On this episode, Matt Pole and Sussex sport guru Steve Bone are joined by one of Sussex’s current promotion hunting managers, Burgess Hill Town joint boss Gary Mansell.
Gary’s playing career was not, by his own admission, at the highest level … he was happy to play with his friends in the Brighton & Hove Saturday League Premier Division.
His coaching career has seen steady progression, with the majority of his time in youth football. A successful path with a group of players he began with as under-sixes at Mile Oak Wanderers eventually led to a move to Burgess Hill Town with players who were by then U14s, Gary’s role being to develop them further up to U18 level so they could move into senior football.
The team were very successful at Burgess Hill and, in December 2023, Gary was given the opportunity to manage the Hillians’ first team. This season he’s had the familiar figure of Jay Lovett working with him in a joint capacity and Burgess Hill are now very close to clinching an Isthmian South East division play-off spot.
Gary’s playing career was not, by his own admission, at the highest level … he was happy to play with his friends in the Brighton & Hove Saturday League Premier Division.
His coaching career has seen steady progression, with the majority of his time in youth football. A successful path with a group of players he began with as under-sixes at Mile Oak Wanderers eventually led to a move to Burgess Hill Town with players who were by then U14s, Gary’s role being to develop them further up to U18 level so they could move into senior football.
The team were very successful at Burgess Hill and, in December 2023, Gary was given the opportunity to manage the Hillians’ first team. This season he’s had the familiar figure of Jay Lovett working with him in a joint capacity and Burgess Hill are now very close to clinching an Isthmian South East division play-off spot.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of the Sussex Non-League Podcast where we take a look at all the latest
00:04goings on at grassroots football across the county. I'm Matt Poul and on this edition
00:08I'm joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and our latest special guest. Steve and I
00:13are both delighted to be joined today by one of Sussex's current promotion hunting managers,
00:17Burgess Hill Town Joint Boss Gary Mansell. Gary's playing career was not by his own admission
00:22at the highest level. He was quite happy to play with his friends in the Brighton-owned
00:25Hove Abbey and Saturday League Premier Division, but his coaching career has seen steady progression
00:29with a majority of his time in youth football. A successful path with a group of players
00:33he began with as under-6s at Marlow Wanderers eventually led to a move to Burgess Hill Town
00:38with players who were by then under-14s. Gary's role being to develop them further up to under-18
00:43level so they can move into senior football. The team were very successful at Burgess Hill
00:46and in December 2023 Gary was given the opportunity to manage the Hillyens' first team. This season
00:52he's had the familiar figure of Jay Lovett working with him in a joint capacity and Burgess
00:57Hill are now very close to clinching an Istvan South East division play-off spot.
01:27You seem to have been in third place for a lot of the season. You've certainly been up there,
01:37you've been very consistent. Was a play-off place the realistic aim? Was it the sort of
01:42club-stated aim at the start of the season? And equally, has it been hard knowing that you've
01:48been very consistent yourselves, but there's two clubs above you that have not run away with it,
01:54but you've got Ramsgate and City born up there who have been doing so well all season. Has it
01:58been hard keeping up the chase of them as well? Yeah, I mean from the aim for the season there
02:05was no objective set for us. We've got brilliant owners and a brilliant board, but we knew with
02:14the squad we were putting together that the minimum we should be targeting was the play-offs.
02:20Obviously, at the start of every season, your target is to win the title, then it's to come
02:27second. If you can't come second, come third. But yeah, play-offs was a realistic target for us and
02:34we feel, as you say, we've sat in third for quite a while and we've been consistent. We just can't
02:40seem to close the gap on second at the minute, but that is our target from now to the end of the season.
02:47What's been the key improvement in this season's form compared to last time? Obviously,
02:51you brought in quite a few good players in the summer, but who have been the key men for you
02:55this campaign? Yeah, so the change from last year to this year was obviously we inherited a squad
03:02last year with a core of a talent pool, I'd say, which we then had to sprinkle a load of youngsters
03:11around. So, last year was about stabilising where we were at and then starting to add our ideas and
03:20our identity. Then it was the strategy in the summer, I think, that really got us going in
03:26terms of recruitment, how we approached your recruitment was really, really important to us.
