Dockers out of the Peter Bentley Cup

Crowborough 3 Newhaven 1, Peter Bentley Cup Round 2

Last night, Newhaven faced Crowborough for the second time in a matter of days, this time in Crowborough in the Peter Bentley Cup.

Having won the league encounter on Saturday, despite being far from at their best, hopes were high that the Dockers could build on the momentum of having secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

However, with the number of absentees almost rivalling the number of players in the matchday squad, the task of making it three wins in three was always going to be extremely difficult.

That said, it was the depleted Dockers who made the better start, settling into the game far more quickly than they had on Saturday.

Callum Edwards fired the first chance of the game high and wide after 10 minutes having been found by Pritchard, before the lively Pritchard set Jake Robinson away, but the striker could only find the side-netting from a tight angle.

At the other end, Crowborough were being kept to half chances, with Jake Buss’ only taste of early action a routine save from a shot from the edge of the area.

With just over 20 minutes gone, though, Newhaven were lucky to escape when a careless defensive lapse allowed the home striker through on goal, but he could only shoot wastefully over.

Five minutes later, The Crows drew first blood. A cross into the box sparked a goalmouth scramble, that Newhaven appeared to waste numerous chances to clear, before Will Puffette finally hooked the ball into the net.

Newhaven’s best chance to equalise before the interval fell to Jake Robinson. After Crowborough players had twice blocked shots from Edwards, the ball broke to Lee Robinson, who fed his brother.  Jake’s shot initially appeared to be too fierce for The Crow’s keeper to handle, but having squirmed through his grasp, he managed to recover and grab the ball before it crossed the line.

In what had been a largely even game, it was The Crows who held the advantage going into the break. However, the Dockers had shown enough endeavour in the opening 45 to suggest they could still rescue something from the game.

Six minutes into the second-half, Crowborough really should have been two-up. It was scarcely believable that they weren’t. Even now, writing this report the morning after, I’m still not quite sure how their striker managed to miss. I’m not exaggerating when I say he can’t have been more than two-yards from the centre of the goal, totally alone, with Buss on the floor at his near post, yet he somehow managed to skew his shot into the stranded keeper’s hands.

Fortunately, I’m too kind to post the Veo footage on social media. We’ve had our share of posts going viral following ‘kitgate’! You'll just have to use your imagination.

Unlike the first-half, Newhaven were now finding chances harder to come by.

With half-an-hour remaining, a stretching Jake Robinson was just unable to turn Harry Reed’s cross into the net, forcing a decent stop from The Crow’s keeper in the process.

With thoughts perhaps starting to turn to Saturday’s league game at Haywards Heath, the Dockers made a number of changes, meaning that they ended the match with almost half their side as teenagers.

Unsurprisingly, it was at this point that Crowborough took full control.

With 15 minutes remaining, the home side practically wrapped up the game. A well-worked move down the left culminated with a low ball into the box, that was well finished at the near post by Adam Larkin.

On Saturday, Newhaven scored three times in the final 15 minutes to shock Crowborough who had looked largely comfortable up to that point.

There was never any sense of history repeating itself last night.

With the game in injury-time, Buss made a brilliant low diving save from a free-kick to keep the score to two. However, from the ensuing corner, the Dockers’ defence was left exposed again, as a quickly taken short corner was worked to the unmarked Alfie Lambden at the far post, and he tapped home Crowborough’s third.

There was still time for a very late Newhaven consolation as Pritchard slipped through Lee Robinson, and he made no mistake, finishing coolly past the keeper.

It was far too late, though, for the goal to have any bearing on the match. Soon after the whistle sounded to end our interest in this year’s Peter Bentley Cup.

Disappointing as it always is to lose, I’m sure the three-points on Saturday would have been seen by everyone as preferable to victory last night in the Cup. What’s more, given the current injury situation, the defeat wasn’t a huge surprise. Hopefully some of the absent players will be available again for Saturday’s league encounter.

We’ll certainly need them to be as we travel to title favourites Haywards Heath.

Heath currently sit third in the table with a game in hand, having conceded just one league goal all season. A tough afternoon undoubtedly lies ahead no matter what 11 the management team are available to cobble together from our squad of walking wounded.

Let’s hope we’ll have enough to get something from the game.

Your support, as it always is, would be much appreciated.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Cai Pritchard. Looked really lively on his first start for the Dockers. Always looking for the ball and trying to make things happen in the middle of the park, and ended the game with a well-deserved assist. Promising signs from the youngster.