Mid Sussex League Division Four South
New Barn Recreation Ground, Uckfield
Admission & Programme: None
Attendance: 20 (approximate)
Still wanting to watch as much football as possible now after the long enforced break without, options locally were extremely limited this evening, and so I decided to combine a walk on nearby Ashdown Forest with this game afterwards.
The New Barn Recreation Ground is located just to the south west of Uckfield town centre. It is an extended part of the Victoria Pleasure Grounds sporting complex, which is where I parked today, before walking past the cricket field, pavilion and football pitch where I have watched Uckfield Town (before their merger with AFC Uckfield) play in the past, and finally past a skate park and a caged “Multi-Use Games Area” which is situated behind one end of the New Barn Football pitch. It is a really pleasant and peaceful setting on a spring evening, with grass banking rising from about the half way line on both sides up around behind the goal, and this area would usually give a great view of the action, although this evening the low sun would shine right in one’s eyes from this end. Residential housing make the background for this end, with a school playing field beyond a hedge behind one length, whilst a wooded area lines the remaining length, which was the source of plenty of bird song this evening. There is no football furniture here, apart from corner flags with the club’s logo on, and the main pavilion of the Victoria Pleasure Ground would usually provide facilities for the teams.
Uckfield United were only formed last year, and have had a reasonable first season in the sixth tier of the Mid Sussex League, having won seven and drawn two of their 16 league games. They were in fourth place in the table, with a third place finish they best they could hope for - they went into this game two points adrift, but with a game in hand. Buxted II had won for and drawn three of their 15 league games, and they can finish no lower than the eighth place in the ten club division they currently occupied, and a good finish in their remaining three games could mean finishing a few places higher, as they have games in hand. The reverse fixture of this evening’s game took place less than a month ago, with Uckfield winning 0-3.
On a bright, sunny evening but with a fairly strong wind blowing, Uckfield dominated the early stages, but just couldn’t find the goal their play deserved, and they were made to pay the price on 20 minutes when they conceded a penalty following a long punt directed into the penalty area, the bounce slightly deceived the keeper who couldn’t grasp the ball, spilling it and then fouling the Buxted player as he struggled to retrieve the ball. The penalty was converted into the bottom right corner. And on 34 minutes, the visitors doubled their lead with a drilled shot from just outside the area which went in just inside the post, the keeper seeming to either react late or thought it was going wide. The goals seemed to take the wind out of Uckfield’s sails as Buxted were controlling the game by now, and were comfortable with their two goal lead at the break.
Into the second half and Uckfield had most of the possession without looking threatening, and the game seemed to be meandering towards a relatively comfortable away win. But Uckfield gave themselves hope on 78 minutes following a lovely goal by Harrison Burley, fired in from the edge of the area off the underside of the bar and bouncing over the line. But they didn’t really threaten to grab an equaliser in the remaining minutes and so the visitors claimed the three points which they probably deserved overall.
No comments:
Post a Comment