Nutley 4 v 1 Forest Row II

Easter Monday 5th April 2021, Kick-off 13.00

Mid Sussex League Division Three North

Fords Green, Nutley

Admission: None

Programme: None

Attendance: N/A

Following my morning game at Fletching, I was rather grateful for a slightly early kick-off there, and a half time interval of just a few minutes, which allowed me sufficient time to make my way on the five mile journey north eastwards for this fixture in the division below.

Fords Green is a venue I have driven past many times over the years, located immediately adjacent to the A22, and at the southern boundary of the village of Nutley. The green is triangular in shape and is shared with cricket, with one length of the football pitch closely lined a low metal railings separating the ground from a passing dirt lane, with the cricket square and wider field behind the other length. A brick pavilion is located behind one of the goals, next to a children's playground, whilst behind the other, a row of tall trees separates the ground from the A22. The football pitch was taped off, and some club banners attached to the railings, and a pop-up banner with the club's crest are nice touches, adding some identity to the venue. 

Nutley are going well this season, and came into this game in second place in the table, following seven wins and three draws from their 12 league games, and they restarted their season on Saturday with a 3-1 home win against leaders Pound Hill to draw level on points, but have played a game more. Forest Row II were in fifth place, following five wins and two draws from their 11 league games, and on Saturday, they restarted their season with a 3-3 draw away at Rotherfield II. These two teams have already met in the league season at Fords Green, with that game ending in a 1-1 draw in the last game before Christmas and the third Covid lockdown. Indeed, today's fixture should have been played at Forest Row, but was switched to Nutley.

On a very chilly afternoon, mostly cloudy with the odd sunny spell, but also the odd snow shower, Nutley started the game really positively and duly took the lead on 5 minutes when the ball was crossed in from the right and was turned in from close range at the far post. And they doubled their lead on 12 minutes after the ball was played forward and the Nutley player touched it past a defender before striking it past the keeper. However, Forest Row pulled a goal back four minutes later when the ball was dinked in, skimmed off a Nutley defender's head and was then struck low into the bottom right corner. The game became more even after that and despite plenty of huff and puff from both sides, there were not many further goalscoring chances created apart from a decent effort from Forest Row on 39 minutes, when a Forest Row player went on a surging run down the left, just managing to keep a defender tracking back at bay, and his eventual shot was blocked by the keeper's legs.

So at half time the game was very much in the balance, and the next goal would be crucial. And on 65 minutes, it would be Nutley who scored it after the ball was played in from the left, a defender could only get a faint slice on the ball and the ball rolled into the path of a Nutley player who ran on and fired the ball home via quite a firm palm from the keeper. And on 71 minutes, Nutley virtually ensured that they would collect all three points from this game when a lovely shot from the outer corner of the area squirmed through the keeper's hands and into the net. The rest of the game was played out without much incident, and the three goal margin and four goals scored was sufficient to lift Nutley to the top of the table by virtue of having scored one goal more than Pound Hill. 

Fletching 1 v 6 Burgess Hill Rhinos

Easter Monday 5th April 2021, Scheduled Kick-off 11.00 (actual 10.55)
Mid Sussex League Division Two South

Recreation Ground, Fletching

Admission: None

Programme: None

Attendance: N/A

For this Easter Monday, I continued my tour of some of the more humble football venues deep down the football pyramid with a trip to rural East Sussex for a double of Mid Sussex League games, starting with this one in the fourth tier of the Mid Sussex League - step 10 in non league football. With watching football on public recreation grounds something of a grey area under the current Covid restrictions, I recalled on a walk from Fletching to Newick last summer that there is a public football running right alongside the touchline at the Fletching Recreation Ground, and so I chose this as a relatively safe option.

The Fletching Recreation Ground is located just to the south-east of the tiny village of Fletching, which has just over 1,000 inhabitants and is located about three miles west of Uckfield. Facilities are shared with the cricket club, with the football pitch based on the far side of the cricket outfield away from the clubhouse building, with a hedge lining the length opposite the cricket square, and the village's church spire and some farm buildings make for a pleasingly rural backdrop, as does the long ranging countryside view behind one of the goals, looking out towards the neighbouring village of Newick, with cows in the field closest. All in all, a very rural, peaceful and pleasant village location. The pitch has a slight slope from end to end.

The Mid Sussex League decided to resume and play out the full season for most of their divisions (except the top two), and Fletching have work to do to pull themselves away from the foot of the table, coming into this game in ninth place in the ten team division, following three wins and a draw from their opening ten league games, but on Saturday they gained an important 4-3 win at home to bottom of the table AFC Varndeanians III. Burgess Hill Rhinos were up in fourth place in the table, following six wins and three draws from their eleven league games, and on Saturday secured a 1-3 win away to Willingdon Athletic II.

