Welcome to another episode of the Sussex non-league podcast, where we take a look at all the latest goings on at grassroots football across the county.
Matt Pole is joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and a special guest.
They are joined by East Sussex-based sport reporter Will Hugal, who follows and covers a range of sports and teams across the region.
Matt Pole is joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and a special guest.
They are joined by East Sussex-based sport reporter Will Hugal, who follows and covers a range of sports and teams across the region.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of the Sussex Non-League Podcast where we take a look at all the latest
00:05goings on at grassroots football across the county. I'm Matt Powell and on this edition
00:10I'm joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bowden, a special guest. Steve and I are both delighted
00:14to be joined by East Sussex-based sport reporter Will Hugel, who follows and covers a range
00:19of sports and teams across the region. Thank you for joining us, Will. How have you been
00:23getting on? You alright?
00:24Yeah, thirsty. Thank you very much for having me. Yeah, all good. Been enjoying the season
00:29so far. Plenty of good football to watch and other sports as well. And yeah, it's going
00:33really well.
00:34Absolutely. And you've been mainly covering Lewis FC for us since the summer. And it's
00:39been a great start to the season for the men's side. Is it fair to say that with a new management
00:43team and many new players, not too many people would predict their fine form? And do you
00:47also see that continuing? I know they've had a bit of a wobble, haven't they, in the league?
00:51Yes. So the last few games has been a bit of a challenge for them. I think they'd admit
00:56that themselves that after, you know, surging ahead to the top of the table in the first
01:03sort of seven or eight games and going unbeaten in that spell, they impressed themselves as
01:08much as they impressed everyone else. And they certainly surprised themselves. Yeah,
01:13I think reflecting back to the start of summer when Craig Nelson and his team were appointed,
01:19they were brought in from Glebe. So step five, two steps below Lewis. Fans didn't expect
01:25much necessarily, because I think the general understanding of it was that it coincided
01:30with the relegation of the women's team. And because of the way that their budgets at the
01:34club work, that the budget for the men's team would be reduced as well as the women's one.
01:39Because obviously they have to have equal budgets being, you know, Lewis FC and that
01:43is their whole ethos. Yeah, I think everyone's been madly impressed by what's happened since.
01:50They had a bit of a struggle in pre-season, didn't score many goals, barely won a match
01:55to be honest. So expectations are very low going into the first game of the season against
01:59Chatham, who I think finished second the previous season and were really impressive, had a big
02:04budget themselves. We're looking to do it again this season, have struggled a bit since.
02:09And since beating Chatham 2-0 on the opening day, it's been a really impressive time. The
02:14young players, the young squad that Craig has brought in have been really impressive.
02:18Speaking to Craig, he's a very, very impressive manager himself. You know, he's very keen
02:23to talk. He talks at length about his personality and ethos around development and development
02:29of young players. He's got this phrase that he uses all the time, brick by brick. So it's
02:35not really about their position in the table. It's about building each game, particularly,
02:42you know, being a young manager, being a young squad, they're quite keen to learn as much
02:46as they can from being at this level. A lot of them, it is their first time at step three.
02:51So there is plenty to learn. And I think fans will forgive them, certainly for the
02:56last few games, where they haven't necessarily struggled with the performances. Like the
03:00game against Billericay, where they were 2-0 up, they were blazing, you know, they were
03:04scorching hot. And it was just late substitutions, players getting tired, mixed up the instructions
03:12a bit, didn't defend that well at set pieces and conceded two late goals to draw to Billericay.
03:18They were rivals and, you know, lost a bit of ground in the title fight there. Now they're
03:22down to third after losing to Horsham last Saturday. But honestly, I think they would
03:27welcome that a little bit. And a little bit of the pressure is off now, now that the unbeaten
03:31run's gone, now that they're not top of the table. And I hope this weekend and going forward,
03:38it should benefit them a bit. But obviously, there's a lot of hard work involved now to
03:42get the momentum back.
03:43Yeah, you mentioned the Horsham game there, Will. You were in attendance at that one.
03:47And I'd be interested to get your take on that one. I was also there. And it did seem
03:52that the game very much swung on the second half red card. I don't know if you'd agree
03:57with that.
03:58Yes, I definitely would. I think the first half was not a great show from either team.
04:04I think Horsham were very, very happy with their early goal and to get that early lead
04:07and to not necessarily sit on it because they did try to go for a second. And Ogunwamide
04:14on the right, he had quite a few chances himself. And Fenelon in the middle had a couple
04:18of chances. But Lewis didn't offer that much. Horsham were getting a bit more scrappy towards
04:23the end of the first half. And you just got a feeling after halftime that Lewis were applying
04:28a bit more pressure and could potentially get back into the game. With the momentum
04:33that they've shown this season, once they've got their tails up, they very rarely don't
04:37score and get back into a game. So it was really that second half red card in the 70th
04:43minute.
