Crawley Down 1, East Grinstead Town 1

Smith's men rounded off their campaign with a 1-1 draw at Crawley Down on Easter Monday morning.

They were given a dream start with a goal after just TEN seconds, the quickest scored in the County League this season.

Midfielder Paul Otway won possession from the kick off and then found the top corner from 25 yards with a searing right-foot shot. No wonder Otway was buried under delighted team-mates as he celebrated his first goal of the season.

But Grinstead joy was short-lived. In the third minute Darren Tidey intercepted a poor goal kick by goalkeeper Dave Tidy and held off a challenge to steer home the equaliser.

Wasps had a strong breeze behind them in the first half and dominated for long spells, but apart from an eighth minute shot by Ben Burns over the bar when he was clean through, they struggled to really test home goalkeeper Matt Heasman with too many places mis-placed on a rock-hard pitch.

Tidy made up for his mistake with two full-length saves in the second period when the hosts created the better clear-cut chances. He kept out a header from Richard Bolingbroke on 50 minutes and denied Dave Connor on 71 minutes in similar circumstances.

Grinstead huffed and puffed at the other end, but it was clearly a struggle for them to get into top gear nearly a fortnight after their last fixture and with promotion already secured.

Burns and Otway had half-chances but Heasman was only worked seriously in the 81st minute when he blocked a shot from substitute Kris Trevor.

The only other note of interest was a hamstring injury to Luke Dunstan which meant he had to be replaced eight minutes after coming on as substitute for Adam Dart.

Grinstead: Tidy, Garrett, Dart (sub: Dunstan 54 (sub: Woolley 62)), Otway, Hearn, Moore, Horner, Gellatly, Burns, Banks, Thompson (sub: Trevor 78).

East Grinstead Town 0, Westfield 0

With only a point needed, Wasps were, not surprisingly, cautious in their approach early on against a Westfield side determined to make it as hard as possible for their hosts.

But Grinstead missed a great chance to ease their nerves in the 31st minute when James Horner's goalbound shot was handled by rightback Tony Harris. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, but Paul Worthington got down well to his right to parry Kris Trevor's penalty.

Trevor and Steve Banks both went close before half-time while the only scare at the other end came when Laurence Brand's shot bounced up alarmingly off the rock-hard pitch and clipped the top of Dave Tidy's crossbar.

Dave Garrett wasted a good chance early in the second period when James Horner's cross found him unmarked at the far post while Westfield's best opportunity came on the hour when Tidy blocked Chris Rea's powerful drive.

Banks squandered a good chance to ease the tension in the 85th minute when he shot wide from close range but a few minutes later the celebrations were beginning in earnest.

Grinstead: Tidy, Dunstan, Dart, Garrett, Hearn, Moore, Horner, Gellatly, Trevor, Banks, Otway. Unused subs: Burns, Woolley, Raymond.

Rye & Iden United 1, East Grinstead Town 2

A rock-hard pitch and gusty wind made good football difficult. Rye had the elements behind them in the first half and went in front after 22 minutes when Steve Smith evaded two tackles to cross from the left and Shaun Loft rose at the far post to score with a simple close range header.

Nick Styles squandered two chances to double Rye's lead, but there wasn't a lot of conviction about the home side's play although goalkeeper Jon Gardner wasn't seriously tested in the first half either.

It was a different story after the break. Rye seemed content to sit on their lead and Wasps seized the intiative. Paul Otway tested Gardner with a header following good work on the left by the increasingly prominent Gellatly and then Kris Trevor crossed for strike partner Steve Banks whose header forced Gardner to make a full-length save.

Wasps drew level on 54 minutes. James Horner's diagonal ball exposed the home defence and Gellatly raced clear. Gardner blocked his initial effort superbly, but the midfielder followed up to score his ninth goal of the season.

Seven minutes later Horner was provider again, finding Banks in the inside right channel with a lobbed pass over Craig Willard. Banks steadied himself before drilling a low shot into the far corner to spark jubliant celebrations among a sizeable contingent of Grinstead supporters.

Wasps were now firmly in charge. Gardner made a great save to deny Horner at close range, Hanson blasted over from ten yards when it seemed certain he would score and Horner fired over after Adam Dart's pass had left him with just the keeper to beat.

Rye roused themselves for the last ten minutes and Smith screwed a good chance wide from Micky O¹Callaghan's cross in the first over six minutes of injury time.

Gellatly nearly added a third when his shot from the edge of the box crashed back off the crossbar, but seconds later the final whistle blew and Wasps had secured their best, and probably most significant, victory of the season.

Grinstead: Tidy, Garrett, Dart, Hanson, Hearn, Moore, Horner, Gellatly, Trevor, Banks (sub: Burns 88), Otway. Unused subs: Dunstan, Woolley.

East Grinstead Town 0, Eastbourne Town 0

Smith was dealt a blow before kick-off on Saturday when Steve Banks failed a fitness test on his injured foot while midfielder Matt Thorpe twisted his ankle inside the first ten minutes and is doubtful for the trip to Rye (2pm).

Jamie Liddell, Andy Rabbetts and Luke Dunstan were all unavailable but return to the squad this weekend. Smith had to name himself as one of the subs along with striker Matt Mayo who has been in impressive form for the reserves.

But his team did him proud, particularly defensively as they restricted Eastbourne's prolific front two of Gary Brockwell and Yemi Odubade, who have scored 74 goals between them, to just two chances, the best a 71st minute strike from 25 yards by Brockwell which rattled Dave Tidy's crossbar.

All four defenders were excellent and 17-year-old left back Adam Dart was almost an unlikely match-winner for Wasps when he curled a left-footed free-kick from 20 yards against the bar with 12 minutes left.

Eastbourne's Mark Oldroyd was certainly the busier of the two goalkeepers, but the biggest turning point came on 80 minutes when Brockwell fell under a challenge from Grant Hearn inside the box. It looked like a penalty, but referee Bob Minty instead booked Brockwell for diving.

Eastbourne boss Dave Winterton remonstrated with the referee at the end, but even he admitted afterwards that a second draw between the two clubs this season was a fair outcome.

Wasps worked slavishly and created their best chances in the first half.

James Horner forced Oldroyd to parry a close range shot into the side netting on 11 minutes after Ben Burns' free-kick had found him in space ten yards out and he denied Horner again before pulling off his best save in the 40th minute when Burns' powerful header from Dave Gellatly's cross had him at full stretch.

Goal mouth action as Eastbourne Town keeper saves from James Horner's first half shot

The visitors were more of a force in the second half, but Dave Tidy was only forced to make one save of note when he parried a powerful header from Lee Walsh on the hour.

Hearn did the tidying up work after the keeper parried Odubade's shot ten minutes later but Paul Otway, who replaced Thorpe, could have won it for Grinstead with 15 minutes left but Oldroyd parried his header after Kris Trevor had set up the opportunity.

Grinstead: Tidy, Garrett, Dart, Thorpe (sub: Otway 9), Hearn, Moore, Horner, Gellatly, Burns (sub: Mayo 73), Trevor, Hanson. Unused sub: Smith.

East Grinstead Town 5, Shinewater 0

Grinstead were unrecognisable from the side which had lost successive games and they could easily have doubled their tally against a Shinewater outfit who spent most of the 90 minutes on the back foot.

Manager Bob Smith reverted to 4-4-2 and made four changes to the team which had lost 3-0 to Eastbourne United on Saturday. Luke Dunstan made an impressive first appearance of the season at rightback, Dave Gellatly and James Horner were restored to midfield and Kris Trevor partnered Steve Banks up front.

Horner was the star with a well-taken hat-trick, but there were excellent performances all over the pitch from Wasps whose workrate and invention in attack was a marked improvement on recent displays.

They could have been 4-0 up before Trevor opened the scoring in the 38th minute. Matt Thorpe hit the bar and put over a free header from four yards while Banks and Horner both squandered good chances.

But the deadlock was broken when Shine goalkeeper Richard Spooner failed to hold Banks' header and Trevor bundled home his fifth goal of the season.

Wasps made the perfect start to the second half by doubling their lead on 48 minutes. Gellatly and Banks were both involved in a sweeping move which ended with Horner exchanging passes with Banks before drilling a low shot past Spooner.

Grinstead then put the icing on the cake with three goals in six minutes to complete the rout. Horner made it 3-0 with an emphatic left-foot finish after Shine only half-cleared a corner (69), the impressive Banks finished off another flowing move with a fiercely struck shot to register his tenth of the season (72) and Horner completed his first senior hat-trick for Wasps from the penalty spot after Max Dyer had handled Thorpe's cross (75).

Oakwood have two games in hand on Wasps, but the gap between third and fourth is back to eight points and, just as importantly, confidence has been restored to Grinstead ranks ahead of Saturday's home game with leaders Eastbourne Town.

Grinstead: Tidy, Dunstan, Dart (sub: Otway 74), Hanson, Hearn, Moore, Horner, Gellatly, Banks (sub: Rabbetts 84), Trevor (sub: Burns 75).

East Grinstead Town 0, Eastbourne United 3

A hard, quick pitch made flowing football difficult on Saturday, but Wasps had the better of the few chances in an untidy first half against United.

Lee Hanson fired into the side netting after three minutes after a good move down the right and Thompson volleyed just wide on 26 while United's only shot on target came in injury time when the impressive Scott McDonald fired straight at Dave Tidy from the edge of the box.

Arguably the turning point in the match came seconds later at the other end. Steve Banks capitalised on a mix-up between goalkeeper Paul Fever and his defence but just as he was preparing to shoot into an open goal the ball took a horrible bounce off the pitch and United were able to clear the danger.

Wasps started the second half brightly and had good claims for a penalty turned down when Tom Burton appeared to handle the ball. The referee was unsighted, but his stand side assistant had a good view of the incident but kept his flag down, much to the disgust of Smith and the home crowd.

Moments later Ben Burns had a shot cleared off the line and Paul Otway went close with a header, but on 58 minutes Grinstead found themselves behind.

