Match Report 2001/2002Linnets given six of the bestSaturday 25th August 2001 :
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Any concerns about possible fixture congestion resulting
from the Linnets' early involvement in this year's F.A. Cup competition were
blown away in this match by an in-form team who out-thought, out-fought and
outclassed their hosts. The Sussex League Division One leaders may have arrived
late as a result of bank holiday traffic congestion but it was the Linnets who
appeared to have "missed the bus".
The game started half an hour late,
in very warm conditions, and the warning signs for the Linnets were there
almost from the kick-off. With only a couple of minutes on the clock the Sussex
side had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled out for offside. Five
minutes later and another attack by the visitors ended with Carter firing in a
20-yard effort which beat Stewart Kearn to put Burgess Hill into the lead. The
Linnets were struggling to find any sort of rhythm and, buoyed by their early
success, the visitors pressed to increase their advantage. Almost immediately,
Paul Gazzard was forced to clear off the line to keep the deficit to one goal
but this merely delayed the inevitable when a seemingly harmless cross caught
the Linnets' defence sunbathing and Carr was presented with a fairly simple
tap-in from close range.
Before the half-way mark of the first half was
reached, the game was virtually over as a contest when Carter put the seal on a
excellent passage of play, receiving the ball on the edge of the Linnets'
penalty area and firing in a powerful strike which beat Kearn all-ends-up to
find the top corner of the net. Matt Town was introduced as an early tactical
switch, coming on for Jason Stride, but there was no let-up in the pressure on
the Linnets' goal and on the half-hour mark, Brown scored the visitor's fourth.
Richie Glenister finally forced the Burgess Hill 'keeper into making a save but
the Linnets' were finding it almost impossible to stem the flow of their
opponents attacks and Brown notched his second and the Hillians' fifth when he
was first to the ball and flicked his header past Kearn. As the half came to a
close, Leigh Phillips did manage to conjure a shot on goal for the home side
but it was blocked on the goal-line.
Half-Time : L.&N.M. 0,
Burgess Hill Town 5
Having spent most of the first half giving a
passable impression of King Canute, Graham Kemp must have hoped for a better
performance from his team in the second period. Any such thoughts were quickly
dispelled when Harper burst through the Linnets' defence to make it six. With
neither side now having much to play for, the rest of the game became academic.
Kemp brought on James Bailey-Pearce in place of James Wood and Stuart Metcalfe
for Leigh Phillips and although they did not concede any further goals this may
have been because their opponents were satiated with the six goals they already
had and were more concerned with "seeing the game out". For Lymington & New
Milton it was a case of avoiding further humiliation.
Although, as I
forecast on this site, Burgess Hill were always likely to be tough opponents,
this was an unexpectedly overwhelming defeat, the worst since the Lymington and
New Milton clubs merged. The Hillians' provided a severe lesson by ruthlessly
pressing their advantage and it is to be hoped that the Linnets learn quickly
from this if they are to have another successful league season. Afterwards,
Graham Kemp was reported to be distraught at being at the helm for the club's
record defeat and vowed to make immediate changes to his side as they attempt
to restore some pride.
Lymington & New Milton : Kearn,
Gazzard, Wood [Bailey-Pearce 57], Kemp, Morris, B. Phillips, Boulton, Stride
[Town 28], L. Phillips [Metcalfe 65], Glenister, Drew, unused subs :
Keeping, Walker-Harris.
Match reports on this site are based on those appearing in the New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times (except where separately credited) with additional material from my own resources where relevant.
Online with the Linnets © Paul Johns MMI