- 1 year ago
Matt Pole is joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and our latest special guest, Lewes boss Bradley Pritchard.
Brad’s playing career included spells with a number of professional clubs and plenty of appearances in the National League.
As a player he was with Nuneaton Borough, Tamworth, Hayes & Yeading United, Charlton Athletic, Leyton Orient, Stevenage, Cray Wanderers and Lewes, and as a coach he has had spells with Beckenham Town and Phoenix Sports - before succeeding former podcast guest Craig Nelson at the Dripping Pan when Nelson moved on to Tonbridge Angels at the end of last season.
Brad’s playing career included spells with a number of professional clubs and plenty of appearances in the National League.
As a player he was with Nuneaton Borough, Tamworth, Hayes & Yeading United, Charlton Athletic, Leyton Orient, Stevenage, Cray Wanderers and Lewes, and as a coach he has had spells with Beckenham Town and Phoenix Sports - before succeeding former podcast guest Craig Nelson at the Dripping Pan when Nelson moved on to Tonbridge Angels at the end of last season.
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SportsTranscript
00:01Welcome to another episode of the Sussex Non-League Podcast where we take a look at all the latest goings on at grassroots football across the county.
00:07I'm Matt Poulton and on this edition I'm joined by Sussex Sport Guru Steve Bone and our latest special guest Lewis Boss Brad Pritchard.
00:14Brad's playing career included spells with a number of professional clubs and plenty of appearances in the National League.
00:19As a player he was with Nunnyton Borough, Tamworth, Hazen Yedding, Charlton, Leighton Orient, Steve Nidge, Craig Wanderers and Lewis.
00:26And as a coach he has had spells with Beckham Town and Phoenix Sports before succeeding former podcast guest Craig Nelson at the Dripping Pan when Nelson moved on to Tunbridge Angels at the end of last season.
00:36Well, first and foremost, Brad, thank you very much for joining us. How are you doing today?
00:40Morning, yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay. It's an early start but I mean, to be honest, I've got two kids so I've been up for about three hours anyway.
00:50All right, you should be on top form today then, hopefully Brad. First things first.
00:58Well, tell us about the Lewis manager's job and how you came to get that role first up, Brad.
01:03Yeah, for me it was kind of out of the blue. I've always had a good relationship with everyone who works at Lewis because of my time as a player.
01:15And when I left, it was with the intention of actually stopping altogether.
01:22I then got a call from a friend at Beckham Town who asked me to come in.
01:32And I said, well, look, I'm not going to be playing. And they suggested, would I be interested in to play a coach role?
01:39So coaching was something I had looked at but not really taken that seriously.
01:45But I thought it'd be quite nice to at least just give it a year, do that and see how it went.
01:50And I enjoyed that. I was there for six weeks and then we left just through, I guess, differences in the way us as the management.
02:01Darren Anslow was the manager at the time.
02:05And just the way we wanted to go and the hierarchy there, I guess, the chairman there, we just had different opinions.
02:18So we thought it was best for us to leave. So that was Darren Anslow, myself and Sam Clark King.
02:25We left and went to Phoenix, I think, three or four weeks later.
02:31Yeah. The intention there was to obviously stop us getting relegated.
02:38And unfortunately, we did. But I did a lot of coaching and a lot of I was involved in obviously like the selection and things like that.
02:48And it was really good. It kind of whets my appetite, I guess, for management.
02:54So at the time, I was talking to John Peel and the other directors just because I know and know how highly they rated Pitts, Craig Nelson.
03:08And when he then left, I called him just to say, well, who are you going to bring in?
03:15I know you said he was obviously highly rated. Did you think that he was going to leave that soon?
03:19And we were just talking about football and stuff. And then John asked if I wanted to if I would be interested in applying for the role as.
03:33So I thought, well, I mean, I can sit down, have a chat with you and then you can you can decide.
03:38But so we had a chat with the board and I laid down what I thought would be interesting in terms of a football philosophy, how I view management and and but then obviously acknowledging, you know, the elephant in the room, which is I haven't managed.
03:55So it was then understanding, making sure that our our ambitions were aligned.
04:04I want players to go on and play higher. I want to create a culture that is good to work in.
04:12It's fun. It's attacking in terms of the type of football I want to play.
04:16And I want it to be led very much by the players.
04:21So if we can work together and be a lot more collaborative.
04:25But again, this is it's all very, I guess it's all very idealistic.
04:31Me saying all these things, you know, without knowing too much about management.
04:35You know, but all I can do is try and see my my principles and my ideas in terms of how I want to manage and how I want us to play.
04:46Hopefully they translate. So, yes.
04:49Anyway, I waffled in that interview like I did for a while.
04:54And I guess in the end they said, OK, just take it. Fine.
04:56So, yeah, it was it was a case of they felt, I guess, that we were aligned and they were willing to give me the opportunity to grow.
05:09And I mean, I really, really like the club.
05:13So I was I'll certainly do everything I can to make it a successful time for them.
