Sidley's dreadful run stoops to new low

The Blues, who have lost 10 of their last 12 league games to drop into the bottom three of Sussex Division One, lost to a Westfield side missing five regular starters in the first round of the Hastings & District FA Senior Cup.

Despite just about everything looking bleak at Gullivers, joint manager Andy Laskey says there's no need to panic. "We're confident we've got the players with the right ability there to turn it around, but I think we lack a bit of confidence really. We've just got to dig deep and make it happen."

They certainly didn't dig deep and make it happen against Westfield, however, as Laskey was swift to point out.

"After we scored the goal (in the 14th minute)," he continued, "we were very poor and I think Westfield fully deserved to win. We thought maybe they might have been a bit complacent and we had some bad habits creep back in."

Westfield, with Chris Smith and Lawrence Brand very much to the fore in midfield, had the better of the early exchanges and Terry Payne brought a fine save out of Peter Newstead.

Keith Miles blazed over for Sidley, but the other half of the managerial partnership did give The Blues the lead by prodding home from a corner.

Westfield goalkeeper Gavin Bourne then denied a clean through Dave Carey before Danny Pepper ghosted past Owen Ball and slotted into the corner of Newstead's net after 32 minutes.

What turned out to be the winner arrived in the 36th minute when Ball failed to deal with a routine Bourne kick downfield and Payne, who flashed another effort narrowly wide moments earlier, stroked home his third goal in two games.

Sidley, missing Peter Baker, did most of the pressing in the second half, but resorted largely to hopeful long balls which were comfortably dealt with by the Westfield back four.

Dave Ward had a shot cleared off the goal-line by Paul Oliver and Jimmy Watson drove just wide, but chances were few and far between. Westfield nearly had a third goal when Newstead diverted Brand's shot onto a post.