That was the season that…wasn’t: Golden Gloves.

We thought we’d take a look back on our award winners during the season that wasn’t. Finally, we’re taking a look at those mean defences.

Premier Division:

August 2019: Haringey Borough

We’re headed to Coles Park, where Haringey Borough started the new season in magnificent style, winning five of their six matches and conceding only four goals. That earned the side in yellow our first Premier Division AB1 Golden Gloves Award of the season, because although other clubs tied with them for goals conceded, Borough had the best overall record.

September 2019: Horsham

Horsham didn’t just have a magnificent September, they’d had a magnificent season so far, and ended the month riding high in the upper reaches of the Premier Division table. September saw them play three league matches, record three league victories, and concede only one goal.

October 2019: Potters Bar Town.

With three league matches played, no defeats, nine points and only two goals conceded, Potters Bar Town had a superb October. The highlights of their month in the League were their four goal hauls against Bishop’s Stortford and Bognor Regis Town- although Stortford did get a goal back, the party-poopers.

November 2019: Kingstonian

“Don’t Cha wish your keeper was Rob Tolfrey?” So sing the fans of Kingstonian, and with good reason. Rob and his mean defence won our AB1 Golden Gloves Award for November, conceding only one league goal.

December 2019: Worthing

Worthing had a magnificent month- a month which saw them climb the table to end up behind leaders Folkestone Invicta on only goal difference. They also had the best away record in the division, although that didn’t help them win this award as all of their league matches in December were at home!

Three league matches, three victories, and our plaudits went to Carl Rushworth and his mean defence.

January 2020: Worthing

For the second month in a row we were off to the South Coast, and heading up Woodside Road. With thirteen points from fifteen in January, Worthing soared to the top of the table. Bognor Regis Town, Merstham, Brightlingsea Regent and Cheshunt were defeated, East Thurrock United escaped with a goalless draw, fourteen goals were scored, and only one was conceded.

February 2020: Cray Wanderers

Wands conceded only two goals during the month of February, an average of half a goal a game. Yes, we know you can’t score half a goal, but that’s what happens when you’re relying on maths! Horsham and Worthing were the only sides to find a way past Lewis Carey and his fabulous defence- and neither of them managed to get anything else, as Wands took all of the points on each occasion.

North Division:

August 2019: Coggeshall Town.

We headed to Essex for our first award of the new season, and arrived at West Street, home of Coggeshall Town. Our supporters decided that the Seed Growers were the title favourites, and Town did little to disappoint them in August, remaining unbeaten- but also, more importantly for this award, conceding only two goals.

September 2019: Great Wakering Rovers

We headed east, into Essex, through the outskirts at Southend, past a collection of beautifully kept allotments, and arrived at Great Wakering Rovers, who picked up our North Division award. Three league matches saw Rovers score seven goals, concede only two, and soar up the North Division table.

October 2019: Dereham Town

Dereham Town were our North Division draw specialists, with five of them by the end of October- and that should demonstrate that their defence was rather difficult to breach. October saw the Magpies go unbeaten, with two draws and a victory- and when you consider that two of their opponents were high-flying Coggeshall Town (victory) and Grays Athletic (draw) those results became even more impressive.

November 2019: Tilbury

Tilbury conceded only three league goals in five matches during the month, and whilst they were no slouches at the other end either we were looking to recognise their mean defence, which averaged out as the best of the lot.

December 2019: Maldon & Tiptree

We’d already been to Maldon to deliver a number of awards this season, but his one recognised their mean defence, which perhaps was forgotten given the number of goals they were scoring. The Jammers conceded only two goals in their four December victories.

January 2020: Tilbury

We headed to Chadfields for the second time this campaign. Unbeaten in five matches and conceding only three goals, Harry Aldridge and his defence were the rocks upon which the Dockers success was built.

February 2020: Coggeshall Town

We headed down West Street, to the home of those Seed Growers, Coggeshall Town.

Town had a fabulous February. Four matches resulted in three wins and a draw, two clean sheets, and only three goals conceded- that’s three quarters of a goal a game! Both Ashlee Jones and Jake Jessup shared the goalkeeping duties, so we left the Seed Growers to decide where the gloves went.

South Central Division:

August 2019: Westfield

Westfield had a magnificent first campaign in the Isthmian League, and started their second season as they played most of the first, with a string of victories. They remained unbeaten in August, but we celebrated their prowess in defence, which was particularly mean, being breached only once during August.