05:19I was going to say it's fair to say that your time as a player sort of helped draw you back because you are thinking during that time,
05:26you built quite a connection. We hear this from a lot of people at Lewis.
05:30You build a bit of a connection to the the fans, the community, the whole sort of way the club is.
05:36Is that fair? Fair summary?
05:38Yeah, I think so. Dropping into non-league at my age was certainly not.
05:44It was something I mean, I've said to a lot of people, I will only continue football if I felt well,
05:52firstly, if I was adding any value playing.
05:54But the two the two things for me were enjoyment and convenience.
06:00So for me, as long as I'm enjoying it, that's massive because it means I have, you know,
06:05it's the commitment that I'm taking each each day, each week to go to training, to go to matches, to give my all.
06:12That's one thing. The other thing is the convenience.
06:14So that's why when I was at Cray, it was five minutes down the road, which wasn't a problem.
06:21And then when Lewis came about, it tested one of those criteria because it's further out.
06:30But for that, for me to commit to that, I had to do more than just turn up and play.
06:36I felt anyway, I had to try and build something a bit more to give myself a bit more of a purpose.
06:43And things, whether it's the community garden, whether it's doing more community stuff, whatever it is.
06:51Because I wanted it to tie into my day-to-day job, I guess, which is I do a lot of stuff within my community locally.
07:05So it was just trying to transfer that and try and create a bit more of a connection with the club, the fans,
07:16whatever it is, just to give myself, like I say, more of a purpose.
07:19How was the close season, Brad? It must have been pretty hectic with virtually a whole new squad put together, wasn't it?
07:28It looked like you didn't much enjoy it. Was it a bit of a challenge?
07:32It was. I mean, you know what you're kind of stepping into in the sense that there may be a slight turnover of players.
07:43And you have an idea. Obviously, I haven't had an idea of what it's like to recruit from last year, the last season.
07:52But yeah, stepping in this season, I spoke to a lot of managers, just asking for advice on how to go about the recruitment.
08:07So there were two, I guess, camps in terms of the players who were here before.
08:17Firstly, the ones who I wanted to keep and I felt like they were going to be part of us going forward,
08:24whether their profile fitted into the way I wanted to play.
08:31And then the second one was the players who I thought couldn't didn't fit into that.
08:37And it was about talking to all of them or trying to talk to all of them as quickly as possible,
08:44just to say, firstly, introduce myself, but then also understand their way of thinking.
08:50And I guess for a lot of them, possibly all of them, they were unsure.
08:57The ones who I wanted to keep, they were unsure as to what I was going to be like as a manager.
09:04You know, there's a lack of familiarity, a lack of knowledge of me as a manager.
09:13I mean, I can talk about me as a player, but it's irrelevant.
09:16So that's certainly one thing.
09:20And also, from what I've seen, we're in an area that we're having to compete against other clubs
09:29who actually have more resources than us financially.
09:33So that's another thing that makes it difficult.
09:38But, yeah, so I was constantly on the phone.
09:43I guess if you talk to my family, they'll say the same thing.
09:45It was having to talk to lots of different players and trying to...
09:54At the beginning, you're just kind of selling an idea, right?
09:57Because, again, there's no footprint in terms of how I play.
10:05There's no evidence to back up what I'm saying.
10:08So you're pretty much having to try to believe whether I'm genuine or whether I'm realistic in my ambitions.
10:16And if it's something that you think you can be a part of.
10:20So I spoke to a lot of players and my general thing was always that I want to make players better as players and people.
10:29I want them, at the end of the season, to look back at what's happened and say, I feel like I've improved and push on.
10:40So, you know, I don't want anyone who's with me, I don't want them to still be with me in two years.
10:46I want them to be higher and it's my goal to really try and drive their improvement.
10:58And in doing so, I think that would be the right environment, that would help the club to also improve in terms of our position
11:07and just continually developing who we are as a club.
11:12So, yeah, the summer was hectic.
11:16It was busy, but I'm really, really happy with our recruitment.
11:21Tell us a bit about your backroom team, your staff, who you've got working with.
11:25It's not just, you know, these days football management is not just about the manager.
11:30It's very much about the setup.
11:32Who have you got with you?
11:34No, you're totally right there, Steve.
11:36I mean, for me, especially as a new manager, I need to be able to lean on people.
11:43And like I say, I keep talking about being collaborative.
11:46And it's very much the case where I can't go in and say that I know everything because I certainly don't.
11:52And I think I'd get found out very easily.
11:54So I had to bring in people that I trusted, both on a personal level, but also in terms of their knowledge of football.
12:04Nathan White was a first team coach who I'd been with when I was at Cray and Cray Wanderers.
12:13And then when we both went to Lewis at the same time.
12:17So I was very familiar with him in terms of the way he played, the way he wants to play, his way of working.
12:25And again, really, really into the granular detail when it comes to training.
12:35Because I enjoy training.
