Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:01:04 -0800WeeblyFri, 03 May 2013 08:48:45 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/05/saltdean-1-v-2-westfield.html_ WESTFIELD require just one point from their final league game to cement fifth position in Sussex County Football League Division Two. 

A win or a draw at home to Steyning Town tomorrow (Saturday) will see Westfield leapfrog a Broadbridge Heath side which has already finished. 

Westfield made it possible with a 2-1 win at bottom side Saltdean United on Tuesday night in a scrappy game where the visitors missed a number of good opportunities. 

They got off to a bad start as Ryan Walton scored for Saltdean after two minutes, finishing well when one-on-one. The first half was a poor affair with little width on a compact pitch, but Westfield had chances to level through Mike Booth and Danny Woodley.

Eventually Booth did equalise, back-heeling the ball in after a set-piece wasn’t cleared. Westfield were the better side after half time and Steve Thomson’s excellent scissor kick won them the game on the hour. Saltdean pushed for a second, but Westfield rode an onslaught of crosses to see out the match.

“We lacked composure in front of goal,” said joint boss Tony Harris. “It’s a bit frustrating, but we held on to an important three points. Now we want a win (Saturday) and to finish on a high. We’ve got a good group of lads and unlike others there’s no financial incentives, which will make a top five finish all the more pleasing.”

Westfield: Morris, Brand, Thomson, Archer, Bell, Warren, Owens, Henham, Cuddington, Woodley (Ringwood), Booth. Subs not used: Ferris, Smith.

]]>Fri, 03 May 2013 08:46:20 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/05/storrington-1-v-2-westfield.html_ WESTFIELD will feel that justice was done after winning at Storrington on Saturday.

The Sussex County Football League Division Two match was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch two weeks previously with Westfield leading 3-0 early in the second half.

The result didn’t stand, however, and Westfield had to make the long journey all over again last weekend. But they came home with all three points thanks to goals from Bradley Owens and Danny Woodley.

The visitors started well, but Storrington were soon on top, though they were made to pay for their lack of cutting edge when Owens struck with a low shot from 25 yards. Mike Booth then rattled a post from an acute angle.

A mistake from Jamie Bell allowed the home side to level just after half time through Liam Humphreys. Westfield then lost Ross Williams to injury and the introduction of Woodley meant a shuffling of the pack. 

It proved to be a master stroke, though, with Woodley supplying a headed finish to Lawrence Brand’s cross to reclaim the lead. 

Booth missed some good chances to kill the game off, but it didn’t matter as Westfield eventually claimed a deserved three points.

“We didn’t want to travel back there and leave with nothing, not after last time,” joint manager Tony Harris said. “We played well, so we’re happy to have got the points we think we deserved.” 

Westfield: Morris, Williams (Woodley), Bell, Thomson, Archer, Brand, Warren, Owens (Ringwood), Henham, Booth, Cuddington.

]]>Thu, 02 May 2013 08:45:11 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/05/view-from-the-dugout2.html_ This afternoon sees the visit of Steyning Town FC to the Parish Field for our final league game of the season knowing that at least a point will see us finish 5th on 56 points. We currently sit 6th on goal difference behind Broadbridge Heath FC. However, we know that this afternoons visitors will provide a very tough test and that we can take nothing for granted as we look to finish the league season on a win ahead of this evenings annual presentation night. Steyning visit us on the back of an impressive 5-0 victory over Midhurst and have won 5 of the 8 games they played in April so we are expecting a very tough test.

If todays game is anything like our last game against Steyning it should certainly be a good game for the neutral as we ran out 4-2 winners in a game were we started brightly and went 1 up before finding ourselves trailing 2-1 before scoring 3 goals in the final 15 minutes of the game, Gordon & Danny were our scorers on the day with 2 a piece, this is a result we'd most definitely take today albeit we could do without the 2 goals against!!!

