MARCH TO THE TOP

Solly March has become a local legend in Hailsham as he stunned fans at the AMEX stadium recently when Brighton and Hove Albion faced Liverpool. Stuart Fairway reports…

Bagging a brace as Brighton & Hove Albion stunned Jurgen Klopp’s misfiring Liverpool twice at the Amex Stadium last month, Solly March’s season is already going superbly with the promise of more to come.

Born in Eastbourne, Solly grew up in the presence of another local football legend, as Dad Steve played for Hailsham Town as well as several other local clubs in the 1990’s and is well remembered as a pacey, direct left winger known for superb crossing. After initially attending Ringmer School, he took a football scholarship at Bede’s, making his first team debut for Lewes as a late substitute in a 4-1 win against Aveley in 2011.

By December, the young midfielder had signed a three-year contract with Brighton & Hove Albion, who fought off interest from Newcastle United and Millwall, scoring a hattrick for Brighton’s youth side in a 3-1 win against Stevenage Borough in February 2012. Whilst still in the youth squad, he would then make his breakthrough into the senior squad, as an unused substitute in three games for Brighton in the Championship under Gus Poyet whilst on his way to winning the club’s Young Player of the Year award for 2013, earning a new contract in the process.

After an impressive preseason with Albion, including a goal and a man of the match performance in Brighton’s final preseason friendly of the 2013-14 season against Norwich City, March made his Brighton debut as a late substitute against Derby County in August 2013, before scoring his first senior goal for Brighton in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup away at Port Vale in January 2014. He would go on to make 28 appearances in all competitions, mostly off the bench, before following it up with another 13 appearances and a goal against Fulham the following season. In May 2014, March earned his first call-up to the England Under 21 squad, playing against Wales in a European Championship qualifier and four games in the prestigious Toulon Tournament.

After a couple of injury-hit years, including one that ended his 2015-16 season early, March returned to the first team and signed a new contract in November 2016, with goals against Brentford, Burton, Rotherham and Wigan — the latter sealing Brighton’s promotion to the Premier League. His first Premier League goal came against Bournemouth, Albion’s solitary effort in a 2-1 defeat, in September 2017.

Now a regular and consistent member of the first team squad, March bagged his 10th Brighton goal, and first at the Amex, in December 2018 in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, but would then have to wait until September 2020 for his next goal, an equaliser in the infamous game against Manchester United that was decided by a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time. His second of the season game in November, with the winner against Aston Villa, before a knee injury forced him to undergo surgery in February, missing the end of the season.

Back to fitness and form, March signed a new deal tying him to Brighton in August 2021, with thenmanager Graham Potter saying that he was “really pleased to see Solly commit his future here.” Often playing as a wing-back in Potter’s flexible system, March’s 200th Albion appearance came in the 1-0 home defeat to Wolves in December 2021, also starring in the 4-0 demolition of Manchester United in May 2022 and setting up Joel Veltman for the equaliser in Brighton’s final game of the season, a 3-1 win that saw Brighton achieve their highest ever top flight finish of 9th, beating the previous best 13th place achieved in the 1981-82 season.

This season has seen Solly score four goals — so far! — for Brighton, with a Boxing Day goal helping Brighton to a 3-1 win at Southampton, another away at Everton on the 3rd of January, and two against Liverpool last month.

Outside of football, Solly married Amelia in November 2017, with their first child, a daughter, following in August 2019.

Solly’s Housemaster at Bede’s school, Dr Andrew Carroll, has reflected on Solly’s time at the school. He told Hailsham News:

“The great thing with Solly was that there was never any ego. He was a great footballer even as a schoolboy and we certainly saw that talent develop during his time at Bede’s. He was always a hard worker — both at football and with his studies.”

Dr Carroll went on to explain: “Solly was in Knights House during his time at Bede’s — the ethos of the house centered around having a quiet pride in one’s own talent — and that was exactly what Solly epitomised. He was a great role model to other pupils — even then — and of course, he is an even bigger one now. He always got on well with people. The humility and diligence he shows as a professional is exactly how he was as a student at Bede’s.”

Bede’s Strength and Conditioning Coach, Tony Morriss, who was Solly’s fitness coach during his time at Bede’s said: “Solly still comes into school a fair bit, particularly during the offseason when he does some training with me, and he’s always happy to meet and talk to the pupils, particularly those who are on a professional footballing pathway.”