West Sussex League

Division 3 South

Saturday 6th September 2025

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59

A.F.C. Southbourne 1 Bognor Rovers 3, attendance 34

29’ 1-0

36’ 1-1

41’ 1-2

73’ 1-3

@ Clay Lane Sports Club

Clay Lane

Fishbourne

PO19 3JG

No Admission or Programme.

With the number of first team venues in Sussex I’ve yet to see a game at down in single figures, it was unusual to see a match involving two teams I’d never even seen play before today. A.F.C. Southbourne are based at the recently opened Clay Lane Sports Club, just to the west of Chichester. There’s a good sized car park, with a large brick built changing room building, which also housed toilets and a tea bar. The pitch is at the furthest point from here, running widthways, on the far side of the cricket square. Although there’s an overhang on the building, it is too distant to be able to really watch the game from, although I dare say it wouldn’t stop some from using it.

Both teams had played just one game each before today. Southbourne opened with an 8-1 win against Climping Rangers, whilst newly formed Bognor Rovers, based in Felpham, had drawn their game with Wittering United Reserves 1-1. There wasn’t much to separate the two teams today. Just before the half hour mark the hosts went in front, courtesy of a first time finish low into the bottom corner, after a defender failed to clear a cross. Seven minutes later we were all square again, when an initial save from the ‘keeper was followed in from close range. Four minutes before halftime Bognor made it 1-2, when a long ball forwards was finished with a first time shot into the far corner. Southbourne lost their ‘keeper to injury with just over twenty minutes left, replaced by an outfield player in goal and within five minutes found themselves 1-3 down, when a cross was nodded down and hit first time into the top corner of the net from the edge of the 18 yard box. A couple of minutes later there was a bout of pushing and shoving, including a number of home spectators running across the pitch to get involved, which resulted in a red card for Southbourne and the game as a contest was over and Bognor easily saw out the remaining time, including ten minutes of stoppage time, to take the three points.

Yeovil & District League

Division 2

Wednesday 3rd September 2025

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.26!

Baltonsborough 1 Keinton Mandeville 7, attendance 33

10’ 0-1

25’ 0-2

35’ 1-2

36’ 1-3

49’ 1-4

55’ 1-5

57’ 1-6

81’ 1-7

@ Baltonsborough Village Hall & Recreation Ground

Ham Street

Baltonsborough

BA6 8PX

No Admission or Programme.

A trip down to Somerset tonight, for the opening game for these two teams, whose villages are just four miles apart. I’d received a quick reply via text from the home club that the game was going ahead okay, which was good news, as all four top division games in this league scheduled for last night had been postponed. It’s just an open pitch, behind the village hall, with a small car park at the entrance. The pitch is at the furthest point from the buildings, running widthways, at the top end of a gentle slope that rises up from here. At least everyone was here early, enabling the game to get underway four minutes ahead of schedule, on a night of heavy cloud and frequent showers, although it only rained once during the game, a short downpour just after halftime.

As the score suggests, it was an easy win for the visitors. They were 0-2 up after twenty five minutes, but Baltonsborough pulled a goal back ten minutes later. Any hopes of a comeback disappeared a minute later though, when Keinton made it 1-3, dispossessing the fullback, before shooting in off the far post. A downward header at the far post saw them increase their lead just four minutes into the second half and a quick fire double saw them go 1-6 up before the hour. The scoring was rounded off with nine minutes left, heading in from a corner, to give the visitors a resounding win. The game finished at 20.02, when light was surprisingly still quite good.

The journey down the A303 was trouble free, despite a few very heavy periods of rain. Coming back was even easier, aided by just missing the closure of the M25 from J9 to J8.

Newport & District League

Premier X Division

Tuesday 2nd September 2025

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.04

Llanyrafon A.F.C. 0 Spencer Boys Club 4, attendance 52

10’ 0-1

23’ 0-2

54’ 0-3

89’ 0-4

@ Afon Park

Llanfrechfa Way

Llanyrafon

NP44 8HT

No Admission or Programme.

Two weeks ago I turned up here for a game, only to find out it had been postponed, but no such problem tonight. There’s a small car park, with a changing room building adjacent. A path leads round the back, between the allotments, which opens out into a large grassed area. The pitch is at the far end, about 200 yards away, with the pitch fully railed and having the framework of a dugout on each side, neither having either cover or seating.

The match was 4th versus 1st in the league table. I’d seen Spencer on the night I’d failed here at Llanyrafon and they looked really good in thrashing bottom of the table Afon Valley 14-0. It’s certainly hard to judge them against such poor opposition, but tonight was a much sterner test and they came through it with another impressive win. They were ahead after just ten minutes, when a through ball was lobbed over the ‘keeper from the edge of the box. Midway through the half they doubled their lead, when a cross wasn’t cleared and a shot was squeezed in off the inside of the far post. Nine minutes into the second half it was 0-3, courtesy of a superb lob over the ‘keeper from just inside the halfway line. They rounded off the scoring with a minute left, when a shot from the edge of the box was deflected into the bottom corner.

The game kicked off four minutes late, as the Referee only arrived at six o’clock, as he was under the impression it was an 18.30 kick off. No problem with the light though, as everyone stayed on the pitch at halftime and even with six minutes stoppage time at the end of the game, it was still finished by 19.47. Amazingly, no traffic problems whatsoever on the way down to Wales, helped by the seemingly never ending J10 roadworks finally gone (it’s only taken them 12 years). Trouble free journey home too, although they were getting ready to close three of the four lanes at J9 on the M25, although no idea what for.