On a bitterly cold morning, mostly overcast with occasional sleet showers, the visitors dominated from the start, probably helped by kicking down the slope during the first half, and they took the lead on 20 minutes when a long range shot was blocked by the keeper but the ball spilled out for a team mate who was first to race onto the loose ball to tap home. And they doubled their lead on 32 minutes when their player kept running with the ball from deep, keeping a defender tracking back at bay, before powerfully striking the ball, and which the keeper could only palm into the inside of the side netting. In one of their rare attacks, Fletching did pull a goal back on 40 minutes, when a free kick from deep was headed home, but any hopes of a come back were almost immediately extinguished when the visitors restored their two goal lead virtually straight from the restart when a low shot from outside of the area and at a slight angle was struck across the keeper and inside the far post.

Into the second half and Fletching, whilst having their moments and battling gamely, never looked like to get back into the game, and the visitors scored their fourth on 59 minutes, after the ball was cutely slipped past a defender down the left before the ball was crossed into the box, just evading a couple of defenders but was headed home from close range into the roof of the net. The visitors added their fifth on 69 minutes following a corner and some bobbling headers in the box ended with the ball being headed home from close range, and five minutes later they added a sixth after the ball was intercepted, and the Rhinos player took a few steps forward before lashing the ball low inside the far post. Only an excellent reflex parried save from the keeper following a shot on the turn denied the visitors their seventh on 81 minutes, but it mattered little as they completed their second win from two following the restart to remain in fourth and just a point adrift of second placed Ditchling. Their six goals today were shared out equally between Dan Cummins, Mark Hurst and Alex Strange . As for Fletching, with no teams immediately above them winning, they are still well placed to rise higher in the table

Bexhill A.A.C. 3 v 1 Wadhurst United

Saturday 3rd April 2021, Kick-off 15.00

East Sussex League Premier Division / Division One Supplementary Cup

Sidley Recreation Ground, Bexhill-on-Sea

Admission: None

Programme: None

Attendance: 8

For the first Saturday since the third Covid lockdown was eased sufficiently, last Monday, to allow grassroots football to resume, spectators were not officially permitted to be present at games, Fairly inevitably, this led to all manners of interpretation, with the general consensus that enclosed grounds or grounds on private land would be off-limits, but games played at open recreation grounds would be fair game, unless clubs made it explicitly clear that spectators should not attend. I decided to stay very local today, choosing a very low key game on an open recreation ground, incorporating a long walk in the process. It is hard to imagine a safer way to spend an afternoon in these Covid times. This game had the added dimension for me that the visiting club hailed from what was my home village for many years.

The Sidley Recreation Ground is about a mile and a half north of Bexhill-on-Sea town centre, lying just to the south of Sidley High Street. The headquarters of the Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club is passed en route, as well as Bexhill Down, the spiritual home of the football club. Facilities for football are very basic, unsurprisingly for a pitch rented out by the local council, consisting of just the one football pitch, without railing or dugouts, and with a brick building housing the changing rooms located in one corner, very much built to withstand vandalism. It's a ground not without charm however, closely lined along one length by trees, a raised grass bank stretching from the half way line, around and behind one of the goals, to the changing rooms. A hedge lines the other length, to one side of which is a children's playground and to the other, a zip wire, with a bowling green hidden behind the hedge. Behind the remaining goal, a BMX track is located below pitch level.

After the East Sussex League season was declared null and void, a cup competition was created for clubs wishing to take part, one of which was for clubs of the Premier Division and Division One. On paper, Wadhurst United were probably favourites for this game, playing in the higher division, and were in fourth place in the Premier Division when the season was ended, following three wins and two draws from their seven league games. Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club, to give the home side their full name, were going well in Division One, with four wins and a draw from their five league games.

On an overcast afternoon with a very chilly breeze blowing, particularly during the second half, it was Bexhill who made the stronger start, carving out some attacking moves, so it was something of a surprise when Wadhurst took the lead on 14 minutes, when their player received a short pass before clipping the ball past the keeper from close range. But on 23 minutes, Bexhill AAC were awarded a penalty for a foul as a corner was played into the box, and it was duly dispatched into the bottom right corner, leaving the keeper rooted. Four minutes later, the home side came so close to taking the lead, when the Wadhurst keeper fumbled the ball coming in from the left and the loose ball was struck goalwards, but took a deflection off a defender to loop the ball against the post. They hit the same post again a couple of minutes later following a powerful shot from the left edge of the area, and the woodwork was hit for the third time in 6 minutes, direct from a corner. Wadhurst had their moments too, but the scoreline remained 1-1 at the break.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with Bexhill doing most of the attacking, although again Wadhurst certainly had their moments. On 53 minutes, the Wadhurst pulled off a great save from a drilled shot from a central position following a cross in from the right, but they took the lead a minute later following a long throw-in which the keeper couldn't manage to claim, the ball was headed against the underside of the bar, and was bundled over the line. And five minutes later, they opened up a two goal advantage following an excellent diagonal pass towards the edge of the area, the striker took a few steps forward before lashing the ball home, palmed into the inside of the side netting by the Wadhurst keeper. Both sides created some decent chances in the remaining half hour, ensuring the game never felt settled right up to the closing stages, But it was Bexhill who got their campaign off to a perfect start, with six matches left to play, with the prize for winning their mini-league  being a cup final against the winners of the other mini-league.