Chairman David Lee and everyone at Selsey Football Club would like to welcome you all to the Seal Bay Stadium for this Afternoon’s Southern Combination Division One game against Godalming Town.
Please enjoy our facilities and we hope you are treated to a good game which is played in the right spirit.
By McGuffin
Pre-season matches have given us a good look at everyone in the squad, and with the summer recruitment going well, we have managed to add some quality players with great ability and good personalities that suit what we are looking for at the football club. This adds to the lads we wanted to retain from last season, giving us a strong group moving forward – and it’s exciting to see where this may lead.
We always want to be competitive, and this season, with the development of the group we have put together, we hope to enjoy a solid campaign and push towards the top half of the league.
We are looking forward to the season ahead and, while there will no doubt be highs and lows, we believe there will be more highs than lows. We are also eager to play in front of our home fans again, as this is undoubtedly one of the best-supported clubs at our level. We appreciate everyone who comes along to support the lads.
Let’s now look towards a great 2025/26 season –and keep an eye out for more news to come.
Daren Pearce
can be a match for them this afternoon and cause an upset.
Selsey Football Club was formed in 1903 and played at various grounds before setting up home at the High Street Ground in the late 1940s, where the club remains to this present day, where it is now named the Seal Bay Resort Stadium, after our Club Sponsors.
Our last home game was against Worthing Utd in the Peter Bentley Cup, where we won 2-1. Our goals came from Evan Harris and Kye Hartt, and since this win we have played two further games.
Selsey were a formidable and dominating force in the 1950’s West Sussex Football League. They won Division One on six occasions in 1937/38, 1954/55, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59 and 1960/61, together with the Malcolm Simmonds Memorial Cup on four occasions in 1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58 and 1958/59.
Good afternoon and welcome to the Seal Bay Resort Stadium for our Southern Combination Division One match against Forest Row FC. I extend a warm welcome to our visitors, their officials, players, spectators and, of course, our match officials for the game. I hope that you all have an enjoyable time with us this afternoon. It is always nice to be involved in an FA competition and hopefully we can have a successful run in the competition. So, with this in mind, I have to congratulate our U18s who competed in the FA Youth Cup for the very first time on Wednesday 16th August. They entertained Corinthian Casuals U18s and despite going 1-0 down very early, they came back to draw 2-2, with the tie being resolved when we won the penalty shootout 10 to 9.
They also added the Sussex County FA Intermediate Cup trophy to their haul in 1958/59. Selsey made the step up to the Sussex County League in 1961 and made an immediate impact in Division Two, finishing runners-up to champions Shoreham in their first season. Selsey gained promotion to Division One in 1963/64, ending the season as champions and were also winners of the Division Two Invitation Cup. The club remained in the top division for five years before being relegated in 1969. The highlight of their early existence in the County scene was when they appeared at the Goldstone Ground, Brighton and were narrowly beaten by Eastbourne Utd 1-0 in the Sussex Senior Cup in season 1962/63.
league action when we visit East Preston FC with the game kicking off at 11am. I am hoping that we can return to winning ways in the league and I would expect to get a result against a side that has not started well. They have lost their first three league games and are obviously finding things tough at the moment. However, we all know that they are a difficult team to beat on their “home patch” and we will need to be fully focussed on the day. We continue our league campaign next Saturday against Forest Row at home. They will be another strong outfit who have started their season well.
Please note that due to today’s game being a FA Competition, no alcohol will be allowed to be consumed outside of the Clubhouse.
The club now enjoyed its longest spell in Division One, a period of eight years. It also had its most successful time, when Danny Hinshelwood took control of the club in 2000. Season 2001/02 saw them win the SCFA RUR Cup and the following year saw them lift the John O’Hara League Cup. In seasons 2000/01 and 2001/02 the club finished 4th on both occasions, their highest finish to date. Problems behind the scenes at the club, however, saw them start the 2003/04 campaign amongst the favourites for relegation. The annual curtain-raiser - The Norman Wingate Trophy - did little to dispel those feelings, as Whitehawk thumped a woeful Selsey side 6-1. The remainder of the season followed suit as 2 Selsey were relegated back to Division Two.
