Hailsham Town vs Wick and Barnham United
The Beaconsfield
SCFL Premier
March 8
Sometimes you get the feeling there’s someone up above looking down and having a laugh at all of us. SO when Nomad decided to take a trip to Hailsham on a cold Tuesday evening, the weather had to be hailing didn’t it?
The irony was that two planned trips to the town just north of Eastbourne had been put to one side by the weather. The game which I did catch was one of the few surviving another bout of wet weather sent by aforementioned by man in the sky to test the patience of groundsmen across Sussex.
I arrived at The Beaconsfield a little late (no change there then) after taking a little while to find the ground. It was part of a large sports complex in the centre of the town.
Parking was a little tight – but after squeezing in to a space on a nearby residential street, it was time to hop along the concrete path to the entrance way and be greeted by a happy turnstile attendant who took my six quid and handed over three programmes – one for the game against Wick and Barnham United, one from last month and one from the cancelled match against the opponents from back in October.
The generosity was not expected, neither either was the excellent quality of the set up at Hailsham. The whole set up was clearly a labour of love. Given the number of postponements due to bad weather the pitch was in excellent condition. Likewise for everything else around the pitch.
The only bad thing for those running a tight ship (sorry to keep things on the wet weather theme) is that on the pitch the Stringers as they are nicknamed had a poor season. This game against Wick and Barnham was a rare chance for the green and yellows to pick up three points in what has been a disappointing season so far. They were left looking potential relegation in the face sitting third bottom.
The bad news for the home side was that Wick – in one place above Hailsham at fourth bottom – had recently picked up in form. This had coincided with the return to the club of quick-footed and quick-thinking front man Dan Simmonds. The top scorer in the league showed his credentials and ran the home side’s back four ragged. He had a hand in all six of the Wick goals and should have had more.
The home side did manage a late consolation, a nice chip into the roof of the net which warmed the souls of the hardy bunch that stood through the wet weather till the bitter end.
When the full time came it was with a sense of relief but also a little bit of sadness. The hail may have hit Hailsham but it did not dampen Nomad’s spirits one bit.
THE ESSENTIALS
Hailsham Town FC
The Beaconsfield,
Western Road,
Hailsham,
East Sussex
BN27 3DN
http://www.hailshamtownfc.org.uk/
@hailshamtownfc
Getting there and away
Follow signs to Hailsham town centre off the A27 / A22. Turn off A22 at Diplocks Way roundabout. Ground is on the left (alleyway signposted
opposite SETYRES WEALDEN) just before end of Diplocks Way.
Nearest station: Polegate (five miles)
Clubhouse
Pretty good, nice and spacious with good view of the pitch.Nomad didn’t venture inside as he was too busy enjoying the famous Hailsham hail and three programmes….
Food and drink
Excellent offering. Plenty of staff and separate food and drink windows meant very little waiting time.
Programme
Good effort all round. Nice and informative with excellent layout. Being handed three for the price of one was a bonus too.
Toilets
No visit required but heard they did the job
MATCH FACTS
Hailsham Town 1
Wick and Barnham United 5
Attendance TBC
Hailsham Town
1. Sheldon Levett
2. Jack O’Sullivan
3. Marcus Goldsmith
4. Ashley Jarvis
5. Chris McFarlane
6. Steve Stracey
7. Tristan Jarvis
8. Harry Mills
9. Emmanuel Okinja
10.Danny Leach
11. Adebola Sotoyimbo
Subs
12. Joey Pout
14. Simon Stevens
15. Sam Collins
16. Oliver Nicholls
Wick and Barnham United
1. Billy Nash
2. Rob Dunlop
3. Chris Eyers
4. Darren Pearce
5. Kieron Playle-Howard
6. Rob Madden
7. Danny Tuners
8. Matthew Noble
9. Gary Norgate
10. Dan Simmonds
11. Andre Chick
Subs
12. Jacob Ebling
14. Jonathan Tucker
15. Joseph Nash
Chichester City Reserves vs Ferring Reserves
Many will know the county town of West Sussex for its grand cathedral which towers over the surrounding countryside, a relic of the key role the area played in Roam, Saxon and Norman times. A century on and it’s become a hotbed for lovies, the Festival Theatre being one of the best in the UK.
I took in the ground on a day of a double header. After dropping Mrs N off in Portsmouth I took in the village football of Sidlesham before heading back up into the city for, errr, City.
The game itself did not really matter.
Nomad left just after full time to stroll back to the car in the adjoining car park with a rainbow overhead.
Chichester,
Clubhouse
Programme
Southwick vs Haywards Heath Town
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.
