Fish, Chips and FA Cup - East Preston vs. Ringmer

East Preston Sea Front

For the second FA Cup tie of the weekend, I headed south to East Preston for their FA Cup tie against fellow Sussex League side Ringmer. The away side were from the division above and so had the potential for a decent FA Cup tie. East Preston has the reputation for being the retirement capital of Sussex and on the way to the seafront that perception was confirmed! If you chose to go to East Preston I would defiantly recommend going to 'Different Kettle Of Fish' on 'The Parade' near the sea front for brilliant fish and chips. Then after you've eaten your meal on the beach there's even a cafe on the beach to get an ice cream!

Match action from 'Lashmer

There is a brilliant clubhouse at the ground. To take in everything East Preston as a whole has to offer you have to get there earlyish to appreciate everything. The clubhouse has Sky and if there's a big game you can catch that.

View towards the clubhouse and the changing rooms.

Unfortunately, the shock I was looking for never materialised. Ringmer were dominant from the off. The first goal was a soft one, the goal keeper letting in a weak shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner. The second goal was a flowing move that the 'EP' defence couldn't deal with.

Dugout side of the ground.

The only cover at the ground!

In the second half, Ringmer extended their lead when a free header in the box made it 3-0. East Preston then had a great chance to get back in the game, but they missed a penalty. Shortly afterwards, Ringmer made it 4-0 when the centre forward cut in and lashed in a forth. With almost the last kick of the game, East Preston got on the score sheet, when they scored their second penalty of the game.

East Preston make it 1-4.

As I said at the top of the post, it is defiantly worth getting to East Preston early to experience the fish and chips, the beach and the clubhouse. The ground is a 10 minute walk from Angmering Station. There are half hourly trains from London Victoria or East Croydon and they take 1 hour 30 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes respectively. From what i saw, the pubs by the sea front are quite quiet and don't have TVs. If you fancy a drink before the game the clubhouse is more than adequate.

Storm clouds gather above The Lashmer ground