Crowborough Athletic 1-0 Roffey - We didn't play a lot of football and it wasn't very good on the eye. So what, we got three points! - says promotion-chasing Crowborough Athletic boss Sean Muggeridge

Crowborough Athletic 1 – 0 Roffey
Location	Crowborough Community Stadium, Fermor Road, Crowborough, East Sussex TN6 3BU
Kickoff	15/03/2025 15:00

CROWBOROUGH ATHLETIC  1-0  ROFFEY
Southern Combination League Premier Division
Saturday 15 March 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Alderbrook

CROWBOROUGH ATHLETIC manager Sean Muggeridge says his players have put the club in a very good position today after knocking Horsham-based Roffey out of the Southern Combination League Premier Division Play-Off zone with a hard-fought victory.

The Crows remain in second-place in the ninth-tier division thanks to attacking midfielder super-sub Tom Pearson, who scored with his first touch just 74 seconds after his introduction, with a clinical strike underneath the goalkeeper.

The crowd of 223 witnessed a poor game in sunny, chilly, windy conditions but Muggeridge’s men edged it and deserved the victory, courtesy of Pearson’s tenth goal of the season.

“Ugly, it wasn’t a very good game at all,” admitted Muggeridge, who answered the questions during a 33 minute press conference. The stadium had been locked up by the time it was finished and the pair of us had to be let out of the deserted dressing room building at 17:40 with the deafening burglar alarm ringing in our ears!

“I think at this stage of the season, I think games do get like that.  I think nerves set in and you’ve got to win like that sometimes.

“I think it’s the way you win and I’m quite happy with that. I know it’s not good on the eye for supporters but a nice gritty 1-0 and this is what you need at the business end of the season.

“I really like Roffey.  I think they’re a really good side in what they do.  They’re physical and strong and they cause you a threat.  They are very, very good defensively as a team so we knew that today, so getting that goal and winning 1-0, I was really, really happy with it.”

Crowborough Athletic created the first chance with five minutes and 47 seconds on the clock, when Roffey’s central midfielder Jordan Mase was penalised for handball.

The physically strong Stephen Smith – who played behind fellow giant Rushaar Samuel-Smirkle - placed his right-footed free-kick around the two-man wall from 28-yards and Roffey goalkeeper Montgomery Watson-Price held the ball low to his right.

“I mean, we started quite well really but I think there was quite a big wind as you probably saw second half,” said Muggeridge.

“It didn’t flatter us but I think they didn’t really get in our half and I thought we were playing alright.

“Fozzy (Harry Forster) normally takes free-kicks (but as he was on the bench at the time), Steve Smith can take a free-kick. He sort of got it on target mainly. He probably thought the wind might take it but it didn’t.”

Crowborough Athletic created their second chance of a cagey first half in the 17^th minute when Roffey’s stocky 10-goal striker Tom Tolfrey lacked the desire to press Crowborough Athletic’s centre-half Harrison Hayhew, who hit a long 60-yard diagonal over to left-winger Leo Vowles, who cut inside and his 25-yard angled drive was shovelled behind his near-post by the Roffey goalkeeper.

“I don’t want to give any teams our tactics but Harrison’s diag’s – he’s absolutely fantastic at them and Leo got on the end of that one and a better shot, maybe it would’ve gone in,” added Muggeridge.

Roffey right-back Devon Fender saved his side’s bacon at the half-way point of the first half.

Crowborough right-back Jack Mayhew hit a long diagonal over Fender to release Vowles, who skipped past the advancing goalkeeper and lacked composure inside the box allowing the five-goal Fender to make a vital penalty box block.

“I was quite frustrated with that. I’m not having a go at players’ missing chances but that would’ve set us up because I think if we had gone 1-0 up, I think it could’ve gone two or three,” believed Muggeridge.

“I think they were always battling at nil-nil and at one-nil. I think if we had gone in one-nil at half-time, it might’ve been different.

