2 Storey Love Song

Newhaven FC away to Saltdean United in the SCFL at Hill Park

The Dockers visit the Tigers in the second league game of the new era. This fixture was postponed from last year due to a waterlogged pitch between Christmas and New Year. It’s a chilly night at Hill Park but it’s stayed dry and the wind has dropped. Hopefully a good game will follow. We have paid £2 for the programme which is a 100% price increase and something we really approve of. Anything that keeps printed programmes going is fine by us. Saltdean are just above the relegation spot with just 2 wins to their credit. They have started to draw some games so will hopefully pick up enough points to stay (just). Just not tonight of course. You can’t have rivalries without rivals so we would be disappointed if they went down. The building work for the new club house and stand has started. The stand still has wooden benches but is much longer and already in use. The club house is only a single storey peeking over the hoarding. Team new now. Reedy has moved up to fight wing. Behind him is a new face, Richmond Osei. Related to Kwabs? Hope he’s as good. “Inset short fanfare here” because Little is getting his first start for a year following a few sub appearances including a late goal at the Withdean on Saturday. “Big” is in the crowd as he’s under the weather. There are two new faces on the bench. They are Dexter Lambert and Liam Osborne. No familiar faces in the Tigers. Aaron is in the crowd and there is no sign of Marley so he must have moved on. The teams change ends after the toss so the Dockers are attacking the south end.

The Dockers get plenty of the ball and get the first chance but Bailie’s header is well saved. There are a few more chances but then the first goal comes from nowhere. Literally! The Dockers are pressing just inside the Tigers half when the ref blows the whistle. What for? Who knows? Not us or the lino. It turns out that the ref has given a penalty for a foul on Jake off the ball. Saltdean are livid. We’ll take it though, or rather Jake takes it and smashes it home ⚽. 0-1. There are some more odd decisions with pushes on jumping players going unpunished and 50:50 tackle resulting in free kicks. We can almost hear the Monty Python music playing in the background. He is certainly making it up as he goes along. The half finishes with no more drama. 0-1 to the visitors.

The second half starts where the first left off. There is a comedy of errors from the ref. The crowd is baffled. The equaliser comes on 60 and it’s a great goal. The ball is turned over in the middle of the pitch and lumped forward. The Tigers No.9 runs under it, pulls it down with his first touch and gives Josh no chance with the finish. All very James Norwood circa 2019. The game starts to get a bit niggley Tucky is booked as seems to be usual these days. The Robinsons combine as Little blocks a Tigers defensive clearance. It lands at the feet of Jake who fires it at the goal from about 35 yards. The keeper is caught unawares and it’s 2-1 to the Dockers on 67 ⚽. Saltdean have been better this half but they have had a shocker there. It’s time for some Dockers changes with Kwabs on for Tuck who looks injured. Little is working back to match fitness and is replaced by Dexter Lambert. It gets more niggley now and there are some bizarre decisions. Reagn and Bailie both booked for something or other. There are a few more subs. Kieron is shouting a lot to try to motivate his boys to get back into the game. It’s almost working as they have the Dockers pinned in. There are some late subs with Orbourne for Reedy and Warwick for Radley-Martin. Jake wanders over to the touchline as the number 10 is held up. He’s not 10 today and he knows it. He wanders back to the centre circle as Warwick who is the 10 leaves the pitch. The number 9 is held up now and Jake wanders slowly back to the touchline where he is replaced by Mo, our favourite supersub on 90+4. Top time wasting from Jake. Eventually the ref decides he wants a cup of tea and blows the whistle. Victory on the road for the Dockers.

That was fun and bizarre at the same time. The Dockers huffed and puffed a bit but had quality that the Tigers couldn’t match. The Tigers are organised, Kieron does his best, but are 2nd bottom for a reason. It will be a surprise, and very disappointing, if they get relegated. It’s back to back away wins for the Dockers who are starting to creep back up the table. Fingers crossed for some consistency building through the rest of the season. It's exciting to see the building work started. We like the bigger stand already. Wondering how they are going to level the pitch for the 3G and what they might find buried under it 💰🦴🤷. Looking forward to seeing the progress next season.V

POTM: Performance of the day goes to Jake 🏅. Great energy, fantastic goals and top time wasting.

