Sat 22nd Aug: Anvils win 1-0 at Seaford Town to go top of the league

The hot weather conditions at Seaford made it very difficult for both sides, The Anvils seem to settle surprisingly for a very defensive lineup from the start & although dominating in general left them with little up front to pressurise the Seaford defence. The Anvils were solid at the back but with an overcrowded defensive lineup, upfront outlets were limited.

Not one of the most inspiring of Anvil performances, but enough was accomplished to preserve their 100% start to the season, a match not so much a war of attrition between players, but more a war in combating the 'turkish bath' conditions that prevailed throughout.

Anvils took up the early running with Harry Lowe having a couple of corners and a freekick hacked away, plus Ben Brooker’s header coming back off the post, all this happening inside the first 10 minutes, striker Lee Thomas then joined the party with a 20 yarder straight at keeper Bradford.

The homesters first sign of intent came on 22 with a Billy Pout freekick finding Joe McTiffen who could only head over, after the first water break homester Matt Acton tested Anvil custodian Andy Greaves for the first time.

It was becoming a Lowe show with the flankman firing just over, before getting on the end of a scramble in the home penalty box on 34, to fire home the Anvil opener. 0-1 Anvils

Shortly afterwards came Dave Holders with a shot taken by Bradford, quickly followed by Lowe again, and to finish off proceedings for the first half came a Hass Shurmahi shot well wide to end the first 45. Slight concerns for the Anvil faithful as regards their dominance was not creating goals but there again conditions overhead may well have played a part. HT 0-1 Anvils.

For the second half Brooker brought the best out of keeper Bradford with a shot which the keeper brilliantly flipped over the bar, more Anvil corners and free kicks followed, come the hour mark and substitutions and water breaks were the order of the day, with Oli Leslie on for Lee Thomas and just after Craig Lamper on for Mike Spence as the Anvils battled on for that vital second goal, on 70 Leslie after another buildup flicked his final ball just wide, shortly after another change with Sonny Barton on for the hard working Lowe.

Some over officiousness from the officials with freekicks being chiefly on the menu and most not obvious to the supporters, they seemed in general to go against the Anvils which left homesters Billy Pout having a field day, pumping long balls into the Anvil penalty box, but stirling work by centrebacks James Day and Steve Dixon held firm as the match reached its final moments, with for the homesters yet again firing in a Pout freekick headed over by McTiffen, an equaliser then would have been hard on the Anvils, but they were perhaps their own worse enemies for not putting the game to bed much earlier. FT 0-1 Anvils.

Team: Andy Greaves, Blair Cooney, James Lovett, Mike Spence (Craig Lamper), Steve Dixon, James Day, Dave Houlders, Hass Shurmahi, Ben Brooker, Lee Thomas (Oli Leslie), Harry Lowe (Sonny Barton).

MOM: Andy Greaves. Attn: 28