City beaten by Becks – Shoreham see off Selsey – Stags snare Robins

Beckenham 4 Chichester City 1

Isthmian south east

A shell-shocked Chichester suffered their heaviest league defeat of the season away at Beckenham who moved up to second place in the Isthmian south east division.

Miles Rutherford & Co went with the same starting XI which battled valiantly for that precious point at Ashford United last time out, but their performance here was in stark contrast to the one against the Nuts & Bolts.

Becks, with three wins in the previous four league matches but without top scorer Louie Theopanous, played with vim and vigour and were two up within the first 15 minutes. The hosts might have gone in front as early as the second minute through Freddie Nyhus after catching Chi square but Kieran Magee blocked with his feet.

And then barely sixty seconds later Harvey Brand latching on to Jamarie Brissett’s pass cracked a long-ranger underneath Magee’s body into the bottom left hand corner. It could have been 2-0 when Archie Johnson found Steve Townsend who moved the ball on to Brissett only for the visitors to clear his effort off the line.

Chichester won a free-kick nine minutes in, although Ben Pashley headed Rob Hutchings’ set-piece over the frame of the goal. The home side, who got to the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup this year, earned one of their own after Adam Biss impeded Brissett and Pashley headed away Johnson’s delivery.

A first opportunity for Chi came and went, as others would, with Josh Clack picking out Ethan Prichard only for the No11’s shot to get blocked. Magee made an excellent save to deny Steve Townsend, palming his fierce attempt round a post for a corner which George Goodwin took and an unmarked Danny Waldren headed home to double Becks’ advantage on 13 minutes.

Kaleem Haitham then played Clack in for a chance to get Chi into the game only for a defender to divert the skipper’s effort out for a corner. Biss whipped the ball in from this and Pashley headed narrowly over.

The visitors cleared another shot off the goal-line in the 22nd minute before Alfie Bloomfield, the Brobdingnagian forward who Becks keeper Nick Blue and his back-line regularly sought with long balls, nodded one on for Nghus to fire high and wide. Magee did well moments later to get down low and claim as Tyler Anderson drove into the penalty area.

Magee’s counterpart then flapped at Biss’ corner at the other end before a Prichard cross was nearly headed into his own net by a Beckenham defender. A coming together of Jamie Horncastle and Johnson caused some consternation and brought a delay for treatment to both players.

Haitham blazed a shot over on the half hour mark; Clack had another blocked; and several Becks’ attacks fizzled out with teammates adjudged offside ahead of the break. Haitham was dispossessed in Chi’s first move of the second half but Brissett pulled his shot off target.

Nghus then got to a long ball from Johnson only to steer his chip wide before the hosts’ back four dealt with an overlapping Hutchings’ cross. Pashley passed to Tom Chalaye who sent a cross over which was cleared on 50. A couple of minutes later a poor Prichard ball put an end to a promising Chi attack.

Townsend picked up the game’s first, and only, yellow card for a crude challenge on Ryan Davidson. Clack lifted in the subsequent set-piece which was smuggled away. Next, Hutchings lost the ball to Anderson who elected to cross rather than shoot before a Nghus corner resulted in some frantic pinball in the box with Connor Cody clearing off the line once more.

Clack’s neat backheel on the hour set Hutchings up for a cross to Prichard who ballooned an effort over. A double Chi substitution saw Biss and Haitham withdrawn for Emmett Dunn and Olly Munt who was hauled to the ground in his first contribution but referee Howard Collins played an advantage only for Prichard’s shot to get steered out for a corner.

Clack then linked up with Chalaye who teed up Dunn without any joy. A probing ping led to Clack winning a corner off Brand and Chichester weren’t far away from pulling one back through Munt.

Chalaye blazed over and Prichard couldn’t get a shot away before Chi conceded a third goal when a rapid Brissett burst on to Townsend’s defence splitting pass and struck beyond Magee. An exquisite Clack goal, his seventh of the campaign in all competitions, made it 3-1 and gave the visitors some hope.

Prichard might have got a second one for Chi in the 71st minute but couldn’t get a clean connection. Both sides rang further changes with Joe Clarke introduced for Horncastle in midfield on 73 minutes. And then a lovely through ball to Chalaye by Hutchings saw the Chi striker shield it neatly, although the shot never came.

