- 03/01/2025
Matt Pole is joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and East Sussex-based sport reporter Will Hugall, who follows and covers a range of sports and teams across the region.
2024 is now in the books, and it saw a host of memorable moments in Sussex non-league football - including fabulous FA Cup runs for Horsham and Worthing, Chichester City earning promotion to the Isthmian Premier for the first time ever, Steyning and Eastbourne Town making the jump to the Isthmian South East, and Eastbourne Borough’s great escape from National League South.
2024 is now in the books, and it saw a host of memorable moments in Sussex non-league football - including fabulous FA Cup runs for Horsham and Worthing, Chichester City earning promotion to the Isthmian Premier for the first time ever, Steyning and Eastbourne Town making the jump to the Isthmian South East, and Eastbourne Borough’s great escape from National League South.
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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 Poul and on this edition
00:10I'm joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and a very special guest. Steve and I are
00:14both delighted to be joined by East Sussex-based sports reporter Will Hugel, who follows and
00:18covers a range of sports and teams across the region. 2024 is now in the books and it
00:23saw a host of memorable moments in Sussex non-league football, including fabulous FA
00:27Cup runs for Horsham and Worthing, Chichester City earning promotion to the Isthmian Premier
00:31for the first time ever, Stenning and Eastbourne Town making the jump to the Isthmian South-East
00:35and Eastbourne Borough's great escape from the National League South relegation zone.
00:40And in this episode of the Sussex Non-League Podcast, we will take a look back at 2024
00:44and forecast how our sides will perform in 2025. And starting with you, Steve, as we
00:49said, 2024 is now under wraps. What was your Sussex non-league moment of last year? Any
00:55achievements I've mentioned or something else entirely?
00:58It is one that you've mentioned there, actually. I would have to say Chichester City winning
01:03promotion to step three to the Isthmian Premier. I was lucky enough to be there on the night
01:08they did it. It was just such an unexpected story and a remarkable story, really. They
01:16came up from the County League into the Isthmian South-East about five years ago and everybody
01:21thought then, well, that might be a step too far for them. You know, they might struggle
01:25at that level. They haven't been in the Isthmian League, you know, that level before, but they
01:30did okay. They sort of held their own. They were never that close to going back down,
01:33actually. They had the FA Cup run, everybody remembers. But then last season they were
01:37at mid-table and then they were top half and you were thinking, could they sneak into the
01:42playoffs? And, you know, they were a bit inconsistent still. They were still, you know, losing games
01:48along the way. And then, obviously, a couple of months before the end of the season, they'd
01:53lost their assistant manager, Graham Gee. He sadly died of cancer. He'd been ill for some time.
02:00We covered it, obviously, at the time. And, you know, it was such a sad time, but it really sort
02:07of galvanised them and inspired them. And they went on a great run at the end of the season,
02:12finished fifth. But even then, people thought, well, you know, they're in the playoffs, that's
02:17great, but they're not going to beat Ramsgate. Ramsgate were way ahead at the top with Crow Valley
02:22PM. They then went to Ramsgate and won 1-0. They defended for their lives and scored right at the
02:29end. And at that point, I thought, I think things changed then because then they thought, well,
02:36if they've beaten Ramsgate, they've now only got one game to go. I learnt three bridges. Maybe they
02:41can do it. And they did. They went and absolutely batted three bridges. And there were some great
02:47emotional scenes because everybody was remembering Graeme, Gia, as they used to call him. But,
02:54you know, promotion was theirs and then the hard work began, really. So, I think that will stay
02:59with me for a long time. But that will take some beating as a highlight. Absolutely. I couldn't
03:03agree more. And what about yourself, Will? Which of our teams stood out above everyone else in 2024
03:08for you? Yeah, I was thinking exactly along the same lines. And I fully expected Steve to
03:13plump for Chichester. I think it's a fantastic story. Like, you know, the whole background of
03:18the club, being in the County League, and as you say, everything that happened last season with
03:23Graeme Gee, you know, it's an incredibly hard season for everyone to go through. And then
03:29for it to end in such an amazing run, to get into the playoffs, to upset Ramsgate,
03:37then to thrash three bridges, that's amazing. And obviously, you look at what they've done
03:42since, in the Istvan Premier, they've not just consolidated, they've not just survived,
03:46they're thriving, really. I was fortunate enough to see them play against Lewis the other week.
