Match 6. Hurstpierpoint v AFC Vardeanians

Saturday 19^th September 2015 @3pm

Southern Combination Football League Division 2

HURSTPIERPOINT 0-3 AFC VARDEANIANS

Fairfield Recreation Ground, Uckfied Road, Hurstpierpoint BN6 9SD

Admission: free

Programme: donation (A5, 12pp)

Attendance: 12 h/c

Refreshments: Red Stripe £2.50. Mug of coffee: £1.  Crisps: 50p

Hurstpierpoint were resurrected from the ill-fated merger last season with Burgess Hill Albion, with the latter reforming in the Mid Sussex League as the merged club were more or less bankrupt.  Hurst are run by a 4 man committee with Dave, Jake, Jamie and manager Dudley Christensen, with Dudley slowly assembling a side which only contained 2 players from last season.  The ground has a small car park in front of the club building but there are spaces in the main road near the track to the ground.  The Fairfield ground is shared with the cricket club and the football pitch is on the far side of the ground. A metal rail is down the tree lined side with dugouts also in situ.  The other 3 sides are fully roped off with no hard standing so I was grateful that it was a warm sunny afternoon.

One of the problem positions is that of goalkeeper and the second keeper so far filled in between the sticks.  Unfortunately he collided with the Vardeanians striker after 20 minutes, injuring his shoulder.  He continued and handled well but when the first goal went in soon before half time, the despairing dive to his right was the final straw.  The slightly built sub took over in goal despite having little experience. The original keeper was on the way to hospital at half time with a suspected broken collar bone.

The away side have adjusted well to the step up and dominated the second half although Hursts heads never dropped. They conceded a further 2 goals in the half.  The first was a cross goal shot following a corner and the final goal a well taken hit from 20 yards into the corner.  Both goals would have beaten most keepers at this level.

I hope they get volunteers and sponsors to alleviate the workload of the small committee but with a team only a few short of a decent side, a sponsor now on board and a club linesman volunteered from the local college, the club should be on the rise in the near future and worth a visit on a dry day.