It felt like autumn had arrived for the home fixture against Littlehampton Town Youth, and the low sun meant that Predators chose to swap ends to try and take advantage of the better visibility heading towards the west.
Predators were without some key players due to their DofE commitments but handed a debut to Leo who was returning to the team after a few seasons away, starting in a midfield role.
Littlehampton would be a tough test, having won all their previous games including a 12-0 season opener against Barnham.
First Half
The match kicked off with both teams battling in midfield, eager to gain an advantage.
Predators cultivated a promising move on the left with Curtis, Harley and Josh swapping neat passes but it was thwarted by some resolute Littlehampton defending, leading to the move fizzling out. Alex then went on the offensive with a good run on the left, winning a throw and then forcing a defender to give away a corner, which was taken quickly but dealt with efficiently by the Littlehampton defence.
Next, it was Littlehampton’s turn to launch an offensive as they earned a free kick. Although Predators managed to clear it initially, the ball rebounded back into the penalty area, creating an awkward bounce. Ryan skillfully handled the situation, securing the ball with a confident grasp.
Play switched to the other end with Alex breaking through on the left and winning a free kick which Mass took, but it was cleared by the Littlehampton defenders for another corner. Mass once again took the corner but it was scooped up by the goalkeeper. Would Predators rue these chances later in the game? Only time would tell.
Alex won yet another corner which Mass delivered, finding Maciek whose powerful shot was met with an incredible save by the keeper. The agile goalkeeper promptly initiated a swift Littlehampton counterattack. They surged forward, with their number 11 displaying remarkable dribbling skills as he penetrated the penalty area and unleashed a shot that eluded Ryan, finding the back of the net, giving the away team a 1-0 lead.
Littlehampton were now in the driving seat with plenty of possession and pressure. They won a free kick on the edge of the area, and the resulting shot went just wide of the goal. Another Littlehampton attack produced a corner which, luckily for Predators, was headed wide for a goal kick.
Predators were tested when a back pass by Dan fell short and was intercepted by an advancing striker, but his shot was blocked brilliantly by Maciek.
A Predators throw-in inadvertently led to Littlehampton gaining possession. Their players executed a seamless exchange of passes, culminating in a well-placed shot from the edge of the area that nestled into the bottom right corner of the net, extending their lead to 2-0.
Predators won a throw near the byline but the referee adjudged it a foul throw, something which was to be a theme for both teams throughout the match. Then came a game-changing moment when the referee showed Harley a red card after he argued with one of his decisions.
Predators shifted into a damage-limitation strategy, and Ryan thwarted a long-range strike from Littlehampton. At the opposite end, Alex crafted an opportunity for Mass, who skillfully navigated through the Littlehampton defence but his shot produced an outstanding save by the goalkeeper to deny Predators a goal.
Littlehampton then beat the Predators offside trap and their player forced Ryan to make a fantastic save. He then came to the rescue once again, saving a shot with his legs, and then another long range chance beat him but luckily bounced off the crossbar and was cleared by the Preds defence.
Michael came on for Leo and went into a wide left position, to push forward and create some goalscoring opportunities. On the other wing, Dom, Josh and Mass combined well to carve out a chance but Littlehampton snuffed it out, clearing it for a throw in.
Play was switching from end to end and Dom was busy in defence dealing with a tricky Littlehampton winger. Jacob had picked up a knock earlier in the match and although he had bravely tried to continue, he was replaced by Kallen to give him a chance to recover.
Kallen immediately put Littlehampton under pressure, winning a throw-in, but it was yet another foul throw so possession was handed to the visitors.
It was somewhat of a relief when the referee blew for half time, when hopefully the Predators management team would be able to regroup and help the ten men reorganise and prepare for the second 45 minutes.
Half time : 0-2
Second half
It was a surprise to see Leo start the second half in goal, with Ryan unable to continue. The defence had been rejigged too with Daniel replacing Jacob at centre back and Michael slotting in at left back. Leo was immediately tested with a long range shot but caught the ball confidently.
Predators created a move on the right but it was dealt with by the Littlehampton keeper. Play switched to the other end with a great chance for Littlehampton when they beat Leo but luckily the ball just crept wide of the goal.
Littlehampton applied more pressure with Maciek working hard to block a couple of shots. At the other end Josh and Mass combined well on the right wing and won a corner. Mass took it himself but it came to nothing when the ref blew for an infringement inside the penalty area.
A swift Littlehampton counterattack resulted in a shot that met Leo’s well-timed block, after which Dom and Maciek valiantly withstood additional pressure. However, their resolute defense couldn’t hold off Littlehampton for long. The opposition managed to extend their lead to 3-0 with a powerful shot that soared past Leo and nestled into the top right corner of the net.
Littlehampton made it 4-0 when another attack led to a shot which was cleared off the line by a Predators defender but the ball fell to an advancing striker to made no mistake and slotted it away.
Mass was working really hard in midfield, chasing loose balls and skipping past Littlehampton players, carving out some chances which included a shot which curled just wide of the goal.
It was to no avail though and Littlehampton made it 5-0 with a long range shot which flew past Leo into the goal.
Predators were still moving forward when they could though, and in one attack Mass passed to Kallen but his shot was easily saved by the Littlehampton keeper. They nearly grabbed a consolation goal at the end when Dan and Curtis combined to put Josh clear on the right wing but his cross shot went just over the bar.
Final Score : 0-5
