Saturday 19th April - SCFL Div 2 - Swans 5 Peacehaven 4
This game at the Rec represented the penultimate game of the season for both sides. Peacehaven went into it looking for a victory which would have seen them move into second place in the table had Rustington failed to win at Crawley Down. There were no such exciting rewards on the table for the Swans, who were simply looking to finish the season as strongly as possible.
The management were forced into a number of changes once again with several players unavailable from the previous game at Lancing. James Blaydon was called in to partner Ben Mckenzie at centre half. Nick Leogue started at left midfield. The bench comprised of the previously injured James Ericson, and promising youngsters James Naylor and Jordan.
'Haven' started the brightest of the two teams as they zipped the ball around at pace on a bumpy surface. The Swans had to weather a number of corners and free-kicks around the box, with Mark Beaumont continuing his good form in between the sticks. It was therefore somewhat against the run of play that Sam Witherden gave the hosts a 14 minute lead. A perfect through ball by Craig Grantham found Witherden at full pace with only the goalkeeper to beat. He duly tucked the ball into the bottom left corner with great aplomb.
The lead was only to last for 10 minutes however as Peacehaven continued to press, with Millis getting himself on the scoresheet. Millis doubled his and his teams tally with a 39th minute header, leaving Beaumont with no chance. Witherden had the only other real chance for the Swans in the first half. He found himself in a similar position to his goal only slightly wider. The result was not similar however as he scuffed his shot wide of the post. Half time, 1-2.
Nigel Dyer thought the Swans were still in with a chance of taking something from this game, and he sent the side back out with this in mind. His belief seemed mis-placed however as the home side seemed to collapse in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Levitt scored for the away side on 48 and 54 minutes, leaving Storrington with a mountain climb in the final half-an-hour, as they found themselves 1-4 down.
The recently out of sorts Neil Grantham threw the home side a lifeline however as he scored with his head after an excellen free kick from Kristian Bridle. 2-4, and at least a little hope. Leogue was replaced by Ericson at left midfield immediately after this goal. His impact was almost immediate as he slid Kiristian Bridle into an advanced position, who in turn found Sam Witherden, who in turn found the bottom corner of the net with a bullet like finish. 3-4 and the Swans were on the comeback. They equalised on 80 minutes as the Peacehaven defence seemed to be at sixes and sevens. The ball pinballed around the away sides 6 yard box, after a free kick was awarded to the Swans following a back pass which was bizarely picked up by the Haven keeper. The ball found its way into the goal via the out-stretched leg of a defender. 4-4 and a great assist for Witherden who was threatening all afternoon with his pace and direct approach.
The game looked to be heading for a thrilling draw but there was still one final twist to this entertaining encounter. James Naylor had entered the fray in place of Ben Reilly, and the substitute had a hand in the winner. He cooly flicked on a goal kick, which was headed into the path of Grantham with only the 'keeper to beat. He dispatched the chance with confidence and wheeled away in celebration only to be mobbed by his team mates.
The goal came in the 89th minute and left Peacehaven no chance to find a reply.
Peacehaven will be left kicking themselves that they did not close the game out at 4-1 up, but for Storrington this was an excellent comeback and credit must be given to them for finding the heart and resolve to get 3 points out of a game when none looked almost inevitable. Perhaps more perfomances like this would find the Swans nearer the top than the bottom of the league, in a season which has shown any team can beat any other on a given day. The management team will be looking for greater consistency next term, along with a ruthlessness in front of goal that was evident in today's game.
Midhurst and Easebourne are next up in the final game of the season, and a victory would see the Swans end the season on a high. [JE]
TEAM: M Beaumont, Bradshaw, Riley (Naylor), Mckenzie, Blaydon; Witherden, Meehan, Bridle, Rhodie, Leogue (Ericson), Grantham
Saturday 12th April - SCFL Div 2 - Swans 1 Seaford Town 0
Eamonn Searle was restored to the line up and a rousing request to give everything was duly delivered by each of the 14 players who took part on Saturday. Meehan scored a penalty after the Seaford keeper took out Sammy with a body check or was it a gust of wind blew him over, anyway the ref saw sense and awarded the spot kick which Aaron calmly placed for 1-0 after only 9 minutes. This relaxed the side and although Seaford had little to play for the Dartnalls continued to hassle and harry and one chance came the way of the Seaford striker whose excellent shot from 25 yards was saved by Gaz in goal, but did he really have to dive and make it as spectacular as that, I suspect not! The back four of Mck’, Palms, Rhino and Dayo looked comfortable and Ayresy revelled in space all afternoon but was guilty of a couple of chances set up by the effervescent Searle.
So at 1-0 it was all about maintaining the lead and not to concede, several adjustments were made in closing stages, Eamonn Searle was bought off after showing off to the Seaford back four by doing press-ups over the ball in the six yard box instead of scoring, cheers Eam. Neil Grantham entered and showed why he is the top goal scorer by not having a single shot himself for the entire 25 minutes he was on the pitch and Sammy again bemused others with his pace and tripped over the ball in the box, for another penalty to be awarded. Meehan who was about to be subbed, insisted on taking the spot kick and we all wish he hadn’t, as Eamonn and his press up would have been more effective, this time the Seaford goalie saved well with his feet.
Enter Nick Leogue for his debut on for the ever youthful Rhodie and Ben Reilly for Meehan. Both had instructions to shore up the midfield and defend. Nick’s first touch was a header on target from about 12 yards out and Reilly ran around like a demented dervish and got booked for two cynical, sorry typical, Reilly challenges. Despite only a one goal lead Storrington never looked like losing, even in the last 5-10 minutes where usually we leak a goal and our senior status was ensured for season 08-09 [JC].
Team: Elliot, Mckenzie, Palmer, Hammond, Day, Rhodie, Meehan, Alexander, Ayres, Searle, Witherden. Subs: Grantham, Reilly, Leogue, Bridle, M.Beaumont
Saturday 5th April - SCFL Div 2 - Broadbridge Heath 1 Swans 0
Both of these sides went into today's game desperate for a positive result. Anything less than a win for the home side would have meant certain relegation to intermediate football for the 2008/09 season. A point would have rid the Swnas of this sobering thought completely and allowed them to have relaxed a little in the remaining four games of the season in the knowledge that they would be in Division 2 next year.
The lads should not have required any further motivation that this but nonetheless it was underlined by manager Nigel Dyer before the game that anything less than a top performance would result in the Swans searching for senior football security from a different game.
The game started fairly brightly for Storrington with them having the better of the very early exchanges, whilst not really creating any clear cut chances.
On 25 minutes, the home side took the lead with what can only be described as a freak goal. Gary Elliot in goal was presented with a fairly innocuous back pass which somehow he managed to fire to a Broadbridge Heath forward who, first time, found the empty net. 1 nil down and the Swans were up against it.
The weather was changeable to say the least moving from bright sunshine to hail stones in the space of a few minutes. It was no less erratic than the Swans performace however as several minutes of good possession was frequently followed by a mis-placed pass or an ill-thought out decision. The final 10 minutes of the first half was probably Storrington's best period and resulted in their best effort on the home side's goal. A fine John Rhodie cross was mis-judged by a Heath defender who scuffed it onto the head of Craig Grantham who saw his effort miraculously saved by the 'keeper. It could have been a different game had the effort found the net but it wasn't to be and the Swans trudged off to receive a piece of Dyer's mind 1 nil down.
The second half saw the Swans improve in terms of ball retention but sadly good scoring opportunities were few and far between. The best of the second half following some good work down the right hand side by substitute Sam Witherden. His fizzed six yard box cross was inches away from the advancing Grantham however.
The away side looked solid at the back for the entire game, bar the goal conceded. It was the creativity and spark that was missing today. To only create two decent chances in a game of this magnitude will be a concern for the management team. Nothing should be taken away from the home team as they battled and scrapped for every ball and they seemed to want it more on the day. They have played all of their league games now and can only sit back and watch to see if the Swans fail to register a single point in any of their last four games. If this happens, it will be Heath who survive the drop. If it doesn't, Storrington will be the ones to survive.
If that stark fact fails to motivate the players for the run in, then sadly, they will get everything they deserve. [JE]
TEAM: Elliot; Day, Hammond, Palmer, Mckenzie; Rhodie (Riley), Meehan, Alexander, Ayres; Bridle (Witherden), Grantham. Subs not used; Bradshaw, Blaydon.
Saturday 29th March - SCFL Div 2 - Swans 0 Littlehampton 0
Although it doesn’t sound like a thriller, this was a decent game at the Rec against opposition experiencing a similarly transitional season. In fact it was Swans third commendable performance in a week, as they look to pull away from the lower reaches of the division, and finish the season on a high. Indeed, the draw moved the home side to within a point of guaranteeing their senior survival. They will look to finish the job at Broadbridge Heath this Saturday.
The bosses kept faith with the XI that rolled Steyning over last week, and Swans started brightly. Alexander and Meehan were too strong for their diminutive midfield opponents, while Bridle probed and prompted in his new advanced role. But nothing clear-cut was created, and as the half wore on the visitors improved, and perhaps should have had a lead by the break. Gary Elliott had to be alert in a couple of goalmouth scrambles, but by and large Swans back four kept things tight. Into the second half, and as the weather deteriorated the game opened up. Marigolds tiny front pair (whose combined age probably equalled poor old Palms, who had to run after them) made some intelligent runs, and Elliott had to be off his line sharply more than once to deny them. Swans had chances too – from Ayresy’s cross, Meehan’s thumping header beat the keeper but grazed the crossbar. Then after a flowing move, Bridle appeared to be in on goal only to be brought down – sadly for Swans the offence was adjudged, I think correctly, to have been inches outside the penalty area. That the offender escaped any further punishment was perhaps more questionable. But after all that, the free kick was wasted. Finally, Elliott had to leap across his goal to keep out a near post header. The suspicion from the crowd was that he’d spotted a cameraman, but it was still a worthy save, which secured consecutive league clean sheets for the first time this season.
Not everything about this performance was good, but it generally continued the progress made in recent games. The draw was a fair result, but that could also have been said about the home matches with East Grinstead and Wealden lately, and of course in both of those the visitors found scrappy late winners. This time Swans looked solid and comfortable at 0-0, there was no sign of any relegation worries, and neither should there be.
TEAM : Elliott ; McKenzie, Hammond, Palmer, Day ; Rhodie (Witherden), Meehan, Alexander, Ayres ; Bridle (Reilly), Grantham
James Rhodes scored after 6 minutes and then EP had very few opportunities thereafter, when most sides may have crumbled. The Swans were resolute in their defending and very positive in attack, giving a debut to new signing Mark Linberry in the second half. The Swans indeed missed 4 excellent chances in the first half after some great work by Ayres, McKenzie & Bridle but neither Sammy nor Craig could get on the end. Palms, Bradshaw & Hammond along with Captain McKenzie all played their part in a controlled performance and Gary Elliot in magical form. Rhodie looked like he had slip on flip flops for some of his 45 minutes in very muddy conditions and Meehan played the holding role well, demonstrating that you can play 7 games in 4 days.
The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, with EP having the lions share of possession but unable to penetrate with purpose with most shots either weak or mis directed over the bar (By some margin). Bridle, Ayres and Grantham all had shots well saved and Witherden caused panic at times with his pace so it always looked like the Swans may nick a goal in the dying minutes. Alas, it wasn’t to be and EP ran out worthy winners in the end but the difference in league positions certainly wasn’t prevalent and the players should take this form and give Littlehampton a good game on Saturday and the much needed 3 points.
TEAM: Elliot; McKenzie, Rhodie (Linberry), Palmer, Hammond (Day), Bradshaw, Meehan, Ayres, Grantham , Bridle, Witherden (Reilly), Unused: Beaumont M
Saturday 22nd March - SCFL Div 2 - Swans 2 Steyning Town 0
Initially, 5 words would have summed up this game and the way the swans players felt about it after the game….. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha.
That was until (Quite rightly) it was pointed out that ‘Ha’ is not actually a word and that as it is intended for public viewing, a degree of dignity and decorum would be more suitable.
But then I thought, “It’s me writing it and no one will expect that anyway so what the hell!”
The swans should have been one up in the second minute when Craig Grantham went clean through and smacked his shot into the side netting. The Swans players after being reminded of the treatment and disrespect shown towards them after their defeat at the shooting field earlier in the season were never in danger of that happening again from the first minute to the last. And they battled strongly and ferociously throughout the 90 minutes with some notable individual performances from all involved. From the dug out, to see a team the size of Steyning constantly protesting to the ref about the legality and strength of the tackles was the most rewarding thing.
