Hot, hot, hot… but Dockers get the job done

Loxwood 2 Newhaven 4, SCFL Premier Division match #7

After Tuesday night’s disappointment at home to Lingfield, the Dockers headed to Loxwood this afternoon desperately in need of three points to get their season back on track.

After a slow start to the season, Loxwood had picked up their first league win of 2023/24 in mid-week and were no doubt looking to capitalise on any chinks that may appear in Newhaven’s confidence.

In conditions more akin to a pre-season friendly than a match played on the second Saturday of September, it was the hosts who started on the front-foot.

They could have been ahead inside two minutes if it hadn’t been for Jake Buss… again… coming to Newhaven’s rescue.

As on Tuesday night, though, the early warning wasn’t heeded.

On four minutes the Magpies took the lead. A quick passing move too easily cut apart Newhaven’s right flank, and a good finish from Tristan Pereira made it seem that another tricky afternoon awaited.

Thankfully, unlike on Tuesday when the Dockers went two-behind before awakening from their early slumbers, on this occasion there was no such lull.

Within two minutes they were level. A direct run from Alfie Rogers carved open the Loxwood defence, who parted like the Red Sea in front of him. After a couple of Newhaven players dallied on the ball rather than take a shot, the ball eventually arrived to the feet of Tyler Scrafton, who duly dispatched it into the top corner.

Just three minutes later the turnaround was complete. A horrendous throw-in from Loxwood’s right-back landed at the feet of the lively Ezra Roeg. The 18-year-old promptly fed Callum Edwards, who waited… and waited… and waited… before calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner.

Three goals in the opening ten minutes. It seemed a classic was on the cards.

Sadly not. The testing conditions soon started to take their toll and the game quickly began to resemble a pre-season friendly with little in the way of goalmouth action.

Newhaven had to survive, what should have been, a tricky ten minutes when Ryan Warwick was sin-binned following an altercation with the Loxwood bench (something I wasn’t aware you could be sin-binned for?). 

Thankfully – and somewhat strangely – the hosts didn’t really press-on in this period in an attempt to make the most of their man advantage. One good claim from Buss aside, an equaliser never really looked like arriving while Warwick was off the pitch.

With both sets of players (and the supporters) clearly feeling the heat, the half-time break offered a welcome break from the searing sun.

The Dockers were looking fairly comfortable at the interval, but Loxwood had shown enough to suggest that a one-goal advantage probably wouldn’t be enough.

Eight minutes after the restart, Newhaven got some breathing space when Roeg was pulled back just before he could get a shot away. The ref had little hesitation in awarding a spot-kick, and Alfie Rogers fired home the penalty.

During the next ten minutes, Newhaven missed a few good chances to put the game to bed – mainly through a seeming reluctance to shoot when well placed.

Then, out of nothing, Loxwood got themselves back into the match. Not for the first time this season an attacker was given too much time and space to run at the Docker’s backline, and another tidy finish reduced the deficit.

Having looked to be in complete control since scoring the third goal, the game was suddenly back in the balance.  

Even a red card for a Loxwood player following a second bookable offence couldn’t help Newhaven put the game to bed. In fact, the hosts started to look more threatening with ten men than they had with eleven. Albeit without forcing Buss into any saves of note.

As more chances came and went, the nerves of the Docker’s faithful started to jangle. Was this going to be another one of those games where we sloppily dropped points?

Thankfully not. When you’re in need of a goal to see off an opponent there can’t be any better strikers to have on the bench than Lee Robinson.

Having been out injured since the closing weeks of last season, the sight of Robbo back in action will have provided a welcome boost to everyone associated with the club.

What happened next perhaps had an air of inevitability about it. With three-minutes remaining, Callum Edwards’ cross was met by a half-stooping, half-diving Lee Robinson, who headed the game out of the Magpies reach.

It was Newhaven’s all-time top scorer’s 450^th competitive goal for the cub. A milestone that will surely never be bettered – and one that must be close to a record for any Step 5 club!

The final few minutes played out in fairly low-key fashion – the energy of both sides’ players clearly sapped by the heat. I was knackered just watching, to be fair!

It wasn’t a vintage Newhaven performance – given the heat it was never going to be. But three points was ill-important so in that respect it was very much job done!

Thankfully, the boys have a week to recover from today's exertions with no game in midweek. Therefore, our next game takes place a week Saturday when bottom side Shoreham visit Fort Road.

Having not yet recorded back-to-back league victories yet this season, this would be the ideal time to do so, and get on a roll that can launch us further up the table.

As ever, your support will be much appreciated.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Ezra Roeg. Playing as the main striker, the youngster was hugely impressive, causing Loxwood’s centre-backs no end of problems. All that was missing from a fine individual performance was a goal, but if he carries on playing like this, the goals will most certainly start to come.

After the match, Reuben spoke to Lee Robinson to hear his thought about his astonishing 450^th goal for the club!