Dockers leave Chichester City all at sea
Chichester failed to keep possession in midfield and often resorted to launching the ball long to their two 6ft-plus strikers. Newhaven passed the ball with more purpose than their opponents, and although lucky to find themselves a goal up, they improved once they took the lead.
City managed to get in behind the Newhaven defence early on when James Temple was left one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, some loose ball control saw his chance wasted with keeper Jake Buss rushing out to smother the ball.
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Hide AdNewhaven left-back Ryan Knight almost embarrassed Anthony Ender in goal when his cross bounced back off the crossbar, much to the goalkeeper’s relief.
Chichester looked the better side but a costly error changed the complexion of the fixture just before half-time. An aimless ball forward looked to be fairly straightforward for Ender in goal, but he somehow missed the ball and Newhaven’s Oliver Davies reacted fastest, tapping the ball into the empty net.
Frustration began to kick in for City in the second half, which became clear when substitute Alex Ansa-McIntyre went in hard into a couple of challenges, sparking a reaction from the Newhaven players.
Newhaven took the game away from City with a perfectly-executed counter-attack. The ball came to Jayson Sowter on the right wing and he squared to Scott Marshall, who side-footed home.
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Hide AdCity had one final chance with 15 minutes to go when Joe Gromett beat the offside line but he poked wide with just the keeper to beat.
Chichester joint manager Sean Forry said: “We started slowly, but we did look comfortable early on, and we were the better team when the slip-up for the goal happened.
“We didn’t match their work-rate early on and were a bit sluggish but we took over after the first 25 minutes of the first half and I thought we would go 1-0 up at half-time.
“This was the first of three fixtures in which we are playing sixth, seventh and eighth in the league, which is where we want to end up, and I was hoping we would go unbeaten in those. At our best I think we would have won, so I still think we can get a result against St Francis and Horsham.”
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Hide AdCITY: Ender, Buckland, Edwards, Boniface, Hegarty, Smith, Williams, Pearce, Temple, Forry, Gromett. Subs: Ansa, Eyres, Kilner.
City host Broadbridge Heath in the third round of the RUR Cup at Oaklands this Saturday.
ALASTAIR PUSINELLI
* Selsey’s woes continued when they were hammered 8-0 at St Francis. They have no game this week.