Matt Pole is joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone, and special guest Hastings United manager Chris Agutter, who returned to the Pilot Field for a second spell at the helm in October.
We get Chris’ take on the U’s season so far, and bring you all the latest from the local non-league scene here in Sussex.
We get Chris’ take on the U’s season so far, and bring you all the latest from the local non-league scene here in Sussex.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Right. Welcome to another episode of the Sussex Non-League Podcast, where we take a look at
00:05all things non-league in Sussex. I'm Matt Poul and I'm delighted to be joined by Sussex
00:09sport guru Steve Byrne and a very special guest. This week, we are joined by Hastings
00:13United manager Chris Agata, who returns to the pilot field for a second spell at the
00:17helm in October. We'll get Chris's take on the U season and bring you all the latest
00:21from the local non-league scene here in Sussex. Thank you for joining us, Chris. How are you
00:25getting on? You all right?
00:26Pleasure. Thank you for having me. Yeah, all good. Looking forward to looking forward to
00:31the cup final and also enjoying a mini break after the final league game.
00:37Absolutely. But as we mentioned in our intro, you're back at Hastings after a couple of
00:41years away from the club. Would you mind telling us about the work you were doing away from
00:44the U's?
00:46So, yeah, obviously left Hastings in the October, end of October. And then, to be honest, I
00:54didn't much to everyone's surprise. I didn't actually have the Stevenage opportunity lined
00:59up. It come through a mutual friend who knew somebody at Stevenage and said that I'd become
01:07available. And then that led to interviews and me being in the dugout for MK Don's Away.
01:13So that was that was that was crazy.
01:16I mean, I initially went in there to do the 21s and 18s to lead on that because I needed
01:24a bit of a breather from first-team football. Obviously, off the back of the Covid years
01:29and sort of back-to-back null and void decisions, which meant obviously we finished top and
01:35had not a lot to go for it.
01:37So that was frustrating. So I needed a breather off the back of that. And then when I went
01:42into Stevenage, I got offered the 21s and 18s job. But on the same day, the first-team
01:48manager lost his job. So they said, we know you wanted a breather from first-team football,
01:54but can you support the first team on the interim?
01:56So it was crazy because then on the following Tuesday, we were MK Don's at home in the FA
02:06Cup in the first round, probably the biggest game of football up until that I've been involved
02:12in. So, yes, I ended up doing the first-team interim. Done all right. We drew 2-1-2. We
02:20beat MK Don's that night. A bit of luck, I hope, to be honest. That's when Liam Manning
02:27was manager. And then Paul Tisdale came. I actually had an opportunity to stay with the
02:33first team, but I was sort of true to my word. I needed to step away from first-team football
02:39and just focus on the academy there. I was there for a year, which was great. Great experience.
02:46Great people. To be honest, I think I probably would have stayed longer. And because of my
02:52time with the first team there, the initial interim period and it going so well, there
02:57was a feeling that there was a real potential pathway for me at the football club. But as
03:03I said, I was travelling. And if I were to relocate, I probably would have stayed there,
03:10but just the travel was too much. So, then I got asked about a role at Brighton, working
03:17with their academy programme, which was obviously a lot closer to home. So, after the longest
03:23interviewing process in the world, I got offered the job there and I worked there for just
03:30over a year. And then that led me back to Hastings.
03:35So, while you were at Brighton, Chris, you would have been involved with some of the
03:40players that we've seen since coming to the first team, presumably, were you?
03:44Yeah. So, I coached Jack because I've been at Brighton a couple of times. So, I coached
03:49Jack Hinchwood when he was under 10. And then again, as an under 13, 14. And then by the
03:57time I went back, he was already far beyond the ages I was working at. So, I worked with
04:04the older academy ages. So, they do like a specialist coaching model. So, they have in-possession
04:10coaches and out-of-possession coaches. So, I was one of the in-possession coaches for
04:15the older academy ages. But what you will, or touch wood, hopefully you start to see
04:22over the next 18 months, the lads that I was trying to coach and trying to help for the first team.
