Before kick off, if Lancing could have achieved a miracle and won by fourteen goals to wipe out our goal difference superiority they could have gone into the final round with a faint hope of staying up. Nothing in a scrappy first half suggested that was likely. Rather like the home fixture where Lancing arrived without a point and left with three, the football was not good. In the second minute we won a free kick from the right of the box that Conor Wilford delivered into the box for their keeper to claim unchallenged. On ten minutes Yusuf McGregor made a driving run down the right, rode two challenges and fired a shot across the goal. Lancing were very much kick and chase and when on 18mins Stephen Hodge misjudged a long ball in the breezy conditions, the home side were onto it but Louis Staussi was quick to come off his line to make a great save - nothing came from the resulting corner. Just beyond the twenty minute mark, Wilford had a free kick from the left that was again easily gathered by the keeper.

On 26 mins Lancing had a snap shot that flew over the bar. Ten minutes later, after winning a couple of headers, the home side were one on one with Jimmy Williams but he managed to keep pace with their forward and guide him to the left and his shot was saved by Staussi at the foot of the left post. With five minutes to the break, Kobi Asante had made a robust challenge that had the home side, especially their captain, yelling for a red card. While their player was receiving treatment and the referee was giving a deserved yellow card to Asante, our captain Wilford exchanged words with theirs. Then there were more than a few looks of disbelief as both were shown the yellow card and directed to their benches. There had been no talk directed to the referee and the sin bin is for dissent to the referee. Once play was under way again, Kwesi Ntim was driving forward with the ball on the left, looking for space to shoot before setting up Asante for a shot that lacked power. Having won the ball back again, Ntim was in possession again down the left and this time got his shot away and on 42mins it was 1-0 to The Lingers. Lancing had a shot from distance in the final minute of the half but it was over the bar.

Both sides restarted the game with ten men as the sin bins were still in effect. Four minutes into the half and Williams had a driving run forward and tried to find McGregor in space on the left but left the pass short. However, Ntim was able to pick up the ball and get off a shot but there no power in it. On 54mins we nearly had a second as their keeper made a hash of controlling the ball and could only watch with his heart in his mouth as it rolled towards the goal and just wide of the left post for a corner. Nothing came from the resulting corner and on 56mins Asante needed to be replaced so on came Torrez Davey-Corlis. Only a few minutes later, following a cross from the right by Jack McDonnell, Reon Donkor fed the ball onto Davey-Corlis for a shot that was closed down. On 61mins came a free kick perfectly placed for the returned Wilford to have a dig but he hit it too low and Lancing cleared it. Just past the hour and on the end of a break down the left, Davey-Corlis was looking for an opening but was blocked once again. Two more changes as debutant in defence Ollie Thompson was replaced by Harry Rowland after a solid performance, and McGregor was replaced up front by Gabriel Odunaike.

With twenty-five minutes to play, the Lancing No. 10 had an exchange of words with the referee and became the second home player to spend ten minutes in the comfy dugout seats. Making light of being a man short, Lancing had a break down the left and managed to get free of McDonnell for a shot that was well saved by Staussi. A minute later Ntim was onside and found himself through on goal in a chase with their keeper. The keeper won but sent the ball skywards not clear and the recently arrived Gabriel Odunaike took the ball down beautifully with one touch but could not set up anything. On 72mins again had a good break down the left but finished with a shot over the bar. Inside the last ten minutes and it was time for another Wilford free kick. He hit this one well but straight at the keeper when either side and he would have been in trouble. Davey-Corlis was on break forward and had to jump over a challenge to avoid being clattered which a good referee would have considered merited a free kick. However, Lancing were allowed to continue with possession and won a free kick just inside the D. No harm came as the shot flew over the bar to silence from the beered up home fans.

A change of captains on 83mins with Wilford coming off and club captain David Heaton coming on. A minute later and Ntim won the ball with a solid challenge on the left then forced the home side to put the ball out for a throw. From the throw he set up Davey-Corlis for a shot but he was off balance when he shot so the ball went wide of the right post. By this point in the game we were playing some good football that was just missing the final touch that might have brought a goal. At the end of a good piece of interplay, Davey-Corlis received the ball in the box, rode two tackles but could not find a powerful shot to trouble the keeper. A break for Lancing in search of a late equaliser was stopped by Hodge making a great tackle. Into the final minute of normal time and a move initiated by some good work by Guyni Nganga ended with Ntim working the ball inside to fire home for goal number two and game over. There were eight additional minutes played but the second goal had knocked the fight out of the home side.

A third clean sheet of the season – all in 2026 – and a first one for Louis Staussi in goal for an injured Fabio Suarez along with a nice debut stat for Ollie Thompson. The win makes it nine for the season and we would really like a tenth on Saturday as we host relegated Shoreham. The win took us back above AFC Varndeanians by a point as they were held to a draw by Seaford Town. They visit our neighbours Crawley Down Gatwick for their final game but if we win our final game it will not matter. If Midhurst & Easebourne lose at Little Common we could end the season in sixteenth place, just one worse than last season.

At the top, Steyning Town need just a point from their trip to Seaford Town for a second title in three seasons, while Haywards Heath Town face a tougher trip to Eastbourne United while also having to play the Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup final against Worthing United on Tuesday.