Season 2007-08
71ST SEASON
SEASON REPORT
The 2007-08 season was a long one for the club with the first competitive game taking place on the 15th August and the final matches being held on the last Saturday in April. The season was, however a successful one with the veterans winning the Hastings F A Veterans Cup for the second time and the 2nd XI finishing as runners-up in Division Five of the East Sussex League. It was also a high scoring season with both the first and second team recording over a hundred goals in all competitions.
1ST TEAM
After winning their two opening league fixtures, the 1st XI struggled early on but some good victories after Christmas saw them comfortably stay out of the relegation zone with an eighth place finish in a strong Division One. There were some high scoring wins, notably a 10-2 success at Ticehurst and a 9-1 victory away to Sandhurst.
The first team reached the semi-final of the Hastings F A Junior Cup with some remarkable matches along the way. In the first round they trailed Beulah Baptists 2-0 with eighty eight minutes gone. If offered extra time at that point the side would have taken it with both hands but not only did goals from Sean Baker and Mike Beaumont draw them level, but Steve Tytherleigh then struck the winner with almost the last kick of normal time. The second round saw a 3-2 win against Hollington United II which was followed by a 7-3 extra time victory over Battle Rangers with the scores having been tied at 3-3 after ninety minutes. The semi-final gave the first team the opportunity of winning through to the final of the Hastings F A Junior Cup for the first time in the club’s history with a home tie against Peasmarsh and Iden II, a team that should have been comfortably beaten. However, another amazing game was level at 5-5 at full time and once more extra time was required. Further scoring followed but the 1st XI finished on the wrong end of an 8-6 score line.
No less than five players reached double figures in the goal scoring charts with Phil Badrock, again leading the way with 27 goals in all competitions, being voted 1st team Players‘ Player of the Year. He was followed by Steve Pugh (16 goals), Sean Baker (14), Greg Palmer and George Richardson (12 each). Greg Palmer took the Manager’s Player of the Year award. Mike Beaumont missed just one game during the season. The first team were once more indebted to Martin Tytherleigh for the time and hard work he put in to running the side and Martin was a deserved recipient of the Bert Glazier Cup.
| 1ST TEAM SEASON 2007-08 Match v Hollington United II Saturday, 26th April 2008 Back row (left to right):- Todd Fitz-Hugh, Sam Richardson, Greg Palmer, Jamie Deroe, Steve Tytherleigh, Mike Beaumont. Front row (left to right):- Sean Baker, Val Newman, Wayne Bumstead (captain), Martin Tytherleigh, Phil Badrock. |
1ST TEAM PLAYING RECORD
| EAST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE |
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 77 | 70 | 30 |
| Cup | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 32 | N/A # |
| All Games | 31 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 112 | 102 | 30 |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/9/2007 | Hastings Rangers | Away | League | 7 – 1 | Phil Badrock 2, Greg Palmer 2, Val Gonzalves, Steve Pugh, Sean Baker |
| 8/9/2007 | Mountfield United | Away | League | 4 – 3 | Steve Pugh 2, Phil Badrock, George Richardson |
| 15/9/2007 | St Albans Rangers | Away | A F A Intermediate Cup Preliminary Round | 4 – 1 | Steve Pugh 2, George Richardson, Sam Richardson |
| 22/9/2007 | Beulah Baptists | Home | Hastings F A Junior Cup 1st Round | 3 – 2 | Sean Baker, Mike Beaumont, Steve Tytherleigh |