Steyning, although generally criticised for their style of play are an excellent, well organised and under-estimated team and full credit should go to the manager and players for being a team that is always very, very hard to beat and no one likes playing against them (Apart from old timers who can no longer run and are happy to head it away one million times a game!). And for all the local rivalry and intensity of the game itself, the players, managers and supporters all mingled in the bar after, as they had at the Shooting Field to shake hands and look forward to next season.
Storrington outfought, out battled and obviously out scored their opponents and Steyning are a big, strong (Compared to who Chalaye? Not me they aren’t!) Side that will always trouble teams but if you match their physical attributes and show no intimidation then you have a chance. Storrington provided this in abundance and capped it off with a fine defensive display, none more so than Gary Elliot’s excellent penalty save near the end, given again for a ridiculous handball decision against Dayo when his hands were by his side.
The first goal on 20 minutes was when Neil Alexander attacked the ball well from a corner, it smacked him in the chops and Kristian Bridle hooked the ball into the top of the net for 1-0.
The second was a corker after some good build up play, Richard Ayres controlled with his right and half volleyed from the edge of the area a curler, into the far corner past a bemused Steyning keeper for 2-0 on the half hour. The only real Steyning threat came from their lively number 10 but due in part to the excellent attitude and desire of the Swans there was never going to be any other outcome to this game.
Now the players have shown that they are prepared to fight there can be no excuse for not having the same level of commitment for the remaining games of the season. For all that was said about Steyning on Saturday, we would much rather be in their position than our own and so we can actually learn a lot from them and use them as an example as to how hard work and commitment can get you much more.
The gloating at the end does not really have a place in football, and while two wrongs do not make a right, the Swans now seemed to have paid back the events of the shooting field, and so perhaps whoever the victors are next year, they take that on board.
3 points towards safety and with Littlehampton the visitors next week and a mid week game V East Preston, the lads should be in a very positive frame of mind [JC edited by AS]
TEAM: Elliot; McKenzie, Rhodie, Palmer, Hammond, Day, Meehan, Alexander, Ayres, Grantham (Searle), Bridle (Witherden), Unused: Bradshaw, Reilly.
Saturday 15th March - SCFL Div 2 - Swans 0 Wealden 1
Wealden started the livelier of the two sides who reverted back to four four two and were unlucky not to take an early lead after hitting the crossbar with an early attack. This served to wake up the Swans and a great cross from Rhodie found Searle open on the edge of the six yard box but somehow screwed his shot wide with the goal at his mercy. Wealden threatened with their wide players and were enjoying a lot possession down the left and several crosses flashed across the box but with no centre forward Elliot gathered safely. At the other end each Swans attack was smothered and both keepers had little to do.
After half time it was all Swans and for 15-20 minutes they remained camped out in the Wealden half, Searle making way for the pacy Witherden and Meehan on for Ayres, who had been the victim of a very crude tackle. Bridle and Alexander enjoyed large spells with the ball and several free kicks were won about 30 yards from goal. However the resultant kicks flashed across the face of the goal without any real penetration from the strikers. Then the Swans got the ball in the net courtesy of a flick on by Alexander but it was deemed off side and scratched off. The game seemed to be destined for a point each, very welcome in the circumstances and although the Swans continued to push forward there was no indication of the next calamity.
The ref awarded the Swans a free kick about 15 yards inside their own half, possibly the best player on show then contrived to take a quick kick to get the ball moving but it didn’t reach it’s target and with players out of position, Wealden’s striker beat Palms to the ball and slotted at the second attempt past a bemused Elliot to throw away the 3 points.
This often happens when you are at the bottom and was real hard luck on Kristian Bridle who was inspirational on the day and the effort put in by the team should have been rewarded by a point at least. Steyning up next, what better way to get rid of the blues by crossing swords with your local rivals? [JC]
TEAM: Elliot, McKenzie, Rhodie, Palmer, Hammond, Day, Bridle, Alexander, Ayres (Meehan), Grantham (Vilk), Searle (Witherden)
Saturday 08th March - SCFL Div 2 - Siddlesham 3 Swans 1
The tough conditions set out for this match certainly went along way to controlling how this game would be played by both teams. From the offset it looked as if Sidlesham had adapted to the testing conditions the best with some quick passing moves and good shutting down as their midfielders hunted for the ball in numbers. Five minutes in and some good link up play by the left back and central midfielder accompanied by some poor closing down from the Swans led to a good strike from 18 yards nestling in the top corner which eluded Mark Beaumont who was in for the injured Gary Elliot. This was not the start the management were looking for and once again reiterated that all the hard work put in by everyone behind the scenes had gone to waste. It looked to be another frustrating afternoon from this moment onwards.
As it has been the case for the majority of the season, Storrington yet again started to play some football after conceding the fist goal. After quickly reverting back to 4-4-2 Storrington seemed to take the upper hand and started to apply pressure to the Sidlesham players. In rough conditions Storrington quickly shut down their opponents all over the pitch and gained in confidence as the minutes passed. Some good quick moves and the abundance of the gangly Giraffe allowed Storrington to push on the break and cause some problems to the Sidlesham defence. However the final ball was still missing with Meehan and Grantham particularly, spraying the final pass when in a crucial position. John Rhodie was looking a constant nuisance down the left flank and looked the most comfortable on the ball to the pleasure of the management trio. It was in fact Rhodie who set up Grantham with a ball in to feet from which he went close with a neat turn and shot. The shot was blocked for a corner from which Rhodie with his second attempt, curled the ball in to the far post which beat everyone and hit the top of the cross bar. This was a huge encouragement for Storrington and it wasn’t long before the much needed equaliser came about.
With the ball at his feet Grantham was felled on the edge of the penalty area. Meehan whipped the resulting free kick with a dangerously across the goal which was met by a headed clearance as far as Stewart Day. Dayo headed the ball back goal wards where Grantham was pouncing. His shot was blocked by Frankie Vilk on the line but as the Goalkeeper went to claim the ball an outstretched foot by Grantham re-directed the ball towards the goal from a tight angle which landed in the back of the net. One goal a piece and Storrington would surely take this much needed goal into their stride and push on for another, or maybe not?!
From this point on the away side only showed glimpses of the football they had previously played before the equaliser. Namely a good weaving run (which doesn’t happen often) from Stewart Day before he struck a sweet shot from 25 yards that just went passed the stranded goalkeepers post.
For the next 25 minutes up until half time the game was dominated by Sidlesham who seemed to spring to life after conceding. The home side’s midfield started to hunt in packs and then attack in numbers which was causing the midfield pairing of Vilk and Meehan and the back line all sorts of trouble. A mixture of this and some unorthodox challenges and off the ball kicks from the Sidlesham players seemed to knock the away side’s concentration and it wasn’t long before this resulted in the second goal. The Sidlesham player was allowed far too much time and space by the defence to turn and run with the ball in the penalty area before passing the ball into the corner of the net. This was an extremely soft and disappointing goal to concede after all the effort put in to get back level.
Sidlesham looked to take control of the game from this point onwards and Storrington who were taken off their game didn’t look likely to come fro behind again were struggling. This was especially due to the fact that Sidlesham are a team that play to their strengths well.
Many Storrington heads were gone and were more bothered about the actions of Sidlesham than there own game. This paid dividends to Sidlesham and their effective game plan as they looked to find a third goal before the half was out.
With Storrington more interested in getting ‘even’ with the opposition it was only a matter of time before Sidlesham extended their lead. This time Grantham gave away possession on the half way line and the Sidlesham midfield broke quickly. The player ran across field and enticed the tackles from the Storrington defence and the chasing back Grantham. The man was first brought down by Gavin Hammond and as the ball went loose a challenge by the striker Grantham on another man brought about a free kick about 25 yards out.
With the wall set the striker stepped up and struck a less than convincing although well placed free kick around the wall and into the bottom corner to the despair of the away side and especially Mark Beaumont in goal.
As the half came to an end Sidlesham definitely came in the happier of the two sides and would have felt confident that the three points were in the bag. Storrington would have to come out the blocks firing on all cylinders and concentrate on their own performances if they were to influence the final score.
As the second half started it looked as if Storrington had been revamped by the half time team talk. Frankie was pushed up top to partner Grantham and Neil Alexander dropped back into his usual position to boss the midfield. This seemed to work as the away side controlled the start of the half. A good through ball by James Ericson was chased down by Vilk who was subject to a poor challenge in the box. As the ref blew for the tackle everyone thought he had given a penalty as to which there were no complaints by the home side. Strangely a free kick was awarded on the edge of the area when the incident had clearly taken place some two feet inside the box. A penalty would have set up an interesting second half however it was not to be on this occasion and the resulting free kick was struck into the wall by Meehan.
Meehan started making the crunching tackles and Giraffe was everywhere as we have come to expect from him. With a fresh introduction from the bench of Sam Witherden on the right side of midfield, Sidlesham were now facing a constant threat of pace down the wing.
This substitution seemed to work straight away with Sam getting a lot of the ball out wide. A neat interchange between Grantham and Witherden saw him bomb down the wing beat two players and supply a superb cross to which no one was there to meet it to the disarray of the management.
The half remained evenly contested and yet rather scrappy due to the weather conditions deteriorating much throughout the second half. With only a few chances occurring at either end the match petered out and ended with a score line of 3-1. This just shows that the lack of concentration for the full 90 minutes has yet again proven to be the downfall of this team so far as a funny 25 minutes in the first half which resulted in conceding two goals has proven costly. There is only so much you can say when the same problem keeps rearing its ugly head. The management trio need a solution and more out of the team if they are to finish this season gracefully.
A special mention should go out to the Storrington keeper in to replace the injured Gary Elliot, Mark made some cracking saves to keep the score line down to just three when we were up against the elements.
Another mention should go out to Matt Carter, who came on to replace Meehan with 15 minutes to go on his first team debut. He ran the show in midfield and showed some good vision for passing, including putting pacy Smithers through one on one, definitely one for the future [CG]
TEAM: M Beaumont; Bradshaw, Hammond, Mckenzie, Day; Meehan (Carter), Rhodie, Alexander, Ericson (Witherden), Vilk; Grantham.
The Swans welcomed our near neighbours to the rec for a game that always has an added bit of spice and the swans players were reminded by the managers about how it felt when the victorious Steying players were hammering on the wall after defeating the swans with two late goals when the two teams met at The Shooting Field earlier in the season and that now was the time to put that right.
Saturday 01st March - SCFL Div 2 - Swans 1 Pease Pottage 4
Despite 2 season changing performances in the last 2 matches a changed but none the less strong enough looking Swans, capitulated in the second half to bottom of the league Pease Pottage. Co manager Searle netting as early as the 10th minute after some good work by Witherden but a dubious penalty for handball against Kristian Bridle lead to an equaliser. Then 3 goals without reply by the visitors gave them only their second 3 pointer all season.
This was a poor result and a poor performance and one that needs to be eradicated from the system before the next game away to Sidlesham [JC]
TEAM: Elliot; Bradshaw, Rhodie, Hammond, Day; Meehan, Bridle, Alexander, Ayres; Vilk, Witherden (Vilk), Searle.
Saturday 23rd February - SCFL Div 2 - Swans 0 East Grinstead 1
The management were in the luxurious position of naming the same starting eleven for the first time this season as the Swans looked to build on last weeks performance. However, the Wasps started strongly and Elliot made some crucial saves and the back four stood strong. East Grinstead's best opening of the half came on 25 minutes when the Swans struggled to deal with a left-wing cross and Sullivan's shot and Lynn's follow-up header were both cleared off the line.
The Swans had three good opportunities themselves but failed to test Whibley in goal and the game which should have been about a great passing game, degenerated as East Grinstead failed to ask enough questions to break down the shape that the Swans had started with.
Three minutes before half-time East Grinstead hit the post from the rebound after Gary Elliott had kept out another shot. The half ended with honours even and the Swans definitely the happier of the two.
The second half started with Storrington on top but again failing to create any clear cut chances, Hammond and Vilk on their home debuts both looked very comfortable though and despite East Grinstead possession, nothing was really created by either side. Then the turning point of the whole game, they scored when a fiercely struck shot ricocheted to an offside Saunders. He put the ball past a bemused defence, clearly 5 yards off, for 1-0. The entire team then asked questions of the immensely young linesman who determined that the last touch was from a Storrington defender and therefore on side, this was not the case and as often happens at the bottom, the decisions go against them.
