Mid Sussex League

Premier Division

Tuesday 16th April 2024

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.48

Balcombe 0 Cuckfield Rangers 3, attendance 23

24’ 0-1

25’ 0-2

31’ 0-3

@ Ifield Community College, 3G Pitch

Crawley Avenue

Ifield

Crawley

RH11 0DB

No Admission or Programme.

Each time I get within touching distance of seeing a game at every first team venue in the Sussex football pyramid, another new ground pops up. In an effort to get fixtures played, Balcombe moved this game to the 3G pitch here at Ifield Community College, which although having no designated spectator area, the Referee had no problem with us standing inside the cage, as long as you remained on the one side with both teams ‘benches’.

The match was 3rd versus 7th in the league table, with Balcombe trailing league leaders Reigate Priory by seven points, but having three games in hand, so they were very much in with a chance of the title. Cuckfield Rangers are comfortably mid table and will end up roughly where they were coming into this, so it was a bit of a surprise to see how much effort they put into winning this and certainly didn’t turn up with an end of season attitude towards the game. The opening goal came on twenty four minutes, when a back pass saw the ‘keeper totally fluff his attempt to clear the ball and it rolled past him into the corner of the net. A minute later it was 0-2, when a cross from the left was finished side footed from 10 yards and six minutes later it was 0-3, when a through ball was taken wide of the ‘keeper and finished from a tight angle. With the points won, Cuckfield eased off in the second half and Balcombe never looked like getting back into it.

The defeat has certainly dented Balcombe’s hopes as far as the title goes. Even their games in hand aren’t enough to lift them above Reigate Priory and Ringmer A.F.C. now and the three teams below them, namely Westfield, Oxted & District and Eastbourne United Association, all have enough games in hand to go above them as well.