| 29/9/2007 | Old Owens | Away | A F A Intermediate Cup 1st Round | 0 – 9 | |
| 6/10/2007 | County Oak | Home | Sussex Junior Cup 1st Round | 9 – 1 | Phil Badrock 3, Mike Beaumont 2, Greg Palmer, Sean Baker, George Richardson, Val Gonzalves |
| 13/10/2007 | Little Common II | Home | League | 4 – 6 | George Richardson 4 |
| 20/10/2007 | Crowhurst | Away | League | 4 – 9 | Phil Badrock 3, Sean Baker |
| 27/10/2007 | Ticehurst | Home | League | 3 – 3 | Greg Palmer, Sam Richardson, Phil Badrock |
| 10/11/2007 | Hollington United II | Away | Hastings F A Junior Cup 2nd Round | 3 – 2 | Todd Fitz-Hugh, Sean Baker, Phil Badrock |
| 17/11/2007 | Catsfield | Away | Super Stitch 86 Challenge Cup 1st Round | 0 – 2 | |
| 24/11/2007 | Athletico | Home | League | 0 – 3 | |
| 15/12/2007 | Ninfield United | Away | League | 2 – 2 | Sean Baker, Phil Badrock |
| 22/12/2007 | Sandhurst | Home | League | 5 – 0 | Steve Pugh 4, Dan Marsh |
| 5/1/2008 | Athletico | Away | League | 2 – 4 | Greg Palmer, George Richardson |
| 26/1/2008 | Burgess Hill Albion | Away | Sussex Junior Cup 4th Round | 3 – 4 | Martin Tytherleigh, Steve Pugh, Greg Palmer |
| 2/2/2008 | Sedlescombe | Away | League | 1 – 4 | Sean Baker |
| 9/2/2008 | Ticehurst | Away | League | 10 – 2 | Greg Palmer 3, Phil Badrock 2, Steve Pugh 2, Todd Fitz-Hugh, Wayne Bumstead, Mike Beaumont |
| 16/2/2008 | Mountfield United | Home | League | 2 – 0 | Kristian Fitz-Hugh, George Richardson |
| 23/2/2008 | Battle Rangers | Home | Hastings F A Junior Cup 3rd Round | 7 – 3 * | Sam Richardson 3, Phil Badrock 2, George Richardson 2 |
| 1/3/2008 | Little Common II | Away | League | 4 – 4 | George Richardson, Sean Baker, Phil Badrock, Todd Fitz-Hugh |
| 8/3/2008 | Ninfield United | Home | League | 1 – 3 | Phil Badrock |
| 15/3/2008 | Peasmarsh and Iden II | Home | Hastings F A Junior Cup Semi-Final | 6 – 8 * | Phil Badrock 3, Mike Beaumont, Steve Pugh, Own Goal |
| 22/3/2008 | Hollington United II | Away | League | 4 – 0 | Sean Baker 3, Greg Palmer |
| 29/3/2008 | Hastings Rangers | Home | League | 4 – 3 | Phil Badrock 2, Sean Baker, Steve Pugh |
| 5/4/2008 | Sandhurst | Away | League | 9 – 1 | Greg Palmer 2, Steve Pugh 2, Mike Beaumont, Phil Badrock, Kristian Fitz-Hugh, Martin Tytherleigh, Jamie Deroe (pen) |
| 7/4/2008 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club | Away | League | 3 – 5 | Jack Richardson 2, Phil Badrock |
| 12/4/2008 | Crowhurst | Home | League | 3 – 5 | Phil Badrock, Mike Beaumont, Chris Baker |
| 16/4/2008 | Sedlescombe | Home | League | 0 – 6 | |
| 19/4/2008 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club | Home | League | 1 – 3 | Sam Richardson |
| 26/4/2008 | Hollington United II | Home | League | 4 – 3 | Sean Baker 2, Val Gonzalves, Phil Badrock |
| Notes # Matches v Eastergate (Away) (Sussex Junior Cup 2nd Round) (3/11/2007) and Holbrook (Home) (Sussex Junior Cup 3rd Round) awarded as opposition unable to raise a team * After Extra Time |
2ND TEAM
This was one of the most successful 2nd XI seasons in the club’s history. After defeats in both the first two league games the side then put together a run of fourteen league and cup matches unbeaten, including eleven successive victories and ended as Division Five runners-up. The final game of the season saw a title decider against the Wilton when victory would have seen the second team crowned champions but the match finished in a hard fought 3-3 draw which meant that honour went to the Wilton by two points. In addition the side reached the semi-finals of both the Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup and the Hastings Printing Company Challenge Cup. In the latter the team were almost certainly denied a place in the final by the League rules regarding qualification of players.
