Sids, Pirates and Bosham all make cup progress

Here are the match reports...

Nutley 2 Sidlesham 7

Sussex Intermediate Cup

Sidlesham eased past Nutley in the Intermediate Cup on a wet and windy afternoon.

Sids started the game kicking up the slope and against the wind, but within five minutes they took the lead.

A great ball into Tom Bayley allowed him to help the ball on to Callum Dowdell, who lifted it over the on rushing goalkeeper and into the empty net.

The home side responded by putting Sidlesham under pressure with set-pieces although keeper Connor Kelly and his defenders held firm... until a great cross from the home side’s winger was converted at the far post.

This spurred the home side on but they found Joe Leggatt in magnificent form, and the sides went in level at half-time.

The second half was all Sidlesham and within minutes they retook the lead with MoM Dowdell getting his second direct from a corner. Dowdell completed his hat-trick after a good run and shot.

Dan Bassil got in on the action, converting a good ball into the box by firing high into the net.

The home side were finding it increasingly difficult to keep Sidlesham at bay, only occasionally breaking away and forcing a couple of dangerous moments which the Sidlesham defence dealt with.

Bayley was next on the scoresheet, converting a penalty with great composure after being brought down in the box.

Bassil got his second by finishing a good move off when put in by Dowdell.

The goal of the game came soon after with John Phillips seeing the goalkeeper off his line and trying his luck from all of 70 yards and with the goalkeeper misjudging the flight of the ball which bounced over him and in.

Nutley did have the ball in the Sidlesham net right at the end after the referee gave a contentious spot kick. A Nutley forward sent Kelly the wrong way and gave the away side a consulation for their hard work in the second half.

Sidlesham are back in league action on Saturday with a home game against Westfield (2pm).

Sids: Kelly, Kelly, Sandals, Robinson, Leggatt, Atkinson, Phillips, Sibanda (Bassil), Bayley, Jefkins (Litterick), Dowdell. Unused subs: Williams, Hayes.

Worthing Town Leisure 0 Nyetimber Pirates 4

Nyetimber Pirates cruised into the fourth round of the Intermediate Cup with a 4-0 victory over Southern Combination division-two side Worthing Town Leisure.

Leisure were the highest placed side the Looters had faced in their six-year history but that didn’t show on the pitch as they strolled to victory.

Manager Ted Griffin made three changes from the side which beat Petworth last week with Louis Haga-Hammond, Derek Chester and Karl Westbrook coming into the team.

Man of the moment Andy Cox gave the Pirates the lead midway through the first half with an impressive finish from outside the box.

It was 2-0 minutes later when one of the Leisure defenders turned the ball into his own net following a save from the goalkeeper.

Scott Towers terrorised the Worthing defence for much of the first half but spurned two chances to put the game to bed.

Chester turned in a Cox free kick to make it 3-0 midway through the second half and the game was over on 75 minutes when Towers lobbed the keeper to cap an impressive performance form himself.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the return of Anders Wyatt, who has missed 27 months with a knee injury sustained in a pre-season game at Sidlesham. He was an important part of the 2013/14 county cup-winning side and his return could prove vital for both Pirates sides this season.

Wyatt joined debutant Jake Stanley who also came on as a late substitute following his signing in the summer.

The partnerships of Hamm and Horn at the back and Angell and Chester in the middle were immense and didn’t give Worthing a sniff.

The win means the Pirates have won 15 from 15 in all competitions, a run which stretches back to March 26, and will face either Forest Row or Lancing United in the next round.

Pirates: Pye, Williamson, Pasterfield, Horn, Hamm, Chester, Haga-Hammond, Angell, Cox, Towers, Westbrook. Subs Stanley, Frangou, Wyatt.

Polegate Town 1 Bosham 5

Two goals from Alex Barnes helped the Reds march into the last 16 of the Intermediate Club with relative ease at the expense of a Polegate side who were out of their depth.

Polegate ply their trade in the Mid Sussex Championship two divisions below Bosham’s status and the gulf in class showed on a wet day near Eastbourne.

Bosham, in their new-look away strip, had the lead in the first minute through Barnes as they came flying out of the blocks. The ball ran loose on the edge of the box and Barnes latched on to it and fired a low effort into the bottom corner, giving Bosham the perfect start.

The Reds continued to dominate despite tricky conditions and captain James Wilson doubled the lead after only nine minutes. Bradley Miles chipped the ball over the static defence allowing Wilson to easily beat a weak offside trap and slot past keeper Brett Rust.

Less that quarter of an hour in the Robins made it three when Louis Bell got in on the act, finishing an excellent move from a corner with Graeme Dowden ably assisting. Rust was beaten at his near post with an exquisitely-directed effort from Bell.

Polegate regrouped and George Whitely fired in through a crowd to give them some hope but, soon after the half-hour Bosham made it four. Barnes was on hand to poke home after Rust got a finger to a delicate chip from Miles.

The second half saw Bosham hitting the woodwork and constantly testing Rust.

Just after the hour Oliver Gilbert made it five with a well-directed header from a Dowden corner.

In the last 16, either Shoreham U21s or Westfield will travel to Walton Lane.

Bosham: Magee, Probee, Bulbeck, Dowden, Gilbert, Bell, Barnes, Miles, Redman, Wilson, Docherty. Sub: Warren.

Alan Price

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking sports news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be among the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make this website your homepage

2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex

3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

Share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!