Promoted Ringmer AFC off to winning start - in league and cup

On a historic day for the club, Tommy Haddon and first-team coach Oli Gibson led the side at the same ground their previous season had finished, Horsham FC's Fusion Aviation Stadium.

Copthorne, who finished 18th in last season's SCFL Division 1, were the hosts and were as much of an unknown quantity as the Blues.

Both teams had done plenty of transfer business over the summer, but it was Ringmer's new frontman, Fenner, who stole the headlines.

In the first half, he opened the scoring with a powerful header from a Rhys Taylor corner, which went in off the crossbar.

While Copthorne equalised with a beautiful effort from outside the box, Ringmer responded and Fenner scored an excellent breakaway goal before half-time.

It was a nervy second half for the Blues, with many chances survived and many of their own striking the woodwork or going wide, but finally, in the 95th minute, a wondrous set of stepovers and a nerveless finish from Blackford settled the game.

Ringmer were 3-1 winners, and the travelling Blues could celebrate a first three points on the opening day of the 2025-26 season.

The result put Ringmer third in the table on the very first weekend, coincidentally only trailing their fellow promoted sides, Jarvis Brook and AFC Walcountians.

On Tuesday night, Ringmer AFC secured an impressive upset in the SCFL Peter Bentley Cup first round as they beat hosts Saltdean United 2-0.

An excellent counter-attacking performance saw the Blues score both their goals in the space of 90 first-half seconds, with Leon Turner netting on his debut before Fraser Argyle added his first goal of the season.

Afterwards, Ringmer held on impressively amidst heavy Saltdean pressure, with goalkeeper Ben Taylor making several incredible stops on his first appearance of 2025-26.

By the end of the contest, Ringmer were relieved to hear the final whistle, with their passage secured to a second round meeting with Jarvis Brook.

Tommy Haddon and Jon Hart’s side came into the contest with uncertainty about how they would match up against a side who were two divisions above the Blues last season.

After the Tigers faced relegation from the SCFL Premier Division and Ringmer secured promotion last season, though, the teams came in as equals.

Both made changes from their weekend outings, with Saltdean making three changes and Ringmer five, including returns for Taylor, captain Charlie Northeast and George Coleman, as well as first starts for Turner and Lewis Hallett.

The opening stages at the Trafalgar Ground – Saltdean’s temporary home while Hill Park gets transformed with a 3G pitch – were predictably cagey, with neither goalkeeper drawn into a save.

The conditions were peculiar in Newhaven, with sea fret clouding the coastline and belying the extreme temperatures. Out of the gloom, however, burst the Blues with two killer counter-attacking moves.

On the half-hour mark, Will Fenner charged down a panicked clearance from Saltdean goalkeeper Shay Hollobone, and Turner was in the perfect position to fire a first-time finish into the empty net.

Just two minutes later, Ringmer were two up. George Coleman found space on the left, as he had all half, and whipped in a delightful cross which Hollobone could only parry straight to Argyle, who contorted himself for an excellent finish.

While Ringmer certainly had the better of the first half, they had to survive one great chance for the hosts, with Alex Patching foiled by a combination of Hallett and Taylor from close range.

A match with some needle only descended after the break, with referee Richard Pringle forced to dish out several bookings. Some decisions were questionable, but neither team gave the officials an easy time, and they only had themselves to blame when handed yellow cards.

Despite plenty of effort, Ringmer also struggled to produce a huge amount of quality in the half, meaning Hollobone was rarely tested.

This left Saltdean with a large share of possession, and they eventually forced a flurry of chances.

Taylor, thankfully, was on hand to pull off two incredible double saves – the first in quick succession in the goalmouth, the next with his feet and then remarkably turning a Patching header over the bar. Ringmer took confidence from this, and the performance of their back three – Northeast, Hallett and George Maybury – was something to behold in the final 15 minutes.

The trio met every cross, pass and driving run with real desire to see their clean sheet over the line, and with no major chances remaining, they did just that.

Ringmer will aim to continue their impressive start to the 2025-26 season with their first home match this weekend, when they host East Preston.