As indeed they did shortly after when Meehan, up front to replace the injured Witherden, was hauled back by his shirt, visible from 50 yards away, but apparently not from 12. The Swans piled on the pressure and McKenzie found himself with a shooting opportunity which was blocked but the rebound fell kindly to McKenzie he placed it neatly into the corner but incredibly Whibley managed to tip it around the post. Several corners were dispatched and a number of crosses but none of them troubled East Grinstead who looked dangerous on the break and the game petered out for another league defeat.
This was not a deserved defeat, this is not a gripe at East Grinstead who are clearly the best side in this division but on Saturday a point was the most likely outcome and Storrington can consider themselves very unlucky not have taken anything from the game. [JC]
TEAM: Elliot; McKenzie, Palmer, Hammond, Day; Meehan, Bridle (Limbachia), Alexander, Ayres; Vilk, Witherden (Rhodie) Subs unused: Bradshaw, A. Beaumont
Saturday 16th February - Brighton Charity Cup 1st round - Arundel 0 Swans 2
A break from league action this week saw the Swans visit first division Arundel in the Brighton charity cup. Storrington rightly went into the game as under dogs with Arundel sitting in the top five of their division, with the Swans occupying a bottom five berth in theirs.
The management team had a strong squad this week and the team they picked were told to enjoy the game, relax and play without the pressure associated with league games. The boys listened and started the game brightly. New boy Gavin Hammond and Adam Palmer, returning to his former club started particularly impressively. The first half was fairly evenly contested with little goal mouth action. With this in mind, the Swans were relatively pleased to go into the half time interval at 0-0. They had matched a good side but knew they could still improve on that performance in the second period.
This they did, passing the ball swiftly and defending resolutely. Kristian Bridle played in typical fashion and acted as the pivot in central midfield, switching the play at every opportunity, keeping Arundel on the back foot. The break through goal however was created and made by Craig Grantham. He received the ball over his shoulder just inside the Arundel box, controlled it and steered it into the bottom right hand corner on 60 minutes. it was a great finish and no less than Storrington deserved.
The goal seemed to wake Arundel up, and they began to exert some pressure on the Swans backline. The Swans were expecting this, as you rarely visit Mill Road without the home side having some periods of domination. The back four stood strong however, and Gary Elliot's handling was perfect all game. When Arundel did cut through the defence, the woodwork came to the visitors rescue - twice in quick succession.
It seemed it wouldnt be Arundels day, and this was confimred as Storrington doubled their lead on 76 minutes. A pacy attack resulted in a corner, which Richard Ayres floated in sweetly. Jason Wimbleton slightly mis-judged the flight of the ball and turned it into his own net leaving his keeper with no chance. The goal was perhaps slightly against the run of play, but the Swans were looking dangerous on the counter as the home side poured forwards in search of the equaliser.
To a man, Storrington performed very well today and if they can continue this form for the remainder of the season, they will have no relegation worries. The visit of East Grinstead to the Rec in the next game will provide a perfect opportunity for the Swans to prove that this victory was no fluke, only the start of a very strong finish to the season. [JE]
TEAM: Elliott, Mckenzie, Palmer, Hammond, Day, Ayres (Cassell), Meehan (Rhodie), Bridle, Alexander, Grantham, Witherden (Vilk).
Saturday 9th February - SCFL Div 2 - Westfield 4 Swans 2
With no less than 4 changes from the previous match 2 weeks ago and 5 changes from the Westfield victory only 3 weeks ago, the Swans made their third trip to the far East of the County. The changes enabled 2 new signings Frankie Vilk (ex-Wick) and Gav Hammond (ex-Rustington) to make their debuts and what an impact they had, both scoring which must be some sort of record?
The game started brightly from the Swans and Westfield were always on the back foot in these opening exchanges with some great crosses from Ben Mckenzie.The home side always looked capable on the break and from one such break the ball could and should have been dealt, but Clarke side headed a bouncing ball over the despairing Elliott for 1-0, somewhat against the run of play. Heads went down and Westfield smelt blood and pushed on to create an opportunity for Jones to finish classily from 20 yards. The Swans looked ragged at this stage but a long clearance 10 minutes from the break, led to debutant Vilk beating the keeper and rounding the last defender to calmly slot for his first, hopefully of many, for the club. Frankie may like to work on his celebrations in training though? So at half time with the Swans still in the game mainly due to 2 amazing saves by Elliott, the excellent work rate from Kristian Bridle and tireless energy from McKenzie, they all agreed to take the game to Westfield as indeed they had a few weeks ago. Only a few minutes into the second half, the ball broke across the Westfield goal with Rhodie waiting to convert but Grantham slid in and the ball hit the base of the post and went wide. This cajouled Westfield into attack and soon after went 3-1 then 4-1 ahead gifting Clarke an easy hat trick, the Swans unable to react quickly enough, first to a short corner and secondly to a goalmouth scramble and to demonstrate how the Swans game was going, Sub Johnson ( On for his first team debut)created a chance for Rhodie who trod on the ball and the chance was gone.
Grantham hit the bar with a specultaive 30 yarder and then the goal of the game. Palmer and Hammond up for a corner attacked the ball, it was cleared but only as far as Hammond who had dropped back and he then demonstrated the art of volleying, which nearly took out the fence behind the goal. This put a little cheer back into an otherwise disappointing afternoon and with other results not going their way, the Swans must start putting some points on the board to avoid a finish similar to last season.
Some respite from the league this week, as former Arundel players Chalaye & Searle visit their old stomping ground in the Brighton Charity Cup and both will be keen for their side to show some character as a few old team mates still practise thier game at the home of the Mullets.
TEAM: Elliott, Mckenzie, Palmer, Hammond, Day, Cassell(Johnson), Meehan, Bridle, Rhodie, Grantham, Vilk
Saturday 26th January - SCFL Div 2 - Storrington 2 Mile Oak 2
This week Storrington welcomed high-flying Mile Oak to The Rec in what would always be a tough encounter. Mile Oak were Storrington’s first opponents this season back in August 2007 when The Swans ran out 1-0 winners, although it was a very close game and could have gone either way. Since then Storrington have struggled to find any prolonged period of form whilst Mile Oak had climbed to 6th in the table.
With Jon Chalaye present but on crutches, Nigel Dyer present but unwell and Eammon Searle unavailable due to work commitments the pre-game preparations were a little lacklustre but captain Ben McKenzie did his best to get the boys fired up. More changes were forced upon The Swans, with both James Ericson and Stewart Day serving suspensions, Tom Bradshaw came straight in a right back for his first start in a couple of weeks, Andy Cassell slotted in at left back and John Rhodie appears to have found a new home as he made his second start in two weeks at right midfield since signing only three weeks ago.
Given the poor pre-match preparations it was hardly surprising that Storrington started badly. It took the home side a full ten minutes before they even ventured into the Mile Oak half. Mile Oak appeared to be the side more up for this one and, whilst they weren’t playing overly attractive football, they harried and pressured the ball as Storrington were getting caught in possession. In all too familiar circumstances, the deadlock was broken after 20 minutes as Adam Palmer was adjudged to have tripped Burnett in the Storrington penalty area. Kieran Howard duly stepped up to neatly slot away the spot kick and give Mile Oak the lead that they deserved, 1-0. More bad news came for Storrington as the on fire Craig Grantham had to come off with a knee injury. He was replaced by Neil Alexander up front who always adds a different dimension to The Swans’ game, given his aerial ability.
One suspects that the home side’s changing rooms would not have been a place for the faint-hearted at half time. Whatever was said must have worked because The Swans came out for the second 45 minutes a completely different team. The free flowing football was back and Sam Witherden, who had been relatively quiet during the first half, was being a menace up front. With a quarter of an hour gone, Storrington found the equaliser. Sammy Witherden latched on to a through ball and delightfully smashed the ball past the oncoming Mile Oak keeper, 1-1. Storrington continued to try and play football and Mile Oak barely threatened Elliott, who had been excellent in the first half and was probably responsible for keeping the game within The Swans’ reach. However, at 1-1 you felt that either side could grab the winner.
The next goal came from the most unlikely of sources, Adam Palmer’s left foot! A Storrington corner was not dealt with and in the scramble that followed Palmer managed to swing his left foot and the ball into the bottom corner of the net, 2-1 and Palmer had more than made amends for the penalty in the first half. With only eight minutes to go it looked as though the points were secure. Unfortunately, Mile Oak grabbed the equaliser on 86 minutes after a defensive mix-up from a Mile Oak corner allowed Tony Burnett the opportunity to slot home from close range, although he did need two bites of the cherry. The absence of Neil Alexander in the box to defend the corner was most certainly felt.
On reflection it was probably a fair result but you still feel that Storrington could easily have taken all three points had they shut up shop more effectively. Being the League’s draw specialists or leading penalty conceders is not an accolade that you scream from the rooftops. That said, excellent second half performance and solid displays from the players that came in.
TEAM: Elliott; Bradshaw, Cassell, McKenzie, Palmer; Rhodie, Bridle, Meehan, Ayres; Grantham (Alexander), Witherden. Subs not used: Blaydon, Beaumont
Saturday 19th January - SCFL Div 2 - Storrington 3 Westfield 1
At the third attempt Storrington and Westfield were finally able to cross swords and actually play a game of football, due to 2 previous postponements. The talk before the game was about a lack of concentration for 90 minutes and this week Storrington would take this on board.
A request to start brightly was adhered to and Craig Grantham, in such a rich vein of form, took this literally by smashing a sumptuous left foot volley from fully 40 yards over the Westfield keeper for 1-0, after only a minute. The next 44 minutes flowed end to end, as Westfield sought out the equaliser, but the home side's defence looked impervious. Ayres, Meehan, Bridle and Rhodie all went about their jobs in a professional manner and allied to Witherden's pace and Grantham’s deft touch. All in all, Storrington looked the part.
The half time team talk was to weather the storm and be aware of the Westfield keeper’s kicking ability. All went according to plan until the 75th minute when Adam Palmer tripped Baker and the ref pointed to the spot. Baker got up, dusted himself off and, despite Gary Elliot’s great dive, his fingertips couldn’t keep out the ball for 1-1.
It is during this period of the game that Storrington have all too frequently thrown in the towel but today was different. Bradshaw & Searle made their appearances count, the former won a tremendous 50/50 challenge and the ball was masterfully collected by Ericson who exchanged passes with Ayres down the left. Ayres then flighted a majestic cross that begged to be headed home. This was dutifully despatched with his head by Searle for 2-1. Again the normal pattern of play would have seen Westfield apply pressure and Storrington give away those valuable points but Meehan had other ideas.
He took it upon himself, after some good work by McKenzie, Bradshaw & Grantham, to beat three or four Westfield players and drill a low shot past the keeper. Whether or not it was going in turned out to be irrelevant as Searle, like days of old, slid in for his second and Storrington’s third to give the home side 3 very welcome points.
Westfield’s pressure was intense at times in the 2nd half but the back four of Day, Palmer, McKenzie and Ericson stood firm and Bridle was outstanding in the middle, always available and prompting the excellent passing game that Storrington seem to be producing these days.
We all look forward to next weeks visit of Mile Oak and maybe, just maybe, another victory the lads deserve for all of their hard work this season.
TEAM: Elliott; McKenzie, Ericson, Palmer, Day; Rhodie (Bradshaw), Meehan, Bridle, Ayres; Grantham, Witherden (Searle). Subs not used: Cassell
Saturday 12th January - SCFL Div 2 - Storrington 1 Crawley Down 2
The same fixture away at The Haven earlier in the season saw The Swans unlucky not to come away with a point after The Anvils scored a winner very late on. Unfortunately, with today's fixture came a huge sense of déja vu! Both Kristian Bridle and James Blaydon returned to the squad for today's game but 3 weeks of holidaying over the festive period saw them both start on the bench as The Swans lined up in a familiar 4-4-2.
With a number of games called off across the county today it was no surprise that the pitch was going to play it's part in affecting the quality of football that was played. Unfortunately for the home side, it was Crawley Down who looked to have been first to find their touch on the difficult surface. The Swans struggled to find their range of passing, the final ball was not good enough and they looked to be being over-run in midfield. With this in mind, Meehan was switched back into the centre of the park alongside Alexander with Cassell taking position wide on the right. The first scare for The Swans came after about 20 minutes when a free-kick out the left managed to elude everyone, including Elliott, and strike the upright. The deadlock was broken on 27 minutes after the referee decided that Stewart Day had pulled enough of the Crawley player's shirt to warrant a penalty - a decision was was felt by most people around the ground to be a soft one. Nevertheless, Woolley stepped up and slotted home from the penalty spot to make it 1-0 to the away side. Half time came and it was a welcome opportunity for Storrington to re-group and the management would no doubt look to make some early changes if things carried on as they did in the first 45 minutes.