Since our last home game against Southwick which we won 1-0 we've had 3 away games which all ended 2-1 with us losing to Mile Oak before beating Storrington last Saturday and then beating Saltdean last Tuesday.

After today we have one game remaining which is the final of the Hastings Senior Cup Final Vs Sidley United or Bexhill United who play their semi final on Tuesday evening, we're determined to finish the season on a high, clinch 5th spot today and follow this up with a win in the cup final next Saturday.

We've enjoyed a fairly successful season to date and if we can finish with wins in our last 2 games I'd say it's been a good season, as a Senior club we've only ever managed to reach 59 points twice so to be 1 point short of the clubs highest season points tally and to also win a senior trophy would in our opinion represent a decent return on what has often been a stop start season due to the weather.

As always thanks for your support and here's to finish off the league season with a win before a cup final win next Saturday.

Cheers

Baldy, Beaky & Bally

]]>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:21:13 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/04/mile-oak-2-v-1-westfield.html_ WESTFIELD still have a good chance of a top five finish despite a slightly unfortunate defeat on Wednesday night.

Although currently seventh in Sussex County Football League Division Two, Westfield are just three points behind fifth-placed Broadbridge Heath with two games in hand.

In a fixture brought forward late last week, Westfield got off to a great start as Tom Archer put them ahead inside four minutes with a header from a corner routine the club has worked on for quite a while.

Westfield hit the post through Gordon Cuddington, but Aaron Ransom brought Oak level by arrowing a shot into the bottom corner after the visitors only half cleared a corner.

The visitors’ cause wasn’t helped by the loss of Steve Thomson to a knee injury after 20 minutes, yet they were the better side during the opening 25 minutes of the second period.

Oak then started to look more threatening and stand-in Westfield goalkeeper Danny Woodley, who had a good game, made a great save from a one-on-one situation. The hosts grabbed the winner from the resulting corner, however, as Ryan Pretlove headed in from close range.

Woodley made another splendid stop moments later and Oak put the rebound in the net only to be denied by an offside flag. Mike Booth went close and Sean Smith had two great opportunities, but it wasn’t to be. Westfield travel to Storrington tomorrow (Saturday).

Westfield: Woodley, Williams, Bell, Archer, Thomson (Smith), Brand, Warren, Henham, Owens (Ringwood), Cuddington, Booth.

* WESTFIELD reserves picked up a 1-1 draw in a local derby away to Bexhill United on Saturday.

Jason Maurice was on target for a ninth-placed Westfield side which had lost only two of its last 11 Sussex County Football League Reserve Section (East) matches before the trip to Seaford Town last night (Thursday). Westfield finish up at home to Southwick tomorrow.]]>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:20:21 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/04/westfield-1-v-0-southwick.html_ WESTFIELD defied a numerical disadvantage to get the better of Southwick at The Parish Field on Saturday.

Despite having Jethro Warren sent-off in the second half with the game still goalless, Westfield clinched the points thanks to a cracker from Gordon Cuddington.

Joint manager Tony Harris said: “It should’ve been more comfortable than it probably was. First half we were by far the better team and we had probably three really good chances, but didn’t take them. Second half we were a bit sloppy and they grew into the game, but I felt we deserved the win.”

Westfield could have gone ahead inside 30 seconds, but Mike Booth pulled his shot wide when one-on-one. A couple of other promising situations came to nothing during the remainder of the first half in this Sussex County Football League Division Two fixture.

Westfield went down to 10 men in the second period when Warren was given his marching orders following an altercation with an opponent in front of the away dugout.

Westfield dropped Cuddington back into midfield where he was outstanding and he grabbed the only goal with a 25-yard half volley into the opposite top corner.

The hosts defended fairly well thereafter. Southwick pumped a few balls into the box late on, but goalkeeper Carl Morris dealt with everything and Cuddington came close to a great solo goal at the other end.

