The OHOB Community Stadium | College Lane | East Grinstead RH19 3LS
Telephone : 01342 325885
Website : www.egtfc.co.uk
CLUB MANAGEMENT
Chair,Treasurer,
ViceChair,Secretary, Club
WelfareOfficer
SafetyOfficer
Richard Tramontin
Brian McCorquodale
BarryBryant
Head of Youth Development Jay De Vito
ED&I Officer
Bar Manager, Webmaster ClubPhotographer
MediaManager& ProgrammeEditor
Commercial Manager
HeadofRecruitment
AndyDodson
StuartGibson
BruceTalbot
Steve Norris
Matt Wheeler
FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT
Manager Drew Cooney
Assistant Manager and Team Coach
AssistantCoach
Physiotherapist
KitManager
IanNicholls
Steve Sargent
Kate Moss
AdamRobinson
Disability Manager Ant Bowler
U18Manager&Coach
U16 Amber Manager
U16s Black
U14 Manager
U12 Amber Manager
U12 Black Manager
U11 Manager
Lewis McDonnell &
Kevin Wright
Lewis McDonnell
Nigel Leach
Sean Clarabut Dodson
TedSymes
Tom Butcher
Ben Payne
WELCOME TO EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN
Good afternoon and welcome to the Vistavis Community Stadium and our second successive game against a newly promoted team.
An especially warm welcome to anyone who is a member of a local sports club and has taken advantage of our free entry offer. We hope you enjoy your day and that you'll come back! It was a successful Bank Holiday with four points from two tough fixtures. I thought we were very impressive against AFC Croydon Athletic and produced a controlled performance which fully deserved three points. I didn't go to Sevenoaks, but by all accounts we showed a lot of guts to come from two down at a ground where we've had little success in the recent past.
Looking at some of the familiar names in Deal's squad, it promises to be another tough match today but when did we last have an easy game at this level?
Enjoy the afternoon and remember we are back here on Tuesday to face Merstham in the Velocity League Cup.
COME ON THE WASPS!
LEAGUE DIVISION TABLE | 23-24
POSTEAM
1Sheppey United33009279
2Ramsgate33009459
3Beckenham Town32108267
4Sittingbourne320110556
5Deal Town32018626
6Merstham32015416
7East Grinstead Town31204315
8Erith Town21105324
9Herne Bay21103214
10Sevenoaks Town31116604
11Burgess Hill Town21014313
12Margate30302203
13Eastbourne Town310247-33
14Broadbridge Heath310239-63
15Hythe Town310229-73
16Ashford United302168-22
17AFC Croydon Athletic301224-21
18Three Bridges301247-31
19Phoenix Sports301236-31
20Littlehampton Town100123-10
21Lancing100113-20
MANAGER’S NOTES
We welcome everyone for today’s home game against newly promoted Deal Town. Like us they have had a fairly decent start only losing to Ramsgate who they matched for nearly 70 minutes. I think today’s fixture will be our toughest test this season.
All in all the bank holiday weekend was a successful one. We had a great turnout for our Friday night fixture against AFC Croydon Athletic which resulted in three points. Then we followed it up with a point away at Sevenoaks on Monday. Monday’s game wasn’t the best of starts with a very sloppy first half, but the lads showed great character to turn things around from going two goals down to claim a point, and we might even have gone on and won.
We have had a good week off the pitch making two new signings. Highly exciting youngster Marcel Campbell can play a number of attacking roles and proven league player Finlay Lovatt had several spells in this league whilst on loan from Bromley. Both players will add to our attacking options and we look forward to seeing them play over the coming games including Tuesday’s League Cup tie at home to Merstham.
The squad is looking very healthy at the moment and the lads have all been told there is a number of places up for grabs, which means every time we have the lads in whether it’s training or matches they need to be showing us what they can add to the group. As a management team we have some big calls to make in the upcoming games but that’s a good problem to have and one we haven’t always been in a position to say.
As ever we thank the fans for their support. Friday night was a really good experience for the lads and the management group to have lots of people at the game. We need to keep growing these numbers and really get behind the lads, win lose or draw. We have a young hungry squad now who want to win games and make the town proud of its football club.
