Pagham battling relegation in first Wessex League season: We’ve had no luck but we can still stay up

Discipline has cost them and it’s still tight at the bottom – but is in the Lions’ hands as they get ready for their final three games. And plenty of luck has gone against them.

Boss Del Chester takes up the story of matches in recent weeks which have been mixed – and left them with crunch games to come.

He said: “We know we’ve been facing a relegation battle for some time now. With games in hand but fewer points on the board it was always going to be a tough run in.

“A couple of months ago I was confident in the squad that we would have enough to slowly pull ourselves away from trouble but as the important games came and went discipline cost us. Suspensions and battling games with 10 men in important moments have haunted us too often.

“It’s still so tight down the bottom and is in our hands but sometimes when the luck’s not with you everything gets harder. They say in football that everything levels out but I can honestly say I can’t remember a season where all big decisions have gone against us: penalties not given for us and contentious ones against have been all too frequent.

“We played Christchurch at home a few weeks ago and we were 2-0 up and coasting. They pulled one back but had a man sent off just before half time. We lost that game 2-3 to a debatable last minute penalty and it summed up our season to date.

“A draw against Portland last Thursday looked respectable on paper as they’d won their previous six games but once again we failed to kill the game off when presented with the chances – 1-0 up and a missed opportunity to go in 2-0 at half time with a great chance and we fail to score.

“Minutes into the second half we miss another good chance with another 1 on 1. You get punished for these moments and midway through the half they score from a scrappy corner that finds its way past 4 or 5 players to the back post.

“Saturday against high-flying Bemerton showed us hope – and what we need from our players if we are to get the remaining points to stay up. It was up there with arguably our best performance of the season, when most looking on probably expected us to be on the end of another defeat.

“As it happens we were, but after matching our visitors for the entire game it once again came down to a big decision going against us, a 90th minute penalty for a high foot, which I had no real arguments about other that it could just as easily have not been given as given but was one you just have to accept, showing once again how tough it is when things are not going your way.

“Tuesday night we travelled to Alresford in the first of our three final games in this relegation battle. Three changes to the team that faced Bemerton a few days beforehand still left us confident of picking up the much needed three points. The game was a bit cagey for the first 15 minutes until we settled down, understandably a few nerves in a must-win game for us.

“Once we settled our dominance showed and for the remainder of the first half we dictated play in the opposition half, creating lots of openings but without finding the cutting edge to score.

“A flashpoint off the ball sparked a few of us into life and gave the team a lift as is often the case. Minutes later Freddie Chester found himself driving forward down the right hand side and coasting past the Alresford defence, after cutting back on to his left he hit a low left-foot shot past a helpless keeper for a wonderful solo goal and his first senior goal for the club.

“After his MOM performance against Bemerton at the weekend it capped off a great week for the 16-year-old dual-signed with us from Worthing academy.

“From then on we were in full control and went 2-0 up midway through the second half when Howard Neighbour spun and turned his left foot shot into the back of the net from close range.

"True to our season, it wouldn’t have been the same had we not allowed Alresford a glimmer of hope in a game that should have seen us 4 or 5 up to pull one back late on. But deservedly we held on for the win.

“With that win we bring US Porstmouth, Bournemouth and Brokenhurst all into sight in the table as we face our biggest game of the season on Saturday away to Blackfield & Langley. A win there should see us safe in what is a huge six-pointer for both clubs.

“Our final game is at home on Tuesday to Baffins, who we narrowly lost to 1-0 earlier in the season. These final two games will determine our season and from there we can take stock and plan our continued re build since the move over to the Wessex League.”