East Grinstead Town v Sittingbourne April 8

EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB

TheOHOBCommunityStadium| CollegeLane|EastGrinsteadRH193LS

Telephone : 01342 325885

Website : www.egtfc.co.uk

STAFF DIRECTORY

Chairman & Treasurer: Richard Tramontin

Vice Chairman & Secretary: Brian McCorquodale

Safety Officer: Barry Bryant

Media Manager: Bruce Talbot

Bar Manager & Webmaster: Stuart Gibson

First Team Manager: Drew Cooney

U23s Joint Managers: Andy Willis Grant Hearn

U18s Manager: Jay De Vito

Player Representative: Drew Cooney

Facilities Manager & Head of Youth

Development: Andy Willis

East Grinstead Town FC is an unincorporated association / members club and is a Community Amateur Sports Club, reg. 02270.

ROLL OF HONOUR

SUSSEXCOUNTYLEAGUE:

DivisionTwochampions2007–08

BaldwinCupwinners1951–52

MID-SUSSEXLEAGUE:

Champions1901–02,1936–37

MontgomeryCupwinners1911–12,1912–13

SOUTHERNAMATEURLEAGUE:

DivisionThreechampions1931–32

SUSSEXRURCUP:

Winners2003–04

RECORDATTENDANCE

2006vLancing-FAAmateurCup,1947

Round–17thJanuary2015 www.egtfc.co.uk

WELCOME TO EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN

LEAGUE DIVISION TABLE | 22 - 23

20Faversham

Up to and including 4 April

Who We Are

MANAGER’S NOTES

We welcome everyone back for our penultimate home game of the season against Sittingbourne.

Off the back of Tuesday’s great home win against Whitehawk the spirit within the squad and just as importantly with myself and the rest of the management team is high. I think everyone who was at the game will fully agree that we deserved all three points.

We had a specific game plan, and I thought the lads executed it extremely well. Whitehawk have a great team and some individuals who should be playing a league or two above Isthmian South-East so we knew we had to set up a specific way and highlight their weaknesses.

Special mention must go to Ollie Cash in goal. At 17 years old to stand in for Matty Pierson against a top three side with very little game time this season and play the way he did was terrific. Ollie has a very bright future and hopefully we can keep hold of him for a couple of seasons which will allow him to have a really good apprenticeship at non-league level. This will stand him in good order to go on and no doubt play in the professional game.

Another mention must go to the match winner Ben Aubery, another player under 20 years of age. He was a menace all night and the way he took the wining goal was first class. The rest of the lads all played their part: Matty Astle, Harrison Parker, Tommy Cooney and the everreliable Toomy Summerfield.

DREW COONEY

It’s frustrating we haven’t had these lads for the whole season but we will make the most of them all for the remaining games of this season and aim to finish the season as strongly as we can.

One of my ambitions this season is to beat the club’s record points total at this level. It’s in our hands to achieve it and we start with Sittingbourne, who themselves have been on a tremendous run so we will have to be at our best to get all three points. We then head to Chichester on Monday.

As always if we can get the support on Tuesday this afternoon it will help the lads get the result we all want.

Drew

Photo courtesy of Stuart Gibson

CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

Happy Easter everyone and welcome to The OHOB Community Stadium for today’s Isthmian League South East Division match against Sittingbourne.

We extend a warm welcome to Ryan Maxwell, his players and staff, the Brickies’ officials and supporters as well as to this afternoon’s match referee Paul Stratton and his assistants Patrick Yates and James Black and of course our own Wasps supporters. We trust you all enjoy your short stay and our hospitality.

The Brickies’ are unbeaten in nine matches including five wins, the latest a 3-1 defeat of VCD Athletic on Tuesday evening. They are currently in 12th spot, one place above Wasps with one more point

After a disappointing result at Hythe last Saturday on what can best be described as a poor pitch and in a match which very unfortunately saw Matt Daniel fracture his tibia just before half-time, Drew Cooney’s lads responded with a great win over Whitehawk here on Tuesday night. Even though we conceded an equaliser in the 80th minute having led 2-1 since before the break, the spirit, hard work and determination was there for all to see and Ben Aubrey’s second goal of the night clinched all three points, three minutes into added time with a truly calm and composed finish.

