Arundel FC

The Mullets were left with a feeling of deja vu as rivals Wick fought back from 2-0 down to claim all three points.

The home side came out the traps quickly catching an inform Wick side off gaurd.

After a number of half chances were wasted in the opening ten minutes the Mullets eventually took the lead as early as the 12th minute.

Defensive hesitancy in the Wickers box saw the ball fall kindly for Matt Huckett who did well to control in on the half volley and fire into the roof of the net past former Mullet stopper Alex Bryant.

Bryant was picking the ball out of his net again just five minutes later.

Again is was poor defensive play by the away side that gave the ball away deep in their own half and iteventually found its way to Josh Biggs who turned the ball home from an angle he had no right to and give the Mullets a 2 goal advantage.

The reds will have been wary of their inablility to hold onto leads this season, none more so as last weeks draw with Peacehaven where a 2-0 lead was thrown away in the final 15 minutes and those fears were compounded on the half hour mark when a ball into the box found Scott Murfin who was clipped from behind by Rob Grove and referee Daniel Austin didn’t hesitate in pointing to the spot.

It was Murfin himself who stepped up for the kick and although former Wick teamate Ben O’Connor guessed right the kick was too powerful and the way side were back in the game.

Bouyed by the goal it wasn’t long before they levelled the game.

In the 34th minute good wing play by George Gaskin set Scott Murfin away down the right who crossed for brother Neil to smash home at the far post despite the presence of a host of Mullets defenders in the box.

Having dominated the first quarter of the game it was most definately the visitors who were enjoying the second part of the first period and they nearly completed the comeback in double quick time before the break when Luke Huggett’s glancing header came back off an upright.

Manager Richard Towers had to re-organise his team at the break after a 20 minute period with their backs to the walls and they came out a lot better in the second half, enjoying the majority of attacking posession without creating too many clear cut chances.

They did nearly take the lead when Russ Hardwell found himself on the left where he cut inside Ben Torode before delivering a teasing cross that Gary Norgate was inches away from converting but in the end he couldn’t get his head to the ball and Bryant was able to clear.

As the half wore on it was becoming more and more likely that one goal would settle this derby and with a quarter of an half remaining it was the away side that got it.

Scott Murfin broke the Mullets offside trap and raced away down the right. The defence failed to clear his low cross into the box and after a couple of ricochets it fell to Luke Huggett who’s heavily deflected drive found it’s way passed O’Connor in the home goal.

The Wickers set back after this, happy to defend their one goal lead which led to some inevitable pressure from the home side which came in the form a succession of corners which invariably came to nothing.

The Mullets felt they should have had the opportunity to draw level from the penalty spot when Wick defender Luis Freitas appeared to clearly handle the ball in his attempts to stop Howard Neighbour’s run into the box but Mr Austin disagreed and waved play on and with that went any chance of the reds salvaging a point and they were left to reflect on another defeat having been in a winning position.

Team: O’Connor; Sneller, Walker, Grove, Axell; Hardwell, Biggs(R), Biggs(J)(capt), Neighbour, Norgate, Huckett (Tipper).  Subs not used: Grantham, Hall, Pickford.