West Sussex League

Premier Division

Saturday 26th February 2022

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.02

Lavant 2 Petworth 2, attendance 12

11’ 0-1

18’ 1-1

67’ 1-2

88’ 2-2

@ Florence Park

Pound Farm Road

Chichester

PO19 7TB

No Admission or Programme.

When I last saw Lavant play at home, it was at Raughmere Park, in the village itself, but that ground has been given over to housing. They are developing a new ground further down the hill, on the opposite side of the road to the Village Hall, which they are hoping will be in use for the start of next season. In the meantime, they are playing this season’s home games at Florence Park, in Chichester. After today, they only have two more games scheduled here, both of which I am unavailable for, so it was the ideal time to tick this one off, which would once again complete the top division for me.

The game was a real basement battle, as bottom of the table hosted second bottom. Lavant had only managed to pick up three points from their opening thirteen matches, all from draws, whilst Petworth had managed two wins and two draws from their eleven matches so far.

Lavant are under new management for the final five games of the season, but it will be more about turning their fortunes round for next season, as avoiding relegation this time round now looks very unlikely, having failed to take all three points today. Petworth took the lead on eleven minutes, but Lavant levelled the score within seven minutes and it was still 1-1 at halftime. Midway through the second half the visitors edged back in front and really should have gone on to win the game, but having failed to take a number of good chances, they were pegged back with just two minutes left. A diagonal ball into the box, from a free kick out on the right, saw a looping header at the far post go over the ’keeper and drop in the far corner to give the hosts a share of the points.