04:30A couple of names that we should look out for? Or is that putting too much pressure on you?
04:34Well, I've already played for the 21s. I mean, Jamie Howell's very own Harry Howell, his
04:40boy, is an exceptional talent. He's already played for the 21s as an under 16. He's very
04:49good. I think he plays regularly for the 18s now. So, he's no pressure Jamie. But yeah,
04:54he's a very, very talented player. I mean, during my time there, we went abroad and played
05:02the likes of Bayern Munich and some top, top teams. And I mean, Harry, amongst a few others,
05:08was more than comfortable in that level of company and competition. So, yeah, he'd be
05:17the one. And obviously, son of a Sussex legend as well. So, yeah, he's one of the most excited ones,
05:25definitely.
05:27And moving on to Hastings, you've been back just over six months now. How do you assess that six
05:31months and the season that you had and the team have had? There's been progress made?
05:37Yeah, it's been a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest. I mean, when it's gone so quickly,
05:41we were only talking about it the other day. Time's flown. I mean, the brief,
05:48as we've said a few times, the brief was to sort of keep them in the division, really,
05:54because we were not a million miles off the bottom of the league. And it was,
06:00I think, they lost seven out of their last eight games. And I think the biggest thing as well was
06:07a lot of Hastings success in recent years. Certainly, the team that I built and then
06:11Gary moved forwards was built on a certain type of profiler player. It was built on local,
06:20homegrown players that had a connection with the football club. And then it was,
06:28you know, with a sprinkling of very good experience, likes of Craig Stone, Gary Elphick himself
06:34and the right type of person, really. And I felt, and the club felt, which was ultimately probably
06:40why they wanted to make a change and give me the opportunity to go back there, was that, you know,
06:45I felt it lost its way a little bit. You know, you look at the team and there was no academy
06:52players involved. It was, in terms of the players on the pitch and their connection with the local
07:00community, it was virtually non-existent and also the type of football as well.
07:04The big thing for Hastings is, if you're going to lose games of football, there's ways to lose
07:09games of football. And they just felt that, you know, the manner of the way the team was
07:17not picking up points wasn't the fitting of Hastings and what it demands, really. So,
07:23we've managed to, well, we obviously stayed up, which is great. And we've done that,
07:28we achieved that sort of benchmark quite quickly. But what we have done, and I think it's reflected
07:34by the supporters and the gates that we're getting, is we've managed to rebuild the team.
07:41More local players, players that were at the start of the year were playing Step 5, Step 4. I mean,
07:49one of them was playing below East Sussex football. And what we've done is we've sort of,
07:55we've recruited really, I know it sounds obvious, but really deliberately. We've looked at the way
07:59that we want to play. We've looked at the profile of each position and then we've tried to look at
08:07the local area and go, is there players at Step 5 that are potentially playing below their level
08:13that we can bring back to the club? You know, have we got the next best player in the academy?
08:20And so, again, we've tried to develop the way that we play, but we've also put it back to what
08:25Hastings United, as a club and its supporters, want to see on the pitch, which is local,
08:31homegrown and hungry players that are fighting for the shirt. And I think it all
08:36sort of goes hand in hand to us, you know, being quite a bit further along than where we thought
08:41we would be. I mean, as I said, it was keep us up and keep us in the division. And for us to have
08:46got us close to the play-offs, to a cup final, you know, we never felt that we were going to
08:53fall out of the division because, obviously, we back what we do and we also felt that there
08:57was a lot of good players not at the football club that we could bring back to the club.
09:04And it's interesting, it's probably a reflection of how far we've come, that we are
09:07feeling as disappointed as what we are where we haven't got to the play-offs because when we've...
09:12Yeah, I mean, we spoke, didn't we? We had 10 games to go and we said 20 points would get us in there.