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.
You can tell that hard times have fallen on this former giant of the Sussex non-league scene just by walking into the ground.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Southwick FC
Clubhouse
Toilets
Attendance TBC
16. Ivor McClymont
Sidlesham vs Saltdean United
And so with Mrs N spending the day in Portsmouth, it was time to flick through the fixture list to find some games out west. Nomad was in luck – with Sidlesham kicking off at 1 30pm in the Divison One cup.
It was a neat little set up with a makeshift hut forming a turnstile at the entrance where a steward munched on his sandwiches. On the right was the ground while directly in front was a 1960s clubhouse. The only problem was the very debatable music being played out the loud speaker – Now That’s What I Call Music is clearly an unknown entity out this way.
A walk down the corridor to the bar felt very long – as was the barman’s face when Nomad asked for a cup of tea. Turning about rather sharpish, fortunately the welcome from the tea shack which opened onto the pitch was a lot warmer.
On to the match and both sides are struggling towards the bottom of Divison One. Sidlesham were a tidy outfit but just lacked the ability to score goals, hence why they sat fourth bottom. The visitors, from Saltdean, just outside Brighton, we’re in the bottom two and in danger of relegation. With this match being in the league cup, Nomad was hoping for the league woes to be set to one side for an afternoon.
A few of the locals gathered as the teams came out – “it’s bumpy out there. I’ve rolled it twice this week already and it nearly threw me off the tractor…” He wasn’t wrong.
With 30 minutes left Nomad had seen enough. He went and got a cup of tea from the bloke in the tea shack – this time he was leaning out of the window overlooking the goal Saltdean were trying to defend – and then spent a little while admiring a nice looking stand on the right hand side of the pitch. After another 10 minutes it was time to hop in the car on the way to another game to tick off along the way.
Sidlesham FC
The number 51 bus takes about 20 minutes from Chichester and costs £2.
Not much content inside it but there was enough to give you a background on the club and the committed bunch who keep the village side running.
Sidelsham 4
5. Matt Scillick
Broadbridge Heath vs Pagham
I’ve nothing against Broadbridge Heath, I’ve got in- laws who live within a stones throw of the ground. It’s just one of those places which hardly screams “nice day out” when looking through the fixtures.
The good thing for Nomad is that late February was not the first time he had been to the club. The first attempt was back in October for an evening game. That was postponed just as Nomad had parked up outside the ground. Not that there was an official to tell me as much, I just gathered it from the fact no floodlights were on. Three other attempts to visit had also fallen foul of the weather, with Nomad in various stages of making his way up to the Bear’s Den – not least the day in which 
It sounds weird but parking up Nomad got the feeling of deja vu big time. All of the people parking up on this cold chilly evening seemed to be heading in the opposite direction towards Tesco. Only one person was with me in fighting against the crowd – but then they headed off into the leisure centre. So it was with great trepidation that I poked my head into where the admission shack was and asked “Is it on?”. “Yes Sir”, was the reply. I hurriedly paid my £6 entrance fee in the hope that would prevent the game being called off. After five attempts I’d made it. I was on the other side of the wall at last.
But what now? I have to admit I was left a little disappointed. The entrance went straight into a long covered stand with plenty of seats, primarily so people could watch the athletics. And beyond the track directly in front was a grassy area where the football would take place. I tried to get closer but the large signs strictly forbade it. The only sanctuary was the leisure centre cafe which could be accessed through some double doors. I grabbed a cup of tea, trying not to squirm when I handed over a couple of quid and got one coin in change, and then sat down to watch Sky News trying to keep warm ahead of kick off.
The opponents for the night were the Lions of Pagham, a side transformed under new manager Mark Bennett. Heath themselves though were on a good run, staging a remarkable come back against Arundel the match previous to win 4-3. Perching on one of the many empty seats about the half way line Nomad mused on what was to come: a clash of two hard-working teams who placed defence above offence.
Half time came and with Nomad’s hands frozen it was back to the cafe to hand over another couple of quid for a hot drink. “One goal will win it”, I thought to myself. And so it proved to be.
Broadbridge Heath FC
Clubhouse
Expensive but decent quality. A cup of tea will set you back close to £2, a hot chocolate or coffee similar. The quality is good but on a cold night it was quantity of hot rinks not quality that Nomad was more interested in. There was food available but there was no more cash in the pocket to pay for it.
Broadbridge Heath 0
6. Piers McDermott
Subs
As for the visitors and they look like a side transformed under new manager Mark Bennett. Totally solid wit their two banks of four, they are a hard but fair team who seem to have mastered the bend but do not break philosophy. With pace on the wings they are always a danger on the break. And as seen on the night, the Lions have plenty of people who can pop up with a goal when it matters.