Not for the first time in recent weeks it was a poor goal from a defensive point of view. There was nothing wrong with Dave Harris's angled strike which flew past Dave Tidy, but Smith will be asking why Harris was allowed to advance unmarked after a quickly taken corner on the right to get his shot away.

Wasps' heads visibly dropped and they were 2-0 down nine minutes later when midfielder Simon Colbran was allowed a free header at a corner which he despatched into the roof of the net from ten yards.

Colbran collected his second to make the game safe on 78 minutes, running onto Nima Cham's pass and slotting past Tidy to capitalise on more sloppy marking in the home defence.

As home fans headed for the exits, Grinstead at least produced a response in the last ten minutes when Burns, twice, and Thompson all went close. The scoreline flattered the visitors, but they deserved their success because they looked much more threatening in the final third.

Grinstead: Tidy; Hearn, Dart (sub: Liddell 60), Moore, Rabbetts, Thorpe, Thompson (sub: Dunstan 84), Hanson, Burns, Banks, Otway (sub: Horner 68).

Broadbridge Heath 0, East Grinstead Town 1

Trevor cut in from the left after 65 minutes and was tripped by Heath captain Dan Attwater as he jinked into the box. Referee Paul John pointed to the spot and Trevor gave goalkeeper Gary Brown no chance from the penalty spot.

Trevor and Steve Banks had both failed to hit the target with only Brown to beat inside the first ten minutes while Heath's best chance of the contest came on 22 minutes when Matt Canovan cut in from the left and curled a shot beyond Dave Tidy which rebounded off the far post.

Tidy had little to do, but he did make a crucial save in a lengthy period of injury time when Canovan left fly from the edge of the box and the keeper changed his position to make an excellent reflex save after the ball had taken a deflection in front of him.

There was no lack of endeavour from the visitors, but not many shots on Brown's goal either. But Phil Thompson stood out in midfield, particularly when he moved inside, while Grant Hearn's contribution to a clean sheet will have pleased Smith.

Grinstead: Tidy; Hearn, Wright, Thompson, Burns, Moore, Garrett (sub: Liddell 45), Gellatly, Trevor, Banks (sub: Otway 85), Hanson. Unused sub: Horner.

Pease Pottage 2, East Grinstead Town 1

Wasps had already had one warning, when Scott Christensen fired wide after a poor clearance by Dave Tidy in the third minute, but they failed to take heed and were behind in the 11th minute.

Neil Hulbert was allowed to make unchecked progress across the pitch in front of the back four and he found Sweet who cut inside Steve Moore before beating Tidy with a well-struck shot into the far corner.

When Sweet saw another shot deflected wide after Dave Gellatly had given the ball away it was indicative of Wasps' sloppy start but Thorpe and Trevor soon started to influence proceedings more and more.

Gledhill denied Thorpe three times before the break, parrying a header and turning two 20-yard shots over the bar while his reaction save from Steve Banks' close range shot was perhaps his best save of the half.

Wasps got the equaliser they deserved three minutes after the break. Thorpe's left-wing cross was dummied by Banks and Trevor reacted quickest in the six-yard box to fire a low shot into the bottom corner.

Wasps were well on top at this stage. Gledhill made another fine save to keep out Thorpe's header, Trevor had a goal disallowed for offside and Thorpe ghosted in at the far post on 70 minutes to direct a header from Thompson's cross just wide.

When Lee May saw his shot deflected wide for a corner moments later it was Pottage's first effort of the half but it lead to what turned out to be the winner. Tidy appeared to be shoved by Neil Lambert as he came to claim the corner and in the goalmouth scramble which followed Fiveash prodded the loose ball home from four yards.

Pottage were content to sit on their lead and defend in depth and Grinstead just couldn't find a way through in the closing stages.

Thompson and Thorpe were inches away with free-kicks on the edge of the box which were both awarded after substitute Jamie Liddell's progress was impeded and Gledhill produced more great reactions to turn a shot from Banks over the bar.

The equaliser just wouldn't go in, but if Grinstead learn the lessons of this defeat then the long-term damage to their promotion hopes shouldn't be too great.

Grinstead: Tidy, Garrett, Wright, Moore, Rabbetts (sub: Burns 78), Thorpe, Hanson (sub: Liddell 70), Gellatly, Thompson, Banks, Trevor. Unused sub: Hearn.

East Grinstead Town 3, Steyning Town 1

Once again, Grinstead's extra quality going forward proved decisive against Steyning although the visitors, bouyed by Hannah's early goal, controlled the first 20 minutes.

But the hosts gradually warmed to their task, particularly in midfield, and began to carve out openings with the best of them both falling to Gellatly who was twice denied by Steyning 'keeper Andy Uwin's excellent reflexes.

Wasps began the second half strongly and after Ben Burns had hit the bar direct from an inswinging corner they levelled on 54 minutes when midfielder Matt Thorpe finished off a sweeping move by tucking home Steve Banks' low cross from the left.

James Davis smuggled another Burns corner off the line and Andy Rabbetts had a goal disallowed for a handball by Banks before Thorpe turned provider in the 63rd minute when he laid on a simple ninth of the season for Banks.

Andy Rabbetts Handball	Andy Rabbetts Miss

East Grinstead Town 2, Seaford Town 1

Smith made one change last Saturday to the team which had beaten Lancing, replacing Phil Thompson on the right with Jamie Liddell. He made little impact but was involved in the 16th minute goal which rewarded a positive opening by Grinstead.

Lidell's cross-field pass found Lee Hanson who in turn released Matt Thorpe on the right of the box and although Seaford goalkeeper Dean Lightwood parried his shot, Banks was on hand to snap up the rebound to score his eighth goal of the season.

Hanson, Thorpe and Dave Gellatly worked hard to establish superiority over Seaford's five-man midfield and restrict the visitors to just one chance, a ninth minute shot by John Snelgrove which Tidy saved comfortably.

Grinstead again began well at the start of the second half. On 54 minutes Liddell's pass gave Banks a shooting opportunity but his effort as blocked by a defender, but eight minutes later Wasps scored an excellent second goal.

Thorpe rode two tackles in a storming run from midfield before a reverse pass released Banks down the right and his inviting first-time centre across the six-yard box was gleefully swept home by Burns for his 15th of the campaign.

Banks should have made the game safe three minutes later when Gellatly's pass sent him clear, but the striker shot too close to Lightwood who made a comfortable block.

Seaford never gave up and threw caution to the wind in the last 20 minutes, abandoning their five-man midfield and pushing two more men into attack.
Nevertheless it was a surprise when Jobe beat Tidy with a shot from the edge of the box which the keeper got both hands to and probably should have saved.

Smith immediately brought on an extra defender in Dave Garrett but had to survive one more anxious moment in the 85th minute when Seaford skipper Geoff Sallows found space 12 yards out but scooped his shot over the bar when the least he should have done was force Tidy into action.

Grinstead: Tidy; Hearn (sub: Trevor 66), Wright, Moore, Rabbetts; Liddell (sub: Thompson 70), Gellatly, Hanson, Thorpe; Burns (sub: Garrett 81), Banks.

Lancing 2, East Grinstead Town 4

Wasps unluckily trailed at half-time to Lancing after Glenn Souter's corner was headed home by Derren Woods with the aid of a big deflection off Grant Hearn.

In an end to end first half, Steve Banks fired over in the first minute and just failed to get on the end of two crosses from Ben Burns while Kevin Wright rattled the angle of post and bar in the 21st minute with a shot from just inside the box.
But Lancing were a threat as well. Andy Rabbetts did a good containing job on big Matt Kelly on his return to the centre of defence while goalkeeper Dave Tidy made a brave smothering save to deny Jamie Cole just before Lancing went in front.

The hosts, with three men up front, began the second half on top but the complexion of the game changed completely after Gellatly, who made a big impression after moving into the centre of midfield, had fired in his third goal in four games from the edge of the box after good work down the left by Burns.
Burns, Grinstead's top scorer, was lively throughout and clearly disappointed when Smith brought on Trevor to replace him in the 65th minute, but the substitute's pace and clever runs added an extra dimension to Grinstead's attack and he put Wasps in front with his second touch on 66 minutes, finishing off a sweeping move involving Gellatly and Steve Banks with a fierce drive into the top corner from 15 yards.

Woods saw a shot deflected just wide, but the force was with Grinstead now and they went further ahead in the 76th minute. Trevor broke clear down the left and was brought down by goalkeeper Simon Davey as he rounded him in the box.

Davey was sent off and substitute Jamie Liddell beat stand-in goalkeeper Mike McCaffrey from the penalty to make it 3-1.

Six minutes later Liddell got a cracking second with a precisely placed shot into the far corner while Gellatly hit the bar and McCaffrey made super saves to deny Banks and Matt Thorpe.
Instead it was Lancing substitute Dean Leaver who got a second from 20 yards for the hosts deep into injury time.

Grinstead: Tidy; Hearn, Rabbetts, Moore, Wright, Gellatly, Thorpe, Hanson (sub: Otway 78), Thompson (sub: Liddell 70); Burns (sub: Trevor 65), Banks.

Three Bridges 2, East Grinstead Town 3

After a scrappy first half had ended goalless, the visitors went in front on 49 minutes when James Horner placed a low shot inside the far corner after breaking into the left-hand side of the penalty area.
Bridges were ahead within nine minutes after capitalsing on some poor defending, but Wasps hit back to equalise on 71 minutes when Jamie Liddell hammered home a shot from the edge of the box.
Liddell then set up Ben Burns for a close range winner seven minutes from time.
Manager Bob Smith made six changes to the side which drew 1-1 with leaders Eastbourne Town on Saturday, giving Scott Kenward, Chris Arrow, Andy Rabbetts, Paul Otway, Liddell and Horner a starting role.

Grinstead: Kenward, Garrett, Otway (sub: Gellatly 55), Arrow (sub: Dunstan 35), Rabbetts, Horner, Hanson (sub: Woolley 55), Banks (sub: Burns 73), Liddell, Thompson (sub: Trevor 55), Wright.