“Credit to them, when we took it around the goalkeeper, they defended very well for that. It looks like a miss but I’m going to say it’s good defending.”

Roffey offered very little in attack and left-winger Ryan Ferrar clipped a left-footed ball over the top of a high Jack Mayhew to release Tolfrey, who beat the offside trap and assistant referee Lewis Bellamy kept his flag down – but the 10-goal striker lacked composure and drilled his right-footed drive past the foot of the near-post from 20-yards.

Muggeridge claimed: “He looked offside to me. It wasn’t really a good shot. I mean it didn’t really test our keeper, so I don’t think it was a shot on target either – I don’t think it was much of a chance to be fair.”

The home side dominated the corner count by 9-1 – with all of their corners coming in the first half and most lacking quality from both sides from wingers Marcus Goldsmith or Vowles.

Vowles floated the ball in from the left and Watson-Price palmed the ball away and Samuel-Smirkle’s hooked shot flew straight down the keeper’s throat in the number nine’s only attempt towards the Roffey goal.

Tolfrey committed a foul on the touchline and Crowborough’s holding midfielder Connor Pring floated a deep free-kick towards the back post and Smith’s downward header from eight-yards was straight at the Roffey keeper.

“Steve Smith was unavailable for some games around Christmas time because of his work but I think he’s committed now and Steve Smith is probably the best header of the ball I’ve seen,” said Muggeridge.

“It’s not just that, he is aggressive, we know that but he is just someone that can get us over the line.

“Everyone hates playing against him for a start.  Referee’s hate him as well, obviously, but I think mainly it’s his aerial threat.

“There’s always times like you saw today when we were 1-0 up and we need to defend and I think he won more of less every header at the back there.  They won the header that was offside, it was the only one he lost, so that’s what he brings, not just that, he scores goals for us.

“He scored in the week for us in the Semi-Final (1-0 home win over Haywards Heath to reach the Sussex RUR Cup Final) and he can play different roles, centre-back, up front. He’s played number 10 for the last two games, started number 10 today, so there’s more bows in his armoury.  He’s also good on the ground as well.”

Tolfrey knocked the ball forward to Mase, who rolled the ball out to high left-back Bailey Shorey.  His deflected cross was met by the head of attacking midfielder Ricardo Fernandes but lacked conviction and was comfortably gathered by untroubled Crowborough goalkeeper Charlie Holmwood.

A poor clearance from Watson-Price sailed over the head of Samuel-Smirkle and was smacked towards goal on the volley by Smith from 35-yards which was comfortably gathered by the untroubled Roffey keeper as the crowd hoped for better quality in the second half.

“I think decision making, I think decision making wasn’t very good, our second balls certainly weren’t very good but we’re not a great side for that anyway,” admitted the Crowborough manager.

“I said to them ‘it wasn’t a terrible half and it wasn’t a good half’. It was sort of an in-between sort of half and I think we didn’t open them up as much because they’re a good defending side but I think second half it opened up a little bit more.

“It wasn’t a game for chances and I said to them in there, I said ‘one goal is going to win this’ and I was right. I brought Tom Pearson on and he scored with his first touch, I believe.”

The difference in this game were the substitutions.  Muggeridge threw on five, three of them were attacking and played a key part, while the three that came on for Jack Munday and Jimmy Farrar failed to have any influence,  with targetman Kemo Darboe replacing Tolfrey just before the hour and offering little threat for Harrison Mayhew and Tom Boddy.

This was Boddy’s 603^rd game for his home-town club and Muggeridge paid tribute to his one-club captain.

“I mean, I can’t say much more about the guy really. Fantastic person, family. He is Crowborough. He’s more Crowborough than I am because he’s had so many clubs after him over the years and he always stayed.

“He’s good for another two seasons but his missus doesn’t want me to say that. He’s just amazing. He looks after his body as you can see but he can go on forever, I think, absolute legend at this club.”

