Mile Oak in seventh heaven after another league win

MILE OAK Football Club continued their excellent form with a seventh successive league win on Saturday.
Jack Arnold netted as Mile Oak made it seven successive league wins with victory over Bexhill United on SaturdayJack Arnold netted as Mile Oak made it seven successive league wins with victory over Bexhill United on Saturday
Jack Arnold netted as Mile Oak made it seven successive league wins with victory over Bexhill United on Saturday

Oak recorded a 2-1 home success over Bexhill United to remain fifth in Southern Combination League Division 1.

Michael Gould and Jack Arnold got the goals in what was a much more convincing win than the scoreline suggests.

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Oak boss Anthony Whittington felt his side should have won by a larger margin and said: “That was the best performance and result we have put together for a while.

“Although we’ve been on a great run, we have not been playing that well but Saturday’s performance level was back to where I want it to be.

“We scored two but could easily have had six or seven.

“The only downside was how wasteful we were but the chances were created and that’s the main thing.

“It was another important win and keeps our run going.”

Oak were dominant throughout and could have been ahead earlier than Gould’s 36th-minute strike.

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Joe Whiting headed wide from eight yards, while George Rudwick and Danny Curd also wasted good opportunities.

Oak took the lead nine minutes before half-time when a excellent team move was finished off by Gould.

It was much of the same in the second half and Arnold made it 2-0 on the hour mark with his ninth goal of the season. Bexhill pulled a goal back through Wesleigh Peoples on 71 minutes but Oak held on to win.

Mile Oak have now closed the gap on third-placed Storrington to eight points with two games in hand but Whittington believes a promotion spot is still a tall order.

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He said: “Seven games ago I was worried about staying in the league. Now we have moved up to fifth and are looking for a top-six finish.

“We have still got some really tough games to come and I think third would be a really tough ask for us.

“But, for us to be in the position that we are, considering our start to the season, is a great effort from the boys.

“I think we will have to win our next five games on the spin to be in with a realistic chance of getting into that top three.

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“There are probably five teams going for that third spot, with Storrington, ourselves, Little Common, Oakwood and Langney Wanderers all chasing. I’d say we are least likely at present to finish third but we’ll just try to keep winning.”

Oak host second-placed Crawley Down Gatwick in the league on Saturday, before they travel to Oakwood the following week.

MILE OAK: Stenning; Lansdale, Whiting, Pollard, Watts; Harley, Garrod, Gould, Arnold; Rudwick, Curd. Subs: Gillingham (Watts), French (Garrod), Seltzer (Gould), Clarke.

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