04:44And it was a questionable red card. I think speaking to Craig and his assistant Danny
04:50Okins after the game, they both thought that the referee's decision swung a bit on the
04:55pressure that was put on him by the Horsham players, the Horsham bench, who were very
05:00vocal all game and made the most out of having a packed out ground with 90% Horsham backing,
05:06of course. The referee might have gone a bit with the pressure there, but I think Lewis
05:13would have struggled to get a win either way. They might have escaped with a draw. They
05:17were far from their best. I personally thought it was their worst performance of the season,
05:21although I wasn't there for the 5-0 defeat by Potter's Bar. So that might have been worse.
05:28Will, Lewis' women have also had quite a time of change, obviously relegated from the championship
05:35end of last season, new manager in the summer, new assistant manager, new players, a lot
05:39happening off the field as well. Where are they now in the women's pyramid and how are
05:44they getting on this season, having sort of started afresh?
05:48Well, it's another interesting one, really, because again, with the men's team, the women's
05:53team have had to have a reduced budget. Obviously, they've turned to Nat Lawrence as their new
05:57manager, who was assistant last year. And I think that was a good move, personally, to
06:02get a bit of continuity because their squad has changed a hell of a lot. And I think they've
06:07got 16 new players from what I counted before. And obviously, you know, you're going to have
06:13a lot of change of tactics and of training and all these things when you step down from
06:18being step two to step three. So they're now at the Women's National League South, which
06:25is, again, a very competitive level. All levels of women's football are getting more competitive
06:30every season at the moment because there's more money coming in, more players dropping
06:34down from top academies now. You know, the academies are getting better and better every
06:38year. The facilities are getting better for each club. Now they're not having to necessarily
06:42ground share. Maybe they're ground sharing grounds with better facilities than they used
06:47to. So I think it has been a little bit of a surprise for the fans and the onlookers
06:53that Lewis haven't done that well in the new league. I think, as we speak, they only sit
06:58eighth in the league out of 12 teams. So they haven't necessarily pulled up any trees so
07:02far. And it's also interesting that because they're in, well, because of the way women's
07:08football works, essentially, they're in a smaller league than the men's league. So they're
07:11almost halfway through their season already. They're going to have 22 games this season.
07:15They've already played nine. And you're looking at this weekend's game. They're at home to
07:20Cheltenham on Sunday at the Drippenpan. Cheltenham are only one place behind them and one point
07:25behind them. So Cheltenham are ninth, Lewis are eighth. It's already a big game. Like
07:31if either team wants to kick on and make anything of the season, like compete in the top half,
07:37they've got to win this game. So without too much pressure being on Lewis, because again,
07:43like the men's team, they're a young squad. They're a new management team still finding
07:47their feet. They really do have to win this game if they want to make something of the
07:51season.
07:52Are you kind of surprised by the season they've had then, Will? Because I must admit, I kind
07:57of only casually follow women's football and I was self-expecting Lewis to kind of do a
08:01job and go be in and around the top of the table. So are you kind of surprised or is
08:04it, from what you've said, not too much of a surprise that they've kind of had a middling
08:09start?
08:10Well, personally, I am surprised that they haven't necessarily attacked the league. Like,
08:16you know, logically, you should as a relegated side. But then again, there can be a lot of
08:22scars from relegation and sort of losing all your best players and so on. I mean, don't
08:27get me wrong, they've recruited quite well, I would say, in the summer. They've brought
08:30in some players with international experience, some players from women's Super League clubs,
08:36academy teams, so on. I think they put together a pretty good squad overall. Their struggle
08:42has been scoring goals so far. They've only scored seven goals in their nine league games,
08:46so need to sort of start clicking a bit there. But it's hard to predict, I think, the National
08:55League at the moment, because hashtag united women are top and they're riding quite high
09:00at the top. So a club that didn't even exist 10 years ago, and you know, has come on alongside
09:07the men's team and done really well off the back of like internet support. And, you know,
09:12teenage fans come into games and so on. They've got a lot of sponsorship through their success
09:17online. It's completely unexpected and completely goes against what football was 10 years ago.
09:25It's fascinating to see the trends like that, because you've got women's teams, three of them
09:32in women's in Lewis's league right now, whose men's team are in the Ispian League. So you've
09:36got Billericay, Hashtag and Lewis. And then you've got other teams like Plymouth, for example,
09:41Oxford United, who are championship clubs right now. And it's two sides of the coin, really. And
09:48it's a fascinating point women's football right now where the likes of Lewis, Billericay and
09:53Hashtag can still compete with these championship clubs. I think the Premier League men's clubs have
09:57now put so much funding into their women's teams that they can sort of blaze away from the others.
10:03But if Lewis, Hashtag, Billericay can still sort of hold on to the championship teams and still
10:08compete with them, I think they're doing really well. So for as long as Lewis can still compete
10:13between the sort of second and third tiers, I think anything is a success for them, really.
10:19Absolutely. And you also keep an eye on a number of other sides in East Sussex,
10:23one of them being Ringmer, who were mid-Sussex Premier Division champions last season.
10:27How are they getting on as they try to retain their title, Will?
