Well as 2014/15 started there was little sign of the fireworks to come, Dawesy continued in his role as 2nds captain sharing it with Colin who had taken over from Saul who dropped down to 3rds captaincy. In terms of players there were a couple of additions with Chris Harris coming down from the 1sts, and Taf & Matt Scrase being available for a full season. This meant that the squad finally began the season in a position to have a strong season and push for promotion back to Division 2 where they were relegated from in 2011/12 in Brian Thompson’s final ill fated season in charge.
Could the “Lads XI” pull off promotion? Yes was the answer and emphatically so as they won the clubs first mens league title since the 3rds won the old Division 2 in the 2004/05 season

Cup and Pre Season
The pre season consisted of 2 friendlies and a cup match, there were debuts for Sam Pecalli, Harry Dorgan and Phil Hodgson as well as a goal scoring return from Paul Glover in a 2-1 defeat to league higher opposition Littlehampton 1s. However Phil apart none of these players would lock down regular spots in the 2nd team and also Jon Long played his only game of the season on this Saturday. Loz Pethick got the MOM award in goal having been called up from the 3rds. The next week came with a withdrawal from the 2nds cup and what looked an unwinnable game against East Grinstead 2nds. The final game of preseason was a comfortable 4-0 win over perennial Div 3 strugglers Worthing 4ths. With Scrasey still unavailable Aaron Melloy kept a clean sheet in goal and there was a brace from Steve Case and goals from Taf and Matt Gilbert as well

LEAGUE SEASON
4/10/14 –(W) Penguins 2nds 1-2 Southwick 2nds (8TH vs 9th)
(TEAM) Scrase, Whiting, Dawes, Boulton, Dorgan, Tanner, Funnell*, Gilbert, Stillwell (g), Mpandawana (g), Case (SUBS) Mamoany, Hodgson
An impressive away win against mid table stalwarts Penguins captain Colin getting them on the way before Taf made it 2-0. With Russell Whiting playing as an emergency right back the return of Scrase in goal helped Wick hold on for a win despite a 2nd half comeback from Penguins.
Elsewhere: Hailsham go top of the league with 6-0 win over St Francis, Chi, Worthing 3s and Lewes all also start with wins while Horsham and Brighton draw.

11/10/14 – (W) Southwick 2nds 4-0 St Francis 3rds (5th vs 12th)
(TEAM) Scrase, R.Melloy, Dawes, Boulton, Funnell, Stillwell, Tanner, Harris (gg), Mpandawana (g), Case (g) (SUBS) Mamoany, Gilbert, Whiting, Thompson*
Newly promoted St Francis were already bottom of the league, however they were not the shambles they would end the season in, and Wick were forced to wait until well in the 2nd half to break the deadlock and also saw Chris Harris miss a penalty flick before four 2nd half goals gave them victory. Chris hit a brace, Taf and Steve Case getting the others. There was an assist for Andrew Mamoany, clean sheets for the backline which included Ryan Melloy and Tommo returning from injury.
Elsewhere: Lewes go top with a 5-1 win over Horsham, Worthing 3s beat early leaders Hailsham 2-1 away Chi also 2-1 win away over Brighton to keep on max points. Worthing 4s and Penguins both also claim their first victories over newly promoted Mid Sussex and Crawley respectively.

18/10/14 – (L) Hailsham 2nds 2-1 Southwick 2nds (5th vs 2nd)
(TEAM) Pethick*, T.Bird, R.Melloy, Thompson , Boulton, Funnell, Stillwell (g), Tanner, Whiting, Case, Mamoany (SUBS) Dawes, Hodgson, Mumford
With no Scrase, Harris or Taf this was always going to be tough, and the fact half the team went out on the sauce the night before didn’t help. Despite a MOM display from Loz in goal and a brave late fightback inspired by a great assist from Saul and goal from Colin this has to go down as the worst performance of the season.
Elsewhere: Worthing 3s go top after a 2-0 home win over Middies, Chi beat Lewes 2-1 at home to go 2nd Horsham and St Francis claim their first wins of the season 5-2 and 5-3 over Worthing 4s and winless Crawley and Brighton beat Penguins 2-0 in Angmering