A deserved congratulations to 17 year old keeper Ollie Cash who made his full First Team League debut against promotion chasing Whitehawk, stepping in for Matte Pierson who proudly became a father over the weekend.

With both this afternoon’s teams having four matches to play including today’s game, they will be determined to keep clear of the two interstep play off places. We are both guaranteed to finish outside of the bottom two relegation places and at the start of the day, our visitors would guarantee not finishing in the two play-off places with six points and Wasps with seven.

Wasps are in 13th spot with 41 points, followed by Three Bridges and Lancing on 39, then come Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath on 35 with VCD on 34 points before their Good Friday afternoon match against Ashford United.

We are away on Easter Monday at Chichester City (kick off 3pm) and away again next Saturday at Beckenham Town and are at home for the last match of the league season on Saturday 22nd April against VCD Athletic.

Our Under 23s are away to Hastings United on Tuesday evening in the semi final of the Sussex FA’s Under 23s Challenge Cup (ko 7.45pm), the winners playing Horsham YMCA in the Final

Whatever the outcome of this afternoon’s match, I trust everyone enjoys their visit to The OHOB Community Stadium and I wish you all a safe journey home.

Enjoy the match

Richard Tramontin (Chairman)

Photo courtesy of Stuart Gibson

FIXTURES & RESULTS

AUGUST

06-Aug-Hollands & BlairHFACupe1431-0PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinGreenWilsonDaniel 1BriggsCornwellUchechiM.WalshAndersonCascoe-Newman

13-Aug-2022Chatham TownHPISEdiv2161-0PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDanielBriggsAnderson 1CornwellM.WalshUchechiPeranaPreece-Placid

16-Aug-2022Cray ValleyAPISEdiv900-1PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDanielBriggsAndersonUchechiPrice-PlacidCornwellM.WalshAbie

20-Aug-2022LancingAFACupp1474-1PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDaniel 2BriggsCornwellUchechi 1Anderson 1M.WalshClarkePreece-Placid

27-Aug-2022Ashford UnitedAPISEdiv2862-2PiersonClarkeStrakerPeranaParkerWilsonPrice-PlacidBriggsCornwellUchechiM.WalshDaniel 1Abie 1Folkes

29-Aug-2022Haywards Heath TownHPISEdiv2702-1PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDaniel 1BriggsCornwellUchechiAnderson 1FoakesM.WalshPrice-Placid

SEPTEMBER

03-Sep-Beckenham TownHFACup12452-2PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDaniel 1BriggsCornwellUchechiAnderson 1FoakesPrice-PlacidCascoe-

06-Sep-Beckenham TownAFACup11981-3PiersonClarkeStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonPrice-PlacidBriggsFolkesAbleM.WalshDaniel 1

13-Sep-2022WroxhamAFAT1q1311-4PiersonF.WalshClarkeUnwinCooneyWilsonDaniel 1BriggsAndersonM. WalshPrice-PlacidCascoe-Abie

17-Sep-2022Sheppey UnitedHPISEdiv2360-1PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonPrice-PlacidBriggsCornwellUchechiAndersonM.WalshFolkesPerana

OCTOBER

01/10/22Burgess Hill TownAPISEdiv4530-1PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDanielBriggsCornwellUchechiAndersonPrice-PlacidPeranaM.Walsh

08-Oct-2022LancingHPISEdiv2372-0PiersonF.WalshStrakerPeranaParkerWilsonDaniel 1Briggs 1CornwellPrice-PlacidM.WalshA.ClarkeAndersonAbie

11-Oct-2022Three BridgesAPISEdiv1493-2PiersonF.WalshStrakerPeranaParkerWilsonDanielBriggs 1AndersonPrice-PlacidM.WalshCornwellClarkeUnwin

15-Oct-2022RamsgateHPISEdiv2 0 11-3PiersonF.WalshM.WalshPeranaParkerWilsonDanielBriggsAnderson 1CornwellPrice-PlacidUchechiUnwinSargent

18-Oct-2022LeatherheadHVT11191-1PiersonClarkeM.WalshUnwinParkerGarnerEverettAbieFolkesCascoe-NewmanPrice-PlacidWilliamsAkabuoguBuchananSargent 22/10/22WhitehawkAPISEdiv3510-2PiersonF.WalshStrakerPeranaParkerWilsonCornwellBriggsAndersonDanielM.WalshEverittPrice-PlacidCascoe29/10/22Littlehampton TownHPISEdiv1850-1PiersonGarnerStrakerPeranaParkerWilsonDanielBriggsAndersonUchechiM.WalshF.WalshFolkesEverett

