From the kick off within a few passes Roffey were clear down the right wing, played the ball inside and a left foot shot curled inside the left post and it was 1-0 with not even 30 seconds on the clock. A shocking start and a shock to our team who slowly put it behind them. On 6mins Reon Donkor had a shot from the D saved. A few minutes later Yusuf McGregor had a shot from the right corner of the box that lacked the power to trouble the keeper. On the quarter hour from a free kick on the left, Kwesi Ntim had a shot to the foot of the left post with Donkor following up in case of a loose ball. Just short of the half hour and a clear foul on Donkor was not given allowing Roffey to break. Stephen Hodge was brilliant in chasing back to get in a tackle. The loose ball was recycled by the home side with Mac Chisholm making a good save to avoid the referee's blunder costing us.

An early tactical change saw Jordan Bartley-Daye replaced by Kristian Belousas. On 35mins a missed connection with the ball on the right allowed Roffey to put in a cross that was met with a soft shot that Chisholm gathered easily. Quickly on the attack, Donkor took the ball down the left and slid it forward for Ntim to chase but the keeper gathered it. Chisholm did well again to come off his line to make a solid blocking tackle and clear the ball. Inside the last five minutes and Alex Kpakpe was on the end of a ball worked in from the left but his shot was wide. Into eight minutes of added time due to a couple of injuries, and with four of them played, a ball down the right wing again was played into the centre for Roffey to make it 2-0. The was a question mark over whether the player on the wing was onside. A good run by Tyrone Gondoh down the left brought a ball into Ntim in the box who was then body-checked but nothing was given. It was Ntim again, forcing his way into the box, only to be falling back when he shot sending the ball wide.

The first half was not outstanding as most of the play was in midfield and a in second change for The Lingers as Gabriel Odunaike replaced McGregor for the second half. In the opening minutes, Donkor fed the ball out to the right for Taurean McDonald-Roberts to put in a good cross to the far post but there was nobody on the end of it. On 50mins Donkor was in the box on the right and was taken down for a clear penalty that somehow the referee and linesman missed – a game changing moment. A Donkor cross from the right was deflected behind for a corner by Belousas. The ball came back to him and he hit a fierce shot to the near post that the keeper was alert to. On the hour looking to take to game to the hosts, Gondoh was replaced by Aiden Payne-James. Minutes later a McDonald-Roberts throw was taken forward on the right by Donkor for a cross shot that was blocked at the foot of the left post for a corner.

A rare foray forward by Roffey on 64mins came from picking up a loose ball but there was cover that forced a shot over the bar. Two minutes later a good break out from the back down the left wing was halted as Odunaike was caught offside. Odunaike and Payne-James linked up to give Ntim an opening for a shot that was wide of the right post. On 72mins Hodge made a great tackle to stop Roffey and send the ball forward down the left. Payne-James had a shot from the left corner of the penalty area that lacked power. With fifteen minutes to play Kpakpe was over a free kick from just outside the D and hit a sweet shot that whistled just wide of the right post with the keeper nowhere. Hodge was doing his bit to keep us on the attack by winning the ball in the Roffey box and putting in a cross from the right. It was blocked but Hodge won the ball back again but then the home side were able to get the ball clear.

Ten minutes to go and our final changes as McDonald-Roberts and Kai Nokoe were replaced by William English and Ethan Lampard. Two free kicks came in quick succession as first Ntim and then Belousas hit their shots over the bar. Payne-James was having a good game and made a great run down the left wing and worked his way into the penalty area to cross into the six yard box but there no Linger on the end of it. A final opening fell to Ntim in the final minute but his shot was high. Two lapses had been taken advantage of by Roffey while, having watched us in action in midweek, they were able to nullify our attack and keep a clean sheet.

A first defeat in the league since the end of August with two home games ahead to put us back on track. We kicked off with confirmation of receiving the three points for the cancelled match against Midhurst taking us up to fourth in the table behind Hassocks who had also received the points for their cancelled Midhurst fixture. The table has yet to be updated with the points so rather than being in ninth, The Lingers are down to sixth behind Roffey on goal difference. On Wednesday we host Wick who are down in eighteenth place followed by the rare event on Saturday when we host Newhaven while being six places above them in the table.