Little Common - Little Common Recreation Ground

Little Common FC

Little Common Recreation Ground

Peartree Lane

Bexhill-on-Sea 

East Sussex

TN39 4PG

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1216

Monday 28th August 2023

Little Common 1-2 Eastbourne Town

Southern Counties Premier

LITTLE COMMON FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established by Ken Cherry in 1966 as a youth club under the name Albion United, initially fielding under-14 and under-16 teams. They later started an adult team, which entered the Hastings League. In 1970 the club joined Division Three of the East Sussex League, which they won at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division Two. They won Division Two the following season, resulting in promotion to Division One. A third successive league title in 1973 saw the club win Division One and earn promotion to the Premier Division. They were league champions in 1977 and moved up to the Sussex County League. A 5th place finish in Division 2 in their first season was a good start. They changed their name to Little Common Albion between 1986 and 2002, then Little Common thereafter. In 1995, the club were relegated to Division 3 and then into local football until they won the East Sussex League in 2005, winning promotion back to the Sussex League. In 2009 they were promoted from Sussex County D3 after finishing as runners-up behind Clymping. Promotion was almost achieved in 2013 after a 3rd place finish but then in 2018, Little Common won what in 2014 had been renamed the Southern Combination D1. They've been a steady Premier Division side since, finishing a best-ever 10th in 2022.

Little Common have had seven FA Cup campaigns since making their debut in 2017. Their best progress has been to the 1st Qualifying Round where they lost 1-0 to Hendon in 2019 and 3-0 to Corinthian Casuals a year later. They had their best run in the FA Vase last season, beating Steyning Town, Molesey, Milton United and Wallingford & Crowmarsh prior to a 4-0 defeat to eventual winners Ascot United in the 3rd Round. The club are based in the Little Common area of Bexhill-On-Sea to the west of the town.

MY VISIT

Usually, Bank Holidays are unpleasant for me, trapped in work. But having booked this one off for the Welsh Hop which turned out not to go ahead, I was determined to make the most of it. The Southern Combination and Combined Counties Leagues always have early kickoffs on Bank Holidays, a real godsend for hoppers who fancy a double. For my morning game, I had two options - either Little Common or Eastbourne United. Seeing as the latter were still in the FA Cup and were a potential fixture for next weekend, I opted for Little Common. It was a shame that they didn't kick off at different times as they are so close together but never mind, it was an attractive local derby against Eastbourne Town who had good supporters.

I originally tried to persuade Colin to come, but he was busy with AFC Sudbury v Berkhamsted. Instead, Anwar agreed to come to Wycombe so I could pick him up after I said I'd do a revisit to Whitehawk in the afternoon. This was a bit out of the way but I'd not done it for ages and it would be a chance to update my blog. The previous evening had ended well with me home shortly after 9 and I had a couple of drinks whilst researching everything. It wasn't the greatest night's sleep as a car alarm kept going off. I got a few hours of sleep, even waking before my alarm went off at 7.45. After having some breakfast and getting dressed, I left at 8.25, and met Anwar at High Wycombe Station at 8.40. It was a bit tight for time but thankfully the roads were good. Some nice scenic places were passed through, including Battle. We were there at 10.35 with entrance a well priced £6.

Looking at the table, Little Common were riding high in 4th whilst Eastbourne Town were 12th. The hosts had won all three games, beating both Shoreham and Saltdean United 2-1 and winning 1-0 at AFC Uckfield. The visitors had opened with a 1-1 draw at Hassocks before losing 2-1 to Crowborough Athletic. They'd then lost 2-0 at Steyning Town before putting things right with a 2-1 win against AFC Varndeanians. Both sides had good spells of play in the early stages, but shots were wayward. An Eastbourne player got the ball in his face from point-blank range but it was Little Common dominating. The visitors came close twice around the 40th minute, firstly nearly profiting from a goalkeeping error and then having the ball in the net from the resulting corner, only for it to be ruled out. The half ended goalless after eight added minutes. Three minutes into the second half, we had a goal, Eastbourne taking the lead with a deflected shot by Tom Vickers. A home player tripped someone just inside the area. To make things worse, he was sin-binned for something he said to the referee and the penalty was put away by Evan Archibald on 52 minutes. An Eastbourne player was also sin-binned in what was becoming a very physical game. Little Common huffed and puffed but were shot shy and cross shy so they never really tested the keeper. A long ball forward going into injury time found Freddie Warren who finished well to make injury time meaningful. They then had a late rally and it was a shame they weren't more ambitious earlier.