Messrs Chalaye, Searle and Dyer decided to change things early on in the second half with Kristian Bridle coming on up-front in place of Sam Witherden who was having a quiet game by his high standards. New signing John Rhodie came on for Andy Cassell who was struggling to be as effective as he normally is playing slightly out of position.
Things got much better for The Swans after this as they seemed to now be dominating the game with most people around the ground feeling it was a case of when and not if the home side would get a deserved equaliser. Bridle was the first to come close with his half-volleyed effort going just over from about 20 yards out but it was the in-form Grantham who got Storrington back into the game. Ercison delivered a searching ball into the box that was flicked on by Rhodie (who was playing well on his debut) and met by head of Grantham to nod into the top corner and make it 1-1 with about 10 minutes left on the clock. Richard Ayres almost gifted the away side with a winner after his interesting backpass lacked both power and accuracy - a superb one-on-one save by Elliott kept it a 1-1. However, with about five minutes to go an all too familiar late winner came for the opposition. Neathey got round McKenzie and his low drilled cross found the unmarked Edwards who was left to pick his spot and make it 2-1. Storrington never gave up and had good chances to equalise again in the dying moments with Ayres going close with a header from close-range and Meehan having two shots excellently blocked by The Anvils' keeper but it just wasn't to be.
So 2008 starts with three straight defeats. 1 goal for and 6 goals against, with 4 of those coming in the last fifteen minutes of the game. Without doubt Storrington are a good side and on their day are capable of beating any team in the division. Greater concentration over 90 minutes is required to turn those losses to draws and draws to wins. Table-topping East Grinstead are the next visitiors to The Rec, a team that Storrington played arguably their best football of the season against back in October... [JB]
TEAM: Elliott; McKenzie, Ericson, Day, Palmer; Alexander, Meehan, Cassell (Rhodie), Ayres; Grantham, Witherden (Bridle) Subs not used: Searle, Blaydon
Saturday 5th January - SCFL Div 2 - Storrington 0 - 2 Rustington
The Swans welcomed in form Rustington to the Rec for an energy sapping fifth game in fourteen days. The game saw a change in formation for the Swans for the first time since October, to 3-5-2 as they looked to avenge the defeat dished out to them by Rustington earlier in the season.
The game got off to a very positive start for the Swans as they almost scored within 5 minutes of the kick off. Tom Bradshaw found himself in an advanced position down the right flank, and continued his run with the ball to the by-line. He delivered a pin point ball across the face of the goal, which Richard Ayres met with perfect timing. His goal bound effort though was miraculously saved by the Rustington 'keeper from point blank range. Rustington recovered from this early scare to play some neat football as they kept hold of the ball well. They did not however manage to penetrate the solid central trio of Ben Mckenzie, Adam Palmer and Stewart Day. The unfamiliar formation seemed to suit the three defenders as they picked off headers and runners with ease. And Storrington were playing some nice possession football of their own as Ayres and Aaron Meehan worked well with Andy Cassell anchoring.
Rustington did get through about 10 minutes before the break however after a slick move resulted in their right winger bearing down on Gary Elliot's goal. Elliot produced another characteristic one-on-one save to keep the sides level at half time though. A fairly even first half it was too, with both teams hopeful of the break through in the second period.
The Swans kept the same formation in the second half and the first 20 minutes saw both teams playing some attractive football. Rustington dominated possesion but again, not necessarily in areas that would have concerned the Swans management team. Then, after 65 minutes, the turning point in the game. A Rustington forward managed to wriggle past Stewart Day in the Storrington penalty area. Day seemed to see the red mist descend as he chopped away at the striker, with Ben Mckenzie seemingly available next to him to help avert the danger. A spot kick was awarded and Day could have no complaints. It was tucked away by Bibb to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
This seemed to shake the Swans slightly and Rustington could smell blood. Only five minutes later Boxall found himself with time and space on the edge of the home side's box. He sent his shot curling round Elliot into the top right hand corner. It was a good finish, but Storrington were left wondering as to how he was allowed to pick his spot.
Storrington, to their credit never gave up and produced a few chances at the other end. Sam Witherden found himself in some advanced positions several times but it wasn't to be his day. Eamon Searle who had come on after the second goal, found himself unchallenged after a good cross in from James Ericson. He failed to punish Rustingtons lapse in concentration however, as his header landed straight in the arms of the Rustington 'keeper. The score remained 2-0 until the final whistle.
Rustington are clearly an excellent footballing side and are certain to finish in the top two or three in the table. But Storrington played well today and had it not been for some bad decision making by individuals at key moments in the game, they could have got something out of it.
There is no need to panic as there are many points still to play for, but if the Swans are to climb the table, they will need to cut out the costly individual mistakes, make better decisions, improve their fitness levels even further and be more ruthless in front of goal. The players were left in no uncertain terms about all of these factors by a furious management team, after the game. Next up, another tough test against Crawley Down. [JE]
TEAM: Elliott; McKenzie, Day, Palmer; Ayres, Meehan, Cassell (Watton), Ericson, Bradshaw; Grantham (Searle), Witherden.
Wednesday 2nd January - SCFL Div 2 - Steyning Town 2 - 0 Storrington
On a freezing evening at The Shooting Field, Storrington went into their first Downland Derby since the change of management in confident mood, unbeaten in three matches and on the back of victory over Lancing on Saturday. The left flank had a new look with Stuart Day and Chris Watton returning at left back and left midfield respectively. Player coach Eammon Searle continued at centre half. The two seasons since The Swans returned to Division 2 have seen Steyning dominate this local grudge match, winning all four clashes but Dyer, Chalaye and Searle appeared to have got their side in the right frame of mind for this one as the away side started the stronger. The in form Craig Grantham looked a threat and Storrington moved the ball around nicely in the middle third. For the first twenty minutes it was all Storrington. Grantham fired a shot in from the edge of the box and Witherden headed a deep cross back across the goal only for it to drop kindly for the home ‘keeper. Searle also found the ball at his feet on the back post from a deep corner but struggled to dig the ball out and his lay off to the edge of the box was snuffed out by some desperate defending.
There has been no shortage of ill feeling in this fixture in the past with yellow and red cards common place. On this occasion though, the match never boiled over despite simmering on a couple of occasions. Perhaps not surprisingly, Ben Garman and Stuart Day were involved. Garman, always a thorn in Storrington’s side in these fixtures, was booked for petulantly flicking a foot out at Day when the ball had gone out of play. He was perhaps lucky to stay on towards the end of the half when he raised his hand to a Storrington players face. Day, who was having arguably his best match of the season at left back, was booked for tugging an opponent back on the only occasion that he got caught out of position.
Despite dominating the early exchanges, the visitors didn’t carve out any clear cut opportunities and it was the hosts who thought they had taken the lead around the half hour mark. From a corner Paul Schofield lost his marker and slammed an unstoppable header into the net. The referee had spotted an infringement though and ruled the goal out meaning the sides turned round level at half time. The Swans had been given their warning though. Steyning’s delivery from dead ball situations was outstanding all night with Pickford, Dutton and Price all swinging teasing crosses into the box. Added to that, Pickford has a throw in that is as good as a corner so it was clear where Steynings main threat was going to come from and with only Searle offering any serious aerial presence in the Storrington side, set pieces were always going to be a threat. The Swans management would have been fairly pleased at half time. More of the same in the attacking third but a slightly better final ball would have been the call plus a need to concentrate at the back and keep to a minimum any free kicks conceded in their own third. The visitors started the second half much the same as the first, taking the game to Steyning with Granthan, Witherden and Ayres looking to get behind the back four whilst Meehan pulled the strings in midfield and the quietly effective Cassell worked hard to break up the Steyning play. Grantham fired in a couple more powerful shots but both were straight at the keeper and then Storrington had their best change of the night. Ayres got in behind the left back and got to the line before delivering the perfect ball across goal. Chris Watton had done well to support the play and came steaming in on the back post, seemingly certain to score. Watton made a good connection but somehow the home side’s goalkeeper got back across his line and threw himself into the path of the ball. How much he knew about it is debatable but nonetheless it was an outstanding save to keep the match level.
The Swans were looking the more likely to score again and this was the point where they needed to put their foot on the gas and really take the initiative. Like the first half though, Steyning came back into the match and began to threaten. As the match moved into the last third, it started to become apparent that Steyning’s relative inactivity over the Christmas period – this was Storrringtons fourth match in 12 days – would leave them fresher and with more to give. Furthermore, Storrington were limited to just defensive players on the bench so there were no fresh legs to send on to continue to stretch the Steyning back four as Witherden and Grantham had done for the first hour. The home side started to turn the screw but it was still slightly harsh on Storrington when one of Steyning’s numerous free kicks into the box ended up in the net. Pickford curled a teasing ball in from the left flank and as Gary Elliott came to the edge of the six yard box to claim it he got himself in slightly the wrong position and could only try to palm the ball away. He didn’t make sufficient contact and although there appeared to be a Storrington touch before the ball went in as well as a Steyning striker trying to claim the goal, it was awarded to Pickford. Just like last season, a born and bred Storrington boy had done the damage against his home town club. Three minutes later it was 2-0 which really was harsh on the visitors. If the first goal was fortuitous, the second was excellent. The Steyning substitute gathered the ball on the left flank and carried it across the pitch to the edge of the box before sliding in Garman who finished well. Just as he had two years ago, Garman had the last laugh on the Storrington supporters who had goaded him all evening and he remains a quality player. Searle moved up front for the last 10 minutes but the match was gone and Storrington never looked like pulling a goal back so Steyning made it five wins in the last five against the local enemy.
The outcome of these local derby matches will never decide who wins what at the end of the season but Steyning really seem to possess the upper hand in these fixtures. Their form and results throughout the course of a season is not significantly better than Storringtons but on derby day they always seem like the team that are lifted and fired up by the occasion whilst the added significance of the fixture seems lost on the Storrington side. Perhaps the presence of a number of ex-Swans in the Steyning side gives them an edge in these fixtures, perhaps they just have more local lads than the Storrington side. With Dyer, Chalaye and Searle all being ex Storrington players and all highly competitive individuals, they’ll be hurting this morning. They have to turn their minds to a tough January fixture schedule now but the return fixture against Steyning at The Recreation Ground won’t be far from their minds as the chance for revenge. It would have been a source of frustration to The Swans management team that three of last nights victorious Steyning team were Storrington players as recently as twenty months ago. With Searle again forced into action as an emergency centre half and with few attacking options available to relieve Grantham and Witherden after a tough Christmas peiod, there were murmurings amongst the Storrington supporters that it wouldn't be a bad thing to see these players swapping their red shirts for blue ones again.
TEAM: Elliott, Ericson, McKenzie, Searle, Day (Beaumont), Ayres, Meehan, Cassell, Watton (Palmer), Grantham, Witherden
Saturday 29th December - SCFL2 - Storrington 2 - 1 Lancing
Storrington welcomed back a host of ex-players back to the Rec for a game in which both sides were desperately looking for all three points. The Swans had seen their previous 3 league games end in stalemates, and whilst that is hardly promotion form it was regarded by the management team as a solid base to push on from.
The game itself began with Storrington on the front foot, playing some neat and tidy football. The pressure was converted into a 1-0 lead after 26 minutes when a clever move down the left hand side ended with Craig Grantham thumping the ball past the goalkeeper with his left foot. The goal was Grantham's 3rd in as many games and it showed as he reeled away in celebration. Sam Witherden came close soon after but was thwarted by a decent save and a couple of speculative efforts were safely seen wide or over by the visiting custodian. At the other end the Swans were relatively comfortable with Dan Griffin and his strike partner forced to chase long balls, mostly out wide. Griffin went close from a corner though, as he struck the bar wih a headed effort.
After 36 minutes, the lead was doubled with another fine right footed finish by Grantham, this time the move leading to the goal coming from the right hand side. 2-0 up and the Swans were looking comfortable. Perhaps it was the unfamiliar feeling of being in such a favourable position that contributed to the lead being halved on 43 minutes. After a short midfield exchange, the ball found its way to Dan Griffin, who must have felt slightly strange wearing the yellow of Lancing against the team mates he had left only weeks before. Sentimentality didn't seem to stop Griffin cleverly finding his strike partner though who duly slotted past the on coming Gary Elliot.
2-1, half time and Lancing were back in the game. The second period saw Lancing, predictably perhaps, come out all guns blazing and they provided a few scares for the home team. Elliot produced a couple of magnificent saves, including a one on one where the Lancing substitute looked clear favourite to score. Elliot has worked hard this season on these very situations and it is now paying dividends. There is no goalkeeper you would rather have between the sticks in the league when faced with an on-coming striker with the ball at his feet.
