UNBEATEN CHICHESTER SCORE THUMPING WIN AT SELSEY

FOUR games into the new season, Chichester are looking like a formidable force – their unblemished record in tact after a thumping win at the home of local rivals Selsey.

Striker Ben Vassallo now has eight goals to his name from just three starts after hitting his second hat-trick of the campaign, including a genuine contender for goal of the season.

Manager Adie Girdler believes City are emerging as the team to beat this season. He said: “It seems that way but there’s a long way to go – we’ve got 35 games ahead of us.

“I came here a little bit apprehensive because Selsey have had good results. Our lads are confident though and they went out there and let their boots do the talking.

“We didn’t play great passing football tonight but it’s always hard to do that in a local derby.”

The Blues, meanwhile, must pick themselves up from this potentially damaging defeat to ensure their promising start to the season does not fade.

Danny Hinshelwood leads his side into battle against Hailsham Town on Saturday before a testing assignment away to Wick on Tuesday.

He said: “Tonight was disappointing but hopefully it’s a one-off and we’ve got a great chance to bounce back straight away. I wasn’t happy with some of the decisions but we never blame the officials – we didn’t deserve anything tonight, we weren’t good enough.”

Hinshelwood’s frank assessment followed a lacklustre Selsey display, although the Blues could have been ahead when Tom Ridley’s cross dropped to Joe Miles, who struck a low shot against the base of the post.

Soon after, Chichester were ahead, Joe Briggs’s left-wing corner swept home by Shawn Benjamin – the defender having featured for Selsey in pre-season – before a moment of controversy led to City’s second.

Greg Robinson upended James Temple and referee Daniel Austin initially awarded a free-kick before consulting with his assistant, Oliver Spillett, and pointed instead to the penalty spot.

Rob McLelland dived the right way but Vassallo’s kick was true, nestling in the bottom corner.

Robinson attempted to redeem himself, unleashing a rasping right-footer that whistled over the bar, before Ross Woolf reduced the arrears in the 41^st minute.

Collecting Ridley’s pass, he turned smartly and poked a neat finish past Matt Short to give the home side hope and take his season’s tally to three.

Early second-half pressure saw Mark Lee’s header ruled out for a foul on Short but City were next to strike, Vassallo nodding home James Searle’s cross to make it 3-1 in the 74^th minute.

Lee and City’s Lee Mullen both saw red for their parts in an ugly brawl but Vassallo’s third, and City’s fourth, was a thing of beauty – the striker crashing a glorious shot beyond McLelland from 25 yards to draw eulogies from his delighted manager.

“He’s the best striker in the league without a doubt and his goal showed that,” said Girdler.

“The referee’s performance was not condusive to producing a good game but the players stuck to their task and didn’t let Selsey settle on the ball.”

Report written by Steve Tervet of the Chichester Observer