Manager Rhys Williams was left reeling, after he saw his side slump to a 3-2 defeat against fellow strugglers Cuckfield Town, in what has to be their poorest display of the campaign so far. There was a positive vibe in The Archer camp after two encouraging performances against fellow Division Three sides; however the visitors were forced into changes once again, as they travelled with a bare eleven for this important league game. Goal keeper Jack Fingerneissl had booked his first driving lesson to coincide with the fixture, Cork and Douglas were still out injured, and Frank ‘Fun Time’ Egleton returned to the treatment table after a brief comeback the previous week. Midfield livewire Marcus Barbe was ruled out due to work commitments, and influential character Darren Wolvey was also unavailable. Straight into the side came Pat ‘Minty’ Phillips between the sticks, seventeen year old John Aygate at right back and Matt Newman offering his pace on the left wing, all being promoted from The Reserves.

In a first half, it was ‘Field who enjoyed the better football, The Archers looking slow and sluggish in most areas of the park as their natural game went entirely out of the window. After last week’s wonderful showcase the visitors looked uninterested and nervous on the ball, clearly not wanting to make a mistake in such a critical game, opting instead to pump it deep into the channels in the hope of Duff or Dowding getting a sniff, but this was proving futile.

The hosts front two were big and physical (to say the least) and had plenty of experience under their belt - one making his 932 Mid-Sussex appearance, having plundered just shy of 550 goals in that time! They were a real concern for Harper and Funnell in the heart of the defence, as Cuckfield were rampaging down the flanks, and targeting the towering attackers in the middle. That said Funnell had engineered a smart offside trap as Barbe and Aygate stuck to their task of snuffing out the best they could any bombardment from wide areas.

The football was by no means pretty, as an energetic young home side played two high up in midfield, aiding their two strikers, and it was in this central area where most of the action took place. Barter and Holford were constantly under pressure from the opposition’s attacking mindset, and it left little room for them to push forward in support themselves.

Ian ‘Elton’ Dowding and Duff were beginning to work Fields back line, but they were feeding on nothing more than scraps of long and often over hit balls. On the occasions The Villagers did play it on the deck it was effective – Dowding relishing the challenge of driving at a back pedalling defender with the ball at his feet. In much the same way the hosts were also happy to utilise the long ball, particularly from the goalkeeper’s massive clearances, but they also mixed it up well, working it patiently down the wings. And it was down their right hand side where they finally beat Steve ‘Kebab King’ Barbe to firing in a cross which had disastrous consequences for Williams’ side. An under pressure ‘Minty’ Phillips came to make contact with the delivery but couldn’t get to it in a three way tussle with his defender and striker, it fell to Parrott who tucked the ball away to give the home side the lead.

It was the wakeup call that Fletching needed and slowly they came back into the game. Donnelly was putting in a fine display down the left, getting in behind Cuckfield in through a number of openings, but no one could connect with his crosses. Newman and Steve Barbe were combining well down the left, ‘Titch’ Barter offering valuable support inside, showing glimpses of true class with his first rate touches from throw ins as he turned several players inside out, beaten them with his poise and dexterity which offered his side valuable hope. Holford alongside him stood solid to propound his defenders some sort of protection.

The hosts struggled with Fletching’s set piece prowess - the big men of Harper strolling up from deep and Dowding the most obvious targets. Barter, Holford and Newman all picking up lose clearances but could not find a way through with their effort thanks to some dogged defending on the part of Cuckfield. Right on the stroke of half time though The Villagers got their deserved reward – Ian Dowding timing his run to perfection, as both the referee and his assistant waved away off side appeals from the home side, running through to lob the ball over and advancing keeper and into an empty net.

Cleary on a roll the Archers continued where they left off five minutes before break as they came out from the interval a much improved side and for the majority of the second forty-five they were the better side, creating several golden chances, but they were unable to convert anything into some sort of lead, against a spirited Town side who were looking to fight back after a demoralising defeat to East Court the previous week. Dowding, Duff and several others all went close and began to work Cuckfield’s man in goal.

The home side were clearly not content to sit back and they ventured forward when opportunity arose, playing now against a back three which saw Holford drop into right back and an injured Barbe, with no other substitutes, trying to make a nuisance of himself up top, Duff being the man to occupy the right wing. They regained the lead once again after a throw in from the left found their striker who flicked the ball on to Parrott who sunk his drive to the right of a helpless Phillips.

Williams saw his side patiently work the openings – the five man midfield working overtime to create further decent goal scoring opportunities, as the clock ticked down. The wide play of Donnelly and Duff was a delight to observe, the former cutting in on his favoured right foot and skipping past several players delivering the goods on more than one instance, whilst the latter showed his aptitude in some neat one touch, give and go moves - Donnelly, Barter, Dowding and Duff all wasting glorious opportunities.

With a little under ten minutes remaining and Field relatively pinned back in the final third after a succession of long throw-ins and dangerous corners, The Villagers justly got their reward. A mad scramble in a packed penalty area saw Barbe initially block a thunderous effort heading towards goal, then pinging off a defenders knee where the keeper parried. With the ball still loose it was Dowding who reacted the quickest to poke home from close range.

Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing minutes of the game, neither creating anything noteworthy until the last minute when a hopeful long ball beat the back three. A poor decision by Funnell as he stepped up far too late with his line, allowed Town’s striker to hone in on goal unchallenged and coolly finish past Phillips. It was a real sucker punch for The Villagers, throwing everyone forward in injury time, but they could not find another equaliser.

Team: Phillips, Aygate, Funnell, Harper, S. Barbe, Donnelly, Holford, Barter, Newman, Dowding, Duff