Gutsy win keeps slim title hopes alive

Haywards Heath 0 Newhaven 1, SCFL Premier Division Match #36

The big games just keep on coming.

Following a local derby victory on Easter Monday and a draw against fellow title rivals on Saturday, we travelled to Haywards Heath last night for yet another crucial match – for both teams.

Newhaven knew that anything less than a win would all-but end their already slim title hopes, and also leave them looking nervously over their shoulder regarding securing a play-off spot. The top of the table really is that tight!

Victory for the Dockers, though, would see them cement their place in the play-offs whilst leaving Haywards Heath’s own hopes of doing so hanging by a thread. An outcome that many will have deemed unthinkable at the start of the season for a club that only a couple of seasons ago were pushing for promotion to the Isthmian premier!

On a run of six straight league victories, the momentum going into the game was very much with Heath, with Newhaven’s form having been decidedly patchy of late.

Not that you would have known it from the opening exchanges.

While Haywards Heath were certainly seeing far more of the ball, most of this possession was being kept by their two centre backs and goalkeeper, who seemed more than content to pass the ball around in triangles rather than do anything progressive. Still, I bet their pass completion rates were good!

Most of Heath’s threat was coming from their right winger, who was lively, but Bailie Rogers, on his Birthday and playing through the pain barrier, was thankfully more than up to the task.

Despite seeing less of the ball, it was arguably the Dockers who posed the greater threat going forward. An off-side flag denied Lee Robinson the opener in the 23^rd minute after what looked to be an extremely tight call.

Not to be denied, the Dockers did take the lead in the 30th minute. Alfie Rogers was clumsily fouled 25-yards out. From the resulting free-kick, Rogers dusted himself off and found the bottom-corner with a well struck curling effort.

Heath’s response was mooted. Aside from a couple of dangerous crosses from set-pieces, which Newhaven defended well, there was very little threat coming from open play, with the Dockers looking pretty comfortable with the host’s methodical approach.

It’s not like Newhaven were exactly creating loads of chances themselves, but every-time they broke up Heath’s play, they looked a threat on the counter. A few times the Dockers got themselves into dangerous positions, albeit without ever quite managing to find the right final pass.

At half-time, the talk amongst the Dockers faithful focussed on the onslaught we expected to receive in the second-half. It’s not unfair to say that Haywards Heath’s need for three-points was even greater than ours; after all, they are currently outside the play-off positions. Surely we could expect to spend much of the second-half under the cosh.

The onslaught did indeed arrive. Albeit belatedly.

For the first half-an-hour of the second half, Newhaven looked by far the team more certain to score. The Dockers tactics were simply spot on, with the entire team working their socks off to ensure Heath could not play through them.

Up-front, Robbo and Alfie Rogers put an absolute shift in, harrying their defenders into constant mistakes, while I lost count of the number of times the midfield trio of Ryan Blunt, Alex Plummer (please don’t go back to Lancing) and Rob Malila broke up play.

We almost got a huge slice of luck three minutes into the half when Bailie Rogers went close with a cross that sailed narrowly over the bar.

Alfie then had a shot from a tight angle well saved after some slinky skills from Callum Edwards.

With 20 minutes remaining, Robinson had the clearest chance of the half to-date, when he was sent through by a superb pass from Blunt, after he’d broken up play for roughly the 400^th time in the match.

However, the striker’s first effort was well saved, and while he was first to the rebound, he could only shoot wide on the turn.

With legs understandably starting to tire, it was finally time for Haywards Heath to ditch their ponderous approach and come at us. And boy did they come at us! 

Jake Buss twice had to be alert to make good saves to maintain parity. Twice shots from Heath players seemed to miss the target by the narrowest of margins. Multiple times did the back three of Bailie, Jacob Thompson and Robbie Keith, get their heads or feet to the ball first to snuff out danger.

This was the very epitome of a team performance.

With Heath pouring forward, Alfie had a golden opportunity to make the game safe with just over five minutes remaining, when he broke through one-on-one. Instead of shooting, he decided to try and take the ball round the keeper, who did well to get a hand to it, push our number 10 wide and ultimately keep his team in it.

From that moment till the end, it seemed to be an endless procession of Heath balls coming into the box, but the Dockers defended with great diligence and determination to keep them out.

The final whistle was met with scenes of great celebration – both on and off the pitch. In all honesty it’s a result that probably comes too late to salvage the title, but it ensures that we’ll be involved in the end of year play-offs whatever happens in our final two games.

Of course, there is still a very small glimmer of hope as far as our title dream goes. A very, very small one. 

Beat Steyning on Saturday (which in itself is far easier said than done) and then play-off chasing Hassocks in our final game (which also won’t be straightforward), then if Steyning drop points against Uckfield in their final game (we’re bordering on miracle territory here) then we could be champions; unless Crowborough win their four final games - in which case it will be them. I did say it was only a very, very small glimmer.

Ultimately, reaching the play-offs was the main thing. Had we lost last night then even our chances of doing that would have been on incredibly shaky ground.

This was a huge result. Make no mistake about it.

Attention now turns to Saturday and that match against Steyning. I don’t need to sell how important a game it could be. Make sure you get yourself down to Fort Road for our final home league match of the season. A big, vociferous crowd could just be the thing that nets us the three points and keeps us dreaming for just a while longer.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Robbie Keith. It could have been any of the starting 11, in fairness. But, in my opinion (which is known to be wrong on occasion), Keith just nicks it. Won everything in the air, tackled brilliantly on the ground, got his body in the way when it mattered… Imperious defensive performance. Special mention to Jake Buss, Jacob Thompson, Bailie Rogers, John Lucero, Alex Plummer, Ryan Blunt, Rob Malila, Alfie Rogers, Lee Robinson, and Callum Edwards (not to mention all the subs) who were to-a-man all brilliant!