Montpelier Villa 2 Jarvis Brook 3, SCFL Division 2, Saturday 16th March 2019
We may be in mid-March, but that hasn’t stopped the weather from wreaking havoc with my best-laid groundhopping plans.
Having already visited the grounds of all the SCFL Premier and Division One teams due to be at home this weekend, I initially turned my attentions elsewhere. After scrolling through the fixture lists of various leagues, looking for destinations I could reach from home in around an hour, I eventually settled on a trip to Redhill for their Combined Counties League match against Raynes Park Vale.
With it having rained on and off throughout the week, the team’s Twitter feed had advised anyone planning to attend the game to check Twitter on Saturday morning for confirmation the game would be going ahead.
Having taken a few peeks at the feed during the morning, whilst coaching in Brighton, by 11:45 there was no announcement either way. To be honest, I was fairly certain it would be on. If the conditions in Redhill were anything like they were in Brighton, then I was convinced it would be fine. Surely the gale force winds I was currently standing in would help to dry even the soggiest pitch.
Alas I was wrong. Climbing into my car to depart the football school at 12:45, and deciding to check the club’s Twitter feed one more time, I was confronted by the two words all football fans dread. ‘Game off’.
Time for a contingency plan. Swiftly deciding against a long drive to get to a match, I quickly settled on a trip to Sussex University to watch Montpelier Villa vs Jarvis Brook in the second division of the SCFl.
So far, Division 2 has been unchartered territory to me this season. Primarily because clubs in that league aren’t featured on the Groundhopper app that I use to record my visits on my phone.
However, there were a couple of reasons I decided to plump for a match in that league for once (you know, apart from necessity). One was the fact that Montpelier Villa’s brand-new pitch at the University of Sussex is 3G (it may be 4G, I’m never too sure on what the difference is), meaning the game would definitely be on.
The second was that Villa are one of the few teams in that league whose results I actively keep an eye on. The reason for this is that they have a strong-Newhaven spine to the team, and I’ve long known a number of their players through my own playing days in the Lewes Sunday League – as a teammate of some, but more regularly ass an opponent. After a few years, it was time to see them in action once again. This time from the comfort of the side-line.
I also know a number of Villa’s under 18 players having previously coached a good number of them, either in my former guise as Withdean Youth Coach or through a futsal session that I used to run on Wednesday evenings.
I arrived at the Sussex University Sports complex at just after 14:30. It was blowing an absolute gale and I immediately headed straight to the clubhouse for a warming cup of coffee.
Being a university facility, the clubhouse doubles as a university student bar and was packed full of students. It’s undoubtedly the first time I’ve visited a ground’s clubhouse this season and significantly raised the average age of the clientele! Whether the students were there to watch the Wales vs Ireland rugby match that was being displayed on the gigantic screen, or to take advantage of the cheap alcohol prices (£3 for a pint is great value in anyone’s book!) I don't know. Although the lack of Irish and Welsh accents (and the fact they’re students) may hint that the latter was more likely).
Not being a rugby fan, and feeling depressingly old in the company of so many youngsters (yes, I’m aware calling them youngsters makes me sound even older!), I instead decided to head to the pitch and brave the gale-force winds slightly earlier than I really needed to.
On my way to the pitch, the teams were returning to the dressing rooms prior to kick-off, and I bumped into no fewer than five Villa players with who I am well acquainted – Si Whitney (the team’s player manager), Josh Tompkins, Ryan Walton, Matt Harrison and Chris Grant (the only one of the five who was a former teammate rather than an opponent).
Although each of the five’s peak years are probably behind them and, like me, their waistlines aren’t quite as svelte as they once were, I know from previous experience that they're all good footballers and was genuinely looking forward to seeing them in action once again.
The new facility (the ground only opened a couple of weeks ago) is extremely impressive and should provide a base from which Villa can move forward in the coming seasons. Thankfully, a covered stand meant I would be able to take shelter from the worst of the wind. Entrance was free (bonus) and thanks to the kindness of a few of the players I know I was also able to get hold of a simple but effective program, featuring all the typical information that someone visiting the game would need.