03:31In terms of who we brought in, everyone's been key, really. Everyone's played their part
03:37through what's seemed a really long season so far with lots of injuries and
03:44just seems like we play two games every week forever recently. But I think Brennan O'Neill
03:50was a key catcher for us in the summer in terms of having a leader in the dressing room, a really
03:56good captain. Then I think the catches of Hamish Morrison and Bobby Price from the division above,
04:05that starts settling down your defence with the players we already had around. Then players like
04:13Ben Pope, Ryan Worrell, again, lots of experience at the level. So, really, really, really good
04:20additions. Then there's quite a few more that I haven't mentioned. That just went nicely with the
04:25players we already had in the building that we thought were capable of so much more, just didn't
04:32have the right resources or didn't have the right players around them.
04:37It seems to have been, as the season's gone on, quite a sort of buzz around the club. You've been
04:42getting good crowds at home. I think you had about 1,200 in for the Ramsgate game the other week
04:48and good away following as well. Have you felt that sort of building, the backing that you've
04:53been getting from fans? Has the whole atmosphere around the place been building as the season's
04:58gone on? Yeah, we've seen a real big culture shift at the club. It kind of started with us
05:06tackling the culture of the first team, which in turn has then spread more of a positive culture
05:13around the club. Obviously, when you're winning games, it gives the fans something to sing about
05:20and it just makes it a much more enjoyable environment. In terms of your away support,
05:25that's always been there. I used to go and watch games away from home before becoming the manager
05:32and they were always there. Whether they were at the bottom end or the top end, that support's
05:37always been there and that's never been in question. It's the home support that we've
05:41seen grow through winning football matches and sitting third in the league. That's the support
05:46that we've seen grow, which we're really pleased about because, again, that's another target for
05:52the club was to try and get more people in the door because we're in a really good catchment area,
05:58but we don't seem to get the crowds that the area probably offers.
06:04And just following on from that, I was going to ask you about the prospect of the play-offs. I
06:09know you're not quite confirmed as having a play-off place yet, but it begins to look like
06:14it'll be Sittingbourne, yourselves and maybe Margate and Merstem in there. I guess finishing
06:19second or third is quite big because that would give you that home play-off semi-final.
06:25How would you feel, if that is the line-up for the play-offs, if you're at home to Margate,
06:29for example, and Sittingbourne against Merstem, how would you be feeling going into that? Would you
06:34think you've got every chance of coming through that and being the team that gets promoted?
06:39Yeah, I think in answer to the first question, home tour is key for us. It's something that
06:45we are desperately trying to make sure that we achieve. We want home advantage
06:52wherever possible. In terms of how we feel coming through that with the teams that are in there,
07:00we'd be confident that we could come through it. But at the same time, any one of them teams
07:06could win it. We've had really tight games with all of them this season.
07:12So, we'd be quietly confident, but I know everyone else would be as well.
07:17So, yeah, it would be some really good games, actually.
07:21You only have to look at last year in the same division and Ramsgate went into that probably
07:25thinking, we've had such a great season, we're strong favourites. Lost to Chichester in the
07:29semi-final. Chichester, who came from nowhere to finish fifth, were the ones that ended up going
07:33up. So, it's a bit of a lottery in a way, isn't it? You've just got to focus on yourselves and
07:38hit the form at the right time, I suppose.
07:47I think it's worth noting that the two home teams both got eliminated in the semi-finals last year
07:53as well. So, it's not something that we take for granted. We need to make sure that if we
07:58do get a home tie, we make it count. If Burgess Hill can get to step three,
08:05Gary, I know obviously you're not probably going to get too ahead of yourself. But to
08:08be able to survive and prosper at that level, David Corney and Vicky Gaffney have now taken
08:12over as owners of the club. It seems like an exciting year is getting underway at
08:16Malins Park with lots of plans and ideas on and off the pitch.
08:20Yeah, we feel we could hold our own there. So, when we recruited this year, we kind of looked at
08:26players that had come from that division so that if we were fortunate enough to go up,
08:32we wouldn't have to do much of a rebuild. Obviously, there's always going to be a few
08:36ins and outs in the summer. But we built the squad in hope that if we did go up,
08:41there wouldn't be a massive rebuild. We've kind of looked at Cray Valley and Chichester,
08:46who got promoted out of the division last year, have both had fantastic seasons with Cray Valley
08:52sitting in the playoffs and Chichester not far behind. And neither have massively changed their
08:57squads or their approach. So, we kind of look at that and we kind of think we could hold our own
09:05in that division above. Obviously, there's work to be done. But yeah, we feel we belong if it was
09:11the case.
