Okay the headline would have worked better if Steyning Town had even been poor, but as it happens they were every bit as good and fast as United. United were largely unchanged from the win over East Grinstead, just Hayden Beaconsfield not available, so we saw the welcome return of Emerson Guimares. In a cagey first half, it turned into a tactical battle, Storey seeing that plan A wasn't going to do the job, changing formations and positions, trying to winkle a way through the well marshalled Steyning defence. It was United who had the majority of the chances, with Baldwin and Ball both going close early, Guimares rifling a cross from the left, met with a deft header from Charlie Ball to the far post, denied only by the superb Nathan Stroomberg in the Steyning Goal. The goal came on 27 minutes, following a mixup in the Steyning defence, it was "Concrete" Callum Barlow who popped out of the mixer to deftly head into the net. Poachers goal if ever there was one, but it's his 16th of the campaign, and we are just into November. In the second half it became a bit more backs to the wall, albeit Ed "Rebar" Ratcliffe (He reinforces the concrete...) hit the post and Mason Creese hit an absolute pile driver from 25 yards, watched the whole way by Stroomberg, and tipped over for a corner. Broadbent's timesheet included a couple of smothered efforts and superb handling of the ball all afternoon, albeit restricted by a well organised and hyper committed United defence, from which Mat Barbosa took the Man of the Match Award.
United then go through to the 3rd round draw on Monday, ahead of Tuesday's SCFL home tie with Horsham YMCA.