A return to the top flight was achieved in season 1975/76, again as champions, but within two seasons the club once again found itself back in Division Two. They then endured a further nine seasons in the lower division until they gained promotion back to Division One for the third time in 1986/87, as runners-up to Pagham. Their two chances of cup glory during that time came in 1984/85 when they were runners up in the Division Two Cup losing to local rivals Chichester City 2-1 and in 1986/87 when they were eventual winners. Once back in Division One Selsey managed to survive for four seasons, until finishing bottom in 1991 with just 12 points. They had another chance of silverware in 1989/90 but again failed in the final when they lost to Langney Sports in the John O’Hara League Cup. They made amends by winning the County League five a side tournament at the Brighton Centre under Manager Joe Laidlaw. The club then had a period of success when they were runners up in the Division Two Cup in 1994/95 and then winners the following season, together with winning promotion to back to Division One in 1995/6.
Please enjoy our facilities today and I hope you are treated to a good game which is played in the right spirit.
Following two seasons of rebuilding and re-structuring, and with the return of Danny Hinshelwood for the 2005/06 campaign Selsey were back to something like their best. They gained immediate promotion back to Division One and in 2006/07, they finished in 8th place. They also won their way through to the SCFA RUR Cup final in season 2007/08, but could not record their second triumph, losing to Three Bridges. A 15th place finish kept them in Division One. Another cup final appearance was to come Selsey’s way in 2011/12 when they played Rye Utd in the SCFA RUR Cup, but again could not record a win and lost 2-0. In 2011 the club made improvements to the ground in line with the FA ground grading requirements and remains to this day a ground worthy of its County League status.
David Lee Chairman
Selsey’s 2012/13 season with a total of eleven league wins and twelve draws saw them finish 18th in the league, only avoiding relegation by four points.
The following 2013/14 season started with great enthusiasm and optimism. Ex Brighton and Hove Albion favourite Adam Hinshelwood was in charge of the side and things looked good for the new campaign.
In today’s competition we entertain a side that competes in the Combined Counties Premier South Division. So far, they have won their three league games and they share top spot with Farnham Town, Redhill and Guildford City. As a Club they have played at a higher level, and it was only last season that saw them relegated from the Isthmian League. They will be a strong and well organised team with definite ambitions to gain promotion back to the Isthmian League at their first attempt. Hopefully we
Last Saturday saw us travel to SCFA Headquarters where our hosts were Montpelier Villa and Tuesday saw us cross Sussex to face Eastbourne Utd in the SCFA RUR Cup. Unfortunately, we lost both games 2-0. To our credit though we played well in both games and created chances which could have resulted in a better outcome to the games. It is interesting to see how we faired against two good sides. Montpelier have invested in a number of new signings this year and they have started the campaign well. They are unbeaten in the league and sit in second spot behind Worthing Utd. Eastbourne Utd meanwhile, have also had a good start to their season in the SCFL Premier Division. They occupy sixth place and are also unbeaten in the league. I am sure they will look to do well in the league this year with aspirations for promotion as well as our visitors. So, whilst we have lost our last two games, there are plenty of positives to take from them.
Early exits were recorded in the FA Cup and FA Vase and their league form was inconsistent. This led to Adam Hinshelwood resigning as Manager with Ryan Pharo now taking charge. He managed to stabilize our form but his reign was short-lived and he was removed from his post in March. 2014. The Club decided to take on a Youth policy and the
tOn Monday, we return to
need to promote from within. Steve Bailey was promoted to the position of Manager but the difficult season continued losing 7 of their last 8 league matches with that solitary win being the last game of the season at home to secure their place in Division One for another term.