09:13Absolutely. Now, we'll move on to looking at how Sussex's non-league clubs will be getting on.
09:18And we will start in the Isby and South East, where Burgess Hill Town, as we mentioned,
09:21looks set for the playoffs. The Healyens thumped Hive 5-0 at home on Saturday before picking up
09:26an excellent draw at sixth place, Beckingham, in midweek. Meanwhile, Littlehampton moved out
09:30of the relegation zone with a win over AFC Croydon, but Lansing looked doomed, I think it's
09:35safe to say, after falling to their 10th consecutive league defeat. Picked up a few clubs there, Steve,
09:40but what's the latest from our clubs at Step 4?
09:42Yeah, I think we've covered Burgess Hill quite well there, but we'll bring in Gary on some of
09:48this in a bit. But yeah, at the bottom, beginning to look grim really for Stenning and Lansing.
09:55Stenning bottom, Lansing two points above them. But it's the form they're in. Stenning have
10:00lost five in a row, I think, now Lansing have lost 10 in a row, with some quite heavy defeats
10:04among them. I mean, the last defeat was at home to Ramsgate, so you can't expect too much from that
10:09game, wherever you are in the division. But they are both now starting to be in the last chance
10:15saloon, really. If they don't turn it around very quickly, they're going to be gone. Littlehampton
10:21were in the bottom four with them until midweek, had, as you said, a good win over Croydon in
10:26midweek. Need a few more victories probably down at the sports field because Phoenix Sports,
10:32who did look doomed a couple of weeks ago, picked up some results and did leapfrog Littlehampton
10:39recently. So, speaking of which hand yesterday, he thinks it could be one of those two to fill
10:45that fourth relegation spot. So, we're obviously, from our point of view, hoping that Littlehampton
10:50come through that and stay up. And of course, they've got the Sussex Senior Cup final to look
10:54forward to, having beaten Eastbourne Borough as well. And then just further up the division,
11:00East Grinstead and Eastbourne Town, not too far above the bottom four in terms of placings,
11:06but points-wise they're okay. They're both sort of 13 points clear of the bottom four,
11:10so they'll be all right. Eastbourne Town have hit a bit of a dip in form. Broadbridge Heath
11:15continue to be pretty good. Midtable, they're 12th, they're not going to make the playoffs,
11:20but they've had a good, solid season, sitting 12th at the moment. So, all those sides have
11:26been looking for strong finishes, but those two at the bottom, it's starting to look pretty
11:31tough for them. Yeah, it is indeed. And Gary, which of the Sussex sides that we've mentioned
11:35there have most impressed you when you faced them this season? Well, I think the one that
11:42most impresses me, probably didn't get mentioned there, was Free Bridges,
11:46and in terms of how they approach things, and some of it will be by design and some of it will be
11:54due to resources, but they play a good style of football. They're progressive off the pitch as
12:02well with the free G and they've done a great job. And Jamie, over the last two seasons,
12:07has put them in a position where they're pushing the playoffs constantly. So,
12:12I think we have to acknowledge the work that's being done there. I like the fact that they're
12:16using young players as well, embedding them in as well. So, they're doing a great job.
12:22You have to acknowledge the work by Jude down at Eastbourne Town, with coming new into the division
12:29with the resources that he's coming to the division with, and it can be very, very hard to
12:33get up and running, but he's managed to get points on the board really early on and he's used
12:40everything he's got to be able to do that. I mean, they score and concede a lot of set pieces,
12:45their games are quite tight, but he's found a way of getting points on the board.
12:51As you say, Baldrige Heath, they remain steady. They had a good start, then they had a bad spell,
12:57then they have a good spell, but they've, having come up, they've managed to cement
13:02themselves sort of mid-table the last two years, which is brilliant for what they do down there. So,
13:08yeah, all credit to them.
