Buckland pleased with 'clockwork performance' as Horsham YMCA bounce back with Eastbourne United win

Horsham YMCA eased to a 4-0 victory over basement-side Eastbourne United on Saturday to maintain their two point lead at the top of the SCFL Premier Division. Picture by Jon Rigby.

YM were beaten 3-2 away from home by Saltdean United on Tuesday but Buckland’s side put that performance behind them to remain top of the league.

The visitors hit three first half goal in 20 minutes as Dean Bown, Dan Mobsby, and Tom Gilbert put YM 3-0 up at half-time before Bown bagged his second ten minutes after the break to seal the victory.

Buckland was pleased with the manner of the win in a game that he felt could have been a potential banana skin.

Horsham YMCA celebrate as Dan Mobsby puts the visitors 2-0 up. Picture by Jon Rigby.

He said: “It was a clockwork performance. I said let’s get the game won by half-time so we don’t have to exert too much energy and that’s pretty much what happened.

“We were 3-0 up at half-time and then we scored another goal and we should have probably have had another two.

“It was imperative that we hit the ground running because, and you see this at all levels of football, a team may be struggling at the bottom but at some point they will win a game and at some point it will probably be at home.

“There were a few things that could have gone against us so I said let’s get this won by half-time and then we can relax a bit.

Horsham YMCA boss Peter Buckland and his assistant Julian Miller watch on. Picture by Jon Rigby.

“It was a good bounce back win and I couldn’t have wished for a better game, if I’m brutally honest, after our defeat. All things considered it wasn’t a bad day at the office.”

YM took the lead on 15 minutes as the in-form Bown headed home to net his tenth goal of the season, and the lead was doubled quarter of an hour later as Mobsby placed his shot beautifully in the top corner of the net.

On 35 minutes, Gilbert bagged his first goal of the campaign to put YM in a commanding position at 3-0 before the end of the half.

After the half-time break it took YM just ten minutes to get the fourth as Mark Cave found Bown who finished superbly to pick up his eleventh goal of the season.

Action from Horsham YMCA's convincing 4-0 away win over Eastbourne United. Picture by Jon Rigby.

The visitors did have further opportunities as Alex Barbary and substitute Sam Schaaf missed two clear cut chances but the score remained 4-0 at the full-time whistle.

YM welcomed Luke Gedling, Dan Brown, and Schaaf back from injury and Buckland admitted the return of these players has given him ‘a nice selection headache’

He added: “We got Gedling through 90 minutes and he was chosen as man of the match, and for his first 90 minutes of the season that was great.

"Browny came on for 20 minutes and did well so I’ve now got a nice selection headache in the games to come.”

Horsham YMCA host Lancing in the league on Saturday.

Horsham YMCA: Jeal, Carden, Harding, Gilbert, Donaghey (Gill), Gedling, Bown (Brown), Mobsby, Garrod. Cave, Barbary (Schaaf). Unused: Evans, Moore.