03:53Yeah, again, more than held their own, played brilliantly on the counter, won the game 3-2,
03:59fully deserved as well. And they're on the edge of the playoffs now, at the start of 2025. So,
04:05again, incredible achievement there. But the other one I had on my list that,
04:10if Chichester had already been taken, was, as you said, Matt, Eastbourne Town as well. Because,
04:16again, going through the playoffs to get up, you never really know what's going to happen.
04:20There's always drama there. And I'd seen a lot of Eastbourne Town in the County League.
04:26And really, year after year, there was a huge expectation on them to get promoted, but never
04:33quite there for one reason or another. Always had a fantastic squad, always had fantastic support,
04:38the loudest support in the County League for a number of years, the entire 10 years that they
04:43were there. And for them to finally get up, I think it was a very much deserved reward for
04:49all the hard work, the community and management team. Jude McDonald's done a brilliant job. I
04:54think he's found the perfect club for him. One of the nicest guys in Sussex non-league.
04:58And so many of the players are lovely guys as well. They've obviously spent a lot of time in
05:03Eastbourne League, some of them, and dropped down to the level to give something back to
05:07their local community. So I think it's a brilliant story as well. And again, obviously, they've done
05:13decent things this season as well. Consolidated at the mid-table and looked like staying in the
05:17Eastbourne South East this year. And I'd assume that Chichester City are probably your team of
05:222024, Steve. Not only just for their promotion, but like Will said, considering how well they've
05:27done in the Eastbourne Premier since promotion, they've just had a great 12 months in the hole,
05:30haven't they? Yes, I think so. I mean, this is turning into the Chichester City podcast a little
05:36bit. But they've deserved that really for what they've done this year. I think you could argue
05:41that they'd have been team of the year just for their promotion because that was so unexpected.
05:46But what they've done since has been incredible, really. At the point where they went up, I think
05:51everybody at Chichester and probably everywhere else thought the question was, can they survive
05:57at step three? Can they stay up in the Eastbourne Premier, somehow get enough points and enough wins
06:02without having much of a budget? It's a much lower budget than most of the teams in that division.
06:07They got a couple of early wins and that really gave them a boost. They did have a couple of
06:12quite sort of, not heavy beatings, but quite sort of comfortable defeats, if you like, as well
06:19early on. So they knew they were going to have to work hard. But they've really ground out some good
06:23wins. And Boxing Day, not Boxing Day, New Year's Day at Bognor, 4-1 win there has taken up to
06:32seventh place, which is incredible. And I saw somebody tweet, Colin Bowman, who does some bits
06:36and pieces for us, tweeted to Chichester City after that and said, congratulations on what you've done
06:42in the first half of the season. Don't rule out the playoffs. And I kind of hadn't really thought
06:46about the Eastbourne Premier playoffs for them, but I mean, it might probably a step too far and
06:51they won't really be worried about those so far, you know, at the moment. But, you know, they
06:57should stay up from where they are now and that's all they set out to do at the start of the season.
07:01If they can survive at this level, that's a great effort. So well done to them. And I was also going
07:07to mention just the other teams who won promotion this year as well. Eastbourne Town that Will has
07:11talked about there. Stenning as well did very well to win the SEFL and go up to step four. And
07:17similarly, going further down, Roffey and Wick both did well to get up to SEFL Premier and are doing
07:24OK. So, yeah, a lot of success stories throughout Sussex in 2024, which is great to see.
07:30Absolutely, yeah. And Will, I've asked you about your team. What was your standout moment of 2024?
07:34I think one of them for me, I seem to remember, was Gareth Barry joining
07:38Hirst Pierpoint and all those former Premier League players coming into the Mid-Sussex Premier.
07:42That was odd. I don't think many people saw that one coming.
07:46No, absolutely. It was brilliant in the summer to see that happening with Westfield signing up
07:52Charlie Daniels, Dan Gosling and Hirst Pierpoint responding with signing Gareth Barry. I still
07:58think all three of them are yet to play, but at least it was a good bit of attention for the
08:03Mid-Sussex League. And that's a league that's improving all the time. I think
08:07on a selfish level, I'd love to shout out Ringmer, of course, because my village team,
08:12team that I cover a lot, go to a lot of games and, to be honest, followed the Mid-Sussex for the first
08:18proper full season with them last year. And I was really impressed by the standards throughout.
