Mark Dunford is joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and special guest Sussex football legend Pat Harding. Pat started his playing days in 2002 and spent four years with Hassocks, then had three years at Eastbourne Borough in the National League and spells with Horsham and Whitehawk in the Isthmian League before 11 seasons at Burgess Hill, also in the Isthmian.
He then returned to Hassocks for two seasons before retiring at the end of last season - and made the move straight to being the Robins’ chairman.
He then returned to Hassocks for two seasons before retiring at the end of last season - and made the move straight to being the Robins’ chairman.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of the Sussex Non-League Podcast where we take a look at all the latest
00:04goings on at grassroots football across the county. I'm Mark Dunford and on this edition
00:08I'm joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone and a special guest. Steve and I are both
00:13delighted to be joined by a legend of Sussex football, Pat Harding. Pat started his playing
00:17days in 2002 and spent four years with Hassox, then had three years at Eastbourne Borough
00:22in the National League and spouse with Horsham and Whitehawk in the Ishmael League before
00:2611 seasons at Burgess Hill, also in the Ishmael. He then returned to Hassox for two seasons
00:31before retiring at the end of last season and made the move straight to being the Robbins
00:35chairman. Thanks for joining us Pat and I believe you joined us on a very special day
00:39for yourself. It's my birthday today, yes. Well happy birthday, are you doing anything
00:44special for it? No, nothing at all. Fair enough, but you've got a Saturday off we believe,
00:50yeah? We've got a Saturday off, yeah, Wicks changing rooms are being affected by some
00:56of the heavy rain, I think, so it's already cancelled today, for tomorrow, sorry. So yeah,
01:03free Saturday for us. Lovely, excellent, yes, nice to have a free Saturday once in a while.
01:08So how are things going as chairman of Hassox? They're going really, really well. Dangerously
01:17well. It's almost too good to be true at the minute and I keep feeling a little bit guilty
01:23and a little bit apprehensive how well it's going. I mean, there's always little minor
01:27problems, but on all fronts, everyone's so positive, everything's going so well. So yeah,
01:35can't complain at all. It's a good place to be around and I know there's ups and downs
01:39in football, so I'm kind of trying to just enjoy this up part, shall we say. Yeah, at
01:45least you haven't got flooded changing rooms to deal with at the moment. I mean, very true,
01:48yeah. Touch wood, yeah. Pat, Hassox top of the table at the moment, actually eight points
01:54clear at the top after a good weekend last weekend. Did you expect that this season?
02:00Obviously you had a good run last year, you got to the playoffs, but did anyone expect
02:03to be right up there and sort of running away with Hayward Seath just behind you?
02:09Not really. I didn't really know what to expect. Last year we were fifth with our maximum points
02:14we've ever got. And I thought that's going to be a hard bar to raise. And they've just
02:21done amazingly. I mean, I retired, a couple of other players retired, some moved to different
02:26parts of the country. So the team split up a little bit, but the manager's been brilliant.
02:32He's recruited really well. The team spirit's excellent. And yeah, we're just on a bit of a run
02:38really. And we keep getting last minute winners all the time. And you think, God, this is,
02:42you know, maybe it might happen for us, but we'll just go with it. We'll see, you know,
02:47it's all good stuff. And if it did, I know this is sort of leaping forward a bit, but
02:53what's the situation? If Hassox were to win the league or to win the playoffs and you had the
02:58chance of promotion, are you able to take promotion at the moment? Is the ground in
03:03a condition that would be acceptable for the Isthmian? Yes, it is. But fortunately I've come
03:09in as a chairman and the previous chairman, Dave John, and all the board there, they've always had
03:14a high priority on facilities. And this is like a prime example of why that's so important, because
03:21it will be no problems for us at all to go up. I think we've got the nicest ground in the league.
03:25We've ticked off all the criteria. We are becoming a bigger team in this league organically. So
03:35we're not far off. And we've had conversations with the board and the management about what
03:39we'll do if we go up. It will be tougher because we've gone into a harder league, but
03:44we are becoming ready because the whole set up and the fan base is growing and the whole
03:51atmosphere and support around all the volunteers and everything's growing. So it's just,
03:58it's all growing naturally, really, which is ideal for us.
