Steyning Town 'in a bit of a rut' admits boss Murphy

A superb 12th minute strike from the Lingers’ Sammy Clements proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Rob Clark was sent off at the death to compound a miserable afternoon for the Barrowmen.

Steyning have now lost their last three Premier Division games and sit tenth in the table.

Murphy said: “It was not a good game to watch as both teams looked to be lacking a bit of cohesion and confidence.

“My boys have been brilliant this season but we have been in a bit of a rut of late.

“It’s not through lack of effort. I am sure we can bounce back and get a few more wins along the way to get ourselves back on track.”

Steyning visit near-neighbours Broadbridge Heath on Saturday.

Broadbridge Heath are in a time of change with long-term manager Steve Painter leaving in January.

The club announced last week that Chris Simmons and Kristian Sorensen would take over as interim managers until the end of the season.

The Barrowmen recorded a 3-1 win over Heath back in October in an action-packed game.

Tiago Andrade’s bullet header put Town in front on three minutes.

Andrade was played through on goal four minutes later but keeper Alfie Hadfield poleaxed the forward.

Hadfield was shown a straight red and Andrade was substituted with a suspected broken nose.

Steyning doubled the lead five minutes before half-time after Grant Radmore fired home from a corner.

Two minutes later Mayckol Sabino tripled Town’s advantage despite appeals for offside.

Heath reduced the deficit four minutes into the second half through Tim Cook.

Ahead of the weekend’s clash Murphy added: “We beat Heath early on in the season but a lot as changed since then.

“Both clubs have lost players to other clubs but we are looking forwards to visiting the new ground.”