The 2nd XI was a free scoring team with Alfie Weller ending the campaign with 38 goals in all competitions. However, goals came from all over the field – George McEwan netted 25 times and Nick Bellhouse and Dale Glazier also hit double figures with 16 and 13 goals respectively. There were high scoring league victories over Ninfield United II (10-3), Northiam 75 II (8-0 and 5-1), Peche Hill Select II (8-1 and 7-1), Wadhurst United II (7-0) and Travaux (6-1).
2nd Team v Travaux – Saturday, 15th September 2007
2nd Team v Wadhurst United II – Saturday, 5th April 2008
The side also did well in all three cup competitions entered, reaching the third round of the Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup which was open to teams from Division One down. This followed a 4-0 victory over Division Two side Mayfield and a 7-2 defeat of Travaux. The 2nd team improved on this in the Hastings Lower Divisions Cup by getting to the last four with a 5-2 success over Westfield III, a win by a similar margin against Wadhurst United II and a remarkable 9-4 victory over Hollington United III from Division Four with five goals from George McEwan, an Alfie Weller hat-trick and an own goal. The semi-final ended in a 4-2 defeat to Orington in a close game where the 2nd XI were 2-1 ahead in the second half.
In a season of great success, the one major disappointment was not making it through to the final of the Hastings Printing Company Challenge Cup. After receiving a bye in the first round, victories over Herstmonceux II (11-1) and Sedlescombe II (4-2) saw the team into another semi-final against Mountfield United II at the beginning of March. The week before the game, key players Alfie Weller and Kevin Earl were both injured in the 7-0 league win over Wadhurst United II and were not fit for the semi-final. Under the competition rules only players who had appeared in five East Sussex League or Cup games during the season were eligible to play in semi-final or final ties. Whilst fully appreciating the thinking behind the rule in stopping clubs signing on players regularly playing in other leagues specifically to strengthen their side in the latter stages of competitions, it also prevents genuine players from appearing for their clubs. Both Gary Osborn and Freddie Williams had made five or more appearances for the 2nd team but some of these were in the Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup or Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup which did not count towards the eligibility criteria. What makes even more of a mockery of the rule is that one of Freddie’s appearances was against Sedlescombe II in the previous round! Therefore in the semi-final the second team had to field a weakened side – putting out the only thirteen players eligible under competition rules and this included a substitute goalkeeper – which undoubtedly affected the sides chances of victory. Having fought so hard to reach the last four, it seemed unfair that they were robbed of a place in a cup final under these circumstances. The rule was changed for the following season.
The cup runs meant a fixture backlog and the need to play five games in a two week period at the end of March and beginning of April and this could have derailed the promotion challenge. Michael Hambridge again did a tremendous job in managing the side with much assistance from Keith Swallow and Micky Zysemil. Kevin Earl was voted 2nd team Players’ Player of the Year for the second successive season, Martyn Goldfinch took the Manager’s Player award and Aaron Leech was Young Player of The Year.