Best wishes, Drew
FIXTURES & RESULTS
Aug 3GlebeHFA Cup1922-0PiersonDaCruzFilipeM.WilsonCadmanG.WilsonSinghHarrisTighe 1Folkes 1ThompsonCoulibalyDanielSpinksCashKouakou
Aug 10MargateAIsth SE4020-0PiersonDaCruzFilipeM.WilsonCadmanG.WilsonSinghHarrisTigheFolkesThompsonWearieSpinksDanielLawsonNunes
Aug 17RedhillHFA Cup1931-3PiersonSpinks 1CadmanM.WilsonWearieG.WilsonSinghThompsonTigheDanielNunesFilipeFolkesLawsonCoulibalyOnabanjo
Aug 23AFC Croydon AthleticHIsth SE2282-1PiersonCadmanFilipeM.WilsonWearie 1G.WilsonThompsonHarrisLawson 1SinghFolkesDanielTigheSpinksOnabanjo
Aug 26Sevenoaks TownAIsth SE1072-2PiersonCadmanFilipeM.WilsonWearieG.WilsonThompsonHarris 1LawsonSinghTigheDaniel 1SpinksOnabanjo
Aug 31Deal TownHIsth SE
SEPTEMBER
Sep 3MersthamHVT 1
Sep 7Hartley WintneyAFA T pre
Sep 10Broadbridge HeathHIsth SE
Sep 14Phoenix SportsAIsth SE
Sep 21Ashford UnitedHIsth SE
Sep 28Burgess Hill TownAIsth SE OCTOBER
Oct 5MersthamHIsth SE
Oct 12Steyning Town CommunityAIsth SE
Oct 19RamsgateHIsth SE
Oct 26Three BridgesAIsth SE NOVEMBER
Nov 2Erith TownHIsth SE
Nov 5Broadbridge HeathAIsth SE
Nov 9Phoenix SportsHIsth SE
Nov 16Ashford UnitedAIsth SE
Nov 23Burgess Hill TownHIsth SE
Nov 30LancingHIsth SE
DECEMBER
Dec 7Beckenham TownAIsth SE
Dec 14Herne BayAIsth SE
Dec 21Hythe TownHIsth SE
Dec 26Eastbourne TownAIsth SE
Dec 28MargateHIsth SE
JANUARY
Jan 4SittingbourneAIsth SE
Jan 11Sheppey UnitedHIsth SE
Jan 18Littlehampton TownAIsth SE
Jan 25LancingAIsth SE
FEBRUARY
Feb 1Beckenham TownHIsth SE
Feb 8MersthamAIsth SE
Feb 15Steyning Town CommunityHIsth SE
Feb 22RamsgateAIsth SE MARCH
Mar 1Three BridgesHIsth SE
Mar 8Erith TownAIsth SE
Mar 15Herne BayHIsth SE
Mar 22Hythe TownAIsth SE
Mar 29Littlehampton TownHIsth SE APRIL
Apr 5Sheppey UnitedAIsth SE
Apr 12SittingbourneHIsth SE
Apr 19Deal TownAIsth SE
Apr 21Eastbourne TownHIsth SE
Apr 26AFC Croydon AthleticAIsth SE
PAST PROGRAMMES
I'm going to have a look at a couple of programmes for matches played in the past at the end of August or start of September. We start by going back 23 years for East Grinstead v Broadbridge Heath on Friday 31 August 2001 in division two of the Sussex County League. It was a special evening for us as it would mark the opening of our new changing rooms and our new floodlights. The new changing rooms were of course not the changing rooms we ae using in 2024 and neither were the floodlights. But at the time they were significant steps up for us.
We were showing signs of improvement after some poor early performances and match reports covered our two most recent league matches – away to Lancing where we twice pulled back a one goal lead to our opponents with goals from Keith Bradshaw to make it 1-1 and then - after manager Bobby Smith had thrown on three substitutes one of them – Ben Burns – produced a second equaliser with just a few minutes left.
And earlier in the week of the Broadbridge Heath game we had gone to Wealden (AFC Uckfield in 2024). We dominated the first half and scored early on through Matt Thorpe, only to concede two soft goals before half-time.
James Hylton got us back on level terms in the second half only for Wealden to get back in front five minutes later. With five minutes to go James Hylton levelled things up before Ben Burns scored to give us a 4-3 win.
The programme's league table shows us 11th out of 18 teams with five points from our five games while Broadbridge Heath had only played three matches with one win and a couple of defeats. We were probably a bit disappointed in having to settle for a 1-1 draw with another goal from James Hylton. I can't remember anything about the game. Next we'll have a look at the programme for East Grinstead v Raynes Park Vale on 1 September 2012 in the FA Vase – our visitors from the Combined Counties League. Jon Hampson appears on the front cover playing against Lingfield.
Richard Tramontin's Chairman's notes remind us that we had played Raynes Park Vale a couple of years earlier in the FA Cup and had won 4-1 with a hat-trick from Liam Baitup. Richard's notes also look forward to a cancer charity football match to be played the next day here at East Court between the two West End casts of Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera – both casts with “a sprinkling of celebrities and ex pros.”