12:37So if we could continue that for other players, I thought that was something that would be quite a good hook.
12:47Ben Austin is my other assistant manager.
12:50And he was someone who was actually recommended to me by Chris Weldell.
12:54So Weld said, when I spoke to him about, when I said, look, I was going to be taking over, he said, he mentioned Ben.
13:02And he was like, look, I think you should talk to him because he'll compliment you.
13:05And, yeah, he's been fantastic.
13:08He's definitely someone I feel like I've known for years.
13:12It turns out we've actually played against each other once or twice when he was at Eastbourne and now he's at Tamworth.
13:18So, yeah, that's, those two have lent on really heavily.
13:25And in the back room, I have Steve Harman, the goalkeeper and coach.
13:34And Chris Bryant, who's our analyst, we brought him in as well.
13:42He's actually my brother-in-law.
13:44So, I couldn't keep it.
13:48Yeah, you know, talk about nepotism, right?
13:54But, you know, he comes from a sports media background.
13:57And the idea with the analysis thing is I want people from different backgrounds and different experiences.
14:04I don't want this.
14:05I don't want everyone to have had the exact same experience because I think we're not giving ourselves the best opportunity to think laterally.
14:13So, yeah.
14:16And then Sanchez is someone, he was a physio.
14:22We brought him in at Phoenix.
14:25And he was fantastic.
14:27So, when I had the opportunity to bring him in at Lewis, yeah, I was really, really excited about that.
14:36Yeah, so I think that is, yeah, that's my backroom stuff.
14:42It's, I try and give everyone as much of a say as possible because I think there's certainly value in listening to everyone.
14:51Obviously, when it's match day, we have to make decisions quite quickly and we've got to be quite concise with the information that we give.
15:01But, yeah, so far, it's been OK.
15:05Yeah, it has been OK, isn't it?
15:07You've had a great start to the season with four wins in a row after a defeat in your opening game.
15:11Did you see that sort of start coming, Brad?
15:13And is there now an element of pressure in the sense that fans might expect you to be, let's say, in the top five all season?
15:21No, I mean, there's, it seems to be pressure regardless in this industry and especially in this role.
15:33It's constantly pressure.
15:35So, I don't think that that really changes.
15:38The expectation, I mean, again, that does fluctuate.
15:43So, depending on how you're doing, if you've had five losses, you know, five losses, the expectation changes.
15:49But the pressure is still there, but just in a different form.
15:56I'm quite, I'm trying to be quite stoic about the whole thing just because it's such a long season.
16:03And, you know, you can get, it's good to enjoy these moments, you know, building momentum.
16:12I think on either way, whether you're winning or you're losing, like, it becomes a habit, isn't it?
16:16So, you want to just kind of, you want to continue that.
16:21And in the winning sense, when there's, it creates a real positive vibe, a positive atmosphere.
16:30And you want to continue that.
16:31You want to build on that.
16:33So, I want us to continue.
16:36If we can stay in there, that'd be brilliant.
16:39But it isn't the be all and end all.
16:41For me, it's about our performances more than anything.
16:46Because I think those are the only things we can control as much as we can.
16:50The results, there'll be a byproduct of those performances.
16:57But my thinking is, the more we focus on our performances being consistent, playing in the way we want to play.
17:05So, having our, within our framework and being tactically aware of the opposition and how our strengths can maybe look to exploit certain weaknesses or whatever.
17:21So, trying to be focused on those things, I think, would give us a better chance at having a positive outcome.
17:30You know, whether it's a win, whether it's coming back from being a goal down to draw.
17:36Or even, look, if we do lose, but I can at least feel confident that our performances were solid, were more kind of reflective of how we want to play.
17:49Then at least, that's something that I'll feel confident with.
17:52Because, yeah, I believe that our, this way of playing, I think, will gain more points than not really, I think.
18:04And looking beyond this season, I know this is leaping ahead a little bit, but does the club as a whole have a sort of longer term vision?
18:13Does the club think, you know, hey, one day, let's get back to National League South and so on and so forth?
18:19Or is that, are those conversations for another day?
18:24I'd say yes to both of those things.
18:27Yes, it's a conversation for another day.
18:30But yes, those are the ambitions.
18:33I think it's the ambitions of all of us.
18:35I mean, we're in a league to try and win, to try and get promoted, to go up.
18:39If that wasn't the case, we'd just be playing friendlies, isn't it?
18:41No, so we want to be as high up as possible.
18:47We want to be sustainable as a club.
18:50We want to create a reputation or build on a reputation of being player focused and helping to develop younger players.
19:02So it'd be the right environment for players because we think that that would help us in the future, just with our succession planning.
19:10But ultimately, yeah, we want to be as high up as possible.
19:16So that's, it's just how we go about it, I guess.
19:22Well, Brad, thank you very much for the insight.
19:24But stay with us while we look at some of the other goings on in the Sussex non-league scene.
19:27There were plenty of bank holiday action to save across the county over the long weekend, with derbies aplenty up and down the divisions.