The 2014-15 season continued to be a very difficult time for the Club. The first team struggled in the league and never looked like holding onto their position in Division One. They ended the season in bottom place with only eleven points and were relegated to the newly formed Southern Combination Football League. Their cup exploits did not fare any better with defeats in the first round of each competition.
The 2015-16 season again proved to be tough for Steve Baileys’ side. It took until the second week in October before they recorded their first league victory. Early cup wins in the Peter Bentley Cup and Division One Cup were an improvement on the previous term, but unfortunately the side went out of these competitions before any silverware came their way. For the third season running Selsey were needing a result on the last day of the season to prevent relegation. A 1-1 draw at home to Southwick was sufficient for the team to retain its Division One status and plan for the season ahead.
Season 2016-17 saw an improvement in the league and Selsey finished in a respectable 7 th position with 53 points. Again, there were early exits in the cup competitions but some good performances throughout the season, suggested the Club was heading in the right direction.
Much was expected in season 2017-18, but Selsey were unable to improve upon the previous season’s finish. They maintained a mid-table position when they finished 9 th on 47 points. The side fared no better in the cup competitions and the season ended up a bit of a disappointment. It was at the end of this season that a managerial change was made. Steve 3 Bailey was replaced by ex-player Daren Pearce, who had previously been in charge of near neighbours Sidlesham FC.
Daren came to the club with a respected and successful playing career at Sussex county clubs such as Eastbourne Borough, Bognor Regis Town, Worthing FC.
He remains in charge of the playing side to this day and has added regular England International Over 50’s appearances to his playing CV.
Season 2018-19 saw an immediate improvement and the 1st team ended up in 5th position with 66 points. The National and County cup competitions were not favourable to Selsey and interest in these, was again, lost in the early rounds. However, the U18s were dominant in the league. They not only won the U18 West Division, but they also won the SCFL Champions of Champions final. Things looked very bright for the club moving forward.
The next two seasons were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Season 2019-20 was terminated in March 2020 and, whilst season 2020-21 got under way, it also, was not concluded.
A lot of the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted for the commencement of the 2021-22 season and this started on Saturday 31st July. Selsey finished in a mid-table position with 55 points. The emphasis of the Club was now on developing young players and a plan was put in place to try to achieve this. The cup competitions were, again, not successful.
Season 2022-23 saw Daren Pearce continue to keep developing youngsters to bring them through to the 1st team and to improve upon the previous season. A strong finish to the Division One season saw the 1st Team qualify for the last playoff place. They then had to visit Epsom and Ewell in an attempt to reach the play-off final, but they lost out on a penalty shoot-out after holding their hosts to a 0-0 draw. However, they had delivered on the remit for the season and the Club continued to develop. An U18 and now an U16 side has been added to the list of teams within the Club, together with a fully associated Selsey FC Women’s teams.
Season 2023-24 saw the side again reach the play off semi final with a points accumulation better then the previous 2 seasons, but fell again at this hurdle, losing 3-1 away at Seaford Town.
A Selsey reserve side took its inaugural place in the West Sussex league Division 3 and ended the season as league Champions with promotion to Division 2 and coupled that with winning the Bareham Trophy. The Selsey U16 side won the U16 Challenge Cup.
Season 2024-25 saw the difficult decision to fold our U23 team, nevertheless all bodes well for the club as we have established ourselves once again as a formidable and consistent team with a strong nucleus of players evolving from the Youth and U18’s to the senior 1st team squad.
The club has its origins as Godalming United FC, formed in 1950 by ex-pupils of Godalming Grammar School. Between 1950-71 the club played at the Recreation Ground. However, in 1970 Surrey Senior League side Farncombe collapsed, leaving their ground in Meadrow vacant. Godalming took over the debts and tenancy, changing their name to Godalming and Farncombe FC, and the ground to Wey Court in the process.
The original pitch was where the nearby Wey Court Sheltered Housing stood and considerable amount of work was undertaken on the new playing area, which was built on the site of an old waste tip. The club was helped by Waverley Council when drainage problems and subsidence meant they had to find a temporary home at Broadwater Park.