Storrington still looked dangerous on the break but seemed to tire slightly as the final whistle approached. They held on to their lead though, and a welcome 3 points were achieved.
Lancing belied their lowly postion in the league and proved once again that there are no easy games in this division. The victory represented the first maximum points haul from a game since the trip to Seaford in October and the timing could not have been better with bitter rivals, Steyning Town next up on January 2nd [JE]
TEAM: Elliott; Bradshaw, Searle, McKenzie, Ericson; Alexander, Ayres, Meehan, Cassell (Limbachia); Grantham, Witherden
Wednesday 26th December - SCFL2 - Storrington 2 - 2 Broadbridge Heath
After 4 draws and a defeat in their last 5 league games, Swans were after 3 points today against a Broadbridge Heath side that had produced some mixed results of their own this season. It promised to be a closely fought contest with both teams in similar league positions. The scoreline would suggest this to be the case but Storrington can only have themselves to blame for squandered scoring opportunities and lapses in concentration at the back.
Swans started the brighter of the two teams but it was Broadbridge Heath who were to draw first blood after a matter of minutes. An unfortunate mix up in Gary Elliot’s penalty area between Aemon Searle and Ben Mckenzie resulted in the ball squirming towards the goal. Tom Bradshaw was wrong footed and unable to steer the ball clear of danger and his attempted clearance resulted in an own goal. 1-0 to Broadbridge Heath.
To Swans credit, they continued the rest of the first half in the same vane as the first 5 minutes before the goal. The boys had been instructed by the management team to have more confidence on the ball and the message seemed to have been understood as the ball was moved accurately and swiftly in all departments. Swans matched their confidence with commitment and fight and this was demonstrated as James Ericson put in a thunderous but fair challenge on Jamal Sultan in the centre circle resulting in the ball speeding through to Craig Grantham who beat the offside trap to round the keeper and tap home on 38 minutes.
A few minutes later, Sam Witherden was put through after some decent Blues possession to go one on one with the keeper. Witherden chose to shoot past the oncoming Joe Comper, only to see his right footed effort curl past the post. Half time and the Swans were slightly disappointed to be level having dominated possession, playing some attractive football.
The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, but with Storrington perhaps relying on the long ball a bit too often. Aaron Meehan and Neil Alexander were bossing the central midfield exchanges and the forwards were feeding off of more than scraps as they have had to do in previous weeks. Storrington were finally rewarded for their hold on the game after 77 minutes when Witherden was put through and confidently slotted home past Comper. It seemed the Swans were heading for their first league victory since winning at Seaford on 13th October. It wasn’t to be however as once again a lack of concentration in defence allowed Paul Stephens to power a header past Elliot after a hopeful ball into the box on 81 minutes. If the Swans had been concentrating, they would have left Stephens and another of his team mates in an offside position when the ball was originally headed out of the box. The remainder of the game saw both sides close to grabbing a winner but the final score was 2-2.
Credit should be given to Heath who never surrendered to heavy Storrington pressure but the Swans must surely look back on this game as 2 points lost rather than 1 gained. They must learn that every game of football lasts 90 minutes, not 60 or 80. They have let too many favourable positions slip this season in the closing stages of games and this will need to be addressed urgently. On a more positive note, they played with greater verve and creativity than has been in evidence in recent weeks and that must be carried into following games. Other pluses include the form of Bradshaw (despite the oggie!) who was such a prominent player last season and who has been out injured for much of this season, and the second goal in as many games for Grantham. Witherden now has 5 goals in his last 6 games and if the strikers can show even more confidence in front of goal, and others can chip in with a few, the future certainly looks bright.
Lancing are the next vistors to the Rec and with a host of ex-Swans in their ranks, including Dan Griffin, it will be another stern test for Storrington. [JE]
TEAM: Elliott; Bradshaw, Searle, McKenzie, Ericson; Alexander, Ayres, Meehan, Nicolson; Alexander, Witherden
Saturday 15th December 2007 – SCFL Div 2 – Lingfield 3 Storrington 3
Another week of forced changes for Storrington. Tom Bradshaw comes in at right-back with James Ericson moving to right midfield in place of the absent Richard Ayres and Neil Alexander starts up front in place of the suspended Craig Grantham. John Bacon retains his place at centre-back alongside Ben McKenzie after impressing against Midhurst a fortnight ago. Today also saw a debut squad appearance for the young Kieran Limbachia who has impressed in training over recent weeks.
On a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon, Storrington started the brighter side enjoying much of the early possession without really creating too many chances. The turning point in the first half came after about 10 minutes when a mix up and lack of communication between the Storrington defence and Elliott in goal led to Jones receiving the ball at his feet to slot into an empty net, 1-0. Lingfield then seemed to put their feet firmly on the gas and went on to dominate the rest of the first half. The worrying thing from a Storrington point of view was the amount of time Lingfield were given on the ball and the hastiness at which we gave it back. Jones up-front was having a lot of success cutting in from the right and his second came just before the half hour mark. John Bacon got slightly the wrong side of his man who was free to lay the ball back to Jones who finished with aplomb, 2-0. As the half time whistle blew, The Swans could probably count themselves relatively fortunate that the deficit was only two goals.
The saying “It’s a game of two halves” could never have been more aptly applied to a game of football. Storrington came out in the second half all guns blazing. Within a couple of minutes they had pulled one back after a good delivery from the right by Ericson found the predatory Witherden free to finish from close range for his fourth in as many games, 2-1. Five minutes later The Swans were given another lifeline after they were awarded a penalty. Aaron Meehan stepped and coolly despatched the spot kick, 2-2. Storrington continued to battle and try and get the ball down. Day was running through brick walls in defence, Neil Alexander was a good outlet and continued to dominate his aerial battles and the midfield were now starting to support the front two better.
Just after the hour mark the game turned on it’s head as Storrington were awarded another penalty. The penalty was awarded for handball although the Lingfield players, and of course the home fans, felt that the free-kick should have gone the other way for a push. Nevertheless, Meehan scored from the spot again, sending the keeper the wrong way, 2-3. Although The Swans were playing much better in the second half you could never discount Lingfield who always looked dangerous on the break. After 80 minutes they got their equaliser – some good work by Gillard on the left saw him pick out the unmarked McCarthy in the box who slotted home, 3-3.
A point at Lingfield is always a good point and it was probably the right result in the end. The Swans will be phoning Sidlesham in advance of next week’s home game and giving them a 2 goal head-start! It seems that Storrington produce some of their best football and battling qualities when chasing the game!
TEAM: Elliott; Bradshaw, Day, McKenzie, Bacon (Blaydon); Bridle, Ericson (Cassell), Meehan, Nicolson; Alexander (Limbachia), Witherden
Saturday 1st December - SCFL Div 2 - Midhurst & Easebourne 3 Storrington 2
After last weeks horror show at home to Southwick, the Swans were determined to get back to winning ways against high flying Midhurst and Easebourne. The game took on particular significance for Stewart Day, who was returning to his former club after joining the Swans in the summer. The team remained unchanged from the Southwick game with the exception of John Bacon coming in for the unavailable James Blaydon at Centre Half.
The game got off to a pulsating start as Asa Nicholson rattled in a 25 yard screamer into the top corner inside one minute after some nice, one touch football down the right hand side by James Ericson and Richard Ayres. The goal by Nicholson was an example of the quality he possesses and the Swans will hope that he can reproduce these moments on a more regular basis. The following 20 minutes or so were evenly matched but Storrington doubled their lead after Craig Grantham delivered a pin-point pass into the path of in form striker Sam Witherden, who coolly slid the ball into the corner of the goal to beat the on-coming keeper. The goal marked Witherden’s third goal in as many games and he will hope to continue that ratio for the rest of the season. 2-0 and the Swans were in full control of the game.
Stewart Day was clearly enjoying his return to Midhurst and put in a ferocious but fair tackle on the opposing right winger. The referee gave a free kick to the home side which Day took some exception to, and duly told the ref so. In turn, the ref took exception to Day’s outburst and showed him the red card for foul and abusive language. This proved to be the real turning point of the game, as the Swans were forced to play the remaining 70 minutes with ten men. They equipped themselves well for the rest of the first half, but some fairly persistent Midhurst pressure resulted in a goal for them just before half time.
Despite this set-back, the team were still positive about getting a result, and lone manager for the game, Nigel Dyer, insisted that Midhurst’s desperation to get back into it could play into the hands of Storrington. The unfortunate Witherden was sacrificed in order to cover the hole left by Day, with Andy Cassell coming on at left full back. The second half began with Midhurst in possession of the ball for long periods, without them posing a serious threat to Gary Elliot’s goal. Storrington were finding it difficult to do anything else other than keep a solid shape which served to frustrate the opposition. A free kick was given away by more foul language about 35 yards from the Storrington goal, which bizarrely the referee allowed to be taken about 10 yards further forward. This presented a shooting opportunity for the Midhurst striker who duly obliged, only to find his shot parried by Elliot. Unfortunately for the keeper, the ball fell to the Midhurst substitute who tapped home to make it 2-2. The Swans were obviously disappointed, but a point away from home after going down to 10 men so early on in the game would still have been a good result, so there was still plenty to fight for. Ben Riley replaced the injured James Ericson to try to hold on to a valuable point. Sadly, it wasn’t to be as Andy Cassell’s attempt to nick the ball away from Midhurst’s winger was slightly mis-timed on the edge of his own box. The penalty was converted and the comeback complete.
The Swans can take a lot of heart from the performance, if not any points, as they demonstrated good quality going forward, plenty of fight and some resolute defending at times. It must also be said that they were on the wrong end of some controversial decisions by the referee, but they must accept that this sometimes happens in football and that the way to react is by playing football and not by arguing with the officials. Other plus points were the blossoming strike partnership of Witherden and Grantham, and the performances of youngsters like Bacon, Nicholson and Meehan. Next up is an away trip to Westfield, where a strong performance is needed if they are to come home with the 3 points. [JE]
TEAM: Elliott; Ericson (Reilly), Day, Mckenzie, Bacon; Bridle (Witten), Ayres, Meehan, Nicholson; Grantham, Witherden (Cassell)
Saturday 24th November - SCFL Div 2 - Storrington 1 Southwick 1
The Swans entered into today's home fixture against Southwick in confident mood. The second half display at Wealden showed grit, passion and desire and this was surely a welcome home fixture to build on last week's performance.
Swans did not start the game well. With the exception of only a few, the Storrington players did not seem to want the ball and when they did have the ball at their feet they didn't seem to know what to do with it. The defence were guilty of being caught in possession on several occasions and not clearing their lines. However, despite the poor start The Swans were given a reprieve after just five minutes. Sam Witherden latched on to a Craig Grantham flick and coolly lobbed over the oncoming Keith Cheal in the Southwick goal for his second in as many games, 1-0. Storrington found themselves in the rare position of being in front and it was hoped that it would kick-start their half, unfortunately, this was not the case. Southwick continued to press and play with pace and intent. They got their deserved equaliser just after the half hour mark, some good work by the Southwick number 10 was halted by Blaydon only for Paul Elliott to pick up the ball and skip past the Storrington defence and slot past Gary Elliott, 1-1.
Alex Ferguson would have been proud of the half-time team talk that followed as the Storrington players were given a dressing down. Sadly, there is not a lot that can be said for the home side's performance in the second half either as Southwick again started the better side. It was relatively one way traffic throughout the second half and whilst Southwick played the better football and enjoyed the vast majority of possession, Elliott in the Storrington goal was never really tested and the back four dealt with most of what was thrown at them. Southwick may have come away with all three points about 10 minutes from time as the lively Paul Elliott up front saw a good attempt with the outside of his boot come back off the inside of the post. However, 1-1 it was to remain with Storrington probably the happier side with the point.
Today was just one of those days and anyone associated with Storrington will hope that it was just a blip and a one off. Very few players played to their ability and the football just did not flow, against a better side the scoreline could have been far more embarrassing. Storrington will take the point and draw a line under this performance as next week sees an away trip to high-flying Midhurst. [JB]
TEAM: Elliott; Ericson, Day, Blaydon, McKenzie; Bridle, Ayres, Meehan, Nicholson; Grantham (Searle), Witherden. Subs not used: McLeod, Bacon
Saturday 17th November - SCFL Div 2 - Wealden 2 Storrington 2
After last week's fixture at home to Westfield had been postponed, Storrington's next test was at much fancied Wealden who went into today's game on the back of a 7-0 drubbing of Pease Pottage. The Swans were back to an almost full strength squad with only Adam Palmer missing thru illness. The Swans have been guilty this season of conceding too many goals and not defending as a team, they thereore lined up in a 4-5-1 formation to try and over-ride the threat from Wealden's attacking midfielders.
