Lingfield 0 Loxwood 1, SCFL Premier Division, Saturday 16th
February 2019
Having spent the past few months groundhopping solely around
Sussex (my last trip outside of the county was to watch Bashley take on ColdenCommon Development back in November), it was time to leave the comforts of
home.
Albeit not by much.
This weekend’s journey took me to Lingfield in Surrey,
located close to the borders of both West or East Sussex, and indeed Kent. The
Lingers are the only team from outside of Sussex to compete in the Southern
Combination Football League, but given the village’s location it’s not hard to understand
why their participation in the Sussex-dominated league is more appealing to
them then the more Surrey-based Combined Counties League.
Despite being located in a different county, it was actually
quicker for me to drive there from my home in Newhaven then it has been for me
to reach a number of Sussex-located grounds, including that of Lingfield’s
opponents for the afternoon, Loxwood.
I arrived at Lingfield’s The Pavilion Ground (aka The Lair)
at just after 14:40, managing to find a parking space in the car park located
right outside the ground. Admission to the ground was £5 with a really well-produced
matchday program thrown in for good measure. I’d have been more than happy to
pay extra for the program as it was filled with decent content but, hey, who am
I to complain!
The Pavilion is a fairly basic County League-standard ground, with a
fairly modern-looking covered seated stand located towards the far end of the
near side of the pitch. There is also some covered standing located next to the
well-appointed clubhouse, and a couple of random park benches thrown in for
good measure.
The welcoming, as it has been from the majority of teams in this division,
was friendly, with a number of supporters from both teams taking the time for a
quick chat.
With the Lingers riding high in the league (in a highly
creditable sixth place prior to kick-off) and the Magpies located second from
bottom, were I a gambler then my money would have been placed firmly on a home
win (this is why I don’t gamble). I did overhear a couple of home supporters
stating that they have struggled against the bottom five this season, although
a quick glance at the program revealed that apart from a loss against basement
side Eastbourne United last month, most of their results against the league’s
strugglers had been positive.
Maybe they were taking the view that pessimists can never be
disappointed?
It’s fair to say that the match that unfolded wasn’t what
you would call a classic. The hosts had plenty of the ball, but with Loxwood
determined to defend doggedly and try to pick their opponents off on the break,
the Lingers failed to create too much in the way of clear-cut chances.
The one real moment of quality in the first half unsurprisingly did come from Lingfield. Ben Connolly was sent through on goal following some
fantastic quick passing in midfield, but his shot failed to beat the solid Liam Matthews, who made a good save.
Loxwood’s best chance of the opening half fell to right-back
Jason Dawson (who along with fellow full-back Lewis Broughton I felt were the
visitors stand-out players) but he skewed his shot horribly wide from a tight
angle.
Aside from the odd break, the only other way Loxwood really
looked likely to get on the scoresheet in the opening 45 minutes was through
Lingfield goalkeeper Dan Burnett being caught in possession. Burnett certainly
seems to enjoy channelling his inner Ederson or Allison when the ball is at his
feet. And while for the most part he looks comfortable enough, there were a few occasions when he was almost caught out. I think it’s fair to say he caused
his manager a few anxious moments.
The only other moment of note in the first-half, came right
at the end, when Lorenzo Lewis was booked for clipping an opponent from behind.
The decision drew plenty of complaints from the home supporters, although I
have to say from where I was standing it did look like a yellow. It wasn’t a bad
tackle; just clumsy. The reason this was important will become apparent soon.
One of the most interesting things about my groundhopping
journey to date has been being able to watch a game from a totally neutral
point of view. I honestly have no affiliation to any team in the league, and
don’t care who wins. I just want to see some good football. Therefore,
listening to supporters, managers and players from both team’s harangue referees’
week after week is quite amusing (I know I was certainly guilty of such
behaviour when I played, and am certainly like it when watching my own team).
Sometimes this stick can be warranted (some refs have been truly shocking this
season), other times less so. Yesterday’s ref was far from the worst I have
seen this season. Yet he was inconsistent. There were fouls, from both sides,
that were as bad as Lewis’ first booking, but avoided further punishment. It
is this inconsistency that drives those involved mad. That said, you couldn’t
pay me enough to become a ref. It’s a thankless task.
Anyway, back to the action. Or lack thereof. Retreating to
the clubhouse at half-time, I was intrigued to see that instead of scores from
other matches being displayed on the TV screens, I was actually rewatching the
first-half I had just watched. All Lingfield’s matches are professionally recorded
by DEPhoto.tv, who also provide detailed analysis on each fixture. Very impressive! I’m sure
that when the first-half has been a six-goal thriller, then rewatching parts of
it at half-time is quite enjoyable for those supping a half-time pint or
coffee. Not today, though.
That said, the half-time break did provide the highlight of
the afternoon so far when one dog tried to give another an unwanted late Valentine's
Day present. To the amusement of most of the clubhouse, although not the other
dog’s owner. Or indeed the other dog.
The opening minutes of the second half mirrored the pattern
of the first. Lingfield seeing more of the ball; Loxwood sticking determinedly
to their task.
The turning point of the match came 15 minutes into the
half. Another clumsy tackle from Lewis gave the ref little option but to brandish
a second yellow and send the Linger’s winger off. If the first yellow could be
considered unlucky, there was no doubt about this one. Again, there was no intention
of hurting an opponent, but it was a silly tackle to make when already on a warning.
Within two minutes of being reduced to ten-men, Lingfield
were behind. Burnett made a great save to deny Mark Goldson, but shambolic
marking from the resulting corner led to Tim Bennett scrambling the ball home
at the near post (see video).
Despite being a man down, Lingfield continued to see more of
the ball, but still failed to create any notable opportunities. As they continued
to push, their lack of numbers started to tell, and twice they could have been
picked off on the break. Had the visitors made better decisions in the final
third, or showed more composure, then the last few minutes needn’t have been
so nervy for them.
With time running out, and near constant pressure being
applied by the hosts, they had a couple of opportunities to snatch what would
have been a deserved point. The best of these chances fell to Lingfield’s top
scorer Sam Clements, but he could only fire high and wide from a similar
position to that which Loxwood’s Dawson had found himself in the first-half.
So Loxwood held on for what could prove to be a vital three
points in their fight against relegation (especially given other results at the foot of the table yesterday). While it was
far from a classic, the Magpies won’t care a jot. At this stage of the season
it’s all about results.
While this result will be disappointing for the
Lingers, they certainly look like they possess more than enough quality to
secure a top ten finish. This was just one of those days where their quick passes
just didn’t quite come off.
With it being half-term this week, and my eldest not at football
training, there’s every chance that I might sneak in a midweek game.
There’s also a good chance that I might stray out of Sussex for a second
consecutive week next Saturday.
The intrigue starts here…
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