It's funny, its only been two weeks but it seems like an age since our trophy lift. The season feels over, but it isn't...
Brighton & Hove Albion v Worthing -
Match CentreTickets are still available* -
Albion Website
*and will be on the day just for more money, if you don't want to give BHA PLC all your details!
So, where to start? It's totally impossible to compare the teams in the traditional preview format, its less comparing apples to apples as comparing apples to Space Hoppers. They've got a collection of massively valuable kids from all corners of the earth who are together full time whilst being showered with all the luxuries you'd expect of an EPL set-up... and we are Worthing! So there's no point even trying for this one, all I can do is just highlight where we've been before and how we got here.
There's only one place to start and that's Culver Road on the 3rd March 2020. The SSCC Semi Final which was our penultimate game before Covid changed the world...
BHAFC v WFC -
HighlightsThe history books will show we lost that day... but then again,
they don't!
As much as it rankles that our promotion was 'null & voided' that season, so too was the SSCC. What's good for the goose is good for the gander so if Rocks can try and pretend we didn't do the double over them that year then so too can we pretend we never lost to Albion. Indeed because of the pandemic Bognor are STILL the reigning champions, beating Burgess Hill Town after extra time at the Amex back in 2019.
The line-up's for that last meeting make for interesting reading -
Link - Now i'm no first class honours degree student of EPL and EFL football but none of the names of the Brighton team that day ring a single bell. On the flip side (
the unique keeper issue aside that night) the vast majority of squad is still with us and has just torn up the Isthmian Premier League. Given that their U23 Development Squad is supposed to be there to feed their first team you'd expect at least someone over two tears later to still be doing something in the game... even little old Worthing's squad that night now shows an EPL player and a EFL player.
That just serves to underline the feeling I have about a side like BHA's U23 Development squad being in this competition at all. What is the point of them? They are a cuckoo in the nest of Sussex County football and even their USP falls flat as they are producing less talent that we are! Its the same square peg round hole thing as the way 'Acadamy status' clubs have been shoehorned into playing in the minor EFL competition the Check-a-trade/Papa John's Trophy. It devalues these competitons for me, there's no level playing field, they're from a different universe. Anyway i'll pop down off my soapbox before the abomination this fixture being at the Amex gets added to my rant!
Random stats, this is our 32nd final in the competition and we have won it 21 times in (deep breath!)... 1893, 1904, 1908, 1914, 1920, 1923, 1927, 1929, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1952, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1975, 1977, 1978 and 1999. That makes us the most successful side in the SSCC ever but we haven't won for 23 years now.
Our path to the final this season...
R2 - Worthing 6-2 Seaford Town.
R3 - Worthing 3-0 Lewes
QF - Bognor Regis 0-2 Worthing
SF - Three Bridges 0-5 Worthing
Their path to the final this season...
R2 - Haywards Heath Town 0-6 BHA
R3 - Chichester City 0-1 BHA
QF - Eastbourne Town 0-3 BHA
SF - Horsham 1-2 BHA
BHA U23 Development Squad... Pen Pics -
BHA WebsiteTable -
Premier League 2Results -
BHA Website (scroll over to the U23 page)
Turns out I actually know one of their players as his Dad is an old friend, thankfully he's injured so misses out.
For us squad wise the passage of time means the 'stiffs' at the end of the season may have come back into contention and on the flip side those rumoured to have been moving on may have already moved on, or may wish to preserve their fitness and not jeopardise a dream move up the pyramid, all fully respected if they do. Hinsh will want to make a good account of ourselves at his old club so whilst I am sure he will have allowed a period of celebration he has long since had them back for some form of training. The chances of the squad being 'on the beach' physically and mentally is therefore pretty unlikley. Will the same be true for the young mercenaries of Albion?, will they fancy the fight?
As you know I always look for an opposition forum to get the views from our opponents. Obviously at our level (
hopefully it'll improve in the NLS?) they're as rare as hen's teeth but clearly Albion's one, as you would expect, is thriving -
North Stand Chat (Big Board) - but after skimming through the first five pages I couldn't find any reference to the game at all. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect much, rightly so they've got bigger fish to fry that us Mackerels! But it does serve to underline the earlier point about the pointlessness of them being in this competition, its irrelevant to them.
Sure there'll be a decent turnout of their number on the night, I understand they've given their season ticket holders some freebies/discount as its their turf. But they'll be mainly 'tourists' for the night, as clueless as to the players in their own team as they are to the players in ours. But in whatever numbers they come 'pressed men' can never beat a standing army. Consequently even though they'll outnumber us we're sure to 'win the occasion'... even if their stupid ground rules negate our drum and our flags... fire safety certificate indeed!
So if you're going just have a great night, whatever will be will be. If you're not then Pete will i'm sure bring you the action on Rebel Yell Live... unless he too is banned because he doesn't have the right coloured press association pass FFS!
The result, who knows? They have all the advantages in life but like I say, 'we are Worthing' and they just don't have that character. Will it be enough?, honestly, probably not. Some 'Julio Goalio' wonderkid you've never heard of and probably never will again will have the game of his little life and that'll be that. But to crib Kevin Keegan "I would love it, I would just love it" if we defied the expectations and beat them on their own turf.
Come on you Rebels!