13:10Going back to Bridges, Gary, obviously they were playing down at Chatham at the start of the season
13:15while the book was being done up and it kind of majorly affected their form. Do you think that if
13:18they'd spent the whole season in three Bridges, that they'd be right up there with you in the
13:23play-offs? Not to say that they haven't done remarkably well, they're not far off the play-offs
13:26at the moment, are they?
13:28Yeah, I think it would have definitely added a factor and I sat on a podcast earlier in the
13:32season and when they were down the bottom end and I kind of said at the time, I felt it was a false
13:37position. I thought they were better than their results were showing and yeah, I don't think you
13:43can ignore, you know, a round trip to Chatham, very little people watching, you know, away from
13:50home all of the time. It is going to have a big factor. When we watch them, you know, we watch
13:56all of the teams and look at what players are doing and how teams are setting up. Whenever I
14:01watched them, I could see they weren't far off and the things they were doing would come to
14:08fruition. So, yeah, I think now they're home, they're seeing the rewards of that but they're
14:14still not out of the play-off push or any stretch of the imagination. So, there's still a lot of
14:20football to be played.
14:22There is indeed. Meanwhile, in the Istvanian Premier, Horsham remain third but are now six
14:26points off leaders Biddler-Rickytown after a little bit of a wobble. Chichester City's
14:30remarkable first ever season, the set three has continued and they are just two points off the
14:34play-off places but things are starting to look bleak for struggling Hastings and Bognor. What's
14:39the latest from our sides in the Istvanian Premier, Steve? Plenty to play for at both ends of the
14:43table.
14:44Yes, and having completely ignored three bridges in my little round of the Istvanian
14:48South East Division back there, I'll try not to leave anybody out of this one. So, I'm glad Gary
14:54covered me there and brought in three bridges who are, as you say, doing very well. Yeah, Horsham
15:00third and you kind of think that could be where they could finish. I said a few podcasts ago that
15:07they could win the title. They've just hit a little bit of inconsistency, haven't they, Matt,
15:11obviously you speak to Dom every week so you know better than me. But six points off Biddler-Ricky
15:17who are top but Biddler-Ricky and Dartford who are second have been dropping points as well.
15:21Biddler-Ricky lost at home to Chichester, of course, the other week. So, still up for grabs
15:27there. I mean, even Cray Valley in fourth place, only seven points off top spot. They'll probably
15:31be thinking they've still got a chance of the title there. But yeah, Horsham should be in the
15:36playoffs at minimum and like Burgess Hill, Horsham will be aiming for that third place in the home
15:42semi-final playoff which could make all the difference to them. Chichester City still in
15:47with the chance of playoffs. I spoke to Dabo, Darren Kilpatrick this week. They've got some
15:53injuries starting to hit now. They've had a very settled team this season but it's been a long
15:59season and they admit themselves they've probably been playing a few players who should have
16:06perhaps been rested a bit before now. As a result of that, they're picking up a little ankle and
16:11sort of muscle injuries, that sort of thing. So, that could affect whether they reach the
16:16playoffs. I mean, if they did reach the playoffs, it would be an incredible achievement having done
16:19the same in the lower division next year. But they can be very happy with where they are.
16:24They were safe with many games to go. Going down from there, Lewis have had an upturn
16:30recently. They're pretty safe now. They're 13th and they'll be targeting a top half finish.
16:36Whitehawk, probably just about safe. Points-wise, they still need a few more but they've done well
16:44with Sean Saunders. They've levelled out a little bit their form but they'll be happy with where
16:49they are compared to where they were early season. But yeah, it's our two Sussex sides in the bottom
16:56four that we now seriously have to worry about. Bognor are on 26 points, Hastings are on 28
17:03and the first side outside of the relegation zone, Canvey Island, are on 38. So, that's a lot of
17:08points to make up. Bognor have got seven games left, Hastings have got eight. Hastings have got
17:13two home games to come in the next week. They play their game in hand next week and they're
17:18at home to Chichester this Saturday. So, that's a chance if they can get a bit of momentum going
17:23there. They did have a win a couple of weeks ago at home. So, they're not without a chance but
17:30like Stenning and Lancey in the division below, just starting to look pretty tough for those two
17:34to get out of it. So, that could be another couple of Sussex sides that are looking at relegation
17:39come the end of the season. Yeah, it would be a shame if they went down. Going back to Horsham,
17:44we should mention that Horsham were playing down at Dartford, second v third and were leading 1-0
17:49until they conceded twice in the 90th minute and you just hope that that doesn't really cost them
17:54in the long run. It would be a big change of the table if they picked up that three points but I'm
17:59sure they'll be fine. I'm sure they'll be fine. Gary, do you keep an eye on, it's been Premier
18:04obviously with sort of half an arm, again not jumping ahead too far, could be where you're
18:08playing next season. Do you keep an eye on many of the Sussex sides in that division?
