FIRST TEAM MATCH REPORT

Rustington   7 - 1    Pease Pottage Village

The general consensus surrounding Jubilee Avenue for most fans would have not questioned the result but the margin of the victory. It took an early shock but the Blues turned on the style in eight superlative minutes to destroy Pease Pottage. The result meant that the Villagers are mathematically confined to playing intermediate football next season while the Blues can finish in the promotion places, pending other results, with four more wins.

The difference in teams was apparent from the start, with pure domination from the Rustington attack, Steve Kirkham had a shot blocked and Joe Lewis Cumber with a lob that should really have been put across goal to an open Lee Gibbs. The pressure continued, James Butt unable to control a volley, and a nice move on the edge of the box by Bennett to Duffy saw his shot go straight to the keeper. Gibbs came close from a free kick after an innocuous challenge on Andy Smart.

Then came the shock, after Rustingtons confident start a pass from the wing nutmegged a Blues defender and the thankful receiver, Sean Coleby, stroked home easily past McCarthy. A nasty incident ensued after the restart, Joey Cumber in a clash with a Pease Pottage player that required an ambulance, Ryan Morten replacing him just after the quarter hour mark.

Rustington seemed unphased by the Pottage advantage, and played superb patient football. Smart and Kirkham in the mix early after a neat move, then a move which involved everyone on the pitch in blue saw twenty consecutive passes, a touch from a Pottage defender, then a rasper of a shot from Steve Kirkham, however the referees assistant ruling the goal offside. After further chances for Kirkham, Smart with a sitter which was pulled right, and a couple for Lee Gibbs, Steve Kirkham found the breakthrough – a delightful finish from a Lee Gibbs pass, albeit a bit of luck with the linesman’s flag.

With parity restored, the game reached half-time. Further chances rained down oni the Pease Pottage defense, Gibbs and Kirkham working well – and Sean Duffy constantly involved. It was Sean Duffy who supplied the ball to Kirkham who inevitably doubled his account and give the Blues the lead, finishing well past Mick Onions.

With the usual perpetrators having an excellent game, Rustington were about to finish Pease Pottage off. Andy Boxall tided up a defensive mix up to hammer home the third, James Butt looked to have scored from the fourth albeit an extremely helpful deflection, and Neal and Tomlinson finding some leeway with efforts of their own, Withers replaced an excellent Lee Gibbs on 70 minutes, and the goals kept pouring in – Superb play from the right wing allowed Ryan Morten to slot home a fifth, an exquisite diving header from Sean Duffy made it six, and Boxy rounded the keeper wonderfully to tally up the seventh.

A successful day for the Blues as they now march on to the Easter weekend with the first Senior silverware in sight, the Division 2 cup , followed by the local rematch against Littlehampton. It will prove an exciting weekend for everyone linked with the club. It is hoped that Joe Lewis Cumber will recover from what seemed to be a nasty injury in time for both crucial matches.

Goalscorers