West Sussex League

Premier Division

Saturday 3rd December 2022

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Lavant 5 Petworth 2, attendance 19

8’ 1-0

19’ 2-0

42’ 2-1

43’ 3-1

48’ 4-1 (pen)

68’ 5-1

83’ 5-2

@ New Raughmere Park

Pook Lane

Lavant

PO18 0AH

No Admission or Programme.

I first visited Lavant on 22nd October 2012, when they lost 2-3 versus Bosham (att. 22) with the game played at Raughmere Park, situated about 300 yards further west along Pook Lane, where they got changed at the village hall and arrived by car. That ground is now under a new housing development. Then on 26th February this year I saw them draw 2-2 (att. 12) with today’s visitors Petworth, which was played at Florence Park in Chichester, which they used temporarily whilst the finishing touches were completed at their New Raughmere Park ground, which is on the opposite side of the road to Lavant Village Hall (where they have also played home games in the past, although not somewhere I managed to see a game at). It means they can now use their pitch all year round, as it is solely used for football, rather than shared with the local cricket club as previously. They still get changed across the road (same changing rooms used for all three grounds here) and walk across to the new pitch.

I wouldn’t normally pick a game like this, although it did complete the top division for me, as it was 2nd versus 10th (bottom) in the league table, but today I was missing my driver, so was reliant on a lift, or even god forbid, having to use public transport. In the end I was offered a lift, but had to get myself to Dorking to be picked up. I didn’t fancy risking a train (seem to be continually on strike?) so opted for the bus (first time I’ve used one in England since my teens!) which conveniently had a stop only a few hundred yards walk from the house. It wasn’t busy…just 6 other passengers on the way and just me on the return! At least they ran to time.

As for the game, it was far better than anticipated. They had played the reverse fixture last Saturday, which Lavant had won 6-2, but Petworth competed throughout and if they were to pick up a win from their games in hand on the two teams above them, they could climb to third bottom and out of the relegation zone.

The game went to form. Lavant were ahead after just eight minutes and were 2-0 up after nineteen. Three minutes before the break Petworth pulled one back, but the two goal lead was restored within a minute, when a cross from the right was tapped in at the far post. A penalty for Lavant saw them go 4-1 up three minutes into the second half and it was one way traffic for much of the second half. As we reached the hour mark the hosts had a goal disallowed for offside, then saw a header hit the crossbar a minute later. A cross from the left was slid in at the far post to make it 5-1 with just over twenty minutes left and a neat finish from just inside the corner of the 18 yard box saw Petworth pull it back to 5-2 with seven minutes left.