2ND TEAM PLAYING RECORD
| EAST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE |
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 22 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 88 | 37 | 54 # |
| Cup | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 24 | N/A |
| All Games | 32 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 138 | 61 | 54 # |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULTS | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28/8/2007 | Mountfield United II | Home | League | 2 – 4 | Jon Fitton, Phil Badrock |
| 8/9/2007 | The Wilton | Away | League | 1 – 3 | Simon Baker |
| 15/9/2007 | Travaux | Home | League | 6 – 1 | Sean Baker 4, Jack Richardson, Dale Glazier |
| 29/9/2007 | Westfield III | Home | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 1st Round | 5 – 2 | Alfie Weller 2, Sean Baker, Martyn Goldfinch, Phil Badrock |
| 6/10/2007 | The Junior Club Tackleway III | Away | League | 2 – 2 | George McEwan, Dale Glazier |
| 13/10/2007 | Herstmonceux II | Away | Hastings Printing Company Limited Challenge Cup 2nd Round | 11 – 1 | Dale Glazier 3, Alfie Weller 2, Nick Bellhouse 2, Jon Fitton 2, George McEwan, Aaron Leech |
| 20/10/2007 | Mayfield | Home | Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup 1st Round | 4 – 0 | Gary Osborn 2, Nick Bellhouse, Tony Mitchell |
| 27/10/2007 | Wadhurst United II | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 2nd Round | 5 – 2 | Alfie Weller 2, Dale Glazier 2, Tony Mitchell |
| 3/11/2007 | Westfield III | Home | League | 2 – 0 | Nick Bellhouse, Own Goal |
| 10/11/2007 | The Junior Club Tackleway III | Home | League | 1 – 0 | George McEwan |
| 17/11/2007 | Orington | Home | League | 3 – 2 | Alfie Weller 3 |
| 24/11/2007 | Westfield III | Away | League | 4 – 1 | Dale Glazier, Martyn Goldfinch, Alfie Weller, George McEwan |
| 1/12/2007 | Hastings Rangers III | Away | League | 3 – 0 | Alfie Weller 2, George McEwan |
| 15/12/2007 | Hollington United III | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 3rd Round | 9 – 4 | George McEwan 5, Alfie Weller 3, Own Goal |
| 22/12/2007 | Sedlescombe II | Away | Hastings Printing Company Limited Challenge Cup 3rd Round | 4 – 2 | Nick Bellhouse, Nigel Sellman, Alfie Weller, George McEwan |
| 5/1/2008 | Travaux | Home | Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup 3rd Round | 7 – 2 | George McEwan 2, Nick Bellhouse, Martyn Goldfinch, Alfie Weller, Dale Glazier, Own Goal |
| 26/1/2008 | Nelson Tigers | Home | Robertsbridge Charity Junior Cup 4th Round | 2 – 5 | George McEwan, Phil Badrock |
| 2/2/2008 | Peche Hill Select II | Home | League | 8 – 1 | Alfie Weller 4, Nick Bellhouse 3, George McEwan |
| 9/2/2008 | Hastings Rangers III | Home | League | 6 – 3 | Alfie Weller 3, George McEwan, Nick Bellhouse, Jimmy McGachy |
| 16/2/2008 | Orington | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup Semi-Final | 2 – 4 | Dale Glazier 2 |
| 23/2/2008 | Wadhurst United II | Away | League | 7 – 0 | Alfie Weller3, Jimmy McGachy 2, George McEwan, Nick Bellhouse |
| 1/3/2008 | Mountfield United II | Home | Hastings Printing Company Limited Challenge Cup Semi-Final | 1 – 2 | Nick Bellhouse |
| 8/3/2008 | Orington | Away | League | 0 – 1 | |
| 15/3/2008 | Peche Hill Select II | Away | League | 7 – 1 | Pete Gumbrell 3, George McEwan, Janek Zysemil, Jimmy McGachy, Own Goal |
| 22/3/2008 | Ninfield United II | Home | League | 10 – 3 | Alfie Weller 3, George McEwan 2, Jon Fitton, Pete Gumbrell, Dale Glazier, Nick Bellhouse, Tim Hambridge |
| 29/3/2008 | Heathfield Hotspurs II | Away | League | 4 – 2 | George McEwan 2, Jimmy McGachy, Dale Glazier |
| 2/4/2008 | Northiam 75 II | Home | League | 8 – 0 | Alfie Weller 3, Nigel Sellman, Tim Hambridge, Jimmy McGachy, George McEwan, Nick Bellhouse |
