Season 1991-92
55TH SEASON
SEASON REPORT
The 1991-92 season did not turn out to be one of the more memorable ones in the club’s history. The 1st XI struggled throughout the year, finished the season second bottom and were relegated from the Premier Division of the East Sussex League while the 2nd team ended mid-way in a division that the side had the ability to win.
On a more promising note, it was good to see more young players appearing in the second team than had been the case in recent seasons and with encouragement it was hoped it would not be long before they were progressing to the first team.
1ST TEAM
This was one of the most disappointing seasons for the 1st team for a long time with only three wins in twenty-six matches, one in the league, one cup game and one friendly. The Premier Division was won by Shinewater who were a class above any other side and although fourteen games were lost, a number of the matches were close and improvement was seen towards the year of the season when five out of the last six defeats were only by the odd goal. These included the games against Bodiam and Hawkhurst United when the winning goals were scored in the last minute or two.
Goalkeeping problems did not help the situation with the side losing Jon Fuller through injury before the start of the season and then his replacement, Matthew Hogan, going down with glandular fever and hepatitis after only a few games. In fact five different players appeared between the posts during the season. It also didn’t help that defensively the side managed to gift the opposition at least one goal in most games.
Regardless of relegation, the side would need strengthening for the next season which would partially be achieved from the young players coming through the second team. The awards this year went to David Mayne as Players’ Player and Stuart Adams as Manager’s Player. At the end of the season a friendly was played against a touring team from Holland followed by a barbeque at the Robin Hood.
| ICKLESHAM CASUALS v DUTCH XI FRIENDLY Icklesham Recreation Ground Saturday, 30th May 1992 |
1ST TEAM PLAYING RECORD
| EAST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION |
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 18 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 25 | 57 | 5 |
| Cup | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 10 | N/A |
| Friendly | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | N/A |
| All Games | 26 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 39 | 74 | 5 |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31/8/1991 | Rock-a-Nore | Home | Friendly | 4 – 3 | Christian Kipps 2, Bob Baker (pen), Bill Black |
| 11/9/1991 | Beckley | Home | Friendly | 1 – 1 | Bob Baker (pen) |
| 21/9/1991 | Hollington United | Away | League | 0 – 5 | |
| 28/9/1991 | Wadhurst United | Home | League | 3 – 3 | Paul Milton 2, Bob Baker |
| 5/10/1991 | Eastbourne Fishermen | Home | East Sussex League Challenge Cup 1st Round | 1 – 2 * | Stuart Adams |
| 19/10/1991 | Bodiam | Home | League | 1 – 4 | Andy Vickers |
| 2/11/1991 | Shinewater AFC | Away | League | 0 – 3 | |
| 9/11/1991 | Old Latymerians II | Home | A F A Intermediate Cup 1st Round | 1 – 2 | Paul Milton |
| 16/11/1991 | Sidley United II | Home | Hastings F A Intermediate Cup 2nd Round | 0 – 1 | |
| 23/11/1991 | Hollington United | Home | League | 2 – 6 | Russell Drew, Robin West |
| 30/11/1991 | Rusthall | Away | Robertsbridge Charity Intermediate Cup 1st Round | 4 – 1 | Paul Milton 2, Stuart Adams, Bob Baker |
| 7/12/1991 | Firehills | Away | League | 0 – 4 | |
| 14/12/1991 | Rock-a-Nore | Away | League | 3 – 4 | Christian Kipps 2, Mark Stace |
| 28/12/1991 | Westfield | Home | League | 4 – 0 | Christian Kipps 3, Paul Milton |
| 4/1/1992 | Firehills | Home | League | 0 – 4 | |
| 11/1/1992 | Hawkhurst United | Home | League | 3 – 3 | Paul Milton, Christian Kipps, Mark Stace |
| 18/1/1992 | Wadhurst United | Away | League | 1 – 3 | Paul Milton |
| 25/1/1992 | Rye United II | Away | Robertsbridge Charity Intermediate Cup 2nd Round | 1 – 4 | Steve Fuller |
| 8/2/1992 | Tenterden St Michaels | Home | League | 1 – 2 | Christian Kipps |
| 15/2/1992 | Westfield | Away | League | 2 – 2 | Martin Tytherleigh 2 |
| 29/2/1992 | Rock-a-Nore | Home | League | 1 – 2 | Phil Clarke |
| 14/3/1992 | Shinewater AFC | Home | League | 0 – 5 | |
| 21/3/1992 | Tenerden St Michaels | Away | League | 2 – 3 | Phil Clarke, Mark Stace |
| 28/3/1992 | Bodiam | Away | League | 1 – 2 | Phil Clarke |
| 18/4/1992 | Hawkhurst United | Away | League | 1 – 2 | Bob Baker |
| 30/5/1991 | Dutch XI | Home | Friendly | 2 – 3 | Iain Curry 2 |
| Notes * After Extra time |
2ND TEAM
For the 2nd XI the season promised much but eventually also ended in disappointment. With four games to go promotion was still a possibility but defeat in all four, although this did include two games against champions Nelson Tigers, meant only a mid-table position was achieved.
