A good performance against a much-improved Crowborough team in our first match of 2004.
The heavy rain and high winds of earlier in the week subsided, so it was a pleasant, sunny January day. The pitch was soft but very playable.
There was little to choose between the teams in the first five minutes, with chances at each end, but we broke the deadlock in the eighth minute when Chris Phillips unleashed a powerful shot after a good run. The goalie got his hand to it but couldn't stop the ball going in, although Ross McCarter was following up.
We continued to create chances, but didn't score again until Ollie Leigh got his head to a Ben Spring corner after twenty minutes. Two minutes later Ben Spring scored himself, latching on to a through ball from Greg Byrne. Crowborough hit back in the 27th minute after successive defenders failed to clear.
Any worries that the second half would be more difficult without the benefit of the slope were soon alleviated, when Chris Phillips scored after only a minute, showing great composure as he rounded the Crowborough keeper and slotted the ball home.
Two minutes later Nick Edwards was on hand to slot home after a great run and shot from Ben Spring. Two minutes after that Ben Spring scored a penalty, having been brought down in the area.
Ben Spring got his hat-trick after 15 minutes of the half as Chris Phillips dispossessed a Crowborough defender and played a superb pass. Greg Byrne was a rare entry on the score sheet when he scored our eighth goal, in the 61st minute, with a unlikely-looking lob.
That was the last goal of the game, but Nick Edwards was unlucky when he put the ball in the net with a superb header, but the linesman decided that Ben Spring's corner had gone out of play and come in again.
A very encouraging performance overall. There was a little rustiness, which was only to be expected after six weeks without a game, but the passing was excellent. Ben Spring was unlucky not to get man-of-the-match for his superb hat-trick, but Chris Phillips just edged it as he set the tone with the opening goals of both halves. |