| 5/4/2008 | Wadhurst United II | Home | League | 3 – 1 | Alfie Weller 2, Jimmy McGachy (pen) |
| 9/4/2008 | Mountfield United II | Away | League | 3 – 3 | Martyn Goldfinch, Nick Bellhouse, Alfie Weller (pen) |
| 12/4/2008 | Northiam 75 II | Away | League | 5 – 1 | Alfie Weller, George McEwan, Jimmy McGachy, Nigel Sellman, Own Goal |
| 19/4/2008 | Travaux | Away | League | 0 – 5 | |
| 26/4/2008 | The Wilton | Home | League | 3 – 3 | Alfie Weller, Nick Bellhouse, George McEwan |
| Notes # Points awarded for unfulfilled fixtures v Ninfield United II (Away) (22/9/2007) and Heathfield Hotspurs II (Home) (30/4/2008) |
| 2ND TEAM EAST SUSSEX LEAGUE DIVISION FIVE RUNNERS-UP 2007-08 Back row (left to right):- Alfie Weller, Tim Hambridge, Freddie Williams, Michael Chester, Kevin Earl, Nick Bellhouse, Neil Hastings, Janek Zysemil, Jon Fitton, Nigel Sellman, Jimmy McGachy. Front row (left to right):- Micky Zysemil, Keith Swallow (secretary), Dale Glazier, George McEwan, Michael Hambridge (manager), Blake Glazier, Aaron Leech. |
VETERANS
In the Hastings F A Veterans Cup, both Icklesham Casuals Veterans and Westfield Veterans won their opening two group matches. This meant the match between the two sides would decide who went through to the final. Westfield led 2-1 going into the latter stages of the game before Vernon Deller equalised to leave the scores level at 2-2 at full time. The group was therefore decided on goal difference with the veterans victory over the Junior Club Tackleway Veterans in the second match by the massive margin of 16-1 proving decisive. This was a game in which both Steve Fuller and Martin Tytherleigh scored five goals each.
The final against Little Common Veterans was played under floodlights at the end of September at Gullivers Sports Ground in Sidley where the Veterans produced a fine performance with two goals from George McEwan and one each from Martin Tytherleigh and Mike Beaumont giving them a 4-2 victory to take the trophy for the second time. The team for the final was – Neil Hastings, Andy Vickers, Mark Stace, Steve Tytherleigh, Stuart Adams (captain), Pete Gumbrell, Mike Beaumont, Tony Forster, Martin Tytherleigh, Vernon Deller and George McEwan. Substitutes – Nigel Sellman, Wayne Bumstead, Paul Link, Bob Baker (not used), David Mayne (not used).
| VETERANS HASTINGS AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION VETERANS INVITATION CUP WINNERS 2007-08 Back row (left to right):- Paul Linch, Bob Baker, Nigel Sellman, Vernon Deller, Andy Vickers, Martin Tytherleigh, Tony Forster, Neil Hastings, Steve Tytherleigh, George McEwan. Front row (left to right):- Wayne Bumstead, Mark Stace, Stuart Adams (captain), Pete Gumbrell, Mike Beaumont. |
VETERANS PLAYING RECORD
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 6 | 7 |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/8/2007 | Battle Baptist Veterans | Away | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup | 3 – 1 | Bob Baker 2 (1 pen), George McEwan |
| 22/8/2007 | The Junior Club Tackleway Veterans | Home | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup | 16 – 1 | Martin Tytherleigh 5, Steve Fuller 5, Tony Forster, George McEwan, Steve Tytherleigh, Mike Beaumont, Vernon Deller, Own Goal |
| 29/8/2007 | Westfield Veterans | Away | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup | 2 – 2 | Steve Tytherleigh, Vernon Deller |
| 26/9/2007 | Little Common Veterans | Neutral< | Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup Final | 4 – 2 | George McEwan 2, Martin Tytherleigh, Mike Beaumont |
| Notes < Match played at Gullivers Sports Ground, Sidley |
SEMI-VETERANS
SEMI-VETERANS PLAYING RECORD
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | N/A |