Unfortunately, this did not quite go according to plan. Wealden started the game by far the better side and were certainly the team that looked to get the ball down and play. Ironically, their first goal came from midfield after about 10 minutes. Chris Morrow had made a surging run from midfield and was picked out to slot home left footed, 1-0. The Swans started to turn things round and their first goal came on the 20 minute mark after a good spell of possession. Neil Alexander's long throw into the box was flicked on by Grantham who found Sam Witherden in space to smash home with his left foot for his first of the season, 1-1. The game was a reasonably physical affair as both teams battled to get their noses in front. The Storrington back four defended well and kept the likes of Danny Curd quiet but it was another midfield runner that got Wealden back in front. Morrow turned provider and found Darren Gearing just inside the box who fired home low into the corner, 2-1. Witherden and Grantham's pace up front was causing Wealden some problems as was Asa Nicholson who was having a very good game in midfield. Aaron Meehan was playing out of position on the right of midfield but he was involved in the move just before half time that pulled Storrington back level. His cross found the head of Craig Grantham who out-jumped the Wealden keeper to head into an empty net, 2-2.
The quality football dropped slightly in the second half as both sides tried to push for all three points. Wealden certainly enjoyed more possession during the second period without really creating too many chances. Messrs Blaydon, McKenzie, Day and Ericson continued to keep both Curd, the divions top goalscorer, and Liam Bull at bay. On the hour mark, Wealden felt they had a claim for a penalty but the referee did not agree as Day was ajudged to have tackled fairly. Probably the best effort of the half actually came on the 89th minute as Sam Witherden's audacious 40 yard effort nearly saw Wealden's keeper embarrassed had it not been for a fine backpeddling save.
The game ended 2-2 with Storrington probably just the happier side after the 90 minutes - a point away at Wealden is always a good point. The Swans will use this performance as a springboard to better results as they demonstrated passion, determination and resolute defending. Southwick are the next visitors to The Rec and Storrington will no doubt be looking to do the double over them this season. [JB]
TEAM: Elliott; Ericson, Day, Blaydon, McKenzie; Nicholson, Bridle, Alexander, Meehan; Grantham (Searle); Witherden. Subs not used: Ayres, Beaumont
Saturday 3rd November - SCFL Div 2 - Littlehampton 3 Storrington 2
Another tough test for the Swans this afternoon as they made the relatively short trip down the road to pre-season favourites Littlehampton. Skipper Ben McKenzie was unavailable and Adam Palmer failed a late fitness test which meant that James Blaydon slotted straight into the back line alongside Stewart Day who was making hist first Swans start since serving a three game suspension. An injury to Richard Ayres also meant that Sam Witherden dropped back to right midfield with Neil Alexander, returning to his former club, partnering Craig Grantham upfront.
In contrast to last week's surface at The Rec, there could be no excuses this week as Littlehampton's pitch was in excellent condition as usual. The game started at a reasonable pace and was competitive, with a fair number of challenges flying in. Storrington arguably enjoyed the better possesion during the first 25 minutes although neither side were playing their most attractive football of the season. Both keepers had not really been called into question until the deadlock was finally broken just before the half hour mark. A Littlehampton corner was not dealt with effectively and neither was the cross that followed as Barry Pidgeon was left free to head in back across goal beyond Elliott, 1-0. The Swans stayed firm and persisted, calling former Storrington man, Jim Everett in the Littlehampton goal into question a couple of times. This persistence was finally rewarded after 35 minutes when Craig Grantham delivered the ball back across goal and caught a Littlehampton defender on the arm, with the referee awarding a penalty. Aaron Meehan calmly slotted home the spot kick with Everett diving the wrong way, 1-1. For the next 10 minutes, all The Swans had to do was be resolute but unfortunately this is where this side has struggled this season. Littlehampton went 2-1 up on 43 minutes after a superb Ryan Hudson strike was not closed down and left to find the top right hand corner of the Storrington goal. On the stroke of half time a a ball that should have been kicked into row Z was dalleyed on with Bennett free to nip through and chip over the out-rushing Elliott, 3-1.
The second half started as it had finished with Littlehampton enjoying the lion's share of possesion and creating themselves a number of chances. However, the fundamental difference was that the Storrington defence had cut out the mistakes from the previous 45 minutes and, although Littlehampton hit the post with a good strike, most of their efforts did not trouble or test the Storrington keeper. Once again, the second half was not a spectacle in terms of some of the football that was being played but with about 15 minutes remaining Storrington started to command a bit of authority. Andy Cassell had come on for Kris Bridle who was struggling with a back injury but soon had to slot in alongside Blaydon in the heart of defence after Day retired with a bit of a niggle to the groin. Ayres came into the centre of midfield alongside Meehan and Dan Griffin came on for Alexander upfront. The Swans got themselves right back into the game on 77 minutes after a James Ericson corner met the head of Aaron Meehan who powered into the roof of the net for his second of the game, 3-2. Storrington battled well for the last 10 minutes or so and Ericson was unlucky with a late effort that clipped the outside of the post but Littlehampton's experience won the day with them soaking up everything that Storrington threw towards their goal to hang on for all three points.
Reality time for The Swans now... Mistakes get punished at this level and you have to be able to consolidate when you pull yourselves back into a game or edge your nose in front. Westfield are visitors to The Rec next week - three points here would be more than welcome... [JB]
TEAM: Elliott; Ericson, Beaumont, Blaydon, Day (Ayres); Witherden, Meehan, Bridle (Cassell), Nicholson; Grantham, Alexander (Griffin)
Saturday 27th october - SCFL Div 2 - Storrington 1 Lingfield 2
The Swans finally came home to their nest to entertain Lingfield after what has seemed like an eternity without a home match. With the pitch now two metres narrower and still displaying the scars of the summer drainage work, it will be a while before slick, flowing football is possible but nonetheless, Dyer, Chalaye and Searle were glad to be back on familiar territory after a run of just two wins in their last seven matches. With Stuart Day continuing his comeback from suspension with the reserves, the only change to the side that went down 3-1 at East Grinstead was Aaron Meehan returning to the starting line up in place of Neil Alexander. The opening stages were evenly contested with both sides appearing slightly cautious of the erratic bounce of the pitch. The surface had an inevitable impact, slowing down the pace of the game. Despite the pitch, Asa Nicholson looked threatening down the left flank, Meehan and Kris Bridle managed to get some control on the match in the middle of the park and Sam Witherden’s pace and tireless running up front always looked likely to get him in behind the visitors back four. At the other end the main threat appeared, as usual, to come from Dan Gillard. All left foot, you always know what he’s going to do but he’s so good at it that he can do it anyway, twisting and turning away from tackles. The home back four kept him pretty well shackled though and as he drifted into wider positions looking for the ball, the threat was nullified somewhat.
There were a couple of alarms from corners for The Swans as they failed to clear the ball but they thought they had scored when Witherden executed an excellent glancing header over the oncoming keeper midway through the first half. When he headed the ball he was onside but the linesman indicated that he had been standing in an offside position when the ball was played. Scoreless at half time would probably have been about right but Lingfield got their noses in front when a deflected free kick was parried by Gary Elliott and Courtney reacted quickest to put the loose ball into the net. The linesman’s flag was seen to twitch as it initially appeared that he was going to give an offside but the flag stayed down with the explanation that one Lingfield player was offside but the player who put the ball in the net was not.
When the sides re-emerged for the second half Storrington had their best spell of the match, spending long periods deep in Lingfield’s half. It was this spell of pressure that brought the equaliser and probably should have brought at least a second goal. The equaliser was a screamer from Aaron Meehan. Shortly after he’d crashed a left foot volley from the edge of the box that appeared goal bound before hitting a defender, Meehan found himself in a similar position, twenty yards out as the ball dropped. This time taking it on his right foot, his body shape and technique were exemplary as he fired the ball into the top corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. Meehan was mobbed by his team mates, his brilliant strike seemingly giving them the belief that they could go on to take all three points. Storrington had their tails up now and upped the pressure, Craig Grantham hitting a thumping drive straight at the keeper from 25 yards. They nearly scored again in unlikely circumstances when left back Andy Beaumont saw the keeper off his line and attempted an audacious lob from just inside the Lingfield half. The desperately back peddling keeper got his hand to it and deflected the ball onto the bar. One more golden opportunity came the way of the home side when Witherden found himself through on goal in the inside right channel. He went for power rather than placement and flashed a rasping shot just over. It looked like the home side's failure to turn their second half pressure into goals would cost them two points but in the end they came away with nothing as Lingfield scored from the spot in the dying minutes. James Ericson slightly mistimed his challenge and the Lingfield striker needed no encouragement to hit the deck. There were no complaints from McKenzie or his team but it was perhaps slightly harsh on The Swans to take nothing from a match that they had controlled for periods.
The failure to turn pressure and possession into goals has been a problem for Storrington for over a year now and must be particularly frustrating for player-coach Eamonn Searle, himself once a prolific goal getter for The Swans. Indeed, in Searle and Dan Griffin, the club has two players with a combined total of over 200 goals for Storrington. What Chalaye, Dyer and Searle would give now for one of those two at the peak of their powers. The five players who have regularly started or come off the bench in the two striker positions this season have just four goals between them – Craig Grantham 3, Grainger Hodgson 1 – in thirteen matches. The management team will have watched with interest as Luke Baker fired a hat-trick and Griffin a brace as the reserves finally kick started their season with a 5-0 demolition of Rustington. [RN]
TEAM : Elliott ; Ericson, McKenzie, Palmer, Beaumont(Bradshaw) ; Ayres(Blaydon), Bridle, Meehan, Nicholson ; Grantham(Searle), Witherden
Saturday 20th October - SCFL Div 2 - East Grinstead 3 Storrington 1
So this was the point that the Management Team had been waiting for… Two months into the season and messers Chalaye, Dyer and Searle had a very nearly full squad to select from, with the only notable absentee being Dean Leaver who is still struggling with a groin injury. The conditions were as good as you could ask for at this stage of the season up at East Court - They are clearly a club gearing up for promotion this term. A flat playing surface on a big pitch would certainly suit the Swans style of play and hopefully make for a good game of football.
Swans lined up in a 4-4-2 formation and started brightly. Neil Alexander was breaking up play well in the centre of the pitch and the wide players were seeing a lot of the ball. In fact, for the first 20 minutes Storrington probaly looked the better side without creating any real clear cut chances. However, at this level it is all about taking your chances and the Swans were dealt a hammer-blow 20 minutes in when a mix-up between Adam Palmer and Kris Bridle in the Storrington penalty area allowed Burns to smash home from close range, 1-0. Unfortunatley, five minutes later East Grinstead doubled their lead when a through ball found Mannie Neville in acres of space with time to calmly slot past Elliot in the Storrington goal, 2-0. Two goals in five minutes took the stuffing out of the away side but Storrington continued to try and play football. The Swans had a very good shout for a penalty in the first half after Neil Alexander appeared to have been fouled but it was not to be. After a great start to the half, Storrington were grateful of Gary Elliot and the woodwork for providing damage limitation.
Storrington again started the brighter in the second half, enjoying some good early possession. Sam Witherden was unlucky not to pull one back for the Swans after his one on one was well saved by Whibley in the East Grinstead goal. He then saved superbly again to deny Richard Ayres. At 2-0 down, another big decision went against Storrington when what appeared to be a fairly obvious handball in the East Grinstead box was not given. Just after the hour the Wasps extended their lead further when substitute Dave Gellatly reacted quickest to a saved Simon Funnell strike to slot home from close range, 3-0. Storrington switched to a 3-4-3 for the final 20 minutes bringing on Eamonn Searle and Aaron Meehan and got a consolation goal ten minutes from time. Adam Palmer nodded home from a Storrington Corner.
The lessons that can be learned from today's game were that Storrington can mix it with the best in the league but also that the importance of clinical finishing is paramount and today that was the difference. The Swans are at The Rec next week for their first home tie of the season and Lingfield are the visitors. What better way to start the home campaign than with three points?! [JB]
TEAM: Elliott; Ericson, Palmer, McKenzie, Beaumont (Meehan); Nicholson, Bridle (Blaydon), Alexander, Ayres; Grantham, Witherden (Searle)
Here is a link to the report on EG's excellent website.