04:02Do you have, sorry, supplementary question to that. Is it financially, is it quite a big burden
04:08if you do go up? Are you prepared for that now? Yes and no. I'm not an emotional chairman. So I
04:15will go long term with what the club can sustainably afford. And I'm massive on that
04:21word sustainability. There's no point. I mean, we could throw money at it this season if we really
04:27wanted to, and then we wouldn't have money for other times or to improve facilities that last
04:31long term. So we are not in a major rush. If we go up, we would look to pay, you know, expenses,
04:38win bonus, draw bonus, something like that. We haven't figured out the exact maths yet, but we
04:43are kind of working on it now. At the minute, we don't pay any players at all. Zero budget, zero
04:50expenses. So it's amazing we're top. We pay absolutely zero. But I do realise going into
04:55semi-pro, you're travelling away to Ramsgate, Margate, Deal. It becomes more of a commitment.
05:01It's more professional. I think players, if they're taking time off work, that just warrant
05:06payment. So we are going down that route. But we're not going to chase something we can't
05:11afford. You know, I've seen too many clubs act stupidly. So it's not that, you know, what will be
05:17will be with us. We will do the best we can. And we're always increasing the profit margin as best
05:22we can. But I'm not going to be stupid and kind of go along the route of we must do this.
05:29We must gain promotion every single level because every club's got its ceiling and we
05:33are a village club at the end of the day. Yeah, absolutely. And going back to the league this
05:39season, it looks like a really good battle with you and Heywood Teef at the moment. How fierce
05:43is that rivalry between you and your neighbours? I really enjoy the rivalry. I think it's brilliant.
05:49I mean, when there's local derbies, it's amazing. It makes it more fun with both at the top.
05:55You know, Heywood Teef are probably a bigger club than us. They definitely got more financial
06:01backing. And we are we're kind of concentrating on ourselves, doing our own thing. And, you know,
06:09we'll see what happens. I mean, it'd be brilliant if we could put them to the title just for bragging
06:13rights. But let's see. I'm hoping we're going to be like a Leicester. You know, everyone wants us
06:19to win. And you play them on Boxing Day, I think, don't you? It's the first derby against them
06:27Boxing Day. Yeah, we have lost to them in the FA Cup already. We've got a good crowd. I think it
06:32was, I can't remember what it was now, but Boxing Day and Easter Monday, you know, I'd expect maybe
06:38six, eight hundred, maybe a thousand. I mean, Easter Monday is the second to last game of
06:42the season. If that comes down to a maple break, it will be. But it's good. I mean,
06:49crowds of both of us are growing. You know, in fact, the non-league scene around is growing,
06:53isn't it? All the clubs, the tenancies are going up and we're trying to maximise that in our village.
07:01Pat, at the start of the podcast, we recapped your playing days and talked about the teams
07:07you played for. Do you still sort of keep an eye on most of those former teams? And
07:11is there one in particular, maybe Burgess Hill, as you were there a long time, that you've maybe got
07:15a bit of a soft spot for still? I keep an eye on all of them. I've got a soft spot for all of
07:21them, to be fair. I've got on well or get on well with all of them still now. So, I want them to do
07:29well. I keep an eye. Yeah, Burgess Hill being local makes it a little bit more interesting.
07:33I can get down there a little bit more than, say, Eastbourne or Horsham. But, you know,
07:37I very much like Eastbourne and Horsham as clubs as well. I think, I mean, Horsham especially,
07:41they are a model non-league club for me. I mean, they are such a brilliant welcoming club.
07:47And then Burgess Hill, it's great to see them do well, always get welcomed back there really
07:51nicely. That's a great kind of atmosphere and fan base there. And Eastbourne Borough,
07:56like the kind of pinnacle non-league team, really. I mean, Worthing might argue that point,
08:01but generally over the years, Eastbourne Borough have always been the top flight
08:04Sussex non-league team. So, yeah, I wish them all well, to be honest.