09:20And after five games into that 10-game spell, we were ahead of schedule and, you know,
09:29the next game was Wingate after the Bogda game, after we'd just won 1-0. And we felt we were right
09:38on track. We felt that Horsham, Enfield, Wingate would drop points. And just in the remaining
09:44four or five games, we just stopped putting the ball in the net, as basic as that sounds,
09:49and it's cost us. So, yes, we're ahead of schedule, but also there's a feeling of
09:54disappointment that actually we could have got in there.
09:58Yeah, we'll move on to the senior cup final in a minute, Chris, but you mentioned attendances
10:02and I think it's Hastings, I think it's got the third highest average attendance this season
10:05behind Dulwich and Chatham. Does that just show the massive potential that Hastings does
10:10have going forward?
10:11Yeah, it's similar to Worthing. I think it's similar to a lot of these seaside clubs, you
10:16know, and at times the location can be seen as a bit of a hindrance because of recruitment and
10:24attracting buyers. But equally, I think it's a real strength in terms of if you can put a team
10:29on the pitch that the supporters can connect with, it can very quickly build into a bit of
10:35a monster really. And Hastings is a massive town, you know, it is a sleeping giant. It's one of
10:43those clubs that, you know, once it gets on a roll, and as I said, if you can put a team on
10:49the pitch that the supporters can identify with and get behind, and ultimately if you win enough
10:54games of football, it can very quickly build momentum. So, I mean, we spoke only the other
10:58night that if we had a playoff semi-final at the pilot field, there'd be over 4,000 people there.
11:06And I think we're only scratching the surface as well, you know, if we can keep moving in the
11:13right direction, building momentum. But again, the most important thing, ultimately, is winning
11:18games of football as well. If we can keep putting a competitive team on the pitch that challenges,
11:22then we can only see those gates increasing.
11:26Absolutely. And Hastings, as mentioned, will take on Horsham on Wednesday night in the Sussex
11:31Senior Cup. That'll be the first time the user has appeared at the Showpiece Sussex
11:34final since the 1999-2000 campaign. Chris, how much are you and the players looking forward
11:39to the final? And how big is this game for not just yourself, but for both clubs?
11:44Yeah, we're excited. As I said, I mean, one of the owners actually said to us, because we're
11:51finished seventh, which is the joint highest league placement for the club at the level,
11:57which is great. Obviously, it's not the playoffs, which is what we wanted, but
12:01it's something. And if we can obviously win the cup final as well,
12:05pointed out that it's probably one of the most successful seasons the club's had in 20,
12:11maybe 30 years. So there's real incentive there. It's just excitement, really.
12:17It's there's pressure to it. But then equally, if we part of me thinks the fact that Hastings
12:24hasn't been to a senior cup final for over two decades, that's not that's not right.
12:29That's something that we need to address. So the big thing is, is, yes, it's a big occasion. And
12:33yes, there's going to be pressure. But equally, if we if we keep moving in the right direction,
12:38hopefully we'll be back there pretty soon. And equally, from a from a personal perspective,
12:44management wise, you know, if if I can do what I want to,
12:50hopefully the Amex isn't going to be the most impressive stadium. We've sort of managed that.
12:55So it's one of them. It's a great occasion. We're really excited about it. But equally,
12:59it's like this is just another step on the journey. And I think it I think it's great
13:05that also that it is against Horsham, it is against the team at our level that we're so
13:09closely competing with. I think it gives it even more of an edge.
13:15Because, as I said in the two games that I said to Steve the other day in the two games,
13:20we played Horsham. Yes, we've come on the wrong side of it. But there's been enough
13:24in both those games where you go, well, actually, it's a pretty close run thing.
13:30And ultimately, Horsham have been better in both boxes over those two games. And
13:34if we can, if we can get close to our best level in both boxes, I think we'll beat them.
13:41And looking beyond the Cup final and sort of to next season and maybe even beyond next season,
13:48you've talked a little bit about the journey that Hastings are on. But next season in particular,
13:53you've already got quite a few players tied down to contracts for next season. You know,
13:58you'll know how many more you want. Is the feeling that you can kick on from this season
14:03and really have a serious go next season at title or promotion?
