Hythe Town 0-1 East Grinstead Town - People call for our heads but we're doing the absolute best we can - we need to start performing miracles and we need to finish fifth-from-bottom to stay in the league, says Hythe Town assistant Damien Hopkins

Hythe Town 0 – 1 East Grinstead Town
Location	Reachfields Stadium, off Fort Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 6JS
Kickoff	22/03/2025 15:00

HYTHE TOWN  0-1  EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN
Isthmian League South East Division
Saturday 22 March 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Reachfields Stadium

HYTHE TOWN assistant manager Damien Hopkins says his players have to start doing something amazing and have got to start performing miracles if they are to avoid the shame of suffering the club’s first ever relegation next month.

Struggling manager Nick Davis has now lost 29 of his 39 games in charge (in all competitions) of his disastrous spell in charge at Reachfields Stadium, as the club extended their winless run to five games and are now nine points adrift of safety with six difficult games to go.

Senior club officials billed this fixture against sixteenth-placed East Grinstead Town as a game that they had to pick up three points and Davis’ future hangs in the balance as 28-year-old Connor Tighe’s tenth goal of the season ensured Drew Cooney’s men will be playing Isthmian League South East Division football again next season.

The Cannons didn’t show any evidence that they can pull off a Houdini act and beat Margate, Merstham, Broadbridge Heath, Ramsgate, Ashford United and Beckenham Town to extend their 14-year-stay in the eighth-tier of English football.

“It wasn’t very good,” came Hopkins’ damning post-match verdict.

“We didn’t really try, no, that’s probably a bit harsh. We were really good on Tuesday against Sittingbourne. Sittingbourne sort of set a tempo, we matched them. Today, there wasn’t really a tempo to the game to match and we didn’t create one ourselves.

“You’ll know. How many shots on target did we have? We’ve hit the bar in the first half.  Javaun’s (Splatt) missed an open goal.  Just weren’t enough, it wasn’t enough!”

Davis kept faith with the same 11 players that lost 2-1 at home to second-placed Sittingbourne on Tuesday night, while Cooney made SIX changes to the side that suffered a 9-0 humiliation away to fifth-placed side Mertstham.

It took Davis 90 minutes to hook his awful right-back Alex Laing – who responded to criticism from the people that pay his wages sitting in the stand during the first half – while three-goal striker Javaun Splatt was just as awful.

The only Hythe Town players that can come out of this lacklustre performance with any credit can be goalkeeper James Dillon, captain and centre-half Lex Allan and wingers Ellis Brown (first half only, having switched to right-back in the 56th minute) and Anthony Adesite (second half only).

Hythe Town should have changed the narrative with four minutes and 46 seconds on the clock.

Holding midfielder Siao Blackwood fed Splatt with a short pass inside his own half before the ball was swept out to Brown, who drove down the right, easily cut inside East Grinstead’s left-back Charlie Gibson and put in a cross for central midfielder Henry Young, who hooked his shot against the top of the crossbar from six-yards out.

“We don’t get scrappy goals, we don’t get tap-ins. Every goal we’ve scored has had to be something special, we don’t get the little three-yard tap ins, it just doesn’t happen for us,” admitted Hopkins.

“We’re gutted! Henry gets his goal, nobody hits the bar and the chance gone but coming back of being beat 9-0 the other day and 4-0 (at home to Herne Bay) last week, you get a goal early against them, you think we’ve got a chance and we didn’t.”

East Grinstead Town’s right-back Harrison Parker launched eight of his 13 long throws into the penalty area in the first half and an outstretched left-hand from Dillon prevented the ball nestling into the top right-hand corner following a near-post flick from within a crowd of players.

Charlie Gibson swung in the resulting corner in from the right (6:49) and centre-half Matthew Weaire came up from the back to head down and over from a tight angle as Hythe Town centre-back Rob Curtis lost his man at the back post.

