Dockers run riot over Roffey

Newhaven 11 Roffey 0, SCFL Premier Division match #28

The Dockers took on bottom-placed Roffey yesterday afternoon, in a match they were hot-favourites to win.

Winless all season, Roffey have struggled to adapt to life in the SCFL Premier, but have improved a bit since Christmas; picking up three draws since then, including a hugely creditable point against title challengers Broadbridge Heath earlier this month.

While the Dockers still went into this match hugely confident of securing another vital three-points in their title charge, it’s fair to say that no one could have predicted quite how comfortably the match would ultimately turn out to be for them.

In truth, this is quite a difficult report to write (and not just because I don’t bother to record what’s happening as the game is in progress). It’s hard to find the right tone between not coming across as being too disrespectful towards the visitors, while staying the right side of not being patronising towards them either.

True, this is not the first time Newhaven have recorded a double-digit victory this season. Canterbury City were hit for ten earlier this season in an FA Cup replay. The difference, though, is on that occasion there was a freakishness about the result. After all, practically the same two teams had played out a 1-1 draw just a few days earlier.

Yesterday, though, you got the feeling that a similar outcome would play-out most times these two teams played – such was the obvious gulf in class.

Roffey’s cause certainly wasn’t helped by injuries and suspensions to key players (and their on-loan goalkeeper having been recalled by his club in midweek). Yet, the Dockers could also point to some high-profile absences of their own. Marcin Ruda (injured) and Bailie Rogers (absent) were not in the squad, while Ian Robinson and Henry Watson were both on the bench; the latter remaining an unused sub.

Not for the first time this season, Newhaven’s squad depth (and, more importantly, its strength) was on display for all to see.

The match was preceded by a poignant minute’s silence for former Newhaven Under 18s and 23s player Myles Bickmore-Vaughan who tragically passed away recently. The thoughts of everyone involved with the club are with his family and friends at what must be an indescribably hard time for them at the moment.

What followed, though, was the perfect 90-minutes in which to celebrate the young striker’s memory.

Although the match so nearly got off to the worst possible start for the Dockers. Roffey really should have been one up inside 30 seconds when their left winger got clean through only to be denied by the face of Jake Buss. A scuffed follow-up effort just about allowed Newhaven to scramble the ball clear.

How much difference this would have made to the final result had it gone in is hard to say. It’s very unlikely the visitors would have been able to keep Newhaven at bay for the following 90-minutes. However, this is football, and you just never know…

As it was, ten minutes and two Newhaven attacks later, Roffey were two behind.

Lukas Franzen-Jones’ deflected effort from the edge of the area opened the scoring before Lee Robinson quickly added a second with a typically composed finish from inside the area.

Roffey continued to pour men forward in the opening exchanges, seemingly having decided the old adage of attack being the best form of defence was the ideal approach for this match. In hindsight it’s fair to say that it wasn’t. 

With so many gaps being left in their defence, particularly down the left-flank, it seemed only a matter of time before Newhaven would score again.

On 17 minutes they did. Not for the first (or last) time in the match, Robinson combined well with Callum Connor, and the latter did brilliantly to control and turn in a tight space before finding the net for what was arguably the goal of the game.

You would have thought that by this point the visitors would have taken a more pragmatic approach to the match. You would think wrong. 

They continued to throw men forward and, while they did go close to scoring on a couple of occasions, the gaps they were leaving were always going to be exploited by a team of Newhaven’s attacking prowess.

Connor got his second on the 25-minute mark, getting the slightest (albeit disputed) touch to a Billy Barker cross, before Franzen-Jones netted his second three minutes later with a shot rifled high into the net from just inside the area.

Only half-an-hour played and another double-digit victory was very much on the cards. In fact, it would have been almost disappointing (from a Dockers perspective) had the target not been reached.

One further goal was added before half-time, with Franzen-Jones completing yet another hat-trick. Once again, the clinical number 10 was afforded far too much space in the area, allowing him to pick his spot and fire Newhaven into a six-goal interval lead.

If Roffey hoped there would be a let-up to Newhaven’s approach in the second-half, they were to be sorely disappointed. Within five minutes of the restart the score had moved on to eight.

First, Josh Gould scored his first for the club with a well-struck free-kick that the Roffey keeper probably should have done better with. Connor then completed his hat-trick with another poacher’s finish from around the penalty spot.

With thoughts now turning to Monday night’s game away at AFC Varndeanians, the eighth goal brought about a number of changes for the Dockers with Lee Robinson, Connor and Jack Meeres all being withdrawn. Although in Demas Ramsis, Harry Reed and Tyler Scrafton it’s fair to say that their replacements weren’t too shabby.

It was Reed who created the next two goals, both within a minute of each other. First he crossed from the left for Charlie Bennett to score for the fourth consecutive match, before another cross, this time from the right, led to Scrafton netting his first for the club.

An injury to Barker (the one downside to the afternoon) saw the younger Robinson enter the fray; probably the last thing the beleaguered Roffey players wanted to see at this point.

However, with the ten-goal target having been reached, Newhaven did appear to declare and take their foot off the gas somewhat for the last 25 minutes or so. Buss once again had to be alert to preserve a clean-sheet as Roffey threatened to nick a consolation goal which, in fairness, it would have been hard to begrudge them.

Yet with five minutes left, the visitors gifted Newhaven an eleventh, as an attempted back-pass fell well short of its intended target, allowing Franzen-Jones to nip-in, round the keeper, and score his fourth of the afternoon. Five minutes later the final whistle sounded and Roffey were, finally, put out of their misery.

With third-placed Broadbridge Heath having beaten leaders Crawley Down 5-0 earlier in the day, this means that the Dockers have the chance to go top of the table on Monday evening if they beat Varndeanians at the Withdean.

It’s another away trip next weekend, too, as we head west to Midhurst before we return to Fort Road on 5^th March for what promises to be a stern test against Crowborough Athletic; one of the form teams in the division.

Your support at any of these games will, as ever, be hugely appreciated.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Callum Connor. Let’s face it, it could have just as easily gone to Lukas or any number of other contenders, but Connor gets the nod for his clever movement and promising link-up play with Robinson and Barker in the first-half.

After the match, Reuben caught up with Callum to find out how he’s enjoying life back at Fort Road, and also to discover who scored the better hat-trick; him or Lukas…