Saturday 20th October - SCFL Div 2 - East Grinstead 3 Storrington 1
Saturday 13th October - SCFL Div 2 - Seaford 3 Storrington 5
The Crouch has been a home from home for the Swans in recent times, this being their 3rd successive win at a ground where others often find things tricky. But usually dour defence and pinching a goal has been the order of the day, whereas here the home rearguard went completely AWOL allowing Swans to finally find some goalscoring form. Actually Swans did their best to match their hosts generosity in the first half, managing to go in 3-2 down at the break, but a much more determined and organised effort in the second half deservedly garnered them three unanswered goals. The cliche that they should have had ten is often trotted out in these situations, but here it was probably true.
Asa Nicholson had already grazed the post when Richard Ayres nodded in Sam Witherdens hooked cross 7 minutes in, but slack marking at a free kick meant the lead quickly disappeared. Swans were soon back in front from an unlikely source; when Seaford failed to properly clear their lines, Andy Beaumont popped up on the edge of the box and calmly sidefooted a peach into the top corner for a memorable maiden senior goal. But Swans dozed off again at another set-piece for 2-2, and when three Seagulls queued up to fill an alarming hole in Swans defence, an excellent finish from twenty yards gave the home side the half time lead. But whatever was said in the dressing room had the desired effect, and Swans quickly regained the advantage. First, a neat passing move ended with James Ericson firing a low shot into the far corner. I wonder when both Swans full backs were last on the scoresheet on the same day. In fact i'll tell you when - never, that's when. Then two minutes later Ayres tricked his marker on the edge of the box and calmly rolled the ball into the corner. After that it was open season on the home goal. In no particular order: Ayresy should have capped a fine performance by completing a hat-trick only to head wide from two yards. Front two Craig Grantham and Sam Witherden, who both played a big part in the win, could easily have had a hat-trick apiece as well with more composure in front of goal. When Sam did find the net, he was the victim of a hairline offside decision, but Craig did get his goal to wrap things up. Swans looked to have made a mess of a 3 on 1 break, but Grantham rescued the suituation, stepping inside his man and drilling home a low shot from 10 yards.
This performance was far from perfect, but for the first time in a while the positives outweighed the negatives. The attacking flair that has only been seen in fits and starts up to now, saw as many chances created in 90 minutes as in the 11 previous games combined. Ayres and Ericson, in particular, got forward with impressive intent. Kris Bridle continued his promising rehabilitation, and defensively, once Cassell, McKenzie & Blaydon knuckled down to their task, it was a pretty trouble free second period.[DG]
TEAM : Elliott ; Ericson, McKenzie, Blaydon, Beaumont ; Nicholson, Cassell, Bridle (Alexander), Ayres ; Grantham, Witherden
In the circumstances i hope you will excuse the lack of a report for this game. Those desperate to read about it can click the link below to visit Rustington's new website, where a full and pretty fair report has appeared.
Saturday 6th October - SCFL Div 2 - Rustington 4 Storrington 0
Friday 28th September – RUR Cup Round 1 – Storrington 0 Selsey 2
Ongoing delays in the preparation of the pitch at the Rec meant Swans had to sacrifice home advantage for this cup tie, and were forced to embark on the rather tiresome rush hour journey to Selsey for an evening kick-off for the second time in a month. And it was a familiar story once the action got underway too, as a spirited Swans performance again gave the Div 1 outfit a good run for their money, but ultimately brought no reward.
Having effectively lost the tie in the first twenty minutes four weeks ago, Swans were determined to keep things tight early on, and this they achieved through some diligent defending, notably from the outstanding Adam Palmer, and a couple of excellent reflex saves from Paul House, the veteran stopper drafted in to allay the ongoing keeper crisis. Gradually Swans grew into the game, with exciting debutant Asa Nicholson making some incisive runs down the left. On the other flank Sam Witherden looked dangerous too, but struggled with his final ball, until he found Craig Grantham 10 yards out just before half time. The big striker beat his marker to the near post ball, but saw his effort rebound off the post straight into the grateful arms of the Selsey No.1. Still, there was plenty to be optimistic about as the half ended goalless. Things proceeded in much the same vein after the break, until Selsey pinched a goal out of nothing on the hour. Ben McKenzie had a solid game alongside Palmer, but a momentary lapse saw his clearance blocked into the path of More, who galloped away to slide it past Housey. It was difficult for the visitors after that, and they only threatened intermittently to get back on terms. Grantham did have the ball in the net from a good volley, but the flag had already (rightly) gone up for offside, and then the home side delivered the death blow five minutes from the end. Swans were caught with too many players pushed forward, and a long ball over the top gave Ridley all the time in the world to round Housey and rubber-stamp the result.
Plenty of good news for the Swans – Housey is a shrewd acquisition, while Nicholson, some 25 years his junior, gave an extremely promising display. The return of Kris Bridle in the last 20 minutes was also a most welcome sight. The team continues to evolve, and given 4 or 5 games to gel, this eleven could go far in Div 2. The bad news though, prior to this week’s trip to early pacesetters Rustington, is that yet again it seems that several enforced changes may have to be made due to unavailability. [DG]
TEAM : House ; Ericson, McKenzie, Palmer, Beaumont ; Witherden (Hodgson), Cassell (Bridle), Meehan, Nicholson ; Griffin (Blaydon), Grantham
Saturday 22nd September - SCFL Div 2 - PPV 1 Storrington 2
Pease Pottage had yet to find their first points of the season, but have been improving with every game. Storrington, on the other hand, were going into today's game off the back of a 6-1 thumping at Sidlesham, which would have been encouraging for the home side.
Storrington made some changes in personnel from the side that lost the week before. Dan Griffin started in goal, whilst there was a Swans debut for Andy Cassell and a first start this year for Chris Watton, who was making his long awaited return after suffering a bout of glandular fever. Quite predictably, the first 5-10 minutes of the game saw Storrington a little flat-footed as the back five got used to each other. However, after this initial frantic period, Swans started to get the ball down and play and create chances. The first goal came after around 10 minutes from a corner. James Ericson whipped a fine ball in which Aaron Meehan latched onto to slot home from 10 yards, 1-0. Swans dominated the first half with Sam Witherden enjoying a lot of freedom down the right flank and Watton and Richard Ayres linking up well down the left. Just before half time came the game's first significant incident. Craig Grantham chased down a through ball that the Pottage keeper gathered, only to claim that Grantham had caught him late on the way through. In a moment of madness, Pottage's keeper threw the ball into Grantham's face and left the referee with a difficult decision. He decided to send off the Pottage keeper and award the Swans a penalty. The normally dependable Meehan stepped up to take the spot only to see it saved by the PPV centre half! 1-0 at half time but had our final ball and Eamonn Searle's finishing been better, that cushion really should have been greater.
The second half was much closer. PPV worked very hard as 10 men and gave Storrington very little time on the ball. Their first good chance came just after the hour mark when a rifled shot from 25 yards looked destined for the back of the net until Griffin managed to get his fingertips to it and tip the ball onto the bar. The standard of Storrington's football dipped during the second half but they did continue to create chances. Eamonn Searle saw a relatively free header from 6 yards go wide, and the PPV centre half in goal was in fine form. However, on 78 minutes, Grantham gave The Swans the breathing space they had been chasing. He picked up the ball just inside the 18 yard box, turned and fired home low just inside the near post, 2-0. Just when you thought Storrington would now relax and ease into full time, on 82 minutes PPV were awarded a controversial penalty. Griffin clearly seemed to have comfortably gathered the ball with his hands, only for the referee to spot an infringement. A well taken penalty by Dalrymple brought it back to 2-1 for the last 10 minutes but Storrington held on.
It was encouraging to see The Swans creating more chances, especially during the first 45 minutes but they do need to be more predatory and ruthless in front of goal. However, successful sides sometimes need to play badly and win games and Storrington are 9 points out of a possible 15 away from home in the League this season. Friday night is a trip down to Selsey in the RUR Cup - revenge would be sweet. [JB]
TEAM: Griffin; Ericson, Watton (Alexander), McKenzie, Blaydon; Witherden, Ayres, Meehan, Cassell; Grantham, Searle (Hodgson) Subs not used: Bridle, Nicholson
Saturday 15th September – Sussex Senior Cup 1st Round – Sidlesham 6 Storrington 1
Like all teams, Swans have there ups and downs, and its fair to say that the last 12 months have seen more downs than ups. But I’m afraid the performance on Saturday plumbed new depths against arguably the weakest opposition encountered so far this season. Ostensibly a Senior Cup tie, the second half resembled nothing so much as Sunday pub football as Swans threw in the towel with barely a whimper.
Strangely enough, the signs had been quite promising in the opening half hour as an entertaining, open game began to develop. Both attacks looked dangerous as play flowed from one end to the other, although there was nothing to extend either keeper until a moment to forget for Sam Cronin. The young keeper had twice deputised admirably for Gary Elliott in recent weeks, but when no.9 Lafferty scuffed a 15 yard shot towards goal, Cronin spread his arms, called it wide and then watched with horror as the ball trickled into the net. Swans were on terms straight away though after another goalkeeping error, when the home stopper collected a long cross only to throw it into the net in bizarre fashion as he fell to the ground. Another minute on and another lapse handed the lead straight back again, this time a rare Adam Palmer ricket as he was caught in possession in his own penalty area. And the home side went in with a 3-1 lead when a long free kick somehow resulted in a free header into an empty net from a yard out.
There was no reason to think that Swans weren’t capable of turning the deficit round in the second half, but once they conceded a pedestrian 4th goal immediately after the restart, the contest was over. The remainder was a complete embarrassment as the visitors collectively gave up the ghost. A catalogue of elementary errors and an alarming lack of effort ensued, and the only mystery is why it took until injury time for the home side to add a couple more goals, Lafferty completing the easiest senior hat-trick one could possibly imagine.
Swans had shown improvement in each game over the last week or two, which made this display something of a nasty surprise. It’s still early days of course, and the players are clearly capable of infinitely better than this, so it is probably best not to dwell on it. A dreadful off-day that is best forgotten. [DG]
TEAM : Cronin ; Ericson, Blaydon, Palmer (McLeod), Day ; Witherden (Naylor), Alexander, Meehan (Ayres), McKenzie ; Griffin, Grantham
Saturday 8th September – Div 2 Cup 1st Round – Westfield 2 Storrington 0
Despite Westfield having boasted an enviable home record in recent years, the Parish Field has long been a happy hunting ground for the Swans, so we made the long journey east with hopes high of a first cup victory for 2 ½ years. Neil Alexander returned in place of the unfortunate Richard Ayres in the only outfield change, as Swans maintained a 3-5-2 formation, while Sam Cronin again deputised for the injured Gary Elliott.
After a lively opening from the visitors it was Westfield who gradually gained control of the first half, and they took the lead ten minutes before the break. A foul was harshly awarded against Adam Palmer on right flank, and from the resulting free kick, Pepper stole a march on his marker at the near post to guide home a neat volley. The home side struck the top of the crossbar soon after, and Swans were glad to get to the break with just a single goal deficit. A switch to 4-4-2 quickly turned the game round however, and for half an hour Swans were firmly in the ascendancy. Dan Griffin’s near post header from one of several James Ericson corners was somehow scrambled off the line. Alexander headed across goal with nobody on hand to poke the ball home. Best of all was Aaron Meehan’s delightful piece of skill that left him on his own 8 yards out, but his attempt to delicately lift the ball over the keeper saw him also clear the bar. But despite the pressure, Swans couldn’t find an equaliser, and it was no surprise when the Parishioners punished them 10 minutes from the end with a killer second goal. A slick move down the left ended with the impressive Jamison side-footing past the onrushing Cronin. There was no coming back after that.
So a good game against a decent team ended in disappointment for the simple reason that Swans couldn’t turn their periods of domination into goals. Westfield did just that, and thus deserved the win, but this new Swans side continues to show signs of improvement, and get another chance to end this daft cup hoodoo at Sidlesham tomorrow. [DG]
Blades had his camera to amuse himself on the bench, so a few snaps from this game have turned up on this season’s ‘Gallery’ page.
TEAM: Cronin; McKenzie, Day, Palmer; Ericson (Blaydon), Alexander (Ayres), Norris, Meehan, Beaumont (Hodgson); Griffin, Grantham
Tuesday 4th September - SCFL Div 2 - Southwick 1 Storrington 2
Tonight's must win game at Old Barn Way saw The Swans line up in a 3-5-2 formation with first starts for Richard Ayres, who had impressed as a sub in the previous two games, and Craig Grantham who was now available having served his suspension from the end of last season. This fixture also saw the first call up of the season to one of Storrington's youth team in Dan Wright.