Eastbourne Town 1, East Grinstead Town 1

Banks chose the perfect moment to end a goal drought stretching back seven games. although Eastbourne defender Chris Ottley was badly at fault. He tried to chest-control Ben Burns' cross but the ball cannoned off him straight to Banks who fired a first-time shot with his right foot into the bottom corner.
It was the perfect start for Wasps who dominated the first 25 minutes, but Town hit back and squandered three good chances to equalise before the break.
Odubade used his electric pace to get behind the defence for the first time in the 33rd minute and although his shot beat Tidy, Dave Garrett got back to clear off the line.
Tidy then plunged low to his right to save from Gary Brockwell and two minutes before half-time Odubade beat Garrett for pace, which is some achievement, but dragged his shot wide of the far post.
Grinstead defended stoutly as a team in the first half, but their good work was undone within seconds of the resumption when Odubade was tripped by Garrett on the edge of the penalty area. Referee Gavin Bowles was perfectly placed to award a spot-kick and although Tidy brilliantly saved Odubade's first effort he was unable to prevent the Eastbourne striker from slamming home the rebound.
But the expected Eastbourne onslaught never materialised. Grinstead got to grips with their task again and Garrett and the returning Kevin Wright did an outstanding job to help restrict the hosts to just one more chance, a 72nd minute shot by Brockwell which Tidy saved comfortably at the far post.
The game developed into a midfield battle for supremacy and again Wasps gave as good as they got with Dave Gellatly an increasing influence after he swapped with Hanson and moved into the centre.
Burns and Liddell were booked for late fouls and then Hanson nearly won it at the end, but a draw was the fair outcome. Now both sides will be hoping when they meet again at the Saffrons next season it is in Division 1.

Grinstead: Tidy; Garrett, Wright, Hearn, Moore; Thompson, Hanson, Thorpe (sub: Otway 82), Gellatly; Banks (sub: Liddell 55), Burns (sub: Rabbetts 87).

East Grinstead Town 2, Oving 0

Wasps made their supporters wait before they finally broke through an obdurate Oving defence at East Court on Saturday.
The visitors, who failed to seriously test goalkeeper Dave Tidy, only had manager Vijay Korgoakar on the bench and his assistant Andy Millard kept goal, but it was 74 minutes before Wasps breached the visitors' well organised defence.
Things might have been more comfortable had Millard not denied Jamie Liddell in the 16th minute after he was put clean through by Matt Thorpe.
Instead Grinstead became more frustrated at their inability to seriously extend Millard in the first half and it took the arrival of Steve Banks as a 60th minute substitute to galvanise them into action.
Dave Gellatly, twice, and Liddell both squandered good opportunities before Grinstead went in front on 74 minutes when Thorpe rose well at the far post to head Gellatly's left-wing cross firmly past Millard.
Oving's rearguard action had taken its toll and in the last 16 minutes Wasps missed a hatful of chances with Millard denying Gellatly while Liddell, Banks and Ben Burns all went close as the visitors wilted.
But Gellatly made the scoreline a touch more realistic in injury time when Banks put him through and he composed himself before firing past Millard for his first goal since October 29.

Grinstead: Tidy; Cooney (sub: Dart 20 (sub: Banks 60)), Moore, Hearn; Garrett, Otway, Gellatly, Thorpe, Hanson; Liddell, Burns. Unused sub: Thompson.

Seaford Town 2, East Grinstead Town 2

There is no ground in the County League quite like Seaford with its severe slope across the pitch. Certainly the six Grinstead players who had never played there before struggled to adapt early on while the long grass and a whistle-happy referee meant the match, particularly in the first half, rarely flowed.
Hove official Ray Welch was consistently poor in his decision-making, booking seven players including Grinstead's Phil Thompson, Matt Thorpe, Steve Banks, Steve Moore and Jamie Liddell yet there was hardly a bad foul in the game.
Ben Burns wasted two early opportunities to add to his 14 goal tally, lobbing well wide after nine minutes after he was put through and then shooting wide after robbing defender Ian Smith.
Seaford goalkeeper Kieran Maher saved Matt Thorpe's header following a corner at full stretch and Dave Gellatly finished poorly after Burns cleverly dummied Banks's cross.
Tidy had little to do, but he was beaten two minutes before half-time. The Grinstead keeper should have come to claim Adam Kneller's free-kick but Tom Callaghan was allowed to flick a header over him from six yards.
There was more purpose to Wasps in the second half. Gellatly squandered another good chance from Banks' deep cross when he fired over from close range in the 56th minute. As the game degenerated into a succession of mis-placed passes and the needless concession of possession it was another 20 minutes before Wasps threatened again but it brought them an equaliser which, on the balance of play, they deserved.
Substitute Liddell beat a couple of defenders and found Phil Thompson who illuminated an otherwise disappointing performance with a superb right-foot finish into the top corner from 20 yards which gave Maher no chance.
Suddenly it was all Grinstead and eight minutes later they were in front. Liddell was again the creator, slipping a pass inside Smith to Gellatly who beat Maher with a fiercely-struck shot inside the near post.
Gellatly ought to have made the game safe three minutes later and there seemed some justification in his claims that he was pulled back by a defender as he tried to shoot after being put through. Mr Welch, a long way behind play, gave nothing and Seaford roused themselves for a grand finale which brought them an unexpected but nonetheless deserved reward.

Wasps: Tidy, Hearn, Garrett, Thorpe, Moore, Otway (sub: Cooney 78), Thompson, Gellatly, Burns (sub: Liddell 60), Banks, Dart (sub: Hanson 27).

East Grinstead Town 4, Mile Oak 3

Tony Burnett picked his way through a retreating defence before side-footing past Dave Tidy to give the visitors a sixth minute lead.
Mile Oak goalkeeper Richard Whitington denied Burns, Dave Gellatly and Steve Banks an equaliser but Wasps' vulnerability at the back was exposed again on 39 minutes when Neil Roberts' diagonal ball found Scott Carden unmarked and he picked his spot to make it 2-0.
Two minutes later Carden hit the crossbar when it seemed easier to score and that looked like being the turning point, especially when Thorpe headed home Horner's cross from close range to reduce the arrears a minute before half-time.
But Mile Oak restored their two-goal lead after 56 minutes. Gellatly gave the ball away in midfield, Burnett released Carden and he left Dave Garrett in his wake before steering a low shot past a helpless Tidy.
Tidy deflected Peter Leeves' shot onto the bar eight minutes later. Had that gone in Wasps would have been dead and buried. Instead they staged a magnificent fightback as Oak's defence caved in.
Liddell tapped in from close range to make it 3-2 on 66 minutes from Banks' unselfish pass and it was 3-3 ten minutes later when Burns find space at the near post to flick Horner's measured cross beyond Whitington.
The Oak keeper saved another Burns' effort with his legs and denied Liddell in similar style while, in a rare breakaway, Carden wasted a great chance for his hat-trick when he screwed his shot wide of the far post.
Just when it looked as if Wasps would have to settle for a second Christmas draw up popped Horner to bravely head home from point-blank range after Thorpe's rampaging run and intelligent cross from the right.

Grinstead: Tidy; Hearn, Dart (sub: Hanson 72), Garrett (sub: Moore 70), Cooney, Otway (sub: Liddell 60), Thorpe, Gellatly, Burns, Banks, Horner.

East Grinstead Town 2, Crawley Down 2

Wasps enjoyed long spells of first-half dominance but found themselves 2-0 down at the break. Things started to go wrong for the hosts when Phil Thompson hit a 39th minute penalty, awarded after a foul on Burns, against the inside of Matt Heasman's post.
Moments later Darren Tidey volleyed a superb opener for the visitors and on the stroke of half-time Matt Baker made it 2-0 with a 20 yard shot into the bottom corner after Grinstead failed to clear a free-kick on the edge of their penalty area.
Heasman will have been disappointed not to have saved Burns' first goal, a shot from the edge of the area on 61 minutes which squirmed through his grasp, but he had no chance when Burns rifled a right-foot shot into the top corner 16 minutes later after a lung-bursting run from deep.
Matt Thorpe and Steve Moore missed great chances to win it for the hosts while Dave Tidy denied his namesake with a brave stop with his legs and Eddie Thompson directed a free header wide of an open goal in a thrilling, end-to-end finale which provided plenty of entertainment for the Boxing Day crowd of 224, Wasps' highest of the season.

Worthing United 1, East Grinstead Town 2

Smith always felt his side were capable of stringing good results together once he had a full-strength squad available and Thorpe again showed his value to the side against Worthing.
Worthing goalkeeper Dean Fuller had already kept out a header and close range shot from Gellatly and James Horner's 20 yard blast when Wasps deservedly went ahead in the 28th minute.
Horner's corner fell to Thorpe eight yards out and his downward header found the bottom corner as United defender Rob Craven completely missed what should have been a straightforward clearance on the far post.
Gary Page had Worthing's best chance of the first half, but blazed over from six yards but Grinstead defended well with Dave Garrett once again a revelation in his role as sweeper.
There was a scare for Grinstead just after half-time when Grant Hearn missed his clearance, but Paul Jenkins' poor first touch enabled Dave Tidy to save and Wasps soon regained the initiative, doubling their lead in the 59th minute.
Horner skipped past Page on the left and picked out Thorpe on the right-hand side of the box with his pass which Thorpe despatched low into the bottom corner with his right foot.
With the game under control, Smith brought on all three substititutes but Worthing roused themselves for a late push and they reduced the deficit in injury time when Tidy punched a corner only as far as substitute Sean Berrett who hammered it low into the far corner.

Grinstead: Tidy, Hearn, Moore (sub: Hanson 70), Garrett, Thorpe, Otway, Thompson, Cooney, Gellatly, Banks (sub: Burns 74), Horner (sub: Dart 80).

