Welcome to the latest installment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this installment, we travelled to West Sussex, and the hometown of my mother (sort of), Bognor Regis, for a taste of Ithsmian Premier Division action. At Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis Town took on Canvey Island as the latter looked to push towards promotion to the National League.
It's All In The Name
The Royal Convalescence drew international attention. Princess Elizabeth, the King's three-year-old granddaughter, was among the many Royal visitors to Bognor. The greatest honour came in June 1929, when King George V approved the suffix "Regis," and Bognor was renamed "Bognor Regis". The club is known as 'the Rocks.' We decided to ask a member of staff after much deliberation about whether it was because there would be sticks of rock sold in the area. A member of the club's staff believes it is due to the fact that in the area, there are some rocks that are very visible when the tide is out, known as the 'Bognor Rocks.'
Some Notable People From Bognor Regis
Cynthia Payne-Brothel Keeper
David Purley- Racing Car Driver
Bruce Welsh- Guitarist From The Shadows
Moira Redmond- Actress
Sue Longhurst-Actress
Some Notable Former Players
Elijah Adebayo
Dean Cox
Mickey Demetriou
Sammy Igoe
Jason Pearce
Tommy Elphick
A History Lesson From AFC Finners
Bognor Regis Football Club was founded in 1883 and is a founding member of the West Sussex Football League. They had a roaring twenties when they won the Senior Division of this league five years in a row before joining the Brighton & Hove District League.
In 1948-49, the club won the Sussex County Division One championship. To avoid confusion with the local rugby club, they added "Town" to their name at the end of that season. They were a member of this league until 1972. For the first time, they reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1972-73, losing 6-0 at Colchester United.
They joined the Isthmian League's Division One in 1981 and were promoted in 1982. Following a couple of good FA Cup runs in the 1980s, they even defeated Swansea away in the 1984-85 season. They advanced to the second round after defeating Enfield in the first round before falling to Gillingham 6-1. They advanced to the first round once more in 1986-87 (losing 1-0 in a replay to Slough Town) and 1987-88. (losing 3–0 at home to Torquay United). In 1988-89, they defeated Exeter City 2-1 before losing to Cambridge United in the Football League.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, they went through a series of promotions and relegations. Bognor finished in the relegation zone in 1991-92, but were saved when Dagenham and Redbridge Forest merged. The following season, however, they finished last in the Premier Division and were relegated to Division One. They reached the second round of the FA Cup for the fourth time in 1995-96, losing 4-0 at Peterborough United.
In 2003, they were assigned to the conference's southern division. They stayed here until 2009, when they were relegated, and then won promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division in 2012 after winning the playoffs. They missed out on the Ryman Premier title by one point in 2015-16, and then lost in the play-offs to Dulwich Hamlet.
They did, however, have their best ever FA Trophy run, reaching the semi-finals. Along the way, they defeated teams from higher divisions such as Bath City, Maidstone United, Altrincham, Sutton United, and Torquay United. However, their hopes of playing at Wembley Stadium were dashed when they were defeated in the semi-finals by Grimsby Town, losing 1-0 in the first leg at Nyewood Lane before losing 2-1 in the second leg at Blundell Park (3-1 on aggregate), despite putting up spirited performances in both legs.
In 2018, they were promoted back to the national league south, but were immediately relegated. In 2019, they won the Sussex Senior Cup for the first time in 32 years, defeating Burgess Hill Town 2-1 in extra time at Brighton's Amex Stadium. They now hope to return to the National League South under the management of former Burnley forward Robbie Blake.
And here's a fun fact: in 1976, Jack Pearce was appointed manager of the club at the age of 26, but he would go on to hold the position for 31 years.
