Another clean sheet – another City win
Chichester City 2 Sheppey Utd 0 Isthmian south east
Goals either side of the break from an on-fire Jimmy Wild and another clean sheet moved Chichester up to fourth place and extended their unbeaten run to nine games on Non-league Day.
Ethan Prichard returned in place of the unavailable Josh Clack in an otherwise unchanged starting XI.
A minute’s silence was observed for former City coach Grahame Vick before kickoff.
Wild and No7 Isaac Bello were involved straight away but referee Nicholas Whittington awarded Sheppey a free-kick.
Prichard won a throw on five minutes which Bello took long and Wild earned Chi an early corner that Prichard struck just off target.
Next the home side’s top scorer went on a decent run but played the ball the wrong way to Bello.
Joe Moore hit a lovely through ball towards Wild, who won another corner which Rob Hutchings delivered only for it to get smuggled away.
Emmett Dunn was fouled by Jerson Dos Santos on the right and Hutchings took the resulting set-piece. Wild won the hosts a throw which Bello launched and shot-stopper Aidan Prall gathered.
Dan Bradshaw impeded Hutchings for a free-kick before Wild broke the deadlock on 19 as he met Mo Jammeh’s cross from close range and swept the ball in.
Chi’s Moore hit a pass a little too firmly to Wild and Bello and Jammeh set up Wild for another effort. A Dunn cross fell to captain Connor Cody but the chance went begging.
Hutchings and keeper Kieran Magee went for the same ball that Hutchings steered out for a Sheppey corner.
The visitors earned another corner off Jammeh. Richard Hamill whipped it over but no-one got on the end of it.
Wild was wiped out, although Mr Whittington didn’t consider it a foul, before the Chi No9 forced a save by Prall.
Danny Leonard got on the end of a cross from the left but hit his attempt wide.
Dunn did well to bail out Cody after his skipper lost possession and Magee was on hand to grab the loose ball.
Neat play between Jammeh and Bello set Wild up a couple of minutes before the break but it was deflected for a corner which Prall claimed easily enough.
The ref adjudged Moore had made a foul on the stroke of half-time in a dangerous position, but Magee was attuned to Hamill’s dead ball and made a super stop.
Joe Clarke played a slick pass to Bello in Chi’s first attack but Prall was out quickly to snuff out the danger.
Jammeh blasted one well over and the visitors almost got in when Dos Santos and Bradshaw combined and Magee hit a wayward clearance.
Hamill went into the book on 54 and Bello hit a pass too firmly for either Wild or Jammeh. Cody went on a mazy run and a touch and turn almost came off for Bello.
A good move down the left led to a Chi corner which Prichard took to be cleared at the near post, with the follow-up gathered by Prall.
The Kent side earned their first corner that Wild and Cody cleared.
Clarke was cautioned and Sheppey brought on James Bessey-saldanha for Bradshaw.
On 65 Wild hit a cross towards Jammeh and Prichard struck an effort narrowly wide after good work from Dunn.
Wild doubled Chi’s lead on 69 minutes for his 10th goal in the last eight.
Moore, a bright light all game again, tidied up skilfully, and Wild was denied a hattrick by Prall.
Sheppey had the ball in the net with 15 to go but it was ruled out for offside, then Bessey-saldanha drove into the box and Hutchings cleared the ball to the other wing.
Kyle O’brien came on for Jammeh in the last 10.
The Sheppey No11 had a shot which Da Costa blocked for a corner that Magee gathered without any pressure.
Lloyd Rowlatt, on for Prichard, was well in and won a throw, and Magee denied sub Oladipo Durowoju at his hear post. Rowlatt cut back to Wild who couldn’t connect and Olly Munt came on for Bello.
This win made it seven clean sheets on the spin for Chichester, who move up one position in the play-offs.
In the SCFL premier,
Pagham held high-flying Newhaven to a 0-0 draw at
Nyetimber Lane, while Midhurst lost 2-0 at Peacehaven & Telscombe.
In division one, Selsey lost 3-1 away to Dorking B. In division two, Bosham won 4-2 at home to Southwater.
Ewhurst 3 East Dean 3 WSFL Division 1
Despite being 3-0 down at the break, East Dean fought back to clinch a point at Ewhurst.
Ewhurst opened the scoring in the first minute without East Dean even touching the ball. Things got worse as Ewhurst added a second a few minutes later.
Within 10 minutes Ewhurst made it 3-0.
For the Dean Glenn Johnson went close but his shot from close range blazed over.
A determined Dean came out to the second half with a point to prove.
Play down the left was switched to the right, with Aaron Freeman cutting it back to James Crane who tucked home.
Zach Dray scored a terrific overhead kick from 12 yards which looped into the top corner.
As the game was coming to a close, a long throw into the box wasn't cleared and Jason Houghton pounced.
The draw keeps East Dean in second place.