SCFL Division One
AFC Uckfield v SHOREHAM

Todays match at Uckfield has been called off Reserves has also been called OFF

Sussex Cobra Dennis Probee Youth Cup Semi Final (U 18)

SHOREHAM YOUTH 1-3 Burgess Hill Town Youth

Shoreham Youth lose their semi final match 3-1 

SCFL Division One

Horsham YMCA 0-1 SHOREHAM

Shoreham came away with a precious three points against Horsham YMCA to draw one point clear and a game in hand against them in the league. Shoreham's unbeaten run now stretches to eight games as they climb to a lower mid table position. Shoreham fully deserved this victory and should have put this game to bed in the first half as they could have gone in at the interval 3-4 goals to the good as they created chances at will.  Shoreham's first chance arrived on 5 minutes when a Josh Clayman was saved well by Lockwood in the Horsham goal and Owen Callaghan narrowly failed with a follow up shot. A minute later, Dom Shepherd, who was a menace up front, saw his header hit the post with Lockwood well beaten.

Shoreham continued to dominate and good work again by Shepherd on 27 minutes, passing to Garth Greene and once again the home keeper was equal to the task in stopping his shot. Shoreham continued to create chances at will and at times the passing was a joy to watch as we opened up the Horsham defence. Horsham were not really in the game as an attacking force and Sam Armfield in the Shoreham goal was largely a spectator. Horshams only shot of note in the half arrived on 46 minutes and he was called on to make a smart save.
Halftime came and once again the Shoreham contingents were wondering if we would rue the missed chances in the second half.

Halftime: Horsham 0 Shoreham 0

Shoreham got the perfect start to the second half when Horsham failed to clear the ball and Josh Clayman, lurking on the left side of the penalty box, saw his wonderful placed shot finish in the top corner with Lockwood waving at fresh air as it sailed in. A minute later Shoreham could have gone further ahead when Owen Callaghan chipped the ball through to Dom Shepherd who saw his powerful shot go just wide of the post. Shoreham continued to create the odd chance but, as the half progressed, they started to drop deep and defend their one goal lead. Horsham pressed forward and, with Shoreham simply waiting for something to happen, it was the home side who dominated the game in the closing stages. Dan Jordan was a welcome sight on the pitch as he came on up front to put the frighteners on the home defence. As the game drew to a close, Shoreham did have the odd fright but it would have been a real injustice if they had drawn or lost this game. Shoreham deservedly held on to record another win and continue their climb up the league table.

This was another solid display by the team as they performed well as a unit and again showed a great work ethic to get the result. Another clean sheet was pleasing as the defence looked assured throughout. Alex Jones was superb in defence as he won every tackle ably supported by Ollie Davis and Clay Lamont while Matt Beeston pulled the strings in midfield to make sure we were always well organised. The MOM goes to Josh Clayman for an outstanding first half performance, always supported the defence and used the ball intelligently throughout. His goal was the icing on the cake as he finished with a quality which would grace any game at any level.
 
MOM: Josh Clayman.
 
Match Reporter: Pat Callaghan.

SCFL Division One
SHOREHAM 0-0 Crowborough

After last week’s brilliant victory against league leaders Rye Utd it was always going to be a big ask for Shoreham to scale the heights and record another victory to maintain their current status as one of the form sides in the league. In truth there is nothing much to write about this game as both sides were strong on work ethic but cancelled each other out as a consequence. 

A strong swirling wind did nothing to help matters and on a hard pitch both sets of players found it difficult to control and pass the ball. Richard Hudson, Garth Greene and Josh Clayman were most prominent in Shoreham’s early attacks but against a resolute Crowborough defence it was difficult to test their keeper. 

On 18minutes Shoreham conceded a free kick just outside the penalty box and there was a huge sigh of relief when the shot skimmed the bar. Minutes later a Hudson free kick caused panic in the Crowborough defence but was eventually cleared. Crowborough's first real shot on target did not arrive until the 33rd minute which was probably a reflection of their intent on the day. 

Shoreham were largely dominating play although there was a lack of cohesion as the final pass was somewhat wanting. On 40 minutes we could have conceded when a corner was not well defended and then, on the stroke of halftime, a corner to us saw Ollie Davis, who has been acquiring a reputation of late coming up to score from set pieces, shoot over the bar. Half time came and we were hoping to be more entertained in the second period.

