Littlehampton Town boss is enjoying watching own team again … Wick and Steyning through in Sussex Cup but Lancing crash out

The Marigolds had a sluggish start to their second season in the Isthmian south east division – not helped by having more weekends off than on the pitch in the first two months.

They’ve had quite a turnover of players, too, but Hand – speaking after a 2-1 home win over Phoenix Sports on Saturday courtesy of second half goals by George Gaskin and Scott Packer– can see things coming together.

He told us: “I was really happy with Saturday’s performance. The boys were brilliant and things are starting to take shape.

"Rebuilding this side hasn’t been easy. We’ve lost a lot of top players, the likes of Jordan Clark, Lewis Jenkins, Scott Faber and Lucas Pattenden – players I didn’t want to lose.

"But the boys that have come in have been brilliant and I feel like we’re starting to get a bit of consistency, I’m starting to enjoy watching us play again now.

"We’ve almost had to build a completely new side but these young lads are a joy to watch, complimented by our core, so it’s starting to look exciting again.

"We’ve lost Liam Hendy this week – he’s decided to drop down a league. We’ve had so much change, we don’t want to put any targets out there, the aim is to keep playing attacking football and see where we end up.”

Saturday brings a stiff test for the Golds – they visit runaway leaders Three Bridges.

Wick 2 Bexhill 1

Sussex Senior Cup

Dragons boss Lee Baldwin is hoping for a plum home tie in the next round of the Sussex Senior Cup.

Goals from Sam Hack and George Bingham either side of an equaliser from Aaron Cook just before half-time gave the Southern Combination Division One Dragons a third cup success over Premier Division opposition this season following victories against Saltdean and Loxwood.

"We’re the lowest ranked club left in the Senior Cup and I would love to get Bognor at home in the next round as I played for them at every level except the first-team,” Baldwin said – ahead of Bognor’s own tie on Wednesday night against Horsham YMCA.

Victory against Bexhill was marred when substitute Liam Connolly was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg following a challenge from Ollie Hull which earned him a red card.

Wick’s next home game is against Oakwood on Sunday, October 29 (11am) when a crowd of more than 200 ground hoppers are expected to converge on Crabtree Park.

Lancing are out of the Sussex Senior Cup.

The Lancers were disappointed to lose 2-1 at home to lower-division Eastbourne United, stunned by Callum Barlow’s second-half double that earned the visitors a 2-1 win after George Taggart put Dave Altendorff’s side ahead.

Another local side through to the third round of the Sussex Senior are Steyning, who brushed aside Selsey 6-2 at the Shooting Field.

At the weekend, Shoreham’s SCFL clash with Crawley Down Gatwick was abandoned after their goalkeeper was taken ill.

After a lengthy delay the game was called off. Shoreham said the keeper recovered.

Get all the local football action in the Worthing Herald and Littlehampton Gazette – out on Thursday