Littlehampton United 1 v 5 Bexhill United

Sunday 1st September 2019
FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round
The Sportsfield, Littlehampton
Admission including Squad sheet: £5.00
Attendance: 70 (estimate)

 

After watching the earlier game here between Littlehampton Town, I then went into the town's Wetherspoons for dinner, before returning to The Sportsfield for this game with the most unusual Sunday evening at 7.45 kick off.

Littlehampton United, a club that changed its name from Clymping last season following their groundshare at The Sportsfield, would-be playing their first ever game in the FA Vase, and are probably one of the lowest ranked clubs in this year's competition, as a Step 7 club who finished in 13th place in the Southern Combination League Division Two. This game would be Littlehampton United's first home game of the season, which started with  a 1-7 win, then a draw, and most recently a defeat. Bexhill United finished in fourth place in the Southern Combination League Division One, but have picked up just one point from their opening three league games, all played away from home due to cricket taking priority at The Polegrove until September.

On a chilly evening with a clear sky allowing a beautiful sunset during the game, Bexhill started very much on the front foot, seeing along range shot tipped round the post on 5 minutes, before they took the lead on 9 minutes. A defender dallied with the ball in his own area and was dispossessed, and Jamie Bunn dribbled with the ball to find some space, before chipping the ball over the keeper from a very tight angle, with the ball dropping into the net. Bexhill scored their second on 15 minutes when Craig MacFarlane headed home a corner from close range. Littlehampton United did have a chance on 18 minute when a shot with the outside of the foot from the edge of the area went just over the bar, but that was a very rare foray forward by the hosts. On 37 minutes, a quickly taken free kick resulted in a shot tipped onto the post, but a minute later, Littlehampton United pulled a goal back when a corner was headed into the top left corner. And now the game was looking very different, as Littlehampton had settled and were holding their own, while Bexhill just couldn't seem to get their game going. But Bexhill did restore their lead just before half time, in quite fortunate circumstances. A Littlehampton player completely miskicked the ball in the attacking half, allowing Bexhill to gain possession and fire a diagonal ball for Jack Shonk to run onto and eventually stroke the ball past the keeper.

Despite being two goals behind, one felt that Littlehampton United still were in the game, even though Bexhill had the better chances to score, and it wasn't until the 86th minute that the game really went away from the hosts, when Bexhill saw a shot go wide of goal, but to general astonishment, a penalty was awarded. Shonk emphatically struck the ball into the top right corner. To compound their woes, Littlehampton had two players sent to the sinbin for dissent, one before the penalty was taken, the other in the aftermath. And in the first minute of added on time, Bexhill scored a fifth, Shonk claiming his hat-trick with a free kick fired into the top right corner.

So it was a poor day for the Littlehampton clubs, both bowing out of the FA Vase by four goal margins, as Bexhill progress to the next round, where they will travel to Combined Counties League Division One new boys Westside.