08:08Yeah. Do you think your progression to the boardroom, perhaps,
08:11shows that more players could be of use to non-league clubs once their playing days have
08:16ended by transferring from on-pitch to off-pitch roles? Not just in coaching,
08:19but managing, but also in helping to run clubs like yourself?
08:23I think so. I think one of the main benefits for me becoming chairman is I know all the wage
08:31structures of County League all the way through to National League. So, I'm not a chairman who's
08:36naive with a player coming in saying, oh, I should be getting this. This is the norm. I know exactly
08:42what each player gets, roughly a ballpark. And I know how all the system works with that kind of
08:47thing. So, I've got the experience of the levels and the playing. And there's some things I'm not
08:52experienced with, which is why it's handy. The ex-chairman at Hassox, Dave John, he's still on
08:57the scene. So, it's good to get his experience. You can't fault that. But, yeah, it's a bit like
09:04things like referees, isn't it? They always try and get ex-players in. And the more ex-players
09:09that can get involved, the better. And for me, it was filling a hole after 22 years playing. So,
09:14that's been my kind of positive. Yeah. I've seemed to be focused on money today. Sorry,
09:21I was just going to ask. Do you think there's too much money in, certainly,
09:24County League level? Do you think there is too much money being thrown about?
09:28County League level, yes. I don't think players really should be getting paid County League.
09:33Travelling around Sussex is, I mean, from playing at the higher levels, the commitment's a lot
09:40harder. And it's a lot more professional. And I think there's a big difference there.
09:45I mean, one of our local clubs has tried to seven-day one of our players for
09:51a three-figure sum per week. And I just think it's crazy money. And it's not the player's fault.
10:00It's not the manager's fault. It's the chairman's fault. The chairman are the ones to blame. They
10:04need to kind of drop their egos and realise what is long-term. Because anyone can do one or two
10:13seasons. It's keeping it going for five seasons, ten seasons, and not ruining the club as you go
10:19on the way. So you've got to be really careful. You've got to have a buffer. You've got to have
10:22ground improvement money. And then the playing expenses should really be on top of that. And
10:26I'm a big believer in that because we come across other teams in our league who are paying. And
10:31their facilities, they're pretty poor, to be honest. And it annoys me because we're sacrificing
10:38our team on the pitch who are doing an amazing job. And our manager's got his hands tied behind
10:44his back because he's got nothing to offer the players. Yet we're spending, say, 14 grand on our
10:49pitch. And then you might get other teams who won't do anything on the pitch and then might
10:54ask for crowdfunding or they might kind of have problems with certain facilities. And you're
11:00thinking, well, hang on a minute. We've sacrificed our team on the pitch for this. So it does
11:07frustrate me a little bit. And there is a problem. But it's egos and it's emotions. And I'm
11:13definitely trying to be, is the right word, a chairman who doesn't get kind of too pulled
11:19into that in that world, really, because it can be easy. Yeah, it's interesting to see how
11:24passionate you are about it as well. Well, I was just saying, it's annoying when you're trying
11:33to improve the standards all round and not everyone's doing it. And that's why sustainability
11:39is my big word. Everything has to be sustainable.
11:47Just on a personal level, Pat, I was going to ask, yeah, now that you've gone down the route
11:54of going into the boardroom, you've gone from playing to being chairman. Does that sort of
11:58rule out any sort of thoughts you might have had about going into coaching management or was that
12:03not really on your radar anyway? No, it wasn't really on my radar. I've never been
12:09a kind of fancy coaching or managing. I don't know why it seems a bit stressful. And that's
12:14weird coming from a chairman realising the stress is there. But I don't know. I quite enjoy the
12:21chairman role. You get to kind of mould the whole atmosphere of the ground and the club. And that's
12:28what's quite appealing to me and the organisation of it. But I didn't expect to be chairman. It's
12:35come up a little bit out of the blue. There's always stresses, but it's all right. I quite enjoy
12:44it. Excellent. We're now going to take a look at how the clubs are getting across the non-league
12:51period. I'm going to ask Steve some questions, but we'll bring you in, Pat, when it's relevant.
