Rubbing Salt In The Wounds

Newhaven FC v Saltdean United FC In the Southern Combined Premier League at the Trafalgar Ground

The Dockers ⚓️ hosts the Tigers 🐅 on a sunny bank holiday morning at Fort Road.

The Tigers are a very different team to last season due to their off pitch "troubles"💰💰. It was a good crowd and the Dockers performance didn't disappoint with plenty of attacking football on show. The first goal proved to be hard to come by not being helped by Lukas poor penalty being saved 🧤 and 2 goals disallowed for offside 🤬🤬. The boys seemed to be taking it in turns to slice over the bar from 1 yard out. The deadlock was finally broken just before the break by crowd favorite Alfie ⚽️. At last.

We had been waiting for the first goal to open the floodgates and it did right from the start of the second half. Three goals in a four minute spell saw the Dockers go 4-0 up with goals from Alfie ⚽️(header), Alfie⚽️ (pen) and Jack Merres ⚽️ (back post header).  Alfie was subbed off for Marley who proved to be his usual handful and added a 5th⚽️ with a great run and 1 on 1 with the keeper. Cue the long range target practice for the Dockers where it's top corner worldie or nothing. Nothing. Again.

First league win on the new pitch. Will be a few more if we play like that.

The young tigers don't lack enthusiasm but need feeding up a bit. I would get some Frosties into them if I were you.

POTM goes to it's all about Alfie. Strong, aggressive and skillful. Showed no signs of playing 48 hours ago or the battering he took against Sheppey.

No scran today but the hot chocolate 🍵was a solid 7/10.

Not much to say about the officials. Offside decisions were spot on for once. Ref booked Robbo for reasons known only to himself. 🤷‍♂️ Ditto the disallowed throw in.🤷‍♂️ Bless him. 🙏

Not sure where I'll pop up next but wherever it is, I'll see you soon.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Posh New Dugouts

On Our Way

The Usual Suspects

It's all over at Fort Road

The Green Green Astro Of Home

Newhaven FC at home to Sheppey United FC in an FA cup Preliminary round replay

Having played out a goalless draw at Sheppey at the weekend, the Dockers ⚓ are at home to The Ikes on a humid autumn evening.

First time back at Fort Road 🏰 after the addition of the 3G pitch and the rest of the ground has had a big revamp too. Can walk right round now and get behind both goals.  It's the biggest crowd we have seen here and the ground was buzzing. The prize tonight is a home tie against Lewes FC from step 3. Can't get much more local than that, it's 2 stops on the train 🚂. Let's hope that step 5 can use home advantage to overcome step 4.  It's decided tonight so goes to penalties if it's level at 90 minutes.

It was a nervy start and the Dockers had to soak up a lot of pressure right from the kick-off. The visitors had a couple early chances, the first after about 20 seconds. The award for the Miss of the Match 🤡 was decided early after the Ikes no 9 got past Jake only to put it wide of the empty net. The hosts slowly found their feet but couldn't hit the target either and it was level at the break.

It was much the same in the second half and nothing changed until Alfie danced 🕺 across the penalty box to slot home and put the Dockers in front with 20 minutes to play ⚽️. It only stayed that way for 5 minutes before the visitors leveled the score. Their strength and stamina started to dominate as the Dockers started to tire and they took the lead with 8 minutes left on the clock. The Dockers put up a good fight and had a few chances but couldn't hit the target so another FA Cup run comes to an end. Didn't go down without a fight though. It was never going to match last weeks 10-0 thriller but disappointing to go out having had so many chances. On to the Vase on Saturday for another shot at getting to Wembley 🏟.

POTM 🎖 goes our goal scorer Alfie Rogers who battled all night and looked to have taken a battering by the end. Hope he is OK.

Scanometer registered a solid 7 for cheesy 🧀chips 🍟 and hot chocolate 🍵 was back for the first time this season with a very tasty 8.

Loved the update at the Trafalgar Ground. Well done to all those involved in the huge efforts to get it all done in time. Can't wait to get back down there on Monday. And the ferry came in on time. Nice parking Captain ⛴. It was MS Côte D'Albâtre (translates to Alabaster Coast) for any ferry spotters out there.

No jokes about the referee or lines people tonight as we have decided to be more respectful from now on. If they want to be a bunch of arrogant self opinionated Tories, that is their right and you won't hear us complaining 😶. That said, thought they did ok tonight. Not sure what happened in the big scuffle. There were a few bookings but looked worse than that 😠🥊🥊🤫.

Won't be there on Saturday so good luck in the Vase 🏆. See you back here on Monday.

Not forgotten you brave brothers and sisters. Slavi Ukraini!

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Nice new pitch

Nice ground re-vamp too

Good line up

It's beautiful but I hope it's not hungry

The Reds Go Marchin In

Newhaven FC away to AFC Uckfield at The Oaks in the SCFL Premier League 

The Dockers visit the Oakmen on a warm Sussex night hoping to turn around their league form after a poor start to the season. A nice location, really tucked out the way and surrounded by woodland.