14:07Yeah, I think it's a real interesting point in our journey because I think a lot of the players
14:14were at a crossroads as well. Because we've got, as I said, we've got a lot of lads that,
14:19I mean, six or seven were on the bench at Step 5 at the start of the year.
14:24And I think they've done incredibly well. Whereas now it's, I think it's the next step.
14:33It's like you've done well, you've come from nowhere, your expectations were pretty low.
14:38Now the goalposts have moved a little bit. Now the opposition knows you're a good player. What
14:42are you going to do next? And I think that's when you go from being a player that plays 50 games
14:48for Hastings or a decent side versus a player that potentially goes and plays 200, 300 or
14:53then gets a move higher up the pyramid. So I think it's more a challenge to the individual
15:00players in terms of, as I said, you've done well. Now you need to do even more to get on.
15:07I think with what we've got, I think we're more than capable of challenging at the level. But
15:15then equally you've got to respect what the opposition are doing and who they're bringing
15:18in and the clubs coming down. And also, and I hate to sort of shine a light on it, it's obviously
15:27financial challenges as well. Because we saw it with the teams that we've been directly
15:35competing with for the playoffs, especially at the business end of the season where
15:42we're making substitutions and we're bringing on 17-year-olds versus other clubs that are bringing
15:48on players that have played 300, 400 games at their level. So I think that's to see how we can
15:56compete or get closer to that moving forwards.
16:02The dog's got a view as well.
16:04Yeah, I know. Do you want me to go and sort him out?
16:08No, no, it's all right. All part of the fun, all part of the podcast fun.
16:13I'd be interested to know, Chris, what have you made of the standard of refereeing this season?
16:19A few bosses, we won't mention any names, have been disappointed by the standard they've seen
16:23in 2023-24. Diplomatically, why do you think this is?
16:30It's probably a good time that the dog's barking, to be honest.
16:32Yeah, it's difficult. I mean, where do you start, really? Because there's so many decisions
16:45which are obvious decisions, which you think are pretty straightforward, that seem to have gone
16:51against us. And when you speak to other managers and coaches and they sort of share their
16:56experiences, you realise that actually this is a bit of a trend, which is a concern, to be honest.
17:05I do get a feeling there's a real lack of experience at the level. I get a feeling that
17:09there's a lot of young referees, perhaps due to a shortage, that are getting fast-tracked.
17:16And as we've mentioned about the crowds and the growing support of non-league,
17:20obviously the occasions are becoming bigger, the pressure, the expectation at the level.
17:27And I think there's a question mark around whether or not referees that are getting
17:31fast-tracked are capable of managing such occasions. But then you could argue
17:37where do they get experience if they're not exposed?
17:43I feel like there's probably a middle ground to find between fast-tracking the best referees,
17:48but also making sure they're prepared to manage what are big footballing occasions at the level.
17:55But it's clearly something the FA need to get to grips with now, because this won't just be
18:00a problem in your division. We hear about it at higher levels and lower levels as well. So,
18:06the Sussex FA and the FA generally, they need to have a good sit down and look at this and
18:11look at the whole sort of structure, don't they?
18:15Yeah, I think so. I mean, as I said, I've never known it to be like it has this year.
18:26So, something's obviously gone wrong.
18:31Perhaps this is an indication as well of some of the mindsets of the match officials. I mean,
18:36we had it the other day where we had a decision given against us where the linesman and the
18:42referee didn't have a conversation around the decision for a handball decision. And we basically
18:50said to the referee after the game, when you reflect on that in terms of footage and you
18:54look back on it and you realise you've made the wrong decision, what will you do differently next
18:59time? And he said, absolutely nothing. That for me is the issue in terms of
19:08we're all going to make mistakes. I mean, we make millions of memories.
19:13They're honest mistakes, but equally we want to improve and develop and forwards. And when you're
19:20having that dialogue with a referee after the game, you're thinking, well, what chance have we got?
19:25So, I think it's probably not just one thing. It's probably lots of different things that
19:33can improve 10 per cent to sort of raise the overall level.