Half time: Shoreham 0 Crowborough 0

The second period did open up a bit more as both teams sometimes showed a lack of concentration at the back On 50 minutes good play by Garth Greene led to his shot going narrowly wide. Minutes later Crowborough showed they were going to be more of a threat as they opened up the home defence and Armfield did well to save from Saunders in a one to one.  

On 65 minutes Richard Hudson had a ten minute period when he worked himself into good positions outside the box but each time his shots were off target. As the game ambled on Dan Jordan, who had been thrown on to be a menace upfront saw his well placed header from a difficult angle go just wide of the target. 

 Minutes later Clay Lamont, from yet another Hudson free kick, saw his header sail just wide with the keeper well beaten. That was it as far as chances created goes-Shoreham can be pleased that they kept their recent unbeaten record going without playing particularly well yet still looking marginally the better side on the day.

For Shoreham it was a welcome return for Matt Beeston and he did a good job as captain on the day. Josh Clayman had a very good first half while the central back pairing of Davis and Lamont again showed how good a partnership they have formed. Clay Lamont was our MOM on the day- the experienced centre back was a towering presence in defence and showed his class throughout.
 
MOM: Clay Lamont.
 
Match Reporter: Pat Callaghan.

Reserve Section (East)

Hayward’s Heath Res 1-1  Shoreham Res 

Shoreham will be disappointed with this result as they completely dominated the second half but couldn’t beat keeper Harry Stewart who had an outstanding game for the home side. Shoreham were complacent in possession at the beginning of the first half and were punished early on when a defensive error allowed their no 9 to run through and shoot powerfully past Jamie Witham. Shoreham were clearly shaken by this setback and retaliated immediately with Will Fuller creating an opening which finished with a good save by Stewart. Shoreham continued to press forward without any real conviction and Hayward’s Heath were occasionally threatening in the final third. On 12 minutes Witham did well to scramble the ball to safety which, if converted, would have been a real injustice. On 22 minutes Fuller and the dangerous McKenzie combined well but again Stewart did well to save. As the half wore on we became a bit predictable and we struggled to get good balls in from wide areas.  A combative Hayward’s Heath side never stopped working to regain possession and some rather crisp tackling from their hardworking midfield stopped us from creating any good chances. Halftime came with Shoreham one goal in arrears but on the  overall balance of play we deserved to be level
 
Halftime: Hayward’s Heath Res. 1 Shoreham Res. 0
 
Shoreham came out in the second half a different side and started to dominate possession much more by winning the second ball a lot better. Adam Khan, who had an outstanding game throughout, Ross Myers and Will Fuller were now getting more of the ball and we started to create more chances.  The marauding Jack Healy was also starting to come forward more from his fullback position and put in several dangerous crosses which tested the home defence. Hayward’s Heath were less of a threat going forward although Witham was asked to pull off a great save 6 minutes after the restart.

 Shoreham had two strong penalty appeals turned away within ten minutes in the middle of the half and then McKenzie raced through only to see his shot well saved by Stewart. As the half wore on Shoreham were always dominant but then started again to run out of ideas as they just couldn't get the equaliser they richly deserved. On 75 minutes we had a lucky escape when desperate defending saw us clear our lines after a rare defensive error. Just as the game seemed to be slipping away from Shoreham, a good cross in was headed home by Jamie McKenzie in the 90th minutes to level the scores.

Then in time added on, the same player hit the bar which would have given us the result we deserved if it had gone in, but it wasn't to be and the game finished a draw to the disappointment of the Shoreham team. The draw does not help our league title chances much- however there is little doubt Shoreham would have won this game if they had scored earlier to set up a grandstand finish but it is the nature of football that you don't always get what you deserve.
Ronan Callaghan and Aidan Enticknapp had good games for Shoreham at the heart of the defence while Will Fuller always looked dangerous for us when in possession. The MOM award goes to Adam Khan in the centre of midfield- Adam never shirked a tackle, covered every blade of grass and used the ball intelligently throughout.
 
MOM: Adam Khan.
 
Match Reporter: Pat Callaghan.

SCFL Division One
SHOREHAM 2-1 Rye Utd

SHOREHAM FOOTBALL CLUB joint manager Mark Burt called his side’s  last gasp win over Division One leaders Rye United as their “best of the season”.

