Sussex RUR Cup Second Round
The Polegrove, Bexhill-on-Sea
Admission: £4.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 84
Match Rating: 3
Similar to my Saturday lunchtime game, this evening I decided to watch a cup game which offered the possibility of a giant killing, again with the home team playing two divisions below that of the visitors, although this would be a much more low-key event, no TV cameras present, and would be rather more local for me.
The Polegrove remains unchanged from recent seasons, still the ground is shared with the town's cricket club, with all facilities along one length including the fabulous mock Tudor brick and wooden stand, which offers views that are excellent in terms of elevation, but impeded by supporting pillars and the side walls with very weathered panes. The club still only charges £4 admission, which is quite remarkable and to very much be applauded these days, with a reasonable programme for an extra pound.
After opening the season with eight away matches in all competitions whilst the cricket season took priority for the ground, further delayed when a scheduled home cup match last Tuesday had to be reversed due to delays in re-erecting the floodlights, Bexhill United have started the season remarkably well, winning six and drawing two of their nine league games in the second tier of the Southern Combination League, Division One. Haywards Heath have just been promoted as champions of the Southern Combination League Premier Division into the Isthmian League Division One South and have had a solid start to life at Step 4, in ninth place having won three and drawn three of their opening nine league games.
On a mild evening - not always the case at this open venue very close to the seafront - winning this game seemed a tall order indeed for the hosts, with the visitors playing a strong team containing eight who started their last Isthmian League game, but this turned out to be a very even game, with little separating the two teams, and with a little more fortune, the underdogs could easily have created a not undeserved shock. The signs were there straight from kick-off, as Bexhill surged forward and forced a corner, although with three minutes on the clock, only a sliding clearance from a defender prevented a goal bound shot giving the visitors the lead. Bexhill created some great chances, and their hopes increased still further on 18 minutes when the Haywards Heath keeper Joshua Heyburn raced out of his area to save a shot and was shown the inevitable red card, with defender Sean Roddy donning the keeper's shirt. And Roddy did not look out of place in goal, making a couple of smart saves, but one had the feeling that Bexhill ideally should have taken a lead into the break, before the visitors had time at the break to reorganize. As it was, it still looked like being anyone's game at the break.
Six minutes after the break and Haywards Heath were given a great chance to equalise, when they were awarded a penalty for a handball. But the penalty was struck at a good height for the keeper Dan Rose to pull off an excellent save to his right. On the hour mark, Bexhill saw a shot from the edge of the area by Jack McClean palmed behind, but four minutes later, the visitors took the lead, Nathan Cooper powerfully heading home from a corner. Unfortunately, that did seem to kill the game as Bexhill struggled to threaten the Haywards Heath goal until injury time, when a low drilled shot from a corner was saved by the keeper's outstretched leg.
So in the end, Haywards Heath progressed to the next round as expected, but the Bexhill team gave a fantastic account of themselves, and really made Haywards Heath work hard for the win. Credit to the visitors as well though, grinding out the result despite playing over two thirds of the match with ten men, and the outfield stand-in keeper claiming a clean sheet.
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