Warren's a wonder for Selsey - Sidlesham fell Oak - Midhurst beaten at Withdean

Two out of three ain't bad - there were Southern Combination division one wins for Selsey and Sidlesham but a defeat for Midhurst in the latest round of games.
Boss Steve Bailey is all smiles at Sidlesham / Picture by Chris HattonBoss Steve Bailey is all smiles at Sidlesham / Picture by Chris Hatton
Boss Steve Bailey is all smiles at Sidlesham / Picture by Chris Hatton

Here are the reports from all three..

Billingshurst 0 Selsey 2

SCFL division one

Selsey boss Daren Pearce was pleased with his side’s performance after they got back to winning ways.

The Blues won 2-0 away to ten-man Billingshurst, with Jordan Warren scoring twice to keep Selsey in fifth place in division one. This comes after two straight defeats to Wick in the Division One Challenge Cup, and AFC Varndeanians in the league.

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It took 15 minutes for the visitors to open the scoring through Warren at Jubilee Fields. Then, shortly after the restart, Warren doubled his side’s lead as they took three points back to the Bunn Leisure Stadium.

Billinghurst’s Derrick Kabogozza was sent off in the 77th minute for a late tackle.

Pearce was delighted with the win, especially their defending, limiting Billingshurst to very few chances.

He added: “It is always nice to get a result away from home. We defended really well and if we capitalised on our chances, it could have been three or four wouldn’t have been an unjust result.

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“We had a goal disallowed before half-time but we were decent and it was a good day for the club.

“We created some good chances in the first half, and they had a couple of chances on the break but we defended well. Over the course of the season, they (the goalkeepers and defenders) have done really well because they weren’t together at the start of the season.”

Selsey will look to make it back-to-back wins when they host tenth-placed Mile Oak on Saturday.

Selsey: Kelly, Mockford-Allott, Atkinson, Hambleton, Higgins-Pearce, Phillips, Dowdell, Warren, Miller, Jefkins, Morey. Subs: Britton, Bennett, Goulding.

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Haitham hits the heights for CityAFC Vardeaninians 2 Midhurst & Easebourne 1

SCFL division one

The Stags returned from the Withdean pointless but deserved at least a draw.

The first real chance fell to the hosts with Joshua Bird making a good stop to his right. The hosts took the lead in the ninth minute through Matt Waterman, his shot bobbling into the corner.

The Stags responded well, putting the hosts under pressure. Two good chances came for the Stags. Josh Sheehan got free on the right and put in a good cross and Callum Coker rose high only for his header to be tipped over by Tom Bradford in the hosts’ goal.

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Coker had another good chance, forcing Bradford to tip his effort on to the post. Any chances Varndeanians created were being dealt with by the commanding Mark Broughton and Harry Farr at the heart of the Stags back-line.

It was 1-1 in the 36th minute. Jake Slater played a good one-two with Sheehan only for his chip to beat Bradford and come back off the bar and Coker reacted well to smash home.

Varndeanians came out moving the ball a lot quicker than in the first half but never really troubled the Stags.

Midhurst might have gone ahead but Coker’s shot rattled the post with Bradford beaten. Varndeanians took the lead in the 68th minute with Scott Packer’s free kick going around the wall and in.

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The Stags couldn’t find the equaliser they deserved. If the Stags keep up this level of performance up wins won’t be far away.

Midhurst: Bird, Behan, Merritt, Carter, Broughton, Farr, Sheehan, Brown, Coker, Slater, Tollworthy. Subs: Penfold, Scarbourgh, Fewell, Ewen.

SCFL division one

Sids returned to winning ways as a second-half goal from skipper Rob Madden secured the points.

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The scoreline doesn’t reflect the dominance of a Sids side high on confidence after a series of excellent performances since the turn of the year.

Sids started brightly, Morgan Forry bringing the best out of the visiting keeper, who saved a header at full stretch then diverted a shot wide when Forry seemed destined to score.

The ref waved away two very strong penalty claims from the home side as Sids pushed for a breakthrough but Oakwood defended well.

The deadlock was broken on 54 minutes when Madden headed home following a spell of sustained pressure from Sids. The goal was no more than the home side deserved and they came close to doubling the lead with what would have been a contender for their goal of the season as a flowing team move ended with MoM Sam Agostinelli forcing another fine save from the Oakwood keeper.

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The visitors came close to snatching an unlikely point, but they were unable to convert in a goalmouth scramble.

Sids now start a run of three away games all against teams around them in mid-table – starting at Seaford on Saturday – and manager Steve Bailey will be hoping they can pick up points and finish the season strongly.