08:23I think Ringmer did brilliantly because there were five or six teams that could have all won
08:29the title there and then to win it, maybe not in the fashion that they wanted to with the points
08:35deduction for Eastbourne United Reserves, but to win it in the end and break the stranglehold of
08:43Eastbourne United Reserves and, in their previous iterations, Hollington United and Sidney United
08:48won the league three years back-to-back. To break that kind of offered everyone else in the league
08:52a lot of hope. And Ringmer could have gone up had they applied for promotion. They would have
08:58needed to sort out a couple of things with the pitch over the summer. So, it was probably quite
09:02a rushed process had they done that. They've now sorted those things. They're in place for
09:06promotion next year. Just need to finish in the top five and above Westfield. So, it's expected
09:13to be a very good battle between Ringmer and Westfield for the rest of this season, which is
09:17very exciting to see. But yeah, I think in terms of 2024, Ringmer did brilliantly to win the title.
09:24Had a little bit of a stumble at the start of the 2024-25 season, but again, they've recovered
09:30really well towards the end of this year. Eight matches unbeaten at the end. Really good run
09:35up until Christmas and now back in the potential title picture, at least in the promotion picture.
09:41So, that's great for them. And actually, I just wanted to shout out Horsham as well because
09:47had a fantastic year. Haven't given them much of a shout out yet. I was toying it up last night.
09:52They actually played 62 matches in 2024, which in its own is an astounding achievement really to
09:59compete on that many fronts. But then to succeed on that many fronts, win obviously the Sussex
10:05Senior Cup, do so well in the FA Cup both seasons, FA Trophy as well and get to the playoffs,
10:14lose quite unfortunately in the semi-finals last season. Now looking like they'll probably
10:19qualify for the playoffs again this season. I think they've done incredibly and obviously
10:24they would have really appreciated the Sussex Senior Cup as a bit of silverware to just reflect
10:29all of that success. I'm glad you mentioned it, Will, because otherwise I'd be accused of bias
10:34by certain members of this podcast. So, thank you for bringing it up Horsham, Will. Very well.
10:39Final point about Ringmer, you'll have to excuse my ignorance. So, would they be promoted into
10:44SCFL Division 2? Is that right? How does it work?
10:48Yeah, into Division 1 because essentially Division 2 of the SCFL works the same as top
10:55division of the mid-Sussex Football League. So, basically under different umbrellas but same
11:00standard. So, they would go into Division 1, which would be a brilliant achievement,
11:05would take them back to where they were when they folded back in 2016, 2017 or so. And
11:12it would just come full circle for the new club to then get back to where the old club was really.
11:17And yeah, I think it'd be brilliant for Sussex Football as a whole because a lot of people knew
11:22Ringmer, came to the old ground, really respected it as a club and the new club's doing brilliant
11:27things. So, everyone would love to see them back really.
11:30Well, fingers crossed for them. Yeah, best of luck Ringmer. In the here and now, how does
11:36mid-season find all our teams from the National League South down to the Eastman Southeast,
11:40Steve? I know it's a lot of clubs to cover there, but who's doing what's expected of them and
11:44who isn't at the moment? Yeah, there's been some have done,
11:48I think it's fair to say there've been some have done as well as expected. Others have
11:53punched above their weight and there are one or two that are well below where we expected.
11:58So, going from Step 2 downwards, National League South, Worthing and Eastbourne Borough,
12:03both having good seasons, both having very similar seasons actually. They often sort of mirror each
12:07other's results actually, which is strange. And they drew nil-nil at Worthing the other day,
12:13New Year's Day, not a surprise to see them draw. So, they're both in the playoff zone at the
12:17moment, Worthing fourth, Eastbourne Borough sixth. Worthing are four points behind the leaders,
12:21which is currently Torquay. Eastbourne Borough six points behind them, I think. So, they're both
12:27well in that fight, looking forward to the second half of the season and ending with a great chance.
12:32Because it is so open this season, I think they'll both still be thinking we could win that
12:38title and we could take the one automatic promotion spot. If you don't win the title,
12:43then you're in the lottery of the playoffs. Everyone from second to seventh in the National
12:48South is in the playoffs. If you finish fourth to seventh, you have an extra playoff, you know,
12:53playoff qualifier sort of thing to play. So, if you can't finish top, you want to finish second
12:58to get straight into the semi-final, as Worthing did last year and then got to the final.