12:56So we'll start in the SCFL Premier where Hastings are riding high at the top of the table.
13:00Meanwhile, the Robins title rivals, Hayworth-Heathtown, have a new manager in charge
13:04following the departure of Naeem Ruan. What's the latest in the title battle between these
13:08two mid-Sussex neighbours, Steve? And how is the battle at the bottom of the division shaping up?
13:15Yeah, so at the top, it still looks like being a two-horse race. The gap is surprisingly big
13:22between the top team and the rest for this stage of the season. So you've got Hastings on 50 points.
13:27They've reached the half century already with 16 wins from their 19. Hayworth-Heathtown with
13:31a game in hand, which we think now maybe they'll play this weekend. They're on 42 points, so eight
13:36points behind. But you've then got another nine-point gap down to third place, Roffey in
13:41third. And the chasing pack includes Roffey, Petersfield, Kroger, Bexhill. They're all in
13:46there, but they are a long way behind those top two. And you can't really see anyone other than
13:52the two that are at the top at the moment you would think will finish in the top two.
13:57And the other end, Little Common still struggling. Just had the one win so far,
14:00so they're marooned at the bottom. Just above them, you've got Saltdene-Lingfield-Shaw Room.
14:06But the rest of the bottom of the table, if you like, is quite sort of closely packed. So still
14:11plenty of time for all those teams to get out of trouble. Yeah.
14:15Yeah, absolutely. And it's Kev Green as the new manager at Hayworth-Heathtown, isn't he?
14:19Yeah. I didn't answer that bit of the question, did I? Yes,
14:22sorry. Kevin Green, who took Stenning to the title last year, is the new man at Hayworth-Heath.
14:29They made the, to outsiders, very surprising decision to dispense with Nyme. They seemingly
14:37want to go in a sort of slightly different direction. So Kevin Green brings good knowledge
14:43of that league in as well. Pat, perhaps we could ask you, you'll be aware of what Stenning did
14:50last season with Kevin at the helm and you would think he would appear to be a good choice to take
14:56over at Hayworth-Heath. Yeah, I mean, no doubt Hayworth-Heath are a threat to our title
15:03credentials, shall we say. We're concentrating on ourselves. You know, it's interesting what's
15:11going on down the road there, but they're welcome to do however they want to do it.
15:16I'm just focused on sorting our own things out and we're on our own little race at Hassox.
15:23As long as we're improving and making sure we're moving all the time, that's good enough for me.
15:28Yeah. And who, in your opinion, are the best sides Hassox have faced so far this season
15:32in the Premier? And how difficult is it to get out of this division?
15:37It's a lot better now there's play-offs. It makes it a lot more interesting as well. That's only
15:40new from last year, so that's really good. There's definitely an up-down system in the
15:48pyramid now where I think they want people to kind of move on. Best teams we've played,
15:53Kroger have beaten us, so they've always been good. I've got a lot of time for Kroger, proper club,
15:59good fan base, good community. It's something that I like Hassox to be part of that as well,
16:06the fans, community, everything about it, family-orientated. So Kroger I have a lot of
16:11time for. I think Eastbourne United and Hayward's Heath, I think they will start creeping up. If it
16:17won't be this season, it'll be next season. They might leapfrog us, they might be working quicker
16:24than us, that's fine. Like I said, we're concentrating on ourselves. So yeah, we'll
16:30see what happens. Indeed, yeah, absolutely. Meanwhile, in the SEFL Division 1, a three-way
16:37title fight has emerged at the top of the division. Who are the three sides fighting
16:40it out at the summit, Steve, and who is struggling at the bottom? Notice ex-SCFL Premier Club all
16:46folder having a hard time of things. Yes, so the three at the top of the moment in Division 1,
16:54Forest Row top, Seaford are second, and of course Seaford went close last season, missed out in the
17:01play-off final, almost got promoted to the Premier, and then Dorking, Wanderers B,
17:06they're always quite strong in that league, but can't go up, I think, I'm writing saying because
17:10they're a B team, they're in third place. I still think Seaford might be the ones to sort of watch
17:16there and may go on and get the job done this year. They're not a million miles ahead, those
17:22three of the sort of the chasing pack, you've got Billingshurst there, Godalming, Worthing United,
17:28who we do quite a bit in the Worthing Herald, and AFC Uckfield Town with Billy Wood there, of course,
17:34we've talked about them on past podcasts. They're still sort of lurking, and if they put a good run
17:39together, they could be in the reckoning as well. At the other end, Montpelier Villa, struggling
17:46this season, only had one win, so they're six points adrift at the bottom, and as you've
17:52hinted at, Alfold, who are a previous sort of Premier League, Premier Division team,
17:59second from bottom at the moment, which I don't think too many people would have expected,
18:03with the likes of Cobthorn and Oakwood, but again, those, you know, apart from the
18:11Villa, who are bottom, the rest are kind of still in touch, and we'll still have aspirations of
18:16climbing that league with the number of games left.