A Gareth Green double, the winner in the 87^th minute, initially cancelled out by Wes Tate’s leveller, proved decisive for Shoreham, who managed to keep Rye’s impressive array of attacking talent relatively quiet.

Mussels stretched their unbeaten run to six games and moved up to 15^th place, three points clear of the drop zone having played more games than the teams around them.
Rye still lead the division by six points in what is an increasingly tight tussle in the upper echelons of the league, but this loss will raise eyebrows amongst the host of teams looking to catch them.

Burt lauded his side’s work rate and effort, and said that confidence is behind Mussels recent resurgence, having taken 13 points out of a possible 15 after previously struggling.

The Mussels joint boss said: “I’m delighted and proud, it’s our best win and performance of the season and we had 11 heroes out there.
“We’re not out of it yet, course we’re not, not by a long way, but this shows we can beat anyone on our day and DJ, our skipper is being left out, because young Ollie Davis is doing so well.
“Rye are such are strong, experienced, quality side and good luck to them, they’re up there on merit, but our effort and work rate was top drawer.”

Shoreham, a side transformed from the beleaguered strugglers earlier in the season, dominated from the outset.

Richard Hudson and Josh Clayman both had efforts pushed away by Rye’s ex-Brighton keeper Josh Pelling, and Kevin Keehan fired an effort narrowly wide from a Dean Smith corner, in a confident start.

Having weathered the early storm, United began to show their credentials and struck the post from a free-kick through the usually prolific Scott Ramsay.

Liam Upton had an effort saved by the legs of keeper Sam Armfield, and then Matt MacLean saw his shot on the rebound tipped away by the stopper.

Both sides had enjoyed a good spell of pressure, but it was Shoreham who took the lead in a fortuitous manner on the half-hour.
Smith’s through ball looked to have cut out by Pelling, but he miskicked directly into the path of Green, who expertly lobbed home a difficult finish from 25 yards.

Tate and Ramsay both went close as Rye again upped the tempo before half-time, but Shoreham deservedly went in with the interval lead.

Rye, undoubtedly fired up after strong half-time words, started the better and went close twice through Ramsay, who saw an effort pushed away, and Sean Kelly, who fired narrowly off target just shy of the hour.

Given that they are top of the league, and that their impressive forward line have already scored over 100 between them in all competitions, an equaliser seemed inevitable, and it duly arrived 12 minutes from time.

With Mussels sitting deep intent on holding what they had, MacLean’s corner was hooked back in by substitute Duncan McArthur, and Tate was well-placed to steer home a close-range finish.

It seemed as though, from then on, that the visitors were to be the only winners but Shoreham rallied and almost regained the advantage through Owen Callaghan’s flicked header that clipped the crossbar.
McArthur forced Armfield to save brilliantly, but with both sides hunting the winner, Hudson picked out Green to calmly finish into the corner three minutes from time.

That was the last action of an entertaining encounter with Rye having no time to respond, and Shoreham will look to make it seven unbeaten with the visit of Crowborough on Saturday.

SHOREHAM: Armfield; Eastman, Davis, Lamont, Jones; Hudson, Keehan, Smith, Clayman; Green; Callaghan. Subs: Cook (Eastman 80), Jordan, Shepherd (Hudson, Callaghan 89), Burt, Cox

Match Reporter:

Shoreham cruised to victory in this largely one sided Charity Cup tie against a Steyning team who were never short of effort but lacked quality in the final third. Shoreham made several changes from the team which started against Pagham with several young players being thrown into the fray.

Matt Beeston made a welcome return to the team and he made a significant contribution often dictating play from the midfield area.  Steyning had their best spell in the opening 20 minutes of the game and it was Tony Wyatt in the Shoreham goal who had to make the first important save when he timed his jump perfectly to prevent an attempted lob going into the net.  Shoreham didn't really heed the warning and a minute later they went behind by conceding a penalty which was converted by their young striker Ryan De Frietas.

Within a minute of the restart, Shoreham increased their lead when Gareth Green was abruptly upended in the penalty area and Dom Shepherd stepped up to convert. Steyning started to look what they were- a beaten side- and they could have gone further behind when Beeston was brought down for a second penalty. This time Shepherds penalty was brilliantly saved by Green to the relief of the home supporters. Minutes later Gareth Green aka Nash had a goal disallowed but on 66 minutes a well flighted cross from Owen Callaghan saw Dom Shepherd head in to give the away side a comfortable 3 goal cushion.

