Mid Sussex League
Division 3 North
Saturday 12th April 2025
Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.03
Caterham 6 Dormansland Rockets 0, attendance 22
31’ 1-0
32’ 2-0
33’ 3-0
52’ 4-0
63’ 5-0
83’ 6-0
@ Caterham Pumas Youth F.C.
Fox Lane
Old Coulsdon
CR3 5QS
No Admission or Programme.
My quest to see a first team home game on every venue in the Sussex football pyramid continued today, albeit for a game between two teams from Surrey, on what could just be a one off game played here. It was the third time I’d seen Caterham host, each time being at a different venue and coincidentally, all played in April. First up was 2021, when they lost 0-5 to West Hoathley Reserves in Division 5 North, which was played at Queens Park in Caterham. Next was last year and a 2-6 defeat to A.S. Crawley in Division 3 North, played at Old Coulsdon Colts F.C. and today, it was at the home of Caterham Pumas F.C. in Old Coulsdon. It’s primarily a youth set up, with three separate areas of cover on the main youth pitch, two of which have seats, but today’s game was on what is currently the only full sized adult pitch, which had an excellent playing surface, but nothing else facility wise. It is to the right as you enter the complex from the car park, with the clubhouse/changing rooms in the building in the far left hand corner.
At least the match still had something on it, as far as Dormansland Rockets were concerned. They started the day in third place in the league table, trailing leaders A.S. Crawley by six points and second placed Wakehams Green by four points, but had a game in hand over both, so promotion was very much possible, as indeed was winning the league itself, but they’d need to win their last three games to have a realistic chance of achieving either. Caterham were 7th (out of 9) and already safe from going down, but with games in hand on all the clubs above them, could still manage a fourth place finish.
Dormansland were the better side early on, but failed to take advantage. Caterham broke the deadlock after thirty one minutes, with a first time shot into the bottom corner and amazingly scored twice more in the next two minutes to make it 3-0, firstly with an own goal, high into the roof of the net when trying to block a cross, quickly followed by a ricochet that fell perfectly for a side foot finish from close range. They thought they’d scored a penalty five minutes into the second half, but it was ruled out for ‘encroachment’ according to the Referee. Two minutes later they did score goal number four, when a corner from the left was smashed into the top corner from the edge of the 18 yard box. Just after the hour mark it was 5-0, touching in a cut back from the right at the near post and they rounded off the scoring when they added a sixth goal with seven minutes left, when a spectacular first time shot from inside the centre circle looped over the stranded ‘keeper, who could only turn and watch as the ball sailed over his head into the empty net.