10:32Well, it's a tough one for me because Ringmer is my village team and I've always been following
10:36them ever since I was, what, eight or nine or so on. So it's been a painful one this season,
10:42actually, because off the back of the title, there has been a bit of a struggle. I think,
10:47the manager there, Tommy Haddon, and his assistant, John Hart, and the squad there,
10:51will be honest with that. The season kicked off in a kind of tough way. They had, effectively,
10:58the community shield between the league winners and the cup winners, Bolcombe,
11:01and they lost that to Bolcombe at their home ground. So that was a bit of a tough one to
11:06start off with. They were outclassed, to be honest, by Bolcombe. Bolcombe played a more physical
11:11and faster pressing and faster passing game that night. So that was a bit of a setback,
11:18off the high of, you know, winning the title and actually the title celebrations being a bit
11:24delayed because of the nature of how they won the title, points being deducted from
11:28Eastbourne United reserves. And slightly winning the title on a technicality, don't get me wrong,
11:34they won, you know, they played brilliantly all season and their run towards the end of
11:38the season was magnificent and they deserved the title by the end. They won it by points
11:43deduction, but, you know, you have to give them their credit. This season has been tougher.
11:49They've lost another experienced player. Last season they lost Dave Jones, who was very
11:54influential in the midfield. This season they've lost Sheldon Grimes, whose, you know, injuries
12:00have just sort of caught up with him, really, and availability and so on. He's not able to
12:04offer the game time that he once did. He was a very influential midfielder as well, you know,
12:09very physical, you know, great leadership skills, so on. So they've not necessarily struggled to
12:15score goals. They've been brilliant at that, but they haven't kept a clean sheet all season
12:20and they're sitting eighth out of 13 teams in the Mid Sussex Premier Division right now.
12:25Not necessarily training the leaders by loads, but Crowhurst and Oxton District
12:32are doing really well at the top. Crowhurst are new to the league.
12:37Oxted did well last season. They were one of, sort of, five or six teams who were competing for the
12:41title and both teams will certainly be up there again. Ringmere will be hoping to be up there
12:47again and there's a few other teams, Bolcombe, Westfield, who consistently do well and will
12:53compete for the title. The interesting thing, actually, about the Mid Sussex Premier is that
13:00promotion isn't necessarily always a guaranteed thing. Some seasons go by and teams don't get
13:05promoted to the Southern combination, so it's very much dependent on ground grading, on league
13:11position, how well the club's being run overall if they feel they're financially viable to go up.
13:16Ringmere had the opportunity last season. They also had the opportunity three seasons ago,
13:21I think it was. Three seasons ago they decided not to because of financial reasons. Last season
13:26they didn't apply because the ground didn't actually meet the requirements in terms of the
13:32pitch size. So, the pitch had to be extended by something like half a metre or so on. It's
13:37absolutely ridiculous, but these are the FA's rules and they had to, sort of, rip up an area
13:43of the pitch over the summer and extend it a bit. So, it's those tiny differences, literally, that
13:50can, you know, be the difference between relegation, oh no, promotion, sorry, and staying in the same
13:55division. So, now that that's sorted, Ringmere have the ability to go up. They can apply in the
14:00new year when it opens up in January. I imagine they, Westfield, will definitely be applying.
14:07There's a number of the teams, other teams in the league, who ground share. I think the rules on
14:11ground sharing a promotion are slightly fluid. Most seasons it wouldn't necessarily be allowed.
14:18Some seasons it's allowed if they've already ground shared the previous season,
14:23so we'll have to wait and see on that. But Ringmere will be hopeful of going up,
14:27regardless of whether they finish top or not. They will hope that they finish high up enough
14:33in the league, along with their ground improvements this year, that they will be able to
14:37finally rejoin the Southern combination, because it's been a while.
14:43Will, there's been a lot of interest, or there is a lot of interest, in the Mid Sussex League
14:47this season, not least because of certain signings that were made in the summer.
14:51Westfield, as we reported, signed two ex-Premier League players, Dan Gosling and Charlie Daniels.
14:58Hearst Pierpoint then said, well, that's all very well, but we're going to go one better than that
15:02and sign the all-time record Premier League performance holder, Gareth Barry. What sort
15:08of a stir has that caused in Mid Sussex League circles? Is there a bit of a buzz about it this
15:13season? I don't think any of them have played yet, but they're going to appear at some point.
15:18What sort of a buzz has that caused?