The last twenty minutes was largely one way traffic with several players determined to get in on the goal scoring act but 4-1 was to be the final score with Shoreham always having another gear if it was needed.

For Shoreham it was pleasing to see young players Jacob Cook, George Mees and Jack Phillips slot into the side and adjust easily to playing at this level. Rob Boddy, Gareth Green and Owen Callaghan, when he came on, were always dangerous going forward and made a big conribution to this victory.

The MOM award goes to Dom Shepherd - Dom hasn't had that many minutes on the pitch recently but his class always shone through as he led the line well and always looked dangerous in the opponents penalty box. Chipping in with two goals will have done his confidence the world of good as we approach several tough league fixtures coming up.

MOM: Dom Shepherd.
 

SCFL Division One
SHOREHAM 1-1 Pagham

10 points out of a possible 12 against tough opposition recently bodes well for the future as Shoreham look to draw away from the lower regions of the division. A draw against a Pagham side that have real ambitions of winning the league was justice for the level of performance which the lads put in today. The opening exchanges were fairly even as both sides struggled to dominant the other. 

Shoreham probably had more of a territorial advantage early on but Pagham were more dangerous on the counterattack with striker Scott Murfin always prominent. On 22 minutes Pagham had their first chance when Simmonds was put through and Ronan Callaghan had to be sharp off his line to block his shot.

Shoreham retaliated minutes later when Curt Foster received a lovely well weighted pass from Rob Boddy, raced through, and chipped the outrushing keeper only to see his shot go narrowly wide of the post. Both teams continued to compete hard to win possession but it was Pagham who went ahead on 31 minutes when Scott Murfin placed his crisply hit shot beyond Callaghan’s reach. Shoreham were stunned and raised their game to put Pagham under real pressure.

Dean Smith had two good chances which he was unable to convert which just served notice on the Mussels growing dominance. On 40 minutes Rob Allan went on one of his long runs and ended with a good shot which was well saved. As the half drew to a close good work by Josh Clayman allowed Smith to really test Hallet but again the keeper made a good save. Half time came and Pagham would have been relieved to go in at the interval with a 1-0 lead.

Halftime: Shoreham 0 Pagham 1.

Pagham came out for the second half and started the more impressive of the two sides. They could have increased their lead on 54 minutes only for Kevin Keehan to brilliantly clear his lines. Pagham were now enjoying their best period of the match and the Shoreham defence had to be strong to deny the away side a second goal. Our best chance in the early stages of the second half fell to Curt Foster but the young forward saw his fine effort go over the bar. With 15 minutes to go Dan Jordan made a welcome return after injury to go upfront and unsettle their defenders.

On 79 minutes Ronan Callaghan made a magnificent double save which was to prove crucial to the result of this match as Shoreham were awarded a corner a minute later. Richard Hudson, who was our most dangerous forward on the day, put in a well flighted ball and Ollie Davis headed home from close range. 1-1 and Pagham suddenly looked vulnerable as their defence started to creak under the pressure of Shoreham’s penetrating attacks.  However there was to be no further score and a draw was probably a fair result on the day.

Once again Shoreham showed their character today coming back against a Pagham team who got off to blinding start to the season but whose title challenge has stumbled recently. Shoreham showed that when they combine their renowned fighting spirit with the quality they have in the side at present, and then they are more than a match for any team in the division. Shoreham’s better players today were Ronan Callaghan who made a series of excellent saves and Clay Lamont was again a tower of strength in defence ably supported by Lee Eastman and Rob Allan-it is noticeable that a more settled defence is now contributing hugely to our goals conceded ratio. The MOM award goes today to Ollie Davis. He popped up with yet another goal and showed his increasing confidence and maturity in a majestic display at centre back.
 
MOM: Ollie Davis.
 
Match reporter: Pat Callaghan

SCFL Division One
Peacehaven 1-2 SHOREHAM

Only two words can do justice to this result for Shoreham as they continue to climb away from the relegation zone -'absolutely fantastic'. This was Shoreham’s third win in a row and probably the hardest earned three points against a Peacehaven side that were desperate to improve their recent poor home record. The opening 10 minutes were fiercely competitive as both sides tried to dominate the midfield area. Rob Allan had Shoreham’s first shot on 5 minutes when his shot from twenty yards was well saved by Heyburn in the home goal.

