TWO CITY PLAYERS OFF AS REDHILL MAINTAIN CHALLENGE

Chichester City’s four match winning sequence was ended at Redhill on Saturday as the hosts maintained their challenge at the top of the table with a 2-0 victory.

City drafted in central defender Shawn Benjamin as an emergency goalkeeper and the stand-in made a passable if unorthodox deputy. City were also without striker James Temple which meant a rare start for Michael Long and a bit of a reshuffle amongst the regular outfield players.

The bright sunshine disguised a chilly afternoon and there were plenty of long ball tactics from both sides on a sticky surface with the game effectively decided in fifteen first half minutes.

Redhill got the ball rolling with a 19^th minute goal from Daniel Morris who turned into space and drilled a low shot inside Benjamin’s near post.

City almost immediately had a chance to level as home goalkeeper, Chris May, felled James Archer in the penalty area to concede a spot kick with Archer through on goal. May was booked but must have thought his misdemeanour was worthwhile when he blocked Adrian Brockway’s penalty kick and the ball was scrambled away to safety.

Within minutes Redhill had a penalty at the other end as James Ford fouled Morris and the Redhill striker thumped his shot past Benjamin to demonstrate how it should be done. 2-0.

Morris squandered a good chance for his hat-trick soon after the interval but there wasn’t much to redeem a scrappy second half mainly notable for a spate of bookings and two sendings off for City near the end as referee, James Harding, enforced the laws of the game. Callum Cutler was the first to go for a second bookable offence and Joe Briggs followed him shortly afterwards. Both players were guilty of querying some of the refereeing decisions.

Report written by Trevor Wallis

Chichester Team: Benjamin, Minton, Ford, Broadbent, Bryan, Archer, Briggs, Cutler, Long, Vassallo & Brockway.
Subs Used: Maddison & James
Not Used: Searle
Scorers: -

Booked: -
Sent Off: Cutler & Briggs
Man of Match: -
Attendance: ?