Pagham run into a Purples haze in the FA Cup

Pagham travelled to Hampshire to play AFC Stoneham in their brand new two-week old ground inside a sports centre that more resembled a prison exercise yard, and the way it turned out, they might as well have stayed at home.
Action from the U18 clash between Pagham and Steyning / Picture: Roger SmithAction from the U18 clash between Pagham and Steyning / Picture: Roger Smith
Action from the U18 clash between Pagham and Steyning / Picture: Roger Smith

After a period of Stoneham pressure, the Lions slowly started to push forward with some purpose but although they had wave after wave of attacks, nothing really came from them.

Callum Chalmers had two weak shouts for a penalty denied but other than that, a Tom Atkinson shot right across the six-yard box and wide and a well tipped over shot from Jared Rance they caused few worries for the Purples' defence.

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Maciek Kason in the Pagham goal was forced into two excellent saves before, right on the break Alex Welch found himself completely unmarked in the six-yard box to head a right-wing cross into the net.

It was Pagham once again early in the second half and Conor Geoghegan was unlucky to see his header from a Rance corner pushed over the bar.

Other than that, the Lions could produce nothing much of note and it was Stoneham making any chances that were going. The inevitable happened in the 72nd minute as another piece of slack defending in the Pagham defence left Ben Clarke all the space he needed to crash home a close range header from a corner.

The Lions pushed forward as much as they could, but Edu Jimenez took advantage of the space at the back to bend a lovely 25 yard shot into the top corner after 87 minutes to wrap thing up.

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Pagham: Maciek Kason, Tom Atkinson, Ryan Hallett (Joe Bennett), Joe Clarke, Dylan Jelley, Conor Geoghegan, Callum Chalmers (Ash Hawkes), Jack Barnes, Grant Radmore (David Crouch), Jack Williamson, Jared Rance. Subs not used: Toby Funnell, Jake Heryet, Sam Connolly, George Bingham.

* Pagham’s Lion Cubs, the under-18 side, started their season with as tough a game as possible at home to pre-Season favourites Steyning Town.

Behind after just 56 seconds and conceding another nine minutes later, they took a whil to really get going. In fact, it was only some smart goalkeeping from Owen Andrews and some poor finishing that kept the score down to 0-2 at half-time.

Pagham started much better in the second half, and left-sided defender Mitchell Smith deserved more than to see his shot bounce wide off of the post before Steyning effectively put the game away in the 52nd minute with a very well taken goal.

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Kieron Jones had a good attempt blocked at the other end but despite a vast improvement by the home side and good second half performances from Joe Middleton and Morgan Mockford and a battling game up front by George Appleton the Lion Cubs went down 0-3.

Lion Cubs: Owen Andrews, Ben Fox, Mitchell Smith, Ronnie Lee-Jones, Sonny Gill, Barnaby Griffiths, Kieron-Jones, Enrique Andrade-Paris, George Appleton, Morgan Mockford-Allott, Joe Middleton. Subs (all used): Harry Westwood, Charlie Powell, Max Searle, Edward Raven.

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