The pitch looked hard, brown and bumpy which wouldn't suit the Dockers passing football. The opponents had clearly developed a style of play to suit the pitch. Lump it. It was a fiesty game, again and the ref sometimes chose to let the play flow but it was a bit too random. The Dockers were playing well but couldn't hit the target until Conor (Sidders) Sidwell headed a corner into the back of the net on 37 minutes. It felt like the first goal might open the floodgates again as the Dockers got their heads up. Quite right too as it turned out and the half ended 3-0 to the visitors with goals from Marchin,44, and Robbo on 45+3. It looks all over apart from lots more moaning at the ref and lino. Nice easy team talk for the Gaffers again.⚽⚽⚽

The hosts came out fighting, almost literally, and it got very lively. They were passing and running instead of just lumping and threatened a few times though Jake wasn't really tested. Hosts brought on a couple of subs with awesome pace but it was far too late. They also got a couple of yellow cards and a sinbin for dissent. Cheeky Uckers!. Dockers made changes and super sub Marley got his goal on 74 and yet another injury time goal, this time from Ryan Watson finished the night on 90+2. Five to Dockers with five different goal scorers again. ⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⛹🤸🧍🧎⛹

Defensive mistakes were too common and a better side would have made us pay. Luckily they weren't better. What an addition to the side Marchin is, awesome pace and a good all round player. Nice to see Marley get another senior goal.

Ref has probably had better days. And worse ones. To be fair, it was a fairly bad tempered game on a difficult pitch and it was the lack of consistancy that annoyed players and supporters alike. How there were still 11 Oakmen on the pitch was a mystery to most. Dave the lino on our side struggled to keep up with Robbo's pace on the break and got a bit of stick. The wooded setting caused problems for the ballboys, if you can call them that. The match balls were disappering into the trees faster than they could be retrieved leading to the occasional awkward pause in play while a ball was found.🌳⚽🌳⚽🌳 Please can we have our ball back mister.🙏

Scranometer registered a 6.5 for the lemon drizzle cake. 🍋🍰 Very nice.

POTM: It is difficult to call again as so many player well. Lukas ran himself into the ground on the wings so the prize it his today.

Back at Fort Road next week to see the new pitch for the first time. Can't wait. Time for bed now.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Footie under the lights

Nice Autumn sky

Still a few missing

Nous Sommes Arrivés

The Parson's Tale

Newhaven FC V Canterbury City FC in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round Replay at Culver Road

The Dockers ⚓ gave away the lead at Sittingbourne to bring City ⛪ down to the South Coast for a replay. Fort Road is still getting it's shiny new pitch so we are at the Sussex FA head quarters at Lancing.

We are only 1080 footballing minutes from the hallowed turf of Prenton Park South (AKA Wembley). The sides drew with a goal each on Saturday so it could be tight here. Here we go again. No penalties please, it's a school night after all.

It didn't take long for Newhaven to get in to their stride and Alfie found the net after just 5 minutes ⚽. Lukas doubled the lead on 14 minutes ⚽. It was looking good for the Dockers. But which way would the important third goal go?

A massive 14 minutes we had to wait before Tom Underwood ⚽ made it 3 to practically settle it for the hosts. Further goals on 34 ⚽, Max, 36 ⚽, Robbo, and 45+1 ⚽, Lukas, saw the Dockers go in 6-0 up at the break. Bet the team talks were a bit different.

It could have all turned on 52 minutes when new Docker Don Street, having just come on, was given a straight red (lucky to not get a Police Caution 🚓) for flying in to a tackle too high and completely out of control. Early bath for you. And don't use all the hot water in the showers, costs a fortune to heat it these days cost of living crisis and all that.

The visitors hoped to use their numerical (or should we be saying arithmetical) advantage to get back into the tie. They must have forgotten to tell Alfie and he scored 2 minutes later ⚽. Lee added another on the hour ⚽ and Marcin made it 9 on 68 ⚽. It was then a bit of a competition to score a worldie with the top corner getting a few near misses. Robbo made it a nice round 10 and got his hattrick with 5 minutes to go ⚽. Phew. What a performance that was. Couldn't be more different to the one at Steyning. Expected it to go a bit flat in the second half but maybe the sending off fired them up again. Absolutely ruthless from the Dockers tonight. The highest scoring FA Cup replay since 1960.⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽

POTM: Hard to call but goes to Jake 'Bussy but not busy' Buss for staying awake for the first 85 minutes before making a vital save to keep a clean sheet.

Scranometer registered an 8 in Xg as they do a nice veggie burger 🍔 here but actually only scored a 5 for the chips 🍟 as veggie burgers are out of stock. Are you BHAFC in disguise?

Ref did fairly we'll. Have seen him before and he was good then too. Lino on our side disallowed what would have been goal number five for off-side despite it being a square pass 🤡. He then allowed the actual 5th goal despite it being an obvious off-side 🤡. Just fixing his mistake but was very grumpy about it 😡. Probably a secret Brexiteer.

Countdown is now 990 minutes of football to Wembley.  Can almost smell the silver polish on the trophy.

See you soon, hopefully at Uckfield

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Summer evening football

Too hot to sit here

Here again

Come On You Dockers

Blue Sky and Green Astro

Highest FA Cup Replay score since 1960