The problem the first team had with goalkeepers had a knock-on effect on the second team and on several occasions the side had to play without a recognised keeper. Most players had to take their turn in goal at some point during the season and this undoubtedly had a bearing on results. A priority for the 1992-93 was to find a regular goalkeeper. Thanks was due to Richard Forrest who came out of retirement to help out both teams.
On a brighter note, the 2nd team won their first cup game for six seasons with a 5-2 extra time victory against Old Hastonians II, a team two divisions higher, in the Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup. Just to prove this wasn’t a one-off, the team went on to win another one in the East Sussex League Fred Eade Cup. Two other notable performances also came in cup fixtures – a narrow 2-1 loss to Hawkhurst United II from Division Three and a 4-3 defeat against Rye United III from Division Four, a game that should have been won comfortably. Another memorable match was the 10-0 league win over Ticehurst which saw Gareth Collier net four goals and Stephen Crisford also complete a hat-trick.
Trevor Hoath was leading scorer with 14 goals, followed by Gareth Collier with 13 and Iain Curry with 10. Mick Booker, always reliable at centre-half, won the 2nd team Players’ Player of the Year award with Trevor Hoath being Manager’s Player of the Year. Matthew Sams was the Bert Glazier Cup winner.
2ND TEAM PLAYING RECORD
| EAST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION SEVEN |
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 44 | 42 | 14 # |
| Cup | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 23 | N/A |
| Friendly | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 14 | N/A |
| All Games | 29 | 10 | 3 | 16 | 78 | 79 | 14 # |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28/9/1991 | Robin Hood | Home | Friendly | 6 – 1 | Paul Milton 2, Tony Forster 2, Trevor Hoath, Own Goal |
| 5/9/1991 | Nelson Tigers | Home | Friendly | 4 – 2 | Trevor Hoath 2 (1 pen), Christian Kipps, Robin West |
| 7/9/1991 | National Westminster Bank XI | Home | Friendly | 4 – 4 | David Mayne 2, Martin Tytherleigh, Christian Kipps |
| 14/9/1991 | Mountfield United | Home | Friendly | 1 – 3 | Steve Fuller |
| 21/9/1991 | Beckley | Home | League | 0 – 4 | |
| 28/9/1991 | Cranbrook Town | Away | League | 1 – 1 | Scott Fletcher |
| 12/10/1991 | Old Hastonians II | Away | Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup 1st Round | 5 – 2 * | Christian Kipps 3, Bob Baker, Trevor Hoath (pen) |
| 26/10/1991 | Old Salesians III | Home | A F A Junior Cup 1st Round | 0 – 3 | |
| 2/11/1991 | Rye United III | Home | Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup 2nd Round | 3 – 4 | Paul Belchamber, Trevor Hoath (pen), Hugh Sullivan |
| 9/11/1991 | Westfield III | Away | League | 0 – 4 | |
| 16/11/1991 | Bainbridge | Away | League | 2 – 3 | Steve Beale, Scott Fletcher |
| 30/11/1991 | Hawkhurst United II | Home | Hastings F A Junior Cup 1st Round | 1 – 2 | Stephen Crisford |
| 14/12/1991 | Ticehurst II | Home | League | 10 – 0 | Gareth Collier 4, Stephen Crisford 3, Trevor Hoath 2, David Mayne |
| 4/1/1992 | Sedlescombe | Away | League | 1 – 3 | Chris Morrell (pen) |
| 11/1/1992 | Old Centmodians II | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 2nd Round | 1 – 4 | Hugh Sullivan |
| 18/1/1992 | Bainbridge | Home | League | 2 – 1 | Iain Curry, Trevor Hoath |
| 1/2/1992 | Bainbridge | Home | East Sussex League Fred Eade Cup 2nd Round | 4 – 2 * | Gareth Collier 2, Trevor Hoath (pen), Iain Curry |
| 8/2/1992 | Ticehurst II | Away | League | 8 – 4 | Trevor Hoath 4, Bob Baker 2, Iain Curry 2 |
| 15/2/1992 | Sedlescombe | Away | East Sussex League Fred Eade Cup 3rd Round | 3 – 6 | Gareth Collier, Steve Jones, Own Goal |
| 22/2/1992 | Sedlescombe | Home | League | 0 – 0 | |
| 29/2/1992 | Tenterden St Michaels III | Away | League | 2 – 3 | Bob Baker 2 |
| 7/3/1992 | Westfield III | Home | League | 5 – 4 | Bob Baker 2, Gareth Collier 2, Iain Curry |
