Lancing were made to rue an Ellis Collier aberration from the spot as Chris Darwin struck the only goal of the game in the two sides final game of 2025.
Collier saw his late first half penalty pawed away by Keeley Belcher in the Wick goal – one of a number of fine stops by the impressive keeper to keep Dale’s in-form Lancers at bay.
In this ‘Boxing Day but one’ A27 derby, Lancing were looking to maintain their impressive recent renaissance as they visited Wick’s quaint Crabtree Park ground for the second time this season. There were two ex-Lancers in the hosts XI with Ryan Singers and Danny Howick named in their line-up. Another former Lancing man, the recently departed Frankie Spiteri, missed out through suspension. Wick had knocked us out of the Sussex Senior Cup back in October so there was a modicum of revenge in mind.
There were a number of alterations in a reshuffled Lancing team with Will, Rhodesy, Omar, and Henry Yorke-Johnson all missing through illness and unavailability. This meant debuts for Sonny Carter between the posts, Callum Jenkins at left-back and Eirinaios Keskinis in the middle. Adrian Nsue-Sha was forced to take up a role as emergency centre-forward in Omar’s absence.
The two clubs are separated by 24 miles geographically and one place numerically in the SCFL standings. Throw in the unpredictability of a derby on a bobbly pitch, and it was perhaps no surprise this was a tight and attritional contest.
Veteran Darwin’s clinical finish on the counter proved enough for Lee Baldwin’s side to open up a seven point gap on us in the mid-to-lower reaches of the SCFL.
Lancers had a half-hearted appeal for a penalty waved away early on, before Aaron Tester lived up to his name with a teasing delivery into the box. But none of his colleagues were on hand to amend the situation and the ball evaded everyone on its way wide.
The same player had a header saved by Lancing’s debutant keeper Carter whilst Ellis showed his shooting prowess with a piledriver from distance that whizzed just wide.
Belcher saved superbly to deny Adrian when he tipped the makeshift striker’s effort around the post. From the resultant corner, a spot of penalty area pinball saw the ball cleared over halfway and Darwin ran through to roll a confident finish beyond the advancing Sonny.
Charlie Robinson fired over on the turn but Lancing were handed a chance to draw level five minutes before half-time. The penalty decision looked soft as the referee spotted a pushing infringement from a corner. Left-back turned flying winger Collier, Lancers top scorer this term, stepped up but, in truth, justice was probably done as Belcher guessed right to paw the ball out with a superb low save.
Our new keeper was forced to earn his corn when the need arose, too, with both stoppers impressing when called into action. This time, he ensured there was no way home for Wick’s very own ‘Spiderman’ Tom Holland, whose rising drive from the edge of the area was tipped over the bar.
Keskinis, back from University and called up in our hour of need, was a complete unknown to the Culver Road faithful. He at times found himself on the periphery of proceedings, but almost made himself an instant hero with an opportunistic effort which required good hands from the Wick custodian.
The pattern of the game’s remainder was set from then on. Lancing had the lion’s share of the ball with Wick content to hold what they had and hit on the counter when they got the chance.
Substitute Cavan Gratwick was crowded out at the culmination of one such breakaway, but Lancing rallied and came on strong in the closing stages.
The Lancers will feel their late rally was worthy of a goal and, therefore, a point, but the failure to create anything clear cut meant our monopoly of possession went unrewarded.
A Fin Miles cross-shot was turned behind for a corner, Ore Allen’s strike was blocked, and time seemed to stand still when another substitute, this time Tyrese, saw his impudent lob spilled by the keeper but hacked to safety. Szymon’s daisy cutter bobbled wide and Adrian’s flick on was turned away by the intervention of Belcher in a late spell of pressure.
But where Lancing had pilfered late, great escapes against Seaford and Roffey in recent weeks, this time there was to be no last gasp act of derring do.
Wick’s defence stood firm under a late flurry of crosses, as the Lancers were left to reflect on what might have been. We host high-flying local rivals Steyning in another derby next Saturday (3rd) and then travel to Little Common.
Lancing team: Sonni Carter; Oliver Deda, Will Berry (c), Scott Packer, Callum Jenkins; Ben Cheverton, Eirinaios Keskinis; Finley Miles, Mo Khedidji, Ellis Collier; Adrian Nsue-Sha. Substitutes: Szymon Kowalcyzk, Ore Allen (for Cheverton, Packer 67), Tyrese Mthunzi (for Collier 80), Baran Kartal, Marcos Dos Santos (for Miles 89).
