East Sussex League Premier Division / Division One Supplementary Cup
Sidley Recreation Ground, Bexhill-on-Sea
Admission: None
Programme: None
Attendance: 8
For the first Saturday since the third Covid lockdown was eased sufficiently, last Monday, to allow grassroots football to resume, spectators were not officially permitted to be present at games, Fairly inevitably, this led to all manners of interpretation, with the general consensus that enclosed grounds or grounds on private land would be off-limits, but games played at open recreation grounds would be fair game, unless clubs made it explicitly clear that spectators should not attend. I decided to stay very local today, choosing a very low key game on an open recreation ground, incorporating a long walk in the process. It is hard to imagine a safer way to spend an afternoon in these Covid times. This game had the added dimension for me that the visiting club hailed from what was my home village for many years.
The Sidley Recreation Ground is about a mile and a half north of Bexhill-on-Sea town centre, lying just to the south of Sidley High Street. The headquarters of the Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club is passed en route, as well as Bexhill Down, the spiritual home of the football club. Facilities for football are very basic, unsurprisingly for a pitch rented out by the local council, consisting of just the one football pitch, without railing or dugouts, and with a brick building housing the changing rooms located in one corner, very much built to withstand vandalism. It's a ground not without charm however, closely lined along one length by trees, a raised grass bank stretching from the half way line, around and behind one of the goals, to the changing rooms. A hedge lines the other length, to one side of which is a children's playground and to the other, a zip wire, with a bowling green hidden behind the hedge. Behind the remaining goal, a BMX track is located below pitch level.
After the East Sussex League season was declared null and void, a cup competition was created for clubs wishing to take part, one of which was for clubs of the Premier Division and Division One. On paper, Wadhurst United were probably favourites for this game, playing in the higher division, and were in fourth place in the Premier Division when the season was ended, following three wins and two draws from their seven league games. Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club, to give the home side their full name, were going well in Division One, with four wins and a draw from their five league games.
On an overcast afternoon with a very chilly breeze blowing, particularly during the second half, it was Bexhill who made the stronger start, carving out some attacking moves, so it was something of a surprise when Wadhurst took the lead on 14 minutes, when their player received a short pass before clipping the ball past the keeper from close range. But on 23 minutes, Bexhill AAC were awarded a penalty for a foul as a corner was played into the box, and it was duly dispatched into the bottom right corner, leaving the keeper rooted. Four minutes later, the home side came so close to taking the lead, when the Wadhurst keeper fumbled the ball coming in from the left and the loose ball was struck goalwards, but took a deflection off a defender to loop the ball against the post. They hit the same post again a couple of minutes later following a powerful shot from the left edge of the area, and the woodwork was hit for the third time in 6 minutes, direct from a corner. Wadhurst had their moments too, but the scoreline remained 1-1 at the break.
The second half continued in a similar vein, with Bexhill doing most of the attacking, although again Wadhurst certainly had their moments. On 53 minutes, the Wadhurst pulled off a great save from a drilled shot from a central position following a cross in from the right, but they took the lead a minute later following a long throw-in which the keeper couldn't manage to claim, the ball was headed against the underside of the bar, and was bundled over the line. And five minutes later, they opened up a two goal advantage following an excellent diagonal pass towards the edge of the area, the striker took a few steps forward before lashing the ball home, palmed into the inside of the side netting by the Wadhurst keeper. Both sides created some decent chances in the remaining half hour, ensuring the game never felt settled right up to the closing stages, But it was Bexhill who got their campaign off to a perfect start, with six matches left to play, with the prize for winning their mini-league being a cup final against the winners of the other mini-league.
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