John Brown is a local guy. John Brown is well in to his eighties. John Brown gets a bit grumpy. However John Brown is down at Steyning football club every day working on a voluntary basis doing all the jobs that go unnoticed, (or sometimes doing bigger jobs that get noticed). John is John.

John however has been invaluable to the club and is one of the unsung heroes of the clubs recent rise from the proverbial ashes. John Brown was there seven years ago, standing at the entrance of the club early one morning, with a sizeable cheque in his shovel sized hand to keep the gates closing on the club one last time. There were plenty of wolves to keep at bay and the vultures were closing in. John helped see all these people off and refuses to be repaid. So behind the lovely 3G pitch, the busy clubhouse, the last minute winners, cup wins, the gutting losses, the hundreds of kids coming and going each week after another great fun session, please spare a thought for John, and understand and appreciate without him none of this would happen. In fact it is very likely we would not have a club at all.

This is the reason that we now play annually for the John Brown trophy. Getting two local clubs together, getting local supporters here, and having a fun yet competitive evening of local football action. It is a celebration of local football. It is a night for local rivals (just one division apart) to lock horns in front of a healthy crowd, and to see who has local bragging rights for the next 12 months.

Now in to its seventh year the match has always been close (with the exception of last years 5-0 win for Steyning) with Steyning winning 4 of the games to date, and Beeding 2 of the matches, with a few penalty shoot outs along the way. There is always the extra spice of players who move between both clubs, and lots of the players knowing each other. This year is no exception. Friendships out of the window for 90 minutes.

Kris Harding, Gathers, Tewsley, Trower, JJ, Fordy, Harry Smith, Webby to name a few are current players who have donned the yellow and also worn the red and could be out there tomorrow night. Although there is a trophy on offer, both managers will also see this as an opportunity to fine tune their best 11s. Steyning start their season at home to Midhurst this Saturday, Beeding start in a few weeks time.

So what has pre season told us so far. It seems both sides are coming together quite nicely. Beeding have had some really good results under the new stewardship of Hollis and Warren. They were thrust in to the spotlight after the sudden departure of new boss Dennis Hughes (a new record?) who has since surfaced at Bosham FC. The new bosses have quite clearly quickly assembled a competitive squad and their 2-1 win against Hassocks on Saturday is their most notable result in pre season.

Steyning have also been in good nick thus far. Four games against teams from the division above have yielded 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. The signing of Gathern and Timms at the back has given the back four some solidity that was absent for most of the last campaign, JJ in goal has been in great form, and Faber and Haulkham have really given the centre of the park a more aggressive appeal. Most of last years squad have returned which is always pleasing. Up top the final pieces of the jigsaw are still there for the taking. Bull, Smith, Romain, Levoi and Neatherway have all impressed at times during pre season in these positions and it will be intriguing to see how Murphy sets up his side, both tomorrow night and on Saturday.

Lots to look forward to. But win , lose or draw , we will be back in the clubhouse tomorrow night, both sides of the Adur having a drink together and raising a glass to John and to another season of football at The Shooting Field and at the Memorial Field in Beeding. We are lucky to have him.

Football is back!