#COYD - Come on You Dockers

Newhaven 3 Crawley Down Gatwick 1, SCFL Premier Division match #21, Saturday 20 th December 2025 For one final time in 2025, Newhaven were at Fort Road on Saturday, with the hope being that they could provide their loyal fans with some early Christmas cheer. Standing in the way of doing so were Crawley Down Gatwick; a team we have already played twice this season – drawing 2-2 in the reverse league fixture and winning 2-1 in the Peter Bentley Cup. The Anvils, perhaps surprisingly, are currently struggling towards the foot of the table, having finished just one place outside the play-offs last season. They are also winless in the league since late October and in danger of being dragged into an unlikely relegation battle. However, after a 2-2 draw with a struggling AFC Varndeanians team last time out, the Dockers would be taking nothing for granted. Newhaven started fast and had two decent opportunities to take the lead inside the first ten minutes. First centre back Elliot Br...

AFC Varndeanians 2 Newhaven 2, SCFL Premier Division match #20, Saturday 13 th December 2025 Newhaven started the second-half of their league campaign with a visit to bottom-of-the-league AFC Varndeanians. With the Dockers on a run of decent form, and the Vs… erm… not so much, hopes were understandably high that we could keep the run going. However, if recent results are anything to go by, the Brighton-based side appear to have developed a bit of defensive solidarity in recent weeks; one that may have been lacking earlier in the season. As you would probably expect, Newhaven settled into the game quicker and had a couple of early nearly moments. Firstly, a whipped Tom Howard-Bold free-kick was tipped unconvincingly wide by the V’s keeper, before a Corey Smart corner rolled right along the six-yard box without anyone being on hand to tap it in. Lee Robinson then went close with a flicked header that drifted wide. In the 11 th minute, though, the V’s were probably unlucky not t...

Newhaven 3 Midhurst and Easebourne 0, SCFL Premier Division match #19, Saturday 6 th December 2025 Newhaven hosted Midhurst and Easebourne yesterday afternoon, hoping to build on their impressive win at Forest Row last time out. Having won the reverse fixture back in late August courtesy of a Harry Hammond goal, completing a league double over our visitors would see us cement our position in the play-offs at the halfway point of the season. The Stags came into this match without a league win since late September so expectations were certainly high for a home win. On a blustery afternoon, both teams initially struggled to get to grips with the tricky conditions, with neither side really able to get a foothold in the game. That being said, there were chances for both teams in the opening 20-minutes, with the best arguably falling to the visitors when one of their players got through on goal only to drag his shot just the wrong side of the post (or the right side from our perspec...

Forest Row 2 Newhaven 4, SCFL Premier Division match #18, Saturday 29 th November 2025 Looking to banish the disappointment of last week’s derby defeat against Seaford, Newhaven travelled to Forest Row (or Three Bridges to be exact) looking to bounce back against a fellow play-off contender. Although we had beaten Row earlier in the season in the County Cup, this is a very different Forest Row side from that one. Having started the season on fire, the hosts have slipped slightly in recent weeks, losing four in a row before halting the slide with a 3-0 win against Little Common last time out. With illness having depleted the Dockers ranks somewhat, it was an unfamiliar starting 11 that took to the field for us on Saturday, with a number of players playing out of position; especially in the back four. Yet the game could not have got off to a better start for us. Perfect would be probably an understatement. Within a minute we took the lead. Lee Robinson was clipped just outside...

Newhaven 1 Seaford 3, SCFL Premier Division match #17, Saturday 22 nd November 2025 In a week that had seen two very different, but equally impressive Dockers performances, it was hoped that a home derby against Seaford Town would enable us to finish the week in style. The signs going into the game were positive. Newhaven had already hosted Seaford twice this season in cup competitions, winning both with a minimum of fuss. In fairness, since the second of these two victories, Seaford have had an upturn in results, and went into this match with three wins from their last four games to currently sit firmly in midtable. Yet Newhaven will have been fully confident of making it three wins from three yesterday afternoon. And after 15 minutes, it would have taken a brave person to bet against them doing so. The Dockers were already a goal to the good by this point and looking supremely comfortable, dominating possession and staving off Seaford’s counter attacks without too much of ...

Newhaven 0 Worthing 3, Sussex Senior Cup Round 3, Tuesday 18 th November 2025 Newhaven faced one of their biggest matches in many-a-year last night when they welcomed National League South side Worthing to Fort Road in the Sussex Senior Cup. For the past few seasons, Worthing have consistently been Sussex’s top-performing non-league side, with aspirations of eventually making the jump to full professional level. This was always going to be a monumental test for a very young Dockers side; even more so given the strong starting 11 the visitors fielded, and the electric run of form they are currently on. Let’s make no bones about it, Worthing are a good side. A very good side. Right from kick-off that much was clear to see. Their speed of movement and thought - both on and off the ball - made it seem like, whether defending or attacking, they always had an extra player on the park. There’s a reason the Rebels are currently, and have for the past few seasons been, challenging for ...