Wittering United 0 A.F.C. Fernhurst 1, attendance 14
74’ 0-1 (pen)
@ Bracklesham Barn
Beech Avenue
Bracklesham Bay
PO20 8HU
No Admission or Programme.
My quest to see a match at every first team venue used for Saturday football in Sussex, continued with another trip to the South Coast and a cup match in the West Sussex League’s Bareham Trophy, where 8th in Division 2 South hosted 2nd in Division 3 South.
It wasn’t high on quality and neither side looked capable of scoring. Wittering did hit the crossbar early in the second half, with a cross/shot from the edge of the box, but it would have surely finished goalless, had it not been for a very soft looking penalty awarded late on for the the visitors. Even that only just beat the ‘keepers dive.
Chapel came into this game bottom of the table (11th) having taken just a single point from their opening five matches, whilst Angmering were sitting in fourth place, having won 4 and lost 2 of their first six games.
The game certainly went to form. Angmering were ahead within a minute of the kick off, breaking down the right and pulling back a cross for a side footed finish from 12 yards. It was 0-3 after twenty minutes, with the visitors in complete control, but they were unable to add to their tally as Chapel came into the game more.
Five minutes into the second half Chapel pulled it back to 1-3, but any hopes of a comeback soon disappeared when Angmering restored their three goal lead within minutes, tapping in from close range, after an initial effort had been blocked. The points were now safe, but the visitors still pushed for more goals, adding three more, all quality finishes, the pick of which made it 1-7 with five minutes left, breaking down the right before chipping into the far corner of the net from the angle of the 18 yard box.
I first visited A.F.C. Petersfield on 18th March 2017, when they lost 0-1 versus Upham in a Hampshire Premier League Division 1 match, played at Love Lane in Petersfield, on a ground adjacent to that of Petersfield Town. By the time of my next visit, on 22nd February 2020, they had moved to the 3G pitch at The Petersfield School, in Cranford Road, where I saw them host today’s visitors, losing 2-3, again in H.P.L.1.
This was a bit of a basement battle as 10th hosted 13th (bottom) in the league table. Petersfield had only managed two wins and one draw from their opening nine games, whilst Michelmersh had picked up just one point from seven matches. The two teams had conceded 61 goals between them, so there was a good chance this wouldn’t end goalless, although actually putting the ball in the opponents net is another matter, but no such problems today, especially for the hosts.
It took Petersfield just ten minutes to open the scoring, putting in a rebound from a shot that came back off the post, but Michelmersh levelled with a header fifteen minutes later. Three minutes before the break Petersfield went back in front, tapping in after a fumble by the ‘keeper. Two goals in the opening five minutes of the second half saw them go 4-1 up and it was game over. Two further goals increased the lead to 6-1 just after the hour mark, before number seven came ten minutes later, cutting in from the right and finishing left footed into the far corner. Michelmersh managed a consolation goal in stoppage time, when a diagonal free kick was headed back across the box and finished from close range, to make it 7-2.
With the amount of rain we’ve had in the South East over the last 24 hours or so, I played it safe and went for a 3G option today, completing the top division of the East Sussex League in the process. It was a decent game too, as 2nd (P6, W5, L1) in the league table hosted 1st (P5, W5). They also met in the Challenge Cup last week, which ended in a 2-0 win for Rye.
A flicked on header sent a striker clear to put Bexhill ahead with a one on one finish seven minutes in, but Rye levelled within five minutes, heading in at the near post from a cross on the right. Three minutes into the second half Bexhill went back in front, beating the offside trap before the cross was controlled and finished with a shot into the far corner of the net. The killer third goal for the hosts made it safe, when the ‘keeper was beaten by a 25 yard diagonal free kick that he appeared to think was going to go past the far post, as he made no attempt to react to it until it was too late. Three minutes into stoppage time Rye pulled a goal back, tapping in from close range after the ‘keeper spilled a cross, but it was too late to save their unbeaten start to the season.
Oddly, I need another Bexhill College ground to complete the entire league now, the Gunters Lane home of Division 2 side Bexhill Rovers.
