You would have thought that a score-line which reads 4-3 means that it was a helter-skelter type of match, with play moving quickly from one end of the pitch to the other and goalkeepers struggling to keep up. However, the match between the Crows and Arundel last night in the John O’Hara Cup, 3rd round was not quite like that for the whole 90 minutes.
Crowborough Athletic definitely started the better side from the kick-off and Carrington, Ridley, Taylor and Saunders were giving the Arundel defence no-end of problems throughout the first 45 minutes. Such was the attacking intent from the home side it was no surprise when the first goal game after 10 minutes, Carrington firing a penalty home after an Arundel defender was adjudged to have controlled the ball with his hand. Credit to Arundel as they didn’t protest too much, but whilst I did appeal as well, on reflection it may have been unlucky as the defender went to clear the ball, it bounced up off his shin and “hit his hand”. As I was informed after the game by an established referee who watched the match, had it been “hand to ball” then a penalty was the correct decision, if it was “ball to hand” then the decision was incorrect. Who would be a referee?
Whatever the rights or wrongs of that decision it was no more than the Crows deserved and the pressure kept building on the away defence until they caved in again by taking a rampaging Carrington down in the box for another penalty. There were no complaints this time and Carrington picked himself up and fired in his second goal, and second penalty of the night, on 29 minutes, giving the goalkeeper no chance. By now the Crows tails were up and the third goal came after 31 minutes, when after some ping pong around the away team’s 6 yard box Carrington grabbed his hat-trick by shooting in when laying on the floor.
Arundel deserve some credit for the fact that despite being 3-0 down and under the cosh for most of the first half they did not give up and started to get back in to the game more. Whether this is because the Crow’s let the pace slip or Arundel started to play with their pride dented is only conjecture, but Lewis scored for them on 42 minutes which meant probably that both sets of managers had to change their team talks slightly during the break.
Whereas the first half belonged mainly to Crowborough, the second was much more on an even affair with Arundel, who had probably just received a bit of a talking to, coming out of the blocks with fire and determination in their bellies. The Crows defence was now coming under much more pressure and the away side were playing a more direct style of play which resulted in their captain, Scott Tipper, winning a fair few headers against the two Crowborough centre halves, although both Boddy and Turner were outstanding on the night. It was from one of these direct attacks that Arundel made it 3-2 after 60 minutes when Tipper flicked a header on from a long kick by the goalkeeper and Jearum was allowed to run through a lob goalkeeper Head from 20 yards.
The Crows knew now they were in a game and had to respond quickly as the next goal was going to go a long way to deciding who will win this match. Thankfully, the Crows were able to re-group and Ridley fired in from a narrow angle after great work by Carrington and Wood had created the opportunity after 65 minutes, therefore the two goal advantage was restored. However, the joy of having a two goal advantage again was short lived as Tipper, who controlled the ball well in the box and beat two defenders with a deft turn, had the composure to fire the ball across goalkeeper Head and in to the net after 67 minutes. Arundel deserve a lot of credit for their second half performance and may be this would have been a game the Crows would have lost last season but this year they are made of sterner stuff.
For the remaining 23 minutes it was end-to-end stuff with both teams having opportunities to score either the equaliser or to increase the lead back to two goals but in the end there was no further goals and the Crows live to fight another day in the John O’Hara Cup, where we will be away to Pagham FC in the quarter-finals.