Blues left Red-faced

RINGMER have become entirely predictable in their unpredictability. After relieving in-form East Preston of three points the previous week, The Blues then had the gall to belly-up to the Surrey strugglers for a thoroughly foreseeable ritual beating.

Adrian Moses waded in with a hat-trick to plague the plans of Ringmer, who have not looked comfortable against any of the division's bottom four clubs. Couple this with Redhill's improving home form and a history of downing The Blues at Kiln Brow and the stage was set.

What travelling supporters didn't expect, though, was a two-goal deficit inside eight fleeting minutes despite Glen Burvill sending out the exact same 11 as so capably trussed up EP. In their first attack of the game, The Lobsters' David Graves was allowed time and space to waft the ball into the box where defender Max Hamilton, who had striker Luke Jones breathing down his neck, lunged in to toe-end it under his own keeper.

Then, just moments later, young goalkeeper Sam Figg was left utterly exposed to the onrushing Moses whom he clattered for an outright penalty. Moses drove the spot kick straight down the middle before Ringmer had psychologically left the changing room.

It took some considerable time, but once the visitors had calmed things down, the rot stopped and midway through the half the scrappiest of lifelines beckoned. A corner from Chris Johnson found its way off the flailing boot of Tom Holden before pinballing its way into the net for 2-1.

The remainder of the 45 was predominantly Blue although a third for the red-shirts would have been a killer and Jamie Sinclair was perilously close to creating one on the half hour. However, chances for Leighton Allen, Grant Bean and Johnson, who tried a 35-yarder and had another humdinger turned round by goalie James Wastell, dominated the ebb and flow.

Captain Johnson almost added a further candidate for goal of the season to his growing list of contenders when he spotted Wastell off his line with a free kick from inside the centre circle. Unerringly, the ball plopped onto the crossbar and Warren Byerley's acrobatic rebound missed by fractions.

At the interval, Burvill threw the second Johnson Andy into the mix having seen scorer Holden become the first casualty of some tasty challenges. Yet just 44 seconds from the restart, The Blues relented again. Parting like the Red Sea, Ringmer's defence allowed Moses the chance to land his second with a rasping strike and the cushion was restored.

Hope sprung eternal when one-true-hope Byerley took up Andy Johnson's sideways dink on the edge to slip home his fifth goal in seven games, but Ringmer began to look even more vulnerable than ever at the back in the final quarter.

When Stephen Gillett's far post searcher arrived at the feet of Moses, it was the point of no return, the hat-trick was complete and the points were Redhill's to cherish on their survival bid.

Centre forward Leighton Allen's summing up was succinct, 'we've got to pick ourselves up and get on with it. Like the boss said, some players had their worst game today. All of the goals were from bad defending.'

RINGMER: Figg, Pachent, Bean, Hamilton (MacMillan 73), Isted, Ford, Chris Johnson, Holden (Andy Johnson 46), Allen, Thomsett, Byerley (Craig Brown 76). MOM: Grant Bean.