Steyning Town 1 Swans 6
Saturday 5th December 2020. FA Vase, 2nd Round.
Steyning Town Community 1 Walton & Hersham 6.
Swans returned to action after a month lay-off due to the latest lockdown, and a sterling performance on a bitterly cold and wet afternoon in West Sussex put them into the draw for the 3rd Round of the FA Vase for the second time in their short history in the competition. Steyning had put them out of the competition two seasons ago and had won 9-1 in the previous round, but incisive attacking play and clinical finishing by Swans left the home side trailing 5-0 at the half-way mark and effectively out of the tie. The hosts had looked a good, neat passing side and had their fair share of possession, but Swans mainly kept them at arm’s length, and when they did get through some terrific pieces of defending kept them out. Not surprisingly the freezing, wet conditions put something of a dampener on the second-half, but there were still further opportunities for the visitors to add to their tally, with one accepted, to cancel out a home side goal.
With spectators, and probably the players alike, just happy to hear the final whistle, Swans’ afternoon was somewhat spoilt in stoppage-time when a needless and reckless tackle on Youcef Azzouz by Steyning’s Tony Timms left him with what unfortunately turned out to be a broken ankle, and the home side’s substitute being shown a straight red card.
For the previous tie between the sides in 2018-19 Steyning had been the lower placed of the two clubs, but promotion for one and relegation for the other that season saw the roles reversed this time out, so Swans technically started the match as the underdogs.
Max Hustwick was starting a three match suspension for his sending-off in the previous round, and Sonny Black was cup-tied, but injuries and other player unavailability meant manager Scott Harris could only name three substitutes, including two 16 year-olds in Max Lohmeier and Sam Comrie.
The home side soon won a free-kick just outside the box on the right, and when Tom Bold drove the ball in a deflection took it through to Swans’ goalkeeper Liam Allen. Allen then cut the ball out confidently when Ash Wadhams sent over a dangerous cross from the left into the 6 yard-box.
Swans had barely had a touch in the opening minutes as Steyning passed the ball around, but they soon settled down on a familiar 3G pitch to get some movement going, and they took the lead after seven minutes from the penalty-spot. A clever, patient build-up around the edge of the box finally led to Sean McCormack beating his marker as he got to the byline on the left, and his cross was judged by the referee to have struck the arm of a defender. McCormack took the kick himself, and drove the ball past home keeper Joe Ridley.
Steyning had a chance to hit back when Harry Heath crossed from the right to pick out George Cousins at the far-post, but his header was straight at Allen, and it was Swans who scored again after thirteen minutes. Excellent play by Reece Brewster in the middle of the pitch ended with him picking out the run forward by Alex Kelly. Kelly clipped the ball past the advancing Ridley, and when it came back off the right-post he followed up to knock it over the line.
The home side thought they had a penalty of their own when Heath was played through into the left of the box and went down as Allen came out to save at his feet. The referee’s extended arm was pointing for a goal-kick however, and not at the penalty-spot. Allen made a good take when Bold took a corner from the right, and the Swans’ keeper then took the ball high on his line when Cousins turned on the edge of the box to get in a shot.
Swans had a great opportunity to make it 3-0 when Dominic Ogun clipped the ball forward to Darren Simpson, leaving him and Harry Mills 2-on-2 just outside the box, but Simpson could not find Mills to his right.
Just before the half-hour Steyning’s Cousins was played through into the left of box, but the threat was snuffed out by Brewster getting across to make a superb tackle.
Mills had not had much opportunity so far to make one of his typical bursts down the wing, but an outrageous dummy took him speeding past his marker on the right to get in a cross-come-shot that sent the ball dipping just wide of the far-post.
Heath got in on the left byline for the home side, but another fine tackle, this time by Stuart Baldwin, again ended the threat.
Swans however made it 3-0 after 33 minutes with another fine goal. Mills was sent clear by a terrific ball down the middle by Kelly, and when keeper Ridley came out Mills calmly lobbed the ball over him and into the net from the edge of the box.
A fine clipped pass down the left by Owen Coleman picked out Ogun for a run into the box, but he could not make good contact on a first-time, half-volley, and the ball went straight at Ridley.
Ogun made no mistake after 39 minutes however when Mills played him into the right of the box, calmly side-stepping the keeper before rolling the ball into the net for another super goal to make it 4-0.
The home side had a chance to cut the deficit before the break, but were again denied by a great piece of defending. The ball was driven in from the left to set up a chance for Scott Faber in the right of the box, but his shot was superbly blocked by Coleman.
Instead it was Swans who scored again. Simpson found Brewster, who set off on a surging run forward through the middle of the home defence before laying the ball off to Kelly on the left. Again the finish was clinical as Kelly got into the box to drive a left-foot shot into the far-corner.
Swans made a change for the second-half, with Lohmeier coming on for Brewster. The young player was soon involved in helping bring the ball away when Bold sent a free-kick into the box from deep on the right. Home left-back Wadhams was soon left trailing as Mills burst down the right before picking out McCormack on the left. McCormack cut in to drive in a shot that was blocked.
Heath got to the left corner of the box for Steyning, but sent his shot well over the bar, and Swans soon forced a corner on the right. Mills’ kick sent the ball glancing off the heads of both Baldwin and Ogun and just wide of the far-post.
Twelve minutes into the half the home side got what proved to be a consolation goal when Cousins was fouled in the box by Baldwin, and Bold beat Allen from the penalty-spot. Another opportunity came with a free-kick on the right, but Wadhams drove the ball straight through to Allen.
Swans replied when Ogun was set up by Lohmeier from the left to have a shot deflected behind for a corner. Another corner was won on the right, which was played short by Mills to McCormack, who swung the ball over to the far-post. Baldwin headed the ball down for Ogun to have a shot blocked on the line.
With twenty minutes remaining Swans restored their five goal lead. Excellent play by Kelly was followed by a superb pass to send Simpson racing clear. After getting to the edge of the box he drilled a great, low shot inside the right post to make it four games in a row he has found the net.
The home side tried to hit back and substitute Toby Bloomfield ran onto a long ball to drive a shot over. Allen then just managed to smuggle the ball round his right post when a shot was driven in low from long range.
Swans replied with McCormack leaving his marker trailing on the left before driving a shot just over the far, top corner. With Azzouz having replaced Simpson earlier, Swans made their third and final substitution with ten minutes remaining, the youngster Comrie coming on for Ogun. There was still time left for Swans to put together another fine build-up that got Baldwin down the right, but keeper Ridley was able to cut out his cross. With the tie entering stoppage-time there was effectively nothing left to play for, so it was disappointing when Timms found it necessary to lunge in on Azzouz and cause his injury.
Swans’ Team: Liam Allen, Dan Taylor, Owen Coleman, Reece Brewster (Max Lohmeier 45’), Joe Hicks, Stuart Baldwin, Harry Mills, Darren Simpson (Youcef Azzouz 74’), Dominic Ogun (Sam Comrie 80’), Alex Kelly, Sean McCormack. Scorers: McCormack, penalty 7’, Kelly 13’ & 43’, Mills 33’, Ogun 39’, Simpson 70’.
Steyning Town Team: Ridley, S. Tilley (C. Tilley), Wadhams, Bold, Boiling, Gathern, Clarke, Faber (Timms), Cousins (Bloomfield), Howell, Heath. Subs. not used: Spano, Maher, Levoi, Tuck. Scorer: Bold, penalty 57’. Caution: Cousins, foul (50’). Dismissal: Timms (90+1’).