25/10/14 – (D) Southwick 2nds 2-2 Worthing 3rds (5th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Pethick*, T.Bird, Dawes, Thompson, Whiting, Boulton, Funnell, Tanner, Harris (g), Mpandawana , Case (SUBS) Mumford, Hodgson, Goatcher (g)
Going 2 goals up against the current league leaders seemed to indicate that the return of Harris and unbeaten record intact and meant they escaped with a point. Michael Goatcher got himself off the mark in this game with a beautiful reverse strike for Wicks opening goal. This is the first of 7 out of the next 8 games that Wick play at PACA.
Elsewhere: Chi make it 4 wins on the bounce and are the only side with a 100% record left after beating Worthing 4s 6-1. Lewes go 3rd with a walkover against Penguins, Crawley lose 3-2 at home and stay bottom despite St Francis losing 6-0 at Brighton.

1/11/14 – (W) Southwick 2nds 5-0 Crawley 3rds (6th vs 12th)
(TEAM) Scrase, Dawes, Boulton, T.Bird, Funnell, Gilbert, Dorgan, Tanner, Harris* (gg), Mpandawana (g), Case (g) (SUBS) Goatcher (g), Whiting, P.Glover
Scrase returns and tells the 2nds they will win the league, he keeps a clean sheet and this win over bottom place Crawley was the first in an 8 game winning streak that will establish Wick as true title contenders. The win is pretty routine although all goals come in the 2nd 35 minutes with Harris scoring twice and added to with strikes from Taf, Steve Case and Mike Goatcher. Paul Glover makes a rare appearance and it’s Harry Dorgan’s last game before a knee injury curtails his season
Elsewhere: Chi stay unbeaten but a surprise 1-1 draw at home to Mid Sussex allows Worthing 3s to return to the top with a 6-0 hammering of Horsham Hawks. St Francis let in 9 at home to a rampant Lewes while Penguins are also scoring for fun putting 10 past Worthing 4s. Brighton win at Hailsham

8/11/14 – (W) Southwick 2nds 6-0 Brighton & Hove 5s (4th vs 5th)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Dawes, Coppleman, Funnell, Novy, Tanner (g), Mpandawana*(ggg), Harris (g), Case (g) (SUBS) Wainwright, Gilbert, Hodgson
Considering Brighton finished 2nd last year this match looks tough on paper and Brighton are only just behind Wick going into this game. However 2 early goals and one just before half time allow Southwick a pretty easy second half and they end up running out comfortable 6 nil winners. Taf hits his first hat trick of the season, Loz gets his first goal of the year and Case and Harris are also on the scoresheet. Captain Colin is still sidelined by injury leading to a callup for Ian Wainwright Alex Coppleman is also drafted in to replace Tom Bird who steps up to the 1sts.
Elsewhere: Top spot changes hands yet again, Lewes 0-0 with Hailsham enough to take it as Worthing lose to bottom placed Crawley and Chi are beaten 4-3 in Horsham. In losing 6-0 to Worthing 4s St Francis go bottom a position they stay in for the rest of the season

15/11/14 – (W) Southwick 2nds 5-1 Lewes 5s (2nd vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Dawes, Coppleman, Funnell, Wainwright, Tanner, Mpandawana (g), Case (g), Harris (SUBS) Goatcher* (ggg)
Slips by Chi and Worthing the week before left these two 1st and 2nd coming into the match, however a dominant second half display by Southwick meant that they were top of the table come Saturday night for the first time in the season after their third straight win. Victory was built off the back of a Mike Goatcher hat trick assisted by goals from Taf and Steve. However it was 1-1 at half time Wick having gone ahead but letting Lewes back into it just before half time and they needed 4 late goals to secure victory.
Elsewhere: In another huge clash at the top of the table, Worthing triumph 4-2 at home over the Chipmunks. Crawleys revival continues they beat Brighton 5-0. Hailsham stay 5th after a 4-3 win over Worthing 4s to retain outside interest in the top places