This was Muggeridge’s 508^th game in charge of Crowborough Athletic.

“I feel 508 today after that!  I was running the under 18s and the chairman at the time asked me to do it for one game to help out because the manager left.  That was what I was supposed to do and we won that one and he said ‘can you do the next one?’ and it’s turned out be 508 games.

“It’s a brilliant club to manage. It’s infectious and that’s the reason why I’ve stayed all these years.

“Helping the youth come through and having young players out there, as you’ve seen today and I think 14 of those players are all local and the other ones are only Tunbridge Wells (residents) and I think one’s in Tonbridge.

“That’s important to me and that’s why I’ve stayed really because every year I’ve had a bit more of an incentive to stay.  Last year, with the disappointment with everything, I decided to stay.

“Days like these, players, people behind the scenes here is what keeps me going.”

The 22-goal Harry Forster came on (5:23 in the second half) and with his first touch of the game played a low diagonal pass across to Vowles, who teed up central midfielder Alfie Lambden, whose right-footed drive from 20-yards flashed just past the foot of the left-hand post with 06:00 on the second half clock.

“I brought Rushaar (Samuel-Smirkle) off because they were trying to get him sent-off,” claimed Muggeridge.

“I’m not knocking Roffey because we’d do the same sort of thing but he got booked and then every time he went up, they were sort of appealing, so he’s got an arm injury so we thought we’d gamble because he is a good player.

“We knew Fozzy was back because he’s been away on holiday so we knew we had quality coming off the bench

“Fozzy straight away impacted the game because Smithy is a different kind of number 10.  It was better having Smithy up front and him in behind and that’s what we decided to do.  It was lucky really that we had him because I did think he changed the game, the pattern of the game as well.”

Referee Robert King threw Jack Mayhew in the sin-bin (08:28-20:10) and Marcus Goldsmith dropped back into right-back during this time.

Roffey created just the one chance during this time, as they built down the right after Pring gave the ball away.

Fender and Darboe linked up well before Fender put in a low cross from within the right channel towards the near post and Mase swept his first time right-footed shot past Holmwood, only for the ball to bounce off the foot of the right-hand post.

Muggeridge revealed two full-backs, Harry Read (hamstring) and Joshua Turner (knee) were ruled out through injury and his son Henry was on the bench until the 79^th minute due to a midweek knock to his ankle.  Ollie Welbourn, the last member of the 20-man squad, wasn’t selected.

“With the 10 men and another full-back coming off, we only had one full-back and Mohamed Zabadne’s not really a left-back, he’s a right-back. It just caused us a little bit of a problem,” admitted Muggeridge.

“If we play every team and they only hit the post once or hit one on target, then I’m quite happy. It was always going to happen with 10, something was going to happen. They’re going to get one chance in those 12 minutes and that was it.”

Crowborough swiftly went up the other end and Forster was released in space down the right and his curler from 20-yards was held by a diving Watson-Price as the sub got in behind left-back Shorey.

Crowborough Athletic claimed the deserved victory by scoring the only goal of the game with 21 minutes and 51 seconds on the clock.

Lambden helped the ball on from the half-way line and Smith’s first time pass was sublime as he played in Pearson in behind centre-half Patrick Gibbs.

Pearson clinically placed his right-footed shot underneath the legs of the advancing goalkeeper and watched the ball roll into the bottom left-hand corner of the empty goal.

Muggeridge said: “Tom Pearson is probably one of the best strikes of the ball you see and when he gets it right, he gets it right – they can go in the car park sometimes!

“It was a great finish, straight though the goalkeeper’s legs. He knew what he was doing. He’s a winger and a striker. He’s a top player and that’s why I brought him on.

“Leo Vowles did well but I just needed that pace in behind and I just said to him ‘just go and get a goal for us’, which I normally do whenever he comes on or even when he starts and he normally delivers.

“I think his ratio is pretty good.  We’ve got players who can do that all over the pitch but when Tom strikes the ball, there’s no keeper who’s going to save it anyway, he’s just that kind of player.

