Bognor Regis stalwart James Crane showcasing versatility after dual signing for Horndean
James Crane made his fourth start for Horndean as they handed Pagham a four-goal Wessex League drubbing.
The highly-experienced Crane is a former Bognor Regis playing colleague of Deans boss Michael Birmingham.
He suffered a bad knee injury which required surgery ahead of the 2021/22 season, and wasn’t back playing again until last February..
In order to get regular minutes, Crane – a stalwart at Nyewood Lane for many years - has dual signed for Horndean, already showing his versatility.
Having previously played at right-back, he started in central midfield against Pagham last night and also had a spell in central defence when Luke Dempsey was off having treatment on a leg injury.
‘I played alongside James when I was an old man and he was a young whipper-snapper,’ said Birmingham. ‘He’s got great experience.
‘We’ll keep him ticking over until he’s called back by Bognor, as I’m sure he will be at some point.’
Horndean are up to third after beating Pagham 4-0 with two goals in each half.
Tommy Tierney opened the scoring, the first player other than Rudi Blankson to score a Wessex goal for the club in 2022/23.
Connor Duffin converted a penalty before second half subs Harry Jackson and Blankson put a somewhat flattering look on the scoreline.
Asked if his side deserved to win 4-0, Birmingham replied: ‘Probably not.
‘It was ok, a good reaction (to a 1-0 league loss at Hythe & Dibden). We played excellent at Hythe and lost, and maybe we didn’t play as well against Pagham but won 4-0. It’s a strange game at times …
‘We got the job done in the first half, but then got a little bit sloppy and a bit complacent in the second half.
‘It wasn’t until Harry and Rudi came on that we started to get a grip of the game again.’
After starting their Wessex League life with two straight wins, Pagham have now lost three in a row.
Dempsey, who carried on playing after his injury, is a doubt for Horndean’s home league game with Fareham Town at the weekend.