22/11/14 – (W) Worthing 4ths 0-3 Southwick 2nds (11th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Dawes, Coppleman, Funnell, Wainwright, Tanner, Mpandawana (g), Harris (gg), Case* (SUBS) R.Pethick, Mumford, Mamoany
Finally a trip away after 4 straight home games for Wick, as they travelled to the weaker Worthing side in this division. Worthing 4s are struggling but not rolling over easily to anyone and they put up solid resistance in a bad tempered game before goals from Taf and a brace from Chris Harris send them down 3-0. There are a number of injuries in this one including trips to hospital for Loz Tanner and Taf with a finger injury and concussion. Mags and Richard Pethick received call ups from the 3rds this week. Skipper Colin is still out injured but ran the team from the side as Wick stayed top
Elsewhere: Worthing remain in second despite losing away to Brighton, Chi show signs of life winning 3-1 at home over the Penguins. Lewes can’t bounce back after defeat last week and draw 1-1 at home to Crawley. Horsham are 5-0 winners over an increasingly despondent St Francis.

29/11/14 – (W) Southwick 2nds 3-1 Mid Sussex 3rds (1st vs 9th)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Dawes, Coppleman, Funnell*, Wainwright, Gilbert, Mpandadwana (gg), Goatcher (g), Pettit (SUBS) Stillwell, Novy, Parsons
Although Mid Sussex are 9th this is not an easy fixture and there is no Loz Tanner or Chris Harris and Steve Case is pinched by the 1sts, although Colin makes a return and Taf plays and scores twice. Mike Goatcher hits the other as wick come from behind to lead 3-1 at half time. The game peters out though in the 2nd half with no further goals. Bradley Parsons returns after a 2 year lay off. Wookie and Alex Novy also have rare run outs
Elsewhere: Chichester stay 2nd with a brutal 12-1 win away to St Francis. 3rd placed Worthing beat local rivals Penguins 3-2 at home and Lewes stay 4thsneaking past Brighton by the same scoreline at Blatchington Mill. Horsham and Hailsham in 5th and 6th draw with eachother and it’s looking like it’s only the top 4 who will be challenging for the promotion places.
(1) SOU 22PTS (2) CHI 19 PTS (3) WOR 19 PTS (4) LEW 17 PTS (5) HAI 15 PTS

6/12/14 - (ABANDONED) Horsham Hawks P-P Southwick 2nds (6th vs 1st)
Snow leads this game to be abandoned 20 minutes in, with the Hawks 1-0 up!
(1) CHI 22PTS (2) SOU 22 PTS (3) LEW 20 PTS (4) WOR 19 PTS (5) HAI 15 PTS
Elsewhere: Chi go top on goal difference smashing Hailsham 7-0 at home. Lewes surprise Worthing 3rds beating them 5-0 at home as well. Worthing 4s get a good result 4-2 over Brighton and move up to 10th leapfrogging Crawley who lose 1-0 in Mid Sussex

13/12/14 – (W) Southwick 2nds 5-4 Chichester Chipmunks (2nd vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Dawes, Funnell, Wainwright, O’Connell, Zeglam, Stillwell (g), Harris* (ggg), Case* (g) (SUB) Parsons
The set of results last week have meant Wick go into a 1 v 2 clash with themselves in 2nd place for a second time this season. This victory is not as impressive as the one over Lewes but it is probably a more vital win as it boosts confidence as they head into the xmas break clear of the pack by 2 points a position they don’t relinquish till the end of March. This game sees a 2nds debut from Sami Zeglam up from the 3rds, and Brad Parsons last appearance before a nasty hand injury over Chrstmas means he is out for the rest of the season. It’s a topsy turvey game, Wick find themselves 2-0 down early on, but goals from Harris and a wonderstike from Steve Case leave it level at half time. In the 2nd half Harris adds 2 more and Colin hits a 5th to make it 5-2. Chi nearly come back with 2 late goals but Wick hang on for a great victory and 3 important points
(1) SOU 25PTS (2) LEW 23 PTS (3) CHI 22 PTS (4) WOR 22 PTS (5) HAI 18 PTS
Elsewhere: Worthing hit 9 past St Francis who are looking doomed, Lewes go 2nd beating Worthing 4s comfortably 5-1 and Hailsham beat Penguins 5-4 in a 9 goal thriller. Crawley move back out of relegation space in 11th with a 3-1 win at home over Horsham