St Francis Rangers 0
That is of course, unless you support St Francis Rangers.
Nomad had the pleasure of seeing the black and white stripped Rangers on the opening day of the season. A very youthful outtfit took on Horsham YMCA and were well and truly outclassed losing 7-0. Back then though, Nomad had no idea how bad things would turn out for St Francis.
Nomad had been looking forward to visiting St Francis’ ground for a while. And a rearranged game on a Wednesday evening gave the perfect chance to see the new look Rangers. There was a slight problem though in that their home, the Colwell Ground, was not the easiest to find. Driving in to Haywards Heath from the south, the floodlights could be seen miles away. The only problem was trying to navigate in through the new homes and the old hospital to get close to the action.
After three failed attempts, Nomad eventually found his way around the town’s ring road onto the main road which leads into the hospital. Then it was through the gates, onto the one-way system and over a few speed bumps towards the leisure complex at the bottom of the Princess Royal. Rangers are based down a little track where half way down you’ll be met by a committee member asking for your six pounds entry fee.
The ground itself was very tidy. At the entrance end was a clubhouse /changing rooms. Then a walkway led round to a covered area, the dugouts and a long stand on one side. From here you could see the Princess Royal lit up in full view – a reminder of Rangers’ history as St Francis Hospital, then St Francis until the amalgamation with Ansty Rangers in 2002.
Despite the early goal from United, Rangers’ held out for the rest of the half, sitting deep and trying to use the hill to aide some counter attacks. United on the other hand were content to dominate possession. But breaking down the blanket defence proved difficult. Both sides had a few chance but neither side could stick the ball away meaning that it remained 1-0 at the break.
It was like Rangers’ remembered these various newspaper headlines as after the break they lost some of their resolve. Perhaps it was tiredness, perhaps it was because United had the hill advantage, perhaps it’s because the Eastbourne side were a little more direct, perhaps it was because the Rangers’ goalkeeper had trouble kicking and clearing the lines. But most of the second 45 was played in the home side’s half. And United capitalised, Peter Cooper scoring twice.
It could have been more but for Jake Rudwick in the Rangers’ goal. A missed penalty caused the United manager to shout “where’s our killer instinct?” Well they found it in the last 20 minutes with the impressive Baitup getting a hat trick as the Rangers defence got tired from the constant pressure.
St Francis Rangers
Nearest Station: Haywards Heath (20 min walk)
Programme
St Francis Rangers 0
7. Raphael Tepe
Subs
As for their opponents and it was the first time I have seen Eastbourne United all season. They were solid at the back and their pace going forward was impressive. But it was hard to judge them against a side so intent at sitting back and standing firm. Liam Baitup is the obvious stand out player.Every attack went through him, whether it was passes into his feet or long balls for him to run on to. I’m sure better sides would think stop him and you stop the whole side.
Westfield vs Upper Beeding
One such club that suffered greatly was Westfield FC. Many of you won’t be aware of the club nor know where it is. But this village team that play in a hedged off field six miles outside of Hastings as a fine non-league footballing tradition. This is even more remarkable given that the village has just under 3,000 residents.
One thing did survive and that was the number six shirt which had been retired a few years earlier in memory of Graeme Kempster, a Westfield defender who died in a car crash close to his home. It may have been crumpled and still tarred by ash. But it gave those involved with the club something to rally around.
Having done a bit of research before the long drive out east, Nomad had all sorts of images implanted in his mind as to what the ground would look like. There was more time than expected to dwell on this after the sat nav took me to a caravan park a mile away and then my nose took me right past the narrow entrance.
It was a surprise that the home side remembered how to play football. Westfield, dressed in yellow and green, were last in league action on December 28. Their opponents, Upper Beeding, had played twice in that time, continuing an unbeaten run going back to the start of December.
After that it was all Beeding. Adopting the tactic of getting the ball forward early, the visitors’ frontmen beat the offside trap time and time again – much to the frustration of the home defence. Alex Townley and Sam Witherden both took advantage scoring one each in the space of five minutes. Beeding continued to dominate possession and play for the rest of the half so it was no surprise when James Rowland smashed in from 20 yards out as half time neared to make it 3-1.
That was surely that, Nomad mused as he chomped his way through a very satisfactory cheese burger from the tea shack. But that would do down a team that’s used to coming back from the brink.