The club was accepted into the Combined Counties League for the start of the 1978 season, and a year later the name was changed again, to Godalming Town FC.
In 1985, another local club, Addlestone & Weybridge, was disbanded and, before their ground at Liberty Lane was demolished, Godalming purchased the stand and perimeter fence for £225 and £50 respectively. The stand was re-erected at Wey Court, with seating and fascia added.
The next development came in 1992 when the Guildford Football Appeal (formed in an attempt to return the towns name to senior football, following the collapse of Guildford City in 1977) donated a sum of money towards floodlights, and in return the name of the club was changed again to Godalming & Guildford FC.
Further recycling followed in 1995, when a new turnstile building was erected incorporating a turnstile from Millwall’s old ground and in 1996 the clubhouse was refurbished.
During 2005 close season, the club changed its name for a fifth time, albeit back to one of its previous incarnations, that of Godalming Town. A fantastic 2005/06 season saw the side take the Combined Counties League Championship and League Cup by storm. Godalming Town were then accepted by Isthmian League officials following extensive ground improvements.
At the end of a tough season, Godalming found themselves at the bottom of a very competitive division. However, events elsewhere meant that Godalming were reprieved from relegation and were transferred into the Southern League’s South & West Division for the 2007/08 season. Chuck Martini replaced Roger Steer as Manager in October 2007. Town were moved back to the Ryman League for the 2008/09 season and eventually finished in another record high position, 9th. Godalming also progressed further than ever before in the FA Cup by reaching the 3rd Qualifying Round before losing 2-1 at Conference South side Havant & Waterlooville.
The 2009/10 season was arguably the best season in the history of the club. Town finished a record high position 4th in the Ryman South but were eventually beaten 2-1 in the Playoff Final at Folkestone Invicta. The club progressed further than ever before in the FA Trophy and won the Surrey Senior Cup by beating Sutton United 2-1. The season also saw local boy Shaun Elliott became the club’s record appearance holder after reaching 360 games in a Godalming shirt. Chuck Martini was replaced by joint-managers Jon Underwood & Neil Baker in October 2010 and the club finished an unpredictable season in mid-table. The 2011/12 season saw a lot of new faces join, but the team quickly gelled, reaching the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, beating Wimborne, Moneyfields, Worcester City & Bodmin before bowing out to Maidenhead United in front of 700 at Wey Court. The G’s finished 5th in the league, and travelled to Bognor Regis Town in the playoff semi-final, drawing 4-4 after extra time but Godalming lost 5-3 on penalties. 2012/13 saw Jon Underwood and Neil Baker guide Godalming to their highest ever finish in the pyramid, finishing in 3rd place. The G’s lost in the playoff semi-final for the second year running, this time losing 2-1 to Biggleswade at Wey Court. The season finished on a high however, as Godalming lifted the Surrey Senior Cup for the second time in four years, beating Sutton United 1-0 at Gander Green Lane, thanks to a last minute goal from Scott Harris. The close season saw Godalming moved to a third different league in as many years, this time to the South & West Division. With divisional change came a managerial change; Jon Underwood and Neil Baker left Godalming to join Slough Town, taking the majority of the squad with them. Andy Hunt was appointed manager in June 2013, assisted by Neil Selby.
The 2013/14 season was probably one of the hardest the club has dealt with. Andy Hunt was given the task of putting together a squad that will compete in the league and secure step four football. At Christmas 2013 the clubhouse, kitchen and changing rooms were ruined by flood water. Godalming finished the season in 18th position. Godalming were then moved into another division again and will play in Southern League Central Division for the 2014/15 season.
Godalming finished in 10th position in the 2015/2016 and reached the Surrey Senior Cup Final for the 3rd time but lost 4-0 to Merstham.
