Football in Findon 1930s -1960s

By Valerie Martin

son. They won the Benevolent Cup in 1935 and had to wait another twenty years to repeat the feat... in 1955.

Ernie May is on the right of the Manager with the cup in 1935. Upton is two to the right of Ernie. Others are unknown.

honour of the team was at stake and Findon was winning cups at the matches. Later the football team used the old tearooms at the "Black Horse" public house as their headquarters and enjoyed many evenings of entertainment, especially after winning cups during the season.

Above is the old "Black Horse" public house in the main street.

The inn was demolished to make way for the new Findon Bypass in 1939 and a brand new "Black Horse" public house was built as is illustrated below.

Here is another photograph of the Findon team. The back row consists left to right of "unknown"; Long; Reg Hazelgrove; Dennis "Shoey" Goddard; "Tojo" Woods; Reg Bennet; and "unknown".

The front row is Jack Norgate; Dennis Hazelgrove; maybe John Spiers; Cecil Rose; Brian Pelling. Findon played in the Worthing and District League between the two World Wars. The village squad was called Findon Athletic... otherwise known as "The Amber and Blacks".

The team’s changing rooms at the home ground pitch were in the cottage called "Coachmans" facing Nepcote Green. From there the players of the day jogged across the lane to the Green. The pitch was through the small gateway immediately east of Nepcote House... now badger territory. Otherwise the players could change their clothes under cover of a clump of beech trees. No one worried in those days when the

The re-built Black Horse bordering the new Findon Bypass… it is still dispensing pints today. During the Second World War the team's pitch was requisitioned by the Canadian Army for training purposes. Findon Athletic was resurrected after hostilities when Findon's menfolk returned.

I have one little story appertaining to post war years and this is still talked about to this day. In

1955 Dennis Goddard of The Forge had just changed into his football gear to play as goalkeeper for Findon when the fire alarm bell sounded. Being a Findon fireman, he left immediately to fight the local blaze. When he returned he proceeded to let in eight goals. The Findon Athletic was finally disbanded in the 1960s.