flat and hit a Lancing player. The rebound was heading to another Lancing player but Webb-Olley came out to block. Just on twenty minutes, a David Heaton corner from the right was delivered into the six yard box with the keeper looking to catch it. Setting a precedent for the rest of the game, the referee gave a soft free kick in favour of the goalkeeper. A couple of minutes later Feeney-Hill took the ball into a central position and hit a shot that was straight at the keeper.

On 25mins Lancing had a corner from the right that they headed behind but in the defence of the corner Guyni Nganga was injured. Unfortunately he was unable to continue especially as he was bedding into the team nicely. The game restarted on 31mins with Bailey Neil-Gray coming on as substitute. Reece Jacobs put a cross in from the right that found Nahum Green on the left of the box but his header went wide of the post. The best chance so far came on 35mins as Jacobs had a shot that the keeper got a hand to and sent over the bar. From the resulting corner Lancing scrambled the ball out for a throw. Long throws are in fashion now and Green launched a good one to find Conor Wilford's head but he could not get any power behind it and the keeper gathered it.

With five minutes of normal time remaining plus the added time for Nganga's injury, Feeney-Hill put a good ball into the six yard box but we had nobody in there to challenge for it. A minute later Lancing had their keeper to thank as Wilford hit a great free kick from left of the D that needed tipping over the bar. Lancing had not shown much going forward but having scored four goals in their last two defeats they could be a threat and Stephen Hodge, backed up by Heaton, needed to tackle and clear the ball from our box. From there the ball came out to Jacobs on the right to break forward and into the box. He found Green at the far post but he could get his effort on target. Final minute of normal time and looking suspiciously offside, Lancing were on the attack and Webb-Olley gathered the shot at the foot of the post. As added time was coming to an end, Heaton curled a corner in towards the cross bar but another free kick was given to their keeper. Not a great half but the lads had a few chances.

Just four minutes into the second half and we failed to clear our box resulting in the ball going up in the air. Webb-Olley was poised to gather it but the wind made the ball slip from his grasp and as players scrambled for the loose ball a Lancing boot sent it into the net. Harsh on Webb-Olley having been Man of the Match in our last two games to beat Guernsey and keep us in with a chance at Horsham YMCA. First half sub Neil-Gray did well to win and keep the ball in midfield to work space for a ball forward that went too long. A shot from Green – having a good game on his debut – was blocked to give us a corner from the left. Heaton sent it into the box but their keeper claimed it well. Whereas last Saturday at Horsham the second half performance was really encouraging, it was deflating to see Wilford take a quick free kick to Jacobs only for him to be flagged offside. Looking to build on possession around their box with Green winning the ball on the left, crossing to the right where Hodge played the ball into the box, the referee called play back as their player stayed down from a slight tap from an arm.

On 57mins two changes as Jacobs and Duah-Kessie were replaced by Gus Ward and Deven Reid-Solanki. Keeping us just a goal down, Webb-Olley was in place to get in a block on the edge of the box and Lancing hit a follow up shot wide of the post. Fifteen minutes to go and Noah Estrada replaced Cheeseman. Soon after the ball came to Noah Agbinone on the right of the box and he hit it well but just past the post. On 83mins Green worked an opening on the right and his shot was well saved at the right post. Reid-Solanki put in a good ball that Lancing were forced to head behind for a corner but nothing came of the corner. Five minutes remaining and while having possession around the edge of their box we could not craft an opening. Feeney-Hill was trying to work his way in along the byline from the left and lost his footing as Lancing tackled and cleared. Harshly the referee called him over for a yellow card despite him making no claim for a penalty and just getting up and on with the game. With added time into a fifth minute, another good long throw by Green from the right found Agbinone and his header was stopped on the line by their keeper. Not having his best game at the back, Agbinone had found positions to have two of our best chances in the second half but it ended in defeat.

A match between the worst side in the division, and what by the end of the day was the second worst team, had all the signs of a last in the running order on Match of the Day. The second half at Horsham where we had almost total control over a team now third in the table had given us belief that our game was coming together and we could get a result against a side that shipped eleven goals in their last two games. Perhaps we overlooked the lack of a cutting edge to open up a side putting up a determined defence as was also the case here. Having been passed by Seaford Town, we sit in nineteenth place on goal difference from our neighbours Crawley Down Gatwick, and a point above Lancing, as we face an evening trip to Steyning. We do not have a good record there as prior to their Isthmian league season we lost 5-1 in League and Cup. They are ninth but one or two games behind those above thanks to their FA Cup run so would likely be in a play off position. On Saturday we travel to a Shoreham side four places and four points above us.