Honours
🏆 West Sussex League (Winners: 1920–21, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25)
🏆 West Sussex League (Runners-Up: 1897-98)
🏆 Sussex County League Division One (Winners: 1948–49, 1971–72)
🏆 Sussex County League Division Two (Winners: 1970/71)
🏆 Southern League Southern Division (Runners-Up: 1980–81)
🏆 Isthmian Premier Division (Runners-Up: 2015–16 (not promoted) 2016–17 (promoted))
🏆 Isthmian Division One (Runners-Up: 1981–82)
🏆 Isthmian Division One South (Runners-Up: 2002–03 (promoted), 2010–11 (not promoted), 2011–12 (promoted))
🏆 Sussex Senior Cup (Winners: 1954–55, 1955–56, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 2018–19)
🏆 The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup (Winners: 1971–72) (Runners Up: 1958–59)
🏆 Isthmian League Cup (Winners: 1986–87)
Matchday: Bognor Regis Town 0-1 Canvey Island
We travelled to Bognor Regis on a warmer, Spring afternoon, after having spent the morning buying a Fiat 500 and meeting Elvis Presley in Pagham. There is no parking at the ground, however there is plenty of residential parking around the ground. I got there extra early so I pretty much parked outside the ground.
Arriving at the ground, we were met by a lovely man on the turnstile who said I could get in as a student, however there was an issue as they weren't ready to take card payments yet, so the solution was to walk into the clubhouse and ask for some cash back then pay the good fellow my £5 entry fee. In the clubhouse there is a large bar which was playing... yes you guessed it... the early kickoff- this time Woking vs Chesterfield.
I indulged in some food at the ground. There are a few slight criticisms I would have with the food stall they have there. Firstly, there was no menu visible, and if there was, it's not easy to find, so when asked what I wanted, I had no idea what to say. Luckily the girls who were working there (who were lovely by the way) said the burgers were nice, so that gave me an answer I could give. I also ordered a coke at the bar. It cost £4, but you get given a pound back if you give the glass back at the end (I guess they'd heard of my previous excopades).
Then we went for our customary circuit of the ground. The stadium is made up of four stands, one of which has seats, but you have to pay an extra pound to go in there, so I thought I'd stand. There was a good view of the match from pretty much everywhere, so I couldn't complain. I managed to get a spot near the halfway line too. One point that can be made is the digital scoreboard that the club have. It's similar to a lot of Football League clubs, and it's seems an anomaly to see one of that quality at a ground at the level Bognor Regis play at. It has to be a good source of revenue for the club too, which all the sponsorships that can be put on there.
The atmosphere at the match was okay. I will say that the acoustics at the ground aren't great, and sound doesn't travel very well. There were a small section of Canvey Island fans who were having the time of their lives, and they made a right racket to an extent, it's a shame the noise didn't travel well. The sound system was difficult to make out, but it's good that a club at this level has one.
Teamsheet
Bognor Regis Town
Manager: Robbie Blake
Matt Rowley
Calvin Davies
Joe Rabbetts
Joe Briffa
Cameron Black
Danny Howick
Josh McCormick
Sam De St Croix
Nathan Odokonyero
Dan Gifford
Florian Kastrati
Substitutes
Walter Figueira
Matt Paterson
Fared Saidu Salifu
Tom Holland
Canvey Island
Manager: Brad Wellmen
Bobby Mason
Odei Martin Sorondo
Sam Mvemba
Jamie Salmon
Elliott Ronto
Elliot Johnson
Charlie Edwards
Conor Hubble
Bradley Sach
Joe Paxman
Evans Kouassi ⚽️
Substitutes
Tobi Tinubu
Luca Albon
Rob Girdlestone
Johnnie Ashman
Sam Jackson
The game began heavily in favour of Canvey Island, whose speed and use of the channels proved too much for Bognor at times. After nine minutes, Canvey had the ball in the net through Evans Kouassi, but it was ruled out for offside. Bradley Sachs then broke through and was denied by Bognor goalkeeper Matt Rowley. The Canvey onslaught continued as Joe Paxman hit the post and Kouassi forced another good save from Rowley. Bognor's fortitude was finally broken in the 40th minute, when Kouassi raced through on goal, rounded the keeper, and powered home to make it 1-0.
Canvey began the second half similarly to the first, and Kouassi should have had a second goal soon after the restart when he rounded the goalkeeper but hit the side netting. Bognor had their own chances, including a good effort from Nathan Odonkonyero that sailed narrowly over the bar. In a hotly contested game in the seaside sunshine, the game finished 1-0.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 6/10
Food and Drink: 8/10
Stadium: 6.5/10
Welcome: 9/10
Overall Experience: 8/10
GG
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