15:20Yeah, well, you're spot on there, because it has given everyone in the Mid Sussex League,
15:26whether that's in the Premier Division or Division 5 South or North, a buzz, because
15:31to have these players involved at the clubs in the Mid Sussex League, and of course,
15:35once you're in the Mid Sussex, you'll usually have first team, second team, third team,
15:40maybe even fourth team if you're ringman and you're doing really well with your set-up,
15:43and these ex-Premier League players will attend training and the first team will be there,
15:48the second team will be there, the third team will be there, so they'll be sharing their
15:51experience with all of them, and I'm sure every game where a Westfield team or a Hearst Pierpoint
15:58team has been playing this season, those conversations have been had. When is Charlie
16:02Daniels going to play? When is Gareth Barry going to play? As you say, they haven't yet played,
16:06because Charlie Daniels, Dan Gosling have been involved at Watford under-21s in the coaching
16:11staff. I understand Dan Gosling's had an injury, so he's quite a way off potentially playing,
16:17but Charlie Daniels and Gareth Barry, I understand, are fit, not yet available, I think,
16:23because of other commitments, but to have these players involved, it is fantastic, because it
16:29grabs headlines. They were in national media this year, they were on the BBC, in the Sun,
16:33the Daily Mail, so on. To have this attention for the 10th and 11th tiers of English football,
16:41it is fantastic, and it really does rub off on the rest of the league. There's
16:47been an extra sort of bite and extra bit of passion this season, I've seen, because of
16:54the interest in them playing, and when Ringler went over to Westfield last month, I think it was
16:59actually, there was rumours, whispers that Charlie Daniels might be involved. I think it did lift all
17:05the Ringler players in the build-up to the game. Obviously, he didn't play in the end, but,
17:11as you say, I hope Charlie Daniels and Gareth Barry will, at some point, turn out for both
17:17their teams, and, yeah, it should be really exciting for everyone there, even if it isn't
17:21just, you know, 50 fans. Yeah, and when they do turn up, we want you to be there to do the match
17:26report and the player ratings, and you've got to give one of the Premier League players a sort of
17:30four out of ten or something, just to bring him down a peg or two. That's right, that's right.
17:37They're not the stars they once were.
17:40Well, you also keep an eye on AFC Upfield Town. How are they doing in SCFL Division One,
17:46since Billy Wood took over in the summer, Will? I think I'd tip them to get promoted,
17:50so I can only assume that I've cursed them and they're having a bit of a nightmare,
17:53as that's usually the form with me. Well, I wouldn't go that far, to be fair, Matt.
17:59They're fifth so far, so it's been a solid season, if unspectacular. Well, actually,
18:07in some respects, it has been spectacular, because they've had a lot of high-scoring games,
18:10actually. In the last month, they won 7-2 over at Bairsted, then they won 4-1 against Montpelier
18:16Villa, they won 4-2 against Dorgan Wanderers B. They have been involved in some low-scoring games
18:23in the Cup as well, a lot of nil-nils. I think they've had two or three exits on penalties in
18:27some of the Cups. So, I think it's been going pretty well, all things considered, because
18:34Upfield had probably their worst season since merging about 10 years ago. Last season,
18:41they had their worst season since then. It was fairly shambolic, I would say, in terms of the
18:51off-the-field business, because they couldn't rely on any money coming into the club, really.
18:57The story on the pitch was pretty much the same. It reflected that, because there were players
19:01coming and going every week. You weren't really sure what 11 would be playing, and
19:05they had two or three managerial changes. It didn't really change the momentum,
19:10and yes, they slid to relegation, which was a huge disappointment, really, because
19:16Upfield is a big town in Sussex and deserves to have a good football team that they can be proud
19:20of and represents them well. So, this season has been a return to some more optimistic times. I
19:28think everyone around the town would say that. Billy Woods, as you say, has come in. He's given
19:34the club some money. He's become the manager, taken on a lot of responsibilities of PR and
19:40representing the club and lifting the whole spirit around the club, because it was very low.
19:44The changes that he's made, whether that's off the pitch and changing the dressing rooms and
19:49changing the clubhouse and the whole area outside there, or on the pitch and bringing in a very
19:55young squad of promising players and giving them an opportunity, in the kind of spirit that
20:00Upfield has had over the last 10 years. They've always given opportunities to young local players.
20:05It has been very good, and it's filled the club with a lot of energy again.
20:10As I say, there's optimism again. I think they will sustain their position in the table. I think
20:15they'll be involved in the title push, as you predicted at the start of the season.
20:21There's some good teams involved in that title race, though. Seaford Town are top at the moment,
20:27and you've got Dorking Wanderers B involved. You've got Billingshurst. You've got Forest
20:31Row. I looked at the squads at the start of the season. I thought Forest Row would have a really
20:36good season, because they've got some very experienced former Southern Combination Premier
20:40players in their squad. I don't think they can go up, because their ground share with East
20:44Grinstead. But I think Seaford could go up. Billingshurst, potentially, depending on their
20:49ground rating, could go up. I'm not sure on Dorking Wanderers B. I don't know where the
20:53Southern Combination Premier stands on B teams going up and ground share with the first team.
20:59But probably out of those five, Upfield are in the best position to go up and survive,
21:05because of the existing ground that they have. The promising young players, if they make a
21:11success out of this season, hopefully they'll want to stay, or others will join them next season.
21:17I mean, Ellis Wright, the captain, has been there a few seasons now, and he's been very
21:21consistent throughout. Always scored goals and provided assists. So, he's a great leader
21:24in amongst all of those players. So, yes, I think football in Upfield is in a good place at the
21:30moment. The club's in a good place. I think Billy Wood is not a shy man, and he would say that
21:35they're aiming for the title. They're aiming for promotion. He's very ambitious. He's not shy about
21:40that. But I think that fills everyone else at the club with a lot of security and optimism, really.
