Bexhill College men's 1st team celebrate Sussex Schools FA U19 County Cup win

After defeating long-standing holders Worthing College 3-2 in the semi-final, Bexhill College faced Bede's school in the final at the Sussex County FA headquarters at Lancing Football Club. With the team near full strength, Bexhill entered the game full of confidence being defeated only twice since December 2022 in the National Alliance U19 League.

In a tight opening, Bede’s enjoyed success from a couple of early corners which caused no problems for Bexhill’s keeper, Finlay Holter. Bexhill grew into the game with the Bede’s goalkeeper making an excellent double save from Fletcher Holman and Charlie Gibson before again denying Holman of another attempt with a save low to his left-hand side.

With the scores level at halftime, Bexhill maintained a stranglehold on the game, enjoying extended periods of possession in the second half. The breakthrough came 10 minutes into the second half when the excellent Alfie Simmons’ through ball freed Holman down the side of the Bede’s defence, eventually finishing with his left foot and the ball hitting the far post and subsequently the net triggering wild celebrations from the players.

Bede’s began to take more chances, pushing for an equaliser, which left spaces for Bexhill to attack. Ole Peterson exploited these spaces well with his pace and saw an excellent goal ruled out for a tight offside decision. The game became disrupted with a spate of substitutions which assisted Bexhill in seeing out the remaining time with Holter only needing to make one save in the entire match. The final whistle was met with cheers and embraces from the Bexhill players who celebrated with their teammates and family members in attendance before captain Ryan Moir was presented with the trophy.

Football academy manager Sean Noble reflected on the cup final win: “I thought the team were excellent and produced a mature and professional performance dominating the ball and preventing their opponents from ever settling into the game. The team has grown so much across this season, and it has been a pleasure to watch them develop both as individual players and as a team which has seen them create a moment they will always remember. There were several excellent performances on the evening, with credit to Fletcher Holman for the winning goal who has been razor-sharp all season bagging 27 goals in 18 games.

Bexhill College Football Academy’s player of the match went to Alfie Simmons who controlled the midfield and pace of the game before producing an excellent assist for Holman’s goal. The SSFA Player of the Match was awarded to Fletcher Holman.

Bexhill team – Finlay Holter, Finely Tarrant, Charlie Collings, Delwin Duah, Ryan Moir (C), Luka Martinaj, Franz Cuison, Dominic Corbin, Alfie Simmons, Charlie Gibson, Fletcher Holman. Subs – Joseph Oughton, Jake Prodger, Olwethu Peterson, Arthur Karapetyan, Conor McManus.

As the 2022/23 season draws to a close for the football academy, it is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the three College teams in season 2022/23. The Men’s first team has seen a strong year of recruitment and set the academy up well to be able to compete in a competitive National Alliance U19 league.

With the team already populated with talented local players such as Finlay Holter, Fletcher Holman, and Ryan Moir, a sprinkling of first-year players helped create a cohesive and technically gifted group of players. The team finished 6th in the table, just outside the top three in terms of points and almost acquiring a league place.

One or two disappointing defeats left the team playing catch up to the top two places, but this should be cause for hope rather than frustration as, compared to other full-time academies within the division, the team are only able to train together for one hour a week. It is hoped that once moved to a full-time model in the 2024/25 season with Eastbourne Borough, the academy will be able to compete at the top end of the division. The team has grown and matured throughout the year, and this is evident through the fact they have remained undefeated in more games away than at home, showing strong mettle at some difficult venues.

The year culminated with a County Cup Final victory over Bede’s which followed a 3-2 semi-final victory against long-standing holders Worthing College.

The Men’s 2nd team competed in Sussex Schools 1st XI league this year which gave them a good opportunity to test themselves against higher-level opposition. The squad equipped themselves very well against some tough teams and developed well over the season. This development showed throughout the season, with many students getting opportunities in the 1st team through their performances, including Dom Corbin, Jack Hammond, Ollie Peterson, and Charlie Collings who all featured in the 1st team county cup victory.

Bexhill College Men’s 3rd team competed in the Sussex Schools Under 19 2nd 11 league finishing 3rd in the Eastern Division, narrowly missing a position in the playoffs by one point. This represented a fantastic achievement against a range of 1st and 2nd 11 teams of other colleges and provided a challenge for the players in every game. Conor McManus and Matt Simons have both had excellent seasons which has seen them progress into higher teams and test themselves even further.

The Woman’s Football Academy has tested themselves against high-standard opposition within the AoC (Association of Colleges) Sport South East Women’s Football League against oppositions such as AFC Bournemouth. Unfortunately, the team just missed qualifying for the National 7-a-side competition on goal difference at the regional competition in Southampton.

As part of the players’ experience this year, the Academy also had the opportunity to travel to Chelsea’s training ground at Cobham to participate in both training and the Chelsea Foundation Cup whilst also playing an 11-a-side fixture at the home of Chelsea Woman’s first team, Kingsmeadow.