17/1/15 – (W) Southwick 2nds 5-1 Penguins 2nds (1st vs 8th)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Coppleman, Funnell, Gilbert, Wainwright, Tanner, Mpandawana (ggg), Goatcher *(gg), Case (SUB) Stillwell
It’s a new year but normal service is resumed for Wick who win a 7th game on the trot, and also play at home for the 7th time of the last 8 games. It’s a pretty one sided affair 3 first half goals wrap the match up and Taf hits a hat trick though it’s Goatcher who gets MOM and a brace of goals. It’s the captains birthday toboot. Wick increase their advantage to 3 points at the top of the division
(1) SOU 28PTS (2) CHI 25 PTS (3) WOR 25 PTS (4) LEW 23 PTS (5) HAI 21 PTS
Elsewhere: Lewes have their game rearranged with Mid Sussex due to bad weather, this means both Chi (7-1 winners at Crawley) and Worthing who beat their own 4s 8-1 both overtake them. Hailsham also keep in the picture beating St Francis 6-0.

24/1/15 – (W) St Francis 1-9 Southwick 2nds (12th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Coppleman, Dawes, Funnell, Gilbert (g), Stillwell (g), Tanner, Case (g), Mpandawana *(gggggg), Harris (SUBS) Zeglam, Wainwright
A stonking win over St Francis, it’s Wicks 8th straight victory and the saints 9th straight loss. The result is never in any doubt as Taf hits 6 (count em!) goals Matt Gilbert, Colin and Steve Case chip in the others in a one sided encounter where Scrase is so bored in goal he manages to fall over a stationery ball in the 2nd half.
(1) SOU 31PTS (2) CHI 28 PTS (3) WOR 28 PTS (4) LEW 23 PTS (5) HAI 21 PTS
Elsewhere: Chi and Worthing keep pace Worthing see off Hailsham 4-0 at home, while the Chipmunks record a 5-2 over Brighton. Its not such good news for Lewes who lose 5-0 over in Horsham. Penguins move up to 7th with a 4-1 win over Crawley

31/1/15 – (POSTPONED) Southwick 2nds P-P Hailsham (1st vs 5th)
This match is called off due to an icy pitch
Elsewhere: Only 2 games go ahead and don’t affect the top 5 Penguins win 1-0 at Brighton and Crawley slaughter St Francis 9-0 to virtually condemn them to relegation

7/2/15 – (L) Worthing 3rds 2-1 Southwick 2nds (3rd vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase*, Thompson, Dawes, Boulton, Funnell, Coppleman, Stillwell, Tanner, Harris (g), Mpandawana, Case (SUBS) Wainwright, Mumford
Having had a week off this is a crunch game for Wick and they can’t continue their winning streak of 8 losing for the first time in 9 games in a really tight encounter over in Worthing. This is pretty much a full strength team but things just don’t go Wicks way, they lose concentration arguing with umpires and don’t really get a grip on the game. Failure to take chances in the 2nd half mean they walk of with a disappointing defeat and leaving themselves little room for error with some tough away fixtures upcoming (This is the 1st of 4 in a row!)
(1) SOU 31PTS (2) WOR 31 PTS (3) CHI 28 PTS (4) LEW 24 PTS (5) HAI 24 PTS
Elsewhere: Wick are fortunate that Chi slip up at home to Worthing 4s losing 3-2, Lewes can also only draw in Angmering against the Penguins and are starting to slip away although Hailsham beat Crawley 4-3. Horsham beat Middies 3-1 and are starting to look in form