21:47Absolutely. Well, we're now going to take a look at how clubs are getting on across the
21:51non-league period. And next weekend, two of our sides take on League Two opposition in the first
21:55round of the FA Cup. Worthing entertain Morecambe, who's at bottom of League Two, while Horsham
22:00travel to ninth place, Chesterfield. Both these FA Cup first round ties certainly capture the
22:05imagination as non-league meets football league. But how do you see both these ties going, Stephen?
22:09Who looks best placed to cause an FA Cup upset? Yeah, first of all, brilliant to see both of those
22:16sides through to the first round again, really, because they both got to the first round last year.
22:20It's not easy to do. You have to come through quite a few qualifying rounds to do it, particularly
22:25Horsham, who start a little bit earlier than Worthing. So, well done to them both for getting
22:29through. You'd have to say that Worthing would seem to have the better chance of causing an upset.
22:35They're home to Morecambe. Morecambe really are at the bottom of League Two. Only had one or two
22:41wins all season, whereas Worthing have had quite a good season scoring goals, had some good home
22:45wins. There'll be a big crowd in there. I don't know now what the capacity is at Worthing. They've
22:50got their new stand there, so that'll be packed out. Great chance of an upset there. It's a bit
22:56of a shame that the TV hasn't picked it for live coverage. They could have done. There's quite a
23:01few. There are some good ties on TV, although Wrexham being on again, I'm not really sure why
23:06they've been selected, but there we go. That's Wrexham for you. TV obsessed with them. So, I
23:12think Worthing have got a great chance. Horsham at Chesterfield, they're going to have to go some to
23:19win that, but we know what they can do. They surprised Barnsley last year, 3-3 up at Barnsley,
23:26wasn't it, at this first round stage before losing in a replay, then getting reinstated.
23:31We all remember that saga. But it'll still be a great occasion for Horsham fans. There's another
23:36big club, big ground to go to. So, they'll make the most of that. But if I had to, if you were
23:42pushing me into predictions, I would say Worthing to cause an upset, Horsham to put up a brave fight
23:47but go out. But it should be a couple of great ties. Do you agree with that, Will? How do you
23:51see both of them going? Yeah, I think they are very good predictions, Steve. Yeah, I think Worthing
23:58stand a brilliant chance, to be honest. You look at the form that Morecambe are in, they're in a
24:02real slump right now. Worthing, they have a really talented squad. They're building year after year
24:08and the momentum around the club with the new stand and the documentary about Jona. It's going
24:14really well at the moment. There's a lot of fans looking towards Worthing. If they're not
24:19going to attend a Brighton game, Worthing are now the second team, really, if you're not in Eastbourne
24:24or Crawley or so on in Sussex. So, yeah, I think they've got a brilliant chance of causing an
24:30upset there and that would be really exciting to see. And as you say, Steve, it should have been
24:35on TV. It would be great to see them hopefully pull off a cup set on TV but wasn't going to be
24:42the case this year because of your Birmingham's and your Wrexham's and so on. And yeah, I think
24:48Horsham, as you say, stand a good chance. They'll put up a good fight. Chesterfield is a tough place
24:53to go. I mean, they've been a very consistent team over the last few years and if nothing else,
24:58it's a lovely part of the country to go in the Peak District there. They'll enjoy the journey,
25:03the fans, I'm sure. So, yeah, I expect another good game there and could go all the way to extra
25:10time penalties and we'll see. Yes, I was shocked to discover no replay, Steve. I was absolutely
25:15convinced it was next season this was coming and I'm not quite sure how to feel about that. It
25:19seems like a bit of a travesty to me for all those non-league clubs. Yeah, it is a shame for some
25:24who will be denied replays and there will be some non-league clubs who are away in their first time
25:32will be denied home replays probably. Worthing, mind you, will be denied a midweek trip to
25:37Morecambe so they might be pleased about that. That's a long way to go at a weekend, let alone
25:43for a Tuesday night game. Swings and roundabouts, really. Yes, absolutely. But in the here and now,
25:49this weekend sees four Sussex teams compete in the first round proper of the FA Trophy. Horsham,
25:55Lewis, Chichester City and Hastings are all in action this Saturday with the Rooks the only one
25:59of our sides at home. Who are our sides taking on in the first round, Steve, and how many Sussex
26:04sides do you think we'll see in the second round? So, Lewis playing Ashford and I think Will is
26:09going to refer to that a little bit later in the podcast so I won't say too much about that
26:14but I think they'll go through for what it's worth. The other three teams I think are all
26:19away, aren't they? Horsham are off to Canvey Island. That could be difficult actually. Horsham have got
26:24so many sort of balls to juggle at the moment. I wonder if their attention might not be 100%
26:29on that game. It could easily go either way. Chichester have got a long old trip down to
26:35Plymouth Parkway. Worthing will have given them the map because they went down there in the FA Cup
26:41the other week. That's a long way to go for Chichester and they are doing it in a day.
26:46They're doing there and back in a day so that's hard for them. And then Hastings, also a bit of
26:51a trip into the unknown for them. They're away to Hadley from the Combined Counties League.
