 |
| Monday 12 April 2004 East Court FC 1 Keymer & Hassocks 0 A late Martyn Bishop strike was enough to seal a victory for East Court FC against Keymer and Hassocks in East Courts last home game of the season on Easter Monday. Court got off to an excellent start and played the kind of football that has earned them eight league wins in their last nine matches. Court dominated possession in the first half, but lacked a clinical finish in the final third of the pitch. Lee Champion came closest to scoring when he saw his effort brilliantly tipped over the bar buy the Keymer keeper. Court resumed in the second half where they left off in the first, with the midfield of James Salter, Billy Denyer and Simon Nickols over running their opposite numbers. Carl Buckler came close to scoring, whilst Andrew Wright caused havoc on the right wing, before player-manager Dan Medcalf was denied by the Keymer keeper after unleashing a thunderbolt from 30 yards. Keymer suffered a setback on 70 minutes when they had a player red-carded for dissent, which only added to the East Court momentum. Striker Ben Sunderland came on for the excellent Salter as Court pushed for the breakthrough they had so far lacked. The goal finally came with ten minutes to play when Nickols won the ball in midfield, passed to striker Ross Kelly who laid the ball off to Martyn Bishop who calmly slotted the ball home for his 15th goal of the campaign. Court held on for the final ten minutes, with the defence of Chris Butler, Medcalf and Bishop assisting keeper Andrew Mackie in keeping his fourth consecutive clean sheet. The result sees East Court well placed for their second consecutive promotion since their formation in 2002. Team: A.Mackie, A.Wright, C.Buckler, C.Butler, D.Medcalf, M.Bishop, S.Nickols, B.Denyer, R.Kelly, L.Champion, J.Salter (B.Sunderland) Unused Subs: N.Clarkson-Tooze, J.Nickols |