Late double blast breaks Saxons' hearts

South Saxons Hockey Club's men's first team conceded two late goals to suffer an agonising defeat on Saturday.
Andrew Acott on the ball for South Saxons against Mid Sussex. Picture by Simon NewsteadAndrew Acott on the ball for South Saxons against Mid Sussex. Picture by Simon Newstead
Andrew Acott on the ball for South Saxons against Mid Sussex. Picture by Simon Newstead

Saxons saw a 3-2 lead turn into a 4-3 loss at home to Mid Sussex, although they do at least remain just inside the top half of South Hockey League Kent/Sussex Area - Regional 2.

It is a sign of how far Saxons have come that they are not just targeting staying up, but delivering a result each week. To feel that this should have been a win shows the distance they have already travelled.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Saxons looked to set an early pace and control the match from the outset. Saxons created chances and dominated Mid Sussex by pressing them when they had possession.

South Saxons captain Jamie Busbridge goes for goal.South Saxons captain Jamie Busbridge goes for goal.
South Saxons captain Jamie Busbridge goes for goal.

The workrate paid off when Paddy Cornish laid a ball through to Jamie Busbridge, who earned a short corner, from which Olli Beal scored via his well-rehearsed flick routine.

Saxons continued to work hard and it wasn't too long before Saxons made their efforts count again. A ball from Alex Coombs found Cornish, who turned 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 got back in the game from a short corner.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

That goal seemed to distract Saxons from their gameplan and a Mid Sussex equaliser soon followed from another short corner. The 2-2 half time scoreline had seemed unlikely for much of the first half.

Nick Taylor goes in for a tackle.Nick Taylor goes in for a tackle.
Nick Taylor goes in for a tackle.

Saxons started brightly in the second period and with the midfield working hard, they were finding great space out wide.

A beautiful move resulted in Saxons pulling ahead again. Andrew Acott slipped the ball to man of the match Dan Burnett, who drove into the D and neatly laid it back for Acott to apply a superb finish.

Saxons went close again with a near identical effort, while the Mid Sussex goalkeeper kept his team in the game and allowed them to counter with confidence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Another short corner saw Mid Sussex level with little time left and then disaster struck when the by now nine-man Saxons (with two players carded and sin-binned) were hit by an aerial attack which ended with the ball being neatly swept in past the advancing Brock Jonssen-Smith to break the home side's hearts.

Alex Coombs tries to take on a Mid Sussex opponent.Alex Coombs tries to take on a Mid Sussex opponent.
Alex Coombs tries to take on a Mid Sussex opponent.

See our comprehensive sports coverage in the Observer every Friday.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make this website your homepage

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

Related topics: