FIRST TEAM MATCH REPORT

RETURNING SMART BRACE PROVES DECISIVE

On a bright, sunny and warm (at least for winter) afternoon, Rustington hosted Lancings penultimate away fixture of the season.

With their away games almost complete due to ground restructuring, the Blues expected a vibrant side in yellow hoping to cause a league upset and double their away wins for the season at the same time.

The first meeting between the sides was possible due to the excellant groundstaff at Jubilee Avenue, where their work, although the pitch was soft and heavy, allowed the match to go ahead even with the almost persistent rainfall over the whole of the previous week.

The Blues started the half well, but not up to the high standards they have set over the first half of the season. A low key affair was lit up when Joe-Lewis Cumber caught the visitors defence wrong-footed, raced down the right and into the box. Lancing keeper, Richard Whittington dashed out to attempt to narrow the angle and fortunately blocked the right foot shot. Lancings only show for the half came mid-way through when Rob Partridge ran down the middle well to collect a (all too familiar for Jubilee Avenue visitors) lofted forward ball. Some good control allowed him to squeeze in between the two centre halfs and a short pass found Joe Howard who rushed his shot and scooped wide of the covering Andy McCarthy in the Blues goal.

As the half went on Rustington applied more and more pressure on the Lancing midfield and defence and enjoyed the majority of the possession. On 37 minutes, Adam Bibb ran down the right and crossed into the centre. Andy Smart, back from injury and who came on for the injured Steve Kirkham, met the header with ease and steered the ball into the Lancers goal to leave Whittington stretching and put the Blues 1 up.

Andy Boxall tried to double the advantage a minute before the break when he found space in the Lancing box to shoot, but the lunging keeper made a block with his foot to prevent the Blues taking the match in the first half.

HALF TIME - Rustington 1 - Lancing 0

The Blues were left rueing the missed chances and wasted domination of the first half when within 45 seconds of the restart the scores were level. Darren Boswell picked up the ball at around 35 yards out. What seemed a rather optimistic, speculative strike, without any significant power, was directed towards Andy McCarthy in the Blues goal. As the keeper prepared to make a routine stop, a momentary lapse of concentration and a rather unfortunate dip in the surface allowed the ball to pass through his legs and unhindered into the net.

Although Lancing in no way deserved their equlaiser they were boosted by the fortune and had a purple patch for 20 minutes but although they occasionally questioned the Rustington defence, they never looked like breaking them down or severly testing the Blues keeper, McCarthy.

Rustington took the opportunity of the Lancing pressure to operate a counter-attack style of play and Andy Boxall broke though, down the middle, but his cross-goal shot went whiskers wide to frighten the visitors, enough to wind down their constant attempt to force play, and with that the Blues took control of the game again.

With five minutes remaining Rustington pressed for a winner and a cross from the right was headed back, and struck the inside of the left post. The ball crossed the face of the goal, back towards the right upright, where Andy Smart slid in to force the ball over the line, to get what was to be the decisive goal.

Despite their lowly position in the League, due mainly to the extreme amount of away games they have been forced to play, Lancing pushed Rustington in what was a very heavy pitch. However, the Blues league position proved that they can get results from games that aren't spectacular in the play or scoring and the brace from Andy Smart was the telling difference on the performance levelling surface.

Rustington passed the ball around nicely at times, but lacked any real penetration up front apart from the couple of chances from Boxall and the two Smart goals. Saying that the Lancing strike force of Rob Partridge and Joe Howard failed to cause the Blues any major problems and that is the cause of their low position.

Overall the home side arguably deserved the victory, but for a long period the game was for the taking, but a better performance from future opposition could punish the Blues occasional lapses in concentration.

FULL TIME - Rustington 2 - Lancing 1