Southern Combination League Premier Division
Piddinghoe Avenue, Peacehaven
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 277
Match Rating: 3
Ideally, I wanted to visit at least one new ground today, however that would have involved a 200 mile plus round trip, leaving home at about 8am, which in the end I did not fancy, and instead I decided to take in a couple of revisits within East Sussex, starting with this very local derby, at a ground I last visited for a game in 2008.
Piddinghoe Avenue is located on the north eastern fringe of Peacehaven, and there is much to really enjoy about the ground, with a beautiful setting, plenty of character, and something to suit most people's needs in terms of facilities. Spectators enter via a turnstile block in one corner of the ground, and along the closest length, there is the main stand which contains most of the facilities - the clubhouse, tea bar window, a press box and a few steps to stand on in a rather intimate location. Covered standing is available in front of the various facilities. From this side, the South Downs make for a beautiful backdrop behind the opposite length, which has quite a long all-seater modern metallic stand straddling the half way line. Behind the goal closest to the entrance there is mainly hard standing, but with a metallic stand covering a few terrace steps by the far corner, whilst behind the other goal, there is also mainly hard standing, with a skeleton of a small stand covering a few rows of seating. The 24 page programme was really good for the level, printed in black and white and on glossy paper, but with plenty of interesting articles to read and all of the necessary stats provided.
Fortunes have contrasted wildly for both teams in recent years. Peacehaven were playing Step 3 football in the Isthmian League Premier Division as recently as the 2014-15 season, before the money dried up and have now steadied the ship back in the Southern Combination League, becoming fan owned at the start of this season. They came into this game in sixth place, following 11 wins and four draws from their 19 league games, and were three points adrift of leaders Haywards Heath. Saltdean were playing intermediate football during the 2011-12 season, but after finishing six points adrift at the bottom of Division One of the Southern Combination League the season before last, they won the division last season, and are more than holding their own in the top flight. They came into this game in ninth place, having won nine and drawn five of their 19 league games.
This game started in bright and sunny conditions, and the first half was a typical derby, a real midfield battle but with goalscoring chances at a premium. Peacehaven probably had slightly the better of proceeding, but it was no real surprise that the scoreline was goalless at the break.
The bright sunshine game way to increasing wind and downpours after the break, and the game really sparked into life on 51 minutes, when the home side took the lead. A corner was played short before being whipped in, and Conor Sidwell got his head to the ball to flick it into the far corner of the net via a slight deflection. Four minutes later though, and the visitors were awarded a penalty for pulling as the ball was flighted into the box. It looked a very soft award, but Rob O'Toole fired the ball into the bottom right of the goal, sending the keeper the wrong way. Saltdean were having the better of things now, and it wasn't too much of a surprise when they took the lead on 70 minutes with a lovely goal. A Peacehaven attack broke down, and a lovely ball high from just before the half way line over the defence allowed Ryan Warwick to run onto the ball by the outer corner of the penalty area, and he lobbed the ball perfectly over the keeper who had come out and into the empty net - a great, composed finish. The visitors sealed the points on 75 minutes, when Wes Mills met a corner with a firm header at the far post to head the ball across the keeper and into the net. Saltdean saw out the remainder of the game quite comfortable, as Peacehaven never threatened to pull a goal back and Saltdean claimed the win that, in the end, they deserved.
Video footage of all four goals can be viewed on the following web page :- https://twitter.com/YOURINSTREPLAY/status/945761714238361600
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