CCK suffered a traumatising defeat, having surrendered a 2-0 half time lead. Portslade Athletic turned the game around with three second half goals.
The Badgers started the game brilliantly with some fantastic passing football. The yellows regularly opened up the Athletic defence, and shots from Dave Jones, Matt Carvel, and Brett Joyce threatened to open the scoring early on. Athletic showed few signs of breaking forward, but when they did so, the defensive quartet of Doug Reid, Jacob Fortescue, Mike Spence, and Ben Tucker were strong in the tackle and quick to mop up any trouble. This foundation allowed CCK’s midfield to dominate possession. Dan Harnden, Tim Rose, Dave Sewell, Brett Joyce, and Dave Jones just in front were linking up brilliantly and looked to play Matt Carvel into advantageous territory. The goal was inevitable, and it turned out to be quite spectacular. Matt Carvel worked hard down the right before he cut the ball back to the edge of the area. Brett Joyce ran onto the ball and smashed a right footed shot into the top corner. CCK continued to play good football and created more chances. Dave Jones, Matt Carvel, and Dan Harnden had attempts narrowly miss the target. Paul Muzzall made a fine save at his near post when Athletic counter attacked, maintaining CCK’s advantage. The lead was doubled approaching the thirty minute mark when Dave Jones held the ball up on the edge of the area before setting for Tim Rose to strike accurately with his left foot. The ball clipped the left upright before finding the net. Matt Carvel then had a goal ruled out controversially. A lofted pass was ruthlessly finished by the striker who was then flagged by the assistant referee. Sky Sports replays showed that he was clearly on-side when the ball was played. The heavens then opened moments before the half time whistle.
CCK looked to continue their fine display, and it seemed they would in the opening stages of the second half. Some creative passing and decent run making excited the travelling support. Brett Joyce had a good chance to extend the Badgers lead, when Dave Jones played him through on goal. Joyce unselfishly looked to set up Matt Carvel instead of shooting himself. That decision was not the right one on reflection as the chance was snuffed out by the Portslade defence. As the rain fell heavier the pitch cut up more, and the passing deteriorated. The game became a tough tackling scrap which suited the hosts rather than the visitors to Victoria Rec. Stage one of the Athletic comeback came in spectacular and surprising circumstances. A long throw was dealt with awkwardly as the defensive header lacked distance. The ball came out to the edge of the area, where David Funnell smashed a volley into the top corner of Paul Muzzall’s goal. The goal stunned the Badgers, who failed to respond. Lightening then struck for the second time when another David Funnell volley levelled the scores. Similarly the goal originated from a long throw-in. The ball was again headed to the edge of the area where the volley was struck towards goal. Paul Muzzall struggled with the slipperiness of the ball and was shocked to see the ball squirm past him. Dave Sewell had a painful five minutes as CCK looked to bounce back. First a shoulder injury saw him receive treatment, before a nasty tackle caused the CCK captain to leave the field. Tim Virgo came on to take his place in the midfield. Tackles continued to fly in, as all technical abilities became void. A passage of play resulted in a penalty but should have been halted long before as a fight nearly broke out on the pitch. Dan Harnden made a rash challenge on the Portslade left back, who then went for the winger. At this point the referee should have intervened to calm the situation, however, play continued and Doug Reid then mistimed his tackle in the area and the referee pointed to the spot. The penalty was converted calmly by Karl Boffey giving Athletic a 3-2 lead. Mike Preston was introduced for Ben Tucker as CCK looked to add fresh legs to the team. The game then became a non-event with both sides struggling to cope with the awful conditions. Tim Virgo came closest for CCK with a header, while Portslade did see a shot tipped onto the post by Paul Muzzall. The comeback had clearly shocked the Badgers players and staff as they trudged back to the changing rooms after the full-time whistle.
Tim Rose couldn’t quite believe what had happened when he spoke with reporters after the match, “I still can’t quite believe it. We seemed in complete control, were running the game, and then they found three goals from somewhere and we couldn’t respond. It’s hard to take, but we need to keep the faith and not let this get us down.” Brett Joyce was equally as shocked by events at Victoria Recreation Ground, “We played some great ball in the first half and for the first ten of the second we were on top. The rain came down and then it became more like a mud wrestle than a football match. I suppose it was a real game of two halves.” The two local rivals face each other again on Tuesday at Wish Park. CCK will be looking for revenge as they desperately need points to survive in the Premier League.
