On a lovely sunny Spring afternoon we hosted a Shoreham side who had spent the final match of last season being relegated before an added time goal by Crowborough Athletic deprived Loxwood of the vital point they needed to survive and Shoreham stayed up on goal difference. No drama this time as a tough season had seen them relegated on Easter Monday and credit to their supporters that travelled up for this final game.

Just two minutes into the game, and from a throw on the left, Conor Wilford delivered the ball across to Yusuf McGregor on the right of the box. He struck a sweet volley and the net bulged with the opening goal. A perfect start and within a minute Reon Donkor was on a driving run down the centre of the pitch and was fouled on the edge of the D. Having already chalked up an assist for the opening goal, could Wilford score the second? He hit the ball nicely over the wall and with the keeper beaten the ball hit the lower side of bar and deflected down. Did it cross the line before it bounced out? The officials view was that it did not so play carried on and in the following scramble Shoreham got a free kick to relieve the pressure. Five minutes later Shoreham had a great chance to equalise as with a missed tackle they were in on goal. With cover coming across, the obvious ball was a pass out to the right for a clear shot at goal, but the forward chose to shoot himself and Louis Staussi made a comfortable save. Just past ten minutes and McGregor had the chance of another shot at goal from the right of the box but missed his kick. The ball came to Kwesi Ntim but he got underneath it and sent it over the bar. A minute later with some good pressing of the Shoreham keeper we had the ball inside the box but a player coming back from offside was flagged up.

A quarter hour played and a long ball from Wilford gave McGregor something to chase and he was able to reach it on the byline and cross into the box. The keeper punched it out but there was nobody there to get on the loose ball. On twenty minutes, Jimmy Williams sent a ball down the left touchline to Torrez Davey-Corlis. He took the ball down the line and was fouled, but as the ball came to a following up Williams, advantage was played and his shot was fumbled by the keeper. McGregor tried to pounce on the loose ball but the keeper gathered it. Two minutes later a loose pass fell to Ntim and he set up McGregor for a shot the keeper fumbled again but grabbed at the second attempt. Shoreham launched the ball long and were on a break that Stephen Hodge covered but skied the ball. Staussi was off his line to battle for the ball and took it well. With an injured Shoreham player receiving treatment and a water break for the players, play resumed on 27mins with a free kick for the visitors put straight into Staussi's arms. A couple of minutes later and Ntim was in the box trying to get space to shoot but in the end the ball came to Williams for a shot that was deflected behind for a corner.

Into the last fifteen minutes of the half and Wilford delivered the corner from the left in under the bar and the keeper produced a good punch to get the ball out behind – nothing came from the corner. Again energetic pressing by Donkor won the ball back as Shoreham tried to play out. He passed to McGregor for a cross that Davey-Corlis was on the end of and fired a shot over bar. Nine minutes remained when Shoreham were trying to shield the ball out under pressure from Donkor. The player went to ground and handled the ball. From my position the question was is it still in play. The linesman indicated it was and the referee pointed to the spot but I have to say it did not look like it had been inside the area. Wilford put the ball down the centre of the goal and we had a not undeserved two goal lead just before the break. Davey-Corlis had a shot from the left of the box in the last couple of minutes that was deflected out for a throw.

A sharp start from the visitors as they had a shot deflected behind in the opening minute that cheered their trumpeter and wheelie bin drummers behind the goal. The corner was an easy gather for Staussi. Ntim was in possession with two for company a minute later as he was trying to add another goal to the two he scored at Lancing – he could not get the space for a shot. Davey-Corlis had a great break down the left, beat his man and then had two defenders close him down on the byline to concede a corner – however, the referee gave a goal kick. On 51mins Wilford delivered a cross in from the right and their keeper, having looked a bit shaky at times, took it really well. Not out of the game yet with over half an hour to play, Shoreham got a long ball past Williams and were bearing down on goal when Jack McDonnell came across to put in a tackle and win a goal kick. The referee awarded a corner but it came to nothing. From defending, McDonnell was on the attack a minute later having won the ball on the right wing and sending Donkor down the line. He delivered a cross into the box that the keeper gathered. On 57mins Ntim was once again trying to add to his scoring tally but his shot was at the keeper. The ball was recycled and came to McGregor for him to work his way into the box and tuck the ball inside the right post and 3-0.

With the game settled it was time for some changes as Wilford and Ntim were replaced by David Heaton and Matt Cheeseman. With a lull in the game two more changes on 65mins as Jason Stripp and Ollie Thompson left the field with Guyni Nganga and Harry Rowland coming on. As soon as they arrived, Donkor won a corner on the right that was taken by Heaton. It fell to Williams in the box who passed it back to Heaton to cross into the box again. It was played to the far post and Rowland could not quite get on the end of it. A nice move on 71mins starting from Hodge playing out from defence and finding McGregor out on the wing. He centred it to Davey-Corlis but Shoreham closed his shot down. Having been subdued since going three down, Shoreham won a corner with a quarter hour to play but headed the ball over. A final change as Davey-Corlis was replaced by Gabriel Odunaike up front.

On 76mins some great defending by Williams as he started a move down the left wing for McGregor to drive forward. Williams was backing him up, received the ball in the box then set McGregor up for a shot but he was off balance and the ball sliced wide of the right post. With McGregor on a hattrick, the lads were trying to set him up and on 78mins he was away down the left wing again and tried to beat the keeper at the near post. From the resulting corner, Rowland headed against the bar. Hodge tidied up well in midfield and then passed forward to Donkor. He held up the ball, fed it to Odunaike who worked the space to drill the ball home for goal number four on 82mins. With the clock counting down, the lads gave McGregor two more chases of long balls to try to get his third goal but there were just hit too strong for him to catch. Into the final minute and McGregor was attacking the box from the left, beating three players, and getting his shot off. The keeper saved it but could not hold onto the ball, so following up, McGregor was able to squeeze the ball home for his first hattrick in senior football and the ground erupted. Into added time and McDonnell set Cheeseman free for a shot that was deflected behind. Heaton took the corner from the right and it came out to Donkor for a shot that fizzed through the box and narrowly past the left post so it ended at 5-0.

A great game to end the season as we got our best result of the season, a tenth win and a fourth clean sheet – the second in a row. The win ensured that we stayed above AFC Varndeanians to finish in seventeenth place and twelve points clear of relegation. Had Little Common beaten Midhurst & Easebourne we would have been a place higher and closer to our fifteenth place of last season. The big issue for the final day was who would be champions and promoted. Congratulations to our friends at Steyning Town as they made no mistake with a win at Seaford Town and bounced straight back up to Step 4. Haywards Heath Town lost at Eastbourne United but gain home advantage for the play offs starting on Saturday. Guernsey secured third place and will host Horsham YM. Peacehaven & Telscombe finished fifth and will travel to Haywards Heath Town.