Eastbourne Town 2 v 3 Little Common

Tuesday 8th December 2020

Southern Combination League Premier Division

The Saffrons, Eastbourne

Admission: £6.00

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: 230

It promised to be, literally, a freezing cold evening on the Sussex coast tonight, with temperatures forecast to hover just above freezing point, and when I returned to my car after work at 5pm, already my windscreen was covered in ice thanks to lingering freezing fog. Normally, such conditions would have very much made me think twice about venturing out to watch football in the evening, but after four weeks without football up to last Wednesday, I wanted to make up for lost time and take in every opportunity to watch games at the moment, and cold conditions would not put me off this evening, armed with four layers of clothing and my thickest winter coat, hat and gloves. 

This evening my local Step 5 / 6 league restarted after Lockdown 2, and I chose to pay my first visit of the season to The Saffrons, for something of a local derby between temporarily cross-town rivals, as Little Common currently continue to play their home fixtures away from their home village on the outskirts of Bexhill, at Eastbourne United's The Oval.

The only alterations to The Saffrons since my last visit in January have been Covid related. Now, the entrance closest to the town centre was not in use, instead all spectators had to enter via the entrance by the clubhouse between the football ground and the adjoining cricket field. The NHS track and trace QR code was readily available, and temperatures were taken next to the pay hut. It was great to see that Eastbourne Town still produce excellent programmes, with a unique, eye-catching front cover. Consisting of 32 pages, partly in colour, it contained photos from the club's most recent game, stats from the league, introduction of the visitors, a club history and news from the various teams within the club.

Eastbourne Town have had a decent start to their campaign, and came into this game in third place, following seven wins and a draw from their opening 11 league games. The Lockdown 2 break did not come at a good time for them, as they had won their previous four league games, and sealed progression in the Sussex Senior Cup with a 5-1 home win against Shoreham. Little Common were in 14th place, following three wins and three draws from their 10 league games.

Conditions were certainly freezing cold this evening, as the white glaze on any area of grass indicated, but mercifully there was no breeze which would have made it feel much colder still. Little Common made a great start, opening the scoring with just five minutes on the clock, after the ball was threaded through and Sam Cruttwell coolly slotted past the keeper. Eastbourne equalised on 14 minutes, after the ball was crossed low, and after an initial shot was blocked, Aaron Capon drilled the ball home. But on 37 minutes, the visitors were awarded a penalty after Kiyan Moynes broke clear and after reaching the penalty area, as he tried to knock the ball to one side of the keeper, the keeper brought Moynes down, although there were plenty of protests that he might have got the ball. Cruttwell stepped up to strike the ball into the bottom right corner from the spot. And Little Common kept their 1-2 lead at the break.

Eastbourne came out very much on the front foot after the break, and after a first time shot on the stretch shaved the woodwork on 52 minutes, they did equalise on the hour mark, after the ball was crossed in from the left, just evaded a defender and Capon tapped the ball home from close range. There only seemed to be one winner now, but after spurning a couple of great chances to move into the lead, the visitors were awarded their second penalty of the evening, again conceded by the keeper as he brought down Adam Smith on 76 minutes, and Cruttwell this time struck the penalty into the left side of the goal, to seal his hat-trick, and put his team back into the lead for the third time. In the remaining minutes, Eastbourne came so close to equalising yet again - on 79 minutes, after the keeper pulled off a smart save from a free-kick whipped in from the left, from the resultant corner he parried a header onto the cross bar, and from that resultant corner, a drilled shot from the edge of the area hit the bar and went over. On 84 minutes, Eastbourne hit the woodwork again when a floated cross brushed the bar, and two minutes into added on time, a curled cross from deep was helped on its way by a backwards header, but the ball dropped just over the bar. And so Little Common held on to claim a valuable three points, although Eastbourne Town will kick themselves for failing to get anything from a game they created plenty of chances in, points they could ill afford to drop as they chase a top two, promotion berth.

Wellingborough Town 1 v 0 Woodbridge Town

Saturday 5th December 2020, Kick-off 15.00

FA Vase Second Round

Dog and Duck Ground, Wellingborough

Admission: £7.00

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: TBC

So after four Saturdays without football thanks to the Covid Lockdown 2 (which wasn't really a lockdown apart from in areas where people may enjoy themselves), today was the day when a Saturday ground hop was finally possible again. Things were looking very precarious in the run-up to today though, as we first awaited news of which tier of restrictions each region would be placed in, virtually everywhere being placed in at least tier two, and then with an increasing number of clubs unwilling to resume at this point, either as they were in a Tier 3 region, or even for clubs in Tier Two, due to safety concerns, or for financial reasons, with clubhouse and tea bar activities made much more difficult to get approved. Having "rested" in groundhopping terms for the last month, I wanted a decent day out today, and a game in the FA Vase most appealed. With the constant uncertainty, I decided not to book train tickets in advance, which left this game as the most convenient and affordable option available. It also promised to be a decent game, between clubs from different league and who went on very good runs in this competition last season.

