Baffins Milton Rovers’ boss Shaun Wilkinson heaped praise on Chi after the mid-week game, “Miles Rutherford and Graeme Gee have got a top side, those boys can play. Their movement and passing were tough to contain.”
Here though against Southern Combination premier division opposition Chi were off the pace much of the time and struggled to match the standards set in the encounter with Baffins.
There were changes to the XI that lined up earlier in the week. Scott Jones returned up top so Rob Hutchings slotted into a more familiar left back role, Corey Heath partnered Ryan Peake in the heart of the defence; and Prichard and the club’s trialist from Ashford both got starts. Ben Pashley, Lloyd Rowlatt and Clack featured in a strong bench alongside youngster Flori Vucaj.
The Step 4 team started brightly enough.
Emmett Dunn’s shot in the first attack was saved by the keeper’s legs but there was nothing he could do after two minutes when Penny capitalised on an error and struck the ball home to give Chichester the lead.
Penny might have added another moments later but his effort was deflected for a corner.
Former Chi player Tiago Andrade was then involved in an opportunity for Alfold but Steve Mowthorpe got a foot to his attempt and the ball looped up dangerously only to be hooked out by right back Ryan Davidson.
The hosts earned a second corner after an over-hit back pass to Mowthorpe and a poor clearance.
Alfold spurned a chance in the 18th minute when the ball was given away once again and hit the bar five minutes later after a mistake by Peake.
Mowthorpe then did well to deny an equaliser at the mid-point as the opposition got in one on one.
At the other end Jones had a diving header saved and Chi wasted a couple of moves with wayward crosses.
A harsh offside decision went against Alford in the 42nd minute; then they crashed a set-piece into the wall; and Mowthorpe claimed another in commanding fashion.
On the stroke of half time the Chi shot-stopper turned an effort wide and prevented a chance after the hosts had carved Chichester open.
Alford grabbed the equaliser, which had been coming, after 49 minutes through a neat finish.
Other chances came and went in an opening spell the hosts dominated.
Rowlatt and Clack replaced Kaleem Haitham and the trialist six minutes in and Chi began to find a way back into the game.
Penny picked out Jones with a smart ball and Clack forced Alfold’s substitute keeper into a decent save from a free-kick.
A mistake from the replacement No.1 led to Chi’s second goal. Prichard’s mid-week strike at Baffins was something else but here he had the simple task of guiding the ball into an empty net.
A super turn and pass from Dunn set Jones up but the defence dealt with things before Vucaj passed to Dunn. His cross was cleared only as far as Rowlatt who fizzed a shot over the bar.
Clack then had a shot saved when he might have squared the ball to Jones.
It was 3-1 in the 71st minute following Chi’s best move of the match. Hutchings overlapped down the left and found Jones in the box who wasn’t going to miss from there.
Jones almost doubled his tally with a shot on the turn and a second go that was blocked for a corner.
The hosts, who’d threatened less after the visitors took the lead in the second half, brought Mowthorpe into action with a fierce shot into his midriff.
Chi wrapped the win up three minutes from time from the penalty spot through Clack after Hutchings was fouled.
Alfold are one of 20 teams making their first appearance in the FA Cup this season and face Shoreham in the extra preliminary round at the Recreation Ground in their next match.
Chi, who became the first team in 70 years to advance from the first stage of qualifying to the second round ‘proper’, will start the FA Cup this year with a preliminary round tie away against either Bournemouth or Basingstoke Town on Saturday 12th September a week ahead of the league opener at home to Ramsgate.
Before this Chi complete pre-season with their first fixtures at Oaklands Park since the coronavirus suspended football in March against Worthing on Tuesday 1st September and then Bognor on Friday 4th September. Both matches are all-ticket affairs.
Chichester – Mowthorpe, Davidson, Hutchings, Peake, Heath, Dunn, Penny, Trialist, Jones, Prichard, Haitham. Subs – (Rowlatt, Pashley, Clack, Vucaj)