19:37And we will start this week by taking a look at the Isthmian Premier, which boasts Brad's Rooks.
19:41Lewis enjoyed a six-point bank holiday while Burgess Hill had a weekend to forget.
19:46Who are the winners and losers from Sussex over the bank holiday weekend, Mr. Bo?
19:49Yeah, so Isthmian Premier, we've actually got four, all four of our Sussex teams doing OK so far.
19:56Actually, Lewis, as we've said, they're up there in fourth place, four wins from five, couldn't ask for much more than that.
20:02The other team that had a particularly good bank holiday weekend was Whitehawk.
20:06Two 1-0 wins, they ground out, they beat Wingate away and then Dulwich at home on Monday.
20:14And suddenly they're up in, you know, those two wins have taken them up to seventh place.
20:20So they're ones to watch.
20:22They had a little bit of a slow start.
20:24Chichester City, mixed weekend for Chichester, lost at home to Welling, which was actually Welling's first, I think it was their only win so far of the season.
20:34So Chichester were a bit disappointed to lose that loss to a late goal at Oakland's Park.
20:38But then typical Chichester, never down for very long, went to Carl Shulton on Monday and came away with a great 3-0 win.
20:48Burgess Hill, after a really good start, took seven points from their first three games, have lost both games over the weekend.
20:54We'll ask Brad in a moment about Burgess Hill.
20:58But they went to Brentwood on Saturday and lost 2-1 and then went down 3-0 at Lewis.
21:06Just a little feeling that all their away games, because they can't play at home just yet because their new pitch is being laid.
21:12Just a feeling that that's just starting to take its toll a little bit.
21:15So when they do get back to a couple of home games, I think 9th of September is their first game at home back at Leyland's Park.
21:21They'll be pleased to be back there. So, yeah, mixed fortunes.
21:26But all our Sussex teams are in the top 12 of the league, which is a decent start for all of them, really.
21:33Yeah, absolutely. Always good to see that.
21:35Brad, as Steve mentioned, Burgess Hill were the first Sussex side Lewis have come up against in 2025-26.
21:42What did you make of the Hillians? And other than the Rooks, of course,
21:45which of our Sussex sides do you think will be challenging at the top of the Isthmian Premier this season, if any at all, Brad?
21:51Yeah, I think Sussex has probably got a real strength in terms of the teams.
22:02I like Burgess Hill, I've said before, in quite a few interviews or that.
22:11I like the way they play. Their management know what they're doing.
22:15They're very clever. They're tactically, they're astute.
22:19I remember playing against them last year and the way they were able to play, even on their pitch, was impressive.
22:30And actually, on a lot of the pitches at that level, which there weren't many 3G or decent surfaces.
22:38So, you really, to be able to play the passing football or to allow patterns of play and build-up and things like that, yeah, was really impressive.
22:49So, I like Burgess Hill.
22:52Chichester had a brilliant season last year, didn't they?
22:56So, I expect them to also be real challenges or be a real problem for a lot of clubs.
23:06Whitehawk have signed some good players.
23:08And so, again, at this level and in this league, it's all about creating runs.
23:18It's all about every team seems to have a certain run, whether it was Horsham last season or, you know,
23:27you can always look at clubs who do well.
23:31It's just because of just going in blocks of wins and what have you.
23:35But, yeah, so, in terms of this, so Burgess Hill, definitely Chichester, yeah, they'll be up there.
23:44Whitehawk, yeah, they're strong as well.
23:46So, yeah, it's certainly going to be difficult.
23:51Yeah, absolutely.
23:52And we're dropping down a division into the Eastman South East.
23:54There were no less than three Sussex derbies played across the late August bank holiday weekend.
24:00Steve, who met in these local derbies?
24:01Who claimed local dragon rights and how does it leave the table at this very, very early stage?
24:07Yeah, a big day of derbies on Monday in this division.
24:10Broadbridge Heath were the sort of eye-catching one.
24:13Became the first team to beat Three Bridges this season.
24:16Three Bridges have had a good start, as we've discussed on here a couple of times.
24:20But finished 2-1 to Broadbridge Heath, home to Three Bridges on Monday.
24:25And that actually puts the Bears up into, they're in the same position in that league as Lewis are in the Eastman Premier.
24:32They're fourth, which is a great start for them.
24:35Two wins and a draw from their first three.
24:38Three Bridges, I mean, some teams have only played three games, so you can't judge too much.
24:42But Three Bridges are up there still as well, despite that defeat.
24:45Maybe the surprise result to some on Monday would have been Crowbrick beat Hastings 3-1.
24:53Hastings scored first.
24:54I spoke to Lee Kerry yesterday, actually, about it.
24:57And he said, we started really well.
24:59We scored a goal and then we just switched off.
25:00We just dropped our levels.
25:03Not good at all from their point of view.
25:06Crowbrick, obviously new to this division, having been promoted through the playoffs last year.
