Here we go again with more Tuesday night football at the Haven as we entertain Little Common in the RUR Cup. Our visitors have had a fantastic start to the season and have six wins and a draw from seven games and their nineteen points puts them on the top of the Division One table because of a whopping plus twenty-eight goal difference. So, we can expect a very difficult game as we set off again in an effort to emulate last season’s great run in the RUR Cup which saw us get all the way to the final last May. What transpired on that fateful May day at Lancing still rankles so I will not drag it all up again. We continued our recent good run with a draw at home to Haywards Heath Town in the Premier Division on Saturday. In truth, as I put on Twitter at the end of the game, it felt more like a loss than a point gained. Haywards Heath rocketed out of the traps at the start and after ten minutes could in reality have been two goals to the good. However, we gradually grew into the game. Sam Cane put us ahead on 22 minutes after an unluckly slip by the Haywards Heath centre back, Jahmahl King, allowed him to race through and he finished coolly. We went in one nil up at half time after an exciting and very evenly contested first 45. We continued to play really well in the second period and super Sam had a great chance to put us two up but the Haywards Heath keeper made a great save in a one on one situation. The visitors then lost their left back, George Fenton, to a straight red card for a clumsy challenge on debutant Festus Lori. From where I was standing it looked a little harsh. Ironically Haywards Heath raised their game and looked more dangerous when down to ten. Festus Lori then went off with a shoulder injury after a coming together with the visiting keeper. James Day on his return from suspension and holiday was the replacement and unfortunately for him he had an influence on the outcome that was the stuff of nightmares. After all of 88 minutes and just as it looked as if the Anvils would hold on for a famous victory, James was penalised for a deliberate hand ball in the box. To add insult to injury he was red carded and then Trevor McCreadie who had been cleverly marshalled by the Anvils defence all afternoon calmly despatched the penalty. Over 90 minutes a draw may have been about right but in the circumstances it seemed like as if we had been mugged….again! We lost Oli Leslie to a slight hamstring strain in the warm up. We were also missing the suspended Russell Malton and Williams Peauroux as a result of the Black Tuesday card fest debacle against Chichester. Lee Thomas who has been mister consistency this season was also unavailable. Josh Martin was another absentee. However, there were lots of positives in the game. Newcomer Festus Lori played well on debut and looks if he can add something different. Sam Cane came back into the first team to replace Oli, having scored for the reserves last week, and played really well. We are lucky to have players of super Sam’s quality and who are steeped in the traditions of our Club. At the end, the most difficult decision was to choose man of the match which could literally have gone to almost any player on the day but there was no doubt that the irrepressible Mike Spence was a popular choice. There are not many players whose energy levels make me exhausted just watching them but “Spenno” fits that bill. I am really enjoying the season so far with a super bunch of players and an outstanding management team. Probably the best performance of the day was reserved for after the match as yours truly served up Mrs Chairman’s truly outstanding chicken curry to great acclaim from friend and foe alike. They do say an army marches on its stomach.