“The good thing about it is we were brave today. We brought on offensive players.  We brought them on to get the goal.  The quality we’ve got coming off the bench is the reason where we are because we’ve got depth.”

Roffey’s game plan was to wait until stoppage time (nine minutes and 10 seconds of it) before having a go in search of salvaging a point.

Gibbs launched his second long throw into the box and the ball was flicked on by Darboe at the near post from within a crowd of players and the ball was then turned in, creeping past the diving goalkeeper Holmwood but John Holman raised his offside flag.

Referee Robert King walked over and showed Munday a yellow card from about 15-yards away while the cap wearing manager stood inside his technical area.

Munday was shown a straight red card after the final whistle for an act of aggression – kicking the referee’s door and hurling a volley of abuse at the official.

Roffey almost grabbed a last-gasp leveller (50:47) when Neathey delivered a deep cross from within the right-channel towards the back post where the unmarked Daniel Pearse steered his header towards goal and Holmwood maintained his 11^th clean-sheet of the season (in all competitions).

“We’re very good at holding onto leads this year, previous years we’d probably would’ve drawn that or lost it,” added Muggeridge.

“I think when you’re in the position you’re in, up the top there and you’re playing against a team around you, I think you’re entitled to get nervous because you’re 1-0 up, it’s worse than being 1-0 down if you know what I mean because you’re probably wouldn’t be under that pressure.

“I don’t know about the goal. I think Charlie would’ve saved it, if it wasn’t offside anyway.  I think he looked at the ref and the linesman. I will have to have a look at that – I think he would’ve saved it.

“It’s looked like he’s flicked it on and the guy’s offside. I don’t know what’s happened. If it should’ve stood then we’ve had goals disallowed and things like that, it’s just football but I think we deserved to win.”

Southern Combination Premier Division leaders Hassocks claimed a 2-0 home win over AFC Varndeanians and Haywards Heath Town came away from Shoreham with the same result.

Petersfield Town claimed a 2-1 home win over bottom-side Little Common, while Crawley Down Gatwick beat Lingfield 2-0.

Hassocks have picked up 78 points from their 31 (of 38) league games and Crowborough Athletic remain in second-place on 65 points (20 wins, five draws and six defeats) from their 31 league outings.

Haywards Heath Town (63 points from 32 games), Petersfield Town (59 points from 32 games) and Crawley Down Gatwick (59 points from 32 games).

Roffey slip outside the play-offs tonight and are in sixth-place with 59 points (16 wins, eight draws and eight defeats), while Eastbourne United (56 points from 32 games) and Peacehaven & Telscombe (54 points from 32 games) make up the top eight.

Thirteenth-placed Pagham are facing up to the prospect of automatic relegation over failing ground grading criteria set by The FA - but Crowborough’s stadium has passed and can stage Isthmian League South East Division football next season if the team get the job done on the pitch.

“Now going forward, we’ve got a big chance now. It’s a massive threw points for us against a good side who are going to take points off other teams,” said Muggeridge.

“I did target this game that this game would be like this. I said to myself this is going to be one of the most difficult games and we’ve put them out of the way now -  but I do rate them.

“In fact, I rate all of the teams at the top there. We’re all quite close to each other ability wise and saying the other two teams have won, that’s even more reason why we had to win today really.

“I am pleased, that’s two 1-0 wins now, I’m really pleased with the three clean-sheets in a row .  I’m pleased with the performance, I’m pleased with the result but we didn’t play a lot of football and it wasn’t very good on the eye. So what! We’ve got three points!”

Reflecting on their league position, Muggeridge said: “I think if I’m being honest, I don’t think Hassocks can be caught but that’s not going to stop me trying! We’ve got to play them, they’ve got to have a massive fold really.

“I’m a bit disappointed we lost all those players at the beginning of the season and we didn’t have this team out at the start of the season because we might’ve been challenging them.

