In a tight top of the table clash dominated by the conditions, it was super-sub Davis who proved to be the saviour for Elmer FC with an 87th minute equaliser at Palmer Road.
Elmer had travelled to table toppers Angmering expecting their toughest League test so far and were not disappointed. Numerous early chances fell to the home side in the first spell. Hall and the wily Eves upfront causing both Lawrence and Wilson some problems, which were snuffed out well, but it was no surprise when the very direct Hall out paced Kent to hit a fine strike past Hurley in the 11th minute. With conditions worsening it was a credit to all 22 players, and the man in the middle, John Burns from Midhurst, that any form of entertainment was served for the hardy spectators whatsoever. For the remainder of the first half both sides created their fair share of chances. Angmering's being snuffed out by stout defending or the astonishing safe handling display by "Man of the Match" Hurley in the Elmer goal. At the other end it was a case of Elmer's forwards just not getting the final touch to some otherwise excellent build-up play, particularly from the midfield quartet of Moir, Eardley, Gillingham and Bann. On the occassions when Elmer did get their first half efforts on target they were thwarted by Dyer, another keeper having an inspired morning in such difficult conditions.
Half time: Angmering Sunday 2nd XI 1 Elmer FC 0
A quick half-time turnround saw Elmer now playing into the worst of the weather but at least that was holding up their long ball play giving the tireless Belcher something to now chase. The game though was following much the same pattern as the first half so this was a time for strong leadership and tactical awareness. Seeing the need for change, the Elmer manager replaced Bann with Herbert on the hour, now meaning they had the extra weapon of Herbert's long throw in their armoury. After some initial problems with his footing these throws began to worry the home defence. Another bold change saw Woodman return from injury up-front allowing MacIver to slip into his favoured midfield place at the expense of Moir with just over 20 minutes remaining. With Woodman's fresh pace now causing even more concern for Angmering it was only a matter of time before Elmer brought on Davis as their third striker, sacrificing the ever-industrious O'Donnell at the back on 75 minutes.
With the pressure now building on Angmering a number of chances were created with Woodman and Gillingham in particular not being prepared to accept defeat. With just 5 minutes left though it seemed that Elmer were destined to go home empty-handed. A long throw from Herbert was superbly flicked on into the danger area by Davis but no Elmer player had been alive to the chance and the opportunity was wasted. To their credit though, with just 3 minutes left a ball through from MacIver found Davis who just managed to lob it over the on-rushing Dyer into the Angmering net to send his team-mates, manager and fans wild with delight. A hard fought final couple of minutes followed, punctuated by some stupid but deserved yellow cards, with no further scores to leave both these table-topping sides unbeaten in the League so far.
Taking the conditions into account, this was a tremendous game of football, well refereed and what has be a fair outcome for both teams.
Full-time: Angmering Sunday 2nd XI 1 Elmer FC 1