East Grinstead Town 1, Rye & Iden United 1

PHIL Thompson kept his cool to convert an injury time penalty as Wasps became only the second team to take points against fellow promotion chasers Rye at East Court on Saturday.
Both sides finished the game with ten men after a dramatic finale when Rye's Steve Willard was sent off by Heathfield referee Dick Milton for pushing Paul Otway in the face as the pair trotted back upfield after Otway had seen a header saved by Rye keeper Simon Rudgely.
After consulting his assistant, Milton sent Willard off and pointed to the spot and Thompson lashed the ball into the top corner.
It was no more than Grinstead deserved. After a shaky start they were arguably the better side and kept going forward even after Dave Garrett was foolishly sent off on 66 minutes for pushing Phil Rhodes after the Rye defender had felled Dave Gellatly with a lunging tackle which some referees might have interpreted as worthy of a straight red card rather than a yellow.
Manager Bob Smith had sprung a surprise before kick-off by relegating Otway to the bench for the first time this season and playing an adventurous 4-3-3 formation and he felt the performance justified his bold selection.
He said: "I raised a few eyebrows within the club by playing three up front."

Wealden 1, East Grinstead Town 2

The performance at Wealden was probably Grinstead's least effective in a week which saw them win three games and score 11 goals.
But apart from a 25 yard shot from Syd Harman, which Tidy saved at full stretch, the hosts rarely threatened Grinstead's goal until Harman converted an injury time penalty after Grant Hearn's ill-timed tackle on Mark Harman on the edge of the box.
Wasps still had to endure another 11 minutes of added on time, but it would have been harsh on them had they not completed their first double of the campaign.
Smith started with three up front and for 20 minutes Grinstead played well.
James Horner created the 11th minute opener when he threaded a pass through the defence to Burns who picked his spot from close range for his 11th goal of the season.
Wasps' adventurous approach could have yielded more goals with Matt Thorpe, Banks and Paul Otway all going close but Smith was eventually forced to bring Banks into a more withdrawn role as Wealden threatened to outnumber their visitors in midfield.
The second half was littered with stoppages and injuries with little flowing football from either side. But five minutes from time Grinstead made the game safe when Thorpe's pass sent Thompson hurtling down the right and his cross was headed emphatically home by Banks from six yards.
It was his fifth goal in two games after he had come on against Saltdean last Tuesday and scored four goals in 20 minutes in Grinstead's 6-0 win.
Burns and Thorpe were also on target.

Grinstead: Tidy; Hearn, Garrett, Moore; Horner (sub: Thompson 65), Otway, Thorpe, Gellatly; Liddell (sub: Dart 75), Banks (sub: Cooney 90), Burns.

Eastbourne United 2, East Grinstead Town 3

After a run of indifferent results Grinstead produced a much more spirited performance in an entertaining encounter at the Oval on Friday night.
Grinstead welcomed back Matt Thorpe to the starting line up after a long period out injured and his presence in midfield ensured that Grinstead had a much more creative look in the middle of the park. More good news was the sight of Phil Thompson on the bench and his introduction with about twenty minutes remaining was instrumental in Grinstead securing this much needed victory.
The game got off to a quiet start but Grinstead were firmly in control and should have taken the lead in the 20th minute when Jamie Liddell cut in from the left flank but he shot high and wide from a good position.
However with virtually Eastbourne's first attack of the game they took the lead on 25 minutes. Goalkeeper Dave Tidy came to claim a long ball to the edge of the box, he couldn't handle as he was just outside his area and his headed clearance fell straight to the prolific Scott McDonald who coolly lobbed the ball back into the empty net.
From that moment on it was all Grinstead but a succession of chances came and went. Two minutes later Ben Burns hit the bar following a good cross from the dangerous Liddell, James Horner shot wide from close range and Burns fired straight at the keeper following a good run.
Possibly the best chance of the half fell to Thorpe after Adam Dart had provided a pinpoint cross but his unmarked header from just 3 yards out flew well over.
Despite this dominance Eastbourne always looked dangerous on the break through the lively McDonald and Andy Atkin and it was Atkin who gave Grinstead a scare when he fired over when well placed in the penalty area.
Grinstead could have found themselves further behind at the start of the second half when Leon Legge latched onto a long through ball but his effort was charged down by Tidy.
It took a bit of individual brilliance to get Grinstead back on level terms on 58 minutes. The skilful Horner cut inside from the left a curled a peach of a shot from the edge of the box into the top right hand corner. Grinstead were once again well on top with Eastbourne looking rattled but again Grinstead were given a warning when the vulnerable Grinstead defence were caught square again but McDonald could only fire over with just Tidy to beat.
Grinstead took the lead with 20 minutes remaining. Thorpe was the creator with a perfectly executed overhead kick on the edge of the box which the vulnerable keeper Kusha Movaffagh could only push onto the crossbar which enabled Burns to tap into an empty net.
Ten minutes later and Grinstead scored the vital third. This time substitute Thompson was creator latching onto a quick free kick, his cross shot was spilled by Movaffagh straight to Burns and with the aid of he couple of deflections he poached his second of the game.
There was still time for some late drama in injury time. Having just denied McDonald with a fine save, Tidy came for a cross that he failed to claim which enabled Eastbourne captain Brian Ray to poke home. There was still a few minutes of injury time to play and Eastbourne piled men forward to search for the equalizer. With virtually the last kick of the game the ball fell kindly to McDonald on the edge of the box but his well struck shot could only find the grateful arms of Tidy.

Grinstead: Tidy, Garrett, Hearn, Moore, Otway, Thorpe, Horner(Belgrave 85), Gellatly, Burns, Liddell(Banks 69), Dart(Thompson 67)

East Grinstead Town 0, Worthing United 1

WASPS lost valuable ground in the promotion race after they were mugged by Worthing at rain-lashed East Court on Saturday.
The visitors soaked up tremendous second half pressure before breaking away to grab an 82nd minute winner through Andy Walsh and sentence Grinstead to their first home defeat of the season in Division Two.
Walsh robbed Dave Gellatly and then unleashed a low shot from 18 yards.
Goalkeeper Scott Kenward got both hands to the ball as it skidded off the slick turf, but he could only push it onto the inside of the post and into the net.
Grinstead only had themselves to blame after squandering three gilt-edged chances in ten second half minutes following a dreadful first half in which both sides struggled to get any fluency.
On 58 minutes Jamie Liddell only had Dean Fuller to beat after collecting a pass from Chris Arrow, but he fired straight at the keeper from six yards out.
Liddell was shaking his head in disbelief again a few moments later when he shrugged off a defender just inside the penalty area only to shoot straight at the grateful Fuller.
Those two misses were bad enough, but they were nothing compared to the chance which Ben Burns allowed to go begging three minutes after replacing Liddell midway through the half.
Kenward's huge clearance had United's defence on their heels and Dave Garrett's low cross found Burns unmarked in front of an open goal four yards out. Incredibly, Burns diverted the ball wide of the post.
The groans of frustration from the crowd said it all and when Dave Gellatly hit the bar from an acute angle in the 74th minute Wasps must have sensed it wasn't going to be their day.
They threw more and more men forward in search of the breakthough and paid the price when Walsh finished off the decisive counter-attack.

Grinstead: Kenward; Hearn, Wright, Moore, Cooney; Garrett, Otway, Gellatly, Dart (sub: Rabbetts 55); Arrow (sub: Banks 71), Liddell (sub: Burns 65).

East Grinstead Town 3, Pease Pottage Village 0

Wasps took the lead in the 23rd minute when Jamie Liddell outpaced Steve Udall in the centre circle before firing past goalkeeper Chris Fowler.
Grinstead often struggled for fluency but they controlled possession for long spells and made it 2-0 in the 64th minute. Steve Moore's pass beat the visitors' offside trap and Dave Gellatly rounded Fowler before rolling the ball into an empty net from the left-hand edge of the box.
Eight minutes later Kevin Wright scored his first goal of the season with a low drive from 18 yards after being set up by Liddell.
Wasps could easily have doubled their winning margin in the closing stages had their finishing been steadier.
Boss Bob Smith gave a debut to 16-year-old leftback Adam Dart who performed encouragingly while Drew Cooney, another youth teamer, had an excellent game in the heart of the defence.

Grinstead: Kenward, Hearn, Wright, Moore, Cooney, Otway, Garrett (sub: Burns 85), Gellatly, Arrow (sub: Banks 71), Liddell, Dart (sub: Raymond 74)

East Grinstead Town 1, Steyning Town 6

It all started well for Grinstead on Saturday when Chris Arrow swept home his ninth goal of the season from close range after Dave Garrett had found space to get in a good cross from the right.
But Chris Duffett equalised seven minutes later and put his side ahead on 44 minutes.
Duffett completed his hat-trick from a free-kick on the hour and in the last ten minutes Nick Price (2) and defender Danny Gainsford added further goals as Wasps left themselves hopelessly exposed at the back as they chased the goal which would have got them back into the game.

Grinstead: Meakin; Moore, Cooney, Rabbetts; Garrett, Gellatly, Hearn, Otway, Wright; Arrow, Banks.

Wantage Town 5, East Grinstead Town 2

Wasps played down a slight slope in the first half and without creating too many chances they dominated much of the play. Wantage goalkeeper Mark Peyde blocked an angled shot from Dave Garrett after he'd worked a one-two with Dave Gellatly down the right, but Grinstead fell into the hosts' offside trap on too many occasions.
Then on 32 minutes Steve Banks' carefully weighted pass put James Horner clear and as defender Dwaine Quinn slipped Horner raced through to fire low past Peyde.
Wasps started the second half slowly but Wantage hadn't mustered much in the way of a threat until an uncharacteristic error by Steve Moore gifted them a 65th minute equaliser. Moore had time to clear his lines but was caught in possession by Newport who rounded Kenward to slot home.
The visitors were back in front within two minutes however. Ben Burns collected possession on the left-hand edge of the box and beat Peyde with a stunning left-foot shot into the far top corner for his seventh goal of the season.
Moments later Horner struck the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box and that was probably the turning point. Wantage cleared upfield and with Grinstead short-handed on their left-hand side Roche made it 2-2 with a finish from the edge of the box to match that of Burns.
Grinstead looked liklier to win it in normal time and at half-time in extra time a replay looked odds-on with both sides struggling to maintain the momentum they had displayed earlier.
The visitors squandered three free-kicks on the edge of the box so it was ironic that the first time Wantage had such a position they cashed in to score what proved to be the crucial goal.