East Grinstead Town were playing on the front foot and Hythe’s left-back George Taggart committed a foul and Gibson whipped in a left-footed free-kick from the right and Parker glanced his header harmlessly wide of the far post – as the disgruntled home fans started to voice their discontent.

East Grinstead Town claimed the victory with 17 minutes and 51 seconds on the clock, following route-one football.

Goalkeeper Mattie Pierson – who leaked 13 goals during his last two outings before today – hit a long ball, Laing lost the ball to a pressing Omar Folkes some 35-yards from goal before Tighe produced a moment of quality, curling his right-footed shot into the top far corner around the flat-footed goalkeeper from 20-yards.

Hopkins said: “It was odd from where we were standing. It looked like Lex (Allan) slipped but Lex is on the floor, Omar’s (Folkes) is on the floor. Omar’s taken Lainey out, obviously it’s not a foul, it’s a coming together. We asked whether it was a foul on Lex first?

“As a goalie, you can’t be set for a worldy at all times. I don’t think James in goal there is expecting the ball to be curling into his top corner from a situation that looked in control.  It was a good finish.”

Brown was causing Gibson a threat down the right during the first half and drew a free-kick from his marker, given by referee Kane Dempster in the 25^th minute.

Faced with a two-man wall, Laing stroked his right-footed free-kick over the wall towards goal from 25-yards, straight down the keeper’s throat, who used both of his hands to push the ball over the crossbar for the second of five corners.

“I think we were expecting him to cross it but he’s made the keeper make a save,” said retired goalkeeper Hopkins.

“We had a free-kick on target against Sittingbourne the other night. You sort of expect someone who’s played and prides himself as a free-kick taker to have quality in dead-balls positions. I mean, anyone playing at this level realistically, who is being paid to play football, should be able to take a decent free-kick.”

Hythe Town squandered a glorious chance to restore parity with 28 minutes and 24 seconds on the clock but 24-year-old striker Splatt missed a sitter following the home side’s third corner.

Laing floated the ball in with his right-foot from the right towards the back post and the towering Allan knocked the ball across the face of goal and the ball bounced off Splatt’s head and went over the crossbar from close range.

“I don’t want to be too hard on Javaun there because I love the boy and he caused us problems over the years playing against him and there is still a hell of a player in there but I won’t criticise him for that,” said Hopkins.

“It came through a crowd, it literally hit him on the head, rather than him head it and its one of them, that’s the story, that is the story of our season. They don’t hit us and go in. If that was against us, that hits someone in the face and goes in.”

While Dillon usually started the home side’s sluggish moves by kicking or throwing the ball to Allan, who wasn’t pressed by the lone Folkes – East Grinstead’s players chose the better option of getting the ball forward a lot quicker.

Pierson’s big kick was knocked down by Tighe inside the box and the ball fell to targetman Folkes, who cracked a right-footed half-volley harmlessly past the left-hand post.

Expecting Parker to launch his seventh long throw into the penalty area, the East Grinstead right-back threw the ball relatively short to Folkes, who whipped in a cross from the right touchline and the ball sailed over Dillon’s head and clipped the top of the crossbar (35:04).

Three-goal Folkes, 34, is one of the better strikers in this division that can hold the ball up and bring other players in to the game.

“Omar’s brilliant. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him have a bad game, ever,” added Hopkins.

“I think what he does, he’s a nightmare.  You look at him and I know better but if you’re here as a spectator you look at him and think ‘he’s not going to be able to play 90 minutes of football,’ but he’s a menace for 90 minutes.  You know you’ve been in a game.  You ask Rob Curtis today. He knows he’s been in a game.

"He’s a different sort of nine to what we’ve got and he’s the sort of person that we probably could’ve done with.”

East Grinstead Town created the final chance of the first half with the last kick of the half.

Quiet wideman Luke Harrison sprung into life and played the ball inside from within the right-channel to an unmarked Tighe, who stroked a right-footed shot from 25-yards, which bounced past four Hythe defenders and appeared to be heading past the right-hand post, before Dillon gathered and the referee blew for half-time.