18:12Yeah, we keep across it and the National League South. We track all the local teams,
18:19more out of a fan of football than how it might affect us. Yeah, we watch it, we look at what
18:29they're doing. Horsham, just going from strength to strength year on year, progressing steadily.
18:37Whitehawk, Sean's done an amazing job down there compared to what they've walked into
18:44to get them out of it and quite comfortably clear of it at the moment. So yeah, we watch a lot of
18:50what's going on in divisions above. Sticking in this division, Gary, Chichester City,
18:55we kind of touched upon it, but Chichester City's feat of going under the radar in the
18:59Istvan South East and winning the playoffs and then doing ever so well in the Istvan Premier,
19:03that must be such an inspiration to Burgess Hill Town.
19:07Yeah, it is. I mean, the inspiration to us is how brilliantly coached they are.
19:14Dava is a fantastic coach and he gets more out of that team than a lot of coaches could because of
19:21the way he approaches it. So yeah, we look at that and we also look at the other clubs. We look at
19:29Horsham, how they recruit, the facilities that they have. So we have a rounded view of everyone
19:35and then we, as any good manager or coach would do, you nick all the best bits you can and try
19:41and implement them. I like your thinking. Moving on to the National League South,
19:47Worthing have now hit the summit and lead second place trio by four points, all still with a game
19:51in hand. The Istvan Borough aren't out of the title race just yet. The Sports are five points
19:56behind their Sussex rivals with seven games left to play. Both have been brilliant, haven't they,
20:00since the last podcast, haven't they, Steve? Tell us a little bit about how they've been getting on.
20:04Yeah, both hit in really good form at just the right time, really, particularly Worthing.
20:10Worthing are now four points clear there with a game in hand, which is big, you know,
20:15at this stage of things. All the sides below them have got seven to play and they've got eight to
20:19play. They're on the road this week. They play their game in hand next Tuesday away to Horn
20:25Church. Before then, they go to Welling on Saturday, which, if you look at the league table,
20:31you'd think, oh, that'll be a win for Worthing because Welling are in the bottom four. But,
20:36I was talking to Chris Haggerty in the week and he was saying, you know, the teams at the bottom
20:41are playing better now than they have all season because they need to, you know, they need to get
20:44out of the situation they're in. So, Welling will have a go. Nothing to lose, are they,
20:50against Worthing. So, that will be a tough one for them. But yeah, Worthing have put themselves
20:55in a great position. I think they've won six of their last seven. They didn't win at Averley as
21:01comfortably as some people thought they might. They were one down and had to come from behind.
21:05But the last couple of home games, including against Hemel last Saturday, they've won quite
21:09comfortably. They've won two or three nil. Whereas earlier in the season, they were struggling to win
21:15some of their home games. They were getting the wins, but it was a one nil or it was a late winner
21:19for a two-one win, something like that. So, Chris Haggerty is very confident. He thinks they can do
21:24it. I think he said four or five wins from those last eight could be enough for the title and the
21:30automatic promotion spot. But the other clubs that we'll be chasing, and those other clubs
21:36include Eastbourne Borough, also in very good form, winning away from home now a little bit
21:40more often than they were, still unbeaten at home. So, they're in third place, 72 points.
