Mid Sussex League Premier Division
Huggetts Lane, Eastbourne
Admission: Free
Programme: None
Attendance: 15 (rough head count)
Although a couple of local cup finals were options for this evening, instead I decided to take in my first "silly season" game this year, taking advantage of an early evening game to go to straight after work, visiting grounds without floodlights that I would not normally visit, and to still be back home relatively early.
I have watched a game at Huggetts Lane once before, back in 2015, and not much has changed, with facilities as basic as they get at Step 7 level. Set in a recreation ground immediately adjacent to the A22 between Eastbourne and Polegate, a nice addition is the installation of a fixture board at the ground's entrance. A relatively small brick pavilion building is located close to the entrance and behind one of the goals, with refreshments available from there. The football pitch is marked out behind a children's play area, with one length close to the passing A22 road, the end opposite to the clubhouse has a row of housing, while behind the remaining length, is a cricket square and remainder of the cricket field, stretching to the perimeter hedge. The football pitch is not even roped off, but there are some semi-portable dugouts in place.
When I watched Willingdon reach the final of the Eastbourne FA Challenge Cup three weeks ago, they were second bottom in the table, but with plenty of games in hand to rise up the table. They have won both league games since then, to rise up to ninth place in the 13 club division, and still with plenty of games in hand, any threat of relegation has probably subsided now. Their overall record has been six wins and four draws from their 19 league games. Lindfield were up in fifth place in the table, following 11 wins and three draws from their 20 league games, and a third place finish would still very much be the aim, a point adrift with four games left to play. This evening would be the first meeting between the two clubs in the league this season, although when they met in the league cup exactly a month ago, Lindfield won 7-1.
As I left work, rain was falling but mercifully, considering there would be no cover available at the ground, it stopped just before kick-off, but with conditions remaining very overcast and cool. Lindfield started the stronger and did most of the attacking in the early stage, and on 21 minutes, a first time shot was blazed over the bar, although within a minute, Willingdon saw a curling shot from the edge of the area come back off the crossbar. And the game unexpectedly moved in the home side's favour with two goals in quick succession just after the half hour mark. On 35 minutes, a corner was floated towards the back post, the keeper couldn't grasp the ball Tom Addems bundled the ball over the line. And Willingdon doubled their lead two minutes later when, after an initial attempt on goal was blocked, Alex Burton slid the ball home at the far post.
The second half was a midfield battle for the most part, although Lindfield did have some good chances to get back into the game, most notably just after the hour mark, when a cross from the left was met with a looping header, and the Willingdon keeper did well to stretch up to tip the ball over the bar. But too many times the shots on goal were off target, and Willingdon came close to making absolutely sure of the three points on 79 minutes, when their player drove in from the left, shaking off a defender before striking a cross shot which came back off the bar. But in the end, Willingdon ended with their third successive 2-0 victory, staying in ninth, but in a much more comfortable mid-table position now.
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