The Dog and Duck is about a 20 minute walk from Wellingborough train station, nestled amongst sprawling retail parks and located adjacent to Wellingborough Whitworth's home ground. After passing through a fairly narrow car park, entrance to the ground is gained by paying admission at a wooden hut, and Covid precautions were taken care of with a NHS track and trace QR code posted on the side wall, or pen and paper was provided for those who preferred to leave their details the old fashioned way, along with a hand sanitizer dispenser. To the right of the entrance pathway, in one corner of the ground, a collection of white and blue buildings perched above pitch level host the clubhouse, changing rooms and hospitality facilities, with a patio area to the front with benches and tables, and a large wooden hut selling hot and cold refreshments. Behind the rest of this end, the other end, and along one length, there is now just hard standing, after some stands in place in these areas were removed by AFC Rushden and Diamonds when they vacated the ground, which they had shared between 2012 and 2017. So now, the only covered furniture remaining straddles the half way line on the other side, a  more than adequate and fairly old fashioned all-seater stand (although it is possible to stand along the rear) and this area makes for a decent elevated vantage point, apart from a few narrow supporting pillars along the front. To the side of the stand is quite a large wooden hut, serving as a club shop. It was very pleasing that Wellingborough Town issue paper programmes, and a superb publication today's was too, 24 pages professionally and colourfully laid out, and with an abundance of interesting reading material about both clubs, the league, various welcome messages, fixtures, results and appearance information, as well as a thorough history of results for both clubs from previous seasons in the FA Vase. It was a very good example of there still being very much a place for printed programmes, when the material makes them worth buying and reading.

After the month long shutdown, form could not be taken into consideration for this fixture, however a glance at the respective league tables in their respective parallel divisions would suggest that the home side would be slight favourites to progress. Wellingborough Town were in fifth place in the United Counties League Premier Division, following five wins and five draws from their opening 13 league games, whilst Woodbridge were down in 17th place in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division, following two wins and two draws from their 11 league games. I watched Wellingborough lose 0-2 at Thetford Town on the opening day of this season in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, but to reach this round of the FA Vase, they beat Haverhill Rovers 2-0. They did well in last season's FA Vase, negotiating four rounds before eventually succumbing in Round Three. After reaching the Fourth Round of the FA Vase last season, today would be Woodbridge's opening game in this season's competition.

On a chilly but sunny afternoon, and on a pitch that was soft and heavy, this was to be a very tight game, mostly a midfield battle although both sides managed to create several decent chances to score. On 14 minutes, the home side saw a cross floated in from the left and the ball was headed just over the bar, whilst on 25 minutes, it was the visitors' turn to see a header go just over the bar. On 35 minutes, a Wellingborough shot on the run from just outside the area went just over the bar, whilst on 39 minutes, an overhead kick forced the visiting keeper into a decent save low to his left. Woodbridge had the best chance of the first half on 44 minutes when the ball was played forward, sending his team-mate clear and he tapped the ball to one side of the keeper who had come out to close him down, and the shot at goal was blocked by a covering defender. And so the scoreline was to remain goalless at the break.

The second half was to follow a similar pattern, although it was the visitors who created the more chances. On 61 minutes, a dangerous ball towards the six yard box was hooked away just in time, then on 68 minutes, the visitors won possession by the edge of the area, and the eventual shot was curled just over, whilst on 73 minutes, a drilled shot went just wide of the far post. But as penalties started to loom large, the deadlock was finally broken on 77 minutes, when a Wellingborough free kick from close to the left hand touchline was floated into the box, and the  ball was headed into the bottom left corner. Woodbridge battled hard to save the tie, but never really looked likely to grab an equaliser, and it was Wellingborough who really should have scored again, three minutes into added on time, when their forward ran clear from close to the half way line, but as the keeper came out, the ball was struck just wide of the left hand post. It mattered little as the referee blew the final whistle shortly afterwards to seal their progress to the third round, scheduled to be played in a fortnight's time.

