Fairytale Of New Haven

Newhaven FC away to Peacehaven & Telscome FC at The Sports Park in the SCFL Premier League

The sun is shining on East Sussex for the Havens Derby Day as the Dockers visit the Tye. Newhaven are this year's Christmas No.1, topping the table for the first time this season and today, we on the road to play our local rivals in 4th. It was raining when we were here on Easter Monday and lost 4-0 in a horrible game. The wind and rain of the last few days has gone leaving a blue sky laced with patterns of high cloud so at least if the football is dreadful, we will have something else to look at. We have signed Callum Edwards and Ryan Warwick from the Tye since our last visit and hopefully they will be out to impress. Not that they don't always. We have comfy new seats to sit on, replacing the very rusty and broken ones here previously. And, they are red, hope that’s a good omen 🙏. Also red is the new Christmas jumper on loan from Miles who also provided the Cologne badges.

The Dockers are straight out of blocks and go ahead after just 2 minutes⚽. It's from a corner but no-one is sure whether it was headed in (by player or players unknown) or if Alfie curled it straight in. Bothered 🤷‍♂️. It's 2-0 on 4 minutes as Ryan Warwick volleys in from just outside the box⚽. More pressure can't find a 3rd and the Tye start to find their feet. They start to put some pressure on the Dockers defence and it pays off as they get the important 3rd goal on 30 when the Dockers fail to deal with a corner. Still 2-1 at the break.

The Dockers were sitting a bit deeper in the second half and soaking up a lot of pressure. The hosts looked vulnerable to the pace of Robbo and eventually it paid off and Lee ran onto a ball from Alfie and does what he does best on 73⚽. 3-1. He came close again after a great low cross from Callum but didn't get enough power on it. Luka, who came on for Robbo, had a great chance as the Tye keeper came out to meet and missed it. With just one defender to deal with he hit it from miles out and it rolled just wide. A bit more composure might have seen the Dockers comfortably ahead but it never works that way, especially in a derby. It got a bit more bad tempered 😠 towards the end like it usually does but the score didn't change. It finished 3-1. Bragging rights 🥳 re-instated and three points heading 3 miles east on the A259.

Another Boxing Day derby victory for the Dockers and away from home this time. Bragging rights with be retained, and cherished 🏆, until the next re-match on April Fools Day👀😜. Going 2 goals up so early settled the team and the crowd and made it a far more relaxed watch than the last time we were here. In spite of the very poor officiating, it was a good watch and a shame we didn't finish them off early on.

The ref set very low standards from the first minute when he allowed, not 1 but 2 players to delay a quick Dockers free kick. Despite him and the linesperson on the stand side having already visited Spec Savers, the officiating was inconsistent at best except, when it came to letting Peacehaven get away with everything and letting Newhaven get away with nothing. A horror sliding tackle with studs up on Robbo didn't even draw a free kick when it looked like it justified a red. So apart from being pretty useless for about 100 minutes, their performance were quite unmarkable.

POTM: It's a tough call today as the whole team played well but the 🏅 goes to Ryan Warwick from his usual combativeness and a great volley. Can't be easy returning to your previous club for a difficult Derby Day game.

The Scranometer registered a yummy 9/10 for the hot chocolate☕ .

Tranmere won away. I'll say that again, Tranmere won away 👀😍. Not an ordinary win either. 5-1 at Salford with 5 different goal scorers.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Happy Boxing Day

Back at the Sports Park

A good line up

In the Midhurst of the Night

Newhaven FC host Midhurst & Easebourne FC in the SCFL Premier League at Fort Road

The Dockers host the Stags on a wet Saturday afternoon by the Ouse. It's 4th v 8th as we head into the busy Christmas period. It's a strong line up from the Dockers with Max, Robbie and Bailey at the back with the Ryans and Rob Malia in the middle. Callum and Little are out wide and up front are Alfie and Big Robbo. A change in goal as Paul "Woodsy" Woods replaces the injured Bussy who is spectating today. The Stags no. 7 is Lewis Hamilton. Hope he is not a fast, skillful and feisty as his namesake.

The Stags make a good start and win a penalty on 5 minutes. The striker collides with Woodsy who stays down injured for about 5 minutes. It looked off-side to us but the expert panel from Midhurst sitting behind us decided that it was onside and that Woodsy was faking it. We stand corrected. We lasted another 5 minutes in the stand or until the Stags scored again. We were sorry to have to depart the presence of such an intelligent, knowledgeable yet modest group of opposition fans to go and stand at the pitch side in the rain. Sorry not sorry. It was a good move as we got a great view of the Dockers on the attack and they scored 2 to level it before the break.

The second half saw the Dockers completely dominant as they scored 4 in the second period. The last being the best when Little gets into a great crossing position on the left but then curls it into the top corner instead.

It was a great Dockers performance in the end with goals from Rob Malila, Alfie Rogers, Ryan Warwick and Lee Robinson (2) and Ian Robinson. It was horrible weather but the boys recovered well from going 2 behind early on. The 3 points takes us up to 2nd in the table and stretches their goal difference a bit further. And a great way to finish with Little's curler. We were tempted to head back up to the stand near the end to see how the expert panel were getting on but were too busy watching the Stags get battered. Lewis Hamilton ( 44  7)-turned out to not be very good a football, which was nice to see😂.

POTM: A great performance from the team today but the 🏅goes to Lee Robinson for being a handful all game and 2 goals.

