Title-chasing Loxwood break records in hammering lowly Seaford 10-0

The writing was perhaps on the wall when Matt Hoyte got the goal-scoring party started after only 17 seconds - the quickest goal in the club’s history - and striker Tom Lyons helped himself to four as the Magpies ran riot.

An understandably delighted Loxwood manager Dave Cocoracchio said: “It’s a result that probably sends out a few shock waves and I’m not exaggerating when I say it could have been 17-0.

“We broke two records, I’d like to know what the County League record is for the fastest goal because 17 seconds is certainly the fastest in our history. And although apparently we won 17-1 when the club were in the Sussex Football League, 10-0 is our biggest in County League football.”

Virtually straight from kick off Shaun Findlay pinged over a diagonal 40-yard pass of top quality to find the run of Hoyte, who headed into the far corner.

Lyons got his first on 11 minutes when he slammed home from Dean Wright’s cutback. A relatively barren 16 minutes then followed until the Seaford goalkeeper gifted Findlay a third goal.

And Lyons scored two more before the break to completed his hat-trick and send Loxwood into the interval 5-0 to the good.

Lyons then scored the next two at the resumption in as many minutes, and in between Loxwood even missed a penalty, Wright blazing over after a comically blatant handball.

Striker Wright had caused Seaford problems all day and he finally got the goal he deserved from Lewis Scally’s assist. Both strike partners Wright and Lyons grabbed one more each to complete the scoring and Cocoracchio said: “The pair of them together were fantastic. Dean’s work-rate and movement off the ball caused them nightmares and he said at half-time ‘it’s going to be one of those days for me’ so I’m glad he got the goal he deserved.”

A bizarre game also had a bizarre ending when the match had to be stopped twice for floodlight failure and again when high winds blew the roof of the away dugout clean off.

The huge win keeps Loxwood just three points off leaders Eastbourne Utd AFC in their big quest for promotion. Cocoracchio added: “It almost feels like four points because of the boost to our goal difference. It was a fantastic team performance but no-one is getting carried away. We are genuinely taking each game as it comes, each three points gets us that little bit closer to our target which is ultimately promotion but we have to make sure complacency doesn’t set in.”

Cocoracchio also said he felt it was now a four-horse race for the two promotion places between themselves, Eastbourne, Haywards Heath and Saturday’s opponents Broadbridge Heath.

Loxwood: Williams; Holvey, Swaine (Elkana 67), French, Elliott (Scally 72); Arthur, Hoyte, Cave (Pett 45), Findlay; Lyons, Wright.