SIDLEY United kept their dreams of a County League double on course yesterday as they beat Sidlesham 3-2 in an entertaining John O'Hara League Cup final at Leylands Park.

The 258 spectators were treated to a game full of incident, and a little controversy, as Sidley dominated for long spells but spurned chance after chance to kill off Sidlesham and were almost made to pay the price.

Sidlesham got off to the best possible start and were a goal up within four minutes after Wayne Eastman scored from the spot following Sidley captain Wayne Farrier's rash tackle on Steve Warwick.

Farrier admitted: "I didn't think it was a penalty but I should never had made the tackle anyway."

Farrier hardly put a foot wrong after that but his misplaced tackle was in keeping with a spluttering start by Sidley who then took the game by the scruff of the neck and camped in the Sidlesham half.

Sidlesham keeper Ashley Rochester had to push Paul Sully's cross onto the bar after 15 minutes and from the resulting Peter Baker corner Paul Martin headed off the line.

It was one-way traffic with Rochester doing superbly to block Baker's shot after Dave Ward's pass had put him through.

The woodwork came to Sidlesham's rescue again on 34 minutes as Ward's rising drive found the bar with Rochester beaten.

Sidley may have thought it was not going to be their day but they profited from a mistake by referee Saied El-Abd in the build up to their 37th-minute equaliser.

Balch clearly fouled the impressive Calvin Hore, who fell on the ball, but the referee gave Sidley a free-kick for the handball. It was quickly taken and the ball eventually came to Adam Day just outside the area, who drilled in a low shot that clipped the inside of Rochester's post before beating the motionless keeper.

Sidley took the lead five minutes before the break after former nightclub bouncer Billy Gill brought down Balch outside the box to give away another free-kick. Roch-ester could only push out Baker's strike and Adam Day raced in to bundle the ball home.

It could have been all over just second before the interval when Rochester dallied on a back-pass under pressure from Baker, however, Balch steered the loose ball just inches wide of the post to the keeper's relief.

The second half started like the first, with Sidlesham again enjoying their best spell and they were rewarded for their efforts on 57 minutes when Warwick fired in after Sidley had failed to deal with Jimmy Brown's ball into the area.

Eight minutes later Sidley were handed the chance to restore their lead when Gill, already on a booking following his first half foul on Balch, handled in the area as Adam Day tried to craft an opening. Rochester came to Sidlesham's rescue though as he dived low to his right to hold Baker's penalty.

Sidley keeper Danny Poole then had to be at his best to claw away a Hore effort before Baker's first-time volley from a knockdown rattled the bar The winning goal was worthy of clinching any final as Sidley's Adam Day brought down a ball in midfield, spread the ball wide to Balch and Jimmy Watson finished off with a clipped effort past the advancing keeper from the angled pass.

Sidley boss Dickie Day, father of Adam, said: "I'm happy but we made hard work of it. How many times did we hit the woodwork? Five or six? If we had put away our chances it could have been a lot more comfortable.

"The way we started off in the first 20 minutes I think the players just thought it was going to happen for them. Peter Heritage (assistant manager) and myself both had a bit of a rant at half time because we thought they needed it."

Adam Day picked up the man-of-the-match award at the end and Day senior said: "I am made up with him. He has always had the ability but it is just a case of him producing it."

Disappointed Sidlesham manager Ian Hillman, who retires at the end of this season, said: "I think they deserved it. I have come here with a bit of a patched-up side but we always knew we had enough quality players to give them a good game."

SIDLESHAM: Rochester, Durrant (sub Rehill 55), Camfield, Gill, Stewart, Arnold, Hore, Martin, Brown, Warwick, Eastman. Unused subs: Parvin, Jones.

SIDLEY: D. Poole, Ball, Sully, Farrier, Copley, B. Poole, Ward, Watson, Balch, Baker, A. Day. Unused subs: Heritage, Finch, Bolton.

Referee: Saied El-Abd.

Bookings: Gill, Martin.

Men-of-the-Match: Calvin Hore (Sidlesham), Adam Day (Sidley).

Attendance: 258.