The Scran’O'meter enjoyed the hot chocolate and rated it 8/10.

The officiating was bizarre at times tonight. The decision making was very strange and “he making it up as he goes along” has rarely been more accurate. No-one saw the foul on Jake for the pen but we’ll take it. Lino on our side was a bit bewildered by what was going on.

Three points heading back along the A259.

See you soon.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

In the new stand

Back at Hill Park

(You've gotta) Goal With It

Newhaven FC at home to Saltdean United FC in the SCFL Premier League at Fort Road

The Dockers ⚓host local rivals, the Tigers 🐯, on a warm late summer 🌇 evening by the Ouse. We can't remember playing the Tigers without the weather being horrific but maybe it's always like that at Hill Park. It's nice at here Fort Road but the nights are drawing in earlier. You know what that means, Winter in Coming! But not yet as it's still shorts weather. The Dockers have been struggling since the start of the season and we don't expect tonight to be any different. Kieron will have the Tigers purring, well organised and motivated. The Dockers have had a weekend off, kind of. Their game in the FA Vase 1st round was abandoned without kicking off. Tooting Bec, who were the home team, forgot their kit. The game has been deemed to be an Away Walkover so we are through to the 2nd Round . That could be considered a cup run in the Dockers current form. This is non-league football so we won't mock the very embarrassed club and it's hard working volunteers. Instead we will have another laugh at the time that Arsenal Women had to buy socks in the Chelsea Club Shop before the game could start due to a sock clash. Time for some team news. The BIG news is that Josh Tuck is back. Not sure if it's for long but we hope so. We had heard he signed for Lancing and we were missing him badly. His arrival may be in some way connected to the departure of Max Vardy who has signed for Seaford. Good luck Max. Bussy is back which is very good news. Across the back line is Reedy, Josh, Bailie and Etienne. Charlie, Tom and Warwick are in the midfield. Up front are Lee on the left, Shonk on the right and Jake in the middle. There are some familiar names in the Tigers squad. Old favourite and ex Docker, Aaron Windsor, is at left back, No doubt that he will be covering a few miles up and down the wing from there. Herbie Rogers is up front having signed from Seaford. Badger 🦡becoming a Tiger🐅. Both have stripes but that's about it. On the bench are ex-Docker under 23's Alex 'Patch' Patching and Toby Reeder. Hoping that they are still on the bench at 90 minutes. The Tigers form, hasn't been great and they only have a single point from the first 4 games. Hoping that's 1 from 5 games after today. We are back to 2 Rogers and 2 Robinsons on the pitch today, just not all the same ones are before. This is our 200th game watching football, both good (rarely) and not so good (Mostly, I'm looking at you Tranmere). Wonder in which camp this game will fall.

The Dockers make a good start with an early goal. It's great through ball by Shock to Lee who rounds the keeper then plays a reverse pass into the opposite corner beating the last defender on 5 ⚽. Lee looks to be playing really well tonight with some great early touches of the ball. Reedy gets clear on the overlap down the right but is tripped from behind. Free kick but no card!. Ref maybe forgotten his pencil ✏️ today. Or is this one of those that uses crayons 🖍️. The Dockers extend their lead on 20 ⚽ when Jake fires in a rocket form outside the box🚀. Jake scores again on 22 but the lino rules it out for off-side. Lee tells the ref where to stick his crayons now that he appears to have found them and heads off to the sinbin for a 10 minute nap😴. The lines person weathers the storm of abuse (sorry😶) for a while then eventually explains that Jake bad been off-side but moved back on side after the ball is played. Why he couldn't have indicated that at the time only he knows. Warwick is all over the pitch tonight and gets his reward when he rounds the keeper to find the net from an impossibly tight angle on 24⚽. It's almost 4 as Josh heads just wide on 31. Lee returns to the pitch after his lie down to get the Dockers back up to 11. However, it's not long before the Tigers get a goal. The Dockers fail to deal with a long ball and it's dispatched past Bussy into the net on 35. 3-1. Tom Vickers goes in for a thumping 50:50 tackle in the centre circle. His opponent doesn't get up but play continues. The ref eventually stops play so the poor dying player can be read the last rights or maybe get some treatment. The Tigers swarm round the ref trying to get Tom booked for stamping. Really🙄. The whistle goes with no further drama.

