Hailsham Town FC (1) 5-2 (1) Crowborough Athletic FC
Tuesday 08th September ‘09
Sussex County Football League Division One
Beaconsfield 7:45pm Kick Off

Crows: B Head, L Leppard, C Ransome, D Adams (capt) (T Nowell 74), S Whibley, J Hampson, S Reid, S Treleaven, A Shade, J Buckett (P Wilkins 74), N Millroy (S Carrington 61).
Subs Not Used: T Saunders, R Gordon (GK)
HAIL CRO
5 Shots On Target 4
1 Shots Off Target 2
7 Corners 6
11 Fouls Committed 12
5 Offside 3

Attendance: 78
Half-Time: 1-1.
Goals: C Ransome 17 (pen)’
S Treleaven 87’ (assist: T Nowell).
Man of the Match: N/A

By Anthony Scott

Crowborough Athletic will rue missed chances as they fell to a second half collapse at Hailsham Town.
After going a goal up from a Chris Ransome penalty and having complete control, Crowborough lost focus as the hosts broke and equalised before half-time, before going on to destroy the Crows second half.

Crowborough came out and dominated the first half, and quickly broke the deadlock. Jamie Buckett’s cross in was going to Nathan Millroy, but Mark Reeve pushed the attacker in the back for referee James Harding to point to the spot. Up stepped Chris Ransome, who coolly slotted the ball to Mark Oldroyd’s left and into the corner.
The visitors then came very close to doubling their advantage, as Millroy unselfishly picked out Scott Treleaven just inside the area, but his drive was blocked on the line by Leon Cumming.
Crowborough were then again denied by a defender on the line, as Treleaven ran onto a ball over the top of the Hailsham defence, and he headed the ball over the advancing Oldroyd, but only for Reeve to make a headed clearance.
On the half hour, Boro came agonizingly close again, as Millroy played the ball across the goalmouth, and found Sam Reid at the far post, but he somehow put the ball wide from 2 yards.
However, Town broke and equalized against the run of play after the half-hour. Gianluca Delgado stroked the ball across to Scott McDonald, who drove the ball back across the scrambling Ben Head and into the far corner.

Crowborough just didn’t turn up in the second half.
After the hour, Hailsham deservedly took the lead. Ryan Alexander’s long range effort took a wicked deflection, which took the ball beyond Head, who could only help the ball into the net.
In the last 20 minutes, it all went wrong.
On 73, Cumming crossed the ball to Alexander at the far post, who nodded the ball away from the wrong footed Head and into the near corner.
Two minutes later, Hailsham made it 4-1. Tyler Goatcher’s corner picked out the towering Cumming, who headed beyond Head, and into the net.
7 minutes from time, Cumming played the ball over the defence to substitute Steve Early, who did well to drive the ball away from the advancing Head and into the roof of the net.
Crowborough did pull a consolation back late on, as Thom Nowell’s ball through played in Treleaven, who beat a defender before doing well to drive away from the standing Oldroyd and into the far bottom corner.

Crowborough now must recover…quickly, as they host big-spending Whitehawk on Saturday.