Rocked By Bognor
EASTLEIGH V BOGNOR REGIS TOWN
SATURDAY 2nd DECEMBER 2006
Conference South
Following the midweek cup upset to lower league opposition, Eastleigh showed no intention of putting the record straight when it really mattered – in the league this afternoon as they fell well short of a respectable showing. Bognor fully deserved their four-goal victory as they effortlessly sailed through the game. What was most disappointing from the Spitfires’ point of view was the lack of desire and commitment despite their current league position.
With Chris Collins and Rob Marshall on the sidelines following their premature end to the game against AFC Wimbledon in Tuesday nights replay, Andy Forbes and Steve West stood in as centre backs. David Hughes also missed today’s game through suspension. Darren Wheeler and Jamie Brown were thought to sit out but fought off slight knocks to play.
Inside the first two minutes of the game, Bognor had a glorious chance. Right-winger Richard Hudson threaded a perfect ball through for the excellent Ben Watson who later went on to steal the show. With the defence in pieces Watson found himself inside the penalty area under no threat and was only let down by a poor touch that took the ball away from goal. Perhaps the birthday boy Watson was shocked to discover how much time and space he was given.
There was no let up for Eastleigh as their slow start to the game continued. A rash challenge from Andy Forbes saw a finely struck free kick by Stuart Tuck produce the best out of James Pullen diving to his right to tip over for a corner.
Eastleigh’s first effort of the game came about when Darren Wheeler was tugged to the ground around 30 yards from goal. Andy Forbes wasted little time in having a go at goal only to see the cleanly hit strike, whistle over Craig Stoner’s crossbar.
The visitors, who have a very good away record in the league, continued their attack on James Pullen’s goal with their next effort seeing a well-worked move create another good chance. David Piper, the Bognor captain, played it into Michael Birmingham who flicked it around the corner of his marker with a good first touch. The lively Ben Watson had a great opportunity but in the end the young forward failed to trouble Pullen and it was an easy save.
Chris Breach had a good header cleared away by Forbes from a corner on the right, before Eastleigh’s lack of firepower cost them dearly at the other end. Liam Green whipped in a good cross only to find nobody in the box and then a Wheeler free kick was far too easy for the Bognor keeper in a good position.
The Spitfires performance did not get any better, this time with Tarkan Mustafa failing to beat the first defender with a cross on the right hand side with a poor delivery following a Jamie Brown flick on.
A distinct lack of quality from the home side was evident in the next attack of the game. Danny Smith worked an opening for Liam Green down the left but not for the first time in the game, a disappointing cross led to the Rocks clearing their lines with ease.
Half an hour into the game, Eastleigh showed a bit more promise in their approach. Darren Wheeler was at the heart of the move as he skillfully started the attack before moving the ball on. Phil Cousins played a good ball through for Mustafa who looked for Brown in the middle, forcing a corner kick and from the dead ball, centre back Steve West met the delivery with a powerful yet wayward header that flew well wide of goal.
This brief spell of possession for Eastleigh saw Liam Green come a whisker away from scoring in what was the closest the game had come to a goal up to this point. A Mustafa cross from the right was half cleared by the head of Chris Breach but only into the path of Green who hit it first time with his left foot brushing the side netting of Stoner’s goal.
Bognor always looked dangerous going forward and it was only a matter of time before the deadly combination of Watson and top goalscorer Luke Nightingale led to the first goal. The non-stop running between the pair was a lot to handle at times and had it not been for Jack Smith’s positioning and awareness to sweep Nightingale’s strike off the line with Pullen beaten, the Rocks would have been a goal to the good.
The writing was on the wall for Eastleigh in Bognor’s next attack. Ben Watson got the better of his marker down the left with terrific pace before squaring superbly for Richard Hudson. Hudson, 10 yards from goal, pulled the trigger only to see his effort turned away by Pullen who made a fine stop with his legs.
James Pullen was finally beaten in the very next minute as the visitors took the lead just moments before the half time whistle. There was controversy surrounding the goal though as when the ball was played down the right touchline, Watson looked suspiciously offside. The flag stayed down all the same as Watson continued to bring the ball forward before providing LUKE NIGHTINGALE with the easiest of finishes turning the ball into an empty net from close range.
