FOOTBALL: County League round-up (August 19)

WORTHING United and Lancing football clubs both progressed into the preliminary round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

United won 4-1 at division-higher Selsey to claim 750 prize money and set up a trip to Ryman League Walton Casuals on August 28.

Lancers were victorious 3-0 at Sidley and will now host Zamaretto League Premier Division side Slough in the next round.

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At Selsey, United went ahead after 15 minutes through Joe Shelley.

Selsey soon equalised but Billy Rayner fired home from the penalty spot to regain United's lead on 30 minutes.

He then converted a second spot-kick two minutes before the break to make it 3-1, and United completed the scoring through Richard Ghent with 25 minutes remaining. Asa Nicholson also struck the bar for United.

United boss Dominic Di Paola said: "It all came together perfectly, we played really well and it was a good team performance. It's our best performance so far and it's great for the club to get the money.

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"We're looking forward to the tie at Walton Casuals, it'll be a good test and we'll be up for it. It's what the FA Cup is all about and it will be a nice change from the County League."

WORTHING UNITED: Bryant; Biggs, Stokes, S.Di Paola, Francis; Ghent, Shelley, Rayner, Hudson; Huet, Moss. Subs: Nicholson (Moss 55), Hand (Hudson 60), Bunting (Huet 75), Young, Peters.

Lancing joint boss Jason Rutherford was delighted with his side's performance in their win at Sidley.

He said: "It was a great result, and I felt we were comfortable.

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"It's a great draw for us to play Slough, but that's what the FA Cup is all about. There'll be a big crowd to watch, and although it'll be tough, we're looking forward to it. To get the 750 is good for the club, but the prestige makes the win special and we're all very pleased."

Tom Pickford put Lancers ahead on 20 minutes. Dave Sharman's free kick fell to Lee Garnham, who nodded down for Pickford to lash home.

That was the way it stayed until the hour mark, when Lancers doubled the lead through Darren Annis, who tapped home after Garnham's effort was saved.

Dan Turner smashed home the third late on to continue Lancers' impressive start to the season.

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A late brace from substitute Garnham gave Lancing a 2-0 victory in a tight derby game with local rivals Storrington in Division 2 on Tuesday evening.

Both sides matched each other for most of the game as Lancers' Wayne Joseph forced two good saves from Storrington keeper Gary Elliott in the first half.

Swans created a number of chances, which boss Ricky Hamilton believed should have been enough to win them the match.

Craig Grantham went close for Swans with a curled effort from outside the box. Dave Tidman had two glancing chances saved, and Tim Martin had an effort blocked and skewed another wide.

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Hamilton said: "I felt we were the better side throughout and the best side lost.

"They had a couple of good opportunities and took them and we had six or seven and didn't.

"We also had a stonewall penalty waved away in the first half. At that point you think maybe it is not our night."

Lancing substitute Dan Turner laid the ball off for fellow bench-man Garnham, and his deflected, 20-yard effort, broke the deadlock on 75 minutes.

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Swans had chances to get back in it as Martin played through Tidman, who dragged his shot wide, while James Davis delivered a number of telling balls into the Lancing area.

The game was sealed with help of another sub late on. Shaheen Sadough's cross was met by Garnham at the back post, who hit home with two minutes left.

Hamilton added: "Stats would have shown us as clear winners, but the important thing is goals and we did everything but score. Positives are I was very pleased with the peformance but it's quite frustrating as we really should have nine points by now and not three."

Lancing joint manager Martin Gander said: "It was so close and a tight game but I think we slightly deserved the win in the long run.

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"It was really hard fought but I think we worked their goalkeeper a bit more. They had a lot of the ball without really forcing us into any saves.

"It's a well ground-out away win which sees us with three clean sheets now, so I can't complain."

LANCING v Sidley: Evans; Elliot, Pickford, Sharman; Mighall, McLoughlin, Sims, Hayward, Turner; Garnham, Annis. Subs: Hibberd, Joseph (Sims, Hayward 63), Hemsley (Sharman 85), P.Proto, Skipper, Broderick.

v Storrington: Evans; Pickford, Hemsley, Elliot, McLoughlin; Hibberd Mile, Sims; Green, Annis, Joseph. Subs: Garnham (Sims 60), Turner (Mile 62), Sadough (Green 75), Hayward.