21:48Every chance of finishing second or third, which would give them a home semi-final playoff and
21:52avoid any eliminator. So, all to play for, for both our Sussex teams there. And they play each
21:59other at Eastbourne on Good Friday. So, that'll be a cracking game that could decide
22:05the fate of one or both clubs. Only two games left, I think, after that one. So,
22:11yeah, all very exciting in that division. Yeah, it'll be a hell of a game. Gary, what have you
22:16been making about the battle between Worthing and Borough? It's been brilliant, I think,
22:20brilliant for the county. Yeah, really, really interesting division. I managed to get a rare
22:27Tuesday off and go and see Worthing a few weeks ago. And I really like the way that Aggies sets
22:35his teams up, the identity that they've got. And it's just this, they're going to play a certain
22:41way and they're going to keep doing it and just do it better. And I really admire that. They actually
22:46got beat on the night when I watched them though. So, I won't be going back this year, they'll be
22:51pleased. But yeah, no, I think what's really interesting about that division is there is so
22:57many teams that are so close together that it can change so quickly. And I believe a lot of them
23:05have got to play each other in the remaining games. I think Dawkin had to play five of the top
23:10seven in their remaining games. And as you said, Worthing and Eastbourne Borough have got to play
23:15each other. But I do think Worthing will do it. I think they'll get over the line and they'll fully
23:20deserve it as a football club because they're really well run, really good people. Yeah,
23:26absolutely. Couldn't have put it without myself. In the SCFL Premier, Hassox now have a 13-point
23:31lead at the top of the table, but the race for the playoffs is far tighter with just five points
23:35separating fourth-placed Petersfield from eighth-placed Peacehaven. What's the latest from
23:40both ends of that division, Steve? And give us a lowdown on what's happening in the division below
23:44in the SCFL Division One. Yeah, in the Premier Division, we seem to have been saying pretty much
23:49the same since quite early in the season. Hassox are away and clear at the top, 13 points clear now
23:56with seven left to play. So by my maths, if they win three more, they can't be caught. And the way
24:03they're playing, you know, they had a little blip a little while ago, but they seem to have got over
24:06that. Had a good sort of comfortable win over Vardinians last weekend, which I think, I'm
24:11right in saying, guaranteed them their highest ever finish in that division. I think they're now
24:16guaranteed to finish in the top four. Obviously, they will be in the playoffs if they don't win
24:20the league, but I think they will win the league. And all credit to them for keeping going as the
24:25way they have. You know, they haven't got the biggest squad. They don't pay. You know, there's
24:29a lot of reasons why they shouldn't be top, but they are top. So well done to them for staying
24:36there. It's a very close battle behind them, really, for all the other places. Kroger are
24:40second at the moment. Havens Heath, Petersfield and Crawley Down Gatwick are the other sides in
24:45the playoff places. But Crawley Down Gatwick are only three points ahead of another two sides,
24:50which is Roffey and Eastbourne United. And even Peace Haven down in eighth will still think they've
24:55got a chance of playoffs. Six games left, five points behind fifth. So not without a chance.
25:01Havens Heath, we thought early season we're going to go sort of toe to toe with Hassex, didn't we?
25:05And it was going to be a two-horse race, but they sort of faded mid-season. They had a lot of
25:11changes at the club, but they seem to have come out the other side of that now. And they're quite
25:15strong again now, so they could be worth keeping an eye on for the playoffs. Down at the bottom,
25:21quite interesting, actually. It's closer than it was. Salt Dean are bottom with 20 points.
25:26Little Common, who have improved, they've now won six games. And for a lot of the season,
25:30they were stuck on one win. So they've moved up a place. They're on 22. And then Shoreham and
25:35Lockswood will both be battling to stay out of that bottom two. They're both on 25 points. Shoreham
25:42have had a change of manager this week. Some changes made down there at Middle Road. So,
25:49yeah, lots to play for at the bottom as well. Teams who are in that division won't want to
25:54drop down. In Division 1, still very much between Seaford Town and Forest Row at the top. Seaford
26:01Town have been top for quite a while, but Forest Row have still got the games in hand. So Forest
26:06Row, three games in hand over Seaford and four points behind them. So it's kind of in their hands,
26:12but that is quite a lot of games to play. They're going to be playing two a week,
26:16I think, between now and the end of the season. So that'll be hard for them. Race for the playoffs
26:21there. Obviously, Dawking B are third, but can't go in the playoffs. They can't get promoted because
26:25they're a B team. So your sort of top prospects for the playoffs from Forest Row downwards also