13:04So, I think they've both done well. I think on our pre-season podcast,
13:07we all sort of said we thought maybe Eastbourne Borough would be the stronger of the two this
13:12season, because Adam Murray had had half a year to sort of get his feet under the table and had
13:16done well last year, keeping them up. Whereas Worthing were looking at new manager and new
13:21players. They'd lost Adam Hinsherwood to be replaced by Chris Agata. They'd also lost people
13:27like Ollie Pearce. But actually, Worthing have done very well. You know, quite a few new players
13:33in that team, but they've had some really good results. They're back in the FA Trophy, which
13:39we may mention in passing later. So, yeah, lots to look forward to for those two in the National
13:45South. If you then go down to Isthmian Premier, Horsham, we've touched on there.
13:53They were behind on games for quite a long time because of all their FA Cup and FA Trophy runs.
13:58They're starting to catch up now and they've gone from the bottom half of the table to
14:02fifth in no time, really. They've won four games in a row. I think I saw somebody yesterday at
14:06Horsham say it's the first time they've won four Isthmian League games in a row for quite a few
14:14decades, actually, possibly. I think ever since possibly the 70s, Steve, I think.
14:19It's not easy to win that many consecutive games in that league because it's such a dog-eat-dog
14:24league. Everybody can take points off everybody else. So, to get that sort of run, it's not
14:30surprising to see them up to fifth with that sort of run behind them. Just that we've talked about,
14:35we don't need to go into too much detail about them again because they're doing well.
14:39The surprise is at the other end. You see Bogner on the bottom and Hastings not too far ahead of
14:48them. I don't think pre-season anybody would have expected that, particularly wouldn't have
14:52expected it of Bogner, I don't think. They've just struggled from the off this season. They had a
14:58lot of problems with injuries. Part of the company with Robbie Blake at the end of the season,
15:03Michael Burmy and Jamie Howell have gone in there and I'm sure will turn things around but haven't
15:07managed to so far. With each week, the passes, that's getting harder for Bogner to stay up.
15:12They're ten points safety at the moment. They've only won three games. Even if they were to double
15:17that tally of wins in their next three, they'd probably still be in the bottom three, but in four.
15:22So, hard for them. Hastings are in a position to be in a position to be in a position to be
15:26in a position to be in a position to be in a position to be in a position to be in a position
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21:37together a brilliant run. They haven't quite opened up the gap at the top, but they do look
21:43pretty unbeatable. But again, I wouldn't be surprised if something crops up and Seaford,
21:50who put together a brilliant run themselves in really good form, very hard to beat, probably
21:56their best and most consistent side for years, because Seaford have always threatened to do that
22:01in Division One, but just been putting piece by piece together over the last few years. Paul Wise
22:06done a very good job. Again, I think they'll be in a good battle with Forest Road at the end of
22:12the season. Dawking Wanderers B looked like an interesting little story. I believe they probably
22:19can't go up, but they'll continue to have fun. I think the top goalscorers in the league now
22:25knocking in five, six, seven goals each week. So good on them. They're having a good run and
22:30Worthing United putting their names in there as well. So it should be a very interesting picture
22:35for the rest of the season as well. And equally, again, I think down the bottom, you won't see
22:40teams breaking apart from each other too much because Montpelier Villa, even though they've
22:45been the slight whipping boys, now that David Baker's back in charge, they're putting together
22:51some decent results, getting some draws, battling for points. And they're not too far adrift now. So
22:59they might reel in a couple of teams. And again, I think they'll make it interesting.
23:03They'll keep fighting all the way. So, yeah, keep watching it.
23:07Absolutely. Well, on the first weekend of 2025, Sussex rivals Worthing and Eastbourne Borough
23:13played out a goal destroyer at Woodside Road on New Year's Day, a result which leaves both clubs
23:17in the National League South player places that we mentioned. How do you see 2025 going for Worthing
23:22and Borough, Steve? Well, maybe not necessarily the whole of 2025, but for now and the rest,
23:26until the rest of the season? Yeah, I think they're both going to,
23:30there's no reason to think they won't both stay there or thereabouts in the promotion race.
23:37Worthing have got the experience of having done it last year, although there's a few new players
23:41in the team, there's still quite a few players there that know what it takes to get into the
23:46playoffs and know what they're going to face when they get there. Eastbourne Borough did get in the
23:51playoffs previously, a couple of years ago, but nobody who's there now would have been part of
23:56that because they've had such a turnover. So that could give Worthing the edge in that playoff race,
24:02but you know, you wouldn't be surprised to see both of them finish in that top group and get
24:09in the playoffs. You wouldn't actually be more than surprised to see them finish second and third,
24:14for example. You look at Torquay having gone top now and you wonder if just the size of that club
24:22and the calibre of that club, are they a club who could now just open up a bit of a lead at the top?
