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With the weather yet again playing havoc with the fixture I end up at the weekend starting a mini tour of Sussex. I should have been heading to The Hive where champions-elect of the National League Chesterfield were the visitors.
But a Friday afternoon pitch inspection saw the game postponed and a weekend off for Barnet, amid the social media outcry of bending the referee towards a call off because of a few injured players that had been out for weeks, running scared and a few other conspiracy theories thrown in for good measure, if only they really knew.
So, instead it was a trip up the coast to Lancing, on a run of one defeat in their last 13 league games, but coming up against a side one place better off in the table in Cray Valley PM, the Millers unbeaten in the Isthmian South East Division after their 17 games and having won all their previous away fixtures.
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A cold but bright afternoon was the scene at Culver Road, the sun doing it’s best to warm things up against a biting cold wind. No doubt it would be a tense affair, the Lancers having risen to third in the table including in their run defeating the league leaders Ramsgate just a few weeks ago.
It was the home side who controlled the possession throughout the first half, although a majority of it was knocked around the back three and they didn’t make much use of it further up the pitch, goal scoring chances at a premium.
The Millers couldn’t capitalise on any stray balls they did pick up, the pace of Michael Ademiluyi an outlet down the left hand side while Denzel Gayle gave the left sided centre half something to think about at times.
It wasn’t too much of a surprise that neither side broke the deadlock before half time and a sense that the visitors needed something a little different in the second half to maintain their pursuit of the title.
Cray certainly saw more of the ball in the second period and weren’t so wasteful in possession either, a couple of tweaks in midfield saw to that. The visitors took the lead just after the hour mark, a deflected shot from Gayle saw the ball end up at the feet of Marcel Barrington who bundled the ball into the net for the game’s opening goal.
Despite the fact the goal opened up the game a little the visitors were able to control the game and despite a flurry of half chances for the home side Cray saw out the added time to keep in the title hunt.
I felt Lancing were a little too cautious in the first half, for all their time on the ball very little came the way of Ben Pope or Lukas Franzen-Jones in the final third.
Millers boss Steve McKimm clearly wasn’t happy during the first half and you could tell there would be a couple of tactical adjustments at half time just to get some control in the game and it worked.
A very tight, close game was what I expected and exactly what came my way, but now we’re getting to the point where every win matters so picking the games where sides are in contention or on good runs threatening to hijack titles or play off plans is on the agenda in the coming weeks.
Good as always to catch up with Steve and Barry Moore before the game, and also Frank May the chairman of the Millers, they’re almost at the end of their punishing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday schedule and with two or three players due back in the next couple of games they will be running Ramsgate right to the wire.
Lancing should make the play-offs if they can get on another run, the front two are certainly going to find more games where they notch one or two compared to firing blanks, refreshing to see them doing well after years of being around the very bottom half, 443 in attendance no doubt swelled a little by some around not playing but with a good offer for their remaining home games of £50 for the final seven they should attract a few more in.
Footnote: Cray Valley travelled to Sussex again on Tuesday evening and ran out 3-0 winners over Chichester City, nine away wins from nine now for the Millers, setting up nicely for a three month shoot out with Ramsgate.
