Shane Ridgers, manager of Rye Town Football Club, summed up the final between Rye Town and Bexhill which took place on Saturday, April 28 at Westfield.
“Outcomes of cup finals are always hard to predict. Often in one-off games the underdogs get the crowd and luck behind them which can sway the result and this was the case with the match on Saturday. Despite playing under par, we were still the better side, we had better chances but I have to agree that Bexhill got the one goal that counted.
“To be fair, in the first half Doug made two good saves, keeping out the Bexhill attacks. The opposition goalkeeper made a good save from Cooper in 1v1 but we didn’t test the goalkeeper on many occasions either from good positions or from set pieces or run of play. We did get the ball into the net (off the training ground) Brad Sayer pinpointing a cross bang onto Charlie’s head to score only for it to be ruled out offside. It was gutting to be so close and not to score.
“The second half was much the same, with Doug a spectator on the side lines. Charlie delivered five ridiculous balls into the box that just needed poking in, but it wasn’t to be. With five minutes left and extra time looming we were preparing to put substitutions in to play. At start of extra time we conceded what I would say was a soft goal which was ‘heartbreak’ for the team. We did have one last chance but unfortunately Marcus narrowly hit the ball over the bar.
“Unlucky is a term in football which is often overused and wrongly so at times but I will say we were ‘unlucky’ on Saturday. We now must fully focus on the league, which we can win if we win three of our remaining games.
“The way the team supported each other after the match was refreshing to observe. It was a true team spirit – Win together: lose together. Go get what you deserve now, a League winner’s medal.”
Remaining Fixtures
May 1
Hawkhurst Away 6-0 Win
May 3
Bexhill AAC – Away 18:30 Kick Off
May 6
Punnets Town – Home 16:00 Kick Off
May 10
Westfield – Away 18:30 Kick Off
May 13
Robertsbridge – Home 15:00 Kick Off
Top row
Charlie Stevens, Sam Hesme, Jordan Osbourne, Sam Henham, Tony Hughes,
Marcus Popple, Sam Cooper, Jules Phillips, Armadas Bredis.
Bottom Row
Tom Barlow, Milton Miltiadou, Sammy Foulkes, Doug Johnson,
Georges Gouet, Brad Sayer, Liam Ridgers.
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Joe Knight , Charmaine Ridgers .