24:27They haven't so far, but they could. But if they don't, you know, if it's as open in a couple of
24:32months' time as it is now, then I think Eastbourne Borough are still both going to be thinking, you
24:37know, both very ambitious clubs, lots of backing behind them, good support. They will both be
24:42thinking, let's go for that top spot. If I'm forced to make a prediction, I would say both
24:47in the playoffs and hopefully one at the World Cup. Yeah, fingers crossed. There's also plenty
24:53of New Year's Day action in the Eastmere Premier. Chichester City won 4-1 at struggling neighbours
24:58Bognor, while Horsham picked up an excellent victory at league leaders Dover. Third from
25:02Bolton, Hastings have beaten at Folkestone, while the East Sussex derby between Whitehall and Lewis
25:06was abandoned at half-time due to the awful weather on the day. Will, how do we see the rest
25:10of the season going for our sides in this division? Do we expect more good work from Horsham, Chichester
25:15and Lewis? Could we see the real possibility that three Sussex sides could get relegated this season?
25:21Well, as you say, you know, very interesting picture at the moment and obviously Steve did
25:25a brilliant round-up on all the recent form earlier. I think Horsham, now they're really
25:32in their groove and I was listening to James Hammonds speaking on the radio the other day,
25:38you know, now they're out of the cup competitions, well, other than the Sussex Senior Cup,
25:43they, you know, very much full intent on the league and now they're putting together results
25:48like smashing Potters Bar, like getting a win away at Dover, you know, they're doing things that
25:54other teams in the league really haven't done up until this point. So, they're really proving their
25:59mettle, obviously got a fantastic squad, you know, a lot of experienced players there, ex-Brighton
26:06Academy, ex, you know, Football League. I think Chris Dixon, you know, he's been a brilliant signing this
26:11season, obviously pinched him from Chatham after the playoff defeat last season when, you know,
26:16a bit of a villain scoring a penalty, but now the fans love him. You know, I saw a stat and I can't
26:24believe this, I saw he was the first player to score a hat-trick on his 40th birthday in English
26:29football. I don't know who's recording stats like that, but that's a brilliant one if it's true.
26:35That's a great stat, yeah.
26:37I love it and, yeah, again, you know, winning Dover, you know, really proves where they are at the
26:42moment and states their credentials and I think personally that they will quite comfortably
26:47finish in the playoffs because with a couple of games in hand, they can chase down the top four
26:52now and make it a bit interesting. Previously, it did look like the top four were all pulling away,
26:58but it should be really good to see them battle and hopefully get a bit further, play a final,
27:04maybe promotion this time. Lewis, Chichester, you know, I think they probably will have similar
27:11seasons in the second half now. Just, you know, try and pick up the wins and the draws when they
27:17can. For Lewis, it's been a bit of a struggle the last month or so, haven't won since 30th December,
27:24but did have the abandonment at Cray Valley when they were 3-1 up and did have the abandonment at
27:30Whitehawk when it was a pretty even game, to be honest, nearly at half-time, but they would have
27:36kicked down the slope in the second half. So, I know they were quite ambitious about hopefully
27:41getting a win there. So, you know, in the rearranged game, they'll hope to pick up points there.
27:48You know, speaking to Craig Nelson at the moment, he's still very positive about the squad,
27:51about the way that they're playing and I think with maybe one or two players possibly coming
27:57in the second half of the season, depending on budget, which isn't the biggest this season,
28:02but I know a couple of players have left recently, so might get new players in and give them a bit
28:07of a boost. But they need to kind of get where Chichester are and get, you know, full of momentum
28:12again because Chichester are doing brilliant things. And then at the bottom, I think
28:18Whitehawk and Hastings, I do have a sneaky suspicion, like Steve, that both of them will be
28:23all right. I feel, you know, they've had the new manager bounce, or in Whitehawk's case,
28:27the old manager bounce coming back. Old squad coming back as well, you know. The whole band's
28:33been put back together. So, I think they've got some real positive energy around them at the
28:37moment, everything that's going on in the club. Equally, Hastings, you know, new look in the
28:42boardroom and lots of ambitious plans. So, I think that should gee everyone up around.
28:48And then Bogner, you know, I think, unfortunately, it's a very big gap to make up now. But
28:55very positive news that came out yesterday about their plans for an artificial pitch going forward.
