Wick did the double over near neighbours Pagham in this nominally one-sided affair. However, in spite of having many first team players out through ‘flu, Gary Block’s team paid for minimal defensive mistakes rather than Wick doing it all themselves. It didn’t take the home side long to score though. A ball through from former Lion Phil Turner was despatched by Scott Murfin with only two minutes on the clock. Murfin was to prove a menace all game, and he was a contributory factor in at least three of the four goals. The Lions did start to take the game to their opponents, with Lewis Haga-Hammond and Brett Forden both trying to find a way passed Anthony Ender. It was quite telling that Ashley Hunter was to be the best Pagham player as he repelled more and more Wick attacks. Sean Dobbs, plainly suffering from ‘flu himself was not at his quickest, and when he bought down his opposite number just before the half hour, he would have been pleased to see the yellow card stay in Mr Ellis’ pocket. When he did it a second time not two minutes later, the referee wasn’t so lenient. Scott Murfin came flying into the area, and a late challenge from Dobbs could only have resulted in a penalty. 2-0 to Wick, and the home side were cruising even at this early stage. They weren’t finished there, though. Steve Boston headed home from a Scott Murfin cross, and Pagham were reeling a little. Gareth Bicknell could have made it four, but the cross from Murfin was just too high for him. In a rare Pagham attack, Calum Britton shot just over from short range.

The second half opened with Andy Cox replacing the ailing Dobbs to add some pace on the wing. The Lions started well, with some promising looking attacking moves. However, as against Selsey, these came to nothing. With Rob Wimble watching from the sidelines, and Michael Frangou absent altogether, the Lions teeth seemed to be missing. Dominic Shepherd replaced scorer Boston as Mick Catlin looked to put on some fresh legs. Even so, there was still half an hour of the match to run, and Pagham’s best chance was wasted when an expected offside flag wasn’t raised. Brett Forden ran through, had the goal at his mercy, but waited for a whistle that never came. This profligacy was punished just before the hour as Wick went further ahead. A corner ball was controlled by Dominic Shepherd and he smashed it home. Shortly after this a free-kick was awarded to Pagham, but inevitably the chance was cleared. Wick continued to attack but in a repeat of his feat at Selsey, Keiron Urquhart was again in the right place at the right time when clearing the ball off the line. Gary Block chose to make changes, taking off Lewis Haga-Hammond and Calum Britton to replace them with Danny Towers and Kerry Hardwell. A fre-kick for Wick which Scott Murfin took saw Rob McLelland make his best save of the game to rescue any credibility for the Lions. Kerry Hardwell took Wick on almost single-handedly, but Ender was able to ensure the ball was comfortably held. Pagham fans did a sharp intake of breath when Rob Mclelland seemed to catch himself off guard with a poor clearance. Thankfully he made amends with a good save. The game had threatened to boil up since the start, and a spate of bookings, not to mention a talking to for Gary Block meant that Mr Ellis would be busy writing up his paperwork following the game. Pagham had the final say in the game when an off-balance Doug Peach shot well over.

Wick; A.Ender, B.Torode, B.Buckland, J.Curnow, P.Turner, O.Elias, T.Manton, N.Murfin, S.Boston, S.Murfin, G.Bicknell; D.Shepherd, J.Case, R.Robertson, L.Barber, A.Grey
Pagham; R.McLelland, B.Chatfield, A.Hunter, S.Dobbs, S.Towers, K.Urquhart, C.Britton, D.Peach, L.Haga-Hammond, J.Angell, B.Forden, A.Cox, D.Towers, K.Hardwell, W.Hallett