Season 1992-93
56TH SEASON
SEASON REPORT
The fifty-sixth season promised much for the first team but ended disappointingly and although the second team finished bottom of their division mainly due to problems at the start of the season, there were some highlights. It was again encouraging to see more younger players coming to the club and by the end of the season two had progressed to the first team. This was also the season in which the East Sussex League introduced three points for a win.
1ST TEAM
With six matches to go promotion was still a possibility for the 1st XI but with a packed final league programme fatigue set in, several injuries were suffered and a poor run of form meant the season ended in rather an anticlimax and only a mid-table position achieved.
The league highlights were the double completed over champions Punnetts Town and a home victory over Rye United II when the side recovered from a goal down to win 2-1 playing some of their best football of the season. The semi-final of the Robertsbridge Charity Intermediate Cup was reached where the first team lost to Premier Division Hollington United and the quarter-finals of the Hastings F A Intermediate Cup, having two memorable games against the Junior Club Tackleway in the opening round. The side recovered from 2-0 down to draw two-all in the first match and won the replay 3-2 after being 2-1 behind with only two minutes of extra time to go.
The 1st XI entered the Sussex Intermediate Cup for the first time since the 1967-68 season and were then drawn away to the holders, Hastings Town Reserves. The match was played under floodlights at the Pilot Field in September where the side put up a tremendous defensive performance before going down 2-0 with both goals being scored in the last fifteen minutes. Neil Pincombe had an outstanding game in goal and the corner count was 26-0 in Hastings Town’s favour!
The 1st XI entered the Sussex Intermediate Cup for the first time since the 1967-68 season and were then drawn away to the holders, Hastings Town Reserves. After being postponed once, the match was played under floodlights at the Pilot Field in September where the side put up a tremendous defensive performance before going down 2-0 with both goals being scored in the last fifteen minutes. Neil Pincombe had an outstanding game in goal and the corner count was 26-0 in Hastings Town’s favour!
Match Programme
1st Team v Hastings Town II – Sussex Intermediate Cup 1st Round – Wednesday, 30th September 1992
Of the younger players, Scott Fletcher was commanding a regular first team place and Daryll Young played several games at the end of the season and would hopefully be challenging for a position in the side at the start of the new season. Andy Vickers was voted Players’ Player of the Year and Dave Harding won the Manager’s Player of the Year award. Bob Baker topped the goal scorers with 18 goals while Steve Fuller and Paul Milton hit 12 each.
It was hoped that this first team squad would remain together and with the addition of one or two new signings to add strength in depth then there would be no reason why in twelve months time the first team could not be celebrating promotion back to the Premier Division.
1ST TEAM PLAYING RECORD
| EAST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE |
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 26 | 28 | 25 |
| Cup | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 22 | 27 | N/A |
| Friendly | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 5 | N/A |
| All Games | 33 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 62 | 60 | 25 |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/8/1992 | Old Hastonians | Home | Friendly | 5 – 0 | Steve Fuller, Paul Milton, Iain Curry, Martin Tytherleigh, Bob Baker |
| 15/8/1992 | Pebsham Sibex | Away | Friendly | 0 – 1 | |
| 25/8/1992 | The Junior Club Tackleway | Home | Friendly | 7 – 1 | Iain Curry 3, Bob Baker 2, Russell Drew, Paul Milton |