18:20Yeah, and this week in the National League saw Eastbourne Borough pick up a draw at mid-table
18:24Chesham, while Worthing boss Chris Agatha toasted a six-point week. Where does that
18:27leave the two clubs in the table, Steve, and would the sports have been disappointed not
18:31to win at Chesham?
18:35Yes, they were. It was quite a dour game at Chesham, I think, gave them a few clear chances,
18:42so they didn't come away thinking, God, how have we not won that? It was just one of those days,
18:47could have gone 1-0 either way. So, you know, if you're winning your home games, you don't mind
18:51the away draws, but Eastbourne and Worthing still having very similar seasons, no separating them
18:57in the table, really. Worthing won in midweek to go above Eastbourne, so Worthing now fifth,
19:01Eastbourne sixth, but they're still very much in that pack, you know. I think there's something
19:06like eight points separating first from 11th in the National South, which just shows you how
19:12competitive it is. Nobody's running away with it, Truro top at the moment, but there's been about
19:17six different teams have led that table so far. So, Eastbourne and Worthing will both be happy
19:22with where they are, just need to stay in that pack and see what they can do over the second
19:26half of the season.
19:28Yes, and Pat, what do you make of the new era at Eastbourne Borough under Simon Leslie? They seem
19:32to be going great, going guns in a competitive National League South. All seems very positive
19:37there at the moment, doesn't it?
19:38Yes, it seems very interesting. Are they full-time at the minute?
19:42Yes, I think they are, aren't they?
19:43Full-time, yes.
19:44Eastbourne are, yes, Worthing are not, but Eastbourne are.
19:48Yes, it'll be interesting to see if they can kind of kick on again. Once they come down from the
19:54National League, they've had a few kind of tough seasons in the South. I think they had one good
19:58season where Danny Blore got them into the play-offs and then now they look like they're
20:04kind of title contenders again. So, yes, exciting times.
20:09Yes, just before the pod, we were talking about one of your best footballing memories, Pat,
20:13about playing at one of the greatest stadiums in the world. So, just talk us through that game.
20:18It was quite a thriller, wasn't it? Lots of goal.
20:21Yes, when I went into the National League Premier with Eastbourne, it was amazing because
20:27for someone like me who grew up kind of county league, we started playing at these kind of
20:31ex-football league grounds and we played Oxford away at Kassem Stadium and there was 4,000 there,
20:38which is the most I've played in front of. We lost 6-3. I did score the first goal,
20:43but the one thing that I remember is when they scored, it felt so loud and I thought,
20:484,000 people, that is such a loud sound. But what's Old Trafford like? What's the Emirates
20:54like with that kind of, you know, 90, 75,000 and all that? It must be a different level,
20:59but for me, 4,000 felt a very deafening sound.
21:05Yes, they're in the Championship now, obviously, Oxford, aren't they?
21:07Yes, amazing.
21:08Yes, there you go, Rye's Arms.
21:13Sorry, I was going to say 4,000 is still quite a big crowd for Oxford, isn't it?
21:17They don't leave it out, yeah.
