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Horsham YMCA 1 Peacehaven &
T. 2 |
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Saturday 27th
August, 2011.
S.C.L. Division 1 |
A year ago
Peacehaven started the season playing well but
not winning matches. Twelve months later they
are winning matches without playing well.
There's no doubt which scenario they would
prefer, but there was also no disguising that
they got out of jail today.
Clive Snell's spectacular late winner was a rare
moment of quality in a scrappy, messy match,
which was continually interrupted and disrupted
by officials, in one way or another.
On an unimpressive surface
Peacehaven struggled to find any rhythm and were
continually frustrated by a determined home
side. When Lee Wood equalised towards the end it
looked as though two points may have been
dropped, only for Snell to intervene.
Peacehaven had lined up with
Ashley Rees, Craig Bunch and Ashley Rees in
attack, with Carl Dunk and Rob O'Toole alongside
Wes Millis in midfield. Their hosts had had a
difficult start to the season, with Sammy
Donnelly trying to assemble a whole team in a
few weeks, and they looked vulnerable in the
early moments of the match.
Bradley and Bunch had both caused
the home defence problems before an injury
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to a linesman disrupted play for
ten minutes as a replacement was found and
readied for action. That break seemed to cost
Peacehaven their early momentum, and the match
became increasingly disjointed as the half
progressed. Not for the first time this season
Peacehaven were over reliant on long balls which
were being easily dealt with by the towering
Lloyd Graham. That was partially excused by the
rutted and over grown pitch, which hardly
encouraged smooth passing football, but it was a
policy which wasn't looking likely to pay
dividends. You sensed
that Peacehaven needed a break, and they got one
in the second half. O'Toole burst into the box,
and his shot bounced around the penalty area
before being tapped in by Rees. YMCA were
adamant that he was offside, but the officials
were adamant that there had been a defending
player on the line, and the goal stood.
Unfortunately they took nearly
three minutes to explain their decision, which
again disrupted the match. Peacehaven were
probably too defensive following the goal, and
invited their hosts back into the match. They
took advantage when Lee Wood, newly signed from
an increasingly troubled Crawley Down, slid in a
well placed finish.
Peacehaven now needed
something special, and unexpectedly they got it.
Snell was introduced almost immediately after
the goal, and in his first attack he hit the
winner. Picking up possession outside the box he
struck a perfectly placed left foot shot into
the roof of the net. Snell's goals are rare, but
they are always worth waiting for, never more so
than today.
Peacehaven breathed a sigh of
relief, but they will know that the performance
level will need to go up for the visit of top of
the table Rye.
Pictures from the game are available here |
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