Ryman League Division 1 South Table Table is up to and including Satur<strong>day</strong> 5th <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
2<strong>8th</strong> November <strong>2015</strong> Ryman League Div 1 South Hythe Town 2 <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> 0 att 221 <strong>Match</strong> Reports By Tony Rickson You look at this <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> team on paper and it seems better than many of the sides that have represented the club over the years. And the substitutes’ bench on this occasion had experience and quality. Yet the team can’t get a win for love nor money, the loss at much-improved Hythe being <strong>Sittingbourne</strong>’s 10th league defeat in succession. It’s a desperate run that has seen them sink into the bottom three of the Ryman League South table, and there’s only one team in the league who have scored less than them this season. They couldn’t have been unluckier at Hythe with the first goal, and generally <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> battled well throughout. But they’re not creating enough chances from open play, going close most often from set pieces into the area. New signing Steven Ita, who started the season in opposition to <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> for <strong>Herne</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> and used to play for Woodstock, went straight into the starting line-up as manager Nick Davis rang the changes. Captain Tom Brunt, top scorer Harry Smith, Billy French and Miles Cornwell were all dropped to substitute after the horrible 6-1 defeat by Chipstead the previous week, though three of them ended the game in action again. They were replaced to start with by the boss himself, Ita, Adam Williams and Jono Richardson. It was an even start on a heavy pitch and captain George Crimmen and Williams both had chances for <strong>Sittingbourne</strong>, while at the other end clever Hythe striker Alfie May was a handful all game. Chances created from counter-attacks are so important these <strong>day</strong>s so it was terrible to see <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> breaks halted by deliberate Hythe fouls with only a booking for the third player to stop a move that way. Incidentally, that yellow card went to Nick Reeves, who played excellently for <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> for years, and was just as solid here for Hythe. If the Brickies thought they weren’t getting much from the referee it got worse in the 39th minute. With Stef Wright lying injured on the ground, Ollie Bankole was controversially penalised for handball about 25 yards out from goal. Hythe fiddled about with a short free-kick to try to get May a shooting chance, but Ita, who is very quick off the mark, sprinted in to close him down. Somehow, the referee judged that Ita had encroached unfairly and gave Hythe a re-take, rubbing salt into what seemed a very harsh wound by booking Ita as well. Given a second chance, Hythe abandoned Plan A and let Sawyer shoot straight for goal and his kick took a lucky deflection off the defensive wall past a wrong-footed Adam Molloy into the opposite corner. Overall <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> were defending stubbornly against some bright Hythe attacking play with Crimmen and Conrad Lee outstanding, and Davis again reading the game beautifully. <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> needed a break but when a clearance thumped against Richardson’s back it could have bounced anywhere only to go straight into the keeper’s arms. As the play became stretched in the second half, <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> created plenty of opportunities for themselves but Dane Luchford shot wide when played through and the hard-working Richardson and Bankole put efforts just over the bar. How often has that been said of various players in <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> reports this season. Hythe confirmed their victory 10 minutes from time when <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> lost possession deep in attacking territory and the home side whisked the ball forward for fast-breaking Sawyer to chip over the advancing Molloy. His first goal was hugely lucky, but this was a sublime finish. Credit <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> for keeping going well and Bankole hit the post in injury time, but even then it would have been little more than a consolation. <strong>Sittingbourne</strong> are in urgent need of a change of fortune but the tough run of games continues with second-placed Worthing the visitors next, on Tues<strong>day</strong> evening. <strong>Sittingbourne</strong>: Molloy, Wright (Brunt 53 mins), Lee, Davis, Crimmen, Richardson, Luchford, P Smith , Williams (H Smith 79 mins), Ita Wright Bankole Sponsors of the Woodstock stadium—www.dma-group.co.uk
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