Dockers duo celebrate milestone in style

Loxwood 1 Newhaven 6, SCFL Premier Division match #15

The Dockers headed north for one of their longest league away trips of the season this afternoon, visiting lowly Loxwood in the SCFL Premier Division.

The match marked a significant milestone for the Dockers managerial duo of Sean Breach and Andy Cook, who were taking charge of Newhaven for an almost unprecedented 400th time. A phenomenal achievement for both managers. I’m sure I speak for most Docker’s fans, officials and players when I say that hopefully there will be many, many more games to come from the hardworking – and hugely popular – gaffas!

Unfortunately, despite the significance of the occasion, Cook was sadly absent from the ground, serving a ban following a recent dismissal at a women’s game (he pulls double-duty managing the women’s team as well - selfless). Good to see that sentiment is, as always, alive and well at the good old FA!

In a quirk of fate, the man in the opposing dugout for the co-manager’s 400th game was actually taking charge of his team for the first time. He is also a man well known to the Dockers, being a former coach and player at Fort Road.

In David Altendorff, Loxwood have undoubtedly got themselves a quality manager. One who will almost definitely have them climbing the table over the coming weeks and months.

In fairness, this was probably as good a time as any for the Dockers to be playing Loxwood. The hosts went into the match on the back of six consecutive defeats and will probably take a while to adapt to Altendorff’s methods.

Still, Newhaven arrived in rural West Sussex knowing they still needed to do a job. With Broadbridge Heath as yet showing no signs of letting up at the top of the table, three-points were vital in order to keep the pressure on the early-season pace setters.

It was the hosts who almost got off to the perfect start, though, capitalising on a sloppy pass in the Newhaven defence inside the first minute and forcing Henry Watson to hack a goal-bound effort off the line.

In the five minutes that followed, Newhaven could have easily been three-up. Lee Robinson and Alfie Rogers both skied efforts when well placed inside the area, before the Loxwood keeper made the first of many decent saves throughout the afternoon to deny Marcin Ruda.

Fifteen minutes in, the visitors finally took the lead that they’d been threatening to take from the moment they’d survived their early scare. 

Despite audible groans from Newhaven fans as we took a short corner (including from yours truly), Don Street’s subsequent cross landed perfectly on the head of Watson, who promptly nodded the Dockers in front. 

It was to be the first of multiple inch-perfect deliveries made by Street during the afternoon.

Two minutes later it was 2-0. There was a real sense of deja-vu about the goal. Another short corner, another Street cross (this one with the outside of his left foot) and another finish from Watson. This one a tap-in at the back post.

Little more than 60 seconds later, it was three. Robinson and Rogers exchanged passes in the box before the former atoned for his earlier miss by brilliantly lofting the ball over the Loxwood goalie. 

In typical Dockers style, they’d taken the game away from the hosts in the space of just a few minutes.

A fourth arrived ten minutes later. The Docker’s faithful have been treated to some wonderful goals in the past few weeks and here was another one for the collection. Street, playing like a man possessed, strode forward before unleashing a left-footed rocket from at least 25 yards that flew into the top corner.

Suddenly, another milestone appeared to be on the cards. Going into the match, Newhaven had scored 991 goals in Breach and Cook’s 399 games in charge. Nine would take it to a thousand. Four-up after 35 minutes and what had seemed to be an unlikely - and somewhat unrealistic target – prior to kick-off, now looked a real possibility.

Chances continued to come and go for Newhaven. The Loxwood keeper had to pull off a string of fine saves to stop the visitors from reaching that 1,000-goal target by half-time.

The second-half started in much the same vein as the first had ended. Newhaven pushing - and hungry - for goals.

We didn’t have to wait long for the fifth to arrive. With 50 minutes on the clock, another fine cross from Street was met by Lee Robinson, who notched his second of a game with a fine header (yes, really!).

Ten minutes later, the sixth arrived. Street was again the provider, with his corner being headed in at the near post by Demas Ramsis (yes, really!). 

Six goals for Newhaven. Four assists and a goal from Street. The left-back was definitely the player you’d want in your fantasy team this weekend. Points galore.

With the game well and truly safe, Newhaven made a raft of changes and, unsurprisingly, this took some of the flow out of the game. Chances still came at fairly regular intervals, mind you, but some good saves, lacklustre finishing and poor decision-making kept the score at six.

Loxwood had barely threatened since the opening minute when, with 15 minutes left, they were gifted a consolation. The normally reliable Jake Buss dwelt on the ball for too long, only to be tackled by an unseen Loxwood attacker who, having dispossessed Buss, was left with the simple task of tapping the ball into an empty net.

In the keeper’s defence, there was no shout to warn him that he was being closed down (according to him). What’s more, if you’re going to make a mistake like that, then there’s worse times to do it than when your team is already six up!

The goal did seem to inject some confidence in the home side, who started to enjoy their best spell of the game, putting together some decent passages of play. They did almost snatch a second, but for the second time in the afternoon a goal-bound shot was cleared off the line. This time by Jack Meeres (I think – it was difficult to tell from where I was standing).

Newhaven also had a few more chances, the best falling to James Rhodes (out of retirement for roughly the 172nd time), but the visitors were unable to make it any closer to the 1,000 goals mark under Breach and Cook.

All in all, though, it was a great afternoon’s work from the rampant Dockers, and a fitting way for them to celebrate their co-manager’s impressive milestone.

In midweek (could be Tuesday, could be Wednesday – no one seems to actually be 100% sure but we think Tuesday) Newhaven travel to higher division Whitehawk in a Sussex Senior Cup match.

Then it’s back to Fort Road next Saturday for a home league match against Eastbourne Town (definitely a 3pm kick-off). Having been beaten by the same opposition in the FA Vase already this season, you can be sure the Dockers will be looking to put things right this time round! Your support will be appreciated.

The road to Breach and Cook’s 500^th game, starts now…

Come On You Dockers

My MOM (aka, the controversial part): Don Street. Not for the first time this season, there were a number of good performances across the pitch – makeshift right-back Marcell Powell was particularly impressive – but having been directly involved in five of Newhaven’s six goals, and scored a rocket himself, it’s hard to look past Street.

After the match, Reuben spoke to the man-of-the-match to ask him about his performance and discover who his tip for the World Cup is.