The only thing that looked like stopping them was a lack of balls – literally – as the match balls kept on being kicked off into the bushes lining one side of the pitch. But they were not to be deterred and they got the equaliser as the clocked ticked towards 90, Ellis again getting on the scoresheet.
Westfield FC
Clubhouse
A good effort. Thanks to a very friendly man behind the bar Nomad was handed one of the last ones available. It looked good and had a nice feel to it. It also had a decent amount of editorial to it and a nice team sheet graphic. If there was a criticism it was that in places it did look a little ramshackled with lots of different sized typeprints but that’s being picky…
Very good. The bar was well stocked but the star of the show was the tea shack. It did a roaring trade of well-priced burgers and chips. So much so that by the time Nomad got round to ordering one a trip round the back to the big freezer was required. It took a little while to come, but when it did the £2.20 cheese burger hit the spot.
Westfield 3
6. Liam Ward
5. Danny Geard
Westfield though have made one major addition since I last saw them: striker Asher Grindle and his presence alone saw the side transformed. He made the opening goal for himself. But his aggression and attitude helped the team enormously, allowing others like Zak Ward and Sam Ellis to offer decent cameos.
Montpelier Villa 3
Albion have come a long way from the Withdean years. And it was somewhat ironic that Nomad’s Brighton non-league double header would see him make the two mile trek from two of the places where the Seagulls have called home. AFC Varndeanians may now be the occupants of the Withdean (read Nomad’s trip there here), but it’s up in Falmer – within shouting distance of the Albion’s new home – where their city rivals Montpelier Villa play their games.
Somewhat confusingly, Falmer – the place which Brighton and Hove Albion call home – is not actually in the city itself. Before the A27 dual carriageway was built, it was a quiet little village with a pub, church and a duck pond. But when the road builders moved in, the hamlet was split in two, linked by a footbridge over the busy dual carriageway below.
Being the second leg of a Brighton non-league double header, Nomad arrived at the Sports Pavilion on the campus just as the players were walking out from the dressing room for the second half. The only problem was that by the time Nomad found a place to park the teams had kicked off.
Trying to peer through the rain proved difficult, as did catching any pictures of the action. Even the board listing the line-ups for both teams received a battering with a large percentage of names smudged to smithereens. But both sides to their credit played some good stuff on what was a remarkably good and flat pitch.
But as the white and light blue shirts of Villa started to get dirtier, so the team’s fortunes started to get brighter. With the wind at their back, they pushed on and got a goal back almost immediately with Tod Brennan hitting home a loose ball thanks to a wicked deflection.
Beeding continued to battle and number nine Sam Witherden was only prevented from scoring after a last ditch tackle from a Villa defender. Sadly, the number nine was left injured on the pitch. And while he received treatment the Villa number five got a ticking off from the referee for walking off behind the goal and watering the plants. Like they needed the extra drenching….
Montpelier Villa,
Clubhouse
Was some available from within the complex itself. But due to being in a rush, Nomad went straight out onto the game.
Montpelier Villa 3
8. Nicholas Boutal
The danger man was number seven Samuel Terry, a tall quick winger who created chance after chance. Nicholas Boutal and Tod Brennan also performed well in the 45 minutes I saw.
AFC Varndeanians vs Hurstpierpoint
The Withdean stadium was only supposed to be Brighton and Hove Albion’s home for a couple of seasons at most. It gave the club a temporary base in the city after months of travelling 130 miles to Kent and back for their “home” games.
Fast forward to 2015/16 and the stadium is back hosting football. Only Messrs Murray, Oatway and Zamora have been replaced by a team of amateurs made of old boys from a local Brighton school – meet AFC Varndeanians.
AFC, or the V’s as they are known, have done so well they were accepted into division two of the Southern Combination Football League. And very well they are doing too, flying high in a very competitive division. Their opponents for the afternoon were Hurstpierpoint, who also have a long history but sadly are at the other end of the division. An away win looked as likely as Gus Poyet returning to the home dugout…
Cursing nostalgia, a short up hill walk later into the leisure centre to find out how to get in and I was told it was right around the top of the site and in round the back. What felt like a lifetime later and the memories flooded back – the portacabins remained, the changing rooms were still there and right at back was the stand behind the discus net which even those with 20-20 vision would struggle to see the action from.
Nomad’s trip down memory lane was then interrupted by the sound of studs on concrete. The players were coming out so it was up into the big main covered stand – which still remains for spectators at county athletics meets – to watch proceedings.
So it was across the athletics track and time to set up camp behind the goal for the onslaught. With a very quick and skilful front four, AFC scored three goals in the first 30 minutes – a nice side-footed finish from the top of the area by Curtis Gayler probably the stand out.
