A first-class defensive display by a resolute East Preston team gained a hard-fought point in a competitive encounter at Hill Park between two sides battling for promotion. The young East Preston team battled very well throughout the match against their experienced hosts.

The first half was edged by East Preston who although had some good approach play were unable to turn that into clear cut chances. Josh Etherington had a couple of headers from free kicks that just went wide. EP tried to concentrate on their football which in the main they were able to do and were a match against a physically strong Saltdean team.

The only threat posed by Saltdean was at set plays when some excellent balls into the EP box caused some issues for the away defence but EP defended them well with no clear-cut chances created by the home side.

Half Time: 0-0

The second half was a rear guard defensive display by the young East Preston team as their top of the table hosts piled on the pressure looking for the breakthrough. Numerous balls were pumped into the EP box and goalkeeper Chris Cook was very strong under some extreme pressure as well as the EP defenders meeting a number of crosses in the air to clear their lines.

The best moment of the match was an excellent tackle by Jacob Parazo as Saltdean’s Tyler Goatcher was put through with just Cook to beat somehow left back Parazo got across and timed his tackle to perfection just as Goatcher was about to shoot and the ball was cleared. Fantastic goal saving tackle.

Full Time: 0-0

Manager Bob Paine said ‘I was so pleased with our young team today. We worked so hard and defended so well throughout against a physically strong Saltdean team. It was important not to get beaten and I can see the development and progression in my young players since the start of the season. The tackle by Jacob late in the second half was outstanding and said everything not just about him but about the team as well. We were going to put our bodies on the line not to get beaten and fully deserved to get something out of the game. If we continue to fight like we did today for the rest of the season, then we will be there or there abouts.’

Team: Chris Cook, Josh Parazo, Jacob Parazo, Ryan Hallett, Tom Lyne, Josh Etherington, Conor Bull (Taylor 78 mins), Matt Hardman, Jared Rance, Dan Huet, Hayden Hunter
Subs: Ben Purkis, Jazz Gilbertson, Lukas Franzen-Jones, Tyrell Brown, Dom Taylor