21:23Both Eastbourne Borough and Worthing are in the FA Trophy third round action this Saturday
21:27alongside Cup Kings Horsham. Borough and Horsham are away to Boreham Wood and Torquay, respectively,
21:32while Worthing entertain Gloucester Port Borough. Which of those ties catches your
21:36eye, Steve, and how many of our Sussex sides do you think will go through?
21:41Yes, they're all quite interesting ties, really. I think Horsham, you wouldn't expect Horsham to
21:46come through at Torquay, but this is a team that have surprised a few bigger teams in the FA Cup
21:53and in the Trophy, in fairness, in the last couple of years, so they'll go down there thinking they've
21:56got a chance. Eastbourne Borough, they keep playing Boreham Wood, they've played them in
22:01every competition, I think, so far this season. That'll be very tight, won't be much in it,
22:05I don't think. You'd probably have to say Boreham Wood, slight favourites, with the home advantage.
22:11Worthing, of the three Sussex teams, Worthing you'd have to say have got the easiest draw there,
22:17they're home to a Step 3 side. My hometown team, actually, Gosford Borough,
22:21so it won't be straightforward, but Worthing are scoring plenty of goals at the moment,
22:25they're in good form. You'd expect them to go through, so I think,
22:31don't want to be pessimistic, but I think we might only have Worthing in the fourth round.
22:35But if that's a little spur to Eastbourne Borough and Horsham to go and prove me wrong tomorrow,
22:41that's great. And I should also just say at this point, I should also just say good luck to
22:46Crawley Down, Gatwick, they are the last Sussex team in the FA Vars, they're in action tomorrow
22:52in the, what I think is the, is it the third round, I'm not sure which round it is now,
22:56but they're away to Tunbridge Wells, so good luck to them. Keep the flag flying for Sussex,
23:00hopefully, in that one. Absolutely. And in the Eastbourne Premier,
23:04Bognor Regis parted ways with manager Robbie Blake following their thumping 7-1 home loss
23:09to Chatham on Saturday. We also saw Lewis pick up a win in four of, in all, first winning four in
23:14all competitions to move back into the play-off places, while Sean Saunders kicked off his second
23:19spell in charge of Whitehawk with victory over Folkestone. What's the latest from our clubs in
23:23the Eastbourne Premier, Steve? Yeah, so a bit of news hot off the press
23:28from one of them is that Hastings United now have a new manager. They've appointed Danny Searle,
23:33who is ex-Ebb Fleet Aldershot Braintree manager and was at one time head of coaching at West Ham,
23:41so he would seem to have a good pedigree. He's got the job at Hastings. They took a few weeks
23:47after Danny Blore left to decide who to appoint, but that's what they've done, that's been announced
23:53overnight, so he will be in charge for the first time at Chichester tomorrow.
23:58Hastings are one of three Sussex teams in the bottom four. It's been a struggle for some of
24:02our sides there. Bognor are bottom and dispensed with Robbie Blake last week after a 7-1 home
24:08defeat to Chatham. They have got interim managers at the moment, David Birmingham and Craig Robson,
24:15looking after things there while Bognor decide who to give the job to.
24:19Just up from Bognor are Whitehawk in 20th, who as you say, Sean Saunders has gone back there with
24:24Adam Simpson alongside him to try to turn their fortunes around. Hastings are also in the bottom
24:29four, but we'll hope that the new manager can get them out of it. Then going from the bottom up,
24:34Horsham and Chichester, they've both had OK seasons, a little bit up and down,
24:38but they're both mid-table, just below mid-table, but with hopes of moving up.
24:43Lewis continued to do well, had a little dip in form, but won again
24:47last week, beat Canvey Island last week and are back in the playoff position, so they're up in
24:51fifth and probably higher than most people would have had them down to be.
24:56Yeah, I forget how many Sussex sides are in that division.
25:04Six, I think, unless I've missed anybody.
25:09Pat, what do you make of Whitehawk's season so far? Do you think the return of Sean Saunders
25:12and Adam Simpson will inspire them? It might do, yeah. We'll see. It's quite
25:18hard when teams are on a bit of a losing spiral. It can be quite tough to turn that around.
