Bridge of Cries

The sun was shining, the beer was flowing, and the talk in the bar before today’s match between Three Bridges and Whitehawk was of the last time these two sides met. At that point, in a match between two sides who weren’t really worried about relegation or promotion, Noel Leighton’s goal for Bridges decided the contest, but the match became a point of discussion across the land due to a different score entirely, one which Bridges also ‘won,’ three-two.

Our friends at Your Instant Replay saw their highlights of a match between two mid ranking Step Four sides in South East England go viral for entirely- for those of us who love the game, anyway- the wrong reasons, after the action ended with only seventeen participants remaining. We thought we’d start this report by recalling that first meeting because it’s best we let the elephant out of the room and return it to the jungle as quickly as possible, with or without a trump, trump, trumpetty trump!

Fans of the Toy Dolls can sing along now. Those of you who have never heard of the Toy Dolls, sing along anyway.

Todays match- and here, we apologise to those in red for bringing up another sore point so quickly- was critical due to Whitehawk’s proximity to the wrong end of the table. The Hawks started the day two points above the bottom three, having recently changed manager in the hope of avoiding the dreaded dumper, former Haywards Heath and Peacehaven boss Shaun Saunders now in the dugout. Bridges fans before the game were in no doubt about their wish to heap further guano on the heads of their seaside visitors, secure in the knowledge that their own young side has performed superbly at times, to the extent that they were effectively safe from all worries coming into this match.

In truth, Whitehawk’s problems have not been entirely of their own making. Former Boss Ross Standen often resembled Marcelo Bielsa this season, if you take into account the injury problems he has had to deal with, rather than the grasp of the English language; the only time Ross had needed an interpreter during the campaign was on occasions where he used a few obscure swear words, and truthfully it was difficult to blame him for those. Hawks fans used to wave their keys in the air every time they experienced a “key moment.” This season they’d have been employed more often if they’d waved them every time a key player left the field injured. From the forty players employed by the Hawks before this match, twenty two of them haven’t reached double figures.

Could Saunders put things right? His reign hadn’t started well, with defeat against Hythe Town, and you wondered whether, if change was necessary, it had come too late? Those in red hoped not, and they certainly had a quality manager in the dugout, albeit one who has tended to show that quality at the other end of the table.

The weather was truly glorious. It was as if summer had abruptly arrived, despite the last of the spring daffodils fighting the new season valiantly behind the far goal. Three young mascots, having a kick around on the pitch seventy five minutes before kick off, were complaining about the heat- although given they’ll be on school holiday they’ll probably have spent the whole of the last week complaining, generally of being bored, the internet not working, there being “nothing to watch” on the two thousand available tv channels, that kind of thing. Perhaps the writers personal experience is clouding judgement here, and we could be being unkind; “it’s too hot” might have been a reference to the matchday music, featuring Lionel Ritchie, Loose Ends and Nelly.

But we doubt it, and for more than one reason.

Hawks got us underway, lofting the ball immediately into the faces of Bridges defence, who had the sun in their eyes. But there was, perhaps understandably, a nervousness about the visitors in the early exchanges, a mixture of positivity and misplaced passes. Behind the goal they were attacking a rhythmic drum beat rang out, but it seemed only to influence the rhythm of the hosts, for whom Dan Perry headed the first chance over the bar. Perry, incidentally, scored four of Bridges five goals in defeating Ashford United in February, a performance for which his club lifted the Performance of the Month award before the game.

Bridges took heart from their first foray, and earned the first corner of the game in the fourteenth minute. From it, Noel Leighton- it had to be him- was given far too much time to get above the Hawks defence and nod the ball under the bar.

They were ahead for only three minutes before Javan Splatt, by far the Hawks best player this season, delivered a fine finish to draw them level. That was his eighteenth of the campaign, and it spurred his side forward, and their fans to even greater voice. “You’re just a chip shop in Crawley,” chanted the folks from the ski slope in Brighton at their opponents.

