[Football] Sussex Sunday League Football 80s to Today

[Super Steve Earle]

The ones I came up against looked like heavyweight boxers, East End drug dealers, serial killers in drag and dodgy heart specialists who fell off the rails. The latter were the scariest.

Funnily enough, I was reminded just this week that I played for a bank team against Ford Open Prison back in 1972/73, obviously at their place. Never played Sunday League, but they were no angels!

 

[Birdie Boy]

Buckingham Park in Shoreham I am guessing.
My home pitch for Shoreham Utd and Greenjacket.

I played for Shoreham utd around mid to late 90's. We got to a cup final and I got sent off for smacking a teammate... I also played for Ricardo's on a Saturday.

Sunday's was Easthill Athletic and Cricketers Southwick.

Great days, miss them.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I played for Wivelsfield Green 83-86 on a Sunday - seem to recall the goal-mouths were tricky to even stand up in ....

 

[Taybha]

I played for Wivelsfield Green 83-86 on a Sunday - seem to recall the goal-mouths were tricky to even stand up in ....

Was that the pitch where you got changed in a shed then had to walk along the road a bit to get to the mud bath.

 

[Seat Stealer]

1976-1978 Brighton Hospitals (Pitch at back of Brighton General) and Stanmer Park
1978 -1980 Alliance & Leicester (Rowan Avenue)
1989 - 1991 Downsman Pub (Buckingham Park)
1991 - 1993 Alrdrington Royals (Easthill Park)

All dates are approx because its forever ago.
I do remember playing one game at that slope pitch on ditchling road. What a joke! I think we played uphill 1st half 0-4 and then downhill 2nd half won 7-4!!!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Funnily enough, I was reminded just this week that I played for a bank team against Ford Open Prison back in 1972/73, obviously at their place. Never played Sunday League, but they were no angels!

Ford Open Prison 3
Bank team 2

Ford scored the winning goal in the 90th minute, hopefully someone from your team said " we were robbed " as they walked back to the changing rooms.

 

[Braggfan]

Isn’t that Preston Park?

I thought it was Preston Park as well.

 

[Braggfan]

Isn’t that Preston Park?

Just realised when you hover over the picture , the file name says "preston park"

 

[Boroseagull]

Slightly off the original topic, but is the Brighton Mid-week league still in operation? I played a few games for Portslade Wednesday around 1970 and seem to remember playing teams from Brighton Coop, Post Office etc. There were quite a few teams in this era as it coincided with shops still closing for a half day on Wednesdays. After injury I also officiated for a short while after injury before moving to Hertfordshire.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Never played in that league. Played works football for a couple of years with Southdown Building Society in the National Building Society Cup and in scratch matches against Hurstpierpoint (where my boss was on the committee) and teams organised by ex Albion Steve Piper who was an IFA at the time. Up to that point Piper was comfortably the best player I came up against.

Sunday League was never for me as Saturdays were either following the Albion away or clubbing until the stupid wee hours but I played 5-a-side for my new company when I moved on including a completely insane tournament against Sunday League clubs in Folkestone every year. [MENTION=396]WATFORD zero[/MENTION] and [MENTION=1426]The Wookiee[/MENTION] might remember some of the stories from those days. In the summer I did manage to rouse my sorry backside to play villiage cricket (and Advanced Chair Smashing) with the OP [MENTION=12422]Taybha[/MENTION]

Started playing 11-a-side again when I moved abroad to Taiwan as part of my next job, spending three years as the centre back for the brilliantly fun TienMu B52s. Proper Sunday League against ex pats. Booze and fags before and after and some very interesting tackles. That was when I played against a player who was better than Piper. Our rivals, The Taipei Red Lions, had a player who had been on Bayren Munich's books as a youngster but had retired at that level due to a knee injury. He didn't play regularly and apparently didn't ever last long. In a friendly against them these two facts were overlooked by our coach and I ended up marking him. The ball came over, he killed it stone dead, left me on my arse with a swivel of the hips and stuck it in the top bins from 35 yards not unlike Curtis Jones for Liverpool. Two minutes after that my mate two footed him. He left the pich screaming and never played again. Wasn't even a yellow

 

[Big_Unit]

Brighton League (Saturdays) - Brighton 1664, 1996 - 2002. Montpelier Villa, 2003-2003.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Brighton League (Saturdays) - Brighton 1664,

Think I read about you in Samuel Pepys diary. Did you have a minute's silence for the Great Fire a couple of years later?

 

[amexer]

Brighton director Ray Bloom, Tony Blooms nephew ran a side I think called Hove Dynamos, Not sure what league they played in

 

[Dave the OAP]

I played for Wivelsfield Green 83-86 on a Sunday - seem to recall the goal-mouths were tricky to even stand up in ....

Yep, we played there a few times ...it was like playing in a bog!

 

[Dave the OAP]

Mmmm, grown men in the park, a pint at half-time.

Quick fag, then off the to pub.

Hmmm, isn't it, wasn't it?

View attachment 118970

 

[Taybha]

Anybody remember the Ref that just stood in the center circle? Tall thin grey haired bloke probably in his late 70s at the time I was playing, he was still fitter and better than Moss

 

[Jack Hackett]

Think I do. His name was Reilly I think? Awful ref.

Anybody remember the Ref that just stood in the center circle? Tall thin grey haired bloke probably in his late 70s at the time I was playing, he was still fitter and better than Moss

 

[The Birdman]

Scaynes Hill div 4 north (champions) Sunday
Then broke my leg playing for Scaynes Hill( relegated) away lost 2-1 to Plumpton (champions) Premier league Mid Sussex gave up playing
Missed the night game against palace ( in to much pain) but went to Millwall and Aldershot on crutches

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Think I do. His name was Reilly I think? Awful ref.

It was Reilly - was still reffing in the Worthing league well into his 70's. Had lost it in his later years as he couldn't get anywhere near play but at least he still turned up - cycling to games on his bike.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

We had Reilly ref us once. The two teams that kicked off next to us were coming out to get in their cars while we were still playing. His watch must have stopped!