Southwick

Southwick FC have a long and interesting history as a non league football club based in Southwick, which is a western suburb of the city of Brighton & Hove. The club were formed in 1882 and became founder members of the Sussex County League in 1920.

In their first twenty eight years as members 'The Wickers' were crowned as league champions on four occasions as well as finishing as runners up four times. In 1952 the club decided to try their luck in the Metropolitan League, but they returned to the Sussex County League after just three seasons.

Southwick suffered a relegation but soon bounced back, before they lifted a fifth league title in 1969. The 1974-75 season saw a further championship as well the clubs only appearence at the first round stage of the FA Cup, where they were defeated 5-0 at Dean Court to AFC Bournemouth.

After finishing league runners up for the ninth time, the Wickers joined the Combined Counties League for the 1984-85 season. Money was thrown at the playing budget as the team won promotion at the first attempt to the Isthmian League after finishing as runners up. In 1986 they went up as champions, and they spent a further couple of seasons at Division One level until the cash ran out with the Old Barn Way ground struggling to meet the grading requirements. The club nearly went bust, but the efforts of George Bailey and Mick Fogden behind the scenes saved the day.

After a relegation in 1991, The Wickers rejoined the Sussex County League for the 1992-93 season as a new Chairman took over and promised great things. Within a decade the club had been promoted and relegated twice, finding themselves in the leagues' second tier. Another demotion came at the culmination of the 2012-13 season.

Southwick FC will play in the Sussex County League Division Three in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Friday 30th November 2008

I arrived in Brighton after a rather hazy and long coach journey from London, no doubt assisted by the slight hangover I was wearing following a night out in the capital with my brother Nick. The journey was spent listening to Talksports Mike 'Porky' Parry proclaiming that the FA had made a brilliant decision in pinpointing Fabio Capello as the man to take the national team forward. I must have been in a bit of a mess, as I believed what I was hearing.

After a walk to Brighton railway station, I caught the train to Fishergate station. A short walk later had me entering the car park to Southwick's Old Barn Way home. The club were to be the first of six I was to visit throughout the day along the West Sussex coast.

I entered the open clubhouse outside the grounds entrance and was given permission to go inside and take some photos.

Old Barn Way was a basic venue and it wasn't hard to figure out how the club struggled to invest in it for them to progress during the boom years. It was basically hemmed in with flat open standing all the way round, apart from a few steps of terracing by the turnstiles and a small cover next to the clubhouse, where the players would enter the pitch from. A stand formerly stood on the far side.

I left and cut along the side of the railway to catch a train from Southwick station to Shoreham, where I would find great difficulties in even finding the grounds entrance!