“We had to jink it around and all that and lost vital points, I think we might’ve been challenging if we had this team from the beginning but we didn’t.

“I’m more looking we’re going for play-offs now.  We’re not actually guaranteed play-offs. We could have a bit of a meltdown but I think we’ve put ourselves in a very good position today but that’s nine points clear of Roffey now with a game in hand.

“It’s all about getting points and that’s what we’ve done today.

“I didn’t actually say Hassocks have won it, I didn’t say that. I said they’ll be difficult to catch so let me emphasise that.  I’m not giving it up yet but they’re going to be difficult to catch – but the main thing is trying to get second.

“I think as a chairman you want to come second as well because of the gate money because the gates are pretty high (for play-offs) because everyone still wants to watch football don’t they, so second is an advantage because you’re at home and if you advance through that tie, you’re at home in the Final as well.

“Getting in the play-offs first is my main priority and then we’ll go for second and make sure we’ve got enough points to get in that because anything can happen in football.”

Crowborough Athletic make the trip down to Eastbourne on Tuesday night to play Peacehaven & Telscombe in the Peter Bentley Cup Semi-Final.

The Crows travel to Lancing to play Eastbourne United in the Sussex RUR Cup Final on Wednesday 23 April, so they are fighting on three fronts.

“Another tough game. We played Peacehaven (2-1 win on 1 March) and we played really well first half, went 2-0 up and they came back and caused us a few problems really,” recalled Muggeridge.

“They’re a good side, always have been.  It’s a difficult one. It’s taken a bit of pressure off me a little bit by getting into a final because if you had lost on Tuesday then you’ll be snatching at it next Tuesday trying to get into the Final.

“It’s taken a bit of pressure off because obviously the main thing is getting out of the league really, play-offs, so it’s a nice distraction. Hopefully we can get into two finals, hopefully, and win something this year.”

Meanwhile, Holmwood, Zabadne, Boddy, Pring, Goldsmith, Lamden, Smith, Henry Muggeridge and Pearson from today’s 16-man squad are all residents of Crowborough, who are challenging for promotion into the Isthmian League South East Division on a shoe-string playing budget.

“I think it's very, very important to me as a manager to have local players and players I know, so I won’t be changing any of those players if we get promoted,” revealed Muggeridge.

“I’ve got fantastic players here.  They’re good footballers as well and I think that’s hopefully the ingredients of success this year.

“I’ve been told already the budget’s not going to go up next year so they’re going to have to be the players, the only problem is keeping them because other clubs can throw more money at them than we can, so hopefully we will keep them.”

Crowborough Athletic: Charlie Holmwood, Jack Mayhew, Mohamed Zabadne, Connor Pring (Adam Larkin 84), Harrison Mayhew, Tom Boddy, Leo Vowles (Tom Pearson 66), Alfie Lambden (Henry Muggeridge 79), Rushaar Samuel-Smirkle (Harry Forster 51), Stephen Smith, Marcus Goldsmith (Aaron Hopkinson 76).

Goal: Tom Pearson 66

Booked: Rushaar Samuel-Skirkle 29, Harrison Mayhew 70, Mohamed Zabadne 89

Temporary Dismissal:  Jack Mayhew 54

Roffey: Montgomery Watson-Price, Devon Fender, Bailey Shorey (Cavan Chedzey 80), Daniel Pearse, Patrick Gibbs, Dylan Pauw, Ryan Ferrar, Jordan Mase, Tom Tolfrey (Kemo Darboe 58), Ricardo Fernandes (Alex Barbary 59), Joshua Neathey.
Subs: Ashley Mutongerwa, Riley Morgan

Booked: Ricardo Fernandes 47, Kemo Darboe 77, Jack Munday (joint-manager) 90

Sent Off:  Jack Munday (joint-manager) 90

Attendance: 223
Referee: Mr Robert King
Assistants: Mr Lewis Bellamy & Mr John Holman