Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup Final

Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup Final Preview

Chichester City vs. Pagham

The final of the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup is due to take place on Wednesday 2 May 2018 between Chichester City and Pagham. 

Chichester City vs. Pagham
Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup Final
Date: Wednesday 2 May 2018
Kick-off: 7.15pm
Venue: Sussex County FA, Culver Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 9AX

The Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup Final on Wednesday could be an extremely entertaining spectacle as two local rivals face each other under the lights at Culver Road.

Chichester City boss, Miles Rutherford is in his second season in charge after leaving Wessex Football League side Moneyfields where he held the reins for twelve years as first team manager.

Chichester have lifted the trophy only twice in their history, the last time being in 2007. However, they did reach this Final two years ago but were unsuccessful in lifting the trophy after a 4-2 defeat to Newhaven.

Rutherford is extremely pleased to be taking his side into the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup Final for the second time: “We are really looking forward to the occasion; obviously we are playing Pagham which adds a bit of spice to it.

“Our players have been really good this year and although the league campaign could have gone better, I am hoping we can get some recognition for our hard work by getting some silverware on Wednesday.”

The Chi manager is under no illusion that their opponents will be tough and is hoping that his side turn up on the night: “We know Pagham very well; they will want to win the cup just as much as us.

“They have some really strong players and we must make sure that we remain focused because when we perform at our best, we can beat anyone in front of us on the day.”

The sides have met just once this season when Pagham took the three points home after putting five past the Lillywhites and this time around Rutherford is determined that there will not be a repeat: “On the day, Pagham were much better than us, there’s no excuses.

“We just had a really bad day and we need to make sure that every player knows their job so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Pagham are having a terrific season having been on-going contenders for the league title for the majority of the season but unfortunately missing the chance of promotion after recently losing to league rivals Haywards Heath.

Although promotion for The Lions is not possible, manager Tom Simmonds admits that they are now only focused on clinching the cup: “We have been chasing a top two spot all year and with two games left to play it is likely we will secure third place.

“We are a little gutted because just one result undoes all our hard work, but fair play to them.

“We are due to play Chi in our final league fixture of the season but that isn’t as important as Wednesday, all our focus is now solely on getting that cup.”

Tom Simmonds is a well-respected young manager, who shares the duties with Rich Hellen, and is in his first season of senior management. He believes that lifting the cup would be the icing on the cake for his debut season: “It is a massive game for us and for me personally.”

Simmonds has full belief in his side but knows it will not be easy against Southern Combination league neighbours Chichester City, who sit just six miles apart from one and another: “I definitely expect a much tighter game, Chi have some talented players and I don’t expect the final to be as easy as when we played them in the league before.”

Despite crashing out of the Parafix Sussex Senior Challenge Cup Semi-Final after suffering a 6-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion under-23s, Simmonds insists that there were a lot of positives to take away from that match and that his side have come a long way: “We have improved in every competition we have been in this year compared to last year and we certainly took a lot away from playing Brighton.”

The Lions have not lifted the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup since the 1988/89 season, and almost twenty years on they find themselves in the final having managed to knock out last year’s winners, Newhaven with a 2-0 win in the semi’s.

Entry prices for the final are as follows:
£6.00 Adult (17+)
£3.00 Concession (65+ and students with valid student ID card)
£1.00 Child (16 and under)

For further details about the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup, please contact Competitions:

Competitions
T: 01903 753547
E: Competitions@SussexFA.com