East Sussex League Premier Division One Supplementary Cup
Battle Recreation Ground, Battle
Admission & Programme: None
Attendance: 30 (estimate)
For this evening's game, I allowed myself a little nostalgia, returning to visit a town that I called home for several happy years, for my first visit to the Recreation Ground in three years.
Whilst there have been some quite significant changes to the wider Battle Recreation Ground, with quite extensive tarmac paths having been laid, along with a new bicycle track downhill from the football pitch, the football pitch itself and its immediate surroundings remain unchanged. So it still remains an appealing and enjoyable venue to watch football at, thanks to a steep grass bank running along one length, with spectators able to watch from the flat surface along the top bordered by a hedgerow, and with a few benches available to sit on. From this side, the background across the pitch is scenic, mostly large trees behind the goals and along the opposite length, save for a view of the countryside into the distance in one corner. Almost immediately behind the other length, there is a steep downward hill, which certainly kept a "ball boy" active as he regularly went to retrieve the balls that had bounced down the hill. A pavilion housing the changing rooms, and a wooden castle serving as a children's play area, are located above one corner, between the pitch and the main road. In recent times, Battle Town have been streaming their home games live on Facebook, although only the second half was this evening, accompanied by the commentary of club founder and former manager Gary Walsh. An impressive effort to very much be applauded in hopefully raising the profile and visibility of the club.
Battle Town is the new name for a club previously known as Battle Baptist, the change presumably with the goal of enabling the only football club in the town to appeal more to the general local community, rather than being perceived as a club that is focused towards those of Christian faith. For this fixture in the East Sussex League Supplementary Cup, involving clubs in the league's top two divisions, Battle would be favourites, playing in a higher division, and regularly competing for honours in recent seasons. When the regular league season was curtailed, they were in fifth place in the ten club Premier Division, following three wins and a draw from their five league games. In this Supplementary Cup competition, Battle won 3-0 at home to Division One outfit South Coast Athletico, before losing 3-2 away at fellow Premier Division outfit Wadhurst United. Bexhill A.A.C. were in third place in Division One in the regular league season, following four wins and a draw from their five league games, but were only three points adrift of the top two with two games in hand on both. In this supplementary competition they won both of their home games so far, both against Premier Division opposition in the shape of Wadhurst United 3-1 (a entertaining game that I watched) and then Robertsbridge United 2-1. In between, they lost 4-1 away at fellow Division One outfit South Coast Athletico.
Although the sun was shining this evening, enhancing the picturesque surroundings, a very chilly breeze ensured that it felt bitterly cold (by April standards, at least). Bexhill impressed in the first half, and took the lead on 7 minutes following a long ball played forwards which the Bexhill player latched onto, ran forward with the ball before striking the ball across the keeper and into the far corner. But on 14 minutes, Battle equalised when a corner was headed back across the keeper and into the net by Jamie Lindsey. The visitors then went back in front four minutes later when the ball was played to the byline which the Battle defender seemed to be covering, but was barged to one side by the Bexhill player, the ball was played low across the goal for a close range tap in. But on 28 minutes, Battle equalised for a second time. This time it was Bexhill's turn to appeal for a foul as the Battle player gained possession and dribbled in from the left and eventually the ball was played towards the six yard box and although a couple of defenders looked favourite to get there first to clear, Lindsey just managed to nip in first to tap the ball into the net for his second of the game.
2-2 was how it remained at half time, and into the second half it was Battle who gained the upper hand and looked the more likely to grab a winner. They thought they had scored on 72 minutes, when a slide rule low diagonal ball forward was tapped in at the far post, but the goal was ruled out for offside, with no real protests. Bexhill had their best chance of the second half on 74 minutes when a terrific shot from outside the area hit the bar, but four minutes later, Battle forced a parried save by the keeper following a free kick, and a follow up goalbound shot hit a defender. But on 84 minutes, Battle scored what turned out to be the winning goal. The ball was floated into the box, and the ball bounced off the keeper in his unconvincing attempt to claim the ball and behind for a corner, and unfortunately again the keeper couldn't claim the ball as it was floated in, and the ball was hooked into the net through a crowd of players by Lindsey to seal his hat-trick. Battle saw the game out fairly comfortably for a win which keeps them in the hunt to win the very open group and to reach the final of the competition.
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