Best moments of the Twenty-First Century: Bognor Regis Town

Prior to 2015-16 our record in the Trophy had been fairly average, but we came into the competition on this occasion in good form. We'd assembled a good side at the start of the season, and come the Autumn the campaign had started well.

The first game in the Trophy was away to East Grinstead Town, a match which was switched to Nyewood Lane due to a Bonfire event at East Court. They were comfortably dispatched 3-0. Next up we were away to Taunton, who were going well in the Southern League Southern Division. On a day when we had torrential rain they were beaten 4-2 and we were in the final qualifying round.

Now we started a run of games against teams from a higher division. National South Bath City were beaten at home 1-0 thanks to an 89th minute penalty, and we drew another National South opponent, Maidstone United away- 3G pitch and all. In contrast to the previous round this was a bright and sunny day, and we got a bright and sunny result, winning 1-0 win thanks to a howler by the Maidstone keeper.

Spirits were high and we played well over the Christmas period, finding ourselves near the top of the table with games in hand. In the next round we drew National League Altrincham at home. This match ended up being scheduled for a Tuesday night due to their previous match being delayed. It was bitterly cold, and to get the game on cars were parked on the pitch with their engines running to thaw the ground. It worked, and a dogged performance saw us win 2-1 with the winner a worldly from James Crane very close to the end.

Things were now getting rather serious and the draw for the next round was followed live on Talksport. We were drawn to face another National South team- we had to travel to Sutton United, who had been unbeaten for months. The game was spoiled by a strong wind and a bouncy 3G pitch. It could have gone either way, but finished as a 0-0 stalemate. So we moved onto the replay at Nyewood Lane- probably one of my very favourite Rocks games.

A night match under floodlights, we were underdogs and nearly 1000 crammed in the ground. We took an early lead through the prolific Jason Prior, which was cancelled out by a dubious penalty. We weathered a Sutton barrage in the second half and tried to hit them on the break, but it was 1-1 after 90 minutes so we moved to extra time. The match ebbed and flowed, but was settled by a Sutton defender, Dean Beckwith, who could only place a header into his own net from an Ollie Pearce cross, under pressure from Prior. We then held on relatively comfortably to progress to the quarterfinals, and it was amazing to be in the draw with all these big National League teams.

So who would we draw? Well our big prize turned out to be a home match against recent Football League side Torquay United. A large crowd of nearly 2000 assembled for surely one of Bognor’s biggest games. I have to say that Torquay were struggling to survive in the National League and were very disappointing- perhaps they were concentrating on the league? The score was on 1-0 to Bognor, thanks to a Snorre Nelson header in the second half after Ollie Pearce had hit the bar.

The semi-finals- two legged and an entirely new and unexpected experience for us- beckoned. Remarkably another lower tier team, Northern Premier League Nantwich Town, had also made it to the semis. Tuning in to Talksport, our possible opponents were Nantwich or two more ex-Football League sides, Grimsby Town or Halifax Town. We got Grimsby, at home in the first leg.

A mild March day brought another huge crown to Nyewood Lane. We lost 1-0 and whilst we battled hard, didn't really look like scoring, but only one down we weren't out of it. The following week saw us have a 7 am start on the coach to Grimsby with 200 other fans bedecked in green and white. We arrived at Blundell Park to find the wind whistling in off the North Sea- true brass monkey weather and a real old style ground.

The game was a cracker. We were 1-0 down early on due to a penalty, and keeper Grant Smith was soon blood stained and wearing a head bandage. But we battled back, and Dan Beck equalised just before half time. The next goal was critical and I truly believe if we'd have scored, Bognor would have been at Wembley. The second half wore on and the 200 Bognor fans sang for the whole 45 minutes. In the end a late Grimsby goal settled the tie and the Wembley dream was over. So near to the Arch for little Bognor, and what a run. Ten games, eight against higher opposition. We'll never see the like again.

In the end the season ended disappointingly. The trophy run had left us with a league backlog and we ended the season playing three times a week, something like the last 8 league games in 25 days, including midweek trips to London. We finished second to Hampton and Richmond by one point, then lost the playoff semi to Dulwich Hamlet due to an injury time free kick. I’d never felt so sick. I'd like to mention the players who played over 60 games that season; Grant Smith, Harvey Whyte, Calvin Davies, James Crane, Sami El-Abd, Craig Robson, Gary Charman, Chad Field, Doug Tuck, Dan Beck, Snorre Nielsen, Stuart Green, Alex Parsons, Ollie Pearce, Jason Prior, Alfie Rutherford, and pay tribute to manager and coach Jamie Howell and Darin Kilpatrick. The time you put in was immense.

One question often comes up amongst the fans. Would we have forfeited the Trophy run for promotion? It’s a tough one to answer. At the time we probably would, as that team broke up and I'm sure it would have held its own at National South level. Looking back now, however, I’m not so sure. The Trophy run was amazing, and we eventually got promoted the following year. We’ll probably never experience a season like that at Nyewood Lane again.

Would you like to provide your memories? Email townsendaround@gmail.com with your best moment of the Twenty First Century.

Image from Tommy McMillan, who has just announced that he is standing down from his role as Rocks official photographer on health grounds. We hope your health improves Tommy, and thanks for all of your magnificent photographs. You've done a wonderful job.