Mens 1st XI result an unfair reflection of team effort

With defined game plan Saxons looked to set an early pace and control the match from the outset. With the ball being moved around in highly viscous flow Saxons created chances and dominated Mid Sussex by pressing them when they had possession. The work rate paid off when Paddy Cornish laid a ball through to Jamie Busbridge who earned a short corner. The resultant corner led to a nice finish from Ollie Beal via his well rehearsed flick routine.

Saxons continued to work hard using the width from the backs of Chris Meredith and Dan Burnett whilst the midfield provided a scampering and often penetrative irritation to the mid Sussex line. Their pivot roles helping to distribute the ball across the full width of the pitch. It wasn't too long before Saxon had made their efforts count again when a ball from Alexander Coombs found Cornish who tuned well to fire home a tidy finish from an awkward angle. The distance between the sides looked to be widening at this point, but from almost nowhere the away side were back in the game through a directly fired short corner. A goal that seemed to distract Saxons from their game plan. A second soon followed from another short corner that was somehow won. Mid Sussex picked up the rebound first and struck another direct shot that found the back board to take them into a half time score of 2-2 that seemed unlikely at many points in the half.

Saxons strove to get a firm hold on the second half and started brightly with the midfield working hard, Andrew Acott and Jon Meredith providing good central distribution and Coombs making is enigmatic plays. The Home side were finding great levels of space wide and Chirs Meredith exploited this well on the left as Burnett got good ball from the Reed and Cload to do so on the right. A beautiful move that swept from Andy Orr on the left sideline, through Acott across the middle saw Saxons pull ahead again. Acott slipped the ball to Burnett for the MOM to drive into the D and neatly lay it back for a superb and calm finish by Acott. There could have been more as a near carbon copy saw Saxons go close and some great efforts were met with a 'Trump like wall' of the Mid Sussex keeper, whom it would be fair to say saved the game for Mid Sussex and allowed them to counter with confidence.

Saxons seem to have found a way to lose games they have worked hard to take these last few weeks. Another short corner saw Mid Sussex level with little time left in the game and then disaster struck when the then 9 man Saxons (two players carded and sin binned) were hit by a aerial attack that was neatly swept in past the advancing Brock Smith to break the Home sides hearts.

Match day photographs courtesy of Hastings Observer.