26:56So, all four are winnable I think for our Sussex teams but you can't expect them all to win
27:03really. They all go in there with a chance. It wouldn't surprise me if we see Lewis and
27:11Hastings go through out of those two. I'm not so sure about the other two. It would be nice to have
27:16at least a couple of teams still. And of course we've still got Eastbourne Borough and Worthing
27:19to come into the trophy yet as well. So, plenty of Sussex interest still in the competition.
27:24Yes, absolutely. Well, speaking of Eastbourne Borough and Worthing, both are battling out in
27:28what remains a fiercely competitive National League South. How have the sports and the Reds
27:32been getting on since the last pod, Steve? I had a quick look at their results this week and it
27:36both seems they had a bit of an up and down one. Yes, they're both very similar in a way in that
27:43there's potential there for them to have really good season and to be fighting at the top end.
27:48They're just both a little bit inconsistent. Just when you think they're on a run,
27:52they go and lose a game as we've seen this week. Worthing, for example, had a really good win over
27:57Tunbridge at home last week, 3-2. There was a 15-minute spell that Chris Haggerty said was
28:02their best football of the season, where they went 2-3, 1-up after half-time. He was delighted
28:07by that. Tuesday, they went down to Torquay, took the lead, led at half-time, ended up losing 2-1.
28:14A bit unlucky to have a goal chalked off or offside that would have put them 2-0 up,
28:20which most think pretty clearly wasn't offside. But Chris Haggerty was still pleased with the
28:26way they played at Torquay and actually said the performance there was better than in the
28:31run of wins they'd had before that. Worthing were 11th, Eastbourne Borough 6th, I think,
28:37but they've both got very similar records. It's the sort of division that whichever team goes on
28:42a little run of four or five wins in a row is going to be clear at the top because nobody's
28:46running away with it so far. They'll both be content with where they are now without getting
28:52carried away. They know there's a lot of games to come. They're less than a third of the way
28:56through the season. Both sitting in the sidings at the moment and in with a chance, which is what we
29:03want. You've spoken a little bit about Worthing, Will, but have you been keeping an eye on
29:08Eastbourne Borough and what's going on down there? What do you make of it all, if you have?
29:13Yeah, to a certain extent. I think last season was really interesting down at Eastbourne Borough,
29:19obviously, with all the changes in ownership and marketing and the club logo and so on,
29:25totally new squads, big ambitions, didn't necessarily live up to them. I think last
29:29season was a big season of learning for them. Realistically, I think about expectation
29:35management, if nothing else. This season, obviously, a bit of a turnaround, really.
29:42I think things have gone pretty well for them. I think they'd be pretty chuffed. Obviously,
29:46good attendances all the time down at Eastbourne Borough and they're able to attract a good
29:51standard of player, whether that's down from a Premier League or a Championship Academy or so on.
29:57They know that it's a good place to play their football and keep developing and so on. Often,
30:02they'll move on to pastures new, but I think this season so far has been really good for
30:07Eastbourne Borough. I'm actually looking forward, with one eye, to the Sussex Senior Cup between
30:14Lewis and Eastbourne Borough that's coming up next month, I believe, mid-November or so.
30:19That'll be a really interesting match between a young Lewis team and an Eastbourne Borough team
30:25with, obviously, main attentions on the league, as well as what they can do in the FA Trophy.
30:31Let's see if they can keep it up in all competitions.
30:35In the Ispian Premier, we've spoken about Lewis and touched briefly on Horsham,
30:39but how are the rest of our Sussex sides doing, Steve?
30:42Is it a bit of a worry that the majority of our sides are in the bottom half of the table?
30:46Yeah, it's mixed for the other ones, really, is the kindest way to put it. Chichester City are
30:51still quite comfortable in mid-table. They're doing okay. It's their last two, so they won't
30:55want that little run to go on for too long. Hastings have had the odd good result, but they
31:01just can't seem to put a string of results together, so they're still down their 15th, 16th,
31:07need that little run. They've just strengthened their squad this week by bringing back Finn
31:13O'Mara, central defender, who was part of their title-winning team a couple of years ago,
31:18so that's a popular addition. They've also signed Callum Barlow,
31:22well, ex-Hastings Academy and ex-Eastbourne United goal ace, who's had half a season at
31:28Bognor, and it's just not worked out for him there. He hasn't had a lot of game time,
31:33which brings me to Bognor, still in the bottom four. I mean, you would not have expected that,
31:37really, at this time. They have had a real bad run of injuries. It always seems to be their key
31:43players who get injured. They've lost Craig Robson for the season, they've lost Lucas
31:47Pattenden long-term, they've lost a couple of other real, sort of, experienced performers,
31:53but they need to get out of that bottom four before too long or else it's going to be a very
31:57long season down there for them. Whitehawk as well, I think just outside the bottom four at
32:02the moment, but we'll be looking to sort of climb away from that if they can. But yeah, as you said,
32:07Lewis and Horsham are the two to watch in that division as far as Sussex are concerned.
