VIDEO: Hill’s four star rating

by Chris Francis

There was a decent crowd of 249 at Leylands Park on Saturday and they saw Hillians turn on the syle to record one of their best wins of the season.

After three weeks without a game they had been a little rustyunderstandably, against Leatherhead in midweek but manager Ian Chapman and assistant Stuart Tuck felt that useful goalless draw laid the foundations for an excellent win against a side who are now under new management and have put together some improved results of late.

Chipstead’s growing confidence was clear to see in some of their slick approach play but on this day even their players admitted they were second best to a home side who created a hatful of chances and could easily have doubled their tally.

Another clean sheet was also immensely satisfying for Hill’s management team who had every reason to be delighted with the outcome.

But in the opening 10 minutes the final scoreline could not have seemed more unlikely as Chips made the early running. But once Max Miller headed the hosts in front on 12 minutes Hillians began to show their quality. Pat Harding provided the cross and Miller scored with a powerful and well directed header.

Greg Luer should have scored just before the goal and afterwards Sam Fisk had a good chance deflected wide even though Sussex referee John Pike saw it as a goalkick.

There was one let-off just after when the pacy Dan Moody got free on the left but his cross eluded everyone.

However, normal service was soon resumed and Luer missed another excellent chance when there was not enough elevation on his attempt to lift the ball over keeper Anthony Hall and then centre half Lee Denyer, who looked comfortable on the ball and impressed throughout, put a great heading chance just over from a Darren Budd corner.

It was another Budd set-piece, this time a quickly taken free kick, that caught Chips napping on 38 minutes and the alert Harding scored at the second attempt after his first effort was beaten out by Hall.

On the stroke of half time Hillians struck again when great work by Miller on the right led to a cross that Luer deftly headed across goal and inside the far post.

After the break all Hillians had to do was weather anything Chips could muster early on to effectively end the contest. And in fact that was done comfortably before plenty of chances started to come at the other end.

Miller could hardly believe his luck when Budd’s low corner left him free in the middle of goal just a few yards out on 71 minutes and either side of that he had some clear opportunities to boost his goal tally.

In addition Scott Kirkwood had an effort cleared off the line, Harding went close with a set-piece header, sub Neil Watts missed a great chance set up by Miller and Luer fired over.

In the end, bookings for Kirkwood and Danny Curd failed to take the edge off a wonderful day for Hillians who will now be hoping to make the most of their matches in hand.

Hillians: Mansfield; Pointing, Curd (Watts, 78), Denyer, Fisk; Budd, Keehan (Gayler, 60), Kirkwood; Miller, Harding (Martin, 74), Luer.

Middy Starman: It must go to the whole team for a quality performance.