25:11Went on to win 3-1.
25:14So a little bit of work for Hastings to do on why that happened and making sure it doesn't happen again.
25:20Puts Crowbrick in a nice position in mid-table after a decent start.
25:24And the side that came up with them, Haseks, who we've talked about quite a lot on here.
25:28They had another win on Monday, beat Eastbourne Town 2-1.
25:32So Crowbrick and Hastings can both be sort of happy with the way they're adapting so far to this league.
25:38They're both in mid-table.
25:40They've both had a couple of wins and that will settle them down, settle any sort of early season nerves they might have had.
25:45Eastbourne Town just struggling a little bit.
25:48We've had a bit from Jude McDonald for the Eastbourne Herald this week.
25:51Just saying he's not been able to get anything like a settled side out yet.
25:55They did get their first point last Saturday at home to Beckenham.
25:58So that will have lifted them a little bit.
26:01And this Saturday, quite a critical game at the bottom.
26:06If you are looking at league tables this early, East Grinstead, our other Sussex team who are bottom at the moment,
26:13home to Eastbourne Town on this Saturday coming.
26:16So that will be one that neither side wants to lose, I would think.
26:21But early days, as we saw with that league last year, teams will move up and down quite sort of fluently
26:27throughout the season.
26:29So I don't think anybody will be too concerned at this stage about being down at the wrong end.
26:37Yeah, couldn't agree more.
26:38Brad, you have experience with both playing and coaching in the Isthmian South East,
26:42during our spells at Beckenham and Phoenix Sports.
26:44Just how difficult is it besides to get out and stay in that division?
26:48It always seems to be tight at both the top and bottom of the table whenever we look.
26:53Yeah, it is.
26:57I mean, it's such a, I don't know, looking at the pitches and you think maybe that's a bit of a leveller.
27:08Or the, I mean, tactically, maybe teams are a lot more similar.
27:14But yeah, it's a really, really difficult league.
27:18And it's, but then there's always someone stepping up that makes, sort of gets promoted.
27:26It just adds to that the quality.
27:29So obviously now I think you've got Whiteleaf who've come up, but also AFC, Croydon have also strengthened.
27:38And so what tends to happen is, regardless of how well you played or how good the season was before,
27:47when the following season something or a club will always maybe give them more investment,
27:54which allows them to bring in a stronger candidate of player.
27:59And all of that just makes it even more difficult, considering you can only have one automatic and one through the playoffs.
28:09But then given, saying that, we got relegated after, I think, four.
28:16So four were allowed to, were relegated last season, which is the first time that's happened in a while.
28:22So it's, unfortunately for us, I think we were fourth bottom, but yeah, so we were victims of that change.
28:29But I don't think things like that help.
28:33It just kind of builds the anxiety for teams, because you just know, you just have to stay in the pack as much as possible.
28:40So you start playing football, especially post-December.
28:45You start playing games, trying to avoid losing rather than trying to win.
28:52Again, depending on where you are in the league.
28:53But I think that that also has a certain, has an impact in the way the season has paned out for teams.
29:04Interesting stuff.
29:05Haseks and Three Bridges won in East-Mean South-East action on Saturday.
29:10Instead, they were both in their travels in the FA Trophy preliminary round.
29:13Who were they playing, Steve?
29:14And more importantly, who advanced to the first qualifying round on the 6th of September?
29:18Yeah, pleased to say both Haseks and Three Bridges got through.
29:23Three Bridges won at Marlowe.
29:25Quite a straightforward win for Jamie Crelin's team.
29:28Haseks won at Sheppie.
29:30Not so straightforward.
29:31It was a draw.
29:32And Haseks then beat Sheppie 3-0, unusually, on penalties.
29:37So we saw, I know Grimsby and Man United just kept scoring their penalties last night, didn't they?
29:42Sheppie need to have a look at that, because they didn't score any of theirs.
29:44So Haseks through to the next round as well, which actually means that all nine of our Step 4 teams are in the first qualifying round of the Trophy.
29:54September 6th, very quick run through of the ties there.
29:57We've got Ascot against Three Bridges.
29:59Bogler against Sevenoaks.
30:00East Grinstead v Binfield.
30:03Harrow v Eastbourne Town.
30:04Haseks v Crobra.
30:06Again, playing each other not for the first time in recent times.
30:09Excuse me.
30:10Jersey Bulls against Hastings.
30:12Nice trip across the channel for Hastings.
30:15Little Hampton Town against Hendon.
30:17And South Park against Broadbridge Heath.
30:19So plenty of chances for teams in the Trophy to progress.
30:22And that's before the Step 3 sides like Lewis and Chai, Burgess Hill and Wyhill come in, I think, the following round after that one.
30:31Yeah, one for Hastings fans to enjoy that one, Steve.
30:33Nice trip to Jersey.
30:34It should be a lot of fun.
30:35And while we're on the subject of cup football, no less than 22 sides from Sussex were in FA VAR's first qualifying round action on Saturday.
