Loving the Jaguars

Saturday’s match featured Redhill and Chichester City, two teams fancied to do well in this season’s Sussex County League Division One. I’ve been a big fan of the Reds in the past, seeing them win the Surrey Senior Cup and the Athenian League Cup twice. I was there when they clinched the last-ever Athenian League Championship with a 1-0 win at Marlow in 1984.

The Club Secretary remembered me from a previous visit and, in my capacity as The FA’s historian, wanted to let me know that Redhill had now entered 80-odd consecutive FA Cup competitions. I resolved to check my records to find if any other club could match that.

The first half was played in warm sunshine and the second in driving rain under a grey sky. The Reds were ahead in 13 minutes, a right-footer blasted high into the net by their new signing from Lingfield, but the visitors had levelled within five minutes through what looked like an ‘own goal’. That was the end of the scoring.

I’d watched some of the opening half with one of The FA’s Life Vice-Presidents and former Redhill Secretary, and he invited me into the boardroom for a coffee and egg sandwich at half-time. It was packed in there and buzzing with the news that Palace were 3-0 up against Leicester.

Yesterday’s match was an unusual one. Cray Wanderers, the Isthmian League club celebrating a mind-boggling 150 years of existence, were playing Guyana at Dulwich Hamlet’s ground. It started nearly half-an-hour late in front of a crowd that I estimated to be 400.

The High Commissioner made a speech and the national anthems were sung impressively and without music. A Guyanese lady standing next to me on the terracing and waving a little flag thought they were playing Bolton Wanderers.

Cray took an early lead, a corner being headed firmly home at the far post. The visitors played football that was easy on the eye, passing the ball quickly to feet, but they were denied two clear penalties (in my view) before the half finished at 1-0.

A steel band in front of the Tommy Jover Stand played through most of the second half, perhaps inspiring the ‘Golden Jaguars’ to win a lot more challenges and put together more purposeful attacks. The announcer urged their fans to ‘Give them some love!’ as they desperately sought an equaliser.

Four minutes from time they scrambled the ball in from a corner and the whole place went crazy. Because there was a trophy involved, the match went to extra-time before Cray won 4-3 on penalties. It was my best contest of the season so far, with a real ‘carnival atmosphere’.