Nyecamp news

By Liam Goodley

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!