30:43Steve, what were the highlights from our local sides?
30:47Yeah, I suppose the headline makers in this were Hayworth Heath and Eastbourne United.
30:54Both went away from home for sort of difficult looking ties and both scored seven goals.
30:59So Hayworth Heath won 7-0 at East Preston with seven different goal scorers, unusually.
31:04Got a piece in that in the Mid-Sussex Times this week.
31:08And Eastbourne United went to Lockswood, who, of course, were in the same division as them last year, got relegated and are now in SCFL Division 1.
31:16But Eastbourne United won that 7-1.
31:18A quick look through at some of the other winners in the VAR's.
31:21Seaford won at Lingfield.
31:24Shoreham won at Knapp Hill.
31:25So they've gone through.
31:27Lowell Edwards, new manager at Shoreham.
31:28He's doing well there so far.
31:31Bexhill lost at home to Guernsey, so not so good there.
31:35Stenning won at Arundel.
31:37And New Haven won at AFC Wall Countians.
31:41So lots of teams there in the next round.
31:44Not until the 20th of September, the next round.
31:47But plenty of Sussex chances.
31:49And as we were saying to Kev Green on the podcast last week, we just want one of them to go as far as possible and maybe get us a little trip to Wembley at the end of the season.
31:57It would be very nice with that.
31:58Yeah, absolutely.
31:59Could not agree more, Steve.
32:00Moving back to league football, both Bognor and Littlehampton were in Isthmian South Central action over the long weekend.
32:06But neither of the Rocks or the Golds had a particularly good time of things.
32:09Sum up their respective bank holiday weekend, Steve.
32:12And again, it's early days, but where does that leave them both in the league table?
32:16Yeah, not a great weekend for either.
32:21Bognor went to Harrow Festival, lost 2-1, took the lead but ended up losing 2-1.
32:26And they went to Horndeen on Monday and got a 1-0 draw.
32:31Were actually 1-0 up for quite a lot of the game, but were just denied the win towards the end.
32:36Bognor have not played a home game yet.
32:39And obviously when they do play at home, they're going to be playing at Chichester for a while.
32:43So I think that, as we said with Burgess Hill, I think that's taking its toll on them a little bit.
32:48They've also had Michael Birmingham about to step away as joint manager, leaving Jamie Howling sole charge.
32:55So they're still finding their feet, but I'm sure that will come.
32:58Not so good for Littlehampton.
32:59Littlehampton had a good start to the season, but lost their two games over the weekend.
33:04Went down to, away to Leatherhead on Saturday.
33:08No disgrace, because Leatherhead are most people's favourite to win in that league.
33:13But then slightly more worryingly, lost 4-0 at home to Fairham on Tuesday night.
33:17So I think Mitch and George will be a little bit more concerned at that.
33:21They'll be looking to reverse those fortunes as quickly as possible.
33:25Yes, fingers crossed.
33:27But shooting up to the National League South, sorry now, and things were mixed for our three sides at step two.
33:33Orsham recorded a fabulous win over Torquay on Saturday,
33:35while Eastbourne Borough picked up their first point of the season on Monday by the Hornets Sports,
33:39as well as Worthing all tasted defeat over the bank holiday weekend.
33:43What's the latest from those three, Steve?
33:46Steve, it's been down to say the least, I think.
33:50None of them have quite got into their groove yet, have they?
33:55And the more games go past, the more fans will say, right, when's this going to happen for us?
34:01Both Eastbourne Borough and Worthing took one point out of six over the holiday weekend.
34:08Eastbourne lost at Bath City on Saturday, and I think that caused a bit of an online storm as well.
34:15There was lots of, we've had a piece on our website this week,
34:19a lot of Eastbourne Borough fans sort of took to Facebook and so on after that and said,
34:24what's going on?
34:24This isn't good enough.
34:26Where's the sort of spark that we had last season when we got to the playoffs?
34:31Simon Leslie has responded to those comments and has been quite strong and said, look, we're building something here.
34:36It takes time.
34:37We've got a new manager.
34:38We've got a lot of new players, a lot of young players who are still finding their feet.
34:43You know, asking for a bit of patience, really.
34:45There's a, there's a, I think there's a few Worthing fans saying the same down at Woodside Road as well,
34:51because Worthing have taken five points from their first four, sorry, five points from their first five.
34:59Last weekend, they drew a home to Enfield 0-0 and then lost 1-0 at Chippenham.
35:04So that's three games in a row without scoring.
35:06But again, Chris Agatha is saying, you know, we're doing a lot of things right.
35:09There's a lot of good signs there.
35:12They've had goals disallowed that should have been given on another day, that sort of thing.
35:17But yeah, just both struggling to sort of find the rhythm that took them so high last season at the moment.
35:24I'll ask Brad in a minute about Worthing, because I know, Brad, Lewis played Worthing pre-season.
35:30But I must just throw it back to you, Matt, first of all, Horsham beating Torquay.
