LITTLEHAMPTON TOWN (The Sportsfield)

ISTHMIAN LEAGUE SOUTH EAST DIVISION, LITTLEHAMPTON TOWN 0-0 THREE BRIDGES, ATTENDANCE: 223

I made a very long journey this Saturday to the south  coast. As you do. The West Sussex seaside town of Littlehampton was my destination and it involved a very early start. Crazy, but needs must!

I was actually heading to Littlehampton last October, but the game was postponed due to stormy weather and I therefore ended up diverting to Wimborne Town instead. I could have met with the same fate today but fortunately The Sportsfield pitch passed an 11am inspection, so it was game on!

So, why the urgency to visit Littlehampton Town you ask? Well it was simply to see the old, mostly, wooden main stand in all it's glory before it is demolished, and replaced, at the end of the current season. The way the fixtures have dropped with Everton, this was probably my last chance to visit and time is certainly running out.

The main stand at The Sportsfield has stood for over 100 years but is now a dilapidated state. The Ivy is crawling over, and through, the stand whilst the roof is being held up with scaffolding. Unfortunately with ground grading regulations, especially the higher you go up the pyramid, the stand is no longer fit for purpose.

A crowdfunder was set up to help towards a replacement structure but in late 2023 it was announced that a grant of £100,000 from the Football Foundation Premier League Stadium Fund had been awarded to cover the costs of the new build. The club have stated that demolition of the stand will take place as soon as the 2023/24 season ends and it is hoped the building of the new 154 seat stand will be completed by June, allowing the ribbon to be cut with a pre-season friendly in July.

Littlehampton FC were formed in 1896, the Town suffix being added in 1938, and the club were founder members of the West Sussex League the same year before joining the Sussex County League in 1928. The club moved into The Sportsfield,  which is shared with cricket, around the turn of the last century. 

Littlehampton didn't win their first ever Division One title until 1991 and they then won the final ever Sussex County title in 2015, when the league was renamed the Southern Combination. Despite winning these titles, the club never achieved promotion to the Isthmian League, maybe due to ground grading, until they won the Southern Combination in 2022. This was on the back of an FA Vase Final appearance at Wembley, where they were beaten 3-0 by Newport Pagnell Town.

Season 2022/23 was Littlehampton's first ever campaign at Step 4 and they finished in 12th position. They are currently on course for a similar finish this season.

It was a cold and damp Sportsfield this afternoon and the game versus Three Bridges was a tight affair. It ended goalless but it was a hard earned point for The Golds as they played the last 30 minutes or so with 10 men. Around the hour mark Dion Jarvis recieved a second yellow card but despite lots of pressure Three Bridges couldn't find a way through. The visitors best chance of the game came just after half time when they were awarded a penalty but Ibrahima Jollah saw his effort save by James Binfield (pictured below). 

Overall the draw was a fair result. Something inside told me today might finish goalless after Littlehampton drew 4-4 with Hythe Town last week. The nul-nul meister strikes again!

The Main Stand at Littlehampton Town 1921-2024.