This was a classic game of two halves due to one significant early incident. Storrington started brightly and played the more flowing football for the first 20 minutes, keeping the tempo high. The deadlock was broken and Storrington got the goal they deserved after just 5 minutes. Southwick failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Craig Grantham who volleyed home from about 12 yards, 1-0. Seven minutes later, against the run of play, Maltman, the Southwick forward, beat Adam Palmer to a ball played over the top and headed past the oncoming Gary Elliot, 1-1. Elliott and Maltman collided with both players writhing on the floor. After twenty minutes of consultation, Maltman was unable to continue and made his way to hospital. After a 5 minute attempt to soldier on, Elliott was forced to follow him, so Dan Griffin donned the green jersey for the Swans with Dan Wright being handed his debut up front, probably earlier than expected. But that 5 minutes was enough for Storrington to retake the lead after being awarded a penalty for any one of three incidents in the Southwick box. Predictably, Meehan smashed home the spot kick to make it 2-1 after a half an hour that had included less than 10 minutes of actual playing time.
The second half was a scrap. Storrington were keen to protect both their lead and the inexperienced (in goalkeeping terms only) Griffin in goal. The football was not pretty and Storrington spent long spells camped in their own half. However, credit goes to Storrington's non-stop battling and resilience and also to the forwards who never stopped running. A big mention also has to go to Dan Griffin who, although had very little to do during the second 45 minutes, looked assured and came off his line well to increase the back line's confidence. These are games that The Swans need to win if they are to achieve their ambitions of finishing in the upper echelons of the division come the end of the season.
Saturday sees us make the long trip down to Westfield for the First Round of the Division 2 Challenge Cup - now that is a long journey back if you lose! [JB]
TEAM: Elliott (Wright); McKenzie, Palmer, Day; Ericson, Beaumont, Norris, Meehan, Ayres; Grantham, Griffin. Subs not used: Blaydon, McLeod, Allen
Saturday 1st September - SCFL Div 2 - Peacehaven 3 Storrington 1
Storrington travelled to Peacehaven for their fourth consecutive away trip of the season looking to get back on track after two defeats in a week. Dyer, Chalaye and Searle were able to welcome back Gary Elliott, Ben McKenzie and James Ericson but were still without the injured Kristian Bridle whilst James Blaydon was unavailable and Dean Leaver was also injured. Andy Beaumont retained his place following an impressive showing at Selsey and Duncan McLeod came in for a first start of the season.
The Swans started reasonably well and edged the early exchanges without creating any clear cut openings. Granger Hodgson did have the ball in the net but the flag was up and the goalkeeper would claim he'd already seen the flag and stopped. Peacehaven settled down and came into the game after the opening exchanges and started to look the sharper side as the visitors midfield got slightly overrun by Peacehaven's five man midfield. Having caused a couple of problems for Storrington from corners, the hosts took the lead following another corner. Storrington missed a couple of opportunities to clear the ball and after a goal mouth scramble, Cullinane fired the ball through a crowd into the net. There was little action of note for the rest of the first half but the home side extended their lead just a few minutes into the second period. Adam Palmer looked for a moment like he was going to bring the Peacehaven striker down but sensibly withdrew his challenge only for Stewart Day to do the job for him. Penalty. The ball was calmy despatched by Saunders to make it 2-0. Aaron Meehan gave Storrington a life line when he finished from close range after the ref missed Dan Griffin handle the ball.
The Swans' chances of getting something out of the match seemingly took a turn for the worse when Stewart Day was sent off with about 25 minutes remaining for kicking out at a Peacehaven player after the ball had gone. As is often the case though this seemed to bring out the best fighting qualities in the side who were a man down and Storrington had one of their best spells of the match. Again they didn't really create any clear openings though and were caught on the break late on when Stepney beat Elliott to a long punt over the top and rounded the keeper to make it 3-1. Tuesday nights match at Southwick now takes on added importance. A win, and it will be a respectable two wins from four away matches. A defeat, whilst there will be no need for panic, won't be the start that the new management team were looking for. [RN]
TEAM: Elliott, McKenzie, Palmer, Day, Beaumont, Ericson, Norris, Meehan, McLeod (Ayres), Hodgson, Griffin (Searle)
Tuesday 28th August – JOH R2 – Selsey 4 Storrington 2
There is nothing like a good start to a Cup Tie and that's exactly what The Swans had last night - nothing like a good start. Storrington were missing a couple of key players through committments and injury, most notably Sam Cronin came in between the sticks in place of Gary Elliott, but this was a no pressure fixture which would hopefully see the away side relaxed.
This game was all about the opening 20 minutes. Selsey found themselves 2-0 up after two carbon copy goals. The Storrington defence was left flat-footed on both occasions as Ridley latched onto through balls from midfield to slot calmy past the oncoming Cronin in goal. Selsey's third was slightly dubious as Blaydon was adjudged to have fouled in what seemed like a fairly innocuous 50-50. Pearce stepped up and slotted home the penalty to give the home side a 3-goal cushion.
Sadly, it took being 3-0 down to really kick Storrington into life but it happened nevertheless. Swans started to raise their game and match Selsey all over the park, managing to pull a goal back with about 15 minutes of the half remaining. A free-kick wide on the right found the head of Dan Griffin who flicked on for Rob Norris to calmly lob over the oncoming keeper. The half ended 3-1 with The Swans on top.
The second half started as the first finished with Storrington pressing hard. The longer the half went on the more you felt that Storrington would get another and just after the hour, that's exactly what happened. A lovely disguised through ball by Dean Leaver found Grainger's feet in the box who was then brought down for the second penalty of the evening. Aaron Meehan stepped up and fired home from the spot, 3-2. The writing was on the wall for The Swans to go on to at least grab an equaliser but, unfortunately, the fairytale ending was not to be. Some good link up play by Selsey saw them break quickly into the Storrington third and a chipped through ball made contact with the trailing hand of Stewart Day in the box. A penalty was awarded and Pearce stepped up to score his second penalty of the evening, 4-2.
This effectively put the game out of reach for the away side but they continued to battle. Andy Beaumont played well on his debut this season, as did Richard Ayres and Sam Cronin in goal. More players missing this weekend for the trip to Peacehaven, proving that strength and depth will be critical to this years charge. [JB]
TEAM: Cronin; Blaydon, Beaumont (Searle), Palmer, Day; Allen (McLeod), Leaver (Ayres), Norris, Meehan; Griffin, Hodgson
Saturday 25th August – SCFL Div 2 – Crawley Down 2 Storrington 1
The first setback of the new season came at The Haven, the impressively refurbished home of Crawley Down. After an initial flurry from The Anvils, clearly keen to christen the new ground with a victory, the game was very much an even contest, and after an exchange of goals shortly either side of half time, it looked every inch a stalemate. That was until two incidents that decided the outcome as we entered a protracted period of injury time.
First, Dean Leaver found some space on the left to arrow a pinpoint cross on to the head of Eamonn Searle at the far post. His downward header beat the keeper, but the Down right-back got back superbly to hook the ball off the line. Just as Swans thought they would have to settle for a point, the home side pinched all three a minute later. A tiring defence gave Tuckey too much space on the edge of the box, and his low drive found the bottom corner via a deflection, Gary Elliott’s fingertips, and the post. It was rough justice on the Swans, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
It had quickly become clear earlier on that the sudden return of the summer sunshine would be the most influential factor on the match, the heat coupled with a lush pitch dictating a slow pace throughout. Swans had their chances in the first half though – Neil Alexander and Leaver both going close when through on goal, and Dan Griffin snapping a left footer straight at the goalkeeper. But it was the home side who took the lead five minutes before the break. The otherwise solid Adam Palmer missed a routine clearance, leaving the lively Upton a clear run. Elliott came to his rescue with a good block, but the ball rebounded to Fryer, who’s neatly judged lob evaded the best efforts of Rob Norris on the goal line. Swans replied immediately after the restart with an opportunist strike from Leaver – collecting the ball on halfway, he zipped down the flank past two challenges, before firing across goal from an acute angle. A slight deflection helped the ball find the far corner. There was very little goalmouth incident after that, until the twist in the tail.
Swans are clearly still a work in progress, and the intermittent nature of their early season programme means they will take a little longer to gel as a unit. But they have an immediate chance to get back on track with a cup trip to Selsey on Tuesday. [DG]
TEAM : Elliott ; Blaydon, Norris, Palmer ; Ericson, Meehan, Alexander, Bridle (McLeod), Leaver ; Griffin (Allen), Hodgson (Searle)
The game started at a frantic pace and from the offset it was clear to see that the swans players had the bit between their teeth as they snapped into tackles and won the majority of the 50/50 balls. The strong wind was not helping the Swans passing game and was hindering Steyning's familiar long ball game just as much. Craig Grantham should have scored almost immediately from the kick off whne a slick passing move put him clean through but he smashed his shot wide when a calmer head (And perhaps a tighter fitting top) was needed.
Wednesday 15th August - SCFL Div 2 - Mile Oak 0 Storrington 1
The Swans got off to just the start they were looking for with three points and a clean sheet away from home to kick off the new campaign. It was agreed by most involved that this was probably about the best time of year to visit a ground that rarely offers a playing surface conducive to good football and is almost always windy. Having experimented pre-season with 3-4-3, 3-5-2 and 4-4-2, Chalaye, Dyer and Searle concluded that the latter was the best formation for the challenge that Mile Oak presented. The decision would no doubt have been influenced by the fact that Saturdays win at Tunbridge Wells, Swans only pre-season victory, was achieved with 4-4-2, and that Adam Palmer, a key component if a back three is preferred, was sidelined by a knee injury. James Blaydon came in alongside Ben McKenzie at the heart of the defence whilst at the other end of the pitch Grainger Hodgson got a well-earned start alongside Dan Griffin, having scored twice during pre-season.
It was a fairly languid start to the match as both sides tried to settle. Hodgson had a couple of openings, first getting the ball slightly caught under his feet when a through ball from Aaron Meehan appeared to have given him a run on goal, and then controlling brilliantly on the edge of the box before hitting a left footed lob onto the top of the cross bar. Mile Oak meanwhile were causing a few concerns at the back for Storrington with high balls forward which initially the Swans back four looked slightly hesitant under. The visitors main threat early on and throughout the match appeared to be down the flanks where Sam Witherden and Dean Leaver were afforded a lot of space by the home side. The ball was moved wide whenever possible and with Leaver delivering some teasing crosses and Witherden running tirelessly to get in behind the Mile Oak left back, there was always a threat. Indeed, one outstanding Leaver cross created one of the best openings of the first half, picking out Griffin eight yards out. The big centre forward got a powerful header to the ball but could only put it over the angle of post and cross bar. Towards the end of the half, The Swans had a huge penalty appeal turned down. A cross was charged down on the edge of the box and the referee instantly awarded a free kick despite the infringement appearing to be about three yards into the penalty area.
So, the sides went in at half time at 0-0 but with Storrington probably having edged the first half. The visitors started the second half as the stronger side as well and following some great work in the middle of the pitch by McKenzie, Witherden was put through on goal in the inside right channel. His pace meant that nobody was going to catch him but he shot into the side netting at the near post and the best chance of the match up to that point was gone. As the second half wore on, the hosts had their best spell of the game as Storrington became slightly ragged and surrendered possession but the men in blue weren't finished yet and came back well to make it an evenly fought last quarter of the match. Mile Oak had one excellent opportunity but the striker, at full stretch, put the ball over the bar, and Gary Elliotts heart was in his mouth for a moment when he was beaten to a through ball on the edge of the box and clattered the striker after the ball had gone. Fortunately for Elliott and Storrington, the ball had run well away from goal and defenders were getting back so a yellow card was the punishment.
Just when it seemed that this was going to be an early season stalemate, Hodgson sent his team mates and the away dugout into raptures. He chased a ball into the inside left channel and got there before the onrushing keeper. His attempt to lift the ball over the home number 1 was thwarted by an excellent save but as the ball squirted loose, Hodgson had the presence of mind to get it under control, steady himself and bend the ball into the empty net. Mile Oak threw everything forward as the referee added a huge amount of time to compensate for the numerous lost balls during the match but there were no major alarms as Elliott and his back four stood strong. Mile Oak may have felt slightly hard done by and neither side would probably have complained about a goalless draw, but if one side did deserve to edge it, then it was the side in blue. [RN]
TEAM : Elliott ; Ericson, McKenzie, Blaydon, Day ; Witherden, Meehan, Bridle, Leaver; Griffin(Searle), Hodgson(Allen)
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