Isthmian League
South East Division
Saturday 7th January 2023
Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03
Haywards Heath Town 1 V.C.D. Athletic 1, attendance 279
65’ 1-0
76’ 1-1
@ Hanbury Park Stadium
Allen Road
Haywards Heath
RH16 3PT
£10 Admission
Programme available, didn’t bother buying.
With my earlier game in Uckfield finished shortly before 2 o’clock, it gave me ample time to drive the twenty five minutes or so west to Haywards Heath. The last time I came here was back in December 2009, when they were still in Sussex County League Division 3. That night they beat Dorking Wanderers 3-1 (att.68). It is fair to say both clubs have risen dramatically in the intervening years, especially the visitors!
Today’s match was 17th versus 9th in the league table. It wasn’t exactly a thriller and it looked at one stage that it was nailed on to finish goalless. The only decent chance in the first half saw Haywards Heath go close two minutes before the break, but an overhead kick was turned over the crossbar. The second half was better. In the opening five minutes the hosts went close, but shot wide. V.C.D. replied with a volley that was saved by the ‘keeper. Haywards Heath had an effort scrambled off the line, but with 25 minutes left the deadlock was finally broken. A foul on the edge of the D saw Alex Laing hit an unstoppable shot into the top corner. V.C.D. levelled with fourteen minutes left when a free kick from wide on the right was headed down from close range just crossed the line as a defender tried to clear. The visitors almost won it when a deflected shot was tipped over by Collings and when Jack Bath was sent off for the visitors (picking up a second yellow card) with two minutes of normal time left, both teams settled for a point apiece.
The rain that had been forecast for this afternoon arrived just as we headed into stoppage time. It was raining quite hard for the walk back to the car and the first 15 minutes of the drive home was particularly bad, with standing water across the whole road in a number of places.
