With this win, Brighton Bandits wrested top spot in the GFSN National League from Bristol Panthers. As they say, possession is 9/10ths of the law, and we aim to keep it that way too! Firstly thanks to Jason for his first match as referee for a few years - many more to follow hopefully. Also to Brian, our manager, for donating (hmmm... is that the word I'm looking for?) some light refreshment to the opposition at some ungodly hour on Sunday morning!!! Make of that what you will.

To the match proper. To set the scene, Preston Park was the usual venue for the 1pm kick off, with heavy ground under foot but benign weather conditions otherwise. The Leftfooters had the kick-off for the first half, but that advantage was very short lived because the Bandits were quickly on the offensive. Although it was generally one-way traffic in the first half, the Bandits only had a 1-0 lead at the whistle. Plenty of chances went astray after some excellent approach play, with only Aidie Norman able to beat Thierry in the Leftfooters' goal. At the half time break there was still a quiet confidence among the Bandits squad that, although we only had a slender lead, it would just take patience to win the game. 

The second half commenced with a few new faces on both sides. Our intent was signalled by the substitution of Daryn Vanstone with Simon Hawker, a striker replacing a midfield player. The Leftfooters also seemed to have new vigour and pressed forward. However, the Bandits held firm at the back and swiftly countered. The second goal soon came and, again, it was Aidie providing the killer strike. This put the Leftfooters on the defensive and the Bandits took full advantage. The pressure exerted by the Brighton team was now too much and Alan Bannister scored with a beautifully struck right foot volley. Not long after, Aidie was to cap off another great performance with his hat-trick goal. This made it 4-0 to the Bandits. At this stage Brian, remember him (our manager), went into Sven Goran Eriksson England friendly substitute mode! As a consequence of this re-shuffle and renewed efforts from the Leftfooters, the deficit was reduced to 4-1, with Morten scoring for the Leftfooters after sustained pressure on the Bandits defence. Normal service was resumed, to some extent, when Aidie created a great opportunity in the Leftfooters penalty area only to be tripped by a defender, with Paul Smith comfortably converting the resulting penalty kick. Final score 5-1. 

A final thought and with reference to the headline. I, as one of the regular players, appreciate the hard work and effort put in by ALL the squad and supporters. 'Man of the Match': Matt Haywood (for another brilliant midfield performance).