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16/9/2007 | Viking | Home | Jon Fuller Memorial Shield | 2 – 2 * | Steve Tytherleigh, Martin Tytherleigh |
| Notes * Won 5-4 on penalties |
SEASON AWARDS
JON FULLER MEMORIAL MATCH
| ICKLESHAM CASUALS (0)2 v VIKING (0)2 Icklesham Casuals won 5-4 on penalties Icklesham Recreation Ground Sunday, 16th September 2007 Team:- George McEwan, David Mayne, Steve Beale, Chris Baker, Martin Tytherleigh, Andy Vickers, Russell Drew, Mike Beaumont, Steve Baker, Bob Baker, Paul Milton. Substitutes – Wayne Bumstead, Steve Tytherleigh, Neil Hastings. Scorers – Steve Tytherleigh, Martin Tytherleigh Penalty scorers – Steve Baker, Bob Baker, Wayne Bumstead, Paul Milton, Martin Tytherleigh |
| ICKLESHAM CASUALS v VIKING JON FULLER MEMORIAL MATCH Sunday, 16th September 2007 Back row (left to right):- Malcolm Noakes, Clayton Bennett, Brett Williams, Martin Tytherleigh, Tom Fuller, Bob Baker, Stuart Adams, Chris Baker, Tony Forster, Mark Stace, Steve Baker, Tyson Bennett, Andy Vickers, George McEwan, David Mayne, Jack Brown (referee). Front row (left to right):- Gary Appleby, Alistair Adams, Christian Kipps, Mike Beaumont, Paul Milton, Russell Drew, Steve Beale. |
The Jon Fuller Memorial Match in September 2007 was again well supported and was a close game with four goals in the second period, two for each side leaving the scores tied at 2-2 after ninety minutes. The Tytherleigh brothers, Steve and Martin, got the Icklesham goals.
This meant a penalty shoot to decide the winners of the shield. The first eight spot-kicks were all successful with Tony Forster, Tyson Bennett, Christian Kipps and Mark Stace all finding the back of the net for Viking and this was matched by Steve Baker, Bob Baker, Wayne Bumstead and Paul Milton for Icklesham. Stuart Adams then stepped up for the fifth penalty for Viking but his somewhat scuffed effort was well saved by Neil Hastings. This left Martin Tytherleigh with the pressure of winning the Jon Fuller Memorial Shield for Icklesham and Martin comfortably slotted his kick into the corner of the net. Paul Milton took the man of the match award.
The Penalty Shoot-Out
The Presentations
GENERAL MATTERS
Towards the end of the 75th anniversary season in 2006-07, club president George Potter completed a sponsored walk around the towns of the Cinque Ports which raised the magnificent sum of £6420.17 to be divided between four charities – the British Heart Foundation, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, St Michael’s Hospice and Save the Children.
On Tuesday, 2nd October 2007 George visited the Hastings Lifeboat Station to present cheques to representatives of the charities.
In June 2008 the Casuals played Icklesham Cricket Club in a friendly cricket match. This resulted in a comfortable victory for the cricketers but proved a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and would become a regular fixture. The cricketers slumped to 28-4 thanks to the bowling of Phil Badrock (2-5) and Ollie Beaumont (2-7) but this paved the way for Kevin Earl (who was eligible to play for both sides) to take centre stage and complete his maiden century of 109 not out. In reply the footballers could manage only 85 all out with the major contribution coming from Steve Tytherleigh with 39 although Keith Swallow (7) played a dogged innings. Sean Baker (4-4) and Adam Stunt (3-10) did the damage with the ball.
Icklesham Casuals v Icklesham Cricket Club – Sunday, 8th June 2008
PRESENTATION EVENING
Fairlight Lodge Hotel – Friday, 27th June 2008
The presentation evening was held at the Fairlight Lodge Hotel at 8 pm on Friday, 27th June when the awards for the season were made. This was was preceded by the Annual General Meeting at 7 pm.
