Sick Mickey comes on to grab winner

On a bone-hard surface both sides had difficulty keeping their footing with the high bounce of the ball proving awkward for defenders and attackers alike.

United had the better of the first half as the Blues midfield was largely overrun and their defence unusually shaky under pressure, but few real chances were created. In the first ten minutes the home side had two clear sights at goal but fired wide on both occasions.

Then from a Gareth Green corner Mark Probert's glancing header went straight into the arms of the home goalkeeper Sam Reed while at the other end Ross Standen had to save with his feet when a defensive mistake let in Sam Edwards for a shot.

Shortly before half-time a solo run from just inside his own half by Gavin Jones ended tamely when his scuffed shot was off target.

A lecture from boss John Crumplin saw the Blues seize the initiative from the second-half kick-off. A cross from Green found Hunt unmarked and his header forced Reed to save the ball at the foot of a post.

Almost immediately a cross from Hunt fell kindly for Probert to fire in a shot from the edge of the penalty area which Reed could not hold. Jones was in close attendance but he could not connect before a United defender scrambled it away.

Then Standen was forced to make a save at full stretch to deny Scott McDonald before Probert was unlucky with a 25-yard lob which went just over the crossbar.

The introduction of O'Callaghan with 25 minutes remaining had an immediate effect. A speculative cross from the right went through a bunch of players near the penalty spot and fell to O'Callaghan, whose looping header gave Ringmer the lead.

Injuries forced Clay Lamont and Julian Curnow to leave the field as the remainder of the match saw Ringmer defending desperately. Andrew Ducille's headed clearance from a corner fell kindly to a United player some 30 yards out and Standen had to be at his best to punch away his goalbound shot.

Ringmer: Standen, Bird, Lamont (Clark), Curnow (Shepherd), Probert, Stacey, Dicker, Ducille, Jones, Green, Hunt (O'Callaghan).

County League One

Hailsham 0 Whitehawk 2

HAILSHAM manager Kenny McCreadie was looking on the bright side despite defeat, the sending off of Stuart Lewis and an incident involving striker Liam Baitup which has seen him reported to the Sussex Football Association.

Referee Bob Minty issued six yellow cards and one red, Lewis was dismissed for kicking out at Graham Martin in second-half added time and Baitup is in trouble for remarks Mr Minty will say were made to him after the game.

McCreadie said: 'It was hard fought but not dirty and I thought the ref had a poor match. I spoke to him about Baitup and if it is true what he said I suppose we must hold up our hands and apologise on behalf of the player.

'Young Baitup missed two clear-cut chances, we gave them a soft penalty '“ it was a penalty '“ and Russell Tanner made a bad blunder for their second.

'But I still think it is going well here. We're safe in the league and in a senior cup final, and senior medals do not come at two a penny at this level.

'We're doing well with the budget we have. There are three clubs paying big money but none of them are teams we cannot beat on our day.'

Whitehawk sit third in the league but The Stringers were equal to them for much of the match.The visitors went ahead on the half hour when Paul Richardson chopped down Toby Phillips and Martin fired home from the penalty spot.

Baitup failed with a lob and a close-range header before Wayne Chart made it 2-0 eight minutes after the break when he headed into an unguarded net after Tanner had flapped at a Martin free-kick.

Hailsham: Tanner, Williams, Satchwell, Hunt (Spencer), Lewes, P Richardson, Koboa (Barden), Stevens, Cooper (French), Baitup, Jarvis.

County League Two

Sidlesham 1 Wealden 1

Wealden fielded a depleted side in a poor game on a poor surface against a team fighting for survival, so it was always going to be a tough task.

And they were not helped by a controversial goal for Sidlesham in the 25th minute. Wealden cleared a cross and the ball was knocked back in before Hunter scored from an offside position.

Wealden had started well and in the first two minutes a Paul Thomsett free-kick found Dominic Oliver who flicked on to Justin Harris. The midfielder's header back across goal was sidefooted by Ward but scrambled off the line by the goalkeeper's outstretched legs.

Wealden continued to press and Oliver was put through on goal but was forced wide by the defence and could not get in his shot.

Justin Harris and Steve Davies marshalled the inexperienced side from midfield and limited Sidlesham to long hopeful balls although goalkeeper Gareth Clarke was pushed to get his feet to the ball to save a Sidlesham free-kick.

Wealden were level on 36 minutes after the busy Davies had been hacked down on the edge of the penalty area. Captain Harris drove home the free-kick low and hard for the equaliser.

Harris then set up Dan Garrod, whose first-time volley went just over the crossbar, and a Harris flick-on found Oliver but he could only hit the side netting.

The second half was equally scrappy with both sides now relying on the long ball.

The pick of the action came when Craig Ottley's long clearance caught the Sidlesham goalkeeper in two minds. Hutchinson got his toe to the ball and lobbed towards the empty net but a covering defender was able to clear from the goalline and over the crossbar.

Sidlesham had a chance late on when a free-kick from out wide was swung in low and hard and was well saved by Clarke.

Wealden: Clarke, Milan, Ottley, Thomsett, Head, Harris, Garrod, Davies, Ward, Hutchinson, Oliver. Subs: Poulton, Weaver, Gilbert.

Last week Wealden lost 2-1 at Mile Oak in the County League. Dan Garrod scored in the 87th minute.

County League One

Wick 1 Crowborough 1

CROWS came away from Crabtree Park wondering how they had failed to earn all three points. The answer was simple, Wick goalkeeper Tom Rand was just outstanding.

After two minutes Rand saved well from James Body while moments later Kush Movaffagh thwarted Curd, but it was the Crows who had the upper hand, playing some entertaining football on a good surface.