32:14You wouldn't back against Horsham being there or thereabouts at the end. And
32:17Lewis, well, as Will has touched upon, they've surprised a lot of people so far,
32:21so I hope they continue to do so. You've taken in a lot of Isby and Premier
32:27games so far this season, Will. Which side has impressed you most? And it doesn't necessarily
32:31have to be a Sussex one. No, of course. There's actually been quite a few impressive teams. I
32:37thought I would see a bit more of Dover running out to a lead early on. I think Lewis have got
32:44them coming up at home in the next two or three weeks, which should be a really interesting game
32:49because Dover obviously got the reputation. I think they've got the budget as well.
32:56Speaking to everyone at Lewis, they're realistic about their opportunities for the season. I speak
33:02to them and, in fact, the assistant manager, Danny Okins, said to me last week that their aim at the
33:07start of the season was just to avoid relegation. So, they were looking at everyone else to make
33:11them running. So, in that sense, Lewis has been an unbelievable story so far. I think
33:17underwhelming so far has been Dartford sitting in mid-table, Cray at the bottom. I didn't expect to
33:23see that necessarily moving into their new ground with potentially a lot of positive momentum behind
33:27them. I didn't think I would see the struggles from Bognor and Whitehawk. Whitehawk's a very
33:32interesting one this week, actually, with Ross McNeely stepping down and David Outendorf becoming
33:38the boss there. So, I'm expecting to see more positive things there because David is a coach,
33:46certainly, and a manager as well with a very good reputation across Sussex. He'll have great links
33:51for players to bring in or players to keep at the club and sort of settle them down a bit, give them
33:56a bit more confidence. I think things have been a bit sort of reactive at Whitehawk this season
34:01with the players they've brought in. They've tried to react to not the start that they expected,
34:07but it's actually interesting that the more experienced managers like Danny Blore at
34:11Hastings and potentially Ross McNeely, although it was his first managerial job, though he had
34:16been involved at Dorkin and Aldershot in the backroom, didn't quite succeed or haven't quite
34:20succeeded earlier in the season, whereas someone like Craig Nelson at Lewis has sort of blazed
34:26out to an amazing start and first hit at the Isthmian Premier and sort of blind faith. Obviously,
34:34a lot of planning and hard work behind the scenes, but a fantastic start. I think Bielerici
34:40have been very good as well, a little bit inconsistent as well as Dover, but I expect
34:46Bielerici, Dover to be there at the end of the season. I'd expect Hashtag to pick up a bit,
34:51obviously not a title push at this point, but there's loads of good teams who are in the
34:56running and if Lewis and Horsham can just sort of keep pace in the top seven or eight for most
35:01of the season, they should stand a really good chance. Absolutely, and in the division below,
35:06in the Isthmian South East, one of our sides is firmly ensconced in the playoff battle, but another
35:11two occupy spaces in the relegation zone, with two more sitting just above the dreaded drop.
35:17How have our teams been performing in this division, Steve? It seems a bit of a mixed bag
35:20once again. I think the best thing you can say is that Sussex is dominating the bottom half of
35:26that table. Seven Sussex teams out of 11 in the bottom half, which doesn't sound so good, but
35:34some of them won't be too unhappy with where they are. So, Burgess Hill, who have been as high as
35:39second a week or two ago, they're doing really well, scoring goals, putting a decent run together
35:45under Gary Mansell and Jay Lovett. It'd be nice to see them continue that and be involved in
35:51the title race or the playoff race as we go through. Bottom half of the table, so
35:57reading down from 12th place, you've got Eastbourne Town and Broadbridge Heath,
36:01who probably won't be upset to be there. Mid-table for them is a good effort.
36:06Going down from there, you've got East Grinstead 15th, Three Bridges 17th and Littlehampton
36:1218th, all outside the relegation zone, but with room for improvement. The two that you mentioned
36:20who are in the bottom four at the moment are Stenning and Lansing. Lansing have only had one
36:24win from their first ten. It's a shame because they had that first win two or three weeks ago
36:29and you just felt that that had been coming and they might go on a good run from there,
36:33but it hasn't quite happened since. They did, of course, miss a weekend because the international
36:38break. They had a couple of Bermuda and internationals in their squad, which was
36:42quite a nice little story for us. So those two will want to get out of the bottom four before
36:47they get marooned in there, but it's a funny division because there's still a lot of disparity
36:53between how many games teams have played, which if you look at the top two is apparent. Beckenham,
36:59our top, having played 13 games, five points behind them are Ramsgate with five games in hand,
37:06which is a crazy, crazy number at this stage of the season. So yeah, long way to go for all of
37:12them, but we at least hope the Burgess Hill will keep up the fight. Absolutely, and I think poor
37:17old Three Bridges, once Three Bridges are back playing in the county again, I think we'll see
37:21an improvement in their form. It can't be easy for them going all the way up to Chatham. But yes,
37:27finally in the SFL Premier, it looks as if a two horse race has begun to emerge at the top of the
37:31table. Who's firing out at the summit, Steve, and what's the latest from the foot of the table?
