Midhurst and Easebourne 0 Seaford Town 3, Southern Combination Football League Division One, Saturday 12th January 2020
I took a week off non-league groundhopping last weekend to go to what some will unfairly – and rather disparagingly in my opinion – refer to as a ‘proper match’.
For a while now my two boys had been badgering me to go and watch Brighton and Hove Albion – particularly the eldest one, who supports them. A few seasons ago, I used to go to the Amex fairly regularly – around ten times a season. Then they got promoted to the Premier League, prices shot up and the football became increasingly, shall we say, dull.
Not being a Brighton fan myself, I wasn’t overly bothered by the outcome of the games, didn’t get much enjoyment from them and ultimately couldn’t justify the expense of going so regularly. So I stopped, started attending non-league matches, and haven’t looked back since.
Until last weekend, that is. With prices for both adults and children having been slashed for their FA Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday, I agreed to treat the boys. After all, many of my Brighton supporting friends had been telling me all season about how much better the football was under Graham Potter. It was time to see some ‘Potterball’ for myself.
So we went. I wished we didn’t. Despite being a ‘proper match’, it was up there with the worst game that I’d attended so far this season. There was no quality, no great atmosphere and, despite prices being slashed, it still cost me far more than a non-league game would have.
Won’t be doing that again in a hurry.
So this weekend I was more than happy to be back on the non-league trail. It took a while for me to decide on a venue for this week’s outing. Initially, I had been considering a trip to Beckenham, having been asked personally by one of their supporters to go and watch a game there. However, with my Saturday morning coaching commitments having resumed after the Christmas break, the timing ultimately proved too tricky to get there in time for kick-off.
Instead my attention turned to the SCFL. More precisely, my mission to complete having visited every ground in the Premier and First Division by the end of this season. With Alfold – the only Premier team I’ve yet to visit, playing away, I looked a division lower. Success. All three teams that I’ve yet to visit – Midhurst, Roffey and Selsey – were at home.
Roffey was quickly ruled out as the 2pm kick-off time would not leave me enough time to get there. So it was to either Selsey or Midhurst I would head – both fairly long, unappealing journeys into deepest West Sussex.
Ultimately, I plumped for Midhurst vs Seaford. Mainly, it has to be said, because of the recent appointment of Craig Pooley as one Seaford’s joint managers, alongside Paul Wise. I have known Craig for many years – I actually played alongside his Dad when I started playing adult football in the 90s (wow, writing that sentence makes me feel old). I was intrigued by the appointment, so decided I’d go and watch his charges in action.
After a roughly hour-and-15-minute drive through the South Downs National Park, I arrived at Midhurst’s Rotherfield Ground, paid £5 at the gate to enter (from within my car) then parked on the grass close to the pitch. I also purchased a nicely produced programme for £2.
Having stopped to get a cup of coffee (served in a proper china mug) from the clubhouse, I then made the trek, across a rather sodden junior pitch to reach the senior playing field.
The Rotherfield is a fairly basic ground, consisting of only one covered seated stand, located on the far side of the ground. It is set fairly close to the pitch – a fact that became painfully apparent in the first-half when Midhurst’s Kieran Carter collided heavily with it following an apparent slight shove from an opponent. Fortunately, he was okay to continue.
With both teams hovering around mid-table, separated only by a solitary point, there was unlikely to be much to separate them. Coincidentally, I actually saw the reverse of this fixture last season, which resulted in a 3-3 draw. I hoped for more of the same this time around.
Seaford started the match the stronger and Midhurst goalkeeper Josh Bird had to be alert twice in the early stages. First to push away a Joe Dryer free-kick, then to save well at the feet of Simon Piper.
Midhurst then settled into the game and began to exert some pressure of their own. Seaford ‘keeper Josh Measor was almost punished after sloppily giving the ball away outside his area, while a Matt Rowland header was well saved.
In truth, though, there wasn’t too much quality on show. It was a mainly scrappy half, punctuated by a series of niggly fouls committed by both teams.
Parity at the break was a fair reflection of an even game consisting of very few clear-cut chances. It looked a clear case of the team who scored first would probably go on to win the game.
Midhurst returned from the interval in the ascendancy, while Seaford appeared sluggish in the early stages. A defensive mistake allowed the hosts’ Josh Sheehan a clear run in on goal, but his effort was denied by Measor, and the Seaford defence just about managed to scramble away the rebound.
By the time the second-half passed its halfway point, the game had fallen back into the pattern of the first – a scrappy encounter littered by lots of fouls.
It was from one of these niggly fouls that the game was turned on its head. A quick free-kick from Seaford’s Ben Dartnell set new signing Abu Touray Drammem away down the left wing. He’d looked Seaford’s main threat all afternoon, and after beating his marker his low cross eventually found its way to Mike Waller who produced a fine finish to give the visitors the lead.
The Stags tried hard to force their way back into the match, sending men forward in search of an equaliser. However, this led to them swiftly losing their shape and Seaford began to look increasingly dangerous on the counter.
With ten minutes remaining, Seaford were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the box following a handball. The visiting players were adamant It was a penalty, but the ref maintained the offence took place outside the area. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as Jack Rowe-Hurst’s low free-kick somehow found its way into the far corner, although Bird will feel he should have done better (see video).
Not that the Stags gave up. They actually had a few opportunities in the final few minutes to grab a consolation goal and add some deserved respectability to the score, but it wasn’t to be their day.
In fairness, the final 3-0 score-line did flatter Seaford somewhat. Don’t get me wrong, over the course of the 90 minutes, they probably did just about shade the game and the three points certainly weren’t unjust, but a three-goal margin was harsh on the hosts. It was one of those games that, had Midhurst struck the first goal, the score-line could have just as easily been reversed. The opening goal, as I'd predicted at half-time, was crucial.
The win, though, maintains the new Seaford management team’s 100 per cent start to their fledgling career and I’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on their results in the coming weeks.
Enjoyed this blog post? Then you may be interested in reading my kindle book which recounts my 2018/19 groundhopping journey (take a look, it’s only 99p).
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