| 2/9/1992 | Rock-a-Nore | Home | Friendly | 2 – 3 | Bob Baker, Iain Curry |
| 12/9/1992 | Westfield | Home | League | 2 – 0 | Steve Fuller, Bob Baker |
| 19/9/1992 | Burwash | Away | League | 2 – 5 | Bob Baker, Steve Fuller |
| 30/9/1992 | Hastings Town II | Away | Sussex Intermediate Cup 1st Round | 0 – 2 | |
| 17/10/1992 | Old Town Eastbourne | Home | East Sussex Challenge Cup 2nd Round | 4 – 5 * | Bob Baker 2 (2 pens), Steve Fuller, Paul Milton |
| 24/10/1992 | Sandhurst | Away | League | 1 – 1 | Bob Baker |
| 31/10/1992 | Rye United II | Away | League | 1 – 1 | Bob Baker |
| 7/11/1992 | Carshalton II | Home | A F A Intermediate Cup 1st Round | 1 – 1 * | Martin Tytherleigh |
| 14/11/1992 | Carshalton II | Away | A F A Intermediate Cup 1st Round Replay | 1 – 4 | Steve Fuller |
| 21/11/1992 | The Junior Club Tackleway | Home | Hastings F A Intermediate Cup 1st Round | 2 – 2 * | Paul Milton 2 |
| 12/12/1992 | Punnetts Town | Away | League | 2 – 1 | Bob Baker, Steve Fuller |
| 9/1/1993 | The Junior Club Tackleway | Away | Hastings F A Intermediate Cup 1st Round Replay | 3 – 2 * | Bob Baker 2, Paul Milton |
| 16/1/1993 | Sandhurst | Home | Hastings F A Intermediate Cup 2nd Round | 4 – 1 | Bob Baker 2 (2 pens), Stuart Homewood, Tony Forster |
| 6/2/1993 | Old Hastonians | Home | Robertsbridge Charity Intermediate Cup 1st Round | 2 – 0 | Steve Fuller 2 |
| 20/2/1993 | Old Hastonians | Away | League | 2 – 0 | Paul Milton, Bob Baker |
| 27/2/1993 | Burwash | Home | League | 0 – 1 | |
| 6/3/1993 | Sandhurst | Away | Robertsbridge Charity Intermediate Cup 2nd Round | 3 – 1 | Martin Tytherleigh, Scott Fletcher, Bob Baker |
| 13/3/1993 | Bodiam | Home | Hastings F A Intermediate Cup 3rd Round | 1 – 4 | Scott Fletcher (pen) |
| 20/3/1993 | Old Hastonians | Home | League | 4 – 0 | Paul Milton 2, Scott Fletcher, Steve Fuller |
| 27/3/1993 | Ninfield United | Away | League | 1 – 0 | Steve Fuller |
| 3/4/1993 | Punnetts Town | Home | League | 4 – 1 | Scott Fletcher, Paul Milton, Stuart Homewood, Steve Fuller |
| 10/4/1993 | The Junior Club Tackleway | Home | League | 1 – 3 | Bob Baker (pen) |
| 12/4/1993 | Rye United II | Home | League | 2 – 1 | Paul Milton, Scott Fletcher |
| 17/4/1993 | Hastings Rangers | Home | League | 1 – 1 | Steve Fuller |
| 19/4/1993 | Westfield | Away | League | 0 – 2 | |
| 24/4/1993 | Sandhurst | Home | League | 1 – 4 | Paul Milton |
| 27/4/1993 | Hastings Rangers | Away | League | 2 – 2 | Scott Fletcher, Daryll Young |
| 1/5/1993 | Ninfield United | Home | League | 0 – 3 | |
| 8/5/1993 | The Junior Club Tackleway | Away | League | 0 – 2 | |
| 11/5/1993 | Hollington United | Neutral< | Robertsbridge Charity Intermediate Cup Semi-Final | 1 – 5 | Scott Fletcher |
| Notes * After Extra Time < Match played at Robertsbridge |
2ND TEAM
The 2nd XI finished in last place in Division Seven of the East Sussex League on goal difference. This was due to problems at the start of the season when the side was struggling for both players and a manager and at one point it looked as though the club would not even have a second team. With Bill Black working on Saturday afternoons, he was unable to continue as manager. Gareth Collier ran the side for the first few matches until Steve Jones offered to take over and thanks were due to them both for the work put in during the season as well as to all the players who stuck by the club in a very difficult period.
The side was on the end of some heavy reverses early on and the first victory was not achieved until the 30th January, the tenth league game, when the team beat Burwash II. Further league victories followed against Northiam 75 II, Cranbrook Town II and Durgates, who finished third in the table. The side also lost by only 2-1 at home to champions Heathfield Hotspurs, who won every league game, with the second half performance in the match being well worth a draw.
