Hailsham Town 1 v 3 Little Common

Tuesday 30th January 2018
Southern Combination League Division One
The Beaconsfield, Hailsham
Admission: £5.00
Programme: 50p
Attendance: 60
Match Rating: 4

I don't regularly bother with midweek matches, certainly in the depths of winter, but I was inspired to take in my second consecutive Tuesday night action by an interesting fairly local derby between two sides I have soft spots for, and both of whom score quite freely.

After being denied promotion last season due to their home ground not passing ground grading – indeed, they would have been relegated to intermediate football had they not agreed a ground share at Eastbourne United's home ground The Oval this season, Little Common are having an even better season this time around. They came into this game top of the division by four points, having won 20 and drawn one of their 24 league games, and scored 81 goals in the process. Hailsham were in eleventh place, having won eight and drawn two of their 20 league games. In the reverse fixture played on August Bank Holiday Monday at The Oval, Little Common triumphed 3-0.

This game was originally due to be played on 30th December, but was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. The original programme for that match was on sale today, with a four page insert with up to date preview, stats and predicted line-ups.

Conditions were mainly dry at kick-off, with light drizzle falling during the first half, and surprisingly given the league positions, Hailsham had the better of the first half, looking energetic whilst Little Common struggled to get their game together. Hailsham took the lead on 26 minutes when Casey Ham dinked in a free kick from a “short corner” position, and Ashley Jarvis headed the ball home, despite the keeper getting a hand to it. They really should have doubled their lead on 33 mnutes. A lucky deflection sent Peter Cooper running from midfield towards goal, but faced with the keeper, he shot just wide of the left post.

The pitch was soft in the first half, but as the heavy drizzle fell at half time and throughout the second half, the pitch became quite treacherous as it cut up and players struggled to keep their footing. Gusty winds made for rather unpleasant playing conditions. Hailsham had another great chance to double their lead shortly after the break when the ball was passed back from the by-line but Sam Divall shot weakly into the keeper’s arms. Hailsham were looking fairly comfortable, until Little Common somewhat fortunately levelled the scores on 66 minutes, Adam Smith shot from outside the area taking a big deflection to wrong foot the stand-in keeper Jamie Salvidge (normally an outfield player who is also the Hailsham manager) and the ball went into the net. That goal out of the blue really did change the game, as Little Common looked much more the table toppers thereafter. They took the lead on 70 minutes when Lewis Parsons met a Wes Tate’s corner with a downward header into the net. The former Hailsham defender certainly enjoyed scoring against his old club, running the length of the line cupping his ears to the home fans. Little Common made sure of the three points that had looked in little doubt since the equaliser on 88 minutes. A long low diagonal pass into the box was flicked by Tate with his heel into the path of Lewis Hole, who passed the ball into the net.

The final scoreline certainly did not tell the story of the match, as Hailsham were on top for over an hour and the final result was a little harsh on them, but gaining three points coming from behind on a foul January evening is perhaps the sign of champions elect.