Chichester City put four goals passed the Rocks at a rain-swept Nyewood Lane with former Bognor players Lloyd Rowlatt and Jimmy Wild both on the scoresheet.
Bognor had the first half chance as a clearance attempt by the Chichester defence bounced off Jasper Mather and narrowly wide on 7 minutes.
A left sided corner by Ethan Prichard met the head of Ryan Davidson in the box but his attempt bounced wide of the right post on 8 minutes.
Chichester City took the lead after only 10 minutes. Isaac Bello did well to slip a neat pass through on the deck between the defence to Lloyd Rowlatt who did well to slot it inside the left post.
Ethan Pritchard diverted a freekick over the crossbar on 13 minutes as the goal had set up the visitors nicely.
Tommy Block went into the book for reacting after a sliding tackle in the 14th minute.
Jimmy Wild, playing against his old team, slid onto a long pass to shoot along the turf and forcing Ryan Hall into a save soon after.
Mather was set through unexpectedly on 19 minutes as an inspired cross by Spencer Spurway that saw Kieran Magee who mistimed his run allowing the striker in. But Mather didn’t get any power in the shot and the ball was cleared.
Davies went into the book as well before Davidson was shown yellow for a similar circumstance in difficult conditions with 20 minutes gone.
Mather diverted a cross from the left wide in the air with his head from Matt Burgess’s freekick.
Burgess was blocked with his chance after a neat ball from Harvey Whyte on 27 minutes.
Jarvis played the ball forward to Mather who dug out a cross from the left but Magee gathered it on 37 minutes.
On 39 minutes City extended their lead as Joe Clarke scissor kicked the ball into the net after Bognor failed to clear the corner. He was unmarked when he booted it in, beating Hall to his left.
Starkey went into the book on 40 minutes after his late challenge inside Bognor’s half.
Things really weren’t going right for Bognor as Jarvis directly hit the side netting with his corner on 44 minutes.
Wild had a quick run inside from the byline to have another go but he won a corner after it was deflected into the side netting.
HT 0-2
Pritchard got Chichester City’s third of the day as Hall failed to clear the ball and the bouncing ball out fell to Prichard who fired it into the net with the goalkeeper stranded on 50 minutes.
Bognor got a goal back on 52 minutes. Mather made a good run before finishing the ball lowinto the net beyond a diving Magee.
Jarvis win a freekick with a strong win. Davies hit his chance into the side netting on 54 minutes.
Burgess did well to find Mather ahead of him and he beat his man and his low strike was denied by a stop from Magee at his near post on 60 minutes.
Wild netted Chichester’s fourth on 63 minutes. A square pass picked out Wild unmarked and he smashed it home with his left foot from the edge of the box.
Jarvis swung the ball in and it bounced to Dan Gifford who passed it back outside the box to Doug Tuck who diverted it straight over the bar on 70 minutes.
A yellow card was shown to Clarke for kicking the ball away after a freekick on 73 minutes.
Tuck smashed another low effort wide of the left post on 74 minutes from the edge of the box but this chance was deflected wide for a corner.
Burgess had another long-distanced chance on 80 minutes as he drilled a chance along the deck wide of the left post as Bognor were in search of their second goal.
Lewis Rustell did well to latch onto a loose ball at the back to shoot from outside the box, forcing a save from Hall. Then Hall had to flap at a cross from the left as the end was nearing for Bognor.
However, after 3 minutes of stoppage time, Bognor failed to trouble Magee in the Chichester goal and the Sussex rivals took all the points. Bognor are on the road next as they travel to Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday 4th January with kick off at 3pm.
FT 1 – 4
Rocks: Hall, Whyte, Jarvis, Davies (c), Spurway, Field, Block (Tuck 62), Burgess (Woolston 87), Starkey, Gifford (Higgs 70), Mather (Beale 70)
Sub not Used: Richardson