28:59So, obviously, that won't be too short-term. It'll be sort of medium to long-term. But
29:04really positive news and hopefully it gives everyone a little bit of a boost going into
29:09the second half of the season because, yeah, of course, they do need it.
29:13Absolutely. What do you think, Steve? Will Bogner be okay? How do you see it going?
29:19I still think they could. I just think if they can pick up sort of, if they can just start a
29:25little run, I think the confidence will grow quickly. They've got some good players there.
29:29There's a couple to come back from injury fairly soon, I believe. They've got managers with a
29:35massive amount of experience between them, you know, in higher levels, lower levels and this
29:41level. So, they've got the tools there to do it, but they need to do it soon. You know,
29:46if we get to the end of January and they're still that far behind, then you kind of think the time
29:51is going to run out for them. But I hope they can do it because they do belong at that level
29:55rather than the lower, the step four. Yeah, absolutely. I couldn't agree more.
30:00I watched Horsham play Bogner on Boxing Day and I thought they looked quite good in patches,
30:03Bogner. So, I think, fingers crossed, they have enough about them to stay up. But, yeah,
30:07we will see. Moving on, there was less New Year's Day action for our clubs in the Isby and South
30:12East as the inclement weather saw a number of games postponed. Lancing v Little Hampton was
30:17the only game to take place involving teams from Sussex and the Lancers' 4-2 victory saw
30:21them move out of the relegation zone at the expense of the goals. How do you see the rest
30:25of the season going for the eighth Sussex club in this Division C? Can Burgess Hill maintain
30:30their play-off push and can Little Hampton and Stenning possibly escape the drop at all?
30:35Yeah, I think Burgess Hill will finish in the top five. I think they've started well
30:41and they've carried that on, really. They've got a biggish squad, they've got some good players,
30:46they've got a couple of goal scorers. In fact, they've got a few different players who have all
30:50been in the goals, which helps them. And I can see them, you know, they've actually got a couple
30:53of games in hand on some of the teams up there with them. So, as long as they can get those
30:57games played. They did have some storm damage at the clubhouse on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day,
31:02so we're hoping that's not too serious and doesn't cause any more home games to be called
31:06off. We'll find out about that soon, I'm sure. I've just got a little feeling that one of
31:13Broadbridge Heath or Eastbourne Town might have a little run and either get in the play-offs or go
31:18very close to it. Probably Broadbridge Heath are more likely of the two. They had a bit of a slow
31:23start to the season but then went on a really good run. Safe up in mid-table at the moment
31:29and I think they could go higher. It doesn't take that much to go from 12th to 6th or 7th
31:35in that division. So, they might be ones to watch there. At the other end, I don't like to be
31:45negative on here, but I can't see Stenning getting out of it from the position they're in now. I hope
31:49they do. It'd be great if they can stay up there, that'd be quite an achievement, but I can't see
31:53it. But I think all the other Sussex clubs down there will be okay. I just think they've all got
31:58enough about them to stay up. So, Burgess Hill in the play-offs, Stenning going down, everybody
32:04else probably staying put for next season, I would think. In the SCFL Premier, as we've already said,
32:11Hassox found themselves top of the table at the end of 2024, 10 points clear of near-neighbours
32:15Hayward Heath Town while a little common sat at the division's basement. What are your predictions
32:21for the SCFL Premier, Steve, from now until the end of the season and can Hassox be called?
32:28I think Hassox will win it because of the lead they've got and the consistency they've shown.
32:34They've only lost two games all season, one of those was last week. But I think it will probably
32:41end up closer than it is now. I think to expect Hassox to keep up, they've won 17 out of 22 games,
32:49I don't think you can expect them to win quite the same ratio in the second half. I think there
32:53will be a bit of running out of steam there. That will give hope to people like Hayward Heath,
32:58Roffey, possibly to Petersfield and Crobra, just below them. I think Peacehaven and Eastbourne
33:05United are probably looking at best they can achieve would be finishing second or third. But
33:09I think it will end up close. I still think Hayward Heath might, once they sort out their
33:15sort of new regime and their new-look squad, I still think they might come on a bit of a run
33:21again. But I would say Hassox to win it. I don't want to hammer a club too much,
33:26but Hayward Heath's decision to get rid of Naeem Steve, would they live to regret that?
33:32Yeah, I think what we don't know is the full story behind it. They've never really
33:38sort of explained, perhaps they can't, why they decided to make that change at that time.
