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| Wednesday 03 March 2004 Chailey 0 East Court 2 HOLDERS East Court put in an outstanding performance to retain the Malins Cup on Wednesday night (March 3). In front of a crowd of more than 150, East Court dominated the early exchanges and Andrew Wright went close with a glancing header. They should have had a penalty when James Salter was pulled back in the area but went ahead just moments later. A throw from the right was controlled by Ross Kelly and his cross was headed home by captain Simon Nickols. Billy Denyer was put through on goal but he slipped at the crucial moment. The East Court midfielder was then denied by the Chailey keeper after good work on the left by Carl Buckler. Chailey poured forward in search of an equaliser and East Court were indebted to their keeper Andrew Mackie for four outstanding saves just before half-time. First he pushed wide a cross shot and beat away another effort. He then somehow managed to get down to a header to divert it round the post and from the following corner he again denied Chailey. The second half saw East Court continue to put their opponents under pressure with Wright winning a corner in the opening seconds. They deservedly scored a second goal when Nickols found Ross Kelly with a peach of a pass round the back of the Chailey defence and Kelly calmly side-stepped the keeper to score. Player-manager Daniel Medcalf had a shot blocked, while Kelly saw another effort charged down. Chailey were restricted to long-range shots and with Martyn Bishop, Nick Palmer, Medcalf and James Crittell throwing their bodies in front of everything Chailey never really tested Mackie in the second period. Lee Champion replaced James Salter and immediately made his presence felt with a crunching tackle. Duncan Bewley came on for Buckler. Chailey pushed forward leaving gaps at the back but East Court were unable to take further advantage. At the final whistle the East Court players congratulated one another on an outstanding team performance and there was a loud cheer around the ground as Nickols lifted the cup. In the process East Court made history as they became the first team to successfully defend a Mid Sussex Football League cup competition. Team: A.Mackie, Ja.Crittell, N.Palmer, S.Nickols, D.Medcalf, M.Bishop, A.Wright, B.Denyer, R.Kelly, J.Salter (L.Champion), C.Buckler (D.Bewley) Unused Sub: C.Butler |