The second half starts well with the arrival of the ferry 🚢 at 8.52. Eight minutes early, top marks Captain. The Dockers are less fluid since the break. Jake comes close on 57 but hits it just wide. The changes start on 58 as Jack Shonk makes way for defender Jacob Thomson. Reedy moves up to right wing. The Tigers are playing the ref well and getting all the decisions. The Dockers defence is caught out again and Patch makes no mistake on 65. 3-2. It's going to be a nervy last 25 for the Reds. Be a miracle if we can hang on to the lead that long. There is a big cheer 📣 on 73 as the ref finally blows his whistle😮‍💨 for a foul on a Dockers player. Not sure if he meant it. Wherever he did or not, it's probably the last time. The Tigers get a good chance on 74 but it goes wide. A minute later and it's in the net or is it? No it's just wide again. Still 3-2. Dockers are clinging on here. Josh is injured and gets treatment on the pitch. Ref makes him go off to get it bandaged. Down to 10 men again. Dockers are awarded a throw deep in the attacking half. They look like they preparing for a corner and nobody goes to take the throw. Etienne eventually goes over but before he gets a chance is booked for time wasting 🤷‍♀️. Josh eventually rejoins the field with a very blue bandage round his head. He is promptly booked for something🖍️. Harry Reed is replaced on 85 by Cai Pritchard who is new to us. The Dockers manage to hang on to the lead despite their own, the refs and the Tigers best efforts. 3-2 the Reds 👏.

That was great at the beginning and nervy at the end. The Dockers dominated to start with and probably thought they had finished it off in 25 minutes with 3 goals. The Tigers thought otherwise and never gave up. There are few missing for the Dockers today although they looked like their old selves to start.  They slipped back to being their new selves as the game progressed. Josh Tuck being back made a big difference and we can't wait until he in teamed up with Robbie Keith again. Soon please 🙏. Our favourite young Docker from a couple of years ago , Aaron Windsor had a really good game. Their second goal was scored by ex-U23 Docker, Patch. Looks like they are flourishing under Kieron who was their U23 coach until taking up the role at Saltdean. Looks like he is starting to stabilise the team as it all went a bit Pete Tong after the money dried up and they went from 2nd in the league to battling relegation. Judging by tonight's spirited performance, they are going to give every team a hard scrap. Dockers are up to 8th so looking better although still a bit flaky at the back. Tonight was our 200th game and 200th match report. Hope the next 200 are just as much fun.

POTM: Tough one today as there were some good performances all over the pitch. The award goes to Ryan Warwick for his influence throughout the game and a great goal 🏅. Special mention goes to Aaron AAAZZZZAA Winsor for a fantastic performance having a big impact on the game for a left back. Well done.

The ref had a bad day at the office. The first sinbin we've seen in over a year despite refs putting up with much worst abuse than Lee's expletive that didn't seem aimed at anyone in particular. More than once he let play continue despite a player down on the floor with a head injury. So, in summary , inconsistent and ineffective. Good banter with the crowd though. Not. We are left wondering if he uses FA approved crayons or brings his own. #crayola

Ferry watch: The Seven Sisters was early today with the 9pm arrival docking at 8:52. Good driving.

See you soon.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾

A nice evening at Fort Road

Confused of BN9

Millpond