25:25They've got a little bit of time, haven't they? December onwards now. We'll see, but it's quite
25:32worrying for Bognor, Hastings, Whitehawk. They're all down there, aren't they? It must be quite
25:37concerning. Yeah, absolutely. Another one of your former clubs, Horsham, you've already
25:43sort of praised them earlier on, have gone from strength to strength in recent years. On the pitch,
25:47they've lifted the Senior Cup, enjoyed memorable FA Cup trips to Football League clubs. While off
25:51the pitch, they have a ground in their town to call their own after years of ground-sharing
25:56at the likes of Lansing, Worthing and Horsham. Has the club changed since your time, Pat,
26:00and what do you make of their season so far? It's very much changed, yeah. I mean,
26:05when I was there, they were still an Ishmael Prem Club and they were kind of a mid-table
26:11Ishmael Prem Club. So, they're not, I suppose, I mean, I expect them to be near the playoffs, but
26:16they're generally roughly the same there. But we were ground-sharing at Horsham YMCA at the time,
26:21which is a pleasant ground, but for Ishmael Prem, it's quite small. And the fan base was probably
26:27about 300, maybe 400. And now they're getting, was it 900 or 1,000 maybe? But it's a lovely setup
26:35there. They've got the 3G there. They kind of catered it well with the different bar sheds
26:39around and the stands. And it's a pleasant place. I've got a couple of ex-teammates who are good
26:46friends of mine. Jack Rivio, the captain, and Lee Harding, no relation, is there. And I speak
26:52to them regularly. So, they're on the way to Torquay now, I think, or half seven, I believe,
26:59they were leaving this morning. So, yeah, they tell me it's all going well there. And it's,
27:05you know, it's just quite a pleasant club all round, really.
27:08Excellent. Yeah. And finally, in the Ishmael South East, Burgess Hill are out of the
27:13playoff places after Saturday's 3-0 home to Sussex rivals Broadbridge Heath, while East
27:18Grinstead shot top of the table Ramsgate in midweek. What's the latest from Step 4, Steve?
27:24Yeah. So, I think we've said on previous podcasts that there's a fair few Sussex teams are
27:29struggling in this division this season. That sort of continues to be the way. But Burgess
27:34Hill are still doing well. Although they lost last Saturday, that was their first defeat in a while,
27:38I think. They're just outside the playoffs at the moment, two points off the playoff places
27:43in sixth place. But the team that beat them might be ones to watch because Broadbridge
27:47Heath had a little bit of an inconsistent first couple of months. But they just won
27:51three away games in a week. And that has made a hell of a difference to their league position.
27:54That's propelled them from about 15th. They're now up to ninth, only eight points behind Burgess
28:00Hill now. So, they'll be thinking that if they can carry on that sort of form, you know, you've got
28:05a lot of fixtures coming up. You've got the Christmas schedule, obviously, which can change
28:09things massively. So, that can go either way. But Broadbridge Heath, having had a good first
28:13season at that level last year, doing well again, which is good to see. Further down,
28:19Eastbourne Town still doing okay. It's their first season back at that level after promotion
28:26through the playoffs last season. And that might be another club we can ask Pat about.
28:31But they're 13th. And then reading down from there, East Grinstead,
28:35Little Hampton, Three Bridges, all outside the bottom four, but not a million miles off of it,
28:39and still need to find a bit of consistency. Lansing and Stenning are the two Sussex teams
28:44who are in that bottom four. And it's just starting to get a little bit stretched to the
28:48bottom now. You've got Phoenix at the bottom on seven points. And they're sort of eight points
28:54from safety. So, whereas for weeks on end, we were saying there was only a few points in it,
28:58just starting to get a bit more stretched now. So, now's the time to find form for some of those
29:03Sussex sides. Yeah, as Steve said there, Pat,
29:07the Burgess Hill were just two points off the playoffs with games in hand on the teams above
29:11them. What have you made of their campaign this year? And do you think they can secure
29:14promotion to the Premier? I think they'll be hoping for
29:17playoffs with their kind of aspirations. It's good to see them kind of being a little bit more
29:23up there because they've had a few seasons where it's been a little bit harder work for them. So,
29:28you know, I've got a lot of time for the fans there. You know, they're really good down there.
