Encouraging signs as Newhaven return to winning ways

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 the area, up stepped Tom Howard-Bold and seconds later the ball was in the net, courtesy of a brilliantly executed strike into the corner.

Sensing blood, Newhaven went for the jugular, creating chance after chance in an opening period as good as any I can remember so far this season.

Teddy Wood twice went close with efforts from just outside the area, while Elliott Bresciani was just wide from a corner, and Robbo should have done better from close-range after beating the off-side trap.

Roman Chiosa was called into action just once in the opening 15-minutes, saving well to keep Row at bay.

The only other action of note in the opening 20-minutes occurred when renowned powerhouse Teddy Wood somehow managed to send their winger flying to the floor, after brushing (and even that word overstates the amount of contact somewhat) to the ground. Even the assistant could only laugh as the guy appealed for something (I’ve no idea what). It was all a bit embarrassing, really.

Regardless, just as it had been against Seaford a week ago, it was the Dockers who had bossed the early stages.

Unfortunately, just as had happened seven days ago, midway through the first-half a failure to grab a second goal while well on top was punished as Forest Row equalised on a rare foray forward.

Arthur Rawlingson did well to clear the first effort off the line, but the ball fell kindly to Matt Feeney-Hill who got just enough on his header to force it over the line.

Thankfully, unlike last week, on this occasion Newhaven brushed the setback aside and immediately went back onto the front foot.

Robinson was denied by a decent save following brilliant work in midfield from Noah Hoffman, before Hoffman himself had an effort which sailed high and wide of the target.

A goal was definitely needed before half-time to cement what had been a hugely encouraging overall display.

We got two.

First, Teddy Wood got the goal his enterprising performance had deserved, cutting in from the right before driving into the area and finishing calmly into the corner.

Then, on the stroke of half-time, Howard-Bold and Lincoln Shearing combined brilliantly down the left, with the latter squaring to Robbo who this time made no mistake from close-range.

Two goals ahead at the break seemed about right given the way the first-half had panned out.

However, the Dockers have had a tendency to be a bit of a one-half team at times this season, so as the fans gathered in the clubhouse during the interval, no one was feeling as comfortable as we probably should have been.

Indeed, just eight minutes into the second-half Row were right back in it. Richmond (or Richard according to one of his teammates – who shall remain nameless for the time being) Osei’s clearance fell kindly to the Row winger. He played it back inside and Fenney-Hill grabbed his second of the game with a delightful first-time finish from the edge of the area which gave Chiosa little chance.

Five minutes later, Chiosa reacted well to keep out a swirling free-kick.

Suddenly, it looked like a long second-half was on the cards.

However, from that moment on, the momentum shifted right back into Newhaven’s favour with the introductions of Shay Tobin and Corey Smart helping us to regain the initiative.

The lively Smart was straight into the action, forcing Row’s keeper into a good save.

Chiosa then had to tip a dipping long-range drive over the bar, before the Dockers assumed full-control of the game, creating chances almost at will.

Blunt was denied by a strong-hand from the Row keeper, and seconds later Smart scuffed wide when well-placed.

Smart then went close again, dragging a shot just wide, before with ten minutes remaining Newhaven finally made the game safe.

Ryan Blunt burst down the right and crossed low for Tobin, who poked the ball home for his first goal for the Dockers.

Still Newhaven continued to pour forward, Wood and Smart were both denied once again by the home keeper, who despite shipping four goals was easily his team’s best player.

Chiosa, who had also performed admirably between the sticks, was called into action again in injury-time, once more saving a free-kick, but it was the Dockers who ultimately came out on top, with one of their best performances of the season.

With us now sitting fourth in the table (albeit having played more games than the teams around us) as the campaign closes in on its mid-point, consistency is now what’s needed as we look to push on and maintain what at the start of the season had seemed a highly unlikely play-off push.

Our next three games are certainly all winnable on paper. But as the old, well-trotted out cliché goes: games aren’t played on paper.

Next Saturday we host Midhurst and Easebourne at Fort Road, before we travel to AFC Varndeanians a week later. A home match against Crawley Down Gatwick on the 20^th December rounds out our pre-Christmas action.

We all know what comes next. Lets hope we can go into that particular match on the back of a run of really good form.

Your help in getting behind the boys is, as ever, greatly appreciated.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Teddy Wood. A number of very good performances across the pitch, but Wood gets the nod from me. Lively and involved from the off, Wood was a constant source of menace to Forest Row’s beleaguered defence.