FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round
The Sportsfield, Littlehampton
Admission : £6.00
Programme: £1.00, or online
Attendance: 130
I do not often watch games on Sundays, however today I was attracted by an unusual double of games in Littlehampton, both in the FA Vase, and starting with this interesting looking game between two clubs that have started their seasons strongly in their respective divisions. It also conjured up memories for me of a dramatic tie I watched between the clubs in an FA Cup tie at the Culverden Stadium back in 2005 when, after a 2-2 draw, 40 penalties were required to separate the two clubs, with Tunbridge Wells prevailing by 16-15.
I last visited The Sportsfield about 18 months ago, and not too much has changed since then, apart from the odd spruce-up. It remains a very pleasant and charming place to watch football at, although still the ground is shared with the cricket club, which is why this fixture had to take place on the Sunday. In terms of the programme, Littlehampton Town is currently "the best of all worlds", with an electronic version available to view a couple of days beforehand, whilst printed versions are also available to purchase for those that prefer a hard copy.
Littlehampton have had a great start to their season in the Step 6 Southern Combination Football League Division One, winning all four of their league games so far, conceding just one goal whilst scoring 11. Tunbridge Wells play a step higher, in the Step 5 Southern Counties League East Premier Division, and have also had a 100% record in the league so far this season, including an away win against their local rivals Crowborough Athletic on Bank Holiday Monday, a game I watched. It would be intriguing to see if home advantage could bridge the gap of the step difference, with both clubs in very good form.
In contrast to the bitterly cold, wintry day at the tail end of the "Beast from the East" I experienced on my last visit to The Sportsfield, conditions were mild today, with the sun shining through the clouds intermittently. The game started quite evenly, with Littlehampton probably having more of the ball without looking threatening with it. On 9 minutes, the visitors had a great chance to open the scoring, when the ball was fired in low across the six yard box, but just evaded several players for a tap in. Tunbridge Wells took the lead on 25 minutes, Danny Powell receiving the ball on the edge the area before setting himself to strike the ball into the top right corner. And the visitors doubled their lead on 34 minutes. The ball was threaded low into the path of Jack Hope, and he coolly slotted the ball home from a slight angle. And within a minute, they were awarded a penalty, when Euan Sahadow was fouled as he ran into the box, credit to the referee for still giving the penalty even though Sahadow stayed on his feet. Sahadow then struck the ball into the bottom right corner, sending the keeper the wrong way. That really gave Littlehampton a mountain to climb, and they really needed to pull a goal back before half time if they were to have any chance of getting back into the game, but Tunbridge Wells saw the half out quite comfortably.
Into the second half and on 55 minutes there was a sign it really wasn't going to be Littlehampton's day when they saw a goal bound shot from Ben Gray hit a team mate and the ball rebounded clear. For the most part, the pattern of the second half was Littlehampton battling to create openings, without much success, whilst Tunbridge Wells looked comfortable seeing the game out. And in the final minute of normal time, the visitors added gloss to the scoreline a ball played through the middle found Josh Froggatt, and although initially it looked like he might lob the keeper, instead he took a few touches before slotting the ball past the keeper.
So it was Tunbridge Wells who sealed progression to the next round where they will travel to Knaphill, of the Combined Counties League Premier Division, seeking revenge for a dismal 0-3 defeat they suffered on their last visit in the FA Vase in 2015.
The electronic version of the matchday programme can be viewed by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment