Bexhill United made it back-to-back wins in the SCFL premier with a fine 2-0 victory away to Seaford Town on Saturday.
A good sized group of travelling Pirates fans had made the trip to the other side of Eastbourne for the 2pm kick off with the start time being brought forward due to an on-going issue over the use of Town’s Crouch ground.
Bexhill gaffer Jay Skinner-Swain found his defensive resources stretched again and Callum Baird was called up for central duties alongside Dale Penn with Max Hollobone continuing his stint on the right of the unit.
The Pirates were first out of the blocks and for the first 20 minutes applied some serious pressure to the Seaford lines. Nathan Crabb, who would prove to be a handful for the whole game, broke through on a couple of occasions with only a fine covering tackle preventing a clear chance as he bore down on the goal.
Both Jack Shonk and Charlie Playford went close with headers as Theo Coombs found himself with plenty of opportunities to run at the defence and whip the ball across the box.
It took them a while to get going, but around the midpoint of the first half Seaford started to create a few chances of their own, but with Penn marshalling the lines, and Stef Akras in goal alert to any signs of danger, Bexhill held firm and the sides went in level at the break.
It’s always difficult to work out if the Crouch slope, which runs from side to side rather than end to end, favours any particular side but, regardless, Bexhill came out for the second half with some real energy and purpose and it felt like a goal was coming.
Shonk and Curran both went close again but the Pirates’ patience finally paid off on the hour when a fine ball through from Jack Shonk played Crabb in and he rode the challenge of the defender to slot the ball into the bottom corner.
It was no less than Bexhill deserved for their pressure and just a couple of minutes later it was Shonk’s turn to get his name on the scoresheet, latching onto a through ball from Charlie Curran and sticking it away in some style.
Bexhill continued to press forwards and create chances but as the clock wound down it was the home side that found themselves clear through on the break but the Pirates defence managed to get themselves reorganised and deal with the threat and protect the clean sheet.
Dale Penn was rightly awarded the Bexhill Man of the Match award for a combative and disciplined display from start to finish but his central defensive partner Callum Baird deserves credit for stepping into the breech and putting in a fine shift.
At the other end of the park, Crabb has found a rich vein of form which has helped keep the Pirates in ninth place in the league, handily placed as they enter the Christmas programme.
Saturday, December 20 sees Bexhill at home to Varndeanians and, as a seasonal thank you to fans, the club have made a special offer of “Festive Football For A Fiver”. The match will be followed by the annual Christmas knees up in the clubhouse.
