Festive three-points rounds off 2025 at Fort Road in style

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 Bresciani was denied by a decent save, before Ezra Roeg couldn’t bundle the ball over the line from close-range; going with his head when a foot may have been a more preferable option.

On 11 minutes, though, Newhaven did hit the front. Tom Howard-Bold’s inviting low curling free-kick was swept home by impressive debutant Dan Allen to open the scoring.

The visitors looked to have responded immediately, when the dangerous Oli Leslie lobbed Roman Chiosa, only for a belated off-side flag to cut Crawley Down’s celebrations short.

Newhaven continued to control most of the play, although the visitors did pose an occasional threat with their direct style, looking to turn the Docker’s defence as often as possible.

It was Newhaven, though, who continued to create most of the game’s best openings. They too had a goal chalked off for off-side (this time the decision being made instantly), while Ashley Wadhams was denied by a good save from a well-struck long-range effort, before Ryan Blunt dragged wide after an enterprising forward run. Something we were to see plenty more of in the second-half.

With half-time approaching, however, Crawley Down got themselves back on level terms. A long-ball (no surprise there) was flicked on, and Leslie did brilliantly to flick the ball over a defender before finishing sublimely into the corner. With my defender hat on, I’d say we allowed him to get in a little too easily, but that takes nothing away from what was a very well-taken goal.

Going in level at half-time in a match that we really should have been ahead in could have rocked the youthful Docker’s confidence. Not a bit of it.

The second-half was arguably as good a performance as any we’ve seen this season, with Blunt particularly instrumental in a half of pure Docker dominance.

The midfielder should have put us back in front with seconds of the restart, heading Hammond’s inch-perfect cross wastefully wide.

Fortunately, Blunt didn’t have to wait too long to make amends. Ten minutes later, another brilliant fizzed Howard-Bold free-kick was helped home by Blunt at the back post.

From this moment on there was only going to be one winner, with Crawley Down struggling to apply any pressure to the Newhaven defence whatsoever.

Blunt was the catalyst of many of Newhaven’s attacks. He was denied again after doing well to keep the ball in play, before Shay Tobin was just off target from the edge of the area.

Lee Robinson was then denied, after he held the ball up well but could only shoot tamely at the keeper.

This was to prove merely a practice attempt, though. With 19 minutes left, Robbo chased down a perfectly weighted through ball from Blunt before cutting inside and finding the bottom corner with a confident finish.

Still the Newhaven chances kept coming. Blunt was denied again, Wadhams was just off target with a long-range effort, while Teddy Wood pulled wide after waltzing his way into the area.

With five minutes left, the Anvils were reduced to ten men courtesy of the sin-bin, although even with 11 it was impossible to see anyway back into the game for the visitors. They never looked like scoring in the second-half.

Their numbers could easily have been reduced further just moments later when Robbo was pushed over when clean through on goal, but the referee rather bizarrely decided there was nothing doing. This is the same ref that gave a Crawley Down player off-side from a throw-in earlier in the game, so take that as you will.

Come full-time, the Dockers had run out very comfortable 3-1 winners. The only downside of the day being that the final scoreline didn’t really reflect the overall balance of play. But three points is three points. The perfect predecessor to the first team’s Christmas gathering at Winter Wonderland the following day.

We now move onto the Big Day (no, not that one).

With no Boxing Day fixture this year, on Saturday we make the short journey to Peacehaven to take on our local rivals in what is shaping up to be one of the most important league meetings between the two clubs for quite a while; both harbouring real chances of staking a play-off place.

It’s sure to be packed at Piddinghoe Avenue (and noisy), so it would be great to see as many of you there was possible, to help lend your support.

Three-points would be a very welcome belated Christmas present!

Here’s hoping that everyone has an amazing Christmas! See you on Boxing Day.

Come On You Dockers!

My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Ryan Blunt. Not sure this is going to be considered controversial in the slightest (for once). Blunt was simply outstanding throughout (and especially in the second-half), excelling in the number ten roll that he has made his own. Maybe he should go on a work do every Friday night? (or maybe not).