City demolish Arundel '“ then get better of Selsey
Read Ian Worden’s reports, below, and get all the news on City and the rest of our local football teams in the Observer on Thursday - No1 for local football coverage.
Arundel 0 Chichester City 6
RUR Charity Cup R1
Goals from Dave Herbert and Josh Clack before the break plus a second-half Lorenzo Dolcetti header and a hat-trick from Tafadzwa Kanjanda gave Chichester their second emphatic victory of the week over Arundel.
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Hide AdCity were 5-2 winners in midweek and condemned the Mullets to another mauling at Mill Road, this time in the RUR Charity Cup for a league and cup double.
Miles Rutherford’s side started with Jack Lee, back from suspension, returning to the heart of the defence alongside Harry Williams, Ben Pashley and Drew Smith in a new-look back four.
Ex-Arundel player Max Thoms got a start in midfield with George Way and Dolcetti. And Kanjanda joined Herbert and Clack in a potent attack.
Herbert, handed the captain’s armband for his return to his old stomping ground, had the game’s first opportunity when a searching ball from Lee got him in behind the last man only to pull his shot wide. Kanjanda had two efforts but the first was wide and the second high.
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Hide AdA couple of Chi free-kicks also came to nothing and a delivery from Eli Amoo following a nice cross-field ball wasn’t capitalised on by the hosts.
The opener came on 25 minutes, a Clack special. After a bit of trickery drew a foul, the City winger dusted himself down and beat Stuart McDonald all ends up.
McDonald’s opposite number Ant Ender had less to do but had to make a sharp save from Lee Mottershead five minutes later.
Way went close before Herbert latched on to a Williams cross and walloped the ball into the back of the net around the half-hour mark.
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Hide AdIt wasn’t all Chichester. Jarvis had a shot deflected for a corner and should have teed up Harry Russell for a simple tap in but he played the ball behind him.
On 36 minutes a neat exchange between Herbert and Way created another opportunity for the visitors before Amoo turned the ball on to the bar as Arundel probed.
Dan Towers and Jarvis were booked in a scrappy passage of play and Herbert went down under a heavy challenge on the stroke of half-time.
Dan Hegarty came on for Herbert after the break and City were three up within 60 seconds. A great cross from Thoms picked out Dolcetti for a header he couldn’t miss.
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Hide AdKanjanda made it 4-0 in the 53rd minute following super skill from the Italian, who turned provider by lifting the ball into his team-mate’s path for a neat finish.
The same duo combined for the next goal a minute later with Kanjanda smashing the ball in from close range.
Dolcetti, running the show, found Clack with a lovely back-heel but he skewed an effort wide. This would prove his last action as Zak Sharp got on for his debut.
On the hour Russell had a shot blocked before Ender made a good stop at his near post.
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Hide AdThe referee might have given Towers a second yellow card but he decided it wasn’t a deliberate handball. He also had a couple of stand-offs to deal with when things got heated.
Kanjanda completed his hat-trick with a minute to go courtesy of another Thoms assist and might have repaid the compliment moments later but the midfielder was caught offside.
City: Ender, Williams, Lee, Pashley, Smith, Clack (Sharp), Way (French), Thoms, Dolcetti, Herbert (Hegarty), Kanjanda.
* The draw for the first round of the Sussex Senior Cup has handed Chi an away tie at Haywards Heath.
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Hide AdChi visit Saltdean on Saturday and host Lancing on Monday, both in the league.
IAN WORDEN
Chichester City 4 Selsey 1
Peter Bentley Cup R2
City captain Jack Lee scored twice to help his side come from behind in the Peter Bentley Cup.
Steve Bailey’s SCFL division-one outfit took the lead against their premier-division opponents on 22 minutes as Jake Goulding lashed the ball in from just outside the box.
The Seals striker, who turned out for Chichester in a friendly only a few weeks ago, has started the season in sizzling form.
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Hide AdGoulding’s goal was cancelled out in the 39th minute by a Lee header that sparked an action-packed spell that left Selsey shell-shocked.
Two minutes later George Way collected a short corner, jinked past a couple of defenders and threaded the ball through to Lee to stab home from close range.
Rob Hutchings, in his first game back after a three-match suspension, put Chi 3-1 up after running on to Dan Watts’ through-ball.
With a minute to go before the break Josh Clack made it four from the penalty spot.
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Hide AdAfter the break, things petered out. For Chichester, Max Thoms had a shot blocked after good work from Hutchings, then Hutchings brought a fine save out of Warren Boyt before a Lorenzo Dolcetti free-kick set Lee up, but the City defender headed over this time.
Ant Ender did well to get something behind a Goulding pile-driver on 83 minutes and his defenders cleared the follow-up off the line.
Chi boss Miles Rutherford said: “We were poor in the first 20 minutes or so and didn’t play with our usual pace and intensity. The boys know it. When we play with pace in the final third, we’re a match for most sides. We did that for maybe 25 minutes but the challenge is can the lads do it for 90 minutes.”
City: Ender, Watts, Lee, Martin, Hartley, Way, Thoms, Dolcetti, Clack, Kanjanda, Hutchings.
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Hide AdSelsey: Boyt, Low, Abdo, Madden, Kilhams, Lynch, Manners, Chittock, Goulding, Clarke, Morey.
IAN WORDEN
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