Westfield: Morris, Williams, Thomson, Archer, Bell (Woodley), Brand, Warren, Henham, Owens (Ringwood), Cuddington, Booth (Smith).]]>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:24:10 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/04/westfield-3rds-5-2-parkfield.html_The 3rd team are still on their way to back-to-back promotions after a 5-2 victory of bottom of the table Parkfield. However it wasn't the walk over the score line would suggest. A mistake from no one in particular (Jacob Archer missing a clearance) put us 1 down within 10 minutes before the clubs top goal scored BJ Driver came to our rescue again before half time. Manager/Player George Driver put us in the lead early in the second half with a well placed face/header. "Big" Dave Winch scored from point black range but within 10 seconds from the restart we were pegged back to 3-2. Jon-Jo Wright and another goal from Dave sealed the victory. The run to the end of the season is jam-packed with matches, a game on Wednesday V Icklesham at the Parish Field before a double header at league leaders Bexhill Athletic on Saturday.]]>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:35:27 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/03/westfield-2-v-1-seaford1.html_ WESTFIELD rewarded the hard work of groundsman Jon Attewell with three points at home to Seaford Town on Saturday afternoon.

Attewell’s sterling endeavours enabled the game to go ahead, despite the rain which put paid to many other fixtures around the county and the hosts took full advantage to win their third game in a row in all competitions.

The weather rather than the surface contributed to a difficult Sussex County Football League Division Two game, with both sides struggling to gain momentum in the early stages. 

Town looked the more likely to make something of their possession, but the visitors failed to create any clearcut chances. After 20 minutes, though, it was Westfield who drew first blood through striker Mike Booth.

A rare foray into Seaford territory down Westfield’s right-hand side saw Danny Woodley deliver an excellent cross and Booth applied a neat finish past goalkeeper Sheldon Levett. 

As half time approached, Town were pressing for a leveller and they eventually got it on the stroke of the break. Alex Thompson cut inside Jamie Bell having collected the ball out wide and his drive flew into the bottom corner past Carl Morris. 

Chances were few and far between during the second period, but Westfield substitute Brad Owens went close on two occasions and Booth had an attempt cleared off the line. 

Westfield grabbed their winner on 84 minutes. Jethro Warren’s free kick was flicked on by Steve Thomson and Sam Henham was on hand to claim the decisive goal. 

“All credit goes to Jon really,” Westfield joint manager Tony Harris said. “Like everyone at Westfield FC, Jon is just a volunteer who is happy to help out.

“He worked on the pitch right up until kick-off and the fact it hardly cut up at all during the game is a credit to his hard work. 

“I’m pleased with this little run we’re on right now. Seaford probably deserved something, but obviously we were delighted that Sam could nick a winner.”

Westfield: Morris, Williams, Bell (Owens), Thomson, Archer, Brand, Warren, Henham, Cuddington, Woodley, Booth (Ferris). Subs not used: Smith, Ridgway.

]]>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:32:27 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/03/wick-2-v-3-westfield.html_ WESTFIELD made hard work of their victory at Wick on Saturday, but some pleasing ‘team goals’ eventually were enough to hand them the win. 

The three points completed a Sussex County Football League Division Two double over their opponents this season after triumphing by an identical scoreline in September’s reverse fixture. 

On a wet and boggy surface, Westfield goalkeeper Carl Morris was called into action frequently early on and three good saves kept the scoreline goalless. 

Having weathered the early storm, the visitors took the lead on 13 minutes. A neat interchange between Danny Woodley and Mike Booth allowed the latter to find space in the box and he calmly passed his effort into the corner of the net. 

Five minutes later, Westfield doubled their advantage. Another good move this time ended with Jethro Warren, who made no mistake with his finish. 

The game remained at 2-0 until the hour mark when Dan Swain pulled one back. Woodley restored Westfield’s two- goal lead in the 72nd minute with a composed effort after more good build-up play from his team-mates. 

Kieron Playle-Howard ensured a nervy ending when he capitalised on miscommunication between Morris and Tom Archer late on, but Westfield remained strong to hold on to the points. 

