Chichester City score five at VCD to go into Isthmian south east top six

Kaleem Haitham was the only change to the XI that lined up against Chatham Town last time out after Lloyd Rowlatt suffered a freakish injury stepping on a nail. Chi were straight out of the traps and summer-signing Joe Clarke grabbed the opener in the fourth minute after a mazy run from Connor Cody and a neat set up by captain Josh Clack.

Top eight is where want Chi City want to stay.

How it wasn’t three, four, or five in the opening 20 or so is anyone’s guess as the visitors absolutely bombarded VCD, playing some of their most exhilarating football in years. Rob Hutchings’ delightful diagonal ball on 9 minutes teed up Ethan Prichard for a fierce shot that crashed against the crossbar.

The Chi top scorer was then bundled over in the penalty area after he turned his marker inside out – nothing doing according to referee Gareth Burton. Next, Hutchings and Haitham hooked up to win the first corner of the game which Haitham took for Hutchings to have an effort blocked. The hosts’ keeper Harry Brooks then somehow got a glove on Ryan Davidson’s super hit and 60 seconds later denied Clarke as a neat Ethan Robb backheel got his fellow midfielder in.

Brooks pulled off two fantastic saves in the space of a minute to prevent Prichard – the first with his feet, the second a spectacular fingertip stop. And then against the run of play VCD equalised when Andrew Allassani put his foot through a Karl Dent cross after some sloppy defending.

It wasn’t 1-1 for long though as Chi went in front once more less than a minute later with Clack bagging the best goal of the match – an audacious 35-yarder, even better than the bobby dazzler he scored at The Oakwood a few seasons ago. The ref gave Cody a soft yellow card 29 minutes in just before Lewis Hyde came on for the struggling Ben Pashley.

Chichester countered from a Danny Nash set-piece and Haitham forced Brooks into a smart stop with his boots.David Ozobia then got a talking to for a bit of simulation and Chi custodian Kieran Magee had to have his wits about him as a cross cannoned of an opponent. Prichard joined Cody in the ref’s notepad for petulantly kicking the ball away; Davidson out-jumped Ozobia to head a corner clear; Hutchings got in well to tidy up; Robb was carded for a shirt pull, as was Hutchings on 44 minutes for a foul on Jordy Greaves.

After Nash lifted the resulting free-kick into the box Chi spurned several opportunities to clear their lines and following a bit of pinball Greaves bundled in a leveller. In stoppage time a decent run by Anthony Adesite opened things up as the momentum swung in the London team’s favour. The VCD striker cut back to Dent who curled his attempt the wrong side of the post.

Robb then made a nicely timed tackle and Greaves passed up a header with the last touch of the half. Hyde got booked a couple of minutes after the re-start for impeding Greaves and Robb cleared Nash’s consequent set-piece. Robb then fed Clack down the right flank and Prichard was inches away from getting to his delivery with a diving header.

Chichester regained the lead for a third time from the penalty spot. If the tackle on Prichard in the 10th minute was a stonewall pen this was a soft one, but Clack took the ball off Haitham and duly despatched it beyond the despairing Brooks. Next, Nash found Ozobia who pulled a fine save out of Magee but there was nothing the Chi keeper could do to stop Adesite whose composed finish made it all square once more on 56 minutes.

Greaves then cracked a powerful effort which was too hot to handle for Magee but when the loose ball fell to Soul Kader the VCD sub was offside. Dent went close with a delicious attempt moments later before excellent persistence from Prichard might have got Chi in only for him to tarry laying the ball back and the chance went begging.

Adam Biss made a telling block after good work by VCD down the right on the overload and then Prichard bagged his fifth goal of the campaign. The No11 had the ball in the back of the net seven minutes later but he’d drifted offside.

Ozobia drilled a shot wide and Callum Overton, who scored both goals in Chi’s 2-1 win in the corresponding fixture last season, here on for Robb, nearly got on the end of a Magee punt. Allassani somehow avoided a red card for scything Davidson down and Hyde got away with one too as VCD pressed.

Clarke, who has shone for Chi in recent weeks, made a timely block to deny Dent; Cody tidied up; and a battling Biss did well, although Kader was offside. With three minutes to go Magee was called into action again and the loose ball was hacked away before Adesite fired wide of the mark.

Sweet control from Davidson allowed Clack to take the ball into the corner as Chi sought to protect their advantage. And then on 93 minutes Prichard bagged his brace and made it 5-3 latching on to a measured Overton pass.

The victory moves Chi, who have lost only once in a sequence of eight games in all competitions, up to sixth place. Miles Rutherford’s men are back in league action on Tuesday (Nov 1) away at Beckenham Town (7:45pm).

Chichester:Magee, Davidson, Hutchings, Robb, Cody, Pashley, Haitham, Biss, Clarke, Clack, Prichard (Hyde, Munt, Bello, Moore, Overton).