Bexhill begin to look like champions

And Bexhill United may just fall into that category after finding a way to beat perennial Sussex Division Three strugglers Newhaven on Saturday.

"That's how the feeling was with all of us," said manager Bill Trivett. "We felt we never played our best but we still got the points, which is a good sign. It was a little closer than we hoped for, but three points away is great."

The other chief plus for United was yet another shut-out for a much-improved defence. Bexhill have conceded just one goal - a cracking free kick in the previous match against Upper Beeding - in their last five games, having surrendered nine in the two games immediately prior to that.

"That's four clean sheets out of five now in the league and we don't look like we're going to concede many. We're not concentrating on bombing forward and scoring; we know if we keep the clean sheets, the goals will come. We still look very good."

Particularly as the rest of an extremely congested division seem to be taking points off each other.

Bexhill's 11 match unbeaten run contrasts starkly from their far more inconsistent rivals and it has meant they've come from nowhere early on to hold a three point lead at the top.

That three point cushion was secured by Wes Tate's opportunistic 56th minute strike - his seventh in six first team fixtures. The former Sidley United hitman half turned his man and fired home from the edge of the six yard box.

Dave Carey could have ensured a slightly less fraught finale had his shot beaten rather than struck the upright, but United endured few genuine scares towards the conclusion of a scrappy match.

Trivett added: "It wasn't the greatest of games. It was played in a high wind, which spoiled the game really and it was just what we expected.

"There was a little bit of rustiness there (their previous match was way back on December 11); the work you put in during training never quite substitutes what you do in a match and you do lose a little bit of match sharpness."

Bexhill: M. Carey, Storrs, Hesmer, Fletcher, S. Mote (Page), Anderson, Witham, M. Funnell, D. Carey, Tate, Matthews (Leigh). Sub not used: Moyse.