Frustrating afternoon ends in defeat
Phoenix Sports endured a frustrating afternoon as they failed to really lay a glove on Burgess Hill Town and fell to a 3-0 home defeat.
The day began with a blow as goalkeeper Max Huxter picked up a knock during the warm-up, forcing Andrew Zambrand-Reascos to step in.
New signings Ahkeem Belford and Dom Morgan-Griffiths were handed debuts, while Tyler Anderson made his first start. However, injuries continued to plague the squad, with Will Grieveson still sidelined and Belford forced off midway through the first half.
Burgess Hill capitalised on an early defensive mix-up, taking the lead in the 7th minute when central defender Nathan Cooper struck from a tight angle after a misunderstanding between Jack Turner and Zambrand-Reascos.
Phoenix's afternoon worsened when the debutant Belford was forced off injured in the 17th minute, with Aaron Clarke coming on to replace him.
In the 26th minute, controversy struck as Burgess Hill doubled their advantage. A questionable corner decision led to Cooper pouncing on poor defending to fire home his second goal of the match.
Phoenix's frustrations grew when their appeals for a penalty were waved away in the 31st minute after Tyler Anderson was sandwiched in the box. Just three minutes later, Burgess Hill extended their lead to 3-0, and effectively ended the contest. Stefan Vukojie capitalising on another defensive lapse to confidently finish.
Kiye Martin provided a rare bright moment for Phoenix late in the half, forcing Slav Huk into a save with a dipping effort from range. At the other end, Zambrand-Reascos made a stunning stop in added time, flying to his right to deny a powerful effort and keep the scoreline from worsening.
Phoenix came out with more control in the second half but struggled to create clear-cut chances. The best opportunity came in the 73rd minute when Giovanni Iandolo combined neatly with Martin before firing straight at Huk from the edge of the box.
Burgess Hill nearly added a fourth in the 82nd minute, but Harry Lawson's effort struck the inside of the post and bounced clear.
Despite their improved second-half, Phoenix could not break through a resolute Burgess Hill defence and failed to seriously test Huk in goal.
The final whistle confirmed a 3-0 defeat for Phoenix, who will have to regroup quickly ahead of a tricky trip to Margate next week.
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