As soon as the goal went in there was always going to be the issue of how Eastleigh were going to get back in the game but on their first half performance not many within the Silverlake Stadium could see where a goal would come from.
Just before the half time whistle, Andy Forbes’ effort just about summed up how below par the Spitfires were. A low corner from the right by Darren Wheeler was the perfect ball for the unmarked Forbes on the edge of the area. Surprisingly, Eastleigh’s main source of goals tried to strike the ball first time by taking a swipe, failing to make any real contact in the process. A confident Andy Forbes would have controlled the ball before finding the back of the net, however it looked as though it was going to be one of those days – again!
HALF TIME – Eastleigh 0-1 Bognor Regis
In response to conceding the late goal in the first forty five, Paul Doswell made a few tactical changes in reverting Andy Forbes to his usual position up front, with Darren Wheeler dropping to left midfield, Liam Green slotting in at left back and Francis Benali filling the gap alongside Steve West in the centre of defence.
Immediately, things went against Eastleigh. A neat one-two between Jamie Brown and Danny Smith saw the midfielder caught in the box. The referee didn’t have a clear view of the incident and opted against awarding a penalty whereas on another day it may well have been given.
Bognor’s Ben Watson continued his fine performance as he found a way past both Jack Smith and Steve West in one movement, being let down by the finish alone on this occasion.
Six minutes into the half, Eastleigh fell further behind. This time BEN WATSON got his just reward for his work rate punishing a defensive error to double Bognor’s lead. Jack Smith found himself in an unfortunate situation as he tried to recover from his sliced clearance but found it was too late as the former Brighton striker helped himself, making the most of the mistake by firing into the top left hand corner of Pullen’s goal.
Barely a couple of minutes later, Bognor were at it again looking for any possible weakness, ready to pounce. Luke Nightingale along with the traveling fans must have thought he had made it goal number three when he stretched to get on the end of a fantastic ball into the box by the impressive substitute Darren Budd, poking past Pullen. As the ball slowly crept up to the goal line Francis Benali came on to the scene to bring the ball away from danger.
On the break again, Bognor made Eastleigh look increasingly vulnerable, with Richard Hudson going unchallenged on his way to firing a shot at Pullen on the hour.
WATSON helped himself to his second goal of the day as he despatched a perfect threaded ball down the middle. Liam Green sat too deep playing the quick front man onside, on the far side of the pitch, leaving Watson with a simple finish to extend Bognor’s lead to three goals.
By this time, Eastleigh were dead and buried with no way back. The confidence all across the Eastleigh side was very low and gaps were opening up everywhere for Bognor to just pick a pass and play. Chris Breach proved this as he knocked a ball over the top of Benali for Nightingale to run on to, as the goalscorer from the first half was left in the open with too much time and space. The shot however was a let down from Nightingale as he miscued it, striking across goal.
Eastleigh used up all three substitutions with Martin Thomas replacing Phil Cousins and then slightly later, Darren Wheeler and Liam Green made way for Martin Beck and Ian Oliver.
Oliver proved to be in for a tough time, as he was introduced to the tricky Richard Hudson instantly who got the better of the left back and had a go from a tight angle coming very close once more. Oliver then received a yellow card for a foul on Ben Watson, who was still full of running.
Towards the end of the game, Eastleigh had a couple of attempts on goal but just like the first half they lacked any quality to make them count. Firstly Andy Forbes had a trademark turn and shot comfortably saved down low, before Martin Beck fired straight at the keeper as he linked up well with Martin Thomas, again failing to find the required finish.
Jamie Brown was held back winning a free kick five yards outside the penalty area, from which Thomas’ shot lacked any conviction to beat Stoner.
Bognor well and truly wrapped up the points in the last minute of the game when Nightingale played a great ball through to DARREN BUDD on the counter attack. The young midfielder showed superb confidence and composure in front of goal, rounding James Pullen before slotting home with a lovely finish.
For Eastleigh, things couldn’t get a lot worse at the present. The performance lacked hunger, desire and passion the three main ingredients to winning a football match. The sooner we can get a win the better but it will certainly not coming playing the kind of football that was on display this afternoon. It is still only December and as we all know it is going to need an awful lot of hard work to pull the club out of the relegation. If there is any positive to come out of today it would be that, surely things can and will only get better.