NOVEMBER

O5/11/22Faversham TownAPISEdiv2 6 11-3PiersonF.WalshStrakerM.WalshParkerWilsonDanielBriggsAnderson 1UchechiPrice-PlacidEverettUnwinCornwell

12-NovSevenoaks TownHPISEdiv2323-0PiersonF.WalshStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDaniel 1NewmanAnderson 1UchechiBriggsEverettWilliams 1

19/11/22CorinthianAPISEdiv1121-1PiersonF.WalshM.WalshUnwinParkerWilsonDanielEverettWilliams 1UchechiAndersonBriggsFolkes

26-NovVCD AthleticAPISEdiv954-3ParkerSavaneStrakerUnwinPeranaWilson 1EverettBriggs 1Williams 1AndersonM.Walsh 1Folkes 1UchechiAbie

DECEMBER

03/12/22Beckenham TownHPISEdiv1820-2PiersonSavaneStrakerM.WalshPeranaWilsonEverettBriggsAndersonUchechiWilliamsParkerFolkesDaniel

26/12/22Haywards Heath TownAPISEdiv3480-2PiersonSavaneStrakerUnwinParkerWilsonDanielBriggsWilliamsGreenwoodM.WalshUchechiAndersonFolkes

JANUARY

02/01/23Chichester CityHPISEdiv2123-2PiersonParkerStrakerM.WalshGreen 1WilsonGreenwoodBriggsAndersonUchechiDaniel 1UnwinFolkesWilliams 1

07/01/23Chatham TownAPISEdiv6820-1PiersonSavaneParkerUnwinGreenWilsonDanielGreenwoodWilliamsUchechiM.WalshBriggsAndersonStraker

28/01/23Sevenoaks TownAPISEdiv1711-3PiersonParkerStrakerUnwinGreenWilsonDaniel 1GreenwoodWilliamsM.WalshBriggsAndersonUchechi

FEBRUARY

04/02/23CorinthianHPISEdiv1521-0PiersonBriggsUnwinParkerGreenWilsonAndersonGreenwood 1WilliamsUchechiM.WalshStrakerLawrenceDaniel

07/02/23Faversham TownHPISEdiv1051-0PiersonSavaneStrakerParkerGreenWilsonUnwinAbieDanielGreenwood 1FolkesBriggsM.Walsh

11/02/23Littlehampton TownAPISEdiv2221-1PiersonSavaneStrakerUnwinGreenParkerDanielGreenwoodWilliams 1M.WalshBriggsFolkesAnderson

14/02/23Three BridgesHPISEdiv2211-1PiersonBriggsStrakerParkerGreenWilsonDanielGreenAnderson 1FolkesAbieUnwinWalshPerana

18/02/23LancingAPISEdiv1691-0PiersonUnwinStrakerAbieGreenParkerDanielBriggsWilliamsUchechiM.Walsh 1AndersonFolkes

21/02/23SittingbourneAPISEdiv1210-2PiersonUnwinStrakerAbieGreenParkerDanielBriggsAndersonM.WalshFolkesPeranaLawrenceUchechi

25/02/23Burgess Hill TownHPISEdiv2600-4PiersonBriggsParkerUnwinPeranaGreenDanielM.WalshWilliamsUchechiStrakerAstleAnderson

28/02/23Cray ValleyHPISEdiv890-3PiersonSavaneStrakerAbieGreenPeranaAstleUnwinWilliamsFolkesBriggsUchechiLawrenceDaniel

MARCH

28/02/23Sheppey UnitedAPISEdiv3221-4PiersonAstleM.WalshUnwinGreenWilsonDanielAbieWilliams 1BriggsUchechiFolkesAnderson

07/03/23Hythe TownHPISEdiv913-2PiersonSavaneParkerAbieGreenWilson 1Daniel 1UnwinM.Walsh 1AstleBriggsSummerfieldFolkes

11/03/23RamsgateAPISEdiv11410-5PiersonSavaneCooneySummerfieldGreenWilsonDanielAbieM.WalshAstleStrakerBriggsFolkesUchechi