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STORRINGTON v Lancing: G.Elliott; McCall, S.Elliott, Watton, Rhodie; Davis, Maymon, Harding, Tidman; Grantham, Martin. Subs: Meason (Grantham 70); Howard (Harding 75), Cocherton (Davis 80) Blaydon, Vincent.

Worthing United suffered their first league defeat of the season on Tuesday when they went down 2-1 at home to East Preston.

Asa Nicholson fired United into the lead on 65 minutes after Jehan Huet's effort was saved and they then felt they should have had a penalty when Huet went down, but a free kick outside the penalty area was awarded.

EP levelled on 75 minutes and then got the winner with 10 minutes left.

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United manager Dominic Di Paola said: "We could have got something out of the game, although we didn't play that well '“ maybe a draw would have been the fair result."

UNITED: Bryant; Biggs, Stokes, S.Di Paola, Francis; Rayner, Shelley, Hudson, Ghent; Nicholson, Huet. Subs: Meehan (Rayner 55), M.Hand (Francis 60), Moss (Huet 80), D.Hand, Peters.

A workmanlike first half set up Storrington FC's 2-0 win against Bexhill on Saturday as the Swans claimed their first win of the campaign in County League Division 2.

Boss Ricky Hamilton thought his side actually played better in the opening day defeat to Rustington, but was still delighted by the number of chances created.

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He remarked: "We got a result, and goals as well, so that's the pleasing part.

"It was a bit of a workmanlike performance, but we played football, worked hard and deserved it. We could have won by a few more goals and Bexhill would have had no complaints."

Storrington might have taken a goal lead before Craig Grantham opened the scoring. Tim Martin was tripped inside the box to earn a spot kick, but Kristian Harding screwed the penalty wide.

A neat passage of play followed when Grantham and Harding combined well in the final third '“ teeing up Martin, whose shot drifted past the post.

"We were creating decent chances," Hamilton remarked.

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The pressure finally told when Storrington, wearing black armbands in memory of chairman Malcolm McMichael, who died last Thursday, scored through Grantham.

Another tidy move culminated with Grantham's flicked finish beyond the Bexhill keeper.

The second half saw a marked improvement in Storrington's all -round play, and the chances continued to flow, thanks partly to the tireless running of Martin up front.

Dave Tidman headed home Storrington's second when Harding's delicious cross found the midfielder at the far post.

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Hamilton added: "To lose someone like Malcolm is a massive blow for the club. It has been a difficult week, we wanted to win on Saturday to make him proud, and we did that."

STORRINGTON: G.Elliott; McCall, S Elliott, Watton, Rhodie; Tidman, Humphries, Maymon, Harding; Martin, Grantham. Subs: Brownlee (Tidman 70), Howard (Harding 75), Gillard, Vincent, Davis.

Ferring marked their return to the County League on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at home to Uckfield Town in Division 3, before they lost 4-1 against Bosham on Tuesday.

Bosham won Division 3 last season but were unable to go up owing to the ground-grading situation. They were 3-0 up at Ferring by half-time, though, after scoring from three set-pieces.

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Simon Corona had a one-on-one opportunity before Ferring pulled a goal back when substitute Steve Gettings turned and fired home with a low shot.

Bosham added a fourth from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left and Ferring manager Craig Stuart said: "I gave them a rollicking at half-time after conceding three goals from set pieces and we were a different side in the second half.

"We were as good as them, if not slightly better. Overall, they were the better side, no doubt, but that's where we are aiming to get to."

On Saturday, Dane Smith gave Uckfield Town the lead on 60 minutes, but Ferring, champions of the Worthing League last season, were not behind for long.

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Steve Yeo's long free-kick picked out Corona on 70 minutes and he headed in.

Dave Rogers then had an effort saved and Corona shaved the post as Ferring looked for the winner.

Stuart said: "We played well, you never want to lose your first game, so a draw is a good result for us."

FERRING v Bosham: Rebbetts; McKenzie, Christodoulou, Searle, Gibbons; Cave, Yep, Rogers, Rapps, Nally; Corona. Subs: Gettings (Yeo 50), Rahman (Nally 60), O'Reilly (Rogers 78), J.Charman, Redhead.

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v Uckfield: Redhead; McKenzie, Gibbons, Searle, Christodoulou; Yeo, Rogers, Cave, J.Charman; Ally, Corona. Subs: Rhaman, P.Charman, O'Reilly, Warr.

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