The 2016/2017 season could be viewed as an annus horibilis for the men as wins became less frequent than management changes. Andy Hunt left and was replaced by Dean Thomas who subsequently departed before the club was relegated under Dan Turkington. Inevitably relegation followed and Dan departed, as did much of the entire first team.
On the upside the Ladies team under the auspices of Steve Davies and , Darren Wheeler finished second in Division 2 South and were promoted to division one in the Greater London Womens Football League.
2017/18 began in familiar fashion with a new management and a new squad in a new division. After a promising start under Simon Funnell and Matt Drew (including a brief run in the FA Cup which finally ended at Hereford), wins became harder to come by and by Christmas, Jon Palmer and Gavin Smith were in charge. After a slow start, a promising run took the G’s out of the relegation zone before fixture congestion and a high turnover of players led to a second relegation in two years.
The youth team had a great season and finished 2nd in the Surrey Primary U18 Elite League.
The Ladies first team continued to go from strength to strength with an exciting FA Cup run and promotion to the GLWFL Premiership. The Ladies development team finished an excellent 3rd in division 3 which meant they were promoted also in the division two south for the 2018/19 season.
The Ladies first team finished runners up of the GLWFL premier division and will continue in the same division for the 2019/20 season.
On a sad note in February 2018 saw the passing of Bill Kyte, the Godalming Town President of an astonishing 57 years. It is true to say that without his tireless work, the club would not even exist today which is why it is fitting that the name of the ground is now The Bill Kyte Stadium in memory of the great man.
2018/19 saw a change in management again and the club appointed former Southampton professional goalkeeper Les Cleevely and Jordan Knight as his assistant. Both of them bring plenty of coaching experience in senior and youth football. Jordan became first team goalkeeper with Jason Kerbey joining the management team as coach. Finishing 12th in Combined Counties League Division One.
Les has brought a refreshing blend of tenacity and commitment to the club, concentrating on building a young side that can grow and win together for years to come. He is tireless both on the field and behind the scenes and with selfless assistance, blood, sweat and beers of an incredible band of volunteer helpers, Les is helping rebuild the club to be in a position to challenge for honours again.
The 2019/20 season was a mixed one for the club and a season that many clubs won’t forget. Unfortunately results didn’t go our way and found ourselves at the foot of the Combined Counties League Division One when the season ended. Due to the coronavirus the FA decided to declare the season null and void. This meant that the season was expunged, results deleted and meant that the first team would remain in the Combined Counties League Division One for the 2020/21 season. The 2020/21 season saw just 12 games played before another lockdown due to the pandemic so the season was curtailed. First team manager Phil Ruggles and his management team kept the squad together until restrictions lifted and G’s competed in the inaugural Fripp-Smith Trophy and won the Esoteric Recordings Division One Cup with a win against Merstham U23s in front of 500 people which is a credit to them and the players. We will compete in the Sothern Combination League Division