Bexhill United 9 v 0 Westfield

Wednesday 2nd December 2020, Kick-off 19.30
Mid-season Friendly

The Polegrove, Bexhill-on-Sea

Admission: £3.00

Programme: None

Attendance: 80 (estimate)

So, after 4 weeks, or 27 days to be more precise, of the national lockdown imposed to reduce the rising number of Covid-19 infections within the UK preventing all "non-elite"football being played, football finally returned this evening, in this oddest of seasons. The restart was certainly looking very precarious, with most of the south-east placed under Tier 2 restrictions, but with Kent being placed in Tier 3, and with leagues either delaying their restart or allowing their member clubs to opt out of fixtures for the coming weeks - either due to safety concerns, or for financial reasons, with clubhouses now allowed to be opened, it would be a rather sketchy, bordering on farcical restart to the football season. Not for my local league, the Southern Combination League, however, as its member clubs voted in favour of restarting their season, albeit subject to periodic reviews. 

Having had quite enough of life without football during the autumnal months, I grabbed the chance to take in a game at the first available opportunity, when this fixture at The Polegrove was announced. It was difficult to know what to expect from the game, with no group training nor games having taken place for the last four weeks, today being the very first day out of lockdown. Before the season was halted, Bexhill have had a fabulous start to their season in the Southern Combination League Division One, leading the table following eight wins and a draw from their opening nine games. Westfield play a step below, in the Mid Sussex League Premier Division, and currently lie in ninth place, following three wins and four defeats from their opening seven league games. Tonight's clubs met in pre-season, back in August at the Parish Field in the Westfield Invitational Cup Final, with Bexhill winning 1-4, a game I watched. I experience similar feelings of relief that evening as I did tonight, as that was the first time that spectators were able to watch a game at a Step 7 venue, against a club from the National League System.

For this evening's fixture, obviously no programme was produced, and in addition to the Covid measure required pre Lockdown - leaving contact details via the NHS QR code or by paper, and hand sanitiser gel readily available - now the clubhouse had to be made out of bounds, and instead, snacks were available from a table by the clubhouse door, and hot drinks from a wooden hut. No alcohol was available, as per the latest Covid regulations.

On a chilly evening, with drizzle arriving during the second half, this game was as one-sided as the scoreline suggests, proving to be a thoroughly chastening experience for Westfield, whose players struggled to gain possession, far too readily gave possession away when they did have it, and allowed the Bexhill players far too much room particularly during the first half. Bexhill took the lead on 5 minutes, after a shot was parried and the rebound was tucked home, and the second followed on 13 minutes, a lovely jinking run past several Westfield players and into the box ended with the ball being slotted past the keeper. On 24 minutes, after Westfield took a foul throw, the ball was worked around the penalty area before eventually being steered into the top corner with the keeper static. On 27 minutes, Bexhill scored their fourth, after a run through the middle, the ball was played out wide to Jack McLean, who cut inside before fired a low curling shot just inside the far post. And on 35 minutes, Bexhill were awarded a penalty for a trip just inside the box, which was converted into the left side of the goal, sending the keeper the wrong way. Happily for Westfield, the scoreline remained at "just" the five - it could have been several more.

They certainly were a lot tighter in the second half, not giving away possession quite so readily, although the goals did still keep coming. In 57 minutes, a free kick from deep was launched into the box, and the loose ball was guided home, and four minutes later came an almost unbelievable miss when, following a great slalom run down the left, the ball was passed to his team mate but, a few yards out in a central position, he couldn't connect with the ball. On 71 minutes, Bexhill did score their seventh with their second penalty of the evening, awarded when a Bexhill forward challenged the keeper to a ball that bounced up high, and unusually the keeper was penalised. It was converted into the right side of the goal, with the keeper motionless. Bexhill's eighth followed on 81 minutes, after and initial drilled shot from the edge of the area and the rebound was tapped home, and they made it nine five minutes from time after the ball was threaded through the middle, the Bexhill forward running clear from virtually the half way line, and credit to the Bexhill forward who had all the time in the world to think about what to do, eventually calmly rolling the ball past the keeper.

So, a perfect way for Bexhill to dust the cobwebs off after a month of inaction, and although Westfield's play certainly helped them, as Bexhill exploited the visitors' rustiness, when Bexhill are on form they are a joy to watch with their attacking, incisive play that causes big problems for defences in their own division, let alone a club from a step below. But of course, scorelines count for little and this evening was really just all about regaining match fitness levels after a month of having to "down tools"