Despite a resilient second half display which saw them twice come back from a goal down, Seaford Town were narrowly seen off by 3 goals to 2 at the hands of Dorking Wanderers Reserves at Meadowbank. Having twice let their lead slip in an entertaining second period, it took an 89th minute winner from Conan Torpey to finally seal the three points for a youthful Dorking side.

With Seaford coming into the game already dealing with the hurdle of a thin squad, they were set back even further only 3 minutes in after Billy Pout was forced off on a stretcher. The striker landed awkwardly after going up for a challenge with Dorking 'keeper Drew Churchwell, forcing Seaford into an early change as well as a switch-up in approach going forward. Dorking enjoyed the better of the limited first-half action, finding most joy on the counter up against a make-shift Seaford backline. Joshua Alder had the best chance to open the scoring for the home side, after a defence-splitting ball found the forward in on goal before his effort was denied by the feet of Mike Platt. Seaford did more than enough to hold their own heading into half time, and equally showed signs of being able to do damage moving forward.

The second half immediately started off with an increased sense of urgency from both sides, and it did not take long after the restart for the deadlock to be broken. Dorking took the lead after 53 minutes thanks to a slotted finish from right-back Leonard Victor, after some effective hold up play on the right hand side by Joshua Alder. Seaford took no time in going after an equaliser, and they found it only 3 minutes later when an excellent ball forward from George Maybury found Reece Edwards in space on the right, before the wing-back managed to pick out Alex Saunders with enough space to tuck the ball home. With the scores level once again, the standard of football continued to uphold, with both sides showing the intent to go after the game. With just under 20 minutes to play, Dorking retook the lead after a flashed ball into the area was met by Conan Torpey, who headed home powerfully to make it 2-1.

Seaford’s resilience continued to persist, and for the second time in the game they came up with an immediate response. In similar fashion to the first equaliser, Simon Piper was released on the right hand side by Saunders, with the forward able to look up and find the run of substitute Callum Connor who managed to bundle the ball home. The scoreline was testament to Seaford’s effort, and they even came close to taking the lead after a deep set-piece was met by James Kendall in the area, whose effort blasted over the bar with under 10 minutes to play. Despite seeing their lead pegged back twice, Dorking continued to look for the advantage with the clock ticking down, and with 89 minutes played, they managed to find the winning goal. After the ball was swung into the area from the right, a mix-up on Seaford’s behalf meant that Conan Torpey’s glancing head was able to loop into the net over the rooted Platt. A hurtful blow for Paul Wise’s side, whose second half display very likely deserved to get something out of the game against a strong Dorking squad.

Seaford Town:
Mike Platt
George Maybury
Ben Dartnall
Matt Holland
Reece Edwards
Callum Edwards
Jack Nourse
James Kendall
Alex Saunders
Simon Piper
Billy Pout (off 3')

Subs: Callum Connor (on 55'), Scott Marshall, Abu Torrey (on 3', off 55'), Shaun Skipper