After an enforced lay-off last week due to Little Common’s waterlogged pitch, Newhaven were back in action yesterday, as Lingfield visited Fort Road for the second time this season.
The previous meeting back in November was classed as Lingfield’s home game, and resulted in a single-goal victory for the Dockers.
Back then, the Lingers were looking like a side destined for a relegation battle. However, they arrived at Fort Road yesterday as one of the division’s form teams; unbeaten since Boxing Day and having beaten play-off chasing Haywards Heath in their last outing.
Yet it was Newhaven, whose last match was a 3-0 victory at Horsham YMCA, who started the game in the ascendancy.
Two early chances came and went for Newhaven before Alfie Rogers was pulled down for what appeared to be a stonewall penalty, only for the referee to rather surprisingly wave the appeal away.
The Dockers kept pouring forward, though, and when they finally took the lead in the 13th minute, it came as no real surprise.
Lee Robinson got in down the left, could have gone for goal himself, but instead elected to hook the ball into the danger zone, where his older brother Jake was waiting to bundle the ball over the line.
The goal only succeeded in rousing the visitors from their early slumber, and for the next 15 minutes they forced Newhaven onto the back foot, playing like a team full of confidence.
The Dockers’ young goalkeeper Johnny Barnes-Galloway made a good diving stop to keep us in front, before their striker blazed wastefully over when well placed inside the area.
Having ridden the mini-storm, Newhaven wasted a decent chance to double their advantage ten minutes before half-time. Once again, Lee Robinson elected to pass instead of shoot, and the ball eventually found its way to Emmanuel Abudiore whose shot was deflected behind.
On the brink of half-time, the Dockers suffered an injury blow when Josh Tuck was forced to depart with a knee-injury, to be replaced by Under 23s player Liam Osbourne.
Things could have got worse for Newhaven a few minutes later, when Jake Robinson was shown a yellow card for a lunging tackle that some ref’s probably would have deemed a red card. Very much one to file under the description ‘forward’s tackle.’
Thankfully, the Dockers managed to reach the interval a goal to the good.
An even start to the second-half saw chances come and go for Alfie Rogers and Abudiore. Lingfield were perhaps seeing more of the ball, but Newhaven were looking threatening whenever they went forward, with Lingfield’s most dangerous moments coming from long throw-ins.
Midway through the second-half the visitors did find an equaliser. Unsurprisingly it came from a set-piece. While the free-kick award looked harsh – I’m not quite sure what the unfortunate Osbourne was supposed to do, other than get out of the other player’s way and let him through – take nothing away from Conor Wilford’s finish.
He may have been offered a lot of the goal to aim for, but it’s doubtful whether Barnes-Galloway would have saved it anyway, such was the accuracy of the Lingfield captain’s curling effort.
Wilford’s subsequent joyous celebration right in front of Newhaven’s vocal crowd contingent would ultimately turn out to be woefully misjudged; although it would eventually provide the crowd with some of its more enjoyable moments in what has been a slog of a season.
It took Newhaven a while to recover from the disappointment of conceding, and were it not for a simply superb point-blank save from Barnes-Galloway, the game could have had a very different outcome.
As it was Newhaven survived, and Lingfield subsequently fell apart in the final ten minutes.
The Dockers regained the lead seven minutes from time, when a Lingfield player finally forced the ball past his own keeper, after two others had tried and failed to do so.
Newhaven’s celebrations in front of Wilford were funny to watch – for those of a Newhaven persuasion, at least – although they did lead to Lee Robinson receiving a booking for some frankly wonderful housery. In fairness to Wilford he took the banter well (better than a fair few of his teammates at any rate).
With the crowd now as loud as I can remember it being all season, and every Lingfield mistake – of which their started to be many – being jeered, the visitors crumbled.
Just two minutes later, the Dockers made the game safe. Lee and Jake combined once again, with the former squaring to the latter who was left with the simple task of tapping home for his second of the afternoon.
The game was up – and didn’t the crowd enjoy letting Lingfield’s players know it.
In injury time, Newhaven put some gloss on the scoreline as substitute Ash Wadhams grabbed his first goal for the Dockers, squeezing home from a tight angle.
It was a finish to the game that few would have seen coming ten minutes earlier; but one very much enjoyed by the partizan home crowd.
So it’s two wins in two for the Dockers as we look to end the season on a high.
We’re back at Fort Road next weekend, with Shoreham our visitors, before we make the long journey to Pagham the following week (15th March). Two games that certainly appear winnable on paper. Let’s hope the boys can keep their current run going as we try and propel ourselves a couple more places up the table between now and the end of the season.
As ever, your support at all the games is very much appreciated.
Come On You Dockers!
My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Johnny Barnes-Galloway. Again there were a few strong contenders for the award, but the young GK gets the nod for me. His unreal save just before we retook the lead was practically as good as a goal, while his all-round game belies his tender years. Very impressive!