29:33So, I really want them to do well. And it'd be great if they can get in the playoffs. I think
29:38they have had, you know, a pretty good start to the season. So, yeah, long way to continue.
29:45But if you got promoted and they stayed in the division, it'd be nice to play them next year.
29:51Yes and no. It'd be hard to play them, but it'd be nice to play them because it's a derby.
29:56I mean, yeah, the more Sussex teams in it, the better. I always think that the derbies bring
30:00excitement, don't they? Yeah. It's interesting looking at Stenning and Eastbourne Town,
30:05who both came up from our league last year. Eastbourne Town beat us in the playoffs.
30:09And they have a pretty modest small budget and they're doing very well for what they've got.
30:16You know, Jude there, I spoke to him in pre-season and he said he's going down the kind of the young
30:21youthful route and he's done really well. And Stenning, you know, just a bit of upheaval there
30:27and they'd probably be hoping for a little bit of a smoother transition. But it's interesting
30:31to see how Stenning, who kind of romped our league and Eastbourne Town, who crept in the
30:36playoffs and then now the next season, they're, you know, they're kind of a little bit reversed.
30:40So maybe it goes back a little bit to my sustainability point earlier and how, you know,
30:47keeping a level head and a bit more of a smoother flow can be more beneficial sometimes.
30:54Indeed. Yeah, definitely. Right. This is where we pick our games of the weekend.
31:00Pat, actually, we assumed you were going to go for Wick versus Hassox, but that won't be happening.
31:06Are you the kind of person that goes to watch another game if your game isn't on or do you
31:10take it as a day off?
31:12A little bit of both. I think my wife thought I'd see more of her once I retired,
31:16but it's actually less. So her and the kids are probably dependent on that. If they're not
31:22bothered, I'll probably sniff out a game. Yeah.
31:26Excellent. I'm going to go for Three Bridges versus Hive in the Ishmin South East. It's 18
31:30versus 19. Bridges are just one point ahead of Hive and the relegation zone. A win would move
31:37Bridges four points clear of the drop with games in hands on the clubs above them. So
31:43hoping Jamie Crellinside can pick up a good win there. Steve, who are you going for tomorrow?
31:48I've got to go for Worthing, Gosport, really, because Worthing are one of the teams I cover.
31:52I speak to Chris Hagerter every week about how they're doing, give them a lot of space in the
31:58Worthing Herald. But they're playing my hometown team, Gosport Borough, first team overwatched.
32:03Gosport watched Gosport before I watched Pompey, in fact. Gosport have had an up and down season.
32:10They got to the playoffs in the Southern League last year, mid-table this year. So a bit
32:15inconsistent, but still capable of beating better sides on their day.
32:19Knowing Worthing, I think it's probably going to be about four all and go to penalties.
32:24They'll still be on, though.
32:25I'm not going to say. Sorry?
32:28Definitely be on, though, on a 3G, won't it?
32:30Yes, that's true. Yeah, exactly. They're safe down there with the weather,
32:35some bad weather around tomorrow. So that will be on. But yeah, I think it's going to be a
32:41high scoring game, shall we say?
32:43Yeah. Well, I've got a footballing memory. One of my greatest footballing memories,
32:47I played in the Gosport and Fairham schools final at Privet Park and we beat Bridgemary 3-2
32:54thanks to a last-minute goal in extra time. The scenes were incredible. There you go.
32:58That was loud noise that day. Not quite as loud as 4,000, but it was pretty good.
33:04Yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Pat, and we hope you have an
33:08enjoyable rest of your birthday. It couldn't have started any better with us.
33:11What more could I ask for?
33:14We wish you all the best for the rest of the season.
33:16Thanks for your coverage, guys. Much appreciated.
33:19No problem at all. Thanks, Pete. And don't forget, Sussex World,
33:24co.uk, forward slash sport and our newspapers are the best place to get your Sussex non-league
33:28coverage. So thanks, guys. See you later.
33:31Cheers, Pat.