With the end of the football season in sight, Daniel Ford takes a look at how Eastbourne’s intermediate and junior teams are faring
Eastbourne Athletic took a giant step towards their dream of a historic double after a dramatic 5-4 penalty shoot-out win over Rotherfield Reserves in the Malins Cup on Saturday.
“Absolute scenes as it’s our first cup final as a club in our history,” said manager Jimmy Pyle.
They will meet Wakehams Green in the final – but another big game against their semi-final opponents looms in the league.
Athletic have already secured promotion from the Mid Sussex Division Three (South) but have their sights firmly fixed on winning the title.
“Promotion was always the target but we have been top of the table since the end of November and it’s in our hands,” said Pyle.
“A crunch match with Rotherfield [29 March] could well be the title decider and we are buzzing to see if we can see this through and win the first significant piece of silverware for this amazing club.”
Meanwhile, across the footballing border, Victoria Baptists are looking to secure their own double in the East Sussex League. They are sitting pretty at the top of Division Two and also have their eyes on a title.
“This season has been a really positive one,” said manager Mark Simmons. “Having welcomed some new and old faces to the team, we started slowly with two draws but have built a really impressive string of results and remain unbeaten in the league.”
Baptists have a crunch game away to second-placed Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club Reserves looming in the league, as well as the final of the Sussex Junior Challenge Cup against Forest Row Rovers at the Sussex FA HQ in Lancing on 17 April.
“A couple of serious injuries to regular players could upset things,” added Simmons, “but we have good strength in depth, a good heart and a team ethic that has seen us continue our form – and our hope of finishing top this season is still very much alive.”
If leading scorer Jamie Bunn (8) and Kyle Daines (7) keep banging them in, there is every reason to believe a double is on the cards.
Elsewhere in intermediate and junior football for the town’s clubs, Sovereign Saints are back on the up in the Mid Sussex Championship after disappointing last season. They currently sit in sixth position thanks to a string of goals from Ben Usher.
But in the same division, Eastbourne Rangers are battling at the bottom after their promotion back into intermediate football last season. They will need goal-a-game striker Oscar Linzey firing up front if they are to use their six games in hand over Ringmer Reserves to avoid a swift return to junior football.
Rangers have relocated their home base from the Sports Park to Eastbourne United’s impressive facilities at The Oval and can boast that they were the first side to host former England star Gareth Barry, now turning out occasionally for Hurstpierpoint.
Barry’s appearance on 8 February was not widely reported so it was watched by barely double figures that day – a far cry from when he turned out for the Three Lions at Wembley. The 44-year-old star earned 53 caps playing for England during his career.
Jesters Town stormed to the East Sussex Division One title last season but they took their time to acclimatise to the Premier Division.
Following a blistering 6-2 win over Bexhill AAC in their opening fixture, they picked up just two more wins in their next 11 games – a run that led to a change in management.
“The start of the season was very up and down but the performances were ultimately very poor and the club was not in a good place so we changed managers”, said current player-manager Louis Osborne, who led the team to the title and a cup final last season.
“Since then, it’s been a lot more positive, and we’ve seen several older players out the door and in with fresh youngsters. We’ve picked up and are back with our philosophy of giving players a chance to express themselves.”
The club have been on the up-and-up since shifting across from Sunday football only a few years and, after their 3-0 win over Westfield Reserves on Saturday, they sit in a healthy fourth place.
Don’t rule them out playing a significant part in the title challenge in the Premier League next season.
In Mid Sussex Division Two, Parkfield are in a relegation dogfight at the bottom after winning the Division Three title last season, while Sovereign Saints Development have consolidated in the East Sussex Division Four after being shifted down a couple of levels following a poor previous campaign.
- Daniel Ford is the author of Fish, Chips & Football, a book that covers a season of football in Eastbourne and along the coast. To order: www.chasemysnail.com
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