33:43There was talk of sort of new investors coming on board and so on and so forth, wanting
33:48someone else in there. But if you look at the form when Ruan was manager and the form since,
33:56it's like two different teams. They have slipped back. They were right up there with Hassox when
34:02he was still there. But that's partly probably because the team itself, it's not just the
34:10management that's changed, a lot of the team has changed as well. So that can take time to settle
34:15down. Still think they'll come good again, but they might be leaving themselves too much to do
34:20to get promotion this season. I'm sure if they don't, they'll have a quick go next season.
34:24Don't doubt that at all. Meanwhile, in the SCFL Division One, as we've already said,
34:29Forest Rowe are top of the pile at the end of 2024, while Montpelier Villa are at the bottom
34:34of the division. What are your SCFL Division One predictions for the rest of the season, Will?
34:40Well, I think I really do like Forest Rowe for the title, to be honest. I think
34:46it'll be a brilliant story. I think, you know, a club with not too much heritage in the County
34:52League for them then to do that. And they've got some brilliant players in the team like
34:58Callum Donaghy at the back, you know, Ben Bacon up front. They've got some real proper credentials
35:03of County Prem or even Step 4 level in there. So, I think they'll do very well for the rest
35:10of the season. And to be fair to them, they haven't used too many players this season. It's
35:15been a relatively settled squad. You know, some players have come in and out, but I think I was
35:20looking and there was only 28 players used so far. So, kudos to them for that because, you know,
35:26when you're at the top, you could, you know, be chopping and changing things every week and,
35:31you know, new players come in and want to be part of it. But they've stuck with the squad and
35:36I think, you know, credit to them for that. But yeah, they will be pushed hard. You know,
35:42there's Seaford who, you know, really do want promotion and will go hell for leather for it.
35:47So, they've got some brilliant players. And, you know, again, on a ringman level,
35:51they've got quite a few former ring faces in there. So, I'd love to see them do very well.
35:57And, you know, they really do deserve it. Some of their players, they've been playing at that
36:00level for a few years now and put some really consistent results together. So, I'd love to see
36:05them do well and hopefully get promotion. And you look at, you know, the Surrey teams as well,
36:10Dawking Wanderers B, Godalming, doing very well. You know, interlopers almost to this league
36:16because it did used to be the Sussex County League. But now, you know, it's a broad church.
36:20We welcome everyone in and they do very well. You know, credit to them. You know, the driving,
36:27the travel for them is more than what other teams have to face. And that's something to consider
36:32every season, you know, whether players are committed to that. So, you know, they've done
36:37great to put their runs together. And as I say, Worthing United as well, kind of been mid-table
36:42for quite a few seasons. And now for them to put a run together is really positive as well because
36:49it's a great club. They've got a great facility there and I'd love to see them do very well.
36:53So, yeah, all, you know, power to those five teams near the top. But also look out for some
37:00teams with some games in hand. So, Uckfield, who I've covered a bit in the past, Billingshurst,
37:06they've got some games in hand as well. So, yeah, look at them because they could, you know,
37:12make a run late in the season. Also Chessington and Hook, I see they've won their last five games
37:16now and they've still got a couple of games in hand. So, these teams that are kind of hovering
37:22mid-table or just above mid-table could really rise and make it interesting.
37:27And then at the bottom, as I say, I think Montpelier Villa will battle right to the very
37:32end. They may well finish bottom, but it won't be for the ones to try and they would have set
37:37an excellent foundation for next season and obviously trying to remain stable as a club.
37:43You look at a team like Rigate Priory have done a great job since coming in from the
37:48Emirates League last season and hopefully that lays a foundation for teams like Ringmore or
37:52Westfield to do the same next year. So, you don't want to see teams that have just been
37:57promoted go straight back down. And I think generally it's a very competitive league and
38:03yeah, all good signs for all the teams involved. Absolutely. And finally, on this bumper episode,
38:08this Tuesday sees three ties place in place at different stages of the Sussex Senior Cup.
38:14Worthing host Horsham and Littlehampton entertain Lansing in the quarterfinals while Burgess Hill
38:18host Brighton Under-23s in the third round. Steve Bone, who do you think will join Eastbourne
38:23Borough in the semis and which of Burgess Hill and Brighton do you think will host Whitehawk
38:27in the quarterfinals? I think Worthing are quite keen on this competition this year.
38:33They haven't always been in the past. They've sometimes prioritised league over this, but
38:38I think Chris Heckerter feels he's got enough of a squad to go the whole hog in this.