37:36Yeah, so it's still Hassox and Hayworth Heath at the top, who we've talked about on this podcast
37:43before, and there's a bit of a gap now. There's seven points between those two and third place,
37:50and actually Hassox and Hayworth Heath, because they've been going well in the cups as well,
37:54they've both got a game in hand over all the teams behind them. So it's got the potential to be a
37:58real mid-Sussex battle for the title of all season. Neither of them dropping too many points
38:04so far. The key games will be when those two play each other, and those will be really interesting
38:11and quite spicy, I would imagine. So well done to those two for keeping pace at the top. At the
38:17bottom, Little Common are getting a little bit marooned, only two points in bottom place yet to
38:23get their first win. They'll be looking to put that right within the next few weeks.
38:29Going up from there, there's a few teams there that are down there, but are only a couple of
38:33wins away from scrambling clear. You've got Lingfield, Saltdale and Pagham are the other
38:39sides of the bottom four. But yeah, early days. But yeah, as we hope with Burgess Hill and the
38:45Itterbean Premier, we hope that Hassox and Hayworth Heath continue to go toe-to-toe at the
38:50top there, and it's a great story for the mid-Sussex times, apart from anything else.
38:54Absolutely. And as is customary for our non-league podcast, each of us will pick our game of the week
38:59where we select a fixture involving a Sussex club that we think you should keep an eye out for. I
39:03think it's only fitting that we start with our guest, Will. I can probably guess what you're
39:08going to go for, but out of interest, what have you gone for, Will?
39:11Well, it's got to be the one that I'm at because, you know, why else? So it's going to be Lewis
39:17versus Ashford. I think it will be a fascinating FA Trophy first round tie. It's got a lot of
39:23plot lines bubbling away in the background. So firstly, Craig Nelson won't be there for Lewis,
39:31so Danny Okins will have to step up as the manager. Craig's away in Wales doing some
39:36coaching badges, so good for him, good for Lewis. Should benefit them a lot in the long run.
39:41But it'll be interesting to see how the backroom staff manage without him, if there's a particular
39:46leader that steps up, whether it's Danny or another member of the team. Also, in Lewis's ranks,
39:52they'll have to find a new centre-back. So whether that's someone like Ben Mandela,
39:57who's been playing out on the right, switching into a centre-back, they'll have to find a
40:01solution because Ethan Kaiser, who's been almost an ever-present this season, is now out injured
40:06with an ankle problem, probably for about three weeks or so. And also Peter Ogerman, who got the
40:12red cards last week at Horsham, isn't available, I understand, for this game. So that'll be an
40:17interesting one to see what solution they come up with there, whether that's a short-term signing or
40:21someone in the squad already moving across, and also how they cope with the test that Ashford
40:27posed, because Ashford should be really competitive. Danny Kedwell, formerly of Chatham
40:32last season, formerly of Gillingham, of course, a good Football League striker back in the day,
40:3741 now, but still on the books, could bring himself on off the bench if they need to.
40:43Yeah, they've got a lot of talent in their squad as well, a lot of players who were at Chatham last
40:46season. Mitchell Beeney in goal, for example, a few people remember his name. Jimmy Dunn in
40:51defence. Craig Stone, formerly of Hastings. So yeah, they've got a lot of good players in their
40:58team and they will give Lewis a very good test. So again, it could be an extra-time penalty sort
41:03of situation and should be a packed-out, driven pound, I hope. Should be a good game too. I've
41:09gone for Eastbourne Borough v Boreham Wood in the National League South. It's 6 v 8, a big game in
41:15the play-off race and a win could move the sports up to second if results go their way. But a lot of
41:20good things would have to happen for Eastbourne Borough to achieve that. And finally, Steve,
41:24what have you gone for this week? Well, I wanted to pick out six games of the weekend, but I thought
41:29you probably wouldn't let me because we haven't got two hours to talk about them all. And there's
41:33a reason for that. The reason for that is there are six games that are all part of the Sussex
41:37Groundhop weekend in the Southern Combination this weekend. So this is a group of groundhoppers
41:42that come from afar. All throughout the season, they go to different leagues. It's sort of step
41:47five, step six, going to new grounds and it means bigger crowds for the clubs involved. SCFL have
41:55moved the fixtures around a little bit to accommodate them. I'll very quickly name the six
41:59games they're going to. It's Roffey v Vondinians tonight, Oakwood against Old Fold tomorrow
42:04morning, Jarvis Brook Southwater half two on Saturday, Krober against Hussacks 5.45 on Saturday,
42:13Pagan v Lockswood Sunday morning at 11, East Preston v Godalming Sunday afternoon. So if
42:20forced to go for one of those as my game of the weekend, I'm going to go Krober v Hussacks because
42:25that is six against first in the SCFL and a tough one for Hussacks as they look to stay at the top.
42:31Absolutely. And if you find yourself at a loose end this weekend, I would encourage anyone to get
42:35down to a non-league ground and support your non-league team as it's very much welcomed by the
42:41club. And also don't forget at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport and our newspapers are the
42:45best place to get your Sussex non-league coverage, including articles by myself, Steve and Mr.
42:50Hugel. Thank you very much for joining us this week, chaps. And yes, we will see you all when
42:55we see you. Thank you so much.