Hailsham Town 0 v 5 Little Common

Tuesday 3rd September 2019
Southern Combination League Cup 1st Round
The Beaconsfield, Hailsham
Admission : £5.00
Programme: 50p
Attendance: 89

With a good selection of local league cup games to choose from on a mild evening, I chose one at a ground I had not yet visited this season, with the chance to witness a minor cupset, with the home team playing against a club from the division above.

There have not been any noticeable improvements to The Beaconsfield since last season, and in all honesty is becoming rather rough around the edges, not that that detracts from what is a pleasant and friendly place to watch football at. Admission remains good value at a fiver, and the programme even more so at just 50p, 36 pages packed with interesting articles to read about both clubs and the league.

This would be a tough game for Hailsham, who have not had a great start to their season and play a division below tonight's opponents. They have won one and lost the other three of their four Division One league games so far, and at the weekend exited the FA Vase at the first hurdle. Little Common have had a decent start to their campaign in the Premier Division, winning two and drawing one of their five league games so far. They have also progressed to the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, beating Isthmian League outfit Three Bridges in the process.

Hailsham actually started the game well, but it soon became evident that Little Common would pose a real threat with ball played forward, springing the offside trap, and on ten minutes such a ball set the forward clear but his eventual shot was placed just wide of the goal. But within a minute, the visitors did take the lead, again Jamie Crone latching onto a through ball, and he took a few touches around the keeper before striking the ball into the roof of the net. Both teams then had a couple of good chances, before Little Common doubled their lead on 37 minutes, when the ball was passed low across the goal, finding Crone beyond the far post, and he struck the ball home.

0-2 was how it remained at half time, giving Hailsham a mountain to climb, but they were playing well and looked to have a goal in them. But it was Little Common who scored the crucial third goal on 52 minutes, when a penalty was awarded for handball. Sam Cruttwell struck the ball into the bottom right corner, to all but decide the outcome of the game. To their credit, Hailsham's heads didn't drop and they kept battling away, but the visitors scored their fourth on 62 minutes when Crone received the ball in the penalty area and struck the ball past the keeper. Little Common were awarded another penalty on 69 minutes following a trip of the Little Common forward. Lewis Hole converted emphatically, into the top left corner. For the remainder of the game, still Hailsham kept battling away and several chances to grab a consolation goal, and saw one effort come back off the crossbar, but it was not to be, and the final scoreline was rather harsh on Hailsham. Little Common deserved their victory though, and in the next round will travel to AFC Uckfield or AFC Vardeanians.