35:35Another famous day for the Hornets last Saturday.
35:38And I think you were there, weren't you?
35:39Yeah, brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
35:41If not for a Torquay keeper making a clangour, it might be a very, very different story there.
35:46But yeah, no, thoroughly deserved the victory.
35:49One that I did not foresee coming.
35:51I expected Torquay to absolutely pull Horsham's pants down, but not for the first time.
35:55Horsham completely and utterly proved me wrong, which is good.
35:58The result of Maidenhen, probably a disappointment.
36:01They lost 2-1 up there on Monday.
36:04By all accounts, absolutely battered them for 45 minutes.
36:07Only went 1-0 up.
36:09And Maidenhead showed their class, who I believe, I think, they were in the National League Premier last season, came back to win 2-1.
36:17But for Horsham, I guess the real league season starts now.
36:20Well, I've always said that they were never going to be defined by their opening five games this season, where they played the likes of Chelmsford, Worthing, Torquay, Maidenhead and teams like that.
36:30The majority of them are full-time, I believe.
36:32But this week sees them play Salisbury on Saturday, who I believe are in the relegation zone before a home game against Eastbourne Borough on Tuesday night.
36:42So a big Sussex derby there.
36:44And yeah, I believe Horsham will be looking for six points.
36:47It's just injuries at the moment are absolutely murdering them.
36:50I think the rigours of this league are kind of hitting home a little bit for Dom.
36:53And with the budget cuts that they've had, and I think they've only got a squad of about 18-19 at the moment, it's been a bit of a struggle.
37:00But yes, onwards and upwards, hopefully, Steve.
37:03And Brad, on the subject of Worthing, you saw them in pre-season.
37:06What do you make of what Chris Agata is building there?
37:09And are you maybe a bit surprised to see them not pick up more points so far?
37:15Look, I have a lot of positive things to say about Worthing, both the way they play, the way they structure the club and also how they're managed.
37:27I think Chris Agata is a fantastic manager.
37:32So, yeah, I think it's just a case of being patient.
37:36You've got someone there who is tactically very, very clever and he's able to – and I talk to players who he manages and they're very complimentary about his training, about the way he sees the game.
37:56And so, I think it's a case of just staying with him.
38:00I think just being patient, it'll come right.
38:03That league is incredibly difficult.
38:07I like to see you've got a lot of teams or some – I think, is it half of them are full-time now?
38:14About 100.
38:14That's where the majority are.
38:16But it's – yeah, the travelling can't be underestimated as well.
38:21And the schedule, it's the same like the National League.
38:26You know, I think it's a gruelling schedule at that level.
38:30So, but yeah, I'm quite confident that they'll start picking up points.
38:38And same like anything, isn't it?
38:39Once you start building that momentum and you start getting points, it won't be long before they start climbing the table.
38:46I've got no doubt about that.
38:48Yeah, couldn't agree more.
38:50I think, yeah, same four or three clubs, Bradley.
38:51I agree.
38:52They just need a bit of a run and I think they'll all be fine.
38:54And finally, we will take a look at the SCFL Premier.
38:58Only one SCFL Premier game was played on Saturday due to other clubs' involvement in the FAVars.
39:03But there was plenty of action on Bank Holiday Monday.
39:06Steve, who was in SCFL Premier action on Saturday and what were the big talking points from Monday's matches?
39:13Yeah, probably the biggest eye-catching result comes from the biggest scoreline, really.
39:18That was Stenning winning 6-1 at Horsham YM.
39:21Horsham actually haven't had a bad start to the season, so that was a bit of a surprise.
39:26But Stenning have looked really good so far.
39:31Mike Hamm, the manager down there, and he's got Jamie Hollis and Darren Budd with him on the management team down there.
39:37So quite an experienced management team down there.
39:41And that's a great result for them in a bit of a local derby.
39:45So they would have enjoyed that.
39:46Puts them near the top.
39:48Haywards Heath, we had Kev Green on last week.
39:51We took all their many games against Roffy, and the latest one they won, 1-0, home to them.
39:58Good home wins for New Haven, Bexhill, Shoreham, Pagham as well.
40:04So a point as well for Lansing as well.
40:07Lansing's really struggled so far in the league, but took a point from a 2-2 draw with Midhurst,
40:13which I think had three red cards and all sorts of chaos going on as well.
40:17So a little step forward for Lewis there.
40:20For Lansing, rather.
40:21And it leaves the table.
40:23It's just starting to sort of stretch out a little bit.
40:26But you've got Haywards Heath and Forest Row are the 200% teams at the top of that table.
40:31They're both won four from four.
40:33They're followed by quite a few teams who have won three out of four.
40:37Stenning, New Haven, Bexhill, Shoreham, Guernsey and Horsham YM have all won three out of four.
40:42So that shows how competitive it's going to be, I think.
40:45At the other end, a little bit surprised to see Wick still without a point.
40:50They've not quite worked things out yet.
