Joy after sadness: East Dean FC lift Bareham Trophy
East Dean FC have won the Bareham Trophy – beating Bognor Rovers 2-1 in the final at Arundel FC.
On a blustery sunny evening, the Dean claimed their first major trophy for around a quarter of a century.
The first 20 minutes or so was all about soaking pressure and then looking to break on the counter, and Bognor Rovers hit the woodwork three times.
For Dean, efforts from Ollie Osbourne and Alfie Barclay couldn’t be converted.
When Ash Carter playing with a pulled groin, won a header and calmly found Amir Jamaly out wide, a move involving Joe Murray got him into the box and he was fouled/ Alfie Barclay calmly stepped up and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
A free-kick was given to Bognor just inside the East Dean half. A sumptuous ball in from their keeper ended with a looping header making it 1-1.
Osbourne was injured before the break and replaced by Dave Knight.
After the break, Matt Goff set Alfie Barclay in down the left and Barclay found Ash Carter, cutting back and finding the ball out wide to Jamaly. He sent the defender the wrong way and found the bottom corner for via a deflection.
Ethan Hackett and Joby Oram came on and when Rovers got in for a chance, Tyler Pickering made a superb save.
Rob Chiverton came on and was crucial to easing pressure, winning every header and holding on to the ball very well.
Rovers won a late free kick which was fumbled but neither Osbourne nor Hackett could convert.
There was still time for some proper defending from Houghton, Goff and Joby Orams.
After more than 20 years of waiting and working, missing out on league titles, relegations, off the pitch losses of key figures like Tim Calloway, Phil Cooper and Dave Freeman, past and present figures of the club were there to see an East Dean team together fighting to win the cup.
Manager Ben Kemp said: “It’s a truly fantastic day for the club. But for me it means so much on a personal level. It’s my first season as a manager stepping up from coaching at Hunston and the way the club has taken me in with my ideas and desire to win has been phenomenal.
"The lads probably thought I was mad at the first pre-season training session when I turned up and said ‘I’m here to win things and get this club back where it belongs.’
"But we’ve done it. There been a lot of changes but also development of players who you can say are key members of the team now.
“To everyone before me – this if for you and especially the great man Tim Calloway who was with us all the way. But with this season coming to a close, one thing I can promise to everyone at this club, the good times are back but we are just getting started.”