9th April 2001
 

UPPER BEEDING 4:2 HENFIELD

It may have been top of the table against bottom at Upper Beeding on Tuesday
evening but Henfields' first half battling qualities certainly had their
local rivals rattled.

Although Henfield were the more tenacious in the early stages the first
clear cut chance fell to Beedings Lee Strange. Gary Salters' through ball
caught Henfield square and Alex Cordwell did well to keep out the prolific
Beeding man

Julian Durrant, Rob Slaughter and the commanding Willie Warne drove
Henfield forward and they were clearly upsetting Mick Barry's carefully laid
4-3-3 formation.

Henfield were rewarded after sixteen minutes after veteran Vic Gretton and
skipper John Burgess got themselves in a tangle and Greg Hearne finished at
the second attempt, after a fine save from Scott Redfern.

The lead lasted only a minute as Dave Smith fed Strange, in the box, and the
diminutive strikers' turn and finish burnt Cordwell's finger tips.

Spurned chances for Beedings' Stuart Barry and Strange were interspersed
with opportunities for Henfields' Slaughter and Durrant as Beeding spent
more time arguing with each other than imposing themselves on the game.

There were bookings for Beedings Gary Salter and Glyn Edmonds as Henfield
looked the more likely to take the lead. And so they did after thirty nine
minutes, with not a little help from referee Neil Saxton.

The Alfold official adjudged Gary Salter to have brought down Hearne from
forty yards away, when the linesman and almost everybody else in the good
sized crowd knew that Salter had clearly played the ball out for a corner.

The decision did not upset Durrant however, as he coolly stepped up to beat
Redfern with ease and send the visitors in the happier at half time.

Not for the first time this year, and possibly not the last, it was up to
the Beeding management team of Barry and Gretton to put matters to rights
during the interval. Yet again neither they nor their players disappointed
in the second half.

Wayne Potbury dropped deeper to add a fourth man in mid field, but it was
the increased tempo which really caught the eye and found Henfield wanting.

As the waves of pressure mounted, it was only a matter of time before
Henfield buckled. And so it proved. After eight minutes of the second half,
Smiths' far post corner was headed back across goal by Gary Salter, for
Strange to volley in his eighteenth goal of the season.

Barry replaced the tiring veteran Gretton with the youthful exuberance of
Darren Jordan after sixty minutes.

Blue background, white arrow. Now it certainly was one way traffic as first
Potbury then Mark Salter and Strange went close. Skipper John Burgess was
irresistible in the pivotal mid field roll for Beeding, with Barker mopping
up and supplying the ammunition. Cordwell made some excellent stops, but
with better finishing the game would have been over long before Stuart Barry
eventually put the league leaders in front on seventy five minutes.

Redferns' vision and speed of distribution caught out a now visibly wilting
Henfield as his forty yard pass found Mark Salter on the left. His galloping
run through the heavy ground left defenders trailing and his low far post
cross was met by Barry, a full seventeen years his junior, and Henfield were
sunk.

Paul Barker retired from a good night's toil, replaced by Mat Doo and Barry
made way for Lewis Partridge.

As the clock ran down, Strange, still full of running retrieved a "lost
cause" on the left and slipped the ball into Doo just inside the box. A drop
of the shoulder, a committed goalkeeper, a deft chip, 4-2 and Beeding sit
five points clear at the top with two games in hand.

Beeding Manager Mick Barry was philosophical after the match. "The most
important things for us now are to make sure we remain focused, do what we
do well and think only about the job in hand at the time." "We have to
realise that in each remaining fixture only our best will do, if the players
in the whole of my squad give Vic and me that, I'll be more than satisfied
irrespective of our final league placing."

Upper Beeding: S. Redfern; G. Edmonds, V. Gretton, G. Salter; M. Salter;
D. Smith, J. Burgess (capt), P. Barker, W. Potbury;
S. Barry, L. Strange.

Subs: D. Jordan (Gretton 60")
M. Doo (Barker 75")