Grinstead: Kenward; Garrett, Wright, Moore, Rabbetts; Gellatly, Otway, Raymond, Horner (sub: Benton 105); Banks (sub: Arrow 88), Burns. Unused subs: Rowe, A.Dart.

East Grinstead Town 0, Lancing 0

The first goalless draw at East Court for 17 months looked unlikely in the early stages as Wasps swarmed all over the visitors. Davey blocked Dave Gellatly's shot in the seventh minute with his legs after a storming run by the midfielder and 11 minutes later Banks' clever pass found Paul Otway in space six yards out but he sidefooted over with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Scott Kenward had to beat out a stinging drive from Glenn Souter at the other end but it was mostly one-way traffic and just before half-time Otway found himself even closer to the visitors' goal following James Horner's excellent crossfield pass but this time he shot straight at Davey.
Wasps steeled themselves for another onslaught at the start of the second half. Horner fired wide with his left foot from Liddell's pass, Banks was a foot off-target with a shot from the edge of the box and then Banks headed wide from Gellatly's cross after Davey, for the only time in the game, had parried rather than held a shot, on this occasion from Liddell.
Perhaps Grinstead knew at that point that they weren't going to score. Their passing, which was never of a sufficiently high standard, got increasingly ragged as frustration set in and Lancing began to sense they might be able to go home with more than a hard-earned point.
Kelly headed wide from 12 yards following good work by Cole on the right and then came the moment when the visitors should have won the game. Credit to the home defence though as first Kenward blocked Kelly's close range shot, Steve Moore cleared the follow-up from Cole off the line but Cole ought to have then scored from six yards with three-quarters of an empty goal available to him. Instead he sliced his shot horribly wide.

Grinstead: Kenward, Garrett, Wright, Moore, Rabbetts, Otway, Liddell, Gellatly, Banks, Burns, Horner (sub: Hearn 75). Unused sub: Mann.

Steyning Town 5, East Grinstead Town 0

A nondescript first half at Steyning on Saturday looked like ending goalless, but the game was turned on its head by two goals inside two minutes for the hosts.
Richard Lester was on hand to score the opener in the 44th minute after a cross from the right was headed back across goal.
And Grinstead were guilty of more abysmal marking moments later when Paul McMichael beat Paul Rowe with a free header from a corner.
Ironically, Wasps had dominated the first 20 minutes on a difficult pitch and things might have been different had Andy Rabbetts directed his header from a corner inside rather than half a yard outside the post.
But Grinstead were outplayed, particularly in midfield, and the visitors' defence allowed the Steyning forwards to win far too many balls uncontested.

Whitehawk 2, East Grinstead Town 0

In a game of few chances the home side went ahead in the 26th minute when Dave Stevens' cross was turned past goalkeeper Paul Rowe by James Horner for an own goal.
Rowe, 17, was making his first team debut because Scott Kenward was unavailable and he spent the majority of the game watching Grinstead mount attack after attack on the home goal.
Whitehawk played with ten men for over an hour after Simon Rowland was dismissed in the 36th minute for swearing at the referee, but the home side protected their lead stoutly.
Dave Gellatly, Horner and Chris Arrow all went close but Wasps ran out of ideas and Whitehawk made sure of their place in the second round when Mark Sherriff's injury time shot went in via a deflection off Grant Hearn.
Seb Mann, another youth team product, was a second half substitute for Grinstead while Adam Simpson, recently signed from Oakwood, also made his debut.

Team: Rowe, Hearn, Wright (sub: Mann 79), Moore, Raymond, Otway, Garrett, Gellatly, Arrow, Burns (sub: Simpson 70), Horner.

East Grinstead Town 3, Sidlesham 4

Smith was less than pleased with the way his side folded in the face of a robust Sidlesham side in the second half on Saturday when they conceded four goals in 13 minutes after leading 2-0 with 20 minutes left.
It had looked comfortable for Grinstead until then. Thompson scrambled home the opener after four minutes from a cross to the back post by James Horner and the midfielder, probably Grinstead's best player so far this season, converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time after Dave Gellatly had been tripped by Ben Johnson.
Thompson, Horner and Steve Moore also went close and the visitors were fortunate to finish the half with a full compliment of players after Glen Bridgeman appeared to strike Paul Otway in full view of everyone except referee Robin Hall.
There were chances at both ends in the second half but the game turned in the 70th minute when Bridgeman clipped a free-kick from just outside the box past a bemused Scott Kenward whose positioning was certainly questionable.
It was just the incentive Sidlesham needed. Richie Davies equalised five minutes later with a cracking volley from the edge of the box and within two minutes he had made it 3-2 when he was left unmarked to convert Scott Tipper's left wing cross.
Davies completed his hat-trick with an 82nd minute penalty after he was brought down by Kenward, but the best was saved until last when Kevin Wright scored his first of the season with a cracking volley from the corner of the box which flew into the top corner and made it 4-3.

Grinstead: Kenward, Hearn (sub: Marshall 85), Wright, Moore, Garrett, Otway, Thompson (sub: Collier 59), Raymond, Gellatly, Burns, Horner.

East Grinstead Town 3, Broadbridge Heath 0

After an evenly contested first half hour, Wasps went ahead in the 34th minute. Chris Arrow headed Steve Moore's long pass into the path of Ben Burns who steered home his fourth goal of the season.
Wasps made the game safe with two goals in five minutes at the start of the second half.
Paul Otway won the ball on the edge of the area and it fell nicely to Arrow who drove a right-foot shot into the far corner.
Six minutes later Ben Pugh diverted Burns' shot over his own keeper for an own goal and the game was effectively won.

Team: Kenward, Hearn, Wright, Moore, Rabbetts; Horner, Otway, Raymond, Thompson; Burns, Arrow. Subs (all used): Gellatly for Horner 84, Woolley for Hearn 71, Garrett for Rabbetts 60

East Grinstead Town 4, Herne Bay 3

After extensive drainage work during the summer East Court did not look at its best with plenty of sand in evidence along the drainage lines. The surface wasn't conducive to a passing game so Wasps moved the ball forward as quickly as possible and their pace in attacking positions caused Bay problems all afternoon.
Grinstead went ahead in the 20th minute when Chris Arrow produced a well-timed leap and thumping header from Phil Thompson's corner to score the first of two goals.
Arrow played in the youth team before embarking on a university degree and he has impressed already this season.
His fourth goal of the season was bundled home from close range on 66 minutes, but in between times Herne Bay had gone into a 2-1 half-time lead.
Dave Peachy's close range header drew them level on 23 minutes and ten minutes later Denly made it 2-1 with another header, this time at the back post.
It's fair to say that neither side defended with any real consistency all afternoon, but Wasps got to grips in midfield in the second half and were ahead on the hour when Ben Burns deftly flicked a long throw from Kevin Wright past goalkeeper Pat Mullins for his fourth goal of the season.
Arrow soon made it 3-2 and after substitute Ray Collier had wasted two good chances Thompson rounded off an excellent performance when he fired home to loose ball after Mullins had blocked Collier's well-struck shot from just inside the box.
That was with eight minutes to go, but Andy Thompson set up a grandstand finish when Scott Kenward allowed a shot from the edge of the box which he should have saved easily to drift over him and into the net.
Not surprisingly, Bay had little appetite for the game in the four minutes which remained after Denly's misfortune and by then they were down to ten men anyway, Maxted picking up his second yellow card for an awful tackle on Steve Moore.
Grinstead boss Bob Smith said: "We gave away some soft goals which I was disappointed with, but our attacking play was good.
"Chris Arrow showed what a good asset he is going to be and I felt overall we deserved to win. It's nice to make a bit of progress in a competition like the Vase and hopefully we will get a home tie in the next round."

Grinstead: Kenward, Hearn, Wright, Thorpe (sub: Raymond 23), Rabbetts, Moore, Thompson, Otway, Burns (sub: Collier 65), Arrow, Horner (sub: Garrett 55). Unused sub: Woolley.

Oving 2, East Grinstead Town 2

Chris Arrow and Phil Thompson had twice given Wasps the lead, but they squandered other chances to make the game safe and had two strong penalty appeals turned down by referee Martin Hollands on a frustrating afternoon for boss Bob Smith.
The first penalty incident after Chris Arrow, back in the side as a replacement for the injured Kris Trevor, had headed his second goal of the season from Matt Thorpe's fifth minute cross to put Grinstead in front.
Arrow looked likely to make it 2-0 with Dave Gellatly the provider this time, but Richard Lartey appeared to punch the ball off the line. To the obvious consternation of the Grinstead supporters neither the referee or his assistant, whose view may have been impeded by the sun, appeared to see the incident.
It shouldn't have made much difference with Arrow, Thompson and Burns all wasting chances in a fairly one-sided second half.
But Oving, who came into the game on the back of six straight defeats, were more of a threat in the second half and they equalised on 54 minutes when striker Hugh Howden funnelled the ball into the path of Chris Gregory whose shot across Scott Kenward went in off the far post.
Wasps restored their lead within four minutes however. Thompson and Burns worked a neat exchange before Thompson found the net with a shot which beat goalkeeper Mark Pedrick with the aid of a deflection.
Kenward saved at the second attempt from the dangerous Howden, but Wasps were denied what looked another strong penalty claim in the 72nd minute when Pedrick appeared to pull down Thompson after he'd raced clear.
Ian Wallace should have levelled but mis-kicked from six yards out while Gellatly's goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Lartey before Oving equalised in the 84th minute with a stunning 30 yard strike by substitute Roger Hotchkiss which flew into the top corner, giving Kenward no chance.
In injury time substitute James Horner, Gellatly and Thompson all squandered chances to win it.

