With a hard overnight frost, it meant a game on an artificial pitch was the safest option today. I opted for this match, where Step 11 was hosting Step 8, as third place in Sevenoaks & District League Premier Division (P5 W4 L1) faced fourth place in Kent County League Division 1 Central & East (P9 W8 L1).
In the end the gap in playing levels between the two clubs was just too much for Leigh to overcome. Cuxton went ahead after ten minutes, finishing left footed with a shot into the bottom corner of the net from just inside the 18 yard box. They never really looked like relinquishing the lead and despite only adding to their tally in the last minute, curling a shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards, they comfortably coasted through to the next round.
This now completes the top division of the Sevenoaks & District League for me. Hopefully Leigh will return to their village ground one day, where I never saw them play. It currently only stages their reserve team matches.
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.
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.
This was 1st versus 3rd in the league table, between the only two unbeaten teams in this division. Crawley United had 4 wins and 3 draws (+ 11 GD) so far, whilst Acorns had 2 wins and 3 draws (+ 7 GD) from their games. The reverse fixture resulted in a 1-1 draw, which was the second league game for both clubs and they meet again next Saturday in the Stubbins Cup.
Acorns were the better side throughout and they looked well in command once they went ahead half an hour in, finishing side footed at the far post. It was game over just before the hour. A striker chased down a pass and managed to prevent the ball from crossing the by-line before clipping a shot between ’keeper and near post to put the visitors two up. The third came ten minutes from time, when a diagonal cross to the far post was put in at the second attempt, after the ’keeper had saved the first effort from a header.
The win sees Acorns leapfrog Nutfield into second place in the table on goal difference, both trailing Crawley United by three points, but with two games in hand.
A trip to The Forest of Dean today for the only ground I hadn’t previously visited in this league, as 7th in Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 2 (Step 9) hosted 10th in Gloucestershire County League (Step 7).
The game looked to be going to form, as the visitors opened the scoring half an hour in, before doubling their lead eight minutes later, but two minutes before halftime Mushet & Coalway gave themselves a lifeline, scrambling in a right wing cross at the far post to pull it back to 1-2.
A minute in to the second half it was 2-2, when a cross from the left touchline went over the ’keeper and in to the net off the far post. Remarkably, the hosts went in front with nineteen minutes left, playing a striker clear before he finished with a shot through the keeper’s legs. A minute into stoppage time Hardwicke deservedly grabbed an equaliser, sliding in at the far post from a flicked on header.
No extra time, or replay, so straight to penalties. The first five were scored, before the hosts had their third kick saved. Hardwicke then netted again, before Mushet & Coalway saw their last one smash against the crossbar to give the visitors a 2-4 win in the shootout.
Above : Mushet & Coalway miss the last penalty in the shootout.
I continued with my quest to see a game on every ground in Sussex that hosts first team Saturday football, with a venue that is certainly best visited when Brighton & Hove Albion are not at home, as the American Express Community Stadium is only half a mile to the east.
The match was 6th versus 4th in the league table and was pretty even throughout. A first half penalty saw the visitors go ahead and they made the game safe eighteen minutes from time, coolly finishing from the corner of the 18 yard box, with a shot into the far corner of the net, after a striker had been played through on goal.
Above : The visitors open the scoring from the penalty spot.Above : Note the railway sleepers on the grass banking that act as ’terracing’.
I last saw a Merrow home game back on 29th August 2005, played at The Urnfield, when they lost 1-5 to A.F.C. Wallingford in a Combined Counties League Division 1 match, during a five year spell playing at Step 6 and where the crowd was just 13. They have since moved to Albury Sports Club and are now playing two levels lower again, at Step 8, having spent life at Step 7 (Surrey Elite Intermediate League) from 2013-2021.
They came into this game bottom of the league table (previous incumbents Wrecclesham pulled out of the league yesterday), having lost their opening four games, whilst the visitors were sitting fifth, having won 2 and lost 2 of their four matches. It was a scrappy game, with very few clear cut chances. The visitors went ahead just before halftime, when a long throw was flicked on at the near post and possibly put across the line by a defender trying to clear, although it was hard to tell who got the final touch. The equaliser came five minutes into stoppage time at the end of the game, when the ball was played back in from the right and finished from close range.
Perhaps a sign of how Merrow have struggled this season, was the fact that one of their Centre Backs played in an old Tottenham Hotspur away shirt, minus a number, as there wasn’t a proper shirt to fit him, although to be fair, he didn’t perform as bad as he looked!
Apart from the football, there are a couple of interesting features within yards of the pitch. A WW2 plaque and a totem pole!
