Ringmer face Westfield in early clash of fancied Mid Sussex premier teams

In a fixture that fans and players on both sides have been awaiting with great excitement since the season began, much is expected out of the talented set-ups at both clubs.

Boasting what are widely regarded as the two best grounds in the division, as well as two of the best managers and squads, both teams should fancy their chances of promotion this season. However, they have each had slow starts, making this contest an even bigger one to get their form back on track.

The form guide

Coming into this meeting, hosts Westfield have a disappointing record on paper, with one win and three defeats in the league.

Their impressive 3-1 opening-day win over Balcombe was followed by more surprising defeats to Oxted & District (3-0), Tunbridge Wells II (4-1) and newly-promoted Godstone (3-2).

However, they did bounce back in style last week with a thumping 5-0 win over Delunited – of the West Sussex Football League (WSFL) Premier Division – in the Sussex Intermediate Challenge Cup.

Top scorer Patterson Ruigaimae has netted five goals in as many games so far and is the clear danger man for the Westies.

For defending MSFL Premier Division champions Ringmer, early inroads have also been hard to make this season.

From six matches so far – four league games bookended by cup outings – the Blues have two wins, two draws and two defeats; a real mixed bag.

There have been goals galore, too, as they are yet to fail in front of goal or keep a clean sheet. Altogether, last season’s division top scorers have netted 14 and conceded 16 goals so far.

Their last three games have been a microcosm of their season, with a 4-2 defeat to Crowhurst, a 2-2 draw at Holland Sports and a 4-3 Sussex Intermediate Challenge Cup win last week at Barnham Trojans – again, of the WSFL Premier Division.

All this leaves Ringmer currently 7th in the MSFL Premier Division table, while Westfield are 9th. Both are however playing catch-up with a cluster of sides who have played one more game.

Previous meetings

A crucial sub-plot of this contest is the outcome the last time these sides played, which was way back in September 2023.

365 days before this new meeting, the Blues headed to Westfield Parish Field and won 5-4 in an endlessly dramatic game.

Goals from George Coleman, Luke Colwell, Rhys Taylor, Curtis Wilton and Ben Parsons delivered victory, but with that man Ruigaimae scoring four times in total – twice to make it 2-0 and then twice more to bring it back from 4-2 to 4-4 – it was never a done deal for the Blues.

Despite only taking place on 23 September, that was already the second meeting between the sides last season too.

On 19 August 2023, they opened the MSFL Premier Division with a 2-1 win for Ringmer at the Caburn Community Ground, with a Charlie Northeast header on debut securing the win after Rhys Taylor and Josh Pickering traded first-half goals.

Prior to these meetings, the record had been mixed, with the 2022-23 season producing a 3-0 win for Westfield and a 3-3 draw, while 2021-22 saw three clashes, with Ringmer winning 2-1 on the opening day and 5-1 on the last day of the season, either side of a 4-2 Mid Sussex Senior Charity Cup win.

The Blues also did well in the modified 2020-21 season, winning 4-3 at home and 3-0 on the road in a then 16-year-old Jake Barber’s senior debut.

Tommy’s thoughts

Prior to this weekend’s contest, we caught up with Ringmer manager Tommy Haddon to pick his brains about the last few weeks.

Haddon said: “Crowhurst was a really tough game. They were very good and very organised, but we never really fully got at them.

“I’m looking forward to the return fixture again to them, which should be a really good match, and it's obvious they'll be up there towards the end of the season. They were a good benchmark for where we need to be.

“Holland Sports were really good as well, very much improved on last season. They're always tough anyway, but were really tough this season.

“They scored an absolute worldie to go 1-0 up and then went 2-0 up, and we got a penalty late to equalise, but we had a lot of possession in that game and couldn't convert any chances.

“Against Barnham Trojans, we controlled the game for large periods, conceded sloppy goals, but got ourselves back into it and scored some good goals and got ourselves the win with about three or four minutes to go; Jamie Blackford with a great strike.

“It doesn't matter how you win the cup, 1-0 or 12-0, as long as you win and go through the next round, that's the main point. We’re looking forward to the next round against Hailsham, which should be a good test.”

During these three games, the Blues conceded nine goals of course, which was a key talking point in our catch-up with the manager.

Haddon said: “I'm not massively worried about the goals conceded.

“Yes, we are conceding more than we did last year, but I think the teams around us have improved. Some of the goals have been unbelievable strikes and good team goals, and that's football.

“We need to tighten things up in a few areas, get more confidence in each other and be trusting each other, and also assessing what's going on around us and making sure that we're making the right decisions and the easiest decision to make. But that will come in time.

“Of course, we’ve switched some positions slightly. Dan Oliver's come in, and we didn't have Jacob Ashwood in pre-season. I think they're just settling back down again and that organisation will come.”

Asked about his thoughts on Saturday’s opponents, Haddon was full of praise.

The Blues boss said: “I expect Westfield to be right up there for promotion come the end of the season.

“They’ve had a few changes in preseason, settling things down and moving to their new ground. It’s a settling-in period. But Westfield are a good team; well-run, well looked after, well-organised.

“Last year was great against them, and we enjoyed our battles. They caused lots of problems for us in Rooney [Patterson Ruigaimae] and the lads they've got, plus we caused them problems.

“I expect it to be a good footballing battle. The pitch looks fantastic; I was sent a picture by their chairman and it looks in really good condition. I’m really looking forward to seeing their new place and playing on the pitch.

“I’m excited to see what it brings, and what a stern test it will be. Hopefully, we come away with something, but we'll see what happens on Saturday afternoon and go from there.”