Grinstead: Kenward, Hearn, Wright, Thorpe, Rabbetts, Moore, Thompson, Gellatly, Arrow (sub: Garrett 66), Otway, Burns (sub: Horner 75). Unused sub: Marshall.

Mile Oak 0, East Grinstead Town 5

Had Grinstead finished off their crisp, inventive approach work against Mile Oak they could have scored even more goals.
Kevin Wright, in particular, will be wondering how he didn't get onto the scoresheet after missing simple chances at the end of excellent passing moves while in the first half alone Kris Trevor was inches off target with a lob while midfielder Paul Otway volleyed against the bar from a cross by the outstanding Dave Gellatly.
By then Wasps had already established a 2-0 lead inside the first seven minutes.
Gellatly opened the scoring in the third minute with the goal of the match, a first time left-foot volley from the corner of the box which flew into the net after Trevor's pass had set up the chance.
In their next raid Gellatly crossed from the left and picked out Burns whose low shot flew just inside Gary Cullen's left-hand post.
Grinstead's third goal came in the 36th minute. Gellatly's corner came back out to him and when he crossed agin Otway headed back across goal and Burns nipped in to score his second from close range.
Wasps' goalkeeper Scott Kenward wasn't seriously tested all afternoon although Michael Riley fired over after a neat turn as Oak started the second half with a brief spell of pressure.
But normal service was resumed on 65 minutes when Burns completed his hat-trick with a crisply-struck left-foot shot from another Gellatly cross.
Gellatly should have scored his second seven minutes later, but unmarked at the back post he could only fire wide from close range.
Smith gave all three substitutes a run out in the last 20 minutes and one of them rounded off the scoring in the last minute. Burns found Gellatly and his cross was neatly tucked away by James Horner for his first goal of the season.

Grinstead: Kenward, Hearn (sub: Raymond 66), Wright, Thorpe (sub: Woolley 78), Rabbetts, Moore, Thompson, Gellatly, Trevor (sub: Horner 68), Burns, Otway.

Shinewater 2, East Grinstead Town 2

On Saturday Grinstead started brightly so it was a shock when Shine's best player Ollie Walton put his side ahead at the second attempt after Scott Kenward had pulled off a superb save from his initial effort.
But the visitors were level straight from the re-start when Phil Thompson latched onto Andy Rabbetts' pass and rounded the goalkeeper before stroking home his first goal of the season.
Kris Trevor got off the mark in similar circumstances three minutes later to make it 2-1, latching onto a long ball and carefully lobbing the goalkeeper.
Shinewater were certainly more of a force in the second half and their endeavours were rewarded with Morley's controversial spot-kick ten minutes after the break.
But Wasps looked the fitter team and squandered several chances late on, most notably when Ben Burns fired wide from outside the area when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. Substitute Grant Hearn then headed wide from a corner, but the visitors had to settle for a point.

Grinstead: Kenward, Wright, Woolley (sub: Hearn), Thorpe, Rabbetts, Gellatly, Thompson, Otway, Burns, Trevor, Horner (sub: Marshall). Unused sub: Raymond.

Saltdean United 1, East Grinstead Town 1

The main plus for Wasps at Hill Park was a first senior goal for striker Chris Arrow.
Arrow retained his place up front despite the return from holiday of Kris Trevor and rewarded his manager's judgement when he bundled the ball home at the far post after Paul Otway had got a good flick onto Kevin Wright's free-kick in the 15th minute.
Saltdean almost responded straight away when John Cooper ghosted in at the far post to head just wide while Dave Gellatly powered a header from Phil Thompson's cross just over the target five minutes before half-time.
But Grinstead struggled to get any momentum in the second half. Scott Kenward brilliantly kept out a shot from Bas Allen with his left arm in the 56th minute and not even Trevor's introduction for Ben Burns two minutes later could galvanise Grinstead's attack.
Saltdean's endeavours were rewarded on 71 minutes when Woolley was robbed by Cooper whose square pass was converted from 12 yards by Brad Dougal.
Moore joined Arrow in the referee's notebook but a frustrating afternoon for Wasps almost ended in smiles when Saltdean keeper Carl Smeaton produced a flying save to keep out Hearn's 20 yard shot in the third minute of injury time.

Grinstead: Kenward, Woolley, Wright, Moore, Rabbetts, Otway, Thompson, Gellatly, Arrow (sub: Raymond 83), Burns (sub: Trevor 58), Hearn. Unused sub: Benton.

Westfield 0, East Grinstead Town 3

Wasps' supporters outnumbered the home fans and they were soon celebrating an eighth minute opener for their side on Saturday.
Burns produced a defence-splitting pass from the left for Gellatly who sidestepped a defender before placing his shot wide of Westfield goalkeeper Paul Worthington.
The hosts enjoyed their best spell and Scott Kenward palmed away Tony Harris's shot and Duncan Jones volleyed just over, but Andy Rabbetts and new captain Steve Moore were outstanding at the heart of the visitors' defence and Westfield soon found themselves on the back foot again.
Otway saw a header cleared off the line from Kevin Wright's corner as he made a composed debut and Grinstead doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Thorpe volleyed Phil Thompson's corner past Worthington.
Grinstead secured three points in the 56th minute when Westies' Trevor Burgess headed Thompson's cross over his stranded goalkeeper and in the last 18 minutes Burns got clean through on three occasions, twice after latching onto huge clearances from Kenward, only to fire wide twice and see another effort saved at full stretch by Worthington.

Grinstead: Kenward, Raymond (Woolley 62), Rabbetts, Moore, Wright, Thompson, Otway (sub: Hearn 75), Gellatly, Thorpe, Arrow (sub: Horner 67), Burns.

Crawley Down Reserves 1, East Grinstead Town Reserves 3

The Reserves got the win they required at Crawley Down to ensure promotion to the County Premier Reserve Section. This has capped a tremendous season for the club as both the first team and reserves have gained promotion.

Manager Phil Major was delighted with the efforts of the players "We have an excellent mix of experience and youth within the team. The players are all local to East Grinstead and the future for the club is bright. Next season the Reserves will be playing at better stadiums against better players when we visit the likes of Eastbourne Borough and Lewes from the Ryman League"

The Reserves always had the final game of the season in their control and took the lead after 25 minutes when Matt Mayo's fierce cross was guided into the net by Adam Simpson. Witjin five minutes it was 2-0 when a Crawley Down defender handled the ball in the box. Whilst Scott Woolley's penalty was well saved by the Keeper, Wooley was on hand to knock in the rebound. With five minutes of the half remaining Crawley Down were given a lifeline when a defensive mix up in the Town defence saw them concede an own goal.

Town sealed their promotion when Jimmy Horner scored the all important third goal mid way through the second half and Town were now able to relax and look forward to playing a higher standard of football next season.

The Reserves would like to thank the support of all the people at the club who have supported them throughout the season and appreciate the work that the Committee Members, Ground Staff and Physio's have done over the season.

Team : Rowe, Cooney, Woolley, Raymond, Dart, Thompson, Norris, Lynn, Trevor, Simpson and Mayo.
Subs Used : Horner, Marshall and Moseley.

East Grinstead Town Reserves 4, Crowborough Athletic Reserves 0

The Reserves needed four points going into this penultimate game to secure promotion and from the whistle took the game to the visitors. However they squandered numerous first half chances as their domination was not rewarded with goals. It was important that Town started well in the second half and got an early goal but once again chances were missed.

The team did not panic and they were finally rewarded on 65 minutes when Matt Mayo finished superbly from the edge of the box. This was the signal for more goals and within two minutes Dave Gellatly added a second with a far post header. Phil Thompson scored the third with a powerful low drive and Gellatly sealed the game with a fourth goal.

Town now need a point in their final gameof the season to secure promotion to the County Premier Reserve Section.

Team : Rowe, Cooney, Woolley, Raymond, Dunstan, Thompson, Norris, Gellatly, Lynn, Simpson and Mayo.
Subs Used : Moseley, Marshall and Jones

Seaford Reserves 0, East Grinstead Town Reserves 5

A tremendous win for Town's Reserves as they picked up three valuable points. The game turned in Town's favour after 20 minutes when a Phil Thompson corner found Steve Norris. His shot was goalbound until a Seaford defender handled the ball on the line. Scott Woolley coolly converted the penalty and Seaford were reduced to 10 men with the guilty defender sent off.

Town increased their lead on 35 minutes when Drew Cooney hit an unstoppable shot from 30 yards into the top left hand corner. Town were now looking very comfortable and held their two goal lead to half-time.

The second half saw Town totally dominate and the back four in the second half of Dunstan, Raymond, Woolley and Moseley; along with keeper Rowe were rarely threatened. Town scored a third courtesy of Jimmy Horner with a curling left foot shot. The last ten minutes of the game saw Town create numerous chances and Wooley scored the fourth and his second with a quality goal.. He got the ball in the Seaford box and chipped the ball consequetively over two defenders before striking the ball into the top right hand corner. Jimmy Horner completed the scoring in the final minute to secure an excellent away win for Town.

Team : Rowe, Cooney, Raymond, Woolley, Dunstan, Horner, Norris, Thompson, Mayo, Simpson and Burns.
Subs Used : Moseley and Mann
Sub Not Used : Lynn

East Grinstead Town Reserves 7, Shinewater Association Reserves 2

The Reserves had a resounding victory on Wednesday evening to keep promotion a real possibility. Town started with an attacking formation of three up front and their positive approach gave them an early lead after three minutes when Elvis Lynn opened the scoring. It was all Town and they extended the lead after ten minutes when Scott Wooley rose unchallenged from a corner to head the second. The Reserves were playing with great confidence and went close to increasing the lead a number of times. The third goal came after 35 minutes when Matt Mayo got behind the defence and scored with an accurate shot into the bottom left hand corner.

An excellent first half for Town was almost squandered in the first 10 minutes of the second half when Shinewater scored two goals. Rather than drop their heads the Reserves raised their game and Dave "Ginge" Gellatly finished a sweeping move to give Town a 4-2 lead on the hour mark.

