Ringmer repeat comeback magic to defeat leaders Oxted

On a day of unthinkably wet and windy conditions at the Caburn Community Ground caused by Storm Bert, the Blues spent much of the first 75 minutes being swept away by the MSFL Premier Division leaders but turned things on when it mattered.

The turning point, one minute after Ringmer captain Charlie Northeast had seen red, was a second booking for Oxted goalkeeper Steven Peacock, giving away a penalty in the process.

With an outfielder taking the gloves and several players cramping up, Oxted tried bravely to hang on but Tommy Haddon’s side ruthlessly scored three late goals to take the spoils.

Coming into the fixture, which marked the halfway point in the Blues’ as-yet unremarkable season, a daunting task was in place.

Oxted were runaway league leaders with eight wins and four draws from their opening 12 league fixtures, while Ringmer were ten points off top spot.

Haddon and assistant Jon Hart made three changes, with James Walker, Luke Colwell and Ed Easton – the scorer of two goals in the previous week’s 4-3 win over Balcombe – unavailable and replaced by George Maybury, Jamie Blackford and George Coleman.

Oxted, on the other hand, made four changes. Although captain Corbin Turner returned, four starters from a 4-0 win at Godstone were unable to make the matchday squad, which featured just two substitutes.

In promising conditions, the game began with Ringmer asserting themselves in impressive fashion.

Passes were flowing and confidence was high after the Blues won their previous three matches with a combined goal difference of +10, but a twist in the road was about to arrive.

In the 10th minute, Oxted took the lead as a free-kick was sent in centrally and the ball dropped to Reece Davern, who stabbed in past Ben Taylor.

Just two minutes later, Dan O’Hara doubled that lead, thrashing a stunning shot past Taylor from the left, taking advantage of space outside Ringmer’s box.

That was a shock to the Blues’ system, but in true streetfighter style, they soon landed a blow.

From a Rhys Taylor corner on the left, Fraser Argyle got a glancing touch to set up centre-back Dan Oliver, who headed past Peacock in emphatic fashion.

With George Coleman fishing the ball out of the net, the first flare-up of the afternoon saw Peacock shove the Ringmer winger and be awarded a yellow card – something he would live to regret.

Nonetheless, the hosts struggled to make an impact for the rest of the half, with Rhys Taylor having a couple of efforts saved but the better chances coming at the other end.

Oliver and Freddie Verrall made vital interventions to stop two dangerous efforts from the Oxted right, while set-pieces also brought some nerves as Ringmer did enough to hold the score at 2-1 at half-time.

The second 45 minutes saw the drama heighten further, with the weather taking a turn for the worse as everyone in attendance – besides the lucky few in the bar – got soaked. High winds meant the rain travelled sideways, with no escape for those under cover and no point in either side taking the aerial route.

As a result, much of the early second half was chaotic, with plenty of space for Oxted substitute Luke McClean on the left and Ringmer’s midfielders able to drive forward. Quality was lacking, and it predictably took something unusual to change the scoreline.

This arrived after the hour mark, with an Oxted free-kick fired in low from the left and Ben Earle miscuing a clearance, with his heavy deflection making it 3-1.

Oxted may have thought the game was won, but with McClean jarring his knee and being replaced by Jake Dodgson while forward Will Street was also cramping, the task was not as easy as it first appeared.

In the moments that followed, Ringmer soon thought the game was lost too.

With 74 minutes gone, Northeast extended his leg to meet a free-kick in the box and connected with Peacock, earning him a second booking and reducing Ringmer to ten. Just a minute later, however, Peacock went in for a madcap lunge in the box, earning himself a second yellow and handing Ringmer a penalty.

Dodgson bravely took the gloves but could not prevent Coleman converting, with the scoreline becoming 3-2 in the 76th minute.

Though it was 10 versus 10, Ringmer were the side with all the momentum, content to play in the ever-worsening conditions while Oxted looked for the earliest exit. Pressure on the Oxted backline increased with every minute, and in the 88th minute, the Blues had a priceless equaliser.

Blackford, ever the willing pot-shot taker, drove with purpose down the right and shot on sight. The midfielder was richly rewarded as his powerful effort flew past Dodgson, and from there, only one outcome was possible.

It was added time when Ringmer’s glorious winner finally arrived, with a corner whipped into the box and Oliver – a long-time MSFL goal machine – prodding the ball across goal and in.

Ringmer were never going to let their lead slip and duly survived late pressure to do what no other MSFL side had done this season – beat the Premier Division leaders.

The result sees Ringmer narrow the gap on the leading pack, with just seven points and a game in hand separating them from Oxted, and two points keeping them from second-placed Balcombe. With wins against both those sides in the last fortnight, the Blues will carry huge confidence into their next outings.

Weather depending, Ringmer’s next match will be a short trip to Ridgewood this Saturday, with a 2pm kick-off at Uckfield’s Victoria Pleasure Ground (TN22 5DJ).

Ringmer AFC: B. Taylor, Maybury, Verrall (Wilton, 82’), Oliver, Northeast (C), Webster, Coleman, Blackford, Argyle, Earle (C. Howard, 77’), R. Taylor (Ashwood, 46’). Unused: Butterworth.