19:39Yeah, as Steve mentioned, I think this has been the worst year for it. And as you mentioned there,
19:43Chris, I can't remember a season where, not that they've been criticised as much, referees, but
19:47where decisions have been contested, if you know what I mean. And yeah, very straight. I don't know.
19:53Why do you think this year has been the worst? Is there any reason for it being as bad this year?
19:58I've got no, honestly, I've got no idea. As I said, I've come out of the level and then gone
20:03back into it. And obviously, I've come in from step four and then you come back into it at a
20:10higher level and you think, well, actually, it should be, it should be, it certainly should be
20:16an improved level in terms of depreciating. And as I said, it's been really poor, but consistently
20:23poor to almost to the point where some of the decisions you think, well, you're not surprised
20:29by it. And I think that's the biggest sort of indictment of what we're seeing is when you see
20:33some of the decisions, you're like, well, it's not a surprise. I mean, and it's a lack of
20:37consistency as well. So on the Saturday, we get a handball given against us where the two match
20:44officials haven't consulted. And then on the Tuesday, we get a handball given against us.
20:51And then on the Tuesday, we get a handball given against us, which is given by the linesman where
20:55the referee consults with him. And both decisions are wrong. But after both games,
21:03you get the feeling that the referee's looking and they go, I've got that wrong.
21:08But ultimately, their approach and their way of working is completely different. And that
21:13lack of consistency is frustrating.
21:16Absolutely. And we're moving away from referees. We're going to take a look at
21:20Worthing, who could create history on Monday in the National League South playoff final.
21:24Who stands between the Reds and promotion to Step 1 for the first time ever? Stephen,
21:27how do you see the final going?
21:29Yes, a massive day for Worthing on Monday. They've sold out their tickets. They've sold
21:34out about sort of getting on for 3,000 tickets. I think they sold them in about 12 hours.
21:41Incredible, really. Sort of almost sold them overnight. So they are home to Braintree on
21:45Monday in the playoff final, having beaten Maidstone 2-1 with a late goal by Ollie Pearce
21:52last Sunday. You've got to say Worthing are probably favourites for two reasons. They've
21:56got home advantage. Actually, more than two reasons. They've got home advantage. Braintree
22:01finished a little bit below them in the league. Braintree were one of the teams that had to come
22:04through a playoff eliminator before they got to the semi-finals, which they then won. And
22:10Worthing are on a great run of form. They won their last six league games and they've won
22:14the playoff semi-final since. So I think that makes them firm favourites. They'll have that
22:19big home vocal crowd behind them. But it's the playoffs and it's not always logical.
22:26So we wish them well. I think they'll do it. I'd be interested to know what Chris thinks.
22:30Were the Braintree Monday? I'm saying Worthing favourites and should. If they get it right and
22:38if they turn up, they'll win that. Do you think? Yeah, I think it's a testament to the
22:45unbelievable work that's gone on at the football club over the last few years, to be honest.
22:51Obviously, Adam Hinsherwood on the face of it. Obviously, the support behind the scenes. Nathan,
22:58George, Barry and Carter. I think the fact that almost more of a glowing feedback,
23:08on how well they've done, is the fact that Hinsher's obviously gone. Aaron's come in
23:14with Dean and Darren Barden. The good work's just carried on. I think it's a real reflection of
23:21a club effort and they're a very good club effort. But even though they've had huge upheaval,
23:26it seems to have been relatively seamless in terms of them being able to keep attacking the playoff.
23:32I hope they go up purely from a footballing perspective as well. I would pay to watch
23:39Worthing play football. I love the way they play. It has a big influence on us further down the
23:47road in terms of what type of football we want to play. If the football club can get
23:54remotely close to Worthing's impressive track record, then we'll be on the right lines.
24:00I'm just really hopeful they get through. But you know what it's like. It often comes down
24:05to both boxes. I think we saw that against Maidstone. Ultimately, Worthing were more
24:13clinical in the opposition's box and that's why they got through. I think it was a very,
24:16very close game. I think most people thought Maidstone had best of the second half really.
