The Sussex Intermediate Cup 1st round was next which saw us travel to Lower Beeding & Nuthurst from the West Sussex League; this was another Jekyll & Hyde performance against a side we should have beaten with ease – we lost 4-2.

Pedley and Felstein were absent and Captain Burchett only made the bench as he struggled with a knee injury. However, Noodles and Adam Smith were added to the squad. Straight from the kick off we had Lower Beeding on the back foot and it was clear we had the beating of this team. It was not long before we took the lead, the ball dropping to Penfold in the box and he volleyed into the corner of the net for 1-0. Although we maintained the majority of possession our distribution in the middle of the park was poor and we kept gifting the ball back to the opposition. We were made to pay for this shortly before half time when Lower Beeding equalised direct from a free kick; the foul having been conceded after we had given the ball away again! We started the second half like the first putting Lower Beeding under a lot of pressure as we went in search of a second goal. We made the break through ten minutes in when Lee Stevens pulled the ball back for the onrushing Kevin McDougall who drove the ball home from the edge of the box for a rare goal. However we again let Beeding back into the game when Clift came out and scuffed his clearance straight to a Beeding striker who lobbed the ball over him into the empty net. We created a plethora of chances to regain our lead; the closest saw Smith hit the crossbar from long range with the keeper beaten, but were unable to secure a winner. Then with ten minutes to go came the match winning substitution; Burchett, on for the injured McDougall, scored from a yard out at the back post with his first touch…unfortunately it was in his own goal! Lower Beeding added a forth as we went in search of an equaliser – this game should have been won but was not, largely due to poor distribution and our inability to finish our chances.

 

1	Matt Clift
2	Kevin McDougall
3	Richard Ambrose
4	Martin Verrall
5	Dale Mayhew (C)
6	Brian Gow
7	Noodles
8	Karl Harrison
9	Martin Penfold
10	Lee Stevens
11	Adam Smith
12	Tim Burchett
14	Andy Greenwood
15
	Goal Scorers: Martin Penfold, Kevin McDougall