On 13 minutes Shoreham were awarded a free kick and Richard Hudson's in swinging ball was not well defended and when the ball fell to Ollie Davis, the big defender shot home courtesy of a slight deflection on its way in. Shoreham now started to play with a lot of confidence and after another good shot by Hudson, Rob Boddy went on one of his mazy runs and another defensive error led to Dean Smith showing his predatory instincts and scoring from close range. Peacehaven were reeling with another home defeat staring them in the face and retaliated by putting the Shoreham defence under severe pressure.

Shoreham managed to cope well with the pressure and were always dangerous on the counterattack. Peacehaven had a penalty appeal turned down on 30 minutes and as the half drew to a close they threw caution to the wind as Shoreham were forced to defend deep in their own half. On 39 minutes Ryan Bradley, who was a real menace throughout, saw his shot going into the top corner but somehow Ronan Callaghan, in the Shoreham goal, arched his back and clawed the ball to safety.

It was a fabulous save and earned the warm applause of the watching spectators and Bradders who held his head in disbelief. Callaghan was called to make several other fine saves and he made a major contribution to Shoreham going in at the interval with a 2-0 lead. Shoreham did find it difficult to gain possession and on occasion we were guilty of giving the ball away a bit too easily or over hitting the intended pass. However, as well as Callaghan’s  important contribution, the teams brilliant work ethic in defending from the front made life very difficult for Peacehaven who wanted to reduce the arrears and set up a pulsating comeback in the second half. 

Half time:  Peacehaven 0 Shoreham 2.

Peacehaven came out in the second half and continued where they left off the first attacking whenever they could. What they didn't get was a Shoreham side that were going to roll over. The Mussels showed their tremendous team spirit and character by breaking down Peacehaven's attack whenever they got close to the Shoreham goal. From a Shoreham spectator view it was a bit nervy to watch but every supporter was so proud of their team as the lads played their heart out for each other to get the all important three points. At times players put their body on the line, blocking goal bound shots, tackling Peacehaven players all over the park and whenever they could, continue to be a threat to the home defence. On the odd occasion, Peacehaven got through; Ronan Callaghan was always on hand to stop whatever came his way.

On 72 minutes Peacehaven did manage to score when Fenelon's shot across goal was tapped in to set up a rousing finish. Shoreham showed they are a different side to the one which started the season and refused to buckle under the constant stream of attacks from the home side. Minutes later, Hudson released the ball to Owen Callaghan outpaced Wes Millis only to be brought down in the box- it looked a stonewall penalty but amazingly the ref didn't give it and booked the player instead. Shoreham held on to the end and deservedly earned the three points for the quality of their rearguard performance alone.

Every player deserves a special mention for their performance today. Rob Allan and Lee Eastman were brilliant at fullback and their superb tackling and willingness to press forward whenever the opportunity was there was a real feature of the game. Ollie Davis at centre back put in his usual solid performance and scored his second goal in consecutive games for the club. Wide midfielders Richard Hudson and Josh Clayman worked their socks off helping an overworked defence at times and then, showed their quality on the ball by getting involved in a lot of Shoreham’s good forward play. In the centre of midfield, Dean Smith covered every blade of grass and was always a threat to the home defence by arriving late in the penalty box. Kevin Keehan, as we now expect was immense throughout -how we need to wrap him up in cotton wool so he is able to play every game.

Rob Boddy, playing in the hole, supported Owen Callaghan so well playing and always found time to drop back and help out an overworked midfield. Up front, Owen Callaghan ran miles closing down defenders, always making himself available and a real threat whenever he was able to run at defenders.

 The MOM is really between two players- Ronan Callaghan, on his return to goal, pulled off several great saves and without him Peacehaven would have got the result they so desperately wanted. The MOM award however goes to Clay Lamont for his performance at the heart of the Shoreham defence and just edges out Ronan for the award. Clay won everything in the air, made countless winning tackles and snuffed out any danger that came his way- his was a performance of the highest calibre and he is deservedly MOM.
 
MOM: Clay Lamont.
 
 Match Reporter: Pat Callaghan