26:32includes Goldarming Infinity, who have gone a bit under the radar. They're a Chichester area club
26:38who have done very well. Worthing United, who I think I said pre-season, I think they were my tip
26:42for the title there, but that hasn't quite worked out, but could still be in the playoffs. So all
26:47very exciting there. And then down at the bottom, as we were really, Old Fold and Montpelier Villa,
26:52the bottom two. And we should just say, I know we don't often mention Division Two, but
26:56congratulations to Rustington, who for the first time have won the Division Two title with a bit
27:02to spare. They're a side who I think I'm right in saying can't go any higher at the moment because
27:07they're ground, but very consistent performers in Division Two. So well done to them for lifting
27:12that one again. Absolutely. Congratulations to Rustington. And then finally, we now know who will
27:17be competing in this season's Sussex Senior Cup final. Lil Hampton met East Bonbarra in the first
27:22semi on March 4th before current holders Horsham lined up to take on Brighton's Under-21s in the
27:27second semi-final on Tuesday just gone. Who made it through to the final, Steve, and who's the early
27:32money on? Yes, so it's Horsham against Lil Hampton in the final, which we're all looking forward to,
27:39I think, for the final. No disrespect to Brighton Under-21s, but it always feels a little bit odd
27:44when they get to the final. They don't have many fans, you know, you don't get many Brighton fans
27:49interested in them. So it's nice to have sort of two proper Sussex clubs in that final. It's step
27:56three against step four, you'd have to say Horsham, strong favourites. Good cup side, Horsham, you
28:02know, you look at what they've done in the Senior Cup last season and in recent years in the FA Cup
28:07and FA Trophy, but Lil Hampton are a good cup side too and they'll fancy that. They beat East
28:12Bourneborough a couple of weeks ago in quite a sort of tough battle down at Lansing. In recent
28:19years they've beaten a number of other sides from higher divisions as well. So it should be a good
28:24final. We're just waiting to see what the date for that will be. It will be at the Amex probably
28:27sort of second week of May, something like that. Gary, a few years since Burgess Hill got to the
28:33final. I was there covering it when you played Bogner in 2019. I don't know if you were involved
28:39then. Great competition, isn't it? And it's one that all Sussex sides like to do well in and get
28:45to that final if they can. Yeah, it's a competition we really enjoy. We do go out to try and win it.
28:52You know, some teams rotate squads, but we go out to try and win it. Unfortunately this year
28:57we lost on pens to the Bryon under-21s. Good game, but yeah, it wasn't to be. But yeah, we'll be there
29:05in the final watching. Have another go next year. Yeah, absolutely. As ever, we will round up with
29:12our chosen game of the weekend where we choose the game we think you should pay the most attention to
29:17in Sussex. I've gone for Hastings v Chichester in the Istvan Premier on Saturday. It's a big
29:21Sussex derby. A win for Hastings would help their hopes of survival, while a win for Chichester City,
29:26who have been superb. I don't think we can say enough how good they've been.
29:30Could see them jump into the playoff places and, as we said, it would be quite remarkable if they
29:34managed to do that. Steve, what have you gone for? So, I'm going for a similar sort of game, but two
29:40divisions lower. SCFL Premier, I'm going to go for Shoreham against Hassex. Hassex, as I said,
29:48three wins away from the title and seven games to get them. So, they'll be close. They'll be going
29:52all out to get one of those wins at Shoreham, but it won't be easy because Shoreham are needing
29:59points to make sure they stay in the Premier division and they've got some new management
30:02and I think some new players. I think they've brought in sort of five or six new players
30:06in the past week or so. So, that could be a tricky one for Hassex. It'll be interesting to see who
30:10comes out on top. And for those who don't know, who are Burgess up against this weekend? Gary,
30:17how are you and the squad feeling going into it?
30:21We're away to Herne Bay. So, a bit of a journey on Saturday. But we'll go into it confident.
30:27We've had a good week with the win on Saturday and an incredible draw on
30:33Tuesday. Really good game. But yeah, we'll go into it confident. But Herne Bay also will be
30:39confident. They've scored nine in the last two. So, they've had an upturn of form as well. So,
30:45it should be a really, really good game.
30:47Yeah. Best of luck to Burgess here. And that's all for this episode. Our thanks to Gary for
30:51joining us. Don't forget to keep checking out sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport for all
30:55the best coverage of local football plus your local Sussex weekly papers. Join us again soon
31:00for another look at all things non-league in Sussex. And thank you again, Gary, for joining us.
31:05You're welcome. Thanks for your time.