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This wet weather really shows no signs of moving along. No doubt club finances have really struggled over the last eight weeks until you’re lucky enough to have a 3G/4G surface and then there are no concerns.
Pitch inspections and game off have been trending a lot on X/Twitter since early January and the games to be rearranged have been racking up for a while.
Some clubs are definitely in the three games a week bracket until the end of the season in April and it might not be long until the Thursday evening starts getting rolled out.
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I was originally due to be heading to Crowborough Athletic for a cup semi-final. The Crows pitch is known as one of the best in the County League but even the 29mm deluge in 48 hours meant their ground couldn’t stop the waterlogging.
Luckily, there were two or three choices for a game on the artificial surface, but some I’d already been to once at least this season. However, there was one to be taken in.
Peacehaven & Telscombe had spent most of the season playing around the county of Sussex whilst they had a new 3G surface laid. Now back home and beginning to feel settled in, the Haven have a facility now to ensure they can bring in income every single day of the week if they so wished.
Their opponents on the night were Shoreham, a side I hadn’t seen since the first couple of weeks of the season, the Musselmen still likely too close to the relegation places for Michael Death’s liking but time left yet to pull away from there.
After battling through the Brighton & Hove Albion FC traffic on the way through to the ground, I made it there in decent time. There isn’t anything fancy to these pitches and surroundings ever, but they are tidy around the perimeter and of course fresh and new.
The home side certainly looked as if the pitch was already suiting them down to the ground, pass and move, of course the odd one going astray and not yet judging the speed at which it skips up off the surface.
There wasn’t much bar a little sparring going on in the opening 20 minutes, the ball struggling to stick up front for Shoreham and Peacehaven a little wasteful when they got into good areas in and around the penalty area.
The visitors then did test Ryan Hammond, but the keeper was equal to the efforts and just as we were set for a goal less first half, up popped the home side to change the complexion of the game.
Ross Barclay got away through the middle and after exchanging passes with Lewis Croal, Fin Agnihorti was clean through and slotted the ball past Elliott Dailly seconds before the referee blew up for half time.
A pivotal time to score, team talks already half set in your head and then bang, it needs rethinking in the space of a minute or two.
The second half was a very different story. Haven shored themselves up and were on the attack from the first whistle. They had a great opportunity just after the hour mark to double their lead, Agnihorti clipped inside the box and a penalty.
Up stepped Croal but his weak spot kick was saved easily by Dailly. He didn’t have long to wait however to notch his goal, tapping home after the once again impressive Agnihorti had registered a shot on target.
Shoreham couldn’t get out of their half often and when they did, Haven were all over them winning back possession. Seven minutes from time they were award a second penalty after Tommy Jupp was fouled, Cameron Wiltshire stepping up and making no mistake this time to grab a goal his performance deserved.
Definitely a game of two halves, it was very even across the opening 45 minutes with not too many good chances for either side, but Haven seemed to step up a gear or two in the second half and didn’t let Shoreham have a kick.
Certainly a few players stood out for the home side, Jake Baldey was excellent at the back alongside Harry Pollard and his distribution of the ball you couldn’t fault. Wiltshire ran the midfield, always available for the next pass and key to them getting down the park.
Callum Edwards also looked very comfortable with the ball at his feet running at Shoreham, Agnihorti was pacy and something Shoreham struggled a little to contain second half.
The return home might have come slightly too late for Haven to catch the play-off’s, but I don’t think they’ll be too far away come the end of April, Deathy will probably agree two or three more wins will be enough to see Shoreham safe.
