Newhaven’s injury-ravaged squad were back on the road last night for a tricky-looking Sussex Senior Cup first round match against lower-division Billingshurst.

Billingshurst have started the season well, having tasted defeat just once in their opening seven league matches and currently sitting third in the SCFL Division One.

It was an unfamiliar Newhaven line-up (unfamiliar through necessity as opposed to choice) that actually settled into the game more quickly, dominating the ball in the early stages without ever really threatening the opponent’s goal too often.

Yet despite the lack of clear opportunities, it still came as no real surprise when the Dockers took the lead just after the 20-minute mark. Luca Page did well to work himself some space down the left, and his low shot from the edge of the area was diverted into the net by Lee Robinson.

At this point, a fairly comfortable evening appeared on the cards as Billingshurst struggled to get a foothold in the game.

However, as anyone who has watched the Dockers on a regular basis this season knows full-well, ‘comfortable’ and ‘Newhaven’ are not words that belong in the same sentence as far as football is concerned.

Within five minutes, Billingshurst had levelled from their first meaningful attack of the game. Take nothing away from the strike from Jamie Smith, which was a fabulous effort that gave Newhaven’s debutant 16-year-old goalkeeper Jonny Barnes-Galloway absolutely no chance, but questions will be asked about the amount of time and space given to the Hurst attackers in the build-up to the goal.

From this moment on, the hosts really started to grow into the game and had they been a little bit more clinical, they could have grabbed another goal before half-time as Newhaven began to look more than a little nervous.

Having ridden out the mini-storm, on the stroke of half-time, Newhaven were handed the ideal opportunity to take a lead into the break. A perfectly lobbed through pass from Jack Shonk sent Robinson away, he was tugged back, and the referee had little hesitation in pointing to the spot.

It was Robinson who stepped up, and although his shot was well-struck, Enrique Suarez-Macleod guessed the right way and made a good save, pushing the ball behind for a corner.

From the resulting corner, Billingshurst failed to clear the ball, it dropped invitingly to Page, but he could only blaze high over the bar from close-range.

A half-time substitution saw the injured Josh Tuck replaced by Coby Farrell, meaning both our centre-backs and goalkeeper were now aged 18 or under.

With such an inexperienced backline, there was always the chance that Billingshurst would create chances in the second-half… and so it proved.

In fact, the second period was less than a minute old before the hosts took the lead. The ball was given away sloppily at the back and Archie Goddard finally forced the ball home after Harry Smith had been denied.

The early goal clearly rocked Newhaven, and it took a while for a definitive response to arrive.

That said, Robinson almost grabbed an equaliser following a poor clearance from Suarez-Macleod, but could only shoot narrowly wide. By that point, the Dockers were perhaps fortunate to still have 11 men on the pitch when Farrell seemed to pull back one of their players when he was through on goal.

With just over 25 minutes remaining, the Dockers did find their way back into the game. Callum Edwards did brilliantly, toying with the Billingshurst defence, before standing up a cross that was headed home by Shonk.

The goal seemed to galvanise Newhaven. For the next five minutes they took the game to their hosts, starting to dominate proceedings for the first time since the opening 20 minutes.

That pressure was rewarded in the 70^th minute. Again it was Edwards who was the provider, twisting his marker inside and out, before pulling the ball back to Robinson who made no mistake.

Having hit the front, Newhaven instantly began to look nervy again, starting to retreat deeper and deeper.

The final 15-minutes can only be described as ‘proper cup football’ as Billingshurst went all out in search of an equaliser. By this point, another teenager had entered the Newhaven back four. I doubt Bailie Rogers has ever felt older!

Twice in an injury-time that seemed to last forever, Billinghurst spurned good opportunities to take the match to a penalty shoot-out, but the Dockers just about clung-on to their lead to progress into the next round of the Sussex Senior Cup.

It’s a return to league action on Saturday as we make our longest trip of the season with a visit to league newcomers Petersfield.

Our RUR Cup campaign then gets underway next Tuesday night when we visit Horsham YMCA for what will be the third meeting between the two teams already this season, before we’re finally back at Fort Road on Saturday 21^st September when we host Lydd Town in the FA Vase.

As ever, your support at any of these games will be much appreciated!

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Callum Edwards. Worked tirelessly going forward and backward, and ended the game with two well-deserved assists.