24:21They looked like the team that were going to go on and win it. So, it just shows you.
24:26When you've got Ollie Pearce up top, he doesn't need many chances.
24:33As I say, I think it will come down to both boxes and touch wood, Worthing get over the line.
24:38Meanwhile, Horsham suffered heartbreak as they were beaten on penalties by
24:43Chatham Town in the semi-finals on Tuesday. A cruel way to lose out, wasn't it, Steve?
24:48Yeah, they've done so well to get into the play-offs. It's kind of made hard work of it
24:55in a way because they had a couple of games where they could have won and qualified and
25:00made sure fifth place and they just struggled to get over the line a bit. I just wonder if
25:04they're sort of tiring a bit now, tiring legs. Chris will be pleased to hear it ahead of the
25:07cup final if they are. But Dom has got a big squad, so he'll probably make changes for the
25:14cup final. We'll see, won't we? But no, cruel on Horsham. Close game at Chatham. I mean,
25:21they went to Chatham not so long ago and won, didn't they? Which again shows that you can't
25:27read anything into the league result between two clubs when it comes to a play-off. It's a
25:31different game, really. Yeah, I think it was a good goal by James Hammond, wasn't it, to sort
25:36of take it to penalties the other night. And it was two very experienced players who missed from
25:42the spot or had penalties saved. So, it can happen to anyone. It can happen to the best of
25:47them, can't it? But Horsham will be, after the cup final anyway, we'll be looking at what they
25:53can do to make next season more of a sort of serious promotion bid. I'm sure you talk to Dom
26:00every week and he'll be plotting next season already, won't he? Yeah, he can and they can
26:05look on with great pride at the season they've had. Highest ever league finish, best run in the
26:10FA Trophy, best run in the FA Cup and a first senior cup final in 16 years, I think. So,
26:17yeah, great season all together. My only worry would have been if they had got to the player
26:21final. I think it might have either been their 61st or 62nd game and after a play an extra time
26:27as well, I think their legs would have gone. But yeah, player final now, Chris, is Chatham against
26:33Enfield. Who do you see winning that one? It's been ever so tight, this division. It's the tightest
26:39I can remember at this spin premier this season. Yeah, to be honest, my money going into the
26:46playoffs was on Horsham. When I looked at the teams in the playoffs, I thought Horsham had enough
26:58on and off the pitch, really, in terms of a squad to get through that. I've experienced that now,
27:06a lot of players that have played at a lot of different levels. I was surprised
27:13because when Horsham went down to Chatham the other week, 3-1, I wasn't surprised at all.
27:20But then Enfield, Enfield do have an awful lot of firepower. My money would be on Enfield
27:27because, as I said, Enfield can win a game of football without being very good at all
27:32because of their firepower. Like you said about Worthing,
27:36Maidstone and both boxes, we've played Enfield twice and created more chances,
27:44had more possession, had more territory, and they've taken six points off us because when it
27:50comes down to both boxes, they are lethal, especially in the opposition's box. Marcus
27:54Wylie up top, Beckles as well, they've got a lot of firepower. So, it wouldn't surprise me
28:02if Enfield won that. But then equally Chatham, probably again similar to Worthing, where
28:09back-to-back promotions, they've got momentum, they know how to win games.
28:13I think that needs to be factored into it as well.
28:17Absolutely. It's a very difficult one to predict because apart from Hornchurch,
28:27Chatham seemed to be second all season, but even when they lost games, they never seemed to drop
28:31a place to Chatham. And as you mentioned, Horsham took four points off of them. So,
28:36yeah, it'll be a tough one to call. But in the Ittingham South East,
28:40we have a mouth-watering All Sussex play-off final to look forward to as Three Bridges entertain
28:44West Sussex Canadiens, Chichester City on Friday evening. Well, we'll start with the semi-final,
28:50Steve. Remarkable set of results for our sides, wasn't it?
