Balcombe beat Ringmer to lift league’s first silver of season

In a repeat of Ringmer’s last game of the 2023-24 season, the reigning MSFL Premier Divison champions took on the Montgomery Cup winners, Balcombe, in the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season.

Despite a largely equal first half seeing the teams build up to their usual standards, the second half then saw a less experienced Ringmer side lose their way in the face of unrelenting Balcombe pressure.

Three well-taken goals won the match before the Blues grabbed a late consolation, and the result offered an immediate reminder of how competitive the MSFL will be this season.

After a 2-1 win for Balcombe in the sides’ previous meeting at the Caburn Community Ground and a 4-3 win for Ringmer in their final match of the 2023-24 season, the Trophy offered an immediate chance for a scintillating rivalry to continue.

Ringmer were weeks away from knowing they would be MSFL Premier Division champions when they beat Balcombe on that day in April, but have since assumed the mantle and pressure of being defending league winners with enthusiasm.

On this occasion, they named a side that while having plenty of familiar names, also had a few holes still to fill.

Captain Charlie Northeast was only fit enough to make the bench, while Dan Fox, Jake Barber and new signing Ryan Flack were unavailable due to various issues – the latter only able to arrive for kick-off after working late.

That gave opportunities for Dan Oliver and Harry Hughes to make their competitive Blues debuts, however, and for midfielder Blaze Brown to step up from the club’s under-18s set-up for his first-team bow.

Balcombe, meanwhile, showed three changes from the side that lost 4-3 in April, with Josh Barlow, Ryan Ferrar and Jamie Weston replaced in the squad by captain Greg Archer, as well as new signings – and Chagos Islands BIOT national team players – Andy Batterie and Dieron Munorrah.

Much of the first half was spent with the teams sounding each other out, and after Balcombe shaded the first 20 minutes and could have gone ahead when Munorrah got in behind, side-stepped goalkeeper Xhemal Bako and shot into the side-netting, Ringmer had the better of the remaining stages.

The Blues were effective in their pressing, with Ed Easton leading the efforts up front and being supported by the ever-willing Kian Balameh and Rhys Taylor from wide positions, and Hughes in attacking midfield.

Hughes ended up having the first shot on target of the match when he drove low at Marcus Newnham from 20 yards, but the effort just lacked the venom to test the goalkeeper.

There was a brilliant battle between speedster Munorrah and the equally rapid Jacob Ashwood on the Ringmer left, with the Blues defender returning temporarily after his move to Seaford Town was officially announced earlier in the week.

With Curtis Wilton coming across and getting involved in some excellent physical battles too, the game was very watchable as Ringmer tried to exert their passing style and Balcombe threw everyone off the scent with their fluid formation, which most often resembled a 3-4-1-2.

While a few set-piece opportunities arose in the rest of the half’s action, these did not amount to much and it remained a tight tussle when referee Jonathan Elms’ whistle was twice tooted.

In keeping with a peculiar day of weather, it began raining in the second half and as spectators took cover, the action hotted up.

Taylor was sent to the sin bin by referee Elms soon after the half began after becoming embroiled in a heated disagreement, and the visitors took full advantage.

In the 54th minute, Balcombe swept in a corner from the right and while a first effort in the six-yard was well saved by Bako, the ‘keeper could do nothing about Munorrah’s poacher-like finish to open the scoring.

To make matters worse, Balcombe then went and doubled their lead just four minutes later.

With the temporary downpour coming down harder, it rather reflected Ringmer’s outlook when a magnificent shot from distance sailed past Bako to make it 2-0.

It already appeared a tall order to overcome this deficit, but with Munorrah getting in behind with criminal ease on several occasions, Ringmer were struggling to even stay afloat.

The forward, who played for Three Bridges under-18s in 2023-24, was much more central in the second half and therefore bypassed Ashwood, with Oliver and Wilton struggling to deal with his direct running.

Bako made two crucial saves to stop the Chagossian forward, while Oliver also stopped an effort on the line with his chest when sliding in, and while this was initially given as a penalty by Elms, a chat with his linesman led this to being overruled.

Balcombe pressed on regardless and netted their third goal in the 71st minute as the impressive Harrison Mann finished past Bako when the ball broke to him 18 yards from goal.

While Ringmer threw all of their substitutes at the situation, it was hard for them to even get on the ball, such was Balcombe’s second-half control.

When space finally did open in the last five minutes and Balcombe got slightly sloppy, several free-kicks began flowing in the final third.

One such dead ball saw Ringmer achieve a consolation just before the full-time whistle, with a low strike causing Newnham bother and Luke Colwell getting in just ahead of George Maybury to turn the ball in.

All that was left was for Balcombe to then raise the Trophy and have their well-earned moment of glory, with Archer leading his teammates in their celebrations.

Ringmer will hope to use the defeat as motivation for their league campaign, which kicks off this Saturday with another home fixture – this time against newly-promoted Surrey-based side Godstone.

That match kicks off at 2PM at the CCG, BN8 5RB.

Ringmer AFC: Bako, Brown (Maybury, 74’), Ashwood, Wilton, Oliver (Northeast, 74’), Webster (C), Balameh (Colwell, 74’), Brown (Snow, 65’), Easton, Hughes (Coleman, 60’), Taylor