Half time came and it was time for Nomad to get his running spikes out. No, not because he was going to run 400 metres around the track a la Michael Johnson. But because it was off to another Combi game up the road (for more on that, check out the Montpelier Villa report….)
AFC Varndeanians,
Clubhouse
As with above. Cup of tea would have been nice in the drizzly weather and Nomad was sure the leisure centre offered such luxuries. But with a double header planned, this was not a priority.
AFC Varndeanians 7
7. Curtis Gayler
7. Ben Crickmore
In Curtis Galyer and Tariq Richards, there are two very good wingers while Ryan Gayler and Jack Langford both know where the goal is. Whether or not they can win the title though will depend on how they fare week to week in a very competitive division.
Loxwood vs Pagham
The growth of the world’s most popular sport went hand in hand with the growth of urban areas across the globe. Looking at England and it’s no surprise that the two most successful clubs – Manchester United and Liverpool – come from two of the most successful industrial towns in the country.
Loxwood is a place that not many people will have heard of. And if you’ve heard of it, you’d be hard pushed to find it on a map. But it does exist, promise – somewhere between Billingshurst, Horsham and Guildford. And if you find it you’re in for a treat.
Stepping out the car, the air was full of the smell that detergent companies have been trying to replicate for years. At first, the football pitch wasn’t apparent. But then between the trees you could hear shouts. Peeking a little further and there was a delightful little ground flanked by tall pines (or something similar) with a warm up ground to the right. Game on.
I was looking forward to seeing the home side. Coming from humble roots, this is a side which has been doing everything right on and off the pitch in recent years. They currently sit in the top half of the SCFL, with a very healthy goal difference. The club has also won awards for it’s sportsmanship. But it hasn’t always been like that.
The visitors were Pagham, a side who had changed a bit since I saw them less than a month ago when they lost 4-0 at home to Arundel. For a start they had a new manager at the helm – Mark Bennett, the man who led Littlehampton Town to the county league title last year, put in charge. And missing up front were strikers Dan Simmonds, who has scored more than 20 goals already; Crouchy, who is a good target man; and wide man Terrell Lewis, who was probably the Lions’ most dangerous attacking player.
Pagham also changed on the pitch too. Within the first 15 minutes it was clear that they had tightened up at the back significantly. Loxwood looked good on the ball. But the Lions two lines of four were tight meaning the Magpies were left with long shots or attempting delicate through balls to livewire frontman Charlie Pitcher. Neither of which worked too well. Aside from a few of the Pagham players shouting at the referee, it was a relatively quiet first 35 minutes.
Half time came and Nomad was ruing not making a trip to the cash point before setting out. With postponement’s plenty across the leagues, there was a bumper crowd at Plaistow Road to enjoy a football fix. As a result the clubhouse was packed with people grabbing a hot drink or some nice-smelling food to warm the cockles in the fresh January country air. Rooting around in every nook and crannie, Nomad managed to scramble together 90p and thank to a kind-hearted server managed to bag a cup of coffee. It was then back out to wander around the concrete walkway that surrounded the very neat ground.
Back on to the action and despite being a man down, Pagham showed some fighting spirit and withheld the Magpie assault. And with a willing front runner in Murfin (S.), they looked dangerous on the break too. Most of the action though was in Lions’ half as the Magpies pushed for a winner. But this was a side that looked like the played their best football on the counter and no matter what Loxwood tried, they just couldn’t break down the visitors’ defence.
As time ticked down, the Pagham boss Bennett was practically begging for the final whistle to come, so much so that one bloke in the crowd suggested he calm down a bit. “Why don’t you shut up you tree-hugging t***”, the manager shouted back. Charming. The man he had shouted down so articulately was the bloke who had got the game on in the first place, Loxwood’s groundsman.
Loxwood FC
Clubhouse
Food and drink
Pagham 2
10. Ollie Moore
12. Rob Brown
Pagham on the other hand are in rebuilding mode. Under new manager Mark Bennett they looked like a different team to the one Named saw get beat 4-0 to Arundel a month ago. They were solid at the back and looked up for a fight – probably too much so in some instances. Striker Scott Murfin was a handful not only to the defence with his constant pestering, but also to the referee, who he needlessly shouted and swore at. What was a surprise was to see Terrell Lewis on the bench. But he came on and his pace and trickery caused real problems – so much so that he turned into the game winner. But his efforts would not have mattered if it were not for the Pagham defence. And Daryl Wollers impressed, leading by example in marshalling the back four.
Carry on up the Combi 