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Burgess Hill 2 Rocks 1
This was a game Bognor players and fans will want to forget after they dominated the second half and still came away pointless. Despite hitting the crossbar twice, Rocks could not find a breakthrough and slipped to their first defeat of the season.
Michael Birmingham returned to the starting line-up at Leylands Park. Richard Hudson was out of the squad through injury and Phil Turner started. Tim Bond was wearing a headband to protect the gash he received to the head during the game against Ringmer on Saturday.
Straight from kick-off Bognor had to deal with a long forward ball that James Crane had to head away for a corner. The kick was easily headed out of the box by the Rocks defence.
Then Lloyd Cotton won a further corner but this time on the right, rebounding the ball off Matt Whitehead. But again the men in green and white defended well as Stuart Axten headed Matt Percival's corner away.
Cotton received a caution from the referee after bringing down James Fraser in the centre of the field.
After seven minutes, perhaps Percival should have gone a bit further towards goal when he reached the ball well outside the area. However, his shot was well blocked by Bond.
Inside a torrid first 20 minutes for the Rocks, the yellows were on the attack again when Sacha Opinal half-volleyed a cross from the left towards the back post. Craig Stoner flapped at the cross but Steve Harper's header flew the wrong side of the opposite post.
The large number of Bognor supporters behind the goal began to try to spur their team on, but it got worse.
In a quick attack, Stuart Axten brought down Ronnie Green in the area as the midfielder ran in near the right post. The referee didn't hesitate to point to the spot and Harper didn't miss, slotting the ball coolly into the bottom left corner and sending Stoner the wrong way.
The opening goal seemed to spark something in the Rocks play as they created a good run of chances after a dismal start. Crane's cross from the right was headed low towards goal by Jason Prior but it was too easy for goalkeeper Joel Harding as he caught the ball on the bounce. This came after good work from Ben Johnson and James Fraser.
Burgess Hill had a chance on 18 minutes when captain Leo Day chipped the ball back into the area for Harper whose header was straight at Stoner.
Bognor's equaliser came on 20 minutes. Turner sped forward with the ball, beating Cotton in the process, and during the scramble in the area, Johnson hooked the ball over his head to Prior. The striker composed himself well to fire low into the bottom right corner.
This was the result of the decent flowing football that the Rocks are best known for, which had been unseen from the start of this game.
The Rocks could have taken the lead on 22 minutes. Day was shown the yellow card after bringing down Turner in his own half. But Johnson's free-kick was poor and the defence cleared the danger.
Bond showed his superiority in defence to block off Harper's attempted low cross from the left five minutes later.
Will Berry whipped in another cross from the left moments later. He found the tall Danny Gainsford but the defender's header was feeble and easily caught by Stoner.
Stoner was called into action again when Cotton's cross from the right was straight on to the head of Harper, who propelled an effort forward, but again the goalkeeper was equal to it.
Seconds later a great chance for the visitors came when Whitehead played the ball from midfield to Prior, who controlled the ball with his chest. He turned to shoot but it sailed high and wide.
Prior beat Gainsford to the ball in the air after a decent cross from Fraser on the right. Unfortunately for him the ball went wide of the right post.
On 36 minutes Birmingham received a yellow card after a familiar outburst with the referee when a free-kick was given against his team.
To add to the heated atmosphere, Prior slid in late on Berry and received a talking-to. From the resulting free-kick Berry tried a volley that was quickly blocked but only to Gainsford. The defender got his boot under the ball to send it well over the bar.
Five minutes from half-time, Turner couldn't quite squirm the ball into the net after a neat dipping cross from Johnson on the left. Harding managed to scuttle out of his goal to gather it.
The last chance of the first half came on 41 minutes when Opinal's right-sided corner kick was met in the air by Gainsford, who glanced his header agonisingly wide of the left post.
HT 1-1
The second half proved better in terms of dominance for the Rocks, though they would have felt hard done by because of numerous chances missed.
Just two minutes in, Turner teed up Johnson on the left for the latter to power in a cross for Prior in the box. The defence did well to clear the danger.
Moments later Johnson linked up well with Fraser to follow up his blocked shot. He managed to cross the ball but couldn't find another fellow player.
Stoner had to dash out of his goal to deal with a long ball destined for Lloyd Skinner. The ball had gone beyond the defence and the forward was on to it, but the quick reactions of Stoner allowed him to clear.
Then Cotton slid in on Johnson from behind on the halfway line in a neat Bognor attacking move, but only a caution was given.
It was route-one football when Harding's long ball from his own half was kicked down-field to Green. The quick midfielder sped past Whitehead on the right but his cross was headed clear by Axten after he spotted Harper lurking in the 18-yard box.
The impressive Dan Royce managed to pinpoint a dipping cross from the right towards Prior, but somehow the athletic efforts of Cotton allowed the right back to slide in brilliantly to divert the ball out on his first touch.
On 68 minutes, Cotton fouled Turner on the right to be given the yellow card. He appeared to pull the attacking player back. Though Birmingham's freekick could have been a lot better, as it sailed too deep and off for a goal kick.
Two efforts on goal from the Rocks followed. On 72 minutes Whitehead's decent cross from the left was met on the back post by the onrushing Crane, who headed goalwards. Harding parried the effort only to Fraser who instantly smashed the ball into the turf to see it bounce up, hit the crossbar and away.
Bognor fans must have wondered what their players had to do to score when Turner held on to the ball well to feed Prior. Prior's strike was timid and straight at the keeper.
Moments later Johnson sped past Matt Piper to drive in a low cross, but Prior, sliding in, couldn't quite reach the dangerous ball across the six-yard box.
Then Johnson could have scored when his left-sided cross come shot had to be tipped over the bar by Harding.
It was all Bognor when another corner from the right led to Gainsford heading straight to Royce, who chipped the ball straight back into the area for Prior. His header smashed the corner frame of the goal and out for a goal-kick.
To add to the frustration on 79 minutes, Royce seemed destined to score inside the area. The impressive Harding saved the shot once again.
Six minutes from normal time a free-kick was awarded just outside Bognor's area. It led to Day scuffing his shot on the rebound. However, straight after this incident the referee awarded a further freekick to be taken for a suspected foul on Day.
Percival stepped up to take the free-kick. He smashed the ball into the wall and it took a hefty deflection to beat Stoner and fly into the right side of the net.
Bognor could not find a reply, but deserved at least a draw at Leyland Park, and will be hoping to bounce back against Sittingbourne this Saturday at Nyewood Lane.
ROCKS: Stoner, Crane (Marzetti 83), Whitehead, Fraser, Axten, Bond, Turner, Birmingham , Prior, Royce (Marshall 86), Johnson. Unused subs: Nightingale, Pointing, Lawrence.
Burgess Hill: Harding, Cotton, Opinal, Piper, Gainsford, Day , Harper, Percival, Green (Watts 86), Skinner (Patterson 65), Berry. Unused subs: Boswell, Bernard, Allman.
Report by LIAM GOODLEY
Today's Ryman one south resultsBurgess Hill Town 2 Bognor 1
Chipstead 1 Leatherhead 3
Fleet Town 3 Walton Casuals 1
Whitstable Town 0 Faversham Town 1
Whyteleafe 4 Corinthian Casuals 2
Worthing 5 Horsham YMCA 0
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Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 29 May 2012
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