Goalkeeper Jordan Brown took the plaudits as Lancers prevailed on penalties against derby rivals Shoreham in the Peter Bentley Cup.
This was, quite simply, a masterclass in shot-stopping and surely the finest goalkeeping performance Culver Road has seen for many a year. Having dealt with everything the Musselmen could throw at him, only a cruelly ironic injury time own goal from Tyrese Mthunzi denied him his status of outright match winner.

But Jordan would redeem himself in the shootout that followed as he plunged low to his left to repel the sixth spot-kick from Charlie Farmer. When skipper Alfie Proto-Gates rattled the upright with the visitors next effort after four perfect penalties from the Lancers, we went through to set up a tie at local rivals Worthing United in round three.

It was the perfect response from last Saturday’s thrashing at Steyning. Coxy’s XI showed four changes from that painful loss as Jack, Zach Rhioui and Ramon de Santos came in to the side in lieu of the injured Will Berry, Tyrese and Jed Warner. Meanwhile, there was a debut for dual Broadbridge Heath signing Szymon Kowalczyk as he replaced Cheverton.

From the outset, another difficult night at the office seemed in the offing. Theo Maryon almost capitalised on an early slip from Jack Downie, but the Shoreham forward could only poke wide.
Alfie Marchant utilised his pace and trickery to scamper clear and burst into the box but saw his shot narrowly clear the crossbar with the aid of a slight deflection.
Then the stage was set for Act One of the Jordan Brown show. Jesse Burbridge tried his luck with a 20-yarder through a posse of players, but ‘Jords’ got down brilliantly to paw the ball away in the eighteenth minute.

The 239-strong audience on this wild and windy Lancing night did not have to wait long for Act Two. This one was arguably an even better stop as Dylan Walter’s strike from distance looked to be heading in only for Brown to fling himself across goal and tip wide.

Inspired by their last line of defence, the Lancers began to ask questions of their guests from across the river. Good work by lone striker Frankie saw an opening for Gabe Robinson. He was teed up by Spiteri but the shot lacked power and could only fly a few inches past the upright.

Then came the moment to warm the cockles of all Lancing supporters a minute before the break. Opportunistic it may have been, but debutant Szymon showed a striker’s instinct to seize on a loose ball across the box and stab in under Shoreham stopper Elliott Dailly. 

Lancing were ahead against the run of play but were almost pegged back immediately when Proto-Gates run resulted in a disappointing cross-shot into the side netting. 

Half time: Lancing 1-0 Shoreham

As if to prove that saving with his hands was too easy, this time it was Jordan’s legs that became the latest body part to gain entry to his goalkeeping clinic. Just like his colleagues in the Mussels attack, Maryon found his path to goal blocked as Jordan stuck out a foot to deflect his snapshot for the relative sanctuary of a corner.

Mussels manager Lawrence Edwards spruced up his side’s attack with a triple substitution on the hour mark, but the change in personnel did not bring about a change of fortune for Shoreham.

Magic went close with a set-piece but this was becoming the Jordan Brown derby. The recently arrived Tyron Berlizov was the man thwarted this time. Jordan somehow kept out Berlizov’s initial shot and then sprung up to beat away a Proto-Gates volley on the follow up.  

Yet for the umpteen efforts on their goal, Lancing had probably the best two chances of the half, if not the match. First, Rhioui had collective hands on heads as blazed over the bar with the goal gaping after Ellis Collier’s buccaneering run from full-back. Then another debutant, Neil Munday, saw himself presented with a chance to seal the tie but his shot on goal lacked power and could not quite trickle in.

Brown, by now feeling the full force of the Lancing fans love, punched away a swirling free-kick and then denied Shoreham’s other full back, Charlie Bonwick-Adams, with yet another last ditch intervention.

As is so often the case in this beautiful but often cruel game, having done so much to decide the narrative of this contest, Brown was finally, bizarrely and ironically beaten. So good was he it needed one of his own team mates to do what Shoreham couldn’t. Lancing failed to deal with a set-piece and the ball ricocheted to Tyrese who could only divert it out of the reach of his heroic keeper and into the net in the 91st minute. Salvation for Shoreham!

That paved the way for penalties. The first four were all successfully converted by substitutes as Tyrese and Ramon scored for Lancing whilst Taylor Harding and Michael Donovan followed suit for Mussels.
Kowalczyk rolled in penalty number five before Jordan, not for the first time, came up trumps with a superb save from Farmer. Collier scored to give us match point before Proto-Gates went high, too high, to rattle the bar and settle an engrossing local cup derby.

The Lancers travel to Peacehaven on Saturday before another Tuesday night contest against Infinity (where is Infinity) in the Sussex Senior Cup. 

MOTM: Jordan Brown

Lancing: Jordan Brown; Belal Ouachan, Mayckol Sabino, Jack Downie, Ellis Collier; Ben Cheverton, Dylan Hurst (c); Szymon Kowalczyk, Zachariah Rhioui, Gabe Robinson; Frankie Spiteri. Substitutes: Tyrese Mthunzi, Neil Munday (for Sabino, Spiteri 57), Ryan Riddles (for Cheverton 72), Kane Louis (for Robinson 74), Ramon de Santos (for Rhioui 82). Booked: Robinson