Category: News 2007 / 2008

Matt Court directing and organising the team

After quarter of a century, Matt Court returned to spur Lavant to a win in their opening game of the season.

“Coming back to Lavant after seven years away, really meant a lot to me”, said the 40 year old sweeper.” I have really missed the Lavant Spirit and it was great to return and feel it again.”

The home side had a dream start when Tom Parker outjumped his marker to head Stuart Loversidge through, who volleyed home on 56 seconds.

After this it was a hard grinding battle, but Court, holding the captaincy, urged that Spirit of which he spoke on his team.

In the second half, the man in green, saved Parker’s penalty, after Loversidge was dragged down. With quarter of an hour to go, the Chichester side began to gain the upper hand with some delightful passing. The second goal was bound to come. Matt Hine played into Parker’s feet and the striker curled a perfect pass into Loversidge who chipped the ‘keeper 5 mins from time.

There was a touch of irony in this game for Matt Court who now lives with his partner and two children in Westerton, but whose mother still lives in Lavant played his first game for Lavant 26 years ago against Lancing.

Today’s win means “some things never change!”.

Team:Pullen,Court,Hayward,Hall,Haggar,Hepworth,Ayers,Hine,Richardson,
Parker,Loversidge.Subs:Pinder,McClean.

Lavant reserves carved out a well deserved draw in their opening league game of the season.

Both teams started lively and much of the first half was fast and furious and a well contested affair with opportunities falling to each team to take the lead.  Christen Swain in his first fall league game for Lavant came the closest to breaking the deadlock with his shot from the edge of box, scraping the Tangmere bar.

The home side also had chances, but Lavant goalie Chris Bowles ensured their efforts came to nothing.

The second half saw much of the same, with both teams pushing for the opener and Tangmere capitalized when Lavant lost possession on the edge of the home teams box.  The long clearance allowed the Tangmere striker to beat the offside trap and go clear through, round the stranded keeper and tap the ball home, 1-0.

Lavant now had to chase the game and shortly afterwards Adam Yaxley should have levelled the score but failed to connect properly to a delightful pass across the front of goal from Swain, putting his close range effort wide of the post.

With 7 minutes remaining Alan Sheppard met Dave Kent’s cross field ball, skipped past his marker and crossed the ball across the face of the goal, which was met by the unmarked Kent who made no mistake and levelled the score at, 1-1.

Both teams saw out the remaining minutes to share the points.

Team: Bowles, Price, Blackman, Weller, S.Yaxley, A.Strange, Martin, Swain, Sheppard, A.Yaxley, Withall. Subs: D.Kent, M.Kent.