Individual errors and a failure to convert chances at Bognor cost City their 100% away record and saw them slip to two places to 5th in the Nationwide Conference.

City were forced into a number of changes for this game. With winger Dale Binns out after having surgery on his hernia, full-back Lee Chaffey was pushed forward with his customary left-back role being filled by Jamie Southon. With striker Dave Sadler missing due to a knee ligament injury he picked up last week against Basingstoke, Robbie Simpson was handed his second start of the season. Youngster, Josh Simpson also returned to the first team after a lengthy injury lay-off.

Robbie Simpson heads the ball beyond Joel Lynch

City started the half brightly enough and after only four minutes, carved out the first chance of the afternoon when Joel Lynch failed to cut out Craig Pope’s ball down the line for Paul Booth. The City striker cut inside and his cross found Lee Chaffey at the far post but his effort was too high to trouble Craig Stoner in the home goal.

The travelling City fans didn’t have long to wait for something to cheer though, as the Lilywhites took the lead four minutes later. It was again Booth at the root of Bognor’s troubles as he again got the better of Lynch on the right hand side. Having seen off the attentions of the defender, the former Welling hitman produced a tempting cross that was gobbled up by Robbie Simpson, sliding in ahead of Tom Elphick to turn the ball home.

City continued in the ascendancy and Glen Fuff’s curling ball found makeshift winger, Chaffey, in acres of space. He spotted Booth making a run to the near post and duly delivered the ball. Unfortunately, the attentions of a defender prevented Booth from hitting the target.

Bognor’s patient passing game was again in evidence as it had been in the corresponding fixture last season, but with City keeping a compact and disciplined shape, the home side all too often found themselves playing in front of City with little penetration. However,
they did enjoy some success down the right hand side and Michael Birmingham did supremely well to make anything of an over hit centre from Richard Hudson, getting his head to what looked a lost cause and guiding the ball back across goal and wide of the far post. Husdon then produced a cross cum shot from the same area. The ball flashed past the far post but in truth, Ricky Millard in the City goal, didn’t look overly concerned.

On the half hour mark, City squandered a chance to double their advantage. Lynch attempted an ill advised lofted pass over Simpson’s head in an effort to find David Piper on the far side. He got it all wrong and only succeeded in gifting the ball to the City striker. Bearing down on goal with the home defence in retreat, Simpson picked out the supporting run of Booth with pinpoint accuracy only to see his strike partner thump his shot narrowly over the bar from six yards.

Shortly afterwards, Bognor produced a period of keep ball in their own half as they looked for an opening to exploit. When it wasn’t forthcoming, a good old fashioned lump upfield from Lynch almost produced the equalising goal. Luke Nightingale got in behind Pope and arrowed the ball across goal, Ben Watson only just failing to get a touch.

Paul Booth looks to get past Daniel Beck

Despite a fair bit of possession, Bognor had failed to open City up and it looked, as half-time approached, as though the visitors would go in leading, unfortunately this was not to be as the home side were gifted an equaliser following a mistake from City keeper, Ricky Millard. There was absolutely no danger as Hudson swung the ball in from the right, Millard was under no pressure but inexplicably allowed the ball to bounce off his chest and run free. Watson pounced on the error to level the scores, smashing home from close range.

Despite having gone into the break on a high, Bognor failed to build on their good fortune when the game restarted and it was City who could and should have retaken the lead. The half was only three minutes old when Simpson brilliantly controlled Chaffey’s clipped ball forward on his chest before turning, losing his marker and crashing the ball against the bar from eight yards. Moments later, Pope’s crossfield ball found Booth who beat Piper before shooting inches wide of the far post.

These missed opportunities were to look rather costly sixty seconds later as Bognor hit back to snatch the lead. Mark Molesley failed to press Hudson effectively enough as the the ball fell at the Bognor striker’s feet and he had all the time he needed to pick out Nightingale’s forward run. Having gained a yard on the City defence, the former Weymouth forward kept a cool head to roll the ball under Millard and into the net.

Three minutes on and it got worse for City as the home side struck again and there was more egg on Millard’s face as his suspect handling handed the Rocks another gift goal. This time the City stopper failed to hold Hudson’s speculative 30 yard daisy-cutter and Watson again profited, netting the loose ball.

Moments later and Bognor’s own keeper escaped punishment after producing his own moment of madness as he punched Fuff’s hoisted cross straight at Chaffey, the ball bouncing off the City man and rolling a couple of feet past the post.

Watson thought he had completed his hat-trick just after the hour. Showing the razor sharp reactions that had seen him punish City so effectively, the busy midfielder latched onto Piper’s low inswinging cross, giving Millard no chance from just inside the six yard area but the linesman’s flag brought a premature end to his celebrations.

Craig Dobson joined the fray soon after to add some pace and movement to City’s options. It wasn’t long before he got involved, setting up Molesley for one of his trademark forward runs that saw the former Hayes midfielder smack a 20 yarder beyond Stoner’s dive but also past the post.

Craig Dobson holds off Daniel Beck

City were by now throwing bodies forward in an attempt to force some kind of change in the direction of the game and this they did when they were awarded a penalty following Stoner’s clumsy challenge on Booth as he got on the end of Matt Langston’s ball over the top. Having won the spot-kick, Booth made no mistake as he struck a low shot past Stoner.

City had their tails up and a foul on Simpson saw them almost carve out the equaliser. Quick thinking saw Molesley play in Simpson behind Bognor’s defensive wall, and it was only dogged defence that prevented Jamie Southon from forcing the ball home. Then trickery from Dobson outfoxed Daniel Beck before laying the ball back into Molesley’s path only for the midfielder to take too heavy a touch allowing Lynch to boot clear.

With players committed forward, City were always going to be open to the counter attack and Bognor almost profited as Fuff was forced to intercept the ball to prevent Hudson a clear run on goal. However, it ran kindly for Nightingale who wasted the chance to put the game beyond City by shooting inches over the bar.

Millard took the chance to go someway to atoning for his errors by producing a good stop from Nightingale as he was sent clear by Bognor substitute Matt Russell, but there was little the keeper could do to minutes later as the final nail was driven into City’s coffin. Russell looked three yards offside as he chased a long clearance. He was allowed to continue and had no trouble slipping the ball past Millard to signal the end of the game as a contest.

There was just enough time left for Hudson to almost produce a champagne moment for the home fans as he spotted Millard off his line and attempted to lob him from just inside City’s half, but his effort, although audacious, was never looked good enough to worry the scorers.