Grier's Guide to Bognor Regis Town
The match: Bognor Regis Town v KIngstonian, Isthmian League. Saturday 6 November, 15:00.
The club: Long-standing Isthmian opponents who usually play an attractive style of football. They're nine-time Sussex Senior Cup winners, most recently beating Burgess Hill at the Amex in 2019.
The town: Archetypal English seaside town with a beach, fish and chips, arcades and all the rest of it. Perhaps best known for King George V's exclamation, "Bugger Bognor!" - the monarch was staying there in his latter years in the hope that the sea air would be good for him. But he was reportedly unimpressed by a petition asking to add Regis ('of the King') to the town name, hence the expression. Nonetheless, his private secretary agreed to the request and the town got its new name.
The ground: Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis, PO21 2QB. A good ground with the welcome recent addition of some cover for the previously open terrace at the end where the bar is. The electronic scoreboard is a nice touch.
Tickets: £12 adults / £10 seniors / £5 kids - plus another quid each if you want to sit down. You can buy them online at https://therocks.ktckts.com/event/bog2122h08/bognor-regis-town-v-kingstonian
Directions: It’s a 15 minute walk from Bognor railway station (just over an hour and a half from Clapham Junction) and 10 minutes from the seafront. By road you can either take the A3 or the A24 down to the coast before heading across to Bognor. Parking is generally possible in the streets around the ground.
Our record there: Pretty poor in recent years, but then Bognor are generally one of the league's toughest opponents so an easy ride wouldn't be expected. Our last visit was a 1-1 draw shortly before Covid first hit the UK. More happily a Bobby Traynor hat-trick saw us win an FA Cup tie there in 2009.
Players to watch: Goalkeeper Amadou Tangara has impressed for Bognor since joining from Ks, where he couldn't displace Rob Tolfrey from the team. Defender Gavin McCallum won a single full international cap for Canada, equalising against Venezuela in injury time.
Recent form: Strong - they've only lost once in the league, back in August, although they'll need to start converting some draws into wins if they're going to challenge Enfield and arch-rivals Worthing for the title.
Crowd: One of the best supported teams in the division, their crowds haven't dipped below 525 yet this season and they usually make some good noise.
Drinking: Plenty of choice to cater to all tastes. Former favourite The Alex, near the station, was closed on our last visit but now looks like it's re-opened following a refit. The Dog and Duck is a pleasant micropub and The Waverley, on the corner of Nyewood Lane and the seafront, has an outdoor terrace at the front with nice views over the sea as long as it isn't too cold.
Food: Fish and chips by the beach, obviously.