“We made hard work of it,” joint manager Tony Harris said. “But taking six points off of any team in a season is nice. 

“I’m pleased for Danny (Woodley) too with his goal. He’s played well lately, but he was frustrated at not being on the scoresheet and hopefully now he can go on a little run.”

Westfield: Morris, Williams, Thomson, Archer, Bell (Ferris), Brand, Warren, Henham, Cuddington, Woodley, Booth (Smith). Sub not used: Ringwood.

 

]]>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:31:56 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/03/little-common-0-v-3-westfield.html_ WESTFIELD surged into the Hastings & District FA Senior Cup final with a splendid victory over Little Common on Tuesday night.

Three second half goals did the damage as Westfield avenged a Sussex County Football League Division Two loss at home to the same opponents back in August.

Westfield joint manager Tony Harris said: “It’s always nice to win a local derby and I felt we deserved it. The attitude of the players was spot on and we kept our discipline.”

The first half of a niggly semi-final wouldn’t have been great viewing for a sparse crowd. Play was fairly even, but Common had the best chance. Westfield were undone by a Russell Eldridge long ball and 29-goal leading scorer Jamie Crone lobbed over Westfield goalkeeper Carl Morris, but also over the crossbar.

Shortly afterwards, Westfield forward Danny Woodley had a very strong penalty appeal turned down. Lewis Hole had half a chance for Common which he dragged wide, while Westfield had three of four efforts themselves, some of which were spilled by Common goalkeeper Jon Saunders. Both sides might have picked up a couple of bookings for persistent fouling.

Into the second half and the game swung decisively in Westfield’s favour in the space of just a few minutes. Lawrence Brand put them in front and Common then had Crone sent-off after diving in on Sam Henham.

“I don’t think he meant to catch Sam, but it was a dangerous tackle and based on the current rules, I thought it was a red card,” continued Harris.

Common actually created more chances when they went down to 10 men, mainly from long balls, and Morris made an outstanding double save to keep Westfield 1-0 in front.

Common pushed an extra man forward which gave Westfield some problems until the visitors adjusted their shape to nullify the opposing wide players.

Mike Booth doubled Westfield’s advantage and Zach Ferris made absolutely sure with a third goal. Steve Thomson was outstanding in the away defence.

Westfield’s reward is a showdown against Sidley United or Bexhill United, who will meet in the other last four tie on Thursday March 21.

Westfield: Morris, Williams, Thomson, Archer, Bell, Brand (Ferris), Warren, Henham, Cuddington (Owens), Woodley, Booth. Subs not used: Discala, Smith.

]]>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:31:18 GMThttp://www.westfieldfootballclub.com/1/post/2013/03/newhaven-2-v-0-westfield.html_ WESTFIELD joint manager Tony Harris labelled Newhaven’s supporters ‘disgraceful’ after watching his side fall to a two-goal defeat last Saturday. 

Westfield were downed by two second half efforts from the Sussex County Football League Division Two leaders and had Danny Woodley dismissed for violent conduct. 

“We suffered a barrage of abuse out there,” Harris said. “You don’t expect that at this level of football. The ref was subjected to it too after every single decision. They were an embarrassment.”

Gordon Cuddington struck the post for Westfield and Newhaven took the lead with a neat finish from Lee Robinson. The flashpoint of the game came just before the 70-minute mark.

Mike Booth’s attempt to poke the ball saw him catch a Newhaven defender with a high boot. After shoving the already grounded Booth, Newhaven’s goalkeeper clashed with Woodley, who went head-to-head with him and was sent-off. 

With two minutes left, Newhaven hit Westfield on the break and wrapped the game up through Robinson’s second. 

Harris added: “I don’t quite know how Danny can be sent-off when their goalie got off with a booking.”

Westfield: Morris, Williams, Archer, Thompson, Bell, Brand, Warren, Ringwood (Booth), Henham (Discala), Cuddington, Woodley.

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