FULL TIME – Eastleigh 0-4 Bognor Regis
JAMIE MONTIGUE
Conference South
Following the midweek cup upset to lower league opposition, Eastleigh showed no intention of putting the record straight when it really mattered – in the league this afternoon as they fell well short of a respectable showing. Bognor fully deserved their four-goal victory as they effortlessly sailed through the game. What was most disappointing from the Spitfires’ point of view was the lack of desire and commitment despite their current league position.
With Chris Collins and Rob Marshall on the sidelines following their premature end to the game against AFC Wimbledon in Tuesday nights replay, Andy Forbes and Steve West stood in as centre backs. David Hughes also missed today’s game through suspension. Darren Wheeler and Jamie Brown were thought to sit out but fought off slight knocks to play.
Inside the first two minutes of the game, Bognor had a glorious chance. Right-winger Richard Hudson threaded a perfect ball through for the excellent Ben Watson who later went on to steal the show. With the defence in pieces Watson found himself inside the penalty area under no threat and was only let down by a poor touch that took the ball away from goal. Perhaps the birthday boy Watson was shocked to discover how much time and space he was given.
There was no let up for Eastleigh as their slow start to the game continued. A rash challenge from Andy Forbes saw a finely struck free kick by Stuart Tuck produce the best out of James Pullen diving to his right to tip over for a corner.
Eastleigh’s first effort of the game came about when Darren Wheeler was tugged to the ground around 30 yards from goal. Andy Forbes wasted little time in having a go at goal only to see the cleanly hit strike, whistle over Craig Stoner’s crossbar.
The visitors, who have a very good away record in the league, continued their attack on James Pullen’s goal with their next effort seeing a well-worked move create another good chance. David Piper, the Bognor captain, played it into Michael Birmingham who flicked it around the corner of his marker with a good first touch. The lively Ben Watson had a great opportunity but in the end the young forward failed to trouble Pullen and it was an easy save.
Chris Breach had a good header cleared away by Forbes from a corner on the right, before Eastleigh’s lack of firepower cost them dearly at the other end. Liam Green whipped in a good cross only to find nobody in the box and then a Wheeler free kick was far too easy for the Bognor keeper in a good position.
The Spitfires performance did not get any better, this time with Tarkan Mustafa failing to beat the first defender with a cross on the right hand side with a poor delivery following a Jamie Brown flick on.
A distinct lack of quality from the home side was evident in the next attack of the game. Danny Smith worked an opening for Liam Green down the left but not for the first time in the game, a disappointing cross led to the Rocks clearing their lines with ease.
Half an hour into the game, Eastleigh showed a bit more promise in their approach. Darren Wheeler was at the heart of the move as he skillfully started the attack before moving the ball on. Phil Cousins played a good ball through for Mustafa who looked for Brown in the middle, forcing a corner kick and from the dead ball, centre back Steve West met the delivery with a powerful yet wayward header that flew well wide of goal.
This brief spell of possession for Eastleigh saw Liam Green come a whisker away from scoring in what was the closest the game had come to a goal up to this point. A Mustafa cross from the right was half cleared by the head of Chris Breach but only into the path of Green who hit it first time with his left foot brushing the side netting of Stoner’s goal.
Bognor always looked dangerous going forward and it was only a matter of time before the deadly combination of Watson and top goalscorer Luke Nightingale led to the first goal. The non-stop running between the pair was a lot to handle at times and had it not been for Jack Smith’s positioning and awareness to sweep Nightingale’s strike off the line with Pullen beaten, the Rocks would have been a goal to the good.
The writing was on the wall for Eastleigh in Bognor’s next attack. Ben Watson got the better of his marker down the left with terrific pace before squaring superbly for Richard Hudson. Hudson, 10 yards from goal, pulled the trigger only to see his effort turned away by Pullen who made a fine stop with his legs.
James Pullen was finally beaten in the very next minute as the visitors took the lead just moments before the half time whistle. There was controversy surrounding the goal though as when the ball was played down the right touchline, Watson looked suspiciously offside. The flag stayed down all the same as Watson continued to bring the ball forward before providing LUKE NIGHTINGALE with the easiest of finishes turning the ball into an empty net from close range.
As soon as the goal went in there was always going to be the issue of how Eastleigh were going to get back in the game but on their first half performance not many within the Silverlake Stadium could see where a goal would come from.
