CCK dramatically clinched Premiership survival with a 4-4 corker of a match with Hikers BHA. A Mike Morrison hat-trick and a Tom Powell strike helped the Badgers gain the point they needed to retain their status in the Premier League.
Memories of an infamous clash between these two sides was fresh in the minds of fans and players alike, so it was little surprise that CCK weren’t spoilt for choice when it came to player selection. However, the match showed little resemblance to the series of assaults that occurred earlier in the season. Both sides looked to play football, but it was the visitors that settled and struck first. A long ball defeated the CCK offside trap and Lawrence Edwards was able to fire past Paul Muzzall. Just minutes later, Hikers BHA doubled their lead as they manoeuvred the ball into dangerous territory. Daniel Whitton tucked the ball away making it 2-0. It was a shock to CCK who had been anything but outplayed in the opening stages of the match. They continued to maintain their belief and their determination to get back in the game. Pete Coggan, Dave Sewell, Dave Jones, and Mike Morrison were passing the ball around neatly trying to unlock the defence, while Tom Powell and Josh Van Nes were causing the Hikers defence severe problems. One such problem almost led to a foothold in the match when Josh Van Nes, who made his return from a lengthy absence with a knee injury, was played through before rounding the keeper. Unfortunately the angles worked against him and the chance passed. Pete Coggan then saw a decent strike well saved by the keeper. Set pieces were a real threat for CCK with several headed efforts going close for the yellows. Tom Powell then struck to get CCK back in the game. Dave Sewell powerfully run from central midfield into an advanced area and then weighted his pass into Powell’s path. The tall striker poked the ball past the keeper to make it 2-1. The momentum had swung and CCK started to dominate. Defensively they had settled and the quartet of Tim Rose, Jacob Fortescue, Dan Shotton, and Ben Tucker were making vital interceptions and tackles. The full backs in particular were working hard to provide a platform for passing moves to develop. The half time whistle came and CCK had much to be optimistic about.
The Badgers came out of the blocks quickest and chances began to come. Josh Van Nes saw a shot beaten away by the keeper. Tom Powell was also thwarted by the keeper as CCK looked to get back on terms. Then came a moment of magic from Mike Morrison. A long throw by Dave Sewell from the right caused pandemonium in the Hikers area and the ball eventually bounced to Morrison. The talented midfielder struck a beautiful effort on the half volley into the top corner of the net, leaving the keeper motionless. The Badger’s crowd roared with delight as the return of Morrison had been marked with a goal. Little did the home support know, but they were about to embark on an emotional rollercoaster of biblical proportions. Moments after the equaliser, BHA regained the lead. A lapse in concentration allowed Matthew Jupp to strike past Paul Muzzall to make it 3-2. Then despair in the terraces turned to joy once more. A Dave Jones corner was met by a powerful Mike Morrison header which flew into the net to level the game again. The Badgers seemingly hadn’t learnt their lesson, and once more they found themselves behind. Possession was cheaply given away and this allowed Logan Gunn to pounce. CCK didn’t lose their faith and continued to pursue a positive result. Mike Morrison saw a ferocious strike come back off the bar, before CCK forced another corner. Dave Jones swung the ball in from the right and Mike Morrison rose once more to head goal wards. The header was parried by the keeper only for Morrison to seal his hat-trick from the rebound. 4-4 was quite a score-line. The goals didn’t look like drying up either. Hikers looked to respond once more, but Paul Muzzall produced some fine saves to keep them out. Throughout the game Muzzall had been faultless despite the four goals conceded. At the other end, the Badgers peppered the Hikers goal. Most notably was the chance that fell to Pete Coggan. The winger latched onto a long pass from Dan Shotton and with just the advancing keeper to beat he was unable to lift the ball over his opponent. Then came a frantic final few minutes of unrelenting CCK pressure. A long throw caused havoc once more with the ball eventually falling to Dave Jones on the edge of the area. His strike was deflected narrowly wide of the post. The resulting corner also created a chance. Dan Shotton had time and space on the edge of the area, when the ball fell from the heavens onto his left foot. The journalists in the press area were short-handing their Shotton related headlines, until the giant centre back took a swing, and found a flag. Maybe he was watching the Masters instead of match of the day the previous weekend. The full time whistle blew, and it was greeted by cheers from the Badgers fans. Hand held radio’s had confirmed CCK’s survival as Southern Rangers had lost, which meant CCK had drawn level on points with them and had a far superior goal difference.
Manager Tim Rose was delighted with his side’s commitment, speaking with Southern Counties Radio he couldn’t hide his relief after learning of CCK’s survival, “It’s amazing, the dressing room is buzzing and so it should be. The boys did themselves proud today, and throughout the season they’ve been brilliant, they never gave up, and today’s performance was just another example of the character the lads have.” Captain Dave Sewell hailed the “never say die” attitude that his troops displayed, “What a game. The neutrals were treated today. I’m not sure it did our fans any favours, a few more grey hairs for some of them. It feels amazing to know that we’re staying up, we fully deserve it for the way we never gave up, we never stopped believing we could get out of trouble, and eventually we managed to prove the doubters wrong.” Man of the match Mike Morrison spoke with reporters clutching the match ball he had earned. He believes CCK can now look to move forward as a club, “We’ve stayed up again, and established ourselves as a Premiership side. That feels great and the lads are delighted. The guys and I really feel that we can now go into next season with confidence and look to challenge at the other end of the league table. We have the players to do it, we just need to perform more consistently and then the sky is the limit.” After a nail-biting season full of highs and lows CCK have retained their Brighton Premier League status, while enjoying some memorable performances. Now for a final thought in the form of quotation from someone a little wiser than Jerry Springer. This to be followed by a statistic that speaks for itself.
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”
CCK FC Played: 25 Red Cards: 0 Yellow Cards: 0
PREMIER.
Team
P
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
MONTPELIER VILLA
20
14
4
2
53
22
46
O & G UNITED
20
14
1
5
47
31
43
HIKERS BHA
20
11
4
5
52
27
37
BRIGHTON ELECTRICITY
20
10
5
5
32
23
35
AFC STANLEY
20
9
2
9
31
33
29
BRIGHTON NORTH END
20
7
4
9
36
44
25
PORTSLADE ATHLETIC
20
7
2
11
29
45
23
OVINGDEAN
20
6
3
11
33
46
21
C.C.K
20
5
4
11
35
35
19
SOUTHERN RANGERS O.B
20
5
4
11
29
42
19
AMERICAN EXPRESS
20
4
3
13
25
54
15