Jarvis Brook started the match with a very clear wind advantage, but it was Villa who began the game the brighter. Liam O’Hanlon missed a decent opportunity to open the scoring in the first ten minutes when he was sent clear by Walton, but denied by Alex Gunn in the Brook goal.
However, midway through the first half the hosts took the lead their positive start had deserved. Once again, Walton played a delightful ball to O’Hanlon, and this time the striker made no mistake, keeping his cool to round Gunn and fire into the net.
The visitors were clearly struggling to come to terms with the conditions, and although they started to get into dangerous positions, the last ball was quite often overhit (due in no small part to the wind). In fact, they had barely forced Villa goalkeeper James McKemey into a meaningful save when, on 33 minutes, they were level. Despite a suspicion of offside, Daryl King, Brook’s stand-out player, got through on goal and finished calmly to equalise.
One thing I hadn’t realised about this level is that, as with Sunday league, there are no official assistant referees (or at least there wasn’t for this game). Instead it was down to club officials to run the line. This would become significant in the second half… but we’ll get to that in a bit.
For the remainder of the first-half, Brook with the wind (quite literally) in their sails looked the more likely to score, and you got the sense that the hosts would be more than happy to reach half-time level. Which they did.
In the opening ten minutes of the second-half, Villa should have put the game to bed. A flurry chances came and went, with Walton (surprisingly) missing a couple of good chances, and O’Hanlon and Aaron Macmillan also fluffing their lines when well placed. A couple of long-range free-kicks, first from Walton (see video below) and then Tompkins also flew narrowly wide.
Then came the first of the game’s two moments of controversy. Having been under siege during the opening stages of the second half, Brook suddenly broke forward, and King once again found himself through on goal before confidently finishing to give his side the lead. Or so he thought. There was no flag from the sideline, and barely any appeals from the Villa defenders, yet the referee took it upon himself to rule out the goal for offside. To Brook’s obvious chagrin.
Furious protestations from the bench led to one of their coaches being sent off, and for the next few minutes the match lost its way. In fairness, up until this point, I felt the ref had had a really good game and been clear with his decisions. But this was an odd decision, especially as the striker had looked onside to me, and the ref didn’t actually blow his whistle for offside until the striker had scored. Still, the protests that followed were a pointless waste of time. Ref’s will not change their mind once a decision is made (can’t see VAR reaching the SCFL division 2) so just get on with it. Yes, I know this is easier said than done sometimes.
Brook did eventually take the lead with 15 minutes left. Villa failed to deal with a free-kick, and the unfortunate Charlie Weller turned the ball into his own net from George Holman’s cross. I know the SCFL website and the Brook Twitter feed has awarded the goal to Holman, but I think the video below offers pretty conclusive proof it was an OG!
With time ticking towards the 90 minutes, Villa forced an equaliser. O’Hanlon was once again the man in the right place, and finally displayed the composure needed to finish off one of the myriad of chances Montpelier had created in the second 45.
With the game seemingly drawing towards an inevitable, erm, draw, there was one final sting in the tale. A decent Brook move down the right ended with ball being crossed low into the middle of the area. Villa’s defence switched off momentarily, and the ball reached Nathan Millroy who calmly sealed three points for the visitors in the third minute of injury time.
Although there was still time for a second moment of controversy. As Villa pushed for a late, late equaliser, a succession of long throws caused Brook’s defence trouble. From one of these there appeared to be a clear handball from one of the visiting defenders, but the ref waved away the appeals and swiftly blew his whistle to end the game.
Brook were evidently delighted with the three points, having had to endure something of an onslaught at the start of the second half, while Villa only really had themselves to blame for not coming away from the match with at least a point (in spite of the ref’s late refusal to award a penalty).
A decent afternoon’s entertainment, though, and it was good to see a few familiar faces, both on and off the pitch.
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