Overall, two competitive sets of players and a whistle-happy referee meant this was never going to be a classic. It was a big attendance of 263 which was nice for a friendly, family-orientated club. With all the added time, it was well past 1 when we left. A swift getaway would have been nice but we got stuck behind a slow but lovely-looking old Ford pickup. Despite it being a 60 limit, the driver was barely able to get over half that speed. He turned off to Eastbourne so presumably had been part of their sizeable support. After stopping at a shop to stock up on snacks and drinks, we arrived at Whitehawk at 2.15, ready for a revisit in my case.

THE GROUND

LITTLE COMMON RECREATION GROUND is a basic setup for step 5 although they've done well to fit it all in. The ground is three-sided owing to lack of space. All the covered areas are behind one goal comprising of two 50 seated stands and one 50 standing. The rest of the ground is open flat standing. The cricket pavilion provides food and drink at reasonable prices whilst the public toilets are in another building. Parking is plentiful whilst Collington train station is 40 minutes walk away. 

Downham Town - Memorial Playing Field

Downham Town FC

Memorial Playing Field

Lynn Road

Downham Market

Norfolk

PE38 9QE

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1215
Sunday 27th August 2023
Downham Town 5-1 Swaffham Town

FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round

DOWNHAM TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1881 and was originally nicknamed the Saints. They initially played in junior leagues in the King's Lynn area, before joining the Peterborough & District League in 1949, when they gained senior status after being elected to the league's Premier Division. They went on to win the Premier Division five times. After the last of those successes, they became founding members of the Eastern Counties League Division 1. Finishes ranged from 3rd in 1999 and 2022 to 20th in 2006. That was until last season when they were promoted following a 2nd place finish. They'd missed out in the playoffs in 2022, beating Norwich CBS 1-0 before losing 3-1 at Harleston Town in the final. It was a case of second time lucky as earlier this year they overcame Whittlesey Athletic 4-1 and Harwich & Parkeston 4-0 to gain promotion to the Premier Division.

 The elevation to step 5 gave Downham the chance to compete in the FA Cup for the first time but they narrowly lost 1-0 at Kirkley & Pakefield. This season sees the club embark on its 35th FA Vase campaign. Their best run came during the 1986/87 season when they beat Diss Town, Bowers United, Eynesbury Rovers and Staveley Works before losing 4-0 at Rocester in the 3rd Round. In terms of local cups, they've won the Norfolk Senior Cup in 1964 and 1966, the Norfolk Primary Cup in 1991, the Peterborough Senior Cup on five occasions as well as the Isle Of Ely Challenge Cup, the Harry Overland Cup, the West Norfolk Cup and the Bill Knott Trophy. Their record attendance of 1,500 came for a 1949 friendly against Norwich City.

The town of Downham Market is situated in Norfolk and has a population of around 10,000. It is approximately 11 miles south of King's Lynn, 39 miles west of Norwich and 30 miles north of Cambridge. It was an agricultural centre, developing as a market for the produce of the Fens with a bridge across the Ouse. During the Middle Ages, it was famed for its butter market and also hosted a notable horse fair. The market is now held on Fridays and Saturdays. Notable buildings in the town include its medieval parish church, dedicated to St Edmund, and the Victorian clock tower, constructed in 1878. The town is also known as the place where Charles I hid after the Battle of Naseby. In 2004 the town completed a regeneration project on the Market Place, moving the market to the town hall car park. The decorative town sign depicts the crown and arrows of St Edmund with horses to show the importance of the horse fairs in the town's history. People with links to Downham Market include former PM Liz Truss and 'King Of Chavs' Michael Carroll a lottery winner vilified by the press after his win in 2002. Both showed equal incompetence when put in charge of large sums of money.

MY VISIT

Usually, Sundays are a day from hell for me with the worst of the general public having to be dealt with in large numbers. It was especially galling at this time last year when I saw people checking in at some great grounds on the Welsh Hop. That was what I hoped for when I booked time off for this year's event, almost a year in advance. Sadly, it was not to be as the event was cancelled due to the Welsh FA first arranging a round of the Welsh FA Trophy on this date and then failing to communicate with hop organiser Chris when he tried to seek clarification. There was the brief hope of a Central Midlands Alliance Hop but with the away sides being uncooperative and unwilling to play at anything other than the standard kickoff time. With Chris involved with the league, I hope that when these clubs come calling for favours in the future, the league show them the same consideration that they showed the hop.