14/2/15 – (W) Crawley 3rds 4-7 Southwick 2nds (10th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase*, Boulton, Thompson, Dawes, Coppleman, Stillwell, Funnell, Tanner, R.Pethick, Harris, Hodgson (SUBS) J.Bird (ggggg), McAlister (gg)
Southwick law states that Jamie Bird must play at least one game for the 2nds every season just to remind everyone else how good he is, and this is that game as he hits 5 goals against lowly Crawley in an 11 goal thriller. Macca gets the other 2 but only good work from Scrase stops a late determined fightback from Crawley. The 2nds also rely on Phil and Rich Pethick doing a job called up from 3rds duty
(1) SOU 34PTS (2) WOR 34 PTS (3) CHI 31 PTS (4) LEW 27 PTS (5) HAI 24 PTS
Elsewhere: Chi and Worthing both win to keep the pressure on, Worthing 5-0 away at Horsham and Chi 2-1 at the triangle against Mid Sussex. Lewes beat St Francis but only 3-0 showing how they have gone off the boil since xmas, Hailsham get beat at Brighton virtually ending their promotion chances.

21/2/15 – (W) Brighton & Hove 5ths 0-1 Southwick 2nds (8th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase, Boulton, Coppleman, Thompson, Zeglam, Tanner, Funnell, Hodgson, Wainwright, Mpandaawana, Stillwell (SUBS) Mumford*, R.Pethick (g)
With players out (Dawes & Harris) and Steve and Ian kept in the 1sts after sgood showings the week before only the lack of a 3rds game meant that we could field a decent squad for the tough trip to Brioghton. Taf returned just in time from a 2 week school trip in France though it was a goal from Richard Pethick set up by MOM Saul Mumford that ended up winning this tight encounter – thanks as well to great work from the backline to keep a clean sheet. A vital 3 points in a tough week
(1) SOU 37PTS (2) WOR 37 PTS (3) CHI 31 PTS (4) LEW 27 PTS (5) HAI 27 PTS
Elsewhere: Worthing beat Crawley comfortably 5-0 to maintain a 100% home record and are now Wicks main opposition still level on points with them. Chichester surprisingly lost at home to Horsham Hawks. Hailsham thrashed Lewes 5-0 effectively ending their involvement in the top spots.

28/2/15 – (W) Lewes 5ths 1-2 Southwick 2nds (4th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase*, Boulton, Coppleman, Thompson, Dawes, Tanner, Funnell, Stillwell (g), Wainwright, Mpandadwana (g), Case (SUBS) Mumford, Hodgson
Despite Lewes having some indifferent form a trip there is never easy and it proved such in a hotly contested encounter, with Lewes eager for revenge after their 5-1 humiliation earlier in the season that cost them top spot. We started appalling here despite being up to full strength but a magical run down the line by Saul meant he fed Colin in front of goal to put us 1-0 up. Lewes came back hard and equalised just before half time. The game could have then gone either way with chances at both ends before Taf smashed home a late late goal to give us an important if slightly fortunate victory
(1) SOU 40PTS (2) WOR 37 PTS (3) CHI 34 PTS (4) LEW 27 PTS (5) HAI 27 PTS
Elsewhere: Worthing and Chi played eachother and the result went in Wicks favour as Chi managed to pull off a 3-1 home victory. Worthing 4s beating 5th placed Hailsham 3-1 caused a surprise. St Francis managed 2 goals against Middies but lost 5-2. Horsham beat Penguins 4-1