One for the 2021/22 season after being switched from the Combined Counties League in the annual FA restructuring. G’s finished a respectable 7th position in the league just missing out of a playoff spot. They will continue again in the SCFL division one for the 22/23 season. It was a good season where G’s made the SCFL Div One Playoff Semi-Finals. They also won the division one cup and also made the Surrey FA Premier Cup final. In 2023/24 season, G’s finished 9th in the league which saw Tony Roberts resign as first team manager. G’s then appointed former coach, Mo Sher as first team manager for the 2024/25 season. G’s finished in the playoff’s and narrowly lost to Infinity FC on penalties in the playoff semi-final. G’s will be looking to go further than that in the 2025/26 season
Goalkeepers
Syd Davies
Defenders
Tom Blamire
Midfielders
Boschi
Attackers
Goalkeepers
Luke Holmes
Jacob Whatley
Defenders
Jack Frankling
Jaiden Gaddes-Mitchell
Ben Jenkinson
Finlay Patterson
Sino Matsebula
Kacper Krawczyk
Alfie Bryson
Midfield
Toby Johnstone
Issac Davis
Massimo Molica-Franco
Oscar Clark
Taylor Cushing
Harry Wadey
Zak Madden
Forwards
Sam Leese
Reuben Strudwick
Sam Pinkney
Deniquez Pope
Reuben Todd
Manager
Andy Frankling
Head Coach
Oliver Nordoff Coach
Joe Myles
GK Coach
Rodrigo Castanheria
Goalkeepers
Alfie Lee
Defenders
Will Smith
Mark Lee
Dan MacDonald
Jamie Morey
Fynn Lee Hinshelwood
Ben Dines
Mason Clarke
Callum Fewell
Paul Hughes
Diogo Montiero
Connor O’Hara
Jaiden Gaddas-Mitchell
Midfield
Reggie Lee
Oscar Lee
Bobby Lee
Ronnie Marwood
Massimo Molica-Franco
Joe Myles
William Gardiner
Nathan Pelley
Arron Smith
Reuben Todd
Viktor Zolotukhin
Jamie Williams
Forwards
Ross Ballam
Sam Leese
Jack Cavell
Tom Cripps
Assistant Manager
Mitch Fountain Manager
Jack Cavell
Kit Provided By
Club Chairman:
David Lee
Vice Chairman, Minute & Match
Secretary:
Colin Webb
selseyfc1903.matchsec@gmail.com
Club Secretary and Welfare Officer: Paul Senior
E-mail: selseyfootballclub@yahoo.com
Committee Members:
Daren Pearce
Jamie Marie
Donna Maxey
Kira Couzens
Rhys Griffiths
Groundsman: Paul Lee
Ground Volunteers: Mick Airey, Colin Webb, Bernie Morey, Wayne Janotti, Pete Newman, Steve Tomkins
Selsey 1st Team
Manager
Daren Pearce
Gateman: Ray Clark
Selsey FC & Social Club CIC Bar Manager: Nik Stovell
Coach
Martin Hinshelwood & Tom Henton
GK Coach
Rhys Griffiths & Rodrigo Castanheira
Club Physio Kira Couzens
Selsey U18s
Manager
Andy Frankling Coach
Oliver Nordoff & Joe Myles
GK Coach Rodrigo Castanheira
In memory of Cyril Pestle a true gentleman who will be sadly missed. Regards ‘The Old Codgers’ Herbie, Billy Mark Ian John & Jenny
@selseyfootballclub @SelseyFootballC @selseyfootballclub
Syd DAVIES
Kye HARTT
Callum FEWELL
Thomas BLAMIRE
Ollie CLARKE
Harry SPICER
Jack NORTH
Nathan EWINS
Reggie LEE
Archie SCOTT
Bradley HIGGINS-PEARCE
James HENTON
Ryan MOREY
Joe BOSCHI
Toby JOHNSTONE
Isaac DAVIS
Lukas MICEVICIUS
Owen O’NEIL
Shane BRAZIL
Oscar LEE
Adam WILLIAMS
Max DAVIES
Evan HARRIS
Sam LEESE
Reuben STRUDWICK
Tony HALSEY
Alfie LEE
Rhys GRIFFITHS
Oscar BLAMIRE
Manager: Daren Pearce
Coach(es): Martin Hinshelwood & Tom Henton
GK Coach: Rhys Griffiths
Physio(s): Kira Couzens
Stephen DOUGLAS
Deji ADEOSUN
Deji ALABI
Tayo ADEKOYA
Connor STILLWELL
Matthew COX
James MARINER
Mark SOARES
Elroy WEALTHYLAND
Cameron EDWIN
Jack SHERWOOD
Alexander AFFUL
Jonathon MILLER-ANNOR
Rob PARROTT
Will MAY
Elliot CREELY
Emmanuel ACHEAMPONG
James FRUDD
Malik SHITTU
Ollie McALEESE
Ollie BALLAM
Manager: Mo Sher
Assist. Manager: Jack Webb
Coaches: Richard Keown, Ollie McAleese
Physio: Steve Snelling