25/03/23Ashford UnitedHPISEdiv21322PiersonParker 1StrakerUnwinT.CooneyWilsonDaniel 1SummerfieldAubreyM.WalshAstleBahFolkes

APRIL

01/04/23Hythe TownAPISEdiv2260-4PiersonParkerCooneyUnwinGreenWilsonDanielSummerfieldAubreyM.WalshAstleAbieFolkesBah

04/04/23WhitehawkHPISEdiv15332CashUnwinStrakerCooneyGreenParkerAstleSummerfieldFolkes 1M.WalshAubrey 2AbieBriggs

08/04/33SittingbourneHPISEdiv

10/04/23Chichester CityAPISEdiv

15-AprBeckenham TownAPISEdiv

22/04/23VCD AthleticHPISEdiv

APRIL

PROGRAMMES FROM THE PAST

We have a couple of games played in the past at the end of the first week in April to talk about – helped by the programmes that we issued for the matches.

First up we have East Grinstead v Westfield on Saturday 8 April 2000 in division two of the County League. This was the first time that our visitors had played at East Court, following their promotion from division three in the previous season.

Bruce Talbot’s club notes tell us that we still had a bit of work to do to make sure we retained our place in division two. He reckoned that another two wins would keep us safe, and with six of our remaining eight games being at home – it had been a pretty harsh winter causing many postponements – we must expect to keep our place.

Our reserve team also had a lot of games to play – again mostly at East Court – and this explains why the kick-off for the Westfield game was 2pm. Our reserves were going to take to the East Court pitch after the first team had finished – and it wouldn’t be the only time this would happen.

The programme contains a round up of recent division two news with a couple of items catching my eye. Firstly that Crawley Down had not been granted permission to erect floodlights on their ground – something which would have severe consequences for their future. (In the event they were of course later granted permission).

And secondly a 17-year-old player making his first ever appearance in the County League had scored five goals in that first match for Broadbridge Heath – it was Lee Carney who I remember taking us apart a few times for Three Bridges. And he did have a spell with us a little later.

Back to the Westfield game. The league table

shows us in 13th place with Westfield three places above us. We had played down in Hastings in November and with one of our better performances we had won 3-1 (goals from Stuart Hardy, James Hylton and Steve Banks). Back here at East Court we had a 1-1 draw with a rare goal from Kevin Wright.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 In the days when the programme cover was pre-printed

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Moving on a few years we have East Grinstead v Whitstable on Saturday 9 April 2016 in the Isthmian League. Richard Tramontin’s notes tell us that our visitors, despite two wins over the recent Easter holiday matches, had lost the battle against relegation – however he also reminds us that we still needed points to avoid being the third team to be relegated.

We had helped ourselves by gaining four points over that same Easter period after a run of just one point in 13 matches from the start of January. That last relegation place was likely to be between ourselves and Walton & Hersham who we were to play in the last game of the season. Richard sincerely hopes that “it doesn’t all hinge on the outcome of that match."

Manager Matt Longhurst – seen here recently in 2023 as manager of Burgess Hill – talks briefly about two recent 1-0 defeats (coming after that four point Easter weekend) especially when Corinthian Casuals scored their winner with just one minute left.

We had played the reverse fixture against Whitstable down on the Kent coast at the end of November and came back with a 3-2 win –thanks to a couple of goals in the last ten minutes from Hassen Jalloh and Greg Cundle with Connor Hendricks earlier putting us 1-0 ahead.

And here at East Court we came up with another win with goals from George Benner after 20 minutes, an equaliser by Whitstable’s Craig Thomas a few minutes later, a Trevor McCreadie penalty shortly before half-time and then Trevor making it safe at 3-1 to us some five minutes from the end.

If any of you have had your memories jogged by this piece then I’d be happy to hear from you at lestermedcalf@btinternet.com.

A night match at East Court seven years ago

SITTINGBOURNE

The club was started as Sittingbourne United back in 1881. In 1886 it became Sittingbourne FC and played at the Bull Ground in the centre of town. In 1892 the club gained senior status. The club won its first major title in 1897/98 when it won the Kent League. The Kent Senior Cup followed in 1902. After the First World War more senior cup and league titles followed with the club also enjoying the first of three spells in the Southern League. The club reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1962 but lost 3-0 at Hinckley Athletic. Back in the Kent League Sittingbourne were one of the strongest teams throughout the 1970s and 1980s - unlike the decade that followed, when what happened on the field got more attention than what went on off it.

