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Friday, May 11, 2018
Sport 39
Nyecamp
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By Liam Goodley
f Bognor lost their last match of the season to Dartford in front of more than 1,000 fans at Nyewood Lane
Rocks face a nervous wait for the FA's step three shake-up BOGNOR REGIS Town FC face an anxious wait to see which league they will be playing in next season. Following this season's relegation from the National South, the Rocks will be re-allocated into step three of the Football League pyramid. But quite who they will be playing next season has yet to be decided. As part of a revamp of the level below the National League, the FA agreed in January to expand step three to four divisions. An announcement on the allocation will be made today (Friday) which will see Bognor placed in the Bostik Premier, alongside clubs from the south east; or the Southern League, which has sides from the south west. The decision by officials in Wembley could have a big impact on the Rocks' future, with manager Jack Pearce, pictured left, admitting some players may not re-sign because of the extra travelling. Speaking to the Post, Pearce said: "I'm just going to wait and see. We want to be in the Bostik as there's no doubt that the Southern could have an impact on us. "That will be a smaller league. It's not up in the Midlands as some seem to think as there's a new league in the Midlands but there will be a few games in the West Country. "If we do have a few games that way [the West Country], it could have an impact on the Brighton-based players."
Pearce made the comments as rebuilding work for next season begins. Retention letters to about 12 of last year's squad have been sent out. But Pearce does not expect any individuals to make a decision until there is more clarity on which league the Rocks will play in. Two players he hopes will stay on are right back Calvin Davies and midfielder Doug Tuck, who shared the player's player of the year award at the club's presentation evening. Pearce was full of praise for both. He said: "What's interesting is that one of the things levied against us this season was the lack of physicality, which I do not disagree with. So it is interesting that the two shortest players on the team got the top award. "Calvin has that wonderful attitude to the game and his body language is very infectious. "He tries really hard and wears his heart on his sleeve, which is a great thing. "It means that you find it hard to say he's had a bad game as even when his passing is not spot on or his defending is slipping, you can never take that attitude away from him." "As for Doug, when you look at how slight he is and you see these big players around him you think that he will get blown away. "But he always shows tremendous ball manipulation, in that ball manipulation he is by far the best in the league. His passing range is excellent."
Tuck and Davies share award ROCKS' fans old and new packed into Seasons for the annual presentation evening. Despite the team having a difficult season on the pitch, spirits were high at the annual event, which sees players, supporters and officials come together to celebrate the best of the campaign. The full awards were as follows: - Player's player of the year - Calvin Davies and Doug Tuck (joint) - Supporters' player of the year - Calvin Davies - Leading goal scorer - Ollie Pearce - Chairman’s Cup - Ryan Purvis - Most improved player - Tommy Block - Goal of the season - Jimmy Muitt - Sportsman of the year - Richard Essen - Special recognition award - Darin Killpartick Further awards were made to James Crane (400 matches), Ollie Pearce (200) and Harvey Whyte (200). Manager Jack Pearce said: "It was a good evening and the right people got the awards "I know some find it hard to believe when we have been relegated but the spirit among the players has been very good all season. "That gives great hope when you can keep a group together. It was excellent. You would never believe we were struggling."
f The Rocks squad at the player presentation evening
WELCOME back to what is my final column for the season. We rounded off the season with a 2-1 loss to Dartford. I thought the team performed well for Dabba in his last game as coach and our last game of the season. It’s been a disappointing season but I think I am more confident going into next year and I feel we will do better at the lower level. At times I thought we made the Vanarama National League South look upside down as we had decent chances to go in front early on. But Dartford took a two-goal lead and then Ollie Pearce’s penalty at the end was too late. Of course, everyone was keeping an eye on the Havant versus Concord game which was eventually won by the Hawks 3-2 thanks to a late goal by a certain Jason Prior. Havant have now secured promotion as champions for the second season in a row. Not bad! Fair play. I was glad to be able to go to the end of season players’ presentation evening. I was surprised by the big turnout. It was great to see players like Kristian Campbell there who had made a long trip to be present at the evening. I gave Ray Page a lift as we are both from Littlehampton and sat on the same table as Ken, Dave and Dennis who are diehard fans supporting the team home and away. My views on the awards given out are as follows: Appearance Awards – Ollie Pearce and Harvey Whyte notched their 200th appearances for the club. A fantastic achievement and true loyalty shown there. And James Crane also reached 400 appearances this season which proves to me how much big an asset he is to the team. Now for the next milestone lads! Goal of the Season – Jimmy Muitt (vs Leyton Orient) – What a goal that was! I think you could have argued that
Ollie’s goal against Bath City was a fantastic strike too, though Jimmy’s was built using the passing game we are renowned for and the strike was sublime, so overall I felt it was the right choice. Leading Goalscorer – Ollie Pearce – It was neck and neck with him and Ibra Sekajja all season but in the end Ollie notched the title with a late penalty against the Darts! Well done Ollie. Most Improved – Tommy Block – I fully agree with this, Tommy has proven at a young age that he can step it up even at Conference South level. I hope he stays next season. Sportsman Award – Richard Essen – Well deserved. I'm going to miss my friend in the press box. Richard does a lot for the club behind the scenes and if it wasn’t for work commitments he would still be able to run the tannoy. Alas it is not to be. Chairman’s Trophy – I didn’t know Ryan Purvis personally but I thought it was the correct decision. Gone but never forgotten. Supporter’s Club Player of the Year – Calvin Davies – I thought he was superb when on the pitch! It was a shame about the red cards, but you have to admire his passion to perform. He did just that this season. Calvin - well done! Player’s Player of the Year – Doug Tuck & Calvin Davies – Tucky has been great this year too. Sometimes I find his performances go unnoticed. The players couldn’t decide on this one so both won the award. I’d say Calvin cleaned up this year! I hope everyone enjoyed the evening as I did and I will be there next season whether we are in the Southern League or Bostik League. Personally I want us in the Bostik again due to more local derbies, but if we are in the Southern then it means new teams to visit! We shall see. Have a nice summer!
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