When asked what was said during the half-time interval, Hopkins revealed: “It was all me and I wasn’t happy!

“Nick’s, we asked, we’re not asking these boys to play like Man City. It’s non-league, we’re not (Isthmian League South East Division leaders) Ramsgate!

“We’re asking to play a certain way, to play to our strengths with the players that we’ve got and we didn’t do it and it’s very difficult sometimes to understand why but we’re in a position we’re in.

“We’ve got new players, which obviously can’t happen after next Thursday (transfer deadline day). We just didn’t really get out of people what we wanted out of them and I just said ‘we need to try to be positive and win the game.’ – that was the only option!”

Hythe Town dominated the possession after the break but East Grinstead Town created the goalscoring chances.

Hythe Town should have done better following a well-worked move down the left, four minutes and 20 seconds into the half.

Left-back Taggart poked the ball to Splatt, who played a reverse pass within the final third to release Brown down the channel and the winger easily cut inside Parker and ran along the by-line but lacked composure and quality and drove his shot into the base of the side netting from a very tight angle.

“I’m a big fan of Ellis and Ellis will probably be a little bit disappointed in himself there, especially as you’ve got Javaun waiting for a tap-in at the back post and a couple of people in the box as well,” said Hopkins.

“I can’t knock Ellis. He’s been brilliant for us. He came in (from Isthmian League Premier Division neighbours Folkestone Invicta). He knew what he was getting into when he came here and he says all the time he’s played right-back for us, he’s played left-back for us. If we had the option to keep him in his position (right-wing) all season, we’d have a few more points on the board but it’s just one of those.

“We’re disappointed he’s hit the side netting and he will be as well.”

Attacking midfielder Warren Colman burst into life for East Grinstead Town, who went close to a second goal with six minutes and 55 seconds on the clock.

Colman played the ball inside to Folkes, who swept a first-time right-footed angled shot from 15-yards across Dilon, the ball trickling past the foot of the far post.

Young put in a cross into the East Grinstead Town penalty area and the unmarked Splatt tried to flick his header across the keeper and past the far post from 15-yards.

Tighe played the ball inside from within the left-channel and Colman right-footed poke shot was held by Dillon, low to his left, a big save with eight minutes and 32 seconds on the clock, as the away side still posed an attacking threat.

The home side then started to wrestle back control in proceedings and the poor Kieron Agbebi shrugged off Parker before springing into life and Adesite and Agbebi linked up well down the left before Adesite curled his right-footed shot around the far post from 18-yards.

Praising Adesite, Hopkins said: “Obviously we’ve got history with Ant and he’s someone that we trust and I’ve trusted for years.  I told him after the game walking off, 'I thought he was our best player today' and he’s gutted.  He’s said ‘it’s not good enough!’

Dillon’s big kick upfield was hit speculatively by Splatt, right-footed from 25-yards, the ball deflected off an non-pressing centre-half Glenn Wilson and Pierson gathered comfortably in the 58^th minute.

Hythe Town had a go during the second half but they lacked quality when it mattered.

Dillon’s big kick upfield was flicked on by an unmarked Allen and the ball came out to Laing (now playing in central midfield behind strikers Harry Heath (a 56^th minute sub with three long throws into the box) and Splatt  - but Laing’s right-footed half-volley from 20-yards on the angle bounced across the keeper and past the far post as the game entered the final 20 minutes.

Hythe Town pushed bodies forward in search of an equaliser but it was Cooney’s side that had the chances to extend their lead on the counter-attack and won a vast majority of the second balls all over the pitch.

“They were willing to punish our mistakes and we made a few,” admitted Hopkins.

“I didn’t think East Grinstead were great, I don’t think they were great. Like I said Omar (Folkes) did brilliant up top for them. They were willing to punish our mistakes and we don’t punish other teams. We don’t put enough pressure on other teams whereas it seems everyone we play against are willing to do that against us.”