Wes Tate saw his clever lob just clear Rand's crossbar and then Tate and Adams combined well to feed Adams, who shot just wide of an upright.

Tom Manton then forced Movaffagh to save well and on 31 minutes, and against the run of play, the hosts took the lead as sloppy play by Steve Prodger let in Cooper, whose cross was met by Evans to put Wick one up.

Crows came straight back but again Rand stopped any chance of an equaliser, twice in the space of two minutes saving smartly from Body efforts.

It took only 90 seconds of the second half for Crows to get level. Tate combined well with Adams and this time the latter's shot flew into the far corner as Rand advanced.

Crows pushed hard, with Wayne Clarke now enjoying himself down the right flank, and the visitors looked dangerous with every attack. Howard almost headed Clarke's cross into his own net, Crush had an effort from two yards turned round for a corner by Rand and Adams shot over from close range.

Wick relied on quick breaks but the pairing of Godden and Rhodes in the centre of the Crows's defence was strong and coped well with any danger.

Substitute Ross Treleaven then forced Rand into another fine save.

Managers Harry Smith and Simon Colbran said: 'After the disappointment of the John O'Hara Cup exit the players response and attitude was superb, they played some great football.'

County League Two

Oakwood 4 Saltdean 0

SALTDEAN manager Mark Smeaton is still optimistic the Tigers can escape the drop despite this heavy defeat.

'You've only got to know their goalkeeper was named man of the match to realise that we weren't outplayed,' Smeaton said.

'In fact we outplayed them for the first 35 minutes of the first half but Mark Saxby missed two one-on-one sitters, Craig Bunch looped a header into the keeper's hands when he should have scored and their keeper made some blinding saves.

'The scoreline could have been 8-5 with the chances created. Their third goal really killed us off and the scorer was yards offside while the fourth was also a disputed offside decision.

'We must be positive, we have two games in hand, but we need a bit of luck and must stop being nave at set-pieces. It's down to inexperience and the age of the side. We also need to put away our chances.

'Our new signing Bryan Lilley came on as substitute and looked half decent. He's moved down from Kilmarnock and is a central defender or midfielder.'

Saltdean: C Smeaton, Coker, Clarke, Slade, J Smeaton (Lilley), Cheveret, Costello, Pook, Coyne, Bunch, Saxby.

Division Three Cup

semi-final

Rustington 4 Newhaven 0

HAVEN manager Jason Tighe was 'gutted' at this cup defeat and his sending off by referee Simon Griffiths.

The tie was over in half an hour with Rustington four goals to the good and Tighe admitted they deserved to win.

'We were not at the races up to then,' he said. 'The trouble was I was missing five regulars and it didn't help that the referee gave us absolutely nothing.

'We had a blatant penalty turned down when Simon Halsey took a two-footed tackle to the head. He may have ducked a bit but he has stud marks right down the back of his neck.

'And in another incident Halsey was pushed in the back and again we were denied a penalty. At least there were people from the league there who must have seen how bad the referee was.

'Their first goal was a joke. Chris Foote tried to send the ball for a corner and the ref gave a foul against him. Then their guy scored with his knee when the free-kick came in.

'I got sent off in the second half when the referee gave a foul against me and said I was the last man. I wasn't and the player was going away from goal anyway so I was devastated by the decision.'

Tighe started without Chris Georgiou, Chris Shappveld, Jason Goddard, Nathan McGill and goalkeeper Mark Hildersley. Dan Breach took over between the posts and Tighe said he did well despite the four goals.

Newhaven finished with nine men as all three substitutes had been used when Sean Breach damaged a metatarsal and Foote had gone off with a swollen foot.

Newhaven: D Breach, Edwards, Tighe, Leiper, Wright (Saville), Marchesi (Hughes), S Breach, Holmes, Foote (Salvage), Halsey, Newman.

County League Two

Pagham 2 Seaford 0

TWO goals in three minutes for the hosts proved too much for out-of-sorts Town. Maybe the 50-mile trip proved debilitating but it doesn't get a lot easier as they now face successive away games at Selsey, Storrington and Saltdean.

Manager Duncan Kneller replaced the unavailable Sean McFadden with Kieran Maher in goal and called young Tom Chapman to the bench in place of the suspended Liam Keith.

Town had won the home fixture 4-1 in August but fortunes have waned since then and they had little control in midfield in a poor game with strikers Tom Callaghan and Scott Allison getting little service up front.

Neither side threatened in the opening half and it was much the same after the break until the 63rd minute when Pagham winger Callum Britton pounced on a ball from the right and fired past Maher.

Seaford fell two behind a couple of minutes later when Mark Wimble was left unmarked at the far post and headed past Maher. Allison did have the ball in the net late on but it was disallowed for offside.

Seaford: Maher, Plastow, Mayo, A Kneller, Doherty, Hamblin (Moore), Scarfield (Hammond), Dartnell, Allison, Callaghan (Chapman), C Stanyard.

County League Three

Lingfield 1 Peacehaven 0

PEACEHAVEN manager Darren Guirey was 'gutted' that his team did not make ground on leaders Lingfield in the challenge for the league title.

'They had two clear chances on goal and scored from one of them,' said Guirey. 'We had seven and played really well.

'Ryan Walton, Jamie Wright and Michael Page all missed sitters, but the build-up play was excellent and we played really well.

'Lingfield are a physical side and Tom Rider ended up with five stitches in a leg wound, a tackle the referee missed. He'll be out for a couple of weeks.'

Peacehaven: Parsons, Murray, Rider (Page), M Brown, Blackwell, Bailey, Jones, Martin, Wright (Walton), Stepney (R Brown), Price.