PEACEHAVEN & T.  2  CRAWLEY DOWN  2 

After all the hype the match more than lived up to the billing. Peacehaven and Crawley Down served up another classic to add to last seasons memorable encounters, with Ryan Bradley's last minute equaliser capping a memorable afternoon.

This was the match Peacehaven have been building towards for weeks, the chance to show that they have rebulit after the chaos of the summer, and could go toe to toe with

last season's departed heroes. For Crawley Down boss Darren Guirey it was a chance to finally beat the club he left eighteen months ago.

With those stakes it was no surprise that both sides were weighted towards attack. Guirey rarely plays any other way, and Pete Edwards and Terry Hall had no choice but to match him. The visitors line up included Ashely Jones, Ben Swetman, Tom Burton and Roy Pook, but there was no place for the injured Wes Millis. Edwards and Hall had no option but to send out their eleven best players and hope no one got injured. Their lack of options was highlighted by their decision to deploy Craig Bunch at centre back.

The match began quickly with Guirey's trademark direct approach putting the somewhat rudimentary home defence under early pressure. Pook fizzed a shot wide, and Nick Sullivan had a header well saved by Joe Adams.

Crawley Down grabbed the lead after a controversial decision to award a penalty against Adam Kneller for tugging back Sullivan. Few in the ground agreed with the decision, but Tom Lyons spot kick stood, and the mountain Peacehaven had to climb had become a lot steeper. When Pook steered home a cross from Sullivan shortly afterwards it looked to be game over, but a rather dubious offside flag saved Peacehaven.

Tempers threatened to boil over after a late challenge from Burton on Rob O'Toole, but generally the match was played in good spirit and Peacehaven drew level just before the break, as Bradley played in Ashely Rees, who drilled in his fourth goal in the last four matches.

That gave the hosts a huge boost and they were rampant at the start of the second half. Shayne Goldsmith produced a fine save to deny Rees, and Bradley hooked wide.

Against the run of play Crawley Down regained the lead, again with a measure of good fortune. Lyons wayward shot deflected into the path of Sullivan and he couldn't and didn't miss. Both goalkeepers then produced spectacular saves, Adams getting fingertips to Burton's fierce drive and diverting it onto a post, and Goldsmith keeping out Bradley from point blank range.

With time almost up O'Toole's cross caused chaos in the Down penalty box, and Bradley, arriving late at the far post, tapped in the equaliser. It was a dramatic end to a dramatic afternoon.

Report by Alex Panton

Peacehaven:- Adams, Hall, Hill, Kneller, Bunch, Gunn, Snell, Rees, Bradley, Levitt, O'Toole

Unused Subs:- Saunders, Wiltshire, Cullinane.    Scorers:-  Rees 44, Bradley 90

Peacehaven Man Of The Match Craig Bunch

Crawley Down:- Goldsmith, Ranson, D.Sullivan, Jones, Swetman, Burton, Pook, Curtis, Lyons, N.Sullivan, Watson.

Subs:- Laine, Etherington, Allard, Ruth     Scorers:-  Lyons 19 (Pen), N.Sullivan 60

 

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