38:44Horsham will probably feel the same. So, I think that'll be a really good game next week,
38:47but I would take Worthing to take that with the home advantage. Similarly, Littlehampton,
38:53Lansing, not much between them as the league table, as the Eastbourne South-East table shows.
38:59But Littlehampton, good cup team. They're like a cup tie under the lights down at the sports field.
39:05I think I would take Littlehampton to go through in that one. I'd love Burgess Hill to go through
39:13to beat Brighton under 21s because it's just a better story to have Burgess Hill through rather
39:19than a Brighton team who we don't really know too much about. To get through to the latter stages,
39:27I can't see it to be honest. I think in all likelihood, Brighton, they've got this far,
39:32they should have too much for Burgess Hill, even at Burgess Hill's ground. So, that would then be
39:38Brighton, I think, facing Whitehawk in the final quarterfinal, as it were. But Eastbourne Borough
39:44will be sitting back already in the semi-finals. They'll be not too worried about who's going to
39:48win these other games and they'll probably be thinking we've got a great chance of getting
39:52to the final and winning it this year. Absolutely. Best of luck to all teams
39:56competing in that on Tuesday. And as customary, to end the podcast, we will select our game of
40:01the weekend where we pick out our game of the weekend, funnily enough, in Sussex. I've gone
40:06for Saltdine v Little Common in the SCFL Premier League. It's a massive game at the bottom of that
40:11division. A win for second from bottom, Saltdine could see them move seven points clear of bottom
40:15the table. Little Common, while a win from Little Common would see them just a point behind Saltdine.
40:20That's my pick. Steve, what have you gone for? I'm going to go for the big FA Trophy tie that
40:27no one thought they'd be getting. Worthing against Torquay tomorrow in the last 32
40:33of the trophy. Worthing are back in it because Gosport, who beat them in the last round on
40:39penalties, have been expelled because of an ineligible player used in a previous round,
40:47if you can get your head around that. If you were the team that had been knocked out, I think it was
40:51Tombridge got knocked out. Tombridge Angels got knocked out when Gosport fielded the player they shouldn't have.
40:59They are probably sitting there thinking, well, why haven't we been allowed back in and why can't
41:03we play Worthing first before we see who plays Torquay? All very complicated, but the upshot is
41:07Worthing won't mind too much. They're back in it. They've got another chance. They're home to Torquay.
41:13They'll fancy the chances there. If they get through, suddenly there are only three games
41:17from Wembley. You don't need any more of an incentive than that. There's a bit of prize
41:21money involved and so on and so forth. A further trophy run could get in the way of
41:27the league a little bit, but they'll take that at this stage if offered.
41:31Best of luck to Worthing in that one. And finally, Will, what would you recommend we keep an eye on this weekend?
41:38Well, I mean, there's a fantastic fixture list throughout, particularly the Isthmian League
41:42this weekend, so both the Premier Division and the South East. All of our sides have got
41:47interesting fixtures where, you know, it is the second half of the season now and they really do
41:51need to kick on and get some points wherever they are on the table. So, the ones that really
41:57stood out to me were Hastings against Canby Island. So, Canby Island are only five points
42:02above Hastings at the moment. So, if Hastings could win that at home, get some rocking support
42:07behind them, I think it would give them a lot of positive momentum going into the second half of
42:12the season. Also, looking down at the South East, I was looking at Eastbourne Town against Lansing,
42:17loving it, or Sussex Derby. So, that should be a cracking match, especially with Lansing
42:21picking up now under Sam Morgan. But I have to finish, you know, as is the tradition of today,
42:30Chichester City loving. It's got to be Chichester City against Chatham Town,
42:35seventh versus sixth, both three points behind Horsham. You know, whoever wins that one,
42:41if they do go on to win it, of course, could still be in the playoff picture. So, as long as
42:48they can sort of reel in Horsham and they don't fly too much up the league into the top four and
42:54really make sort of a top five, pulling away from the rest of the league, it could be a very
42:59interesting game, Chichester up against a very strong Chatham side. Obviously, they've spent
43:04some money on some former EFL players and another big test for Chichester at home, but it should be
43:10a cracking match. Excellent stuff, all good choices there. And thank you very much for joining us on
43:15this episode, chaps. Don't forget, sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport and our newspapers are the
43:21best place to get your Sussex Nun League coverage. Thank you very much for listening and watching,
43:26and we will see you all when we see you.
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