Susses League Division 2
The Shooting Field, Steyning
Admission: £3.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 70
Match Rating: 3
For the opening Saturday of the league season, I decided to embark on a trip that is only possible, when relying on trains, in the opening and closing months of the season with enough daylight to allow a long walk to and from the ground. Indeed, long walks through the countryside to a rural County League ground is one of the highlights of a season for me. Today I chose to visit The Shooting Field, home of Steyning Town, for which I caught the train to Shoreham-by-Sea, from which most of the six mile walk, which took just under two hours, was along the winding River Arun, a scenic and peaceful walk, and ending by walking through the charming and historic villages of Bramber and Steyning.
It's fair to say that The Shooting Field has the look of a ground that has seen better days, with a generally messy appearance. As one enters the ground, there is a covered stand consisting of individual, movable chairs directly in front of a modern clubhouse, as well as as another small covered area mainly intended for standing but with a few chairs sprinkled around. Next to the main stand, there is a small, enclosed but disused "Vice-Presidents" building. Around the rest of the ground is some hard, but mostly grass, standing. Although the ground is adjacent to housing estates, a backdrop of the South Downs behind the main stand/clubhouse does give the ground a reasonably pleasant rural feel. The programme was a very average affair, with enough reading to keep me interested for about a minute - not the best value I've encountered for a pound, it's fair to say.
That Steyning Town are still in senior football is solely thanks to the ground regulations currently being enforced meaning that performance on the pitch last season was of secondary importance in terms of promotion and relegation. Apparently, should various ground improvements not materialise within the next couple of months, then relegation will loom. I know I am not alone in being baffled why clubs at this level, with crowds very rarely coming close to 100, have to meet so many excessive ground requirements. Last season Steyning finished second from bottom, with just four wins from their 34 games played, with Littlehampton finishing more comfortably in mid-table.
As for the game itself, this was very much a game of two halves, with Steyning having most of the possession and chances and deservedly going ahead on 40 minutes with a well judged header by Craig Walsh from a corner. From this point on, the game completely transformed, as Littlehampton had a shot cleared off the line within moments of falling behind, and in the second half, they were by far the stronger side. They were back on level terms within five minutes of the restart with a cool low driven shot from Gary Young, and claimed the deserved win when Jason Jarvis clipped the ball past the on-rushing Steyning goalkeeper. As the second-half wore on with the previously patchy showers becoming heavy constant rain, Littlehampton had some wonderful chances to increase their lead (although Steyning also had a couple of half chances), but the scoreline remained 1-2. As I embarked on the long walk back to Shoreham, I reflected on a very good game - not the most entertaining I have witnessed, but was played in a very competitive but fair spirit, with no bad fouls and credit to the officials who controlled the game excellently.
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