7/3/15 – (W) Southwick 2nds 6-0 Worthing 4ths (1st vs 9th)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Dawes, Stillwell (g), Tanner, Coppleman, Funnell, Mpandawana* (ggg), Goatcher (gg), Harris (SUBS) Gilbert, Pettit
The dreaded subject of ringers came up before this one as we faced Worthing 3rds poorer neighbours, however this ended up being a pretty routine win with no scares on a first return to PACA in 6 weeks. Taf collected a hat trick and both MOM and DOD Mike Goatcher chipped in with his first goals since January and Colin also got on the scoresheet. Wookie also had a run out
(1) SOU 43PTS (2) WOR 40 PTS (3) CHI 37 PTS (4) HOR 30 PTS (5) HAI 30 PTS
Elsewhere: Worthing 3rds returned to winning ways thumping Brighton 5-0, Chi also kept in the picture with a 3-1 down at Penguins. Horsham’s stunning 14-1 win over St Francis catapulted them into 4th over Lewes and Hailsham. Hailsham did stay 5th winning 8-4 over Mid Sussex and on a high scoring weekend (49 goals in 6 games!) Crawley beat Lewes 9-3.

14/3/15 – (W) Mid Sussex 3rds 0-5 Southwick 2nds (10th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Dawes, Boulton, Coppleman, Funnell*, Tanner, Whiting, Harris* (gg), Mpandawana*(ggg), Stillwell (SUBS) Hodgson
Middies were just getting through the season at this point down in 10th and aiming to avoid 11th to ensure survival they proved no match for a rampant Wickers as Taf and Harris carved out 5 goals between them Taf getting yet another hat trick those 2 shared MOM with Greg and the back line kept another clean sheet in what was a routine but important win with just 4 games left to become champions, Russell Whiting made his first appearance in 2015 coming back from injury. This was Coppleman’s last game before he moved to China to teach for a spell
(1) SOU 46PTS (2) WOR 43 PTS (3) CHI 40 PTS (4) HOR 33 PTS (5) LEW 30 PTS
Elsewhere: Chi piled on the misery for St Francis as they smashed 15 in with no reply to keep an outside shot at promotion alive. Worthing won 2-0 in Angmering against the Penguins Horsham consolidated 4th with a 2-0 win over Hailsham. That meant Lewes went back 5th as they beat Brighton by the same score

21/3/15 – (W) Southwick 2nds 6-1 Horsham Hawks (1st vs 4th)
(TEAM) Scrase, J.Glover, Boulton, Funnell, Gilbert, Stillwell (g), Vokes, Tanner, Mpandadwana *(ggg), Goatcher (gg), Harris (SUBS) Folkes, Whiting
The Hawks came into this one in a bit of form having worked their way up to 4th place, however it was short lived as Wick brushed them aside in another one sided encounter mainly thanks to a hat trick from Taf and Mike Goatcher’s ability to find the net virtually every time he pulled a shirt on for the 2s this year. Colin also got on the scoresheet and Matt Vokes had a rare run out for the 2nds as well due to work constraints. This win meant 6 points were needed from the last 3 games and made it 6 straight wins since defeat to Worthing
(1) SOU 49PTS (2) WOR 46 PTS (3) CHI 43 PTS (4) HOR 33 PTS (5) PEN 30 PTS
Elsewhere: Worthing 3s beat Lewes 8-0 and made it 11 straight home wins a fine achievement. Chichesters 2-1 win over Hailsham kept them in the running for a top 2 place. Penguins moved up to 5th place whilst hitting double figures against the hapless St Francis (10-0)