The last 20 minutes was all Town and they scored a fifth when Seb Mann broke on the left flank anf calmly slotted the ball past the advancing keeper. Chris Arrow claimed the sixth with a powerful header from a coner and Phil Major wrapped up the scoring for Town with a seventh.

Team : Rowe, Cooney, Woolley, Arrow, Jones, Thompson, Norris, Lynn, Mayo, Simpson and Burns.
Subs Used : Gellatly, Mann and Major

Rye & Iden Reserves 3, East Grinstead Town Reserves 0

Town Reserves crashed to defeat against fellow promotion rivals Rye on Saturday. Although Town conceded an early goal they dominated the first half. Adam Simpson hit the bar and Matt Mayo went close on a number of times. The defence was not tested in the first half and it seemed only a matter of time before Town scored. Rye held on until half time and then an early second half goal deflated the Town's confidence.

A much improved performance at home to Shinewater on Wednesday (9th) is required if they want to keep alive their promotion chances.

Team : Rowe, Cooney, Woolley, Raymond, Dunstan, Moseley, Lynn, Norris, Liddell, Simpson and Mayo.
Subs Used : Mann and Bruce
Subs Not Used : Major

East Grinstead Town Reserves 3, Lingfield Reserves 2

Town continued their winning run with a nail bitting victory over local rivals Lingfield on Wednesday evening. Town were dominant in the early exchanges and it was no surprise when Scott Woolley bundled the ball in at the far post after 12 minutes. With the Town side playing at a quick pace and with plenty of passion they started to carve out a number of chances.

After 20 minutes Moseley found Marshall on the left hand side and his first time cross found Adam Simpson. Simpson's header was blocked but a Lingfield defender headed the rebound into his own goal. After thirty minutes Town made it three when a good passing move allowed Marshall to stab the ball home from 6 yards.

Town were now in complete control and could have added more goals; however on the stroke of half time Lingfield had a rare attack and they scored to give themselves a lifeline. The second half saw Lingfield have the territorial advantage and they scored a second after 60 minutes. Town then dug in and showed real character to see the game out and win the game by three goals to two.

This was a morale boosting victory for Town as they head to Rye on Saturday for a top of the table clash.

Team : Rowe, Cooney, Woolley, Raymond, Bruce, Moseley, Norris, Lynn, Marshall, Simpson and Mayo.
Subs Used : Collier and Mann
Subs Not Used : Barham

Wealden Reserves 2, East Grinstead Reserves 4

Town deserved all three points in this difficult encounter which ensures their promotion hopes are still alive and kicking. However Town did not have the best of starts when they gifted the home side the opening goal after 14 minutes. This seemed to prompt Town into action and they equalised on the half hour mark. The home side failed to clear a corner and Stuart Moseley lobbed the ball back into the box for Scott woolley to outjump the keeper and head the ball into the net. Town then scored a vital goal on the stoke of half time when Elvis Lynn got on the end of another Moseley cross to place a controlled header wide of the Wealden keeper.

The second half saw Town go close on a number of ocassions to extend the lead. A Marshall header went just over the bar; an Adam Simpson shot was well saved by the keeper, and a Roger Dart header was disallowed for offside. Town eventually got the third goal on 70 minutes when the hard working Seb Mann won a race with the Wealden keeper for the ball and slotted home from the edge of the area. Town then had a lapse in concentration and within a minute had conceded a penalty to give the home side a glimmer of hope.

Rather than sit back and defend their lead, Town pushed forwards and, from a corner, put the game in no doubt with a fourth goal after 80 minutes. A Moseley corner once again found Scott Woolley at the far post and he made no mistake with the header.

Another very good performance by Town, who are running into form at the most important part of the season.

Team : Rowe, Barham, Woolley, Raymond, Bruce, Moseley, Dart (R), Lynn, Marshall, Simpson and Mann.
Sub Used : Collier
Sub Not Used : Major

Eastbourne United Reserves 2, East Grinstead Town Reserves 2

With a much changed team, the reserves came away with a point but it could so easilly have been all three. After a good start by Town which saw Simpson go close on a couple of occasions, the home started to dominate possession. Eastbourne took the lead after 35 minutes when a fierce left foot shot gave Rowe no chance. Town, to their credit hit back within five minutes; Simpson battled through before slipping the ball past the keeper.

The second half saw Town play their best football, the defence of Jones, Barham, Bruce and Raymond was outstanding. Town started to catch the home team on the counterattack and Moseley nearly gave Town the lead. Youngster Andrew Goodwin, had a great game on his debut, and he got behind the home defence to create another chance for Town. The pressure eventually paid off, when the hard working Roger Dart released Elvis Lynn. He did superbly to set up Matt Mayo who finished with a tremendous shot into the top right hand corner. Town were denied the win their efforts deserved when a looping header rwo minutes from time gave Eastbourne an equaliser.

Manager Phil Major was delighted with the outstanding effort of the whole team and the valuable point still keeps Town in third place in the league with all to play for.

Team : Rowe, Jones, Barham, Raymond, Bruce, Moseley, Lynn, Dart, Goodwin, Simpson and Mayo.
Subs Not Used : Major and Collier

East Grinstead Town Reserves 4, Saltdean United Reserves 0

Whilst Town dominated the early part of the game, they could not score that vital early goal. The deadlock was eventually opened in 39th minute when an Adam Dart cross was powerfully headed into the net by Chris Arrow. Town doubled their lead just before half time when Matt Mayo pounced on a loose ball to score from close range.

The second half was again dominated by Town; however special mention to the Town defence of Woolley, Raymond, Bruce and Dunstan who all gave accomplished performances. Town scored two secondhalf goals courtesy of Adam Dart and they were both spectacular efforts. Firstly Dart struck a tremendous free kick from 25 yards into the top left hand corner which gave the Saltdean goalkeeper no chance. Then in the 80th minute Dart completed the scoring when he collected a pinpoint 50 yard ball from Scott Woolley. Dart brought the ball down with one touch of his left foot before he cooly chipped the keeper from 30 yards with his right foot; a quite outstanding piece of skill from the 18 year old.

Team : Rowe, Dunstan, Raymond, Woolley, Bruce, Mayo, Norris, Lynn, Dart, Simpson and Arrow.
Sub Used : Whiting
Subs Not Used : Jones and Major

East Grinstead Town Reserves 3, Westfield Reserves 2

A much needed win for Town Reserves means their promotion hopes are still alive. Westfield took the lead after two minutes but Town equalised after 15 minutes when David Barham's cross was headed onto the bar by Steve Norris and Adam Simpson tapped in the rebound.

Town then relaxed to play some good football and they deserverdly took the lead when Matt Mayo rounded the keper and slotted the ball into the open goal just before half time. The second half saw Westfield attack Town from the start and they equalised after 55 minutes with a near post header. As the game entered the last 10 minutes it looked like it was going to be a draw but Mayo once again ripped through the Westfield defence to score the winning goal.

Team : Rowe, Barham, Arrow, Garrett, Bruce, Dart, Norris, Lynn, Moseley, Simpson and Mayo.
Subs Used : Marshall and Gellatly
Subs Not Used : Jones

Crowborough Athletic Reserves 3, East Grinstead Town Reserves 6

Town Reserves recorded another victory in an uninspiring match at Crowborough. It was evident from the start that Town were the stronger side and took an early lead from a James Horner shot. Town then missed their obligatory four chances before James Horner doubled the lead after 30 minutes.

The second half saw Town play into the breeze but they got the all important third goal when Matt Mayo crossed for Clive Marshall to head in.
Crowborough then scored two goals in five minutes and looked as if it was going to be a difficult last half an hour. Town raised the tempo and Horner completed his hat-trick. Another goal by Marshall and one for Mayo; both assisted by Chris Arrow ensured a Town victory before the home side completed the scoring in the last 5 minutes.

Team : Kenward, Dunston, Woolley, Bruce, Horner, Marshall, Lynn, Moseley, Ottway, Simpson and Arrow.
Subs Used : Mayo and Major

East Grinstead Town Reserves 4, Newhaven Reserves 0

Another win for Town Reserves as they continue their unbeaten run, however the scoreline does not reflect the complete domination that Town had on the game. In first half an hour Town missed at least six golden opportunities and it was somewhat of a relief when Chris Arrow struck a fierce half volley into the corner of the net from 25 yards. Within five minutes Town had doubled the lead when Stuart Moseley's corner was met by Chris Arrow once again, who made no mistake from six yards out with his head.

Newhaven had their one and only shot on target on the stroke of half time which was comfortably saved by the experienced Scott Kenward. The second half saw lots of missed chances by Town but they managed to convert two more chances in the half. The first was a 20 yard shot from leading goalscorer Adam Simpson and the final goal of the game was a curling shot from the edge of the area from James Horner.

Special mention to a good display from Scott Woolley at the back and an impressive midfield performance from Elvis Lynn. Next week the Reserves are away to Crowborough on Saturday (15th) which is then followed by a table topping home game on the Tuesday evening (18th) when Oakwood are the visitors to East Court.

Team : Kenward, Barham, Woolley, Bruce, Moseley, Marshall, Lynn, Horner, Mayo, Simpson and Arrow.
Sub Used : Jones
Sub Not Used : Major

East Grinstead Town Reserves 3, Wealden Reserves 1

It was Town who struck first after 15 minutes when an excellent cross from Stuart Moseley was not cleared and captain Clive Marshall scored with a spectacular overhead kick.

Town then proceeded to squander a number of excellent chances; and at the other end Wealden were looking very dangerous on the counter-attack. Town welcomed back Keeper Scott Kenward and his experience was vital behind a very young defence. Scott Wooley, at 20, was the most experienced defender and he had three 18 year olds to help him out; David Barham, Matt Jones and Andrew Bruce.

Town held on to their lead until half time but were hopefully not going to rue missed chances which would have finished the game off after 30 minutes.

