SUSSEX COUNTY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Division Three
5th January 2002
Upper Beeding 7 - 2 Uckfield
(H-T:4-2)
Second half substitute Stuart Barrys' first ever senior
hat trick spurred
Upper Beeding to their biggest win of the season, a crushing
7-2 defeat of
Uckfield Town on Saturday.
There was an early scare for the home side as skipper
Mark Friend - James
gave away a second minute free kick on the edge of his
own penalty area
which Andy Wren curled just over Scott Redferns' crossbar.
Gary Salter formed Manager Mick Barrys' striking Partnership
this time with
nineteen year old Joe Bennett and Lee Strange made up
a third attacker in a
3-4-3 formation.
But it was brother Mark Salters' sixth minute cross which
lead to the
opening goal. Although Danny Hancock dealt with it easily
enough, his throw
out struck a retreating Glyn Edmonds on the back and
the ever reliable Gary
Salter was on hand to punish the Uckfield Goalkeeper's
misfortune.
With twelve minutes on the clock it was 2-0. Mark Friend
James took a quick,
short free kick on half way to Mark Salter, who surged
down the left,
exchanging passes with brother Gary before whipping in
a far post cross and
Strange deceived Hancock with a looping header.
Gary Salter was guilty of a glaring miss on the quarter
hour heading over
Stranges' flick on from no more than a foot out.
Habitually, this is when Beeding switch off and Saturday
proved to be no
exception. Paul Carter latched onto Handcocks' clearance,
outpacing Jamie
Ireson and feeding the ball through to Dean Bather who
made no mistake from
12 yards.
With just 24 minutes gone Uckfield had pulled level.
This time Mark
Friend-James's' indecision in allowing another Hancock
clearance to bounce
in front of him gave Wren the opportunity to steal in
and lob the ball over
Redfern with a quality finish.
Edmonds was unlucky not to restore Beedings' advantage
on the half hour,
firing just wide from 20 yards after good work on the
right by Bennett and
Strange forced Hancock into a terrific one handed save
from 12 yards a
couple of minutes later.
As good a save as that was, there was no hiding place
for the Uckfield
stopper when Mark Salters' weak shot from the edge of
the box slipped
through his hands to put Beeding 3-2 in front after 37
minutes.
Gary Salter made amends for his earlier short comings
with a typical far
post header from Strange and Edmonds' short corner routine
to give the home
side a 4-2 half time lead.
Manager Barry was hardly impressed with the first half
performance and
turned the air blue with an interval rant which seemed
to bring Beeding to
life in the second period.
Both Gary Salter and Strange had early chances to increase
Beedings lead but
the game finally turned with the fifty sixth minute introduction
of Stuart
Barry for the injured Joe Bennett.
It took the young striker just six minutes to get on
the score sheet when he
bundled in Gary Salters' far post cross despite the close
attentions of Tim
Pierce.
Strange had what looked like a perfectly good goal disallowed
for off side
before Barry took another hand. If his first had been
untidy his second was
majestic. Paul Barkers diagonal ball found Barry on the
right. His side step
made Pierce a statue and his chip from 20 yards left
Handcock flat footed as
the ball nestled in the top left hand corner.
Mick Barry took the opportunity to look at Matt Laker
his new 20 year old,
6ft 3ins, 16 stone goalkeeper and also gave new signing
Joe Swanson the
final 20 minutes of the match, although thirty five year
old Mark Salter
looked less than ecstatic to be switched to the mud of
the centre of mid
field to accommodate a debutante 12 years his junior.
Laker had an early fright when Paul Carters' header looped
over him but
rescue was at hand in the shape of Edmonds who calmly
cleared the ball from
his own goal line.
Swanson looked the part on the left drilling in a couple
of decent crosses
which Barry and Gary Salter just failed to convert.
Laker saved well from Steve Davis and Hancock did the
same from Edmonds
before Barry completed his hat trick latching onto Swansons'
through ball
and coolly slotting the ball past Hancock.
Upper Beeding:S. Redfern; J. Ireson, M. Friend - James
(capt),
T. Gretton; G. Edmonds, P. Burgess, D. Smith, M. Salter;
J. Bennett,
G. Salter, L. Strange.
Subs: S. Barry (Bennett 56")
M. Laker (Redfern 70")
J. Swanson (Smith 70")