Quickfire double is perfect for Pagham at Sidley

The hosts gave as good as they got in a hard-fought and fairly evenly-contested encounter, but a lack of goals thwarted them.

Sidley more than held their own during a goalless first half at Gullivers. An early cross from Terry Payne caused problems for Lions keeper Wes Hallett and Kevin Barden blazed the rebound over.

Pagham were a whisker away from taking a 32nd-minute lead. Gavin Bourne parried a James Temple shot which bounced awkwardly in front of him and got a hand to Justin Gregory’s headed follow-up before Mark Chandler brilliantly nodded off the line.

Joe Booker headed just over for Pagham from a corner by Daren Pearce, while at the other end, Matt Dadswell hooked a shot narrowly wide.

Pagham had a penalty appeal for handball in a goalmouth scramble turned down, but Sidley began the second half brightly.

Sidley had looked solid and it took a wonder goal to break them down in the 62nd minute as Temple unleashed a tremendous shot from 25 yards which flashed into the corner of the net.

One became two almost straight away. Bourne came off his line to collect a ball over the top, but failed to gather and the diminutive Scott Murfin rolled the ball home despite the best efforts of the backtracking Danny Spice. Pagham had the ball in the net for a third time in the 66th minute only for the referee to spot a foul after Pearce’s left-wing free-kick.

Sidley gave it a real go in the closing quarter and almost got back into it when Hallett’s attempted clearance after Payne hooked on a long ball struck subs Dan Hill and rebounded agonisingly wide.

PAGHAM: Hallett, Hinshelwood, Robinson, Pearce,

Jones, Booker, Woolfe (Williamson 83), N Murfin, Temple, S Murfin (Cox 90), Gregory. Subs not used: Kew, Price.

SIMON NEWSTEAD