Newhaven FC Season Review 2022/23

There’s a thin line between success and failure.

A line so thin, that it’s nigh-on impossible for me to decide what category Newhaven’s 2022/23 season falls into.

Firstly, let’s be clear from the outset. I thought we’d win the league last season. As did many people involved at the club. And probably a fair few from outside it, too.

There’s no hiding the fact that this was the aim. The target.

Ultimately, it was a target we didn’t hit. We failed to achieve our goal.

However, does finishing third really constitute a failure?

Let’s have this right, it’s not like Newhaven are among the SCFL’s big spenders. Far from it. This is no Wrexham-type situation whereby a failure to win the league clearly would have been a disappointment. A failure.

Newhaven’s 2022/23 squad was one that had been gradually put together over a number of seasons. The players were – and still are – here through a mixture of loyalty and a belief that it’s a club that’s going places. Not to enhance their bank balance.

Yet with the talent that had been assembled by Sean Breach and Andy Cook prior to the start 0f 2022/23, and having been close to promotion in previous years, it was hoped that the time had finally come. The next step awaited.

Unfortunately, it didn’t. Not yet anyway.

The first two games of the season were actually a prophecy of what was to come. There’s a saying in football that you can’t win a league title in the opening matches, but you can lose one.

And that exactly what happened.

At the time, back-to-back away defeats to Crawley Down and Steyning seemed like poor results. Its doubtful many people from outside of those two clubs would have predicted that both would end up finishing the season inside the top five.

As it turned out, they were results that would perfectly sum up the Docker’s main problem last season. An inability to beat – or take points off – other teams at the top end of the table.

In fact, just one league win was achieved against any of the other teams who finished in the top five (a 2-1 victory over Eastbourne United). That aside, only two points came from the other seven fixtures (draws with deserving champions Broadbridge Heath and Eastbourne United).

Just another win, or even a couple more draws, in these top-of-the-table fixtures could have ended up making all the difference.

Sure, there were other defeats and dropped points here and there. There were dire performances away at Bexhill and the town formerly known as New Anzac-on-Sea. But these things happen during a season. Broadbridge Heath themselves dropped points to both sides who were eventually relegated.

It was the games against the other challengers that cost us. Of this there is no doubt.

Injuries and other absences certainly didn’t help the cause.

Ian Robinson and Bailie Rogers both missed much of the early months of the season through injury. Charlie Bennett missed three months through travelling. Harry Reed missed much of the season injured. Robbie Keith (illness) only played half a match. Lukas Franzen-Jones left to join (at the time) higher division Haywards Heath for a few months before returning. Lee Robinson missed the run-in through injury… These are just a selection of lengthy absences that I can remember. I’m sure there were others, too.

Of course, the major loss, was that of top-scorer Alfie Rogers, whose brilliant performances earned him a move to Whitehawk in January. That he still ended the season as the Docker’s top scorer with 27 goals in all competitions illustrates just how much he was missed.

Yet, in spite of the disappointment of missing out on the league title, there were many, many highs.

The Dockers ended the season scoring an astonishing 119 goals in just 38 league games – a step five high!

There were two double digit wins – one against Roffey in the league, one against Canterbury City in a quite barmy FA Cup replay; Newhaven had actually been reduced to ten men at 6-0.

There was a win in the Sussex Senior Cup against Whitehawk and a draw at Sheppey United in the FA Cup. Both of which showed that Newhaven had what it takes to compete against teams at higher levels.

Although the replay against Sheppey ended up in a 2-1 defeat in what was the first match played on the new Fort Road playing surface, this was actually one of my favourite games of the season. The noise when Alfie Rogers put us in front that evening was met by arguably the largest roar I’ve heard at the Trafalgar Ground for quite a while.

This leads on to the crowds. While we may not have topped the league table, we did end up topping the attendance table (let’s face it, it’s the one we all really wanted 😉) boasting an average gate of 264 – up from 144 a season earlier. There were almost 800 in attendance for our Boxing Day victory over New Anzac. This, again, is testament to the entertainment on offer on the pitch (most weeks).

The emergence of young talent through the youth ranks was also pleasing to see with Max Vardy and Ryan Blunt both featuring regularly in the first team, and others featuring sporadically. Alex Patching netted the first of what I’m sure will be many senior goals in a 7-0 demolition of Saltdean.

Blunt, at just 18 years of age, was particularly impressive, and a fully-deserving winner of the manager’s player of the year award. Definitely one to keep an eye on.

Then, of course, there was the Peter Bentley Cup win over Crowborough. A great way to finish the season, even if the Docker’s did turn in one of their worst performances of the season on the day. Who cared? I certainly didn’t. And nor did the players, management or other fans if the celebrations that afternoon were anything to go by!

So a cup win and a third-placed finish. 

Is it what we were looking for back in August 2022? Probably not. 

Does it constitute a failure? Again, probably not.

Let’s call it a grey area.

There’s little doubt that 2023/24 will be very different.

We wave goodbye to five players. Four to higher division Lancing – Henry Watson, Jack Meeres, Bennett and Franzen Jones – as well as Marcin Ruda who is moving out of the area.

But this is football it happens. Every club loses players every season - we ourselves lost a few at the end of last season. It’s the nature of the beast. 

When you have a team that's packed full of quality, it’s inevitable that they will attract attention from higher division clubs.

Long-term under 18s, 23s and first-team coach, Kieran Ridley, also moves on to take the hotseat at Saltdean United. 

Like the aforementioned players, he will be sorely missed.

Yet, the management team have been busy all summer to make sure these departures won’t adversely affect the club.

As has already been announced, Tony Coade and Luke Carter have both joined the coaching set-up ahead of the new season; the former as first-team coach, the latter as Under 23s gaffer.

Exciting newly signed players are also soon to be announced. But I’ll save those announcements for now. Keep an eye across Newhaven’s social media platforms over the coming days to see who these new Dockers will be.

On Saturday (1^st July), we officially say goodbye to the 2022/23 season and hello to 2023/24, as the first pre-season friendly takes place at Fort Road. Roffey are the visitors and it’s a 1pm kick-off.

It would be great to see as many there as possible.

Come On You Dockers!