Three Bridges. No Goals.

Three Bridges station was quiet for a Saturday afternoon. Normally the platforms are filled with people heading to Chelsea, West Ham, Arsenal, Spurs and more- and in recent years the number of Brighton & Hove Albion fans that can be spotted as trains speed (speed? It’s Southern Rail and Thameslink, so you’ll need to suspend your disbelief for a moment) through has increased markedly, proof that success is attractive. Today, however, the five platforms under the grey skies of Crawley were rather more empty than usual, a legacy of the international break- and perhaps the fact that the locals had decided to stay local. Crawley Town were due to face Colchester United a mile or so away, but more importantly, a stones throw from the station, Three Bridges were preparing to face Ramsgate in the BetVictor Isthmian South East Division.

Three Bridges, in case you weren’t aware of it before the previous paragraph, is a district of Crawley- and one that dates back many hundreds of years. It was so named because- you’ll never guess- it had three bridges, but these weren’t the railway bridges that currently cross Haslett Avenue to the right of the Snooty Fox public house, but rather three small bridges which once crossed separate streams; apparently tributaries of the Mole, the river that occasionally decides it doesn’t like Leatherhead FC and covers Fetcham Grove under muddy effluent. It is an area best known for its railway junction, and the pastoral countryside shown in maps from 1842, the year after the railway station opened, are long gone; covered by a concrete jungle of houses, office buildings, roads and shops thrown up after the 1946 New Town Act designated Crawley one of its ‘beneficiaries.’

The Snooty Fox appeared to be doing good business. It’s a rather peculiar name for a pub, as snooty isn’t really an adjective easily associated with the family vulpine. The Sly Fox? Fair enough. The Cunning Fox? Perhaps, although it doesn’t really trip off the tongue. But the Snooty Fox? It’s difficult to imagine a fox showing disapproval to those from a lower social class, or even to work out to which social class a fox would belong. You would perhaps expect him to be a committed working class creature, as he’d be unlikely to be mixing with those who would climb on a horse and set their dogs on him, but in Crawley he is apparently snooty and proud of it. The sign outside the establishment shows him in a pair of rather long black boots, nose pointed heavenwards, dressed in red. On that basis it might be fair to imagine that he is a Crawley Town supporter, his likeness captured in a moment when he was contemplating his contempt for AFC Wimbledon.

Jubilee Field, home of Three Bridges FC, is a short walk from both pub and station, and upon our arrival at half past one the car park was beginning to fill up. There was hope of a decent crowd today, as despite the attractions of their nearby League Two neighbours it was Non League Day, and in honour of that the club had reduced their prices as low as they possibly could- to next to nothing, asking only for a donation to Prostate Cancer UK. And the two cheerful chaps with a bucket at the gate weren’t taking no for an answer, even from the players!

Jubilee Field is a pleasant little ground; a green oasis in a desert of concrete. The club that occupies it has never had a great deal of success- indeed, in one hundred and eighteen years of history the highest league position achieved is seventh in our South Division in 2015- but in truth, that’s not really what Three Bridges FC is about. Running fifteen teams, the club is very conscious of its place in the community, and works hard to be a positive influence on all those who regularly run out in amber and black. Their youth sides have had a positive reputation in the Sussex community for years, and regularly have the kind of success which eludes the first team- as the trophy cabinet in the well-apportioned club bar demonstrates.

If those watching the first team this season were hoping for something to cheer about, they’d have been disappointed thus far. Bridges started the day in seventeenth place in our South East Division, without a win since defeating Chichester City away from home on September 17th. Chichester have had their revenge and more since that match, knocking Bridges out of the FA Trophy and, in midweek, walloping them six-two here in the Velocity Trophy, whilst they’ve also lost to Whitstable Town in the League. Perhaps the one consolation the home fans had coming into today’s match was that their opponents, Ramsgate, have been even worse, and sit in nineteenth place.

The positive for the Rams faithful, perhaps, is that recent form has shown an improvement for their side. They defeated bottom placed East Grinstead Town last weekend, their first league victory of the season, and only a solitary one-nil defeat to Haywards Heath Town in a Trophy replay has marred their last few weeks, their other matches being drawn. That said, neither side have had the start to the season they would have wanted or perhaps even expected, particularly given the experience in their ranks, and particularly the quality of their forward lines. Ramsgate have former Sittingbourne and Folkestone Invicta striker Kane Rowland spearheading their attack, whilst Bridges have the mercurial Andre McCollin, who made his name at Corinthian-Casuals and Kingstonian and can be unplayable on occasions. When you note that McCollin is supported by former Dorking Wanderers man Tom Tolfrey and former Worthing midfielder Brannon O’Neill you’d expect Bridges to be further up the table. Perhaps today would be the day they’d start to turn things around?

Earlier in the morning there had been a pitch inspection, as the turf had apparently been waterlogged the previous day. It certainly wasn’t waterlogged now, despite the persistent drizzle falling on it and on everyone around it, and it was no surprise that the game had been given the go-ahead. Surrounding the pitch were areas of hard standing, a small section of terracing, and two stands- a larger one down one side, a smaller one alongside the clubhouse at the other. A new electronic scoreboard stood at one end. Inside and outside the ground, banners advertised a forthcoming firework display, an event that happens here every year and is always very well attended. What we wanted today, however, was for all fireworks to be confined to the pitch.

