Friday 27th December 2019
Southern Combination League Premier Division
Priory Lane, Eastbourne
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 170
With the choice of visits to either Steyning Town or Langney Wanderers, a trip to the Shooting Field was in some ways more appealing, only because I had visited Priory Lane yet last Saturday, whereas my last visit to Steyning was two years ago to the very day. However, with a fairly long distance trip in store tomorrow, I chose this game instead.
This game would be more of a local derby than might first appear, as although Little Common village is seven miles away from Langney, Little Common Football Club have been playing their home fixtures in Eastbourne for the last couple of years, at Eastbourne United's ground The Oval. The league table hinted at a close encounter, separated by just two points in the table, having both played 18 league games. Langney Wanderers were in tenth place, having won seven and drawn five, but had lost their last three league games. There were two points ahead of Little Common, who had won seven and drawn three of their games.
Whilst I am loathe to criticise printed programmes in any way these days, tonight’s programme was somewhat overpriced at £2, but it had an attractive front cover, was printed in good quality paper, and covered the basics in presenting both clubs, and containing the league table and forthcoming fixtures.
On a cool evening with mist rolling in intermittently across the Pevensey Levels marshland, which became quite thick around the half time interval, this was a keenly contested game, entertaining for the very decent crowd in attendance and which got rather feisty at times and with the outcome seesawing right to the end. The visitors took the lead on 31 minutes, Sam Cruttwell drilling the ball low inside the keeper's near post from a free kick just outside the outer corner of the penalty area. Things got worse for the home side on 43 minutes, when a bad, late tackle provoked some pushing and shoving between the players, and Langney Wanderers' Harry Ducatel was shown a straight red card. Little Common held to their lead in the remaining minutes of the first half, which they just about deserved, showing more of the attacking intent.
However, Langney Wanderers certainly came out reinvigorated, and they got back in level terms on 52 minutes, when Gary Ingram struck the ball low through a crowd of players and past a possibly unsighted keeper following a corner. And three minutes later, Little Common had a player of their own sent off, Kian Mounted, for a late, high tackle, although the Langney players who surrounded the referee screaming for a red card probably had some influence on the decision. And on 62 minutes, Langney went into the lead, a ball down the right found the run of Ingram, and from an angle, he fired the ball low across the keeper and inside the far post. Both teams tested the other keeper with good fierce shots, but on 83 minutes, Little Common equalised, with a touch of good fortune. An initial shot from an angle was parried by the keeper, only for defender Daniel Blackmore to smash the ball high into his own net. Langney had a couple of chances to win the game in the closing minutes, but in the end the points were shared, which overall was probably a fair outcome of the match.
Video highlights can be viewed
by clicking here.
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