Dockers cruise to victory

Horsham YMCA 0 Newhaven 3, SCFL Premier Division match #28

Newhaven travelled to Horsham YMCA on Saturday, to face a team who, much like us, have struggled to string a consistent run of results together this season.

While we went into the match on the back of three straight defeats, following three consecutive victories, YM had lost their last two games, having won the two preceding that.

This was the fourth time we’d faced YM this season – our third visit to Gorings Mead - and with one win apiece from these three matches, the other was a 3-3 draw, it was nigh-on impossible to predict which way this game would be likely to go.

Well, right up until the match kicked off, that is.

While to say the Dockers absolutely dominated proceedings from the outset may be slightly overstating things, it’s more than fair to say that it was a game that they never looked likely to lose.

In what has been a season of ups and downs, this was as comfortable a 90-minutes as Newhaven supporters have enjoyed all campaign.

The Dockers fielded an attacking looking line-up, with Alfie Rogers making his first start after injury and all three Robinson brothers starting for the first time; albeit with Ian at right-back.

After a couple of early half chances, one for the lively Emmanuel Abudiore and one for Alfie Rogers, both of which went wide, the Dockers took a deserved lead in the seventeenth minute.

A corner delivery from Abudiore, who enjoyed his best game in a Newhaven shirt to date, was right on the money, and Josh Tuck powerfully headed home his first goal of an injury-hit season.

Newhaven continued to see plenty of the ball in the first-half, and while YM had a couple of potential opportunities from set-pieces, the Dockers defence looked extremely comfortable in dealing with whatever was asked of them; which, let’s be honest, hasn’t always been the case this season.

With half-time approaching, Newhaven had the ball in the net again, once more from a corner, only for this effort to be ruled out for too much contact on the YM goalkeeper.

No matter. Right on the break, the Dockers grabbed the all-important second goal. One their performance had merited. And quite some goal it was too.

When Alfie Rogers received possession just inside his own half, nothing really looked on. However, after taking a couple more paces, Rogers glanced up, saw the goalkeeper off his line, and sent a delightful long-range chip flying just high and powerfully enough over the YM number one’s head to beat his despairing dive.

Quite a way for Alfie to grab his 100th goal for the Dockers. A fantastic acheivement. His next target will now no doubt be to catch up with third-top scorer Bailie’s total for this season.  

With a two-goal advantage, Newhaven never looked likely to faulter. I know they say 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline, but it sure beats 1-0 if you ask me!

For the majority of the second-half, YM seemed bereft of ideas, and it was only really Newhaven who carried any significant goal threat.

Lee Robinson twice went close to grabbing a third, first being denied by the YM keeper, before a seemingly goal-bound header was blocked by a defender, although how much he knew about the block is open for debate.

The YM keeper was then forced into action again by his own player, after a desperate attempt to cut out a cross almost resulted in him arrowing the ball into his own net.

The Dockers were not to be denied, though. With 12 minutes remaining, Ryan Blunt picked up the ball in midfield, before scything his way through the home defence and finishing with calmness into the bottom corner. Another really good goal to add to the midfielder’s steadily growing collection.

With the game all but won, Newhaven rang the changes, without ever looking likely to present the hosts with a way back into the game. As mentioned earlier, this was as comfortable as it gets.

This was only Newhaven’s fourth clean sheet of the season, their first since beating Loxwood 4-0 back in late November, and the third of which 16-year-old goalkeeper Jonny Barnes-Galloway has been in goal for.

The Dockers now start a run of what, on paper at least, looks to be a winnable run of games, beginning at Little Common at the weekend, before we host Lingfield at Fort Road a week later.

However, as we know all too well, football isn’t played on paper and nothing in this league (especially not this season as far as we’re concerned) can be taken for granted. Therefore, we’ll have to be at our best again to try and add some more points to the board and finish the season as strongly as possible.

Your support in helping us to achieve this aim would, as ever, be much appreciated.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Josh Tuck. Really difficult decision as, for the first time this season, there were a lot of creditable contenders. However, Tuck just gets the nod. Not only did he grab the first goal, but his aerial prowess was superb all afternoon, especially in the first-half when YM were constantly tossing high balls into the box.