2pm 3 October 2020
Mid Sussex League, Premier Division
Willingdon Athletic 4 Lindfield 5 (att 22)
Of the 48 divisions that the FA deem to be regional feeder leagues, the 11th tier of the English football pyramid, the Mid Sussex League was the only one I'd never seen a game in. I put that right during a weekend on the south coast.
It wasn't my original plan, but after prolonged wet weather I chose a fixture where there was a nearby match on a 3G surface as a back up. As it turned out the rain had moved away well before kick off, and the Huggetts Lane pitch was fine.
Willingdon is a suburb of Eastbourne, and the football club are based at a ground that is basically a public recreation ground. There's a pavilion near the entrance, and a sign tells passers by about the next fixture.
It looked as if not many would turn up to watch this, although the handful of us present at kick off was soon boosted by people who arrived once the action was underway. Those who missed the opening minutes made a wise decision, and although it was a nine goal thriller it took a while to get going.
Willingdon opened the scoring, but were 2-1 down by the break. Lindfield extended their advantage in the second half, and would have run out comfortable winners had Willingdon not scored twice in stoppage time to give their visitors a nervous final few seconds.
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