The Ship 1:5 Upper Beeding

Premier Division Champions Upper Beeding continued the ruthless assault on
all comers with a 5-1 victory at the Ship on Saturday.
Gone was the tension of the last few weeks and, with better finishing, The
Ship could have been on the end of a far greater hiding.
In the opening six minutes first Mat Doo, Glyn Edmonds and then Gary Salter
missed the target when it looked easier to score.
The quarter hour saw Beedings' best move of the game. Jamie Ireson fed
Strange whose flick header put Stuart Barry clear on the right. The young
striker outpaced the home side's back four and crossed low into the path of
the onrushing Strange. The diminutive striker should have done better than
strike his first time shot against the static Ship goalkeeper.
Strange did open his account after twenty four minutes when Gary Salter
found Glyn Edmonds in space. The young wing backs' deft first time touch was
perfectly weighted for Strange as he ran on and finished powerfully.
Possession ally, there was only one team in it. The Ship chased and harried
but were unable to get hold of the ball for enough time to set up any kind
o sensible attack.
Beeding though, had to wait until the fortieth minute to extend their lead.
Paul Barkers delightfully flighted corner deceived everyone to nestle into
the near corner of the net.
Four minutes after the restart Strange made it 3-0 with his twentieth goal
of the season. Barkers through ball was missed by the Ships' back line and
the pace of Strange did the rest.
Fifty five minutes and the Champions were really turning the screw. Gary
Salters' long ball put Strange away for the umpteenth time. Strange drew the
'keeper and slid the ball across leaving Barry the simplest of tasks to make
it 4-0.

Manager Mick Barry was unhappy that Gary Salter allowed Strange to take a
sixty first minute penalty after Strange had been fouled in the box.
This time it did not matter which way the goalkeeper chose to dive, as the
saddest penalty attempt ever barely managed to cross the line for a goal
kick some five yards wide of the left hand post.
It was the strikers last kick of the afternoon as Barry replaced him with
Mark Friend - James.
It was the start of a rash of substitutions as Barry replaced Skipper John
Burgess with Justin Tarrant and the veteran Steve Barber with equally
Jurassic Vic Gretton.
The changes did interrupt Beedings' balance and the Ship did pull a goal
back after eighty one minutes following a misunderstanding in the Beeding
back line.
With four minutes remaining Stuart Barry grabbed his second of the afternoon
as Gary Salter again bridged the Ships' last line of defence and the young
marksman skilfully chipped the on rushing Ship custodian.
Mick Barry is without Barber, Ireson, Doo and Dave Smith for Tuesday's visit
to Henfield.

The West Sussex Football League Premier Division Trophy will be presented
after next Saturday's home game with Southwater.

Upper Beeding: S. Redfern; J. Ireson, S. Barber, G. Salter;
G. Edmonds, P. Barker, J.Burgess (Capt), M. Doo, M.Salter; S. Barry,
L. Strange.

Subs: M. Friend - James (Strange 61")
J. Tarrant (Burgess 73")
V. Gretton (Barber 77")