Southwick vs Haywards Heath Town
Old Barn Way
SCFL Division One
February 27
Attendance TBC
For those people who have travelled on the south coast train line between Brighton and Portsmouth, chances are you will have passed Southwick Football Club. It’s not that obvious. But providing you don’t blink, you’ll see the ground on your right just after leaving Portslade.
As a regular traveller, this was as near as Nomad had got to the Old Barn Way ground. Until a lovely balmy day in February which saw the Wickers of Southwick take on high-flying Haywards Heath Town in the SCFL Division One.
It was a bit of a crunch match really. The home side are on a bit of a resurgent streak after years in the doldrums.
Formed in 1882 in a town right on the Brighton and Hove border (well Portslade, actually) they were among the founders of the county league. Back in the day they were one of the finest clubs in the county, attracting many a former Brighton and Hove Albion player to manage them as their careers petered out. I know so, because Wikipedia told me.
Between 1920 and 1948, the club won the county league four times. Then in the 50s, they dabbled with the Metropolitan League, with the likes of third teams from Arsenal, West Ham and Spurs, before falling back again by the middle of the decade. The 60s saw a return to winning ways -and then in 1974/5 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time.
The 80s came and promotion to the Isthmian (now Ryman) followed. Then things went bad and until recently The Wickers were playing in the bottom division of the county league.
You can tell that hard times have fallen on this former giant of the Sussex non-league scene just by walking into the ground.
With a concrete terrace at one end and a clubhouse / stand down one side, it has the makings for holding a few thousand.
There is even a brick built press box – labelled so – albeit Nomad was too scared it may collapse to sit in it.
But all of this is rather faded, in a charming way – paint work is peeling off, advertising boards have fallen down and, no joke, I even saw a dead pigeon on the walkway. It’s one of those jobs that will take months, maybe years, of heavy grind to restore it to its former glory.
The good news is the club is on the up. Under present manager John Kilgarriff, The Wickers celebrated a double last season, winning Sussex county division 3 and the Sussex intermediate cup. The club has continued on this upward trend, performing well in the very competitive division one of the newly-formed Southern Combination Football League.
Standing in the way of another three points was another faded giant on the way up. Haywards Heath Town are another of the former Metropolitan League teams and, like The Wickers, are on the way up. Sitting top of the league they came into the game winning 19 in a row with their only defeat this term coming against, yup, Southwick on the opening day of the season. It promised to be a cracker.
Nomad arrived a little out of breath, miscalculating the time it would take to find a footbridge over the railway line from the coast road. But after jogging past the leisure centre towards the concrete turnstile, paying the entrance fee and picking up a rather decent programme Nomad emerged to see the teams wandering out.
There was a decent crowd in – many of whom were still supping in the adjacent clubhouse which looked out onto the ground – and it took a while to fight past them to get to the halfway line to take in the opening exchanges.
It was The Wickers tat started the brightest, their direct approach being a lot more suited to a very hard and uneven surface than Heath’s short passing. But, as has happens a lot this season, the Blues (who were playing in white) know how to score goals and just under 10 minutes in, Rob O’Toole steered a shot into the goal after the home side failed to deal with a free kick.
Heath nearly made it two when O’Toole tried to lob the goalkeeper from 40 yards out. But the scrambling Kieran Gillard made it back to his line just in time. Southwick did come back into the match, Tom Shelley up top causing a few problems. But the rest of the half was entertaining and combative but did not result in any more goals.
Half time came and with stomach rumbling Nomad sampled a very good burger from the tea shack. It was quite a wait but it did give a chance to wander around the relatively new changing room complex that Southwick was awarded £100,000 towards recently. It was certainly a welcome addition but the layout was confusing, particularly as supporters had to squeeze down a very narrow corridor to get to the toilets. Like the rest of the ground, it was need of some TLC to get it looking top notch.
Having said that, you couldn’t fault the enthusiasm of the locals for their team. With all ages represented, plus a healthy mix of men and women, this was what a community football should be like – somewhere for people to come and relax in their time off.
The second half came and Southwick once again looked bright. Despite the deficit, they certainly seemed to rattle Heath which the visitors adopting a more direct approach with the nippy Max Miller brought on to lead the front line. Both sides had chances but the keepers at both ends looked solid. On the hour mark, a corner from Town’s Callum Saunders forced Gillard back onto his line to punch it out and Nathan Cooper was there to make it 2-0.
That should have been game over but Southwick continued to battle. Rather belatedly they went two up top with 15 to go. It paid off. A scramble in the box led to lots of shouting and screaming. It was only after the intervention of a Russian linesperson that the goal was awarded. What followed was a bit of bad tempered as both teams got edgy. Accusations of all sorts were hurled between both dugouts. When the final whistle came, it was a welcome relief.
On reflection critics would say it was the end of an ugly game on a difficult pitch at a rather ramshackled ground. But to do so would be a disservice. The match was certainly entertaining while the surroundings were full of charm that few grounds have these days. I left over the footbridge next to the ground with a real spring in my step. What is clear now that Nomad has seen the set-up up close rather from a rail carriage is that Southwick Football Club is right back on track. With a bit of TLC and a few tins of paint, who knows what the future may hold.
THE ESSENTIALS
Southwick FC
Old Barn Way,
Southwick,
West Sussex
BN42 4NT
www.southwickfc.teamexpert.co.uk
@southwickfc1882
Getting there and away
Follow A27 from Brighton until the sign Southwick. Then follow signposts to Southwick Leisure Centre. The ground is adjacent to the Sports Centre.
Nearest Station: Fishersgate (5 min walk)
Clubhouse
A little dated but it certainly was appealing to the locals – so much so that Nomad could barely get in to get a drink. The area overlooking the pitch was a nice addition and certainly was popular, even on a balmy spring day.
Food and drink
Solid effort, Served out of a little window just inside the clubhouse, there was a good selection of hot food. Nomad opted for a burger, which was very good and decently priced. If there was a criticism is was that it took a little while to come – so much so that Nomad missed the first few minutes of the second half so he could chomp down the burger.
Toilets
A bit tight getting in but they did the job very well
MATCH FACTS
Southwick 1
Andy McDowell 80
Haywards Heath Town 2
Rob O’Toole 8;
Nathan Cooper 63
Attendance TBC
Southwick
1. Kieran Gillard
2. Elliott Tucker
3. Dean Lipscombe
4. Lee Denyer
5. Cameron McClymont
6. Jack Piner
7. Dean Smith
8. Jordan Peskett
9. Tom Shelley
10. Andy McDowell
21. Richard Hudson
Subs
12. Ross Myers
14. Daley McLennan
15. Ben Thomas
16. Ivor McClymont
17. John Kilgarriff
Haywards Heath Town
1. Simon Lehkyj
2. Josh Bryant
3. Bailie Rogers
4. Ryan Warwick
5. Tom Graves
6. Nathan Cooper
7. Callum Saunders
8. Matt Geard
9. Freddie Barker
10. Rob O’Toole
11. Danny Turner
Subs.
12. Jamie Weston
14. Max Miller
15. Jordan Harris
Carry on up the Combi 