Townsend put the gloss on a convincing win with 10 or so to go capitalising on a poor Magee clearance, and with a lot to do, twisted this way and that at the Railway End and rifled one into the back of the net. It might have been 5-1 but the hosts spurned a golden opportunity on 82 and Cody’s timely tackle denied Nghus following a measured cross by sub Brad Goldberg.

Chalaye then blocked Blue’s attempt to clear but couldn’t get a shot off before Goldberg saw an effort deflect off a defender and out for a corner which Magee gathered easily enough. Two late chances came and went when Davidson wasn’t far away and Clarke drove one high over the frame of the goal.

Chi will need to find their shooting boots in their next two encounters as they welcome fourth place Whitehawk to Oaklands Park on Saturday 10th December (2pm) before travelling to table-toppers Ramsgate on Saturday 17th December (3pm).

Chichester – Magee, Davidson, Hutchings, Horncastle, Cody, Pashley, Haitham, Biss, Clack, Chayleye, Haitham (Bello, Moore, Clarke, Dunn, Munt).

Midhurst & Easebourne 5 Hassocks 0

SCFL premier

The Stags fully deserved this victory over fifth-placed Hassocks thanks to a first-rate team performance.

The first chance come in the eighth minute. Harry Tollworthy’s free-kick was flicked on by Jordan Stallibrass, Lewis Hyde challenged keeper Alex Harris, who recovered at the second attempt. Harris needed lengthy treatment minutes later.

Midhurst took the lead in the 13th minute. George Britton’s corner was headed back across goal by Hyde and Harry Tremlett headed in from five yards.

Stags added a second in the 15th minute when Tollworthy’s free kick was headed back across goal by Hyde. Dan Wood rose highest to head the ball into the top corner.

Hassocks looked lively going forward and Liam Benson forced Josh Bird into a good save. For the Stags, Tollworthy fired wide from 18 yards.

Stags added a third in the 40th minute as Joe Bull played a back pass to Harris. Billy Connor closed him down and he could only clear to Tremlett, who lobbed it over the keeper from 25 yards.

William Bloomfield took over in goal as Harris limped off injured.

In the 47th minute Tremlett completed his hat-trick with a stunning volley from 20 yards.

Stags added a fifth in the 77th minute, Tremlett getting his fourth of the afternoon - after Bloomfield made a smart save from Marcus Bedford, Tremlett tapped home from close range.

Bird made a great double save, first to deny Harvey Blake then Benson.

The Stags are eighth and go to Bexhill on Saturday.

Shoreham 2 Selsey 0

SCFL Div 1 Cup

Selsey exited the League Cup on a cold and blustery afternoon at Middle Road.

Selsey created chances but didn’t take them and a few decisions went against them at vital times.

Selsey boss Daren Pearce said: “Over the past few games we haven't been ruthless enough in front of goal and here we continued in this vein.

"There were a couple of really good chances not taken, then our hosts took one of theirs on the break.

"The second half was pretty much the same with us being good in possession but not taking chances - and then being punished near the end.

"The lads never gave up and they always try and do the right things and this we’ll continue to do as we look to improve week on week at training.”

Selsey host Forest Row on Saturday.

TD Shipley 8 East Dean 2

Sussex Junior Cup

East Dean fell victim to a brutal 8-2 defeat in the Sussex Junior Cup to a strong TD Shipley side.

With three dropouts on the day, the Dean were already on the back foot before the start.

From the off TD Shipley troubled the East Dean defenders. Eventually the deadlock was broken and TD went 1-0 up.

Haidon Davies nearly equalised but his free kick rattled the top of the crossbar.

Down the other end, TD extended their lead to two.

Jack Silvester then pulled off a brilliant save from close-range but the lead was 3-0 by the break.

In the second half it didn't take long for TD to score again. Despite the bombardment, Silvester pulled off a number of great saves.

A fifth and sixth were added in the second half before Dean got one back. Aaron Freeman sent through a fantastic ball to Davies, who rounded the last defender to slot home.

After a TD seventh, it was 7-2 as Dean MoM Tom Webber got his first for the club.

Just before the end TD added an eighth.