Normally, my alternative would have meant a Sunday league game in the morning and a women's game in the afternoon, after careful planning. But thankfully, it was FA Vase weekend so some games would be moved to Sunday. I was even lucky enough to get a new ground. I'd tried to visit Downton in pre-season and was all set to visit. However, the club were kind enough to message me and tell me that it would be played on the back pitch, presumably to save wear and tear on the main pitch. The contact was appreciated for saving a wasted journey and I had a pleasant journey to Mundford instead. The only downer to the day was that the cowboys at Chiltern Railways were not starting trains out of High Wycombe until after 10 on Sunday. A shambles, but par for the course with the worst train operator in the country. Instead, I would have to drive to Amersham and take the underground unless I wanted a very convoluted journey. The only compensation was an excellent value £16.50 fare from Liverpool Street thanks to the Trainline app.

It had been a boozy and unhealthy Saturday after getting back from my game at Pitshanger Dynamo. As a result, I awoke well before my alarm went off at 7.45. This meant I wasn't rushing around like I usually would be, getting dressed and having a porridge pot for breakfast before leaving at 8.20. Everywhere was nice and quiet, just how I like it. I was at Amersham station well in advance of my 8.52 train to Liverpool Street. This too was pretty quiet, though it started to fill up, the closer we got to London. I had half an hour to kill at Liverpool Street and considered Wetherspoons. However, at over £6 a pint and me being limited due to driving later, I decided against it. The train to Cambridge was absolutely packed but it seemed a fairly pleasant crowd. I'd got my ticket on Trainline for £16.50 and although the official change point was Cambridge North, I was able to change at Cambridge. It was a shame not to get a double seat to myself but I guess that's the price you pay with such reasonable prices to a tourist destination. We got to Cambridge at 11.40 where the train emptied. I headed out to the Cambridge Blue, time constraints allowing me only one pub. The Cambridge Blue was a solid choice, set in a residential area. The ale and cider selection was great, as was the range of Belgian bottles. I had a pint of Hecks Port Wine of Glastonbury to start, a pleasant medium cider. Second was a bottle of Timmermans Oude Kriek, a delicious Lambic beer. It was a fabulous place and I will certainly be returning to Cambridge in the future, not least to see Cambridge University Press play. I was back at the station in time for the 13:03 to Downham Market, The Great Northern service was nice and quiet and the USB points worked too. The decor was not as nice as Greater Anglia though. I got to Downham Market just before 1.40 and walked the ten minutes to the Whalebone Wetherspoons. Black Dragon was available but they weren't exactly quick on clearing the tables which didn't bode well for service. However, my pint was with me within a few minutes. I'd ordered steak with a chicken breast, it came in at £14.49 for the lot. However, service was prompt and the steak well cooked, all in all one of the better Spoons out there.

It was 15 minutes walk to the ground, with entry an excellent value £6. Downham were in the top half of the Eastern Counties Premier whilst Swaffham were in a similar position in the league below. Downham took the lead after two minutes and from there the match never looked in doubt. It was some confused defending and an own goal that provided the opener and then on 8 minutes the lead was doubled when a cross from the right was headed home. A free kick caused problems on 15 minutes, the rebound being put away for 3-0. This reflected the pattern of play with Swaffham restricted to chances on the break. The visitors did get a goal back on 58 minutes, a cross from the right headed home. Downham restored their three-goal lead on 83 minutes, a shot drilled into the bottom left. A cross from the right and a finish from point-blank range made it 5-1 not long after that.

It had been a fairly decent game, albeit a bit one-sided I had plenty of time to kill but with few shops near the station. I headed straight for the platform. It was a 20-minute wait for the train which came at 5.39. I was in good company including Anders who had come over from Norway for his usual English trip. A change at Cambridge left me with 15 minutes to kill and with pretty much everything closed. I settled for a meal deal in Sainsbury's. I was back at the platform with a few minutes to spare and although it was packed once more, I was able to get a nice quiet part of the carriage to myself. I had time to get my blog done with the aim to get home somewhere between 9 and 10 p.m.

THE GROUND

MEMORIAL PARK is a decent venue for the level. The ground itself is three-sided with part of it closed off for cricket. All of the stands are on one side, three small areas of cover together. There's room for 100 seating and 100 standing. There's a food stall in the ground or a bar and toilets outside it. There's a reasonable-sized car park or further street parking. The ground is 25 minutes from the train station or 15 minutes walk from town.