Football friendlies are up and running and Chichester City and Selsey are in action.
Pagham continued with their goalscoring woes as a Kaleem Haitham header, a first senior strike for Theo Bennetts and an own goal helped Chichester City progress to the final of the Dave Kew Cup in their opening pre-season match at Nyetimber Lane.
The Lions had few chances and in the end it was a comfortable win for City, who effectively finished the game early in the second half with a third goal.
Pagham were unlucky with the goals they let in. The first was a defensive mix-up, the second a cross-shot that cannoned off a defender and the third from a goalkeeping error. The keeper did however make up for it with some smart saves later on.
For City, coaches Danny Potter and Darin Killpartrick fielded a side made up of regulars, U23 players and trialists.
Steve Mowthorpe returned between the sticks, Ryan Davidson lined up at right-backwitharchiecooke on the other flank and club captain Connor Cody and Corey Heath in the heart of the defence.
Jamie Horncastle and Flo Vucaj joined Alex Mulrooney, Haitham and Ethan Prichard in midfield and Alex Weinburger started up top.
The Lions rattled the woodwork after three minutes. Cody tidied up the loose ball and Weinburger tested former Chi keeper Conor Kelly in the subsequent attack.
Mulrooney shone in the first 45 while Vucaj had a shot blocked.
Haitham put Chi ahead with a rare headed goal in the 15th minute.
Chi doubled their advantage on 20 minutes when an excellent delivery from Prichard was turned past Kelly by one of his defenders under pressure.
A marauding Cody went on one of those characteristic mazy runs past a number of players into the box only for Kelly to deny his effort.
Haitham, clearly enjoying his run-out, found Mulrooney. A clever touch by the No7 gave him a shooting chance only for him to pull his attempt just wide. Mowthorpe got a strong glove on a low drive as half-time approached.
Potter and Killpartrick rang the changes at the interval bringing on Bennetts, Akil Alleyne and Dan Wood for Mulrooney, Prichard and Heath. And in a repeat of the opening 45 Pagham struck the woodwork soon after the restart.
Bennetts, who captained the U23s in their Supplementary Shield Final against Pagham in May and is America-bound on a university soccer scholarship, made it 3-0 with his first goal for the senior side after a mistake by the Lions’ sub keeper.
Bennetts might have added a second following another defensive lapse. Horncastle dropped to centre back as ten-man Chi lost Cody for a spell.
Pagham forged four chances in as many minutes but Chichester stood firm.
Prichard was bundled over again in the box but Chi had to settle for a corner which the keeper claimed.
Next Pagham had a shot blocked bravely and the follow up effort curled the wrong side of the post before a swift overlap down the left gave Prichard and Davidson some defending to do.
Prichard went close and Alleyne had a shot turned out for another Chi corner.
The home side could have grabbed a consolation late on but Mowthorpe made a save and then the framework came to City’s aid for a third occasion.
After the match Chi coach Killpartrick said, “It was good for the players to get minutes today and we thought they did all we wanted them to do.”
There’s a double-header for City on Saturday with one side travelling to Horndean and another facing Worthing in the Dave Kew Cup final.
A couple of days before being beaten by City, Pagham drew 2-2 at Arundel in a hastily-arranged friendly.
Callum Chalmers and Grant Radmore were on target.
In the other Dave Kew semi-final, Selsey lost 3-0 at home to Worthing. But it was a good day for the club as they staged an open day and ran kids’ coaching sessions.
Littlehampton 2 Rocks 2 Rocks 0 Burton 3
Honours were even as Littlehampton Town and Bognor Regis Town got their pre-season friendly campaigns under way with a 2-2 draw.
Littlehampton were 2-0 up at half-time but Bognor battled back well in the second half through goals from Jordy Mongoy and Alfie Lis.
James Crane took the captain’s armband but new signing Gavin Mccallum was absent after picking up a hamstring injury in training.
Right-back Danny Sherlock and stand-in goalkeeper Keiron Mcgee was among the new names in the Bognor line-up. Ethan Robb was back after his loan at Brentford ended.
George Gaskin converted to give Golds the lead on 29 minutes. Littlehampton
went further ahead when a cross saw a sliding Robb divert the ball past a stranded Mcgee and Gaskin pounced to poke in from close range.
Bognor made wholesale changes for the second half with Charlie Bell, Joe Hancott, Joe Dandy, Chad Field, Alfie Lis, Jason Parish and Kayne Diedrick-roberts all coming on. Bognor got one back when fit-again Calvin Davies crossed from the right and Lis flicked on for Mongoy to head beyond James Binfield. A loose back pass saw Lis steal the ball before rounding the keeper and tapping in to level the scores after pressure from Parish.
On Saturday, Bognor were back in Nyewood Lane action for the first time since November – but found Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s Burton Albion too strong in a friendly that ended 3-0 to the League One side.
Bognor went behind on 26 minutes to a good strike by a triallist. Fresh Rocks legs came on for the second half but they didn’t stop a second going in on 47 minutes by Terry Taylor. Louis Mollet made it 3-0 on 82 minutes.
Bognor visit Havant & Waterlooville on Saturday.