East Preston made a poor start to the new season in Division 2 with a home defeat against Sidley United, who featured a number of players signed from Hastings United and are strongly fancied by many to be in a promotion position come May 2010.
The home side actually started the brighter, with Terry Dodd forcing visiting goalkeeper Jon Saunders to make a diving save at the foot of his post, then seeing a free kick deflect wide off the defending wall, in the opening quarter hour.
However, the visitors soon got into their stride and a long ball over the East Preston back four needed to be cleared by Matt Windsor after Kenny Pogue had reached the ball ahead of home keeper Maciek Kason.
Pogue had a further half chance, but lobbed short of the target and Matt Darby shot high over from the edge of the 18 yard box. Kason was called into action twice in as many minutes, retrieving a loose ball in a goal mouth scramble, then making a diving save to tip wide a good shot from Alan McMinigal.
East Preston were restricted to half chances on the counter attack and Nathan Da Costa shot just over on one such occasion, but went one down after half an hour. A low cross found its way to skipper Chris Agutter on the edge of the East Preston area, and after his first shot had been blocked, fired the rebound into the corner of the net, giving Kason no chance.
The advantage was doubled six minutes later when East Preston skipper Ian Saunders did not get any distance on his headed back pass, following a long kick from United keeper Saunders, and Pogue nipped in to fire high into the roof of the net.
East Preston almost reduced the deficit in the 43rd minute, when Ian Sauders found Da Costa with a well worked free kick, but his low shot was well saved by the diving keeper and cleared for a corner.
Half Time, East Preston 0 Sidley United 2
Things went from bad to worse only two minutes after the re-start with Sidley’s third goal. Maciek Kason punched away a corner, but the first to the ball on the edge of the area was Matt Darby, whose shot took a deflection off Gavin Hammond trying to close him down, and span high up into the top corner out of the reach of the diving keeper.
After Sidley’s dominance of the first half, the second became a more even open affair, with half chances created by both sides, Sidley looking the stronger and East Preston never looking likely to get any kind of result out of the game.
In the 54th minute Kevin Budge had an overhead kick, following a Nathan Da Costa corner, headed off the line by Paddy Cody defending at the far post. Then Jay Huet shot weakly direct at keeper Jon Saunders who made a comfortable save.
Sidley United went close again after 73 minutes when a good strike from Kenny Pogue glanced off the crossbar on its way over.
The last chances of the half fell to East Preston with Jay Huet getting on the end of a Terry Dodd flick, but shooting wide, then Dodd putting substitute Chris Darwin through with a good pass inside the full back, but Darwin’s low shot was straight at the keeper.
Full Time, East Preston 0 Sidley United 3
East Preston: Maciek Kason, Nathan Da Costa, Asa Nicholson (Chris Darwin, 65mins), Gavin Hammond (Adam Holman, 65mins), Matt Windsor, Ian Saunders, Luke McAlister (John Meeney, 61mins), Dale Campbell, Kevin Budge, Jay Huet, Terry Dodd.
Unused sub; Tom Payne.
Sidley United: Jon Saunders, Paddy Cody, Milton Miltaidou, Chris Rea, Kingsley Parsons, Matt Darby, Sam Hesmer, Chris Agutter, Chris Honey, Kenny Pogue, Alan McMinigal.
Subs; Craig Willard, Jamie Podmore, Zac McEnery, Josh Ellott-Noye.