Harrison cut in from within the left channel and put it on a plate for Colman, whose left-footed shot was held by Dillon, low to his left, inside the final 11 minutes.

Just 44 seconds later, Folkes was released on the counter-attack down the right before he teed up substitute striker Brady Ayoola, who drilled a rasping right-footed drive towards the roof of the net from 22-yards, which Dillon stuck up his right-hand to palm over for the second and final corner from the Wasps’.

“He made the one, he tipped over the bar. That was a good save as well,” said Hopkins.

“James Dillon’s another lad whose come in and helped us out when we’ve lost Joe Coleman, who picked up a knee injury at Littlehampton.

“I like to see Joe back before the end of the season. He’s been a loss to us Joe, he's a good lad. James is a very different sort of goalkeeper to Joe. Joe being six foot seven, James is better with his feet but we miss Joe. James has done nothing wrong at all today.”

On the subject of injuries, Harry Rowland ‘might be back before the end of the season' and was in the crowd today, while Vance Bola picked up an ankle injury during a miserable 5-0 midweek away defeat to Littlehampton Town on 25 February.

“You’re going down with the Lancing!,” taunted the 12 visiting supporters towards the end of Hythe Town’s 26^th league defeat.  On this poor performance, Hythe Town’s players didn’t show any evidence that they can get out of this mess.

East Grinstead have climbed up a couple of places into 14^th place with 44 points (13 wins, five draws and 16 defeats) from their 34 of 42 league games.

AFC Croydon Athletic (43 points from 35 games), Eastbourne Town (41 points from 36 games), Herne Bay (38 points from 35 games) and Littlehampton Town (31 points from 36 games) are above the relegation zone.

Do not expect any reprieves from this division, as four club’s are expected to drop next month.

Darren Anslow’s Phoenix Sports (29 points from 35 games), Hythe Town (22 points – six wins, four draws and 26 defeats) from 36 games, Lancing (21 points from 36 games) and Steyning Town Community (19 points from 36 games) all remain in trouble.

Hythe Town must produce title-winning form if they are to avoid playing Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division football here in August.

Scott Porter’s men won the Kent League Premier Division title back in 2011.

This current crop of players haven’t got the heart of get themselves out of their current mess that they find themselves in and will have a relegation on their football CV’s.

They have no chance to survive relegation and Davis has won only five and drawn only five during his time in charge at Reachfields Stadium, a fortress for Steven Watt and Porter, who made this stadium a tough place to go to.

Margate are in fourth-place in the table (73 points – 21 wins, 10 draws and five defeats) and welcome Hythe Town to Hartsdown Park next Saturday.

Fifty-seven players, six league wins in 36 games and having to win all six of their league games to avoid drop – it’s just not going to happen, not with this group of heartless players.

“They are all exactly the same. They are all games that are winnable, are 90 minutes long and we have to stay in them as long as we possibly can and try to win them,” reflected Hopkins on their run-in against clubs that are fourth, fifth, thirteenth, first, tenth and sixth.

“We’ve got to try to beat Margate. We’ll give them all the respect in the world for the players that they’ve got, the position they’ve got.  They beat us 3-2 here, so we’ve got to try to go there and try to beat them.

“If people here have got an opportunity or want any chance of doing something amazing and getting to a position where they cannot go down regardless of anything else happening then they’ve got to start performing miracles.

“Yes, the club can stay in this division – by finishing a point above the team fourth-from-bottom. Our goal-difference isn’t going to be any better than anyone else down there.

“Until it’s mathematically impossible then that’s how the club does it. There’s things going on that you here all the time, the rumours about this, the rumours about that.  We need to finish fifth-from-bottom. That’s it. That’s the only way you guarantee you stay in the league.

“We’ve got to go and we’ve got to beat Margate, Merstham, Broadbridge Heath, Ramsgate, Ashford and Beckenham.”

