[Football] The Non-League Football Thread- 2023/24 Edition

Arthur said:

One thing I didn't mention yesterday is although they may seem not to be that invested in the game you can't fault their attendance. They are there pretty much every game without fail and have been for a couple of seasons now.

As for the ball going out the ground well that is again common place in non league and not unique to Crowborough. I live about 20 yards from the turnstile and believe me we've had some players that have nearly found my back garden. The new flood lights are much better for light pollution now but the old ones when they were on I didn't have to have my kitchen light on.



You don't get a lot of "singers" down in the county leagues to be fair. The odd team do. Eastbourne Town used to have an ultras group called Pier Pressure believe it or not. When we were in the Kent league so not regularly playing them we drew them in the Vase. They must have had 80 of these Ultras turn up with flares, smoke bombs and what sounded like a full orchestra. They drank in the Bricks before the game and marched down Whitehill like some european firm with smoke bombs and all sorts. They obviously weren't there on Saturday. No idea if they are still going? Anyone

Tunbridge Wells have a group called the South Stand Choir and they have quite an amusing ditty about the town being full of doctors, lawyers and architects. It's worth looking out for when they play Rusthall as that can get quite fruity. Likewise Beckenham (the last time they played they segregated the ground which is unheard of) but they have moved leagues now.

Click to expand...

Arthur said:

As for the ball going out the ground well that is again common place in non league and not unique to Crowborough. I live about 20 yards from the turnstile and believe me we've had some players that have nearly found my back garden.

Click to expand...

Dick Knights Mumm said:

Another bug bear.

You're playing in the SCFL - if you boot the ball out the ground it costs money. Not all residents return balls (although we did get one back with a metal stake through it - of course it londed on the point and went through, thanks mate ........). Steyning are always purchasing new balls. New fencing is due to be put up - but that's money not going into the youth teams.

Click to expand...

MattBackHome said:

View attachment 172831View attachment 172832View attachment 172833

Just back. Deserved 3 points but we almost contrived to throw it away twice. Penney looked way off the pace but Kalvin was excellent, and Whelpdale is just too good for this level. 3 home matches out of the next 4 and we should be aiming to be firmly in the playoffs in a month, IMO.

Burger (pictured) was bang average. The curry sauce on the chips extremely synthetic and powdery, in other words utterly perfect. One of the travelling Rooks was drinking a blue vodka slushie. It was minus 3 degrees .

Highlight was when I asked the woman serving drinks for some pepper for my Bovril. She delighted me by saying that she doesn't even ask people any more, she just automatically puts it in all of them! Pepperiest Bovril I've ever had. 10/10.

Click to expand...

Arthur said:

We are quite fortunate in that respect at Crowborough as we have the car park (and my house) behind one goal, junior pitch behind the other and the second pitch along one side. The other side has a farmers field but that is lined with tree (and there is also a whole in the fence if any do make it through). So it's pretty uncommon for us to actually lose a ball. It does require a team of volunteers to go and retrieve them though.

Click to expand...

stewart12 said:

Like many games last night, my intended destination of Littlehampton Town was a victim to the elements so I ended up at the Peter Bentley Cup tie between two SCFL Premier League sides Steyning Town and AFC Uckfield Town.

Steyning are, of course, a fine club. Definite community feel and everyone is extremely friendly. A decent crowd considering the conditions, bolstered slightly by the u23 side having a team meeting in the clubhouse before the game.

Speaking of which, the clubhouse has had a bit of a refurb since my last visit and is now surely in the elite tier of Sussex clubhouses. It really is top notch for a club that size. Sadly I was driving so didn't get a chance to sample the drinks selection but it's a great venue.

If you've not been, the Shooting Field is a neat and tidy ground which has surely been revolutionised by the installation of the artificial pitch which is such a game changer for clubs at that level. Most of the crowd congregated on the West (?) side of the ground which boasts two seated stands and some standing areas. I sat in one of the seated stands for much of the first half but the cold (-2 degrees) meant that I felt I wanted to stretch my legs a bit.

Steyning won the game very easily in the end with a 6-0 win. I think it was only 1-0 at half time though so Uckfield did hold their own for most of the first half. Definitely tired as the game went on though. Steyning play some really, really good football which is really great to see.

Only downside- NO BOVRIL!!!!!!!!!!! Thankfully, I'd brought with me a flask of my own which saw me through to half time. Bought a hot chocolate for the second half.