40:53Lee Baldwin, their manager, was quite critical of them after they lost at Pagham on Monday.
40:58So they'll want to sort of move away from that position pretty soon.
41:01And then you've got Seaford, Lansing and Eastbourne United.
41:04The other side's just above them at the moment.
41:06You certainly wouldn't have expected Eastbourne United and Lansing to be down there at this stage.
41:10But, you know, lots of football to be played over the next month or so.
41:14So we'll see how things are looking after that.
41:17Yes, absolutely.
41:18And finally, as a tradition, we come to our games of the weekend.
41:21Steve, what have you plumped for?
41:24I'm going to go for Bognor v Leatherhead in the Eastbourne South Central Division.
41:29It's to be played not at Bognor, of course, but at Chichester.
41:33It's Bognor's first game as tenants at Chichester while their 3G pitch is finished.
41:40Work continuing on the Bognor pitch.
41:41I think they're hoping to get back there around November, maybe December.
41:46Bognor and Leatherhead have actually played each other a fair bit down the years.
41:49It's been Premier mostly.
41:50They've had some good battles.
41:53Leatherhead, you know, many people think Leatherhead are favourites for that league.
41:57I think Bognor will just look at this as a good chance to sort of kickstart their season, though.
42:02I think on a nice 3G pitch down there at Chichester, which Bognor have played on a couple of times.
42:07They've played against Chichester in a friendly a few weeks ago, so it's not a complete unknown for them.
42:13It might just be the game to sort of get Bognor moving up the table and put a little bit of pressure on Leatherhead.
42:19Yeah, absolutely.
42:21And before we move on to mine, what sort of crowds would you expect Bognor to get up or across at Chichester?
42:27I don't know.
42:27I'm trying to think of the geography.
42:28It is across, yeah, just up the 85th line.
42:32It's difficult to say, really.
42:33It's not far to go, but it could be a difficult trip.
42:36You know, there'll be a lot of Bognor fans who live within more conditions of Nywood Lane.
42:41So it's whether they can make the trip.
42:44Bognor are laying on coaches, I think, to make it a bit easier for fans.
42:48I think you're looking at probably them getting 500 or 600 still up there.
42:52They tend to get 700 to 1,000 for a home game at Bognor on a good day.
43:00So I don't think they'll lose too many of those.
43:03And whenever Chichester are playing away and Bognor are at Oaklands Park,
43:06I think a few Chichester fans will go along and watch as well,
43:09because Bognor do play some decent football and a nice side to watch.
43:13So, yeah, I think crowd-wise they'll do OK then.
43:17Oh, good stuff.
43:18Yeah, for my game of the week, I've gone for Stenning v Lansing
43:20in the FA Cup first qualifying rounds.
43:22FA Cup action this weekend, as we mentioned in last week's pod.
43:26A good local derby.
43:27I think the Battle of the Bostol.
43:28I think they're dubbing it on Twitter.
43:31As Steve mentioned, Stenning unbeaten and third in the SCFL.
43:34Lansing currently without a win, but in the FA Cup, as we all know,
43:37anything can happen.
43:39And Brad, I believe you're also in FA Cup action this weekend.
43:42For those who don't know, where will the Rooks find themselves on Saturday?
43:48Yeah, so my game of the week is going to be Lewis against Flack or Heath.
43:56That's what I'm going to go for.
43:57Yeah, so they're a team in High Wycombe.
44:03Step four, I think it'll be – well, we didn't know too much about them,
44:08but we must send someone over to go watch them on Tuesday.
44:11And by all accounts, they're actually – they look like quite a well-coached team.
44:19And they'll be dangerous.
44:22So it will be – yeah, it's certainly a case of not underestimating them.
44:26So, yeah, I think if anything – if any of the Carabao Cup games are to go by,
44:34it just kind of confirms that anyone can be beaten in a Cup game.
44:40So we're only one division apart, which is pretty much nothing.
44:44So, yeah, we won't be underestimating them.
44:47And we just hope that our best will be better than theirs.
44:52Absolutely.
44:52Well, best of luck to yourself and all the boys at Lewis, Brad, this weekend.
44:55And we should also mention best of luck to Hastings, Three Bridges,
44:58Littlehampton, Burgess Hill, Chish the City and Whitehawk,
45:02as well as Stenning and Lansing in the FA Cup this weekend.
45:04And all to all sides who are in league action.
45:07Well, that's about it for this episode.
45:08Our thanks to Brad for joining us.
45:09You've been brilliant.
45:10Thank you very much for coming.
45:11Don't forget to keep checking out sussexworld.co.uk forward slash support
45:14for the best coverage of our local football plus your local Sussex weekly papers.
45:18And keep your eyes peeled for future episodes of the podcast,
45:21where we hope to have guests from Eastbourne Borough,
45:23Three Bridges, Stenning Town and many more.
45:25Thank you very much for listening and or watching.
45:27And we will see you all when we see you.
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