Wingate beaten by Bognor
Ryman League Premier Division:
Bognor Regis 3 Wingate & Finchley 2
Saturday, 8 November, 2014
The sides could not be separated through the first half, but the home side dominated the second period before finally scoring a late winner.
It was the visitors who took the early lead though, as David Knight latched onto a horrendous piece of defending from a long ball, to flick the ball past the goalkeeper and roll it into the empty net in only the eighth minute.
Wingate had a varied attack, and a Ronayne Marsh-Brown cross was headed out only as far as Iffy Allen but he shot narrowly wide of the bottom right corner.
However, midway through the half Bognor levelled, after a harsh handball was given against Marc Weatherstone in the box – the defender was sliding to block a cross on the wet surface and the ball hit a trailing arm. Ben Johnson scored the spot kick down the middle.
Wingate continued to play the better football as Allen curled a shot towards the top corner which goalkeeper Chris Winterton acrobatically parried away.
Bognor’s James Crane then had a glorious chance as he turned a cross towards goal, but was denied by a superb reaction save by Bobby Smith. The clearance found Crane again but he had no time to control his header.
Wingate retook the lead in the 37th minute with the best goal of the match. Tommy Tejan-Sie fired a superb right-footed volley from the edge of the area which nicely found the bottom left corner. However, once again Bognor were immediately awarded a penalty, amid even more controversial circumstances. Mark Goodman was adjudged to have made a trip despite appearing to win the ball – outside the box. Johnson this time found the top corner from 12 yards.
Wingate continued to push forwards, and Harold Joseph, who had been introduced for the injured Goodman, played the ball up to Knight who waited before patiently finding Laney, however he pulled his shot across goal.
The second half however belonged to Bognor as Wingate struggled to keep up their momentum. Ollie Pearce received a cross from the left wing, he spun and shot towards goal but the effort was straight at Smith.
Bognor were also hit and miss for much of the second half, but increased their urgency for the final 20 minutes. Smith was called upon to make a great save on 75 minutes flicking the ball over from a far post header with an outstretched right hand.
Bognor had volleyed a few chances from corners over the bar, before the deserved goal finally came in scrappy circumstances. A mis-hit shot outside the box fortunately found Jason Prior at a wide angle who slid the ball in.
Ahmet Rifat fired over from 18 yards with Wingate’s final chance as Bognor secured their deserved win.
Wingate & Finchley Line-up:
Smith, Goodman (Joseph 41), Marsh-Brown, Lake (Udoh 89), Weatherstone, Rifat, Knight, Tejan-Sie, Laney, Sogbanmu, Allen (Graham 65). Subs: Wright, Nielsen.
Referee:
J Hillier
Attendance:
330
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