Just before the half time whistle, Andy Forbes’ effort just about summed up how below par the Spitfires were. A low corner from the right by Darren Wheeler was the perfect ball for the unmarked Forbes on the edge of the area. Surprisingly, Eastleigh’s main source of goals tried to strike the ball first time by taking a swipe, failing to make any real contact in the process. A confident Andy Forbes would have controlled the ball before finding the back of the net, however it looked as though it was going to be one of those days – again!
HALF TIME – Eastleigh 0-1 Bognor Regis
In response to conceding the late goal in the first forty five, Paul Doswell made a few tactical changes in reverting Andy Forbes to his usual position up front, with Darren Wheeler dropping to left midfield, Liam Green slotting in at left back and Francis Benali filling the gap alongside Steve West in the centre of defence.
Immediately, things went against Eastleigh. A neat one-two between Jamie Brown and Danny Smith saw the midfielder caught in the box. The referee didn’t have a clear view of the incident and opted against awarding a penalty whereas on another day it may well have been given.
Bognor’s Ben Watson continued his fine performance as he found a way past both Jack Smith and Steve West in one movement, being let down by the finish alone on this occasion.
Six minutes into the half, Eastleigh fell further behind. This time BEN WATSON got his just reward for his work rate punishing a defensive error to double Bognor’s lead. Jack Smith found himself in an unfortunate situation as he tried to recover from his sliced clearance but found it was too late as the former Brighton striker helped himself, making the most of the mistake by firing into the top left hand corner of Pullen’s goal.
Barely a couple of minutes later, Bognor were at it again looking for any possible weakness, ready to pounce. Luke Nightingale along with the traveling fans must have thought he had made it goal number three when he stretched to get on the end of a fantastic ball into the box by the impressive substitute Darren Budd, poking past Pullen. As the ball slowly crept up to the goal line Francis Benali came on to the scene to bring the ball away from danger.
On the break again, Bognor made Eastleigh look increasingly vulnerable, with Richard Hudson going unchallenged on his way to firing a shot at Pullen on the hour.
WATSON helped himself to his second goal of the day as he despatched a perfect threaded ball down the middle. Liam Green sat too deep playing the quick front man onside, on the far side of the pitch, leaving Watson with a simple finish to extend Bognor’s lead to three goals.
By this time, Eastleigh were dead and buried with no way back. The confidence all across the Eastleigh side was very low and gaps were opening up everywhere for Bognor to just pick a pass and play. Chris Breach proved this as he knocked a ball over the top of Benali for Nightingale to run on to, as the goalscorer from the first half was left in the open with too much time and space. The shot however was a let down from Nightingale as he miscued it, striking across goal.
Eastleigh used up all three substitutions with Martin Thomas replacing Phil Cousins and then slightly later, Darren Wheeler and Liam Green made way for Martin Beck and Ian Oliver.
Oliver proved to be in for a tough time, as he was introduced to the tricky Richard Hudson instantly who got the better of the left back and had a go from a tight angle coming very close once more. Oliver then received a yellow card for a foul on Ben Watson, who was still full of running.
Towards the end of the game, Eastleigh had a couple of attempts on goal but just like the first half they lacked any quality to make them count. Firstly Andy Forbes had a trademark turn and shot comfortably saved down low, before Martin Beck fired straight at the keeper as he linked up well with Martin Thomas, again failing to find the required finish.
Jamie Brown was held back winning a free kick five yards outside the penalty area, from which Thomas’ shot lacked any conviction to beat Stoner.
Bognor well and truly wrapped up the points in the last minute of the game when Nightingale played a great ball through to DARREN BUDD on the counter attack. The young midfielder showed superb confidence and composure in front of goal, rounding James Pullen before slotting home with a lovely finish.
For Eastleigh, things couldn’t get a lot worse at the present. The performance lacked hunger, desire and passion the three main ingredients to winning a football match. The sooner we can get a win the better but it will certainly not coming playing the kind of football that was on display this afternoon. It is still only December and as we all know it is going to need an awful lot of hard work to pull the club out of the relegation. If there is any positive to come out of today it would be that, surely things can and will only get better.
FULL TIME – Eastleigh 0-4 Bognor Regis
JAMIE MONTIGUE
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