One to forget for disjoined Dockers

Horsham YMCA 5 Newhaven 1, FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

I suppose if there is a good time to get comprehensively beaten (and, let face it, there isn’t;
not really), it’s in a competition that you’ve got no chance of winning.

Don’t get me wrong, from a financial (and prestige) point of view, exiting the FA Cup at the first hurdle is far from ideal. In the long run, though, if you’re only going to have one absolute horror-show in a season (and fingers-crossed it will only be one) this is as good a time as any to have it.

It’s impossible to quite pinpoint exactly what went wrong for the Dockers away at Horsham YMCA this afternoon. Don’t get me wrong, YM played very well but, my word, Newhaven made it incredibly easy for them at times.

Maybe, had Tom Vickers’ fourth-minute header found the back of the net instead of flashing wide, this report may have ended up being far more enjoyable to write than it has ultimately ended up being. Unfortunately, it didn’t, and from that moment on the Dockers were always second-best.

The hosts took the lead in the eighth minute via a huge deflection, as Conner Collcutt’s shot fortuitously wrong-footed the helpless Jake Buss and somehow ended up in the back of the net.

The lead was doubled six minutes later when the Dockers carelessly ceded possession in midfield. A ball from the right promptly found an unmarked Luke Roberts who headed home.

Things could have gotten even worse just four minutes later, when YM contrived to miss a sitter from right under the crossbar. It was to be the first of several presentable chances spurned by the hosts over the course of 90-minutes.

At the other end, the Dockers only other opportunity in the first-half, if it could be described as such, came just after the 20-minute mark when both Lee Robinson and Ash Wadhams both elected to pass when a shot was conceivably on.

With half-time approaching, Newhaven goalkeeper Jake Buss was involved in a horrific collision which left the skipper concussed and in need of hospital treatment. No matter how frustrating this afternoon may have been, seeing a prone Buss get to his feet and leave the pitch without the need of a stretcher, was at least one huge positive. Fingers-crossed the club stalwart recovers quickly and is back between the sticks again in the not-too-distant future. Get well soon Bussy.

After a good 20 minutes of first-half injury-time, Newhaven made it to the break still two behind, with the Dockers faithful hoping that the management team could rouse a reaction from what had been a lethargic-looking team.

Five minutes after the restart, half-time sub, Joss O’Halloran, had a decent opportunity to pull one back, but seemed to misjudge the flight of the ball and the chance was gone.

Not long after, YM all but put the game to bed. The Dockers were unhappy with the award of a free-kick which led to a booking for Max Vardy, but they would have been even more annoyed with the lax marking which subsequently allowed Hayden Neathey to grab his team’s third.

There was no real reaction from the disjointed Dockers, who looked a step off the pace, with their vibrant hosts continuing to outwork them and look much hungrier.

The arrival of a fourth goal – a second of the afternoon for Collcutt – came as no real surprise to anyone in attendance, and, as mentioned earlier, a few more spurned opportunities prevented the scoreline from being really, really embarrassing.

A fifth goal did arrive and, in fairness, it was a strike of pure quality. Ash Dugdale with a brilliant volley from the edge of the area.

The Dockers pullled one back with the 90-minutes all but up. Luca Page and Billy Barker, who was easily Newhaven’s stand-out player, combined well down the left flank, before working the ball into the middle for Jack Shonk to sweep home a consolation. His first competitive goal for the club.

Thankfully, the final whistle arrived not too long after to put those of a Newhaven persuasion out of their misery.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong for the Dockers, only that plenty did.

However, as stated at the very start of this report, if it is to be a one-off (and we really hope it is), this was as good a time as any to have a shocker.

Thoughts now turn to Tuesday evening, when we pay a visit to Crawley Down in the league (19:45 kick-off). A positive reaction is very-much needed, especially considering we face today’s opponents again next Saturday, this time at home in the league. Six points from those two games would be the ideal way to vanquish memories of today’s debacle.

Keep the faith.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Billy Barker, worked tirelessly throughout, and one of few bright sparks for Newhaven.