The officials did ok in the conditions. A part from the offside for the first goal that is. And letting the Stags to throw themselves to the floor repeatedly and bottling dishing out second yellows for persistent fouling.

The Scranometer registered an 8/10 for the hot chocolate.

That's us done until Boxing Day. Merry Christmas. See you on the other side.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Soggy Christmas

The teams sheets

Going down Gibbon Road

It's Now Or Netherlands

England host The Netherlands in the UWNL at Wembley

The Lionesses host the Oranje in the final set of group games in the inaugural (someone's got a new thesaurus🤣) UEFA Women's Nations League at Prenton Park South. Its's a very very cold night in Brent so we'll need a few goals to keep us warm. England have struggled in a tough group and need a win tonight. The group leaders go on to the knockout tournament in February and the 2 finalists qualify for the Paris Olympics next year. A loss tonight will mean that the Arnold Clark Cup is back in Feb. Let's hope it's the finals🙏. Millie Bright has dropped out of the squad due to injury and has been replaced by Millie Turner. Millie for Millie. No lip-sync jokes please 👄. Jess and Alex are in the centre with Niamh and Lucy wide. Keira, Georgia and Fran are next with a front 3 of the Laurens and Chloe. The Netherlands are packing a punch with some big names. There is Van Domselaar, Rood, Martens, Pelova and Beerensteyn. At least the bench only has Miedema, Snoeijs and Van De Sanden 😭.

There is a presentation for 3 ex Lionesses including ex-Tranmere player and mural on the Cow Sheds Jodie Taylor who has retired after finishing last season with the Gunners. There were wheelie bins of fire, smoke and a light show then the players came out to an honour guard of players from the first ever time these two teams met 50 years ago. There was a minutes applause for Terry Venables, a quick taking the knee and off we go.

England dominate the possession from the start but can't make it count. LJ tries a curler from edge off of the box but it goes over. They need to score early to back up the dominant possession and the best chance comes from Hemp from wide left. Van Domselaar makes a great save to tip it round the post but for some reason, the ref decided that it was a goal kick🤷‍♂️. Within a minute of the goal kick, the ball is down the other end and out wide with Pelova. She hits a great curled pass that sets Beerensteyn running between Jess and Alex who can't get to the ball and it's fired home between everyone's legs. 1-0 to the referee. Beerensteyn gets another shot from the edge of the box after some dreadful defending. The shot is scuffed but goes through Mary's hands into the net on 32. Georgia and Chloe combine to create a great chance but it goes wide. Lucy headed wide from a long free kick. Playing badly but have still had loads more chances. They do apply some pressure but there is no quality and they do look vulnerable at the back. The Lionesses are still 2-0 down at the break. Does Serena make any changes or does she keep the same 11 and let them fix their own mess. Mary hasn't made a save and has picked the ball out of the net twice.

Mead'o comes on for Chloe at the restart to huge applause. She causes a lot more problems on the right and allows Lucy to charge forward more as Beth will provide better defensive cover. The whole team has stepped up a gear or two. Has Serena been spiking the half time oranges again? LJ provides the cross for Georgia who heads across the keeper into the net on 58⚽. Georgia then turns provider for Hemp'o on 60 as she slots in accurately into the bottom corner ⚽. It's hard to believe but in 2 minutes it went from 2 down to all square. Can they win it from here? The energy of the 2 frantic goals in 2 minutes dissipates a little but it's restored a bit when Russo comes on for Fran. Toone comes in for Georgia and Esme is in for Jess. Esme seems to have the better of Beerensteyn for pace and tackles her well to save a potential goal. Mary finally gets her hands on the ball after 88 minutes. England are pressing for a winner. Even Kiera gets a shot from the edge of the box. And so is Serena as she goes three at the back bringing on Daly for Niamh. The changes work and Toone gets the winner in injury time when she taps home at the far post from another LJ assist⚽. The crowd are going wild. It's a fantastic comeback. Suddenly the Netherlands players are recovering from tackles and getting up straight away, whereas before the goal, they were rolling around for ages. Coincidence, maybe. Don't care. It finishes 3-2 to the Lionesses. Sweeeeet Caroline.

SIRI: What is Flemish for "You're not singing any more"…"Je zingt niet meer". Thanks. The first half was very much how the Lionesses have been playing recently and after the break they came out like the team that won the Euros. Chalk and cheeseburgers🍔. Been a while since we have seen that form from the Lionesses but it was just in time for the comeback. It feels…So good so good. It was great to win but it could all come down to goal difference when we play against Scotland to decide who tops the group. That's the last time for this year. Hopefully next time won't be in Milton Keynes for the Arnold Clark Cup as it will mean they haven't qualified for the Nations League Finals.

POTM: Goes to Georgia for the goal and the assist and for tireless running on and off the ball.

Basil watch: He was on Wembley way skipping!🤷‍♂️

Ref had a couple of nightmares. She gave a goal kick when Van Domselaar tipped Hemps shot wide. That goal kick led to the first Netherlands goal.

The Scranometer wishes it had stayed at home due to the lukewarm McDonalds🍔🍟☕⛄😥.

We wearing a ribbon today to celebrate World Aids Day.

The Lionesses last group game is away to Scotland. Bet it's not as cold as this🥶.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

Wemberrleee

Underneath the Arch

Met Basil

Great view

The Light Show

After the Fireworks

Prenton Park South