Sorry Sidley suffer crushing defeat

Sidley United aren't the first to befall such a fate and they certainly won't be the last, but at least this hammering wasn't administered by one of the sides below them.

"We were very, very poor, especially first half," conceded manager Andy Laskey. "I would say it was the poorest first half we've had all season. I think Littlehampton are possibly the best side we've played, but we just didn't compete at all in the first half and we were all over the place defensively really.

"It was the same old story of poor decision making and giving the ball away. We defended too high up the pitch and I think three of the four (first half) goals, we were appealing for offside. Why they suddenly started doing that I've got no idea because it certainly wasn't an instruction in the slightest."

And it certainly didn't work because Mark Windsor, who also slotted the eighth minute opener after Sidley had squandered possession around half way, raced clear to net the second after 22 minutes before new signing Phil Churchill supplied the finish to the third on the half hour and Gary Young bagged the fourth eight minutes later.

Sidley, who didn't even force a save out of the home goalkeeper in the opening 45 minutes, put up more resistance after the half time re-shuffle, which saw Owen Ball brought on at centre-half and the impressive Chas Lister wide left as they reverted to a 4-4-2 shape after playing with just Kevin Rose up-front in the first half.

"Second half we were a lot better," Laskey added. "We got amongst them, had plenty of possession and the 'keeper had to make a few saves. It was quite encouraging and their manager was getting a little bit rattled on the line."

But the two goals that were scored after the break both went the home side's way. Their fifth was a 25 yard corker from Jan Miller with 20 minutes left prior to the unmarked Churchill bagging the 84th minute sixth to cap only the second league game in which Sidley have failed to score this season.

Sidley: Thurstans, Parsons, Finch, Lynch (Ball), G. Morris, Dadswell, Watson, J. Wood (Lister), Rose, S. Morris (Boyd), Oliver. Subs not used: Hole, Lusted.