The rest of our division one season had also not gone too well. The programme's league table shows that we had already played five league matches and had won one, drawn one and lost three. And we'd also lost to a division two side in a cup match.
How did the FA Vase game go? Raynes Park Vale scored two early goals, but George Hillier managed to pull that back by half time with two goals of his own. Early in the second half Raynes Park Vale regained the lead before Marc Pelling equalised. Into extra-time and George Hillier completed his hat-trick and put us ahead for the first time but RPV made it 4-4 and won the replay 2-1.
Lester Medcalf
12 years
The cover from our game
ago against Raynes Park
DEAL TOWN
Originally known as Deal Cinque Ports FC the club was formed in the early 1900s, changing its’ name in 1920 to Deal Town FC. Deals’ first matches were played in the Thanet League and the East Kent League.
In 1909 they joined the Eastern section of the Kent League. Following the disbanding of the Kent League in 1959, Deal became founder members of the Aetolian League. 1963 saw Deal elected to the Southern League, but after a torrid three seasons they moved onto the Greater London League. The 71/72 season saw the club return to the Kent League. Deal’s first Kent League championship came in 53/54, then after a long wait the second was achieved in 99/00.
Another trophy to come the way of the club was the Greater London League Cup which they won in 67/68, meanwhile in 59/60 Deal finished as Aetolian League runners-up. The club has reached the Kent League (now Southern Counties East Football League [SCEFL]) cup final on five occasions, winning three times. The club has also made five appearances in the Kent FA Senior Trophy Final, winning twice.
1997 saw the appointment of a new Chairman, in Roy Smith, whose ambitions both on and off the field lifted the Club. His decision to appoint a full-time manager in Tommy Sampson for the beginning of the 1998 season soon bore fruit. 98/99 saw the club achieve their best season but this was surpassed the following season. As well as their domestic achievements, Deal Town become the first team from Kent to lift the FA Vase, with their 1-0 victory at Wembley Stadium against Chippenham Town in front of a crowd of 20,083, the second biggest in the history of the competition.
Before the start of the 2000/01 season, Tommy and the Vase winning players left the club and so it was a case of rebuilding the team and consolidating under new manager Dave Dadd. Dave stepped down to become assistant manager after one year to be replaced by Simon Bryant, who led the team to creditable third and fourth place finishes in his two seasons in charge.
With the majority of players leaving the club, it
was again a case of rebuilding and consolidating. This time it fell to Derek Hares, who remained in-situ until resigning in October 2013. Albie Barker became our next manager, until he resigned in January 2014 to be replaced by Paul Murray. Paul stood down to be replaced by Darren Anslow for the start of the 14/15 campaign, only for Darren to leave in early September, Dave Johncock then taking over until January 2015. Derek Hares took over the hotseat once more with Paul Murray as his assistant, and Steve King as coach. In 2020 The Hoops were able to embark on an impressive FA Vase run that only ended at the fifth round stage. In 21/22 the Hoops finished in fourth place, but the club also began building its infrastructure. For the first time we introduced a women's side to the club and, ahead of the 22/23 season our reserve team was re-introduced. It was immediate success for the women, being promoted within the South East Counties Women's Football League. At this same time, Derek Hares then stepped aside from the first team as Steve King took over the reins, leading the club to third place in 22/23 and only three points off champions Erith & Belvedere. In 22/23 our reserves won a League and Kent FA Intermediate Cup double, which they retained the following season.
Last season Deal clinched the SCEFL title at home to neighbours Lydd Town with a 3-1 victory (and four games to go). In the FA Vase we took around 400 supporters to Lincoln United only to lose the quarter-final tie on penalties.
Eyes on the ball: Commitment to the cause demonstrated by Toch Singh and Matt Wearie at Sevenoaks on Monday, when we came from behind to draw 2-2. Photos: Stuart Gibson
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The Isthmian League and all Member Clubs in the League are committed to promoting equality by treating people fairly and with respect, by recognising that inequalities may exist, by taking steps to address them and providing access and opportunities for all members of the community.
Next HOMe GAMe
MERSTHAM
Tuesday September 3 - 7.30pm Velocity Trophy 1st round
Referee: Oliver Morris-Sanders
Assistant Referee: Promise Phillips
Assistant Referee: Tom Nicholls
TOWN
ROLL OF HONOURS
SUSSEX COUNTY LEAGUE: Division Two champions 2007–08 Baldwin Cup winners 1951–52
MID-SUSSEX LEAGUE: Champions 1901–02, 1936–37
Montgomery Cup winners 1911–12, 1912–13
SOUTHERN AMATEUR LEAGUE: Division Three champions 1931–32
SUSSEX RUR CUP: Winners 2003–04
This matchday programme was created online via www.matchday-programmes.co.uk
