Buckland hails 'fox in the box' Bown as Horsham YMCA go top with Peacehaven & Telscombe win

Dean Bown bagged a double as YM beat Peacehaven & Telscombe 4-1 to put them top of the SCFL Premier Division. Picture by Peter Cripps.

YM fell behind to a Jake Legrange goal before Bown equalised on 30 minutes. Peacehaven were reduced to ten men before half-time and this proved to be pivotal as the hosts hit three goals in six minutes through Bown, Tony Nwachukwu and Ash Dugdale.

Buckland felt the result was a comfortable one but paid credit to a hard-working Peacehaven team.

He said: “Peacehaven deserved to be ahead because for the first part of the first half we were rubbish.

Jake Legrange celebrates after giving Peacehaven the lead on 11 minutes. Picture by Peter Cripps.

“In the second part of the first half we woke up and were brilliant. We scored and should’ve have gone into the break ahead, not just level.

“After the red card I said to the guys at half-time, ‘When you go down to ten men it galvanises you and at the moment they’ve got a point and they’ll be happy to go home with that’, but we came up with a plan to break them down and it worked perfectly.

“In the end it was comfortable, but they’re a damn good young side. They worked like tigers and they kept going and going.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to win and we’ve done it and it’s put us in a nice position.”

YM's Aaron Jeal punches away. Picture by Peter Cripps.

The visitors took the lead on 11 minutes after Legrange’s 25-yard attempt beat Aaron Jeal in the YM goal, and sailed into the top corner.

Bown levelled on 31 minutes before Peacehaven’s Bradley Bent was shown a straight red card on 41 minutes.

YM took the lead nine minutes after half-time as Tony Garrod played in Bown who made it 2-1, and Nwachukwu made it three on 57 minutes after his deflected strike beat Alieu Secker in the Peacehaven goal.

Dugdale bagged the fourth, and YM’s third in ten minutes, with a tidy finish on the hour to seal a convincing win to put them top of the league.

Action from Horsham YMCA's 4-1 win over Peacehaven & Telscombe. Picture by Peter Cripps.

Buckland has been delighted with his team’s start to the season and praised the impact of new boy Bown.

“Little Dean Bown is going to get better and better. Invariably Dean’s goals are tap-ins or strikes within the six-yard box, let alone the 18-yard box. I call him my little fox in the box.

“There are no medals handed out in September but what more could you ask for after eight games?

“We’re happy and we’ll take nothing for granted. We’ll go about our business and take each game at a time.”

Horsham YMCA face two league games this week. First they travel to third-placed Saltdean United on Tuesday (7:30pm k.o.) before making the trip to bottom-side Eastbourne United on Saturday.

YM: Jeal, Carden, Evans (Harding 73’), Gill (Gilbert 73’), Donaghey, Bown, Nwachukwu (Brown 73’), Dugdale, Garrod, Mobsby, Barbary. Unused: Moore, Cave.