In cup competitions, the second team were unlucky to be drawn against teams from several divisions higher in three of the trophies and large defeats were suffered. However, the side reached the quarter-finals of the Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup, beginning the campaign with a 5-5 draw after extra time against Bexhill Athletic II after leading 4-0 at half-time. In fact it was only a late penalty from Scott Fletcher that earned a replay. This was won comfortably 3-0 and victory by the same score was then achieved against Seeboard from a division higher in the next round. This was probably the best performance of the season. The quarter-final tie with Heathfield Hotspurs II finished level at 2-2 after extra time but the 2nd XI lost 2-0 on penalties after missing all four of their spot-kicks.
With the defensive problems encountered at the start when many goals were conceded it was good to note that at one stage during the season, after the introduction of a new look central midfield partnership of Trevor Hoath and Richard Forrest, the second team kept four consecutive clean sheets in league and cup games.
Gareth Collier was top scorer with 12 goals while Daryll Young on 10 also reached double figures. Mick Booker won the Players’ Player of the Year Trophy and Trevor Hoath the Manager’s Player of the Year award, both for the second season in succession. The Bert Glazier Cup was won by Daryll Young.
2ND TEAM PLAYING RECORD
| EAST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION SEVEN |
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 31 | 76 | 15 |
| Cup | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 36 | N/A |
| Friendly | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | N/A |
| All Games | 32 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 52 | 121 | 15 |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/9/1992 | National Westminster Bank XI | Home | Friendly | 4 – 4 | Paul Milton, Gareth Collier, David Mayne, Own Goal |
| 12/9/1992 | Catsfield | Away | Friendly | 1 – 5 | Gareth Collier |
| 19/9/1992 | Tenterden St Michaels III | Home | League | 1 – 2 | Own Goal |
| 26/9/1992 | Beckley 92 | Home | League | 1 – 9 | Matthew Sams |
| 3/10/1992 | Northiam 75 II | Away | East Sussex League Fred Eade Cup 1st Round | 0 – 1 | |
| 10/10/1992 | Claverham II | Home | League | 2 – 4 | Trevor Hoath, Own Goal |
| 17/10/1992 | Heathfield Hotspurs | Away | League | 1 – 9 | Trevor Hoath |
| 24/10/1992 | Old Actonians Association III | Home | A F A Junior Cup 1st Round | 1 – 9 | Trevor Hoath (pen) |
| 31/10/1992 | Old Centmodians | Home | Hastings F A Junior Cup 1st Round | 2 – 10 | Daryll Young, Matthew Sams |
| 7/11/1992 | Durgates | Away | League | 0 – 3 | |
| 14/11/1992 | Northiam 75 II | Home | League | 2 – 2 | Trevor Hoath, Paul Martin |
| 21/11/1992 | Tack United | Away | League | 2 – 4 | Steve Jones, Trevor Hoath (pen) |
| 19/12/1992 | Tenterden St Michaels II | Home | Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup 2nd Round | 0 – 9 | |
| 2/1/1993 | Beckley 92 | Away | League | 2 – 5 | Joe Beardsley, Gareth Collier |
| 16/1/1993 | Westfield III | Away | League | 2 – 3 | Daryll Young 2 |
| 23/1/1993 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club II | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 2nd Round | 5 – 5 * | Gareth Collier 2, Scott Fletcher 2 (1 pen), Daryll Young |
| 30/1/1993 | Burwash II | Home | League | 2 – 1 | Joe Beardsley, David Hughes |
| 6/2/1993 | Old Centmodians II | Away | League | 1 – 5 | Joe Beardsley |
| 13/2/1993 | Claverham II | Away | League | 2 – 5 | Gareth Collier, David Hughes |
| 20/2/1993 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club II | Home | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 2nd Round Replay | 3 – 0 | Daryll Young, Joe Beardsley, David Hughes |
| 27/2/1993 | Burwash | Away | League | 0 – 0 | |
| 6/3/1993 | Seeboard (Hastings) | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 3rd Round | 3 – 0 | Gareth Collier 2, Daryll Young |
| 13/3/1993 | Northiam 75 II | Away | League | 1 – 0 | Gareth Collier |
| 20/3/1993 | Heathfield Hotspurs II | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 4th Round | 2 – 2 *^ | Daryll Young, Gareth Collier |
| 27/3/1993 | Durgates | Home | League | 1 – 0 | Trevor Hoath (pen) |
| 3/4/1993 | Cranbrook Town II | Home | League | 2 – 3 | Gareth Collier, Scott Fletcher |
| 10/4/1993 | Cranbrook Town II | Away | League | 2 – 1 | Daryll Young 2 |
| 14/4/1993 | Heathfield Hotspurs | Home | League | 1 – 2 | Daryll Young |
| 24/4/1993 | Westfield III | Home | League | 2 – 6 | Joe Beardsley, Hugh Sullivan |
| 1/5/1993 | Tenterden St Michaels III | Away | League | 0 – 3 | |
| 5/5/1993 | Tack United | Home | League | 4 – 4 | Gareth Collier, Joe Beardsley, Paul Milton (pen), Own Goal |
| 7/5/1993 | Old Centmodians II | Home | League | 0 – 5 |
| Notes * After Extra Time ^ Lost 0-2 on penalties |
VETERANS
The A F A Veterans Cup was entered again after an absence of eight seasons and the veterans side were drawn away to Old Aloysians Veterans. Although a much postponed match was lost 3-2, the day out in Finchley proved most enjoyable and confirmed the wisdom of taking part in the competition.
