Men's 5s Score Six at Southwick

Christmas came early for the Monday Night Hockey chaps as they travelled to Portslade determined to keep a clean sheet and score a few goals in the process.

The first goal came in the 7th minute with a cool finish from Fuller following an excellent interchange of passes from Dax Debice and Ben Wood. A second followed minutes later when a shot hit the keeper's pads and fell to Alan Forster who swept in his first goal for Lewes. With the visitors in command another two were added before the break, one from the 5s skipper Malcolm Wain and a second for Fuller.

In truth it could have been an even wider margin at the break had it not been for a man-of-the-match performance from the Southwick goalkeeper who was kept busy throughout.

At 4-0 the second half continued with Lewes peppering the Southwick goal only to be denied again and again. Finally, Dax Debice's fierce strike from the left of goal was deflected goal bound by the keeper and put in by a Southwick defender. However the 'attacker's goal' was turned over, not by the umpires but by genuine gentlemanly sportsmanship from someone who shall remain anonymous!

The game then turned a little strange and so we will ignore that episode though it should be sufficient to say it encouraged Lewes to respond immediately with a second goal for the skipper swept in HARD possibly with instructions attached indicating what could be done with the ball.

With 15 minutes to go Steve Fuller put his own gloss on the result with a thundering tight angle strike that near bent the goal post before settling in the back of the net. As Fuller left the pitch happy with another hat-trick Southwick elected to close out the game without conceding further and this they managed admirably despite the numerous shots on target. With a bit more composure in front of goal it could have been 10 or 12 but as the whistle blew, the score remained 6-0 to the men in green.

The first half of the season finished with the 5s winning 10 from 12 and coach Peter Thomas opening the bubbly pitch side to toast the success of Monday Night Hockey - and of course Forster's first goal for Lewes.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas with a reminder that the 5s are Away on 7th January to St Francis and also with the team's best wishes going out to the Sgt Major reading this report on his exotic travels. Oh and Monday Night Hockey continues on the 19th with everyone welcome for a 'Festive Special' including PT as Santa and Mike Wood as the most industrious of elves.