United clinch first point of season

Many so-called experts have tipped Sidley for the drop but on the evidence of this performance they should enjoy a decent campaign.

"We could quite easily have had six points (from their first two fixtures)," said joint manager Andy Laskey. "I think we probably deserved to nick it and I'm disappointed we didn't get the three points to be honest. Before the game we would have settled for a point but I thought we came here and more than held our own at least.

"There's more will to win here this year and perhaps last year we would have come away and said 'we lost 2-1, that's not a bad result'. The players said 'we would have lost that game last year'. I think we've upped our game a lot, I think the fitness is better and there's definitely more shape without a doubt. I'm made up with them and I think we can only get stronger."

He would have been even more made up with them had they not conceded a late goal for the second match in succession.

Sidley were guilty of being unable to hold the ball up front in the final half an hour and as a result Ringmer levelled six minutes from the end of normal time, Chris Johnson's mis-directed shot falling perfectly for substitute Andy Agutter to tap home.

This came just five minutes after the Blues had taken the lead. The outstanding Ben White, whose free kicks were about the only decent deliveries into the Ringmer area all night, clipped the ball in from half way and Dave Ward snuck in round the back to slot into the far corner.

The goals partially clouded over an incident which must be almost unprecedented in senior football. Ringmer thought they had taken a 60th minute lead when Dominic Shepherd rounded Rob Wiley and fired into the back of the net. But as he wheeled away in celebration, referee Henry De Winne was surrounded by a swarm of seething yellow and black shirts claiming that the ball went through a hole in the side-netting. The appeals were upheld and a draw was about right.

The previous Saturday Sidley lost 2-1 away to Horsham YMCA with Jimmy Watson hitting the target.

They visit Hassocks on Saturday August 21.