The Hastings F A Veterans Invitations Cup was run for the first time on a league basis therefore guaranteeing each team three games. The veterans started well with a 2-0 win over Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club Veterans but this was followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat against eventual winners Battle Rangers Veterans. With several players missing through injury or holiday the final tie versus Rye United Veterans was lost 3-1.
The veterans matches were again enjoyed by everyone and it was good to see Andrew Dunlop once more in an Icklesham Casuals shirt and watching his performances, it was hard to believe it had been nine years since he last played a game of football.
VETERANS PLAYING RECORD
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/1/1993 | Old Aloysians Veterans | Away | A F A Veterans Cup 1st Round | 2 – 3 | Alf Benton, Own Goal |
| 9/4/1993 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club Veterans | Home | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup | 2 – 0 | Bob Baker 2 |
| 16/4/1993 | Battle Rangers Veterans | Away | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup | 0 – 1 | |
| 23/4/1993 | Rye United Veterans | Home | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup | 1 – 3 | Bob Baker |
SEASON AWARDS
ICKLESHAM CASUALS SIX-A-SIDE TOURNAMENT
Icklesham Recreation Ground – Saturday, 18th July 1992
Twelve teams took part in the 1992 Icklesham Casuals Six-a-Side Tournament held in conjunction with the Icklesham Fete in July.
The Two group winners were the Robin Hood and Viking with Icklesham Casuals ‘B’ and Sedlescombe finishing as group runners-up. Robin Hood won their semi-final with Sedlescombe but Icklesham Casuals ‘B’ defeated Viking 3-0 to qualify for the final. A single goal in the final won the William Dunlop Memorial Shield for the Robin Hood.
The Icklesham Casuals ‘B’ squad was:- Neil Pincombe, Hugh Sullivan, Mick Booker, David Mayne, Paul Milton, Gareth Collier, Steve Beale and Andy Vickers.
GENERAL MATTERS
Off the field this was quite a busy season for the club with much effort being put towards fundraising for the pitch and pavilion improvements. Two quizzes were organised which proved very popular locally with Steve Beale doing a great job as question master. Mick Booker and Martin Tytherleigh ran in the Hastings Half marathon raising around £320 in sponsorship and in all almost £850 was added to the funds. The work to improve the showers was carried out during the year.
The season also saw the introduction of the Icklesham Casuals fanzine ‘About Time Too Fuller!’ with the first two issues being published. The name resulted from the 5-2 defeat the first team suffered at Burwash early in the season when Steve Fuller managed to miss numerous one-on-ones with the opposing goalkeeper during the game. In the final minute or two he was put through again and this time found the back of the net at which point these were the words that Colin Stace, watching from the side, was heard to say. The idea of the fanzine was to act as a link between the teams and to keep past and present players informed of what was happening at the club.
Since the death of William Dunlop in 1988, the club had probably taken a few backward steps which was understandable when remembering the contribution William made to the club. However, with the progress made, particularly off the field, over the last season, the feeling was that much of the spirit had returned within the club and the next few seasons could be looked forward to with confidence.
The 1993 Annual General Meeting was held in the pavilion at Icklesham Recreation Ground on Friday, 18th June at 8.15 p m.