Southern Combination League Division One
The Crouch, Seaford
Admission including Programme: £5.00
Attendance: 123
Still wanting to make the most of going to football whilst it is still possible, I had a good selection of games to choose from locally, but in the end I chose this game, with a visit to The Crouch always a pleasant experience, and for a game between two sides that are known to play good football.
My most recent visit to The Crouch was last December, and whilst there have been no major changes to the ground itself, there have been a number of Covid-19 induced changes. Usually, entrance to the ground is via a pathway next to the clubhouse, but as players emerge from the changing rooms along that path, spectators now enter via a different entrance to the recreation ground behind the far corner along the length, with the track and trace formalities taken care of, and a decent programme provided in exchange for the £5 entrance fee. The programme is very colourful and well designed, and consists of a 16 page generic shell, containing an attractive cover specific for this game, an introduction to the club and mainly advertising, and with a 12 page insert specific to this game, and containing a preview of the game, fixture and league table.
There seems to be a really upbeat atmosphere at Seaford Town these days, with the club making great strides in encouraging the locals to support the club, with initiatives like a supporter's card for £25 entitling holders to discounts at local businesses, and which can be upgraded to include a season ticket for an extra £50. So it is quite surprising that on the field, they have not made a great start to the season, picking up their only point from their opening game of the season, and losing their following three league games. Bexhill have had a perfect start to their league season, winning all four of their league games so far, yet are still not top of the table, with Littlehampton Town leading the way on goal difference.
On a mild and dry evening, the first half was a lively affair, with both sides looking to seize the initiative, and Seaford probably created more of the attacking moves, but that was to prove their undoing on 15 minutes when Bexhill opened the scoring. A low crossfield pass out to the left wing found Jack McLean, and he dribbled forward, past a defender before slotting the ball through to Sammy Bunn running into the penalty area, and he struck the ball first time low past the keeper. Seaford kept attacking however, and on 18 minutes, Jack Langford created a little space 25 yards out, and his long range shot came back off the post. But on 25 minutes, Bexhill doubled their lead with a very good goal on the counter, McLean again beating his man down and he ran down the left wing, before crossing the ball low into the box, and after a Bexhill player stepped over the ball, Charlie Curran drove the ball home from a central position 10 yards out. The game settled down after that, and the scoreline remained 0-2 to the visitors at the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, Seaford still looking to attack, and probably having more of the ball than they had in the first half, but the visitors dealt quite comfortably with the Seaford attacks. But Seaford did give themselves hope of getting something from the game on 87 minutes, when a corner was floated in and after the keeper fumbled the ball above his head, Chris Grant managed to bundle the ball home through a crowd of players. Bexhill had a great chance to restore their two goal lead with a quick break left three Bexhill players running forward against one defender, but the eventual shot was parried by the keeper, but they didn't need that extra goal in the end and the claimed the three points.
Video highlights of the game can be viewed by clicking here
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