The teams arrived into the murk three minutes before kick off, whilst most of the spectators huddled under the narrow roof of the clubhouse, perhaps trying to be warmed by any residual heat emerging from the tea bar. A cameraman stood above them, on the roof itself, and the visitors got into a huddle whilst the home side did a passable impression of the hokey-cokey. And then we were off.

The visitors settled quickest, having most of the early pressure without really doing anything with it- but the hosts had the first chance, as a lovely cross almost found McCollin, but the forward couldn’t quite stretch far enough to connect with it. Another great cross, again from Matt Whitehead, gave Bridges the second chance of the game; and again McCollin was the target, but the header was wide. Rory Smith for the Rams then had the first shot of the match in the thirteenth minute, but although he hit it hard it was straight down the throat of Kieron Thorp in the Bridges goal, and the keeper wasn’t greatly troubled. He again wasn’t troubled as Rams full back Jack Paxman fired in a fierce drive that went past the far post.

Most of the play had been in the Bridges half, but a free kick nearly thirty yards out gave them the chance to apply some pressure of their own. Curtis Gayler, arrived only this morning from East Grinstead Town, took it and fired straight into the three-man wall, but he gathered the rebound and put the ball into the box, but again, a player in red was first to it. We reached the halfway point of the first half, and the rain got harder.

As we passed the half hour mark the visitors continued to dominate possession, but continued to fail to find an end product. They passed the ball around nicely, Michael Aziaya at the base of their midfield particularly impressive, but again and again the last ball was poorly chosen and their attacks broke down. In a rare foray Whitehead fed Andrew Sesay for Bridges, but the shot, off balance, cleared the goal, the cars in the car park, and the boundary hedge. It was a moment that summed up the game so far. Shortly afterwards Bridges gave the ball away again, and Whitehead yelled, to nobody in particular, “why do we keep doing that?” It was a question both sides could have been asking.

Eight minutes from the break a great run and cross from Jack Morrell forced the keeper to touch the ball over for a corner, and a shot from Jonathan Steele was deflected for another. Ramsgate committed men forward in numbers, so Bridges were able to break quickly into empty space, but McCollin’s effort was easily saved. A deflected shot from Lee Hall also forced Jonathan Miles in the Rams goal to do some work, and with four minutes left in the half a stretching McCollin had another effort, but couldn’t direct it on target. Bridges were suddenly on top, and another shot, from Gayler, flew over the bar. A couple of wasted Rams corners, another flurry of Bridges pressure, and the half came to an end as the floodlights flickered into life in a way that the game hadn’t, yet.

Ramsgate started the second half the way they’d played most of the first- dominating possession. But could they find an end product? The answer, initially at least, was a firm no, as another Jack Paxman cross drifted harmlessly by the far post. Kane Rowland found his way into the referees notebook, it seemed for kicking the ball away, unable to find a positive outlet for his frustration. The visitors then came the closest they’d managed all game, as a shot from Rory Smith took a wicked deflection and forced Thorp to change direction to make a diving save- but the ball was cleared and they had to start again.

Bridges swapped McCollin for Tolfrey, who had been on the bench, and brought on Mo Sabek for John Lansdale. They had twenty five minutes to make an impact. The next impact was made by Gayler, on Aziaya’s ankle, and it produced a yellow card for the Bridges man. A few minutes later Aziaya got one of his own, and the Rams went ahead, if only on cautions.

Into the last twenty minutes and we had a little panic in the Rams penalty area. Miles couldn’t catch a cross, and had to make a point-blank save as Gayler fired back the loose ball. Then at the other end a flowing move ended with Steele on the edge of the home box, but Thorp was able to make a diving save to keep out the best chance of the game so far, as the Rams midfielder looked on, aghast. The home side made their third chance, bringing on Simon Offei, the visitors yet to make one.

We were just about to enter the last ten minutes when Andrew Sesay was upended on the edge of the Ramsgate box. The free kick was hit straight into the wall, the rebound into a defender, and the Rams broke, Smith forcing a good save from Thorp. Could we, perhaps, get a goal before full time? Gunner was the next to try, forcing a save from Miles.

Ramsgate made two changes. On came Ashley Miller and Matthew Robinson, off came Rowland and Aziaya, the latter having seen his influence wain dramatically since the restart. It made no difference.

As we moved into added time Tolfrey forced a save which Miles made look slightly more difficult hat it should have been, and then, at the other end, Ramsgate forced a corner, which was- surprise- wasted. Two of the three minutes indicated by the referee had elapsed, and soon the third had gone the same way.

A match between the two lowest-scoring sides in the Division was never likely to turn out to be a goalfest. But whilst both showed some quality, if they are not to have a long, hard season, they’ll need to find their shooting boots.

And they’ll need to find them fairly soon.