Having photographed the players and some of the matches this season for Rye Town Football Club it is easy to see the strengths of both teams and to observe how well they play together and to see their development as the season unfolds.
Shane Ridgers, manager of 1st team Rye Town FC, summed up the season so far:” The club is going from strength to strength with lots of interest from local players wanting to be involved and some youngsters from the neighbouring semi-professional club, Hastings United, having an introduction into adult football.
“Behind the scenes the club continues to work alongside Rye Rugby club and other local sporting groups creating a sports hub at New Road.
“The player sponsorship has gone well, but we still have a few players requiring a sponsor which enables them to have a tracksuit and a warm-up top with the sponsor’s logo in a prominent position. The sponsors also get plugs on our social media platforms.
“The first team is currently top of the East Sussex Premier division with a game in hand to play in the defence of the title we won last season. Unfortunately we did lose our Sussex County Cup match to league rivals Crowhurst but we still have two more cups to compete in: the League Cup and the Macron Cup which we lost in the final last season. Club captain Sam “Tekkers” Henham is due to return in January 2024 following a knee injury which is a big boost for our league and cup challenges.
“The second team is currently placed second in Division Two with the top few teams all within a few points of each other. They are still in two cup competitions in which the squad faces teams of a higher division; but these are games that are winnable.
“The return in fitness of Barnaby Osbourn has been huge a driving force within the teams and the club. New goalkeeper Owen Barden has been rock-steady with Callum Haddaway, Ole Reader and Ollie Barrow all performing to a standard which will see them playing within the first team squad imminently.”
Image Credits: Kt bruce .