When asked whether his players have got the stomach for the fight to pull off the miracle – remember Tommy Warrilow won all of his last 10 games as Cray Wanderers pulled off the Great Escape to beat the Isthmian League Division North drop back in 2015 – Hopkins replied:  “I can’t answer that. If we ask them, they say ‘yes’ but then you’ve seen today.

“East Grinstead were really good the other week at their place and it was a different team today (six changes) and with the greatest of respects, they were an average side and if you’re a player and you’re telling me ‘yes, Damo, we will stay in this league,’ you need to be going up against the average sides and being above average – and weren’t!

“I think if you mark players out of 10, I’m not sure what your highest mark for one of ours will be today but I wouldn’t have thought it would be above a seven and we didn’t have enough seven’s.

“Nick hasn’t been in it, we’ve been it together and that’s just not me and him, that’s Jim Ward, for the last few games. That’s the (medical), the kit-man, the coach, the players, the board have been it together.

“Matthew Smith (chairman) has given Nick all the support. Nick is the man that Matthew wants at the club and that is until anyone says otherwise, that’s what we’ve got.

“I’m gutted for them (our fans). I’ve gutted for them because they pay their money to get in. They put money behind the bar and they just deserve more.

“People call for our heads but we’re doing the absolute best we can with the situation that we’ve got and we will do for the next six games.

“Let’s do what Tommy Warrilow did and win six games on a trot. That’s what we’re trying to do.  We’ve got to beat the six teams.”

When asked what staying up will mean to him and the club and what relegation would mean to him and the club, Hopkins replied: “For me, I’ll be gutted and Nick would be as well but we’ll be able 100 per cent say we’d did everything we possibly could to stay in the league, everything! I’m not sure what more we could do?

“Nick’s talked about Horsham a lot. Horsham got relegated, took a season to re-set then it got two promotions on the bounce. It might need that and the league below is not easy to get out of.  You can’t buy your way out of it as certain clubs have found out recently.

“But what it does, it opens up the Vase and Kent Senior Trophy and that’s what you can go and win and if the club goes down that’s what they’ll be wanting to be doing.  They’ll be wanting to win things whereas in this league at the minute, they’ve made the play-offs in the last few years’ but they were not expected to win things.

“If they go down, they’ll be wanting to win things. The fans will be the fans whatever league they’re in…

“We want to do everything we can to stay in the league and that is it and we will do it for ourselves, for the board, for the club.  We will do everything we possibly can and that is it. Same as when we got in. Nothing’s changed. We just need to win some football games and stay in the league.”

Sacked in the morning? We’ll see.  If Davis is axed, it may be too late to save Hythe Town from relegation. 

I wonder what Porter is up to for the next few weeks?  He wouldn’t put so many poor performers out on this pitch. He would have had the men in red – and yes, he signed real men – fighting for each and every ball and East Grinstead’s players wouldn’t have had it so easy like they did today.

Hythe Town: James Dillon, Alex Laing (Amadeus Addotey 90), George Taggart, Siao Blackwood (Medy Elito 79), Lex Allan, Rob Curtis, Anthony Adesite, Henry Young (Fikayo Ajayi 69), Javaun Splatt, Kieron Agbebi (Harry Heath 56), Ellis Brown.
Sub: Kelvin Ogboe

Booked: Javaun Splatt 44

East Grinstead Town: Mattie Pierson, Harrison Parker, Charlie Gibson (Alex Andrade Filipe 57), Michael Wilson (Christopher Ojemen 86), Matthew Weaire, Glenn Wilson, Connor Tighe (Brady Ayoola 69), Will Hoare (Terlochan Singh 75), Omar Folkes, Warren Colman, Luke Harrison.
Sub: Kieran Humpherston

Goal: Connor Tighe 18

Booked: Warren Colman 42, Harrison Parker 70, Alex Andrade Filipe 85, Omar Folkes 90

Attendance: 287
Referee: Mr Kane Dempster
Assistants: Mr Christopher Cannon & Mr Alan Widnall