Match Report - 17-Mar-2001
Hailsham 3 v Brighton V's 3
Hailsham finished their league campaign with an honourable draw and probably deserved to take all three points after a great comeback from 2-0 down in the first half.
Some wayward passing made life difficult for Hailsham at first and twice in the first fifteen minutes Brighton pounced and swept forward to score. In launching a spirited comeback Hailsham showed great character and started to dominate the game with some slick passing and imaginative running off the ball. First Sam Rham set up Ian Johnson from a short corner routine and the centre forward lashed the ball home and then just minutes later Geoff Farnes robbed a Brighton defender in their D and Nick Giles swept the ball home.
In the second half Hailsham looked more than capable of winning and for the first ten minutes it was constant Hailsham pressure. However, against the run of play Brighton went back into the lead and looked as though they might steal all three points. The never say die Hailsham spirit reasserted itself though and a quite brilliant move involving Giles and Ian Johnson was expertly finished by the hard running Steve Johnson.
Brighton continued to look dangerous on the counter attack and on one occasion their centre forward broke free just over the half way line with no Hailsham player within ten yards of him. Keeper David Hathaway saved the day by drawing on his many years of experience, coolly shepherding the Brighton player wide so that he was left with an impossible angle from which to shoot.
An entertaining game finished 3-3 and Hailsham were left to reflect upon a very satisfying season and a creditable fifth place finish in Division 1. Skipper Richard Bishop pronounced himself "well pleased" with the team's efforts during a long season and added that next season the club expect to be playing their home matches in Hailsham again once the Hailsham Community College pitch is laid. This will be a fitting homecoming in the club's centenary year.
Eastbourne 3rds 3 v Hailsham 1
The highlight of this entertaining and keenly contested encounter was a brilliant display of goalkeeping from Pam Winter. However in spite of Winter's heroics Hailsham were unable to deny an energetic Eastbourne side a well earned victory.
Promising young striker Gail Porter produced an emphatic strike to bring some consolation to Hailsham after they had fallen three goals behind but in the end they had to concede they had lost to the better side on the day. Next week the ladies take on Newhaven in the league.