The second half saw Town once again have the upper hand but they were unable to get that all important second goal. With one hour gone Wealden had a quick attack and their speedy forward gave Kenward no chance as the visitors levelled the scores. This prompted Town into life and within five minutes they regained the lead. A Stuart Moseley corner fell to Scott Wooley who made no mistake from five yards. Town were now playing their best football of the evening and capped it with their third goal after 70 minutes. The ball was worked wide to James Horner who played an excellent ball into the edge of the Wealden penalty area. Chris Trevor cleverly beat the defender before rolling the ball across to Matt Mayo who clinically finished.

Town brought Elvis Lynn into the action in the last 20 minutes and could have easily extended their lead. A tremendous shot from Adam Simpson hit the bar and Simpson was then denied another goal following a superb save from the Wealden keeper.

Town, after this victory, move into fourth place in the table and have games in hand. This Saturday they have a big test when they face a difficult away match at Eastbourne United.

Team: Kenward, Jones, Bruce, Barham, Woolley, Moseley, Marshall, Horner, Trevor, Simpson and Mayo, Sub Used: Lynn, Sub Not Used: Major

Newhaven 0, East Grinstead Town Reserves 4

An excellent away league win for Town and a personal triumph for striker Adam Simpson who scored all four goals. This was a very competent performance by Town who are playing with confidence and no shortage of skill. The home side were under pressure from the start due to the attacking line-up of Wasps, who played with three strikers. It was no surprise when Town took the lead when Simpson's long range shot was mis-tomed by the Newhaven keeper.
Town extended their lead after 15 minutes; a Stuart Moseley cross was half cleared by the Newhaven defence and Simpson struck a fierce volley into the roof of the net. The visitors were dominating the game and with Jimmy Horner and Matt Garrett causing problems down the left more goals looked certain. The third, and best goal of the game came after 25 minutes from a flowing move involving Moseley and Rob Whiting. They created a simple chance for Simpson to tap in for a first half hat-trick. The midfield pairing of Craig Belgrave and Lee Hansen worked well to ensure that Town kept their three goal advantage until the break.
The second half saw the home side push forwards to try and get back in the game. However, the Town back three of Steve Norris, Matt Jones and David Barham were in commanding form. They also had keeper Paul Rowe having a very confident game and comfortably dealing with any Newhaven long range efforts. Town left their best football of the half for the final ten minutes. Firstly Rob Whiting went close follwing an excellent four man move and then veteran striker Bob Smith nearly scored at the far post.
Hwever, Adam Simpson had the last say when he rifled in his fourth from ten yards after 85 minutes and with the last kick of the game Simpson went close to adding a fifth.
A good performance for Town, who can look forward with confidence to their next game at home to Redhill (3.00pm) on Saturday at East Court.

Team: Rowe, Jones, Norris, Barham, Moseley, Hansen, Belgrave, Horner, Garrett, Simpson and Whiting. Sub Used: Smith. Sub Not Used: Major

Maresfield Village 5, East Grinstead Town Reserves 4

East Grinstread Town's young Reserve team travelled to play Mid Sussex Premier League Leaders, Maresfield Village, in the Mid Sussex Senior Cup Competition. It was the young Town side that settled first with strikers Adam Simpson and Rob Whiting causing the home side problems. After 15 minutes, Maresfield had their first attack and took the lead after a defensive mix up. Within 10 minutes Maresield extended the lead when another error in the defence gave the home team a clear opportunity; although Town keeper Paul Rowe superbly denied the first effort.
Town continued to attack but were unable to pull a goal back in the first half and trailed 2-0 at half time. Town once again started positively in the second half and were rewarded with an early debut goal by Craig Belgrove. The youngsters were really taking the game to the home side and Matthew Jones and David Barham were looking assured in the defence. Town equalised after 80 minutes with the best move of the game. From a defensive area Barham passed the ball to Steve Norris who ten played it along the back line to Jones. He combined well with Stuart Moseley before playng an inside ball to Scott Woolley. A long ball from Woolley found Rob Whiting who squared the ball on the edge of the area for Adam Dart to hit a thunderous shot into the roof of the net.
The game went into extra time and in the first period Town took the lead when Clive Marshall combined with Scott Woolley and Wooley cooly slotted the ball past the keeper. It looked like Town had done enough to win the game but one lapse of concentration in the second period of extra time gave the home team an equaliser. The game was decided by a penalty shoot out and with Town missing one of their penalties, they were knocked out.
This was a very good performance by this young team, who came back with tremendous spirit and character from 2-0 down to nearly win the game. This Friday the Reserves are once again in Cup action when they have a Cup replay away to Hassocks.

Team : Rowe, Jones, Dart, Barham, Norris, Moseley, Marshall, Woolley, Belgrove, Simpson and Whiting. Sub: Major

East Grinstead United 3, East Grinstead Town Reserves 2

Town's young reserve team showed tremendous character in this Sussex Intermediate Cup match and so easily could have taken the game into extra time. Town started brightly and it was against the run of play when United took the lead after 15 minutes. With Town pressing forwards, they were caught on the counter attack and conceded a second goal on half an hour. Worse was to come for Town when young keeper, Paul Rowe, handled the ball outside the area and was sent off. Fortunately Town had Ray Collier playing on field, who was last week's goalkeeping hero.
At half time Town did not feel out of the game, even though they were down to 10 men. Once again Town started positively but they conceded a third goal after 55 minutes. United then had a player sent-off to make it 10 against 10. Town then had a further blow when replacement keeper left the field injured and Town had to use a third keeper in Phil Major.
Town's character now showed in the last 30 minutes. Scott Woolley pushed into the midfield and dominated the play with the lively Peter Benton. Steve Norris with a great ball found Rob Whiting who scored for Town. With Matt Jones and David Barham looking solid at the back, Town started to up the pace. A great flowing move saw Stuart Moseley score a second for Town and make for an exciting final five minutes. With a Town corner in the last minute, United were under huge pressure. The corner was only half cleared and it fell to Elvis Lynn whose goalbound shot was cleared off the line.
Great spirit by Town and in the end can count themselves unlucky to have not got more out of the game.

Team: Rowe, Jones, Barham, Norris, Woolley, Moseley. Lynn, Marshall, Benton, Collier, Simpson Subs Used: Whiting, Major

East Grinstead Town Reserves 2, Southwick Reserves 1

East Grinstead Town Reserves secured a place in the Second Round of the County Cup Reserves Section with an excellent victory at East Court. It was Southwick who started brightly and they dominated the possession without creating any real chances. It was on Town's first attack after ten minutes that the home side took the lead. An early ball from the lively Clive Marshall found Steve Banks and, with his pace and power, he forced his way into the box. The visitors did not close Banks down and is shot come cross was easily tapped in at the far post by Scott Woolley.
Once again Southwick took the game to Town but for all their possession they could not break down a Town defence expertly marshalled by Steve Norris, who was ably assisted by three seventeen year olds, Adam Dart, David Barham and Matthew Jones. The game came to life just before half time when young full back, Adam Dart, picked the ball up in his own half.
AS defence backed off, Dart drove forwards before unleashing an unstoppable shot from 30 yards which left the Southwick keeper helpless. This was just what Town required, a two goal cushion, butthey knew that Southwick would be even more attack minded in the second half.
Southwick started the second half by pushing another player into a more forward position but this suited Town's quick counterattacks. The pace of Stuart Moseley and Elvis Lynn caused the visitors problems and they were able to create chances for the forward pairing. Banks and strike partner, Adam Simpson went close on a number of ocassions and it was against the run of play when Southwick scored with fifteen minutes to go.
Town were still creating chances and Seb Mann went close to making the game safe following good work from Marshall and Woolley. When it appeared Town had done enough to win the cup tie they conceded a dubious penalty with five minutes to go. A firmly taken penalty was saved by Town keeper Ray Collier. However that was only half of it. The penalty taker was first on to the loose ball and hit an excelent shot goalbound but once again Collier flung himself to his left to pull over another save. The final few minutes were played with no further scares and Town recorded a well earned victory.

Team: Collier, Jones, Dart, Norris, Barham, Moseley, Marshall, Woolley, Lynn, Banks and Simpson Sub (Used): Mann Sub (Not Used): Major

Lingfield Reserves 2, East Grinstead Town Reserves 2

This was two points dropped for Town rather than one point gained. A tremendous start by Town saw them put the home side on the back foot. It was no surprise when Town took the lead after 15 minutes. An excellent surging run by Adam Dart started the move before he released the ball to Adam Simpson, who then found Stuart Moseley in space on the right. Moseley's dangerous cross was difficult to defend and it was a Lingfield player who had the last touch as the ball crossed the line into the goal.
Town were playing with great confidence and nearly made it 2-0 when Steve Banks tested the Lingfield goalkeeper with two powerful shots in quick succession. It was not long before Banks got on the scoresheet when he was put through and rifled the ball into the corner of the net.
Town conceded a goal just before half-time but were confident of gaining the win their play deserved. In a scappy second half Town wasted a number of chances and it was Lingield who got the only goal of the half.
Special mention must go to the back four for Town, which comprised of one 20 year old and three 17 year olds. They all played with great maturity and the club has certainly got some excellent young players to come through the ranks.

Team : Meakin, Jones, Woolley, Barham, Dart (A), Moseley, Lynn, Dart (R), Whiting, Banks, Simpson Subs (All played) : Mann, Marshall, Collier

Westfield Reserves 1, East Grinstead Town Reserves 4

Town started slowly and for the first 10 minutes conceded both possession and territory to the home team. The Town defence had a mixture of youth and experience, with captain Steve Norris partnering Scott woolley in the centre of defence.
As the first half progressed, it was Town who started to create the better openings and it was no surprise when they took the lead on the half hour mark. Good work on the left flank by James Horner led to a perfect cross field ball which found Dave Garrett in space. Garrett, who was making a welcome return from injury, cooly slotted yhe ball home at the far post. Town took a deserved lead into half-time and had the luxury of playing down the sloping pitch in the second half.
The game was won by Town in the first 5 minutes of the second half with two quick-fire goals. James Horner played a pin-point ball down the line to Rob Whiting and his pace left the Westfield defence in tatters as he scored from close range. Almost i