Sussex Athletic 2–0 Hitchin Athletic: the art of saying no

Opinion

Sussex Athletic have discovered the profound joy of the clean sheet. A 2-0 win over Hitchin Athletic on Thursday 6 August provided a glimpse of a side that has finally learned how to stop things from happening at the other end. It was a tidy performance, mostly because it lacked any real drama (or an adventurous spark).

The Sussex defence spent the afternoon looking remarkably composed, resembling a well-organised queue at a post office. They didn't so much dominate Hitchin as they simply existed in their way. Hitchin, for their part, looked like a team attempting to solve a Rubik's Cube in the dark. They had the ball occasionally, but the final product was essentially non-existent.

There is a certain comfort in a 2-0 scoreline. It suggests a plan was followed to the letter, provided that plan involved a heavy dose of caution. Some might call it pragmatic. Others might call it a bag of sand in the middle of the pitch. To be fair, the result is all that goes in the ledger.

It is a decent foundation, even if it lacked a bit of theatre. The league doesn't wait for people to find their flair, and Sussex have very little time to reset before tomorrow. They will likely lean on this newfound solidity. It is a reliable way to pick up points, assuming they can keep the shutters down when the quality of opposition inevitably ticks up.

Elsewhere, Marlborough United maintained their lead at the top after a 0-0 draw with Llandaff. Now, Sussex have to see if they can carry this defensive discipline into the next matchday. If they can, they might actually become a problem for the rest of the league. For now, they are just very good at saying no.