| 14/3/1992 | Mayfield II | Away | League | 3 – 1 | Iain Curry 2, Gareth Collier |
| 21/3/1992 | Tenterden St Michaels III | Home | League | 5 – 1 | Iain Curry 2, Scott Fletcher, Gareth Collier, Matthew Sams |
| 28/3/1992 | Cranbrook Town II | Home | League | 3 – 5 | Mick Booker, Nick Bellhouse, Iain Curry |
| 4/4/1992 | Mayfield II | Home | League | 1 – 2 | Trevor Hoath |
| 11/4/1992 | Nelson Tigers | Home | League | 1 – 3 | Gareth Collier |
| 18/4/1992 | Nelson Tigers | Away | League | 0 – 3 | |
| 27/5/1992 | Robin Hood | Home | Friendly | 2 – 4 | Robin West, Gareth Collier |
| Notes # Beckley expelled * After Extra time |
VETERANS
The veterans warmed up for the Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup with a win in a semi-veterans friendly against Tackleway Veterans before facing Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club Veterans in the first round. This proved to be a most enjoyable game with much skill displayed by both teams and resulted in a 3-2 victory after twice being behind. In the semi-final, the veterans faced Westfield Veterans and despite losing several players to injury and unavailability put up another good performance. The match was played throughout in pouring rain and after extra time the score was level at 2-2. In almost darkness the side then lost by the cruellest of ways, 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out.
VETERANS PLAYING RECORD
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | N/A |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/4/1992 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club Veterans | Away | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup 1st Round | 3 – 2 | Bob Baker 2, Alf Benton |
| 24/4/1992 | Westfield Veterans | Home | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup Semi-Final | 2 – 2 * | Bob Baker, Alf Benton |
| Notes * After Extra time – Lost 3-5 on penalties |
SEMI-VETERANS
SEMI-VETERANS PLAYING RECORD
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | N/A |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4/1992 | The Junior Club Tackleway | Home | Friendly | 1 – 0 | Bob Baker |
SEASON AWARDS
ICKLESHAM CASUALS SIX-A-SIDE TOURNAMENT
Icklesham Recreation Ground – Saturday, 20th July 1991
Eleven teams took part in the 1991 Six-a-Side Tournament with the side from Rye Blackboys failing to turn up.
The teams were again split into two groups with both Icklesham Casuals sides finishing as runners-up in their groups and therefore qualifying for the semi-finals. The ‘A’ team defeated Silverhill on penalties after a 0-0 draw while the ‘B’ team won 1-0 against Claverham to set up an all-Icklesham Casuals final. In the final it was the ‘A’ team who was successful with a 3-0 victory, therefore winning the William Dunlop Memorial Shield.
The winning Icklesham Casuals ‘A’ squad was:- Russell Drew, Jon Fuller, David Mayne, Paul Milton, Gavin Stace, Mark Stace and Martin Tytherleigh while the ‘B’ team squad was:- Steve Beale, Bill Black, Wayne Farrier, Wayne Fuller, Jason Goodyear, Andy Vickers and Heath West.
GENERAL MATTERS
Research started into the possibility of carrying out improvements to the playing surface of the pitch at the Recreation Ground and also hopefully to the changing facilities and if these progressed, much time and effort would need to be put in over the following season, especially with regard to fundraising, if the work was to go ahead.
Over it’s 55 year history, the club had built up a reputation for sportsmanship and sense of fair play. This season, one player was sent-off and two cautioned with neither team finishing in the top ten in the Sportsmanship Trophy. While this did not mean high marks were not still achieved for sportsmanship, it was hoped that the sending-off and bookings were something that would not be repeated and would be borne in mind by everyone playing for the club in the coming seasons.
The Annual General Meeting was held in the pavilion at Icklesham Recreation Ground on Friday, 12th June at 8.15 pm.