In February 1990, the club decided to sell its town centre Bull Ground (now Sainsbury’s supermarket) and buy a 23-acre site on the town’s Eurolink estate. A magnificent stadium with a 2,000-seat stand, restaurants, bars, sumptuous dressing rooms, greyhound track and training pitches was the envy of nonleague football. There was success on the pitch when, in their first season at Central Park, Sittingbourne won the Kent League without losing a game – the only senior football team throughout Europe to achieve that feat in the 1990/91 season.

Promotion to the Southern League followed with the championship of the Southern Division secured in 1993 followed by promotion to highest level achieved by the club since it’s foundation. The ground record was broken five times during that one season with 5,951 spectators watching a friendly with Spurs and more than 3,000 at the match with local rivals Gravesend – a Beazer Homes Southern Division record.

More money flowed in with the £21,000 sale of Neil Emblen and Mickey Harle to MilIwall before the bubble spectacularly burst. Debts of more than £1 million were revealed, the team got relegated, the ground was closed for a while despite the intervention of the local council and the club was wound up. Somehow Sittingbourne have survived it all and even got

back to the Southern Premier Division during this traumatic time (in Steve Lovell’s first spell as manager), finishing an equal highest ever eighth before the financial problems again began to bite and relegation followed.

Because of the FA reconstruction of the pyramid Sittingbourne faced a brand-new challenge playing a number of “unknown” teams in the Ryman Isthmian League in season 2006-2007. The 2009/10 season was one of the best since the financial problems as Sittingbourne won the Kent Senior Cup for the first time in 50 years.

For the 2013-2014 campaign, Sittingbourne decided to leave their home of ten years and accept an invitation to move to Woodstock Park a 14-acre area with superb social facilities. After a three-year reign as manager, Nick Davis resigned and coach Aslan Odev took over and after initially taking The Brickies to the play-offs he stood down, paving the way in January 2019 for Dover Athletic Academy development manager Chris Lynch, to take over. His assistant Darren Blackburn had a spell in charge during the Covid-affected 2019/20 season before Davis returned for a second spell.

He resigned in early January 2023 after 12 games without a win and the club brought in Ryan Maxwell to take his place. The Brickies arrive today on the back of a nine-match unbeaten sequence.

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SQUAD STATS

TODAYS Teams

EAST GRINSTEAD FC SITTINGBOURNE

Mattie Pearson cc

Harrison Parker cc

Thomas Cooney cc

Lewis Unwin cc

Ryan Green cc

Glenn Wilson © cc

Tom Summerfield cc

Ben Aubrey cc

Max Walsh cc

Matt Astle cc

Omar Folkes cc

Tariq Straker cc

Thibault Abie cc

Dean Perana cc

Lamin Bah cc

Daniel Uchechi cc

Manager: Drew Cooney

Colours: Amber & Black

Referee: Paul Stratton

GRINSTEAD

Alfie Rogers cc

Donvieve Jones cc

Correy Davidson cc

Joe Ellul cc

Joe Tyrie cc

Bagusan Graham cc

Harry Hope cc

Matt Warren cc

Chaynie Burgin cc

Aaron Eyoma cc

Toch Singh cc

Sergio Uyi cc

Vincent Follea cc

Mitchell May cc

Dwade James cc

Simo Mbonkwi cc

Manager: Ryan Maxwell

Colours: Red & Black

The Isthmian Football League strongly supports the FA statement that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly any form of discriminatory abuse whether it by reason of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex and sexual orientation or any other form of abuse will be reported to The Football Association for action by that Association.”

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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

SITTINGBOURNE

Saturday April 8 2023

Kick off 3pm

TODAY’S OTHER GAMES

Burgess Hill Town vs Hythe Town

Corinthian vs Littlehampton Town

Faversham Town vs Haywards Heath Town

Lancing vs Chatham Town

Ramsgate vs Beckenham Town

Sevenoaks Town vs Cray Valley PM

MATCH OFFICIALS

Assistant Referee: Patrick Yates

VS Fin A l sCORe

Assistant Referee: James Black

SITTINGBOURNE

Sheppey United vs Three Bridges

Whitehawk vs Chichester City

This matchday programme was created online by www.matchday-programmes.co.uk