Admission was £7

Would highly recommend a trip to Steyning.

View attachment 172925

View attachment 172926
View attachment 172927
View attachment 172930
View attachment 172931
View attachment 172928
View attachment 172929

Click to expand...

MattBackHome said:

@stewart12 Do you put pepper in your bovril?

Click to expand...

Cowfold Seagull said:

Just an observation, albeit an obvious one, there were nine games scheduled to be played in the SCFL last night, six of them were postponed due to frozen pitches. Only three went ahead and all were played on 3G.

Proof if proof were needed, that 3G has to be the future for the non league game.

Click to expand...

Dick Knights Mumm said:

Another bug bear.

You're playing in the SCFL - if you boot the ball out the ground it costs money. Not all residents return balls (although we did get one back with a metal stake through it - of course it londed on the point and went through, thanks mate ........). Steyning are always purchasing new balls. New fencing is due to be put up - but that's money not going into the youth teams.

Click to expand...

stewart12 said:

Like many games last night, my intended destination of Littlehampton Town was a victim to the elements so I ended up at the Peter Bentley Cup tie between two SCFL Premier League sides Steyning Town and AFC Uckfield Town.

Steyning are, of course, a fine club. Definite community feel and everyone is extremely friendly. A decent crowd considering the conditions, bolstered slightly by the u23 side having a team meeting in the clubhouse before the game.

Speaking of which, the clubhouse has had a bit of a refurb since my last visit and is now surely in the elite tier of Sussex clubhouses. It really is top notch for a club that size. Sadly I was driving so didn't get a chance to sample the drinks selection but it's a great venue.

If you've not been, the Shooting Field is a neat and tidy ground which has surely been revolutionised by the installation of the artificial pitch which is such a game changer for clubs at that level. Most of the crowd congregated on the West (?) side of the ground which boasts two seated stands and some standing areas. I sat in one of the seated stands for much of the first half but the cold (-2 degrees) meant that I felt I wanted to stretch my legs a bit.

Steyning won the game very easily in the end with a 6-0 win. I think it was only 1-0 at half time though so Uckfield did hold their own for most of the first half. Definitely tired as the game went on though. Steyning play some really, really good football which is really great to see.

Only downside- NO BOVRIL!!!!!!!!!!! Thankfully, I'd brought with me a flask of my own which saw me through to half time. Bought a hot chocolate for the second half.

Admission was £7

Would highly recommend a trip to Steyning.

View attachment 172925

View attachment 172926
View attachment 172927
View attachment 172930
View attachment 172931
View attachment 172928
View attachment 172929

Click to expand...

Cowfold Seagull said:

Just an observation, albeit an obvious one, there were nine games scheduled to be played in the SCFL last night, six of them were postponed due to frozen pitches. Only three went ahead and all were played on 3G.

Prood if proof were needs that 3G has to be the future for the non league game.

Click to expand...

Arthur said:

Freddie the Jack Russell who you may have seen on Saturday is a regular on it

Click to expand...

stewart12 said:

my upcoming schedule for anyone that gives a shit

20/1: East Preston vs Billingshurst (SCFL 1)
27/1: Pagham vs Little Common (SCFL P)
30/1: Horsham vs Kingstonian (Ist P)

3/2: Mile Oak vs Godalming Town (SCFL 1)
10/2: Billingshurst vs Selsey (SCFL 1)
13/2: Worthing United vs Seaford Town (SCFL 1)
17/2: Newhaven Town vs Eastbourne Town (SCFL P)
24/2: Horsham YMCA vs Midhurst & Easebourne (SCFL P)
27/2: Steyning Town vs Horsham (at Lancing FC) (Sussex Senior Cup Semi Final)

Click to expand...

Peacehaven Wild Kids said:

Late to the party on this one but @Arthur sums it up well, SCFL isn’t non league in the biblical sense, it’s non-non league and there’s the attraction.
Worthing, Lewes, Eastbourne Borough etc are MASSIVE compared to the likes of Peacehaven and Crowborough and the bar is a massive pull and huge revenue stream that secures the club including the many youth teams, so yes many go on a Saturday just to have a chat and meet their mates.
Cheap admission, very little stewarding and a place where no petty rules apply certainly give it an appeal, and yes 250 with 20 away fans IS a big crowd.

Click to expand...