Trophy run over, Blues get boost, ladies stung
Chichester City 1
Great Wakering Rovers 2 FA Trophy
First half goals from Jake Gordon and George Cox helped Essex side Rovers knock Chi out of the Trophy.
Miles Rutherford made three changes to the starting XI that played so well in the first half in midweek only to lose 1-0 at Three Bridges.
But it was the visitors, with only one point from their five Isthmian north games, that started brightly and caused early scares.
City keeper Kieran Magee was beaten on nine minutes by a super effort from 25 yards as Gordon found the back of the net.
Emmett Dunn, Rob Hutchings and Scott Jones combined as City looked to get back into it but couldn’t turn an attack into a goal.
Jones might have levelled on 17 minutes but hit the post sliding in to meet Ben Mendoza’s delivery.
Mendoza tried his luck from long distance but the visitors’ No1 got behind it.
Magee pulled off the save of the match, palming an attempt on to the post and out for a corner.
A couple of minutes before half-time Rovers doubled their lead when Cox found Morris and stabbed his cross home, pouncing on the loose ball.
Tyrone Madhani came on for Jones at the break and soon teed up Hutchings for a shot that was diverted for a corner.
Hutchings was bundled over in the box but a corner rather than a penalty was given. A Connor Cody header was cleared off the line as Chi tried to get back in it.
With 15 minutes to go a nice finish from Madhani with his fifth goal in five games gave Chi a lifeline.
Chances came and went for Chi but there was no way back. They visit Cray Valley PM in the league on Saturday.
Selsey 2 Mile Oak 1 SCFL divison one
Selsey are sixth in the SCFL division one after a 2-1 home win over Mile Oak.
Although the Blues didn’t
reach the level of performance in the first half that they have in recent weeks, they battled back for the three points thanks to Dillon North’s double.
Manager Daren Pearce said: “After conceding early in the first half, we got back on level terns before half-time. Second half we were a lot better and were assured.
“We scored a really well worked second goal and could have added to it but a good goalkeeping performance from the visiting keeper kept the score at 2-1.”
Selsey, who scored late to clinch a 3-3 draw at home to Billingshurst on Tuesday night, go to Oakwood on Saturday.
Crawley Wasps 5
Chi & Selsey Ladies 0 WNL southern premier
A top performance from onloan Iesha Swash was the standout show at the New Defence, as Crawley Wasps inflicted a heavy defeat on Chichester and Selsey.
Swash, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in the Super League, was a class above and grabbed assists for several of the Wasps goals.
Chichester started brightly and Phillipa Holden went close after Amber Howden put in a searching ball. But defender Ellie Russell saved the day for Wasps before keeper Megan
Lynch cleared the danger.
Chichester’s positive playwas undone just before the quarter hour when Swash out-muscled Howden and set up Ciara Boylan to thump in the opener.
Charlotte Owen tried her luck but Issy Forster was untroubled.
Close to the half hour, Crawley doubled their advantage. Naomi Cole whipped in a free-kick and the unlucky Nicky Lake diverted the ball past her own keeper.
Before the break Crawley had all but ended the game as contest as Chichester were undone twice more. First Immy Lancaster finished off a moment of quality from Swash. Then in injury time
Boylan grabbed her second, forcing the ball home at the back stick.
Chi boss Sadie Blakely made a triple change after the break with Lauren Clark, Sharna Capel-watson and Sarah Saunders coming on.
Chi were much improved with Saunders showing good pace and Clarke battling hard in midfield. But Crawley still looked sharp and, late on, Lancaster rounded off the scoring for the hosts with yet another assist for Swash.
This week Chichester host Cardiff City at Selsey.
Bosham 1 Rottingdean 3 SCFL division two
Rottingdean swept in to take the spoils in a game of two halves.
Bosham started brightly with new signing Tom Bayley, looking promising up front and the pace of Lewis Rustell a threat. Rottingdean’s Jake Buston drew a good save from Harley Redman.
Bradley Miles twice went close for the Robins. Harry Spicer almost let in the visitors’ Billy Lannon for the opener.
After the break the visitors edged in front through Buston.
The Reds bust a gut to try to find a way back into the tie after that but two moments of sloppiness at the back came back to haunt them.
Just before the hour, Lannon was in the right place after Bosham had been left carved open at the back when Louis Bell was dispossessed.
Then Dan Stearman seized on an opportunity and fired home to make it 3-0.
Bosham played most of the final quarter with only ten men after a sin-bin offence it would be very tough on the reds to find a way back, but shortly after being restored to a full complement, Marco Giambelardini put in the perfect cross to an unmarked Rustell who headed infor a consolation.
Bosham make the long trip to Jarvis Brook this week looking for an upturn in form.