Pre-season was underway for me on Wednesday evening despite games taking place for the past 13 or so days, I’ve decided to limit a little which ones I attend. Not because I’m not interested or not ‘feeling it’, I’m just not in as much of a rush as I was the past two years.
I don’t ground hop nor do I collect ticks or anything like that, it’s not my style. Kudos to those who do, I go where I choose for varying different reasons that being a ground that’s caught my attention, the food, people there at the club, managers or players, and as the season goes on a team that’s playing well or not to capture my attention.
The first action for me of 2023-24 was local, Wick vs Littlehampton. A derby to kick things off where two steps now separate the clubs, whereas they were both at the same level only a couple of seasons ago.
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A steady first ever season in the Isthmian South East Division for the Golds last time out whilst Wick reached the Southern Combination Division One play-off final but Epsom & Ewell beat the Wickers 2-1.
A bright but very breezy evening welcomed the players to the pitch and the early running was all the visitors. Despite losing a few players over the summer months as most teams do, Golds were in front inside ten minutes, striker Josh Short with a hard finish past Keelan Belcher for the opening goal.
Wickers struggled to keep the ball when they did get possession, the visitors press was high and tackling strong to turn the ball over and created some neat inter-changing passes through the middle of the pitch.
Golds doubled their lead on 23 mins, the impressive Dion Jarvis playing slightly higher off the shoulder of Short dispatched a smart finish across Belcher into the far corner.
The contest was almost over by half time, Jarvis again finishing well just past the half hour mark with the home side seeing very little of James Binfield’s goal, the gap in levels looking quite evident through the first 45 minutes.
A host of changes for both sides at half time, the Golds again playing some nice passing angles but without penetrating as much as they had during the opening half, Wick held onto possession much better and certainly had the better chances.
Half time substitute George Gaskin had the only real chance of the second half for Littlehampton hitting the top of the bar whilst Wick should have netted twice before they finally did find the net.
A penalty rightly given for handball gave Josh Irish the opportunity from the spot and the striker duly obliged to reduced the deficit to 3-1 and around 15 minutes to play.
But the visitors saw out the final period of the game without drama, a good workout for both sides in front of a healthy crowd of 210. Plenty of faces to recognise on the pitch and great to see and chat with so many on the sidelines, the beauty of non-league football wherever you go.
Wick have certainly set themselves up with a good run of fixtures having played sides above them so far in their three games and their final ones are against similar level clubs outside Sussex. They were guilty of too much over playing out from the back and a lack of a cutting edge up front, solve those two issues over the remaining three weeks and they should be in the promotion race again.
Golds looked impressive for a first run out of the year, with a later league start date Isthmian clubs are usually behind the rest in coming back, it’s hard to tell on both sides of the pitch how many were missing with holidays and unavailability, another constant in the world of non-league football.