28:55Absolutely. Three Bridges did really well to go to Sittingbourne because Sittingbourne,
29:00they've been in that sort of third position or very close to it pretty much all season. Three
29:05Bridges have had a funny season. They started so well, they were away, weren't they? And
29:09came up with the top two and then fell away and looked as though they were not going to
29:14finish in mid-table at one point. Then they got second wind, made sure they finished in the top
29:18five and had a very good win at Sittingbourne. Even more remarkable really was Chichester winning at
29:25Ramsgate. Chichester have been in great form, but you look at this being South East table
29:31and you think, you know, if ever there's a league where the top two should both be allowed to go up
29:36because they're so far ahead that bit because they were going toe-to-toe all season. I think
29:41Ramsgate probably a little bit of fatigue from not managing to quite pip Cray Valley to the title.
29:50Probably a bit of, you know, a bit of a psychological thing comes into it then.
29:54You think you've got to play at home to a team who had finished 20, I think they were 20 points
29:59behind. And Chichester went there, nil-nil. Miles Rutherford said the first 20 minutes of
30:06the second half were like the Alamo, you know, it was a case of when they were going to score
30:14and not if. And then 87th minute Chichester go away and score and are through. So we were either
30:20going to have Chichester or Three Bridges in the Isthmian Premier. We assume the Isthmian Premier,
30:24it's always the chance of re-jigs. Chichester could go into the Southern League, possibly
30:29depending on who else goes up and comes down. But yeah, again, great for Sussex football that those
30:34two have got there. And Chris, you will keep an eye on the Isthmian South East, I'm sure.
30:41For Chichester particularly, Chris, that is quite a feat to get as far as they have, isn't it?
30:46Yeah, but do you know what? It doesn't surprise me.
30:49You played them in the cup, didn't you?
30:51Yeah, whenever Darren Kilpatrick's involved in the team, you know that they're going to be very,
30:57very good. And especially in a one-off game like a play-off semi-final,
31:05there's not many people you want putting a game plan together more than Dabba, to be fair. So
31:11that didn't surprise me, to be honest. And equally, looking ahead to the final, what a job
31:19Jamie Crowley has done at Three Bridges. Again, similar to Worthing and Chichester in terms of
31:26the way that they play and the way they've gone about it as well. Three Bridges play some great
31:32football, same as Chichester, so that would be a great game for the neutral. I think it's just
31:36in general a really good advert for how strong South East football is at the minute.
31:43Absolutely. And go on then, Chris, who's your money on, Bridges or Chichester?
31:47Chichester.
31:50Yeah, you're going down, aren't you, Steve, to the final?
31:51I'll be there, yeah, I'm going to see it, which I'm looking forward to. New ground for me,
31:55never been to Three Bridges. I think I've been through Three Bridges on the train,
31:58but I'm now going to find out if there's any more, you know, much more there than a railway station.
32:03I'm sure there is, I'm sure it's very nice, so I'm looking forward to it.
32:06I just think we're, again, without sort of talking Dabba up too much, but I don't mind
32:11doing it with him and Miles and putting together a plan. You know, they're so shrewd and switched on,
32:20but in a one-off game like that, I'd fancy them to come out on top against a lot of teams. But
32:31again, that's not a reflection of Three Bridges and Jamie Crennan, because, as I said, I think
32:35Jamie's done a brilliant job there. He has indeed. Well, best of luck to both
32:39sides in that player final on Friday. We also now know who will contest the SCFL Premier
32:44Player Final following this week's semi-finals. Steve, who will fire out to join Champion
32:49Stenning in the Isthmian South East next season? And how do you see that one going?
32:53In the SCFL Premier Final, that will be played on Sunday, get this right, Sunday,
33:00and it's between Eastbourne Town and New Haven. It's at the Saffrons. Eastbourne have got the home
33:06advantage, having finished second in the league. Eastbourne are on a great run of form. They've
33:10hit their best form at the right time. I think they've won 14 and drawn two of their last 16,
33:17something like that. Whereas New Haven were top for quite a while, then slipped to second when
33:22Stenning overtook them. Ended up actually fourth, but beat Crobra in their semi-final penalties the
33:28other night. Eastbourne Town got through against Hassox. It's difficult to see beyond Eastbourne
33:33Town getting the job finished and winning there and therefore going back into the Isthmian South
33:40East, which they were in. I don't think it was actually called Isthmian South East last time
33:43they were in it. I think they were in it about, I want to say about 10, might even be a bit longer
33:48than that, about 10 years ago. So, there'll be people at that club, maybe not many players,
33:53but there'll be people at that club that know what they're doing at that level.