28/3/15 – (L) Chichester Chipmunks 4-3 Southwick 2nds (3rd vs 1st)
(TEAM)Scrase*, T.Bird, Zeglam, Boulton, Whiting, Stillwell, Funnell, Tanner, Harris (g), Mpandawana (g), Mumford (SUBS) Dawes (g), Hodgson
We travelled to Chi knowing a win would effectively end their season and guarantee promotion. However this has never been a happy hunting ground for us, and we knew this would be a tough test. We failed to get going in the first half nerves playing a part and some quick hard hitting attacks from a young Chi side plus some bad misses up front contributed to us being 3-1 down at half time. Things got worse when Chi hit a 4th just after the break. We managed to add to Tafs first half strike when John Dawes smashed home from a short corner and finished the stronger team however Chris Harris hit our 3rd goal from the final short corner of the match, too little to late. We now needed 4 points from our last 2 games we could afford no more slip ups as were down to 2nd on goal difference but the saving grace was a game in hand
(1) WOR 49PTS (2) SOU 49 PTS (3) CHI 46 PTS (4) HOR 36 PTS (5) PEN 31 PTS
Elsewhere: Worthing Mens 3rds hit 9 goals past St Francis to ensure they moved above us on goal difference, Horsham beat Crawley (playing their final league fixture) to ensure 4th place. Penguins beat Hailsham Lewes drew against Worthing 4s. At the bottom Mid Sussex lost 2-1 to Brighton and needed 3 points from their last 2 games to finish out of 11th place where survival is not guaranteed.

11/4/15 – (W) Southwick 2nds 4-0 Hailsham 2nds (1st vs 7th)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Dawes, Packham, Gilbert, Whiting, Tanner, Funnell, Stillwell, Harris (gg), Mpandawana, (SUBS) Zeglam, Hodgson* (g), Mumford (g)
This was the rearranged fixture from 31st January and although Hailsham may have dropped away at the end of the season we knew they were the only team to have beaten us outside the top 3, or even take points off us for that matter! With Worthing not playing this week we had a free shot at returning to number 1 and keeping it in our own hands. A big win could also overturn the goal difference against Worthing. Thankfully we found this easier going than we had feared and an early short corner from Chris Harris was followed by a goal from Saul Mumford and then another from Harris right on half time to leave us 3-0 up. Hailsham produced a better 2nd half performance as we over complicated things trying to get more goals and in the end only MOM Phil Hodgson late controversial strike (Hailsham claimed the final whistle had gone before he scored) was added. Still it meant we only needed to win or draw to win the league in our trip to Horsham next week and also ensured promotion as long as 2 teams went up!
(1) SOU 52PTS (2) WOR 49 PTS (3) CHI 46 PTS (4) HOR 39 PTS (5) PEN 31 PTS
Elsewhere: Mid Sussex won 6-0 away at Lewes an outstanding result that meant they finished 10th above Crawley to ensure a 2nd season in division 3 after promotion in 2012/13. Horsham won 3-2 away to Worthing 4s in what was a dead rubber for both sides.

18/4/15 – (W) Horsham Hawks 2-9 Southwick 2nds (4th vs 1st)
(TEAM) Scrase, Thompson, Boulton, Dawes, Mumford, Tanner, Funnell, Hodgson, Stillwell (gg), Harris (gg), Mpandawana* (ggggg) (SUBS) Whiting, Zeglam
So it all came to this, just a draw was needed we were so fired up for this though that I never really felt we were going to lose as we took the Hawks apart in 35 sumptuous minutes of perfect passing hockey hitting 6 goals in the first half (Taf 4, Harris 2)and basically making the 2nd half a mere formality. We did have a slight panic letting in an early goal in the 2nd half and also a late yellow for Dawesy meant he finished the season on the sidelines and allowed Horsham a 2nd consolation goal, however Colin had added 2 more goals and Taf his 5th by then and we were 9-1 up so it was pretty irrelevant! What a great season, a great win and well done to everyone who played and especially well done to Colin and Dawesy for leading the team to real heights the best 2nds team in years. Looking forward to next season already writing this and it’s only May!
(1) SOU 55 PTS (2) WOR 52 PTS (3) CHI 47 PTS (4) HOR 39 PTS (5) LEW 32 PTS
Elsewhere: Worthing did what they needed to wining 7-5 in Mid Sussex however our win made that irrelevant. Lewes managed a draw with the Chipmunks to sneak back past Penguins into 5th place probably a fair result considering they had been up there much of the season