In the 26th minute David Ijaha went on a mazy run forward which both frightened the Bridges defence and damaged his hamstring, the Hawks number eight being replaced by forward Alex Laing. Another stoppage followed almost immediately, an injury for Bryan Villavicencio giving chance for another drinks break and giving the hosts the chance to get the ball into the box from the free kick. It came to naught, but Bridges continued to push forward and earned their second corner. Just like the first Leighton was there with his head, but unlike the first Nathan Stroomberg in the Hawks goal was equal to it, tipping it over. The game slowed down, but Bridges continued to press. Hawks began to defend deep, as if they’d decided they’d be happy to go in level at the break.

Hawks number nine Splatt had other ideas, flicking the ball past Ryan Blackpool on the right, charging forward and firing into the side netting, and a minute later he was tripped by Brannon O’Neill in an even more dangerous position, giving Ollie Munt the chance to deliver another dangerous free kick, one which defeated defence and goalkeeper but bounced out for a goal kick. “We’re going to score in a minute,” sang the visiting hordes, before turning into a Take That tribute act.

They weren’t paying tribute a moment later, as Bridges number five Tad Bromage got over the ball to head his side in front once more, and that was that for the first half. It would be a big second half for the Hawks.

Whitehawk were out for the second half long before their opponents, and much of the group stood by the edge of the centre circle, deep in conversation. It wasn’t difficult to guess the topic. They’d lacked a cutting edge in the first half, and been second to every ball sent into their box. It wasn’t difficult to see how they’d got into trouble.

The second half started as the first had ended, with Bridges in the ascendency and Hawks looking to break out. Splatt, a one man army at number nine, forced a save from Mitch Bromage in the Bridges goal, and then a run from Munt forced a corner. A goalmouth scramble, an air shot from Tyrese Mtunzi and a foul on the keeper, and finally the visitors began to look dangerous. “We will never, ever, ever, go back to Bognor,” sang the away choir, moving their repertoire from Barlow to Swift.

The next chance went to the hosts, Callum Chesworth hitting a white van in the car park, which we mention just so the owner knows what to write on his insurance form- “Misfiring midfielder” will do- but we reached the hour mark with the scores unchanged and a sizeable number of the away contingent grousing into their fast-warming beer. There was reason to grumble, there seemed to be a lack of urgency in the red ranks; indeed Bridges were still creating most of the danger, what there was of it.

With twenty minutes left a foul on the Hawks right brought a yellow card for Michael Wilson, whilst a seemingly scouse Hawks fan ignored this to announce to the world that he was going to support “Newhaven or Lewes” next season. If either club welcomes him they should start a swear box, they’ll have enough money for Ronaldo by half time in their first match. Harry Reed had to be helped from the field, later to leave the ground on crutches- another name on the injury list for Shaun Saunders. “There’s no effort, no coordination, nothing” moaned another Hawks fan, whilst failing to promise his allegiance to Saltdean United, and the clock counted down to ten minutes, at which point Tyrese Mtunzhi limped off, the Hawks having made all their changes already. They’d have to finish the game with ten men, this time through no fault of their own; a statement which kind of sums up their season.

Into the last three minutes and the ten men fashioned a chance, Laing finding the rear end of the car park. His groan of disappointment was matched by those behind the goal, who moved on to a chorus of “You’ll never walk alone.”

Deep into added time, Daniel Thompson fired a cross shot for the hosts just past the far post, and a late home free kick came to naught, before that was that.

A Whitehawk fan on Three Bridges station ten minutes after the match perhaps summed up the match better than we could. “All season it’s been the same. Try to work the ball down the channels, and if that doesn’t work, plan B is to have no plan B. It’s about how well the others around us perform now.”

Bridges had more than enough to win, whilst the Hawks look deep in the mire- which could be even deeper by this time tomorrow.

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