Haywards Heath 4 Newhaven 3, SCFL Premier Division match #37, Saturday 18th April 2026
Newhaven’s penultimate match of the season saw us travel to title-chasing
Haywards Heath.
While this match may have been something of a dead rubber
from our perspective, for the hosts it was anything but. Anything but three
points would see Steyning claim the title if they could overcome Peacehaven in
a game that was taking place at the same time.
However, while there may have not been any real pressure on the
young Dockers, this was the ideal opportunity for us to show that we really can compete against
the very best teams in the league.
It has been our results against the teams in and around the play-off
places (a victory away to Horsham YM being the exception) that has ultimately
cost us our own shot at the play-offs this season.
And all too often these defeats have been damning in how
comfortably we’ve been brushed aside.
With this game pretty much a free-hit, here was the chance to prove that we really can push on next season.
It was certainly the Dockers who made the brighter start to this match, playing with a confidence and freedom that we haven’t often seen
against the stronger teams this season.
In fact, had Shay Tobin made better contact from a low cross
into the box, then we could have found ourselves ahead with barely a minute
on the clock,
It was Newhaven who continued to look more threatening in
the early stages, almost completely dominating territory.
However, as we learned to our cost in the reverse fixture
earlier in the season, Haywards Heath are always a threat. Not afraid to go
direct, and with a long-throw that means any throw-in inside our defensive half is likely
to find its way into our area, you can’t ever switch off against this team.
Indeed, it was somewhat inevitably from a long throw that
the hosts took the lead in the ninth minute. We failed to clear our lines, and
the ball found its way somewhat fortuitously to Mark Goldson who made no mistake
from close-range.
Fears that this could cause the floodgates to open were
swiftly alleviated, though. Within four minutes the Dockers were level.
Ash Wadhams latched onto a fine Ryan Blunt through ball, before
pulling it across the six-yard box where Lee Robinson was waiting to stab home.
Moments later, the Dockers had a chance to take the lead,
but Rudi Jones was off target from the edge of the area.
Mid-way through the half, Haywards Heath began to take a
firmer control of proceedings, pushing the Dockers further and further back,
and utilising their direct style to good effect.
Jonny Barnes-Galloway had to be alert to turn an acrobatic
effort wide of the post, before with almost half-an-hour played, Heath retook
the lead.
It came as no surprise to anyone watching that the goal once
again came from a set-piece. This time a corner swirled over Barnes-Galloway’s head
(through not fault of his own; he was being completely mauled at the time) and was turned in by former Docker Henry Watson just before it crossed the line.
The hosts almost extended their lead a few moments later,
only for a fiercely struck Goldson effort to crash off the bar.
It was to be only a temporary reprieve. Ten minutes before
the interval, Heath got their third. A miscued clearance fell kindly to a Heath
head, and the flick on found Goldson who raced through to give the hosts a
certain degree of comfort.
The Dockers tried to respond before half-time, but
they closest they came to reducing the arrears was through a Blunt cross that sailed over the keeper’s
head and looked for a moment to be heading in, before eventually landing on the
roof of the net.
3-1 down at the break seemed slightly harsh on a Dockers
side who had more than competed in what had been for the most part a fairly
even half on the balance of play. The main difference being the long
throw which is a weapon the hosts exploit really well.
Six minutes after the restart, the hosts thought they’d put
the game to bed, taking full advantage of the luckless Billy Barker
pulling up with yet another injury, and putting the ball into the net through Brannon
O’Neil, only for the goal to be swiftly chalked off for a handball in the build-up. Much
to our obvious relief.
Things got even better for Newhaven two minutes later when
we moved back to within a goal of our opponents in truly stunning style.
Harry Hammond, Tobin and Teddy Wood did really well to work the
ball out of a tight space before finding Charlie Gibson on the halfway line.
The midfielder did the rest, striding forward before unleashing a quite
brilliant curling finish into the top corner, giving the Heath keeper no chance.
Game back on.
Alas, within ten minutes the hosts had once more regained
their two-goal lead. Again the source of the goal came from a set-piece, with
Newhaven making a hash of clearing their lines, before the ball found its way
through to Callum Lawson who simply couldn’t miss. And didn’t.
Still, though, Newhaven refused to lie down and let Heath
secure the win that would prolong their involvement in the title race.
Yes, we had to rely on a bit more luck when another Heath
goal was disallowed, this time for a foul throw (about time; I swear he’d been
over the line a fair few times in the first-half) but with five minutes
remaining we were once again right back in the game.
Ezra Roeg’s teasing cross was headed up in the air by a
Heath defender, and Billy Oliver reacted quickest to superbly loop a header
over the stranded home goalkeeper.
Suddenly there was a clear sense of tension around the Hanbury
Stadium as Newhaven pushed for what at one point had seemed like being an unlikely
equaliser. Matters weren't being helped for the hosts by news that Steyning were two-goals up. An equaliser would end their title dreams.
Haywards Heath didn't panic, though. They used all their experience to run the
clock down and keep the Dockers at bay, meaning the league title goes right
down to the wire, with both Steyning and Haywards Heath in with a shout of winning
it on the final day of the season.
This result ensures Newhaven will finish the season in a
highly creditable eighth position (although we’re only three points behind the
two teams ahead of us, a far inferior goal difference means catching them is
impossible). Considering where we were pre-season, this is still a quite
remarkable achievement and full credit must got to the management for putting
together a competitive squad in such a short space of time.
Performances like this also show that if we can keep this group
together next season, we don’t need to fear anyone.
With just one game left, and it being at Fort Road, it would
be great to get as many people as possible down to watch on Saturday to thank
all the players and staff for their efforts throughout the season. Promotion
chasing Horsham YM (play-off status already confirmed) are the visitors, and it
would be great to make another statement of what we’re about and secure a double
over a team that could be playing a level higher than us next season.
Please note, kick-off is at the slightly earlier time of
14:00. It would be great to see you there.
Come On You Dockers!
My man of the match (aka, the controversial part): Charlie Gibson. Some good performances all over the park, but Gibson gets the nod due to a tidy, hardworking, overall performance, and for scoring one of the best goals I’ve seen this season.
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