Hastings & District FA Internediate Cup Final
Pilot Field, Hastings
Admission including Programme: £4.00
Attendance: 250 (estimate)
Part of what I most enjoy about April is the local cup finals taking place, and I took in my first one of the season this evening, and at the same time payimg my first visit of the season to the Pilot Field, for an interesting looking clash between two clubs from small villages a few miles away from Hastings, and whose fortunes I do take an interest in.
This tie pitched together clubs from different leagues. Obviously, both divisions the play in have intermediate status, but there is no doubt that the division Westfield play in, the Mid Sussex League Premier Division, is stronger than the East Sussex League Premier Division which Crowhurst play in, with the East Sussex League Premier Division serving as a feeder league to the Mid Sussex League Premier Division (or Southern Combination League Division Two). And after some difficult recent years, things are looking very bright indeed for Westfield, now co-owned by Nottngham Forest player Steve Cook, and will imminently move out of their Parish Field home, a charming venue but one unsuitable if the club has any ambition to return to the National League System, and into a new ground with far superior facilities over the road. And they have had a decent season in the league, currently in fourth place, following 11 wins and and nine draws from their 23 league games, and that is probably where they will end the season. Crowhurst are also having a decent season, also in fourth place, following a nine wins and a draw from their 17 league games. To reach tonight's final, Crowhurst had beaten two fellow East Sussex League Premier Division outfits, first St Leonards Social on penalties after a 2-2 draw, and then division leaders Bexhill Town 4-2. Westfield had beaten East Sussex League Premier club Robertsbridge United 8-2, before being handed a walkover in the semi-final.
On a cool but sunny evening before nightfall, and in front of a pleasantly surprisingly very healthy crowd, including plenty of youngsters, this turned out to be, perhaps unsurprisingly, a rather one sided contest, as Westfield started the game very much on the front foot. In the third minute, the ball was fizzed in low from the left, but the striker couldn't get a clean enough connection to strike the ball on target. Crowhurst did look very vulernable to the ball into the left back area though, and that was how the opening goal came for Westfield, against the ball was drilled in from the left, and Josh Pickering tapped the ball home from close range. And they doubled their lead on when a diagonal ball just evaded the Crowhurst left back, allowing Ryan Moir to run towards goal from an angle before stabbing the ball through the keeper's legs. Crowhurst did have several chances in quick succession around the 35 minute mark. A strike from well outside the area was rifling towards the top right corner, forcing the keeper into an excellent finger tip save at full stretch, and from the corner, the ball was bundled towards goal but blocked on the line - with loud protests that the block was by a hand . Shortly after that, a Westfield sliced the ball narrowly wide of his own goal, and from the resulting corner, the ball was headed just wide of the far post. But it was Westfield who scored the next, and it felt, decisive goal in the 43rd minute, when a free kick was delivered into the box, taking a deflection before Harry Murphy stroked the ball home.
So, a commanding lead for Westfield at half time, and the destination of the cup seemed to have been as good as settled already, but Crowhurst got themselves back into the game within a minute of the restart, when Reece Johnson crossed the ball in from the right, and Dominic Clarke got just about enough on the ball to guide the ball home. They were not really able to build on that momentum though, and their task got a lot harder on the hour mark when they were reduced to ten men, when Karl Tomlin was shown a straight red card for a rather ugly forceful tackle. Westfield looked the more likely to score again, and they did eventually score their fourth on 81 minutes, when the ball was drilled in from the left and Pickering turned the ball home from six yards out. And they really should have scored a fifth on 85 minutes when the keeper came out to the side edge of his area, the Westfield winger wriggled around him before heading towards goal from an angle, but instead of passing to a better placed team mate, he tried to work space for himself before unleashing a shot which came back off the post. This was a little bit of a theme of the second half for Westfield, with players guilty of overplaying in the area, but that probably came from the relatively comfortable circumstances. But ultimately, the scoreline mattered little as Westfield were handed the trophy on the pitch shortly after the final whistle. But Crowhurst do have another shot at lifting a trophy this season, when they return to the Pilot Field in early May to contest the East Sussex League Premier Division Cup Final against Peche Hill Select. Westfield have just the one first team game left to play, when a point will secure their fourth place.
Video highlights of this game can be viewed by clicking here
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