September 2019: Tooting & Mitcham United

Tooting & Mitcham United had been magnificent at both ends of the field- and in all competitions- but it's league matches alone we were looking at, and they had the best defence in September, conceding only one goal in their three games.

October 2019: South Park

Our award for the meanest defence in the South Central Division during October went to South Park.

The Sparks had a great start to the campaign, capped with an unbeaten October in the league, and two clean sheets. When you consider that the only team to breach their backline was unbeaten Ware, and that even the Wodson Park faithful had only one point to celebrate after that match- and that their side had to score a last minute equaliser to earn it- the form of the Sparks during the month perhaps becomes even more evident.

November 2019: Marlow

Marlow were their usual mean selves in defence. Their four league matches during November saw them concede only three goals- and the fact that they picked up our award for the month should surprise nobody, as they won it a number of times last season too.

December 2019: Westfield/Chipstead

We had a tie- and it was probably a goalless draw! Our plaudits went to Westfield and to Chipstead. Field conceded only two goals in their four December matches, whilst Chipstead had been similarly superb, conceding the same number in winning their four wins- two of them against the same opponents as Westfield.

January 2020: Bracknell Town

Four league matches played and three clean sheets- only Ashford Town found their way through the Robins rearguard, and they still left with nothing. Given there was more than one goalkeeper during this period, we left the Robins to decide who got the golden gloves!

February 2020: Bracknell Town

For the second month in a row we were off to Larges Lane. Bracknell Town had a magnificent February, scoring fourteen goals and charging up the table- but whilst most of the attention went to their free-scoring attack, we focused on the other end. The Robins were underpinned by their miserly back line, which conceded only ONE goal during this period. We’d have congratulated Staines Town for scoring it, if only they hadn’t conceded seven!

South East Division:

August 2019: Hastings United

Hastings United perhaps didn’t score as many goals during August as manager Chris Agutter would have liked, but at the other end they were meaner than the Grinch, more secure than the Bank of England, tighter than a…actually, we’ll stop there. The records tell the story- four League matches, zero goals conceded

September 2019: Hastings United

For the second month in a row we were off to the Pilot Field. Three league matches in September saw them concede only one goal, and not lose at all. They started the season as favourites for South East promotion, and continued to show why.

October 2019: Whitstable Town

The good folk of Whitstable were nearly as good at keeping the ball out of their nets as they are at getting oysters into them! Our award for October went to the Belmont, home of Whitstable Town. There were a number of mean South East Division defences in October, with three sides conceding only one league goal from three matches. The Oysterboys, therefore, pick up this award by virtue of scoring one more goal than their competition, which perhaps demonstrates that they defended from the front!

November 2019: Cray Valley PM

A side that spent November looking down at the rest perhaps proved that success was built on solid foundations, as Cray Valley PM picked up our November prize. Five league matches saw the Millers concede four goals and that gave them, after we did the maths, the best defence in the division.

December 2019: Hythe Town

The Cannons didn’t concede a single goal during their three December matches. Clean sheets against Guernsey, Ramsgate and VCD Athletic meant that our gloves were sent to Will Godmon, with congratulations to the keeper and his rather miserly defence.

January 2020: Hastings United

Somewhat unsurprisingly we headed back to Pilot Field for a third visit. January saw six league matches, four clean sheets, and only three goals conceded.

February 2020: Ashford United

The Nuts and Bolts added our goalkeeping prize to their February Performance of the Month trophy. Six matches and only four goals conceded gave them victory with only 0.67 goals a game conceded, Chichester City getting three quarters of them in the last match of the month.

With clean sheets against East Grinstead Town, Sittingbourne, Hastings United and Guernsey, congratulations went to the incomparable Sam Mott and his exceptional defence!

So there you have it. If we were to create a Golden Gloves league table then Hastings United, with three wins, would sit on the top, closely followed by Sussex rivals Worthing, who had two, as had Tilbury, Coggeshall Town and Bracknell Town.

Thanks to ABI Goalkeeping for their support.

'AB1 Goalkeeping was the brainchild of one of the Premier League’s leading goalkeepers, Asmir Begovic. With his 15 years’ experience playing at the highest levels of top-flight international football, plus a development team with over 20 years’ experience of developing first-class goalkeeping products, we have a range of equipment to suit all levels of the game, from Grass Roots Football to the Premier League.'