33:57Equally, if New Haven go up, they've got very good facilities there. They've got the 3G.
34:02They've been close to promotion before. I think they got to one of the step four,
34:05five play-offs. So, they'll be ready if it's them. But it should be a good game. There'll
34:10be a massive crowd at the Saffrons. Eastbourne Borough, we've seen recently, have had success
34:16in terms of staying up. So, it could be a double celebration for Eastbourne football.
34:22Do you keep much of an eye on the SFL Premier, Chris?
34:24Yeah, loads.
34:27Half of your squad have got from there.
34:32Yeah, no, I think it's an interesting one because New Haven on paper will have more experience and
34:37more nous and more appearances at that level, whereas Eastbourne is a very young group. Jude's
34:46put together a very young, exciting team with, as I said earlier, a sprinkling of experience in
34:53there. So, I think it'll be a really interesting dynamic on that occasion with the sort of
34:59fearlessness of the younger players that just keep going in terms of momentum and
35:04take it as the next game and the next win. Or will it be the more experienced New Haven players
35:11that have sort of been around the block a little bit more that have maybe been in more of those
35:15games that will just find a way to cover it. So, it'll be interesting. But again, I think Jude's
35:23done a fantastic job at Eastbourne Town, as I said, because when he's rebuilt the team. And as
35:30I said, they're another team that play some great football. So, yeah, no, again, it'll be a really
35:35interesting game.
35:37Yeah, and last but by no means least, we also now know which teams will face off in the SCFL
35:42Division 1 play-off final. Who is going to meet in that one, Steve? And how did both teams reach
35:48the final?
35:49So, that one is Seaford Town against Wick. And it's at Seaford because Seaford finished second
35:55in the table. Seaford actually were very consistent. They were second for a lot of the
36:00season. In any other season, they'd have been going for the title with Ruffey, but Ruffey were
36:05so far ahead. They're back up in the Premier now, having won the title. So, well done to them. So,
36:10Seaford home advantage. Wick have had a funny season. They've had some long, unbeaten runs.
36:16Wick, we cover them quite a lot. We do quite a lot on Wick in the Little Hampton Gazette. We've
36:22got people that send reports in. A thriller of a play-off semi-final they had against
36:28Worthing United. Wick were at home to Worthing United in the semi. Three times went behind,
36:33three times they equalised, including an injury time. Worthing United then had a penalty in the
36:38shootout, which had they scored it, they'd have been through. Didn't go in. Wick saved one and
36:44scored one. So, they go through. Just shows you the fine margins of it all, doesn't it? Whereas,
36:48Seaford had an easier, much easier semi-final. They beat Salsey 3-1 in theirs. Again, you'd say,
36:56if you put your sensible head on, you'd say Seaford are strong favourites there. But Wick
37:02have got nothing to lose. They were in the play-offs last year, so they know a little
37:05bit about this knockout football. They'll go down there tomorrow thinking they've got a good chance.
37:14Excellent stuff. Yeah, we'd like to extend all our best of luck to all the Sussex
37:18teams that are in the play-off finals in their respective divisions. And also,
37:22thank you very much for joining us, Chris. It's been an absolute pleasure and best of
37:25luck in the senior cup final against Horsham on Wednesday. Yeah, I never know how to end this,
37:30as Steve well knows. So, thank you very much for listening and we'll speak to you when we speak to
37:34you. Thank you.
37:35Thank you very much for having me. Thank you. Apologies about the dog.
37:40He spoke a lot of sense.
37:44I wasn't going to say that.