Redhill FC - Proper Football Awayday At The Lobsters!

The venue for our latest Proper Football Awayday was at The Kiln Brow, the home of Redhill FC for their massive match against Jersey Bulls FC in the closely contested race for the Combined Counties Premier Division South title and automatic promotion to step 4 of the National League pyramid!

The day started by sampling a few ciders in The old Chestnut pub next to Earlswood station and the sheer gravitas of the day was evidently clear when I walked into the pub to find it packed with Jersey Bull supporters with their flags everywhere!

It was time to head to the Kiln Brow; as soon as I entered the ground, it was wonderful to see so many fans, young and old, and there was a real buzz about the place with supporters mingling and lapping up the beautiful sunny weather and having a drink from the outdoor bar next to the pitch.

My first port of call was to find Sam Foster, the man in charge of football operations and social media at the club after contacting him earlier in the week and he invited me onto the pitch to have a chat with The Lobsters manager and captain before kick-off which showed just what a friendly and welcoming club Redhill FC are to give me their time in the led up to such an important match!

The Kiln Brow has a capacity of 2,000 and has one seated stand on the side of the pitch and a covered terrace in one corner of the ground.

The stadium was filling up nicely with what turned out to be the Lobster's biggest home crowd of the season, with 576 in attendance!

I had the pleasure of speaking to two passionate fans who follow their respective clubs home and away, their enthusiasm and love for their clubs were clear to see and you could sense that their loyalty epitomised what non-league football is all about knowing that their clubs first and foremost value them as fans and not just as customers, a loyalty that is equally reciprocated both ways.

First up was Tom, a huge Lobsters supporter, followed by Ollie, who had flown over from Jersey that morning.

Just before kick-off, I caught up with Tim Cooper, 'The Lobster', the unofficial Redhill mascot who had contacted us last season to tell us the story behind the birth of the lobster attire he wears to every match.

You can find the article here: https://www.properfootball.co.uk/post/the-dawn-of-the-lobster-mascot-at-redhill-fc

The League table ahead of today's game couldn't be any tighter at the top in what is a 38-game season, and in a twist of fate due to a rearranged fixture, Jersey Bulls are at home to Redhill next Saturday!

This massive doubleheader could also lead the way for AFC Whyteleafe to nip in and take the title, depending on how the results go!

The game kicked off and the first half was a closely thought affair with hardly any clear-cut chances but both teams were giving it everything and there was nothing to choose between the two sides, there was a lengthy delay very early in the game which meant there was 15 minutes added on time and 5 minutes into it Redhill were down to 10 men after a deserved second yellow card which was a massive blow to The Lobsters!

The referee brought the very long half to an end and it was time to sample the food to soak up all the cider!

There was a choice of the club canteen or the mobile fish and chip shop and both were equally as tasty and reasonably priced. 👌🏻

The atmosphere from both sets of fans was top-drawer on the day, along with plenty of friendly banter, smoke flares and banging drums at both ends. Another nice touch to mention just before the kick-off was Redhill's girl's team, 'The Pandas', doing a lap of honour after winning the cup the previous week, which was well received by the supporters and highlighted what a great community club it is.

The second half carried on in the same vein as the first albeit The Lobsters being down to 10 men, but as the game was drawing to its conclusion Jersey started to look more threatening and a brilliant save from the home keeper kept it at 0-0 but moments later the pressure paid off with a goal in the 85th minute from Luke Campbell that looked like it was going to be the winner!

But as the clock rolled around to 90 minutes The Lobsters drew level with a goal from Seb Tauta-Caballero!

Once again, Redhill manager Jordan Clark was kind enough to give me his thoughts on the match after the game.

With today's draw, the table doesn't look any different, with both teams still tied at the top and now sets up the return fixture in Jersey next Saturday in what will be another huge 6-pointer!

Before I left, I caught up again with the club's unofficial Lobster mascot, Tim Cooper, to hear his thoughts on the game.

Finally, I just want to say what a thoroughly enjoyable day I had at Redhill FC, a wonderful community football club and a big thank you to Sam Foster for helping me on the day, from the manager to the staff and volunteers and to the supporters I met throughout the day, you are all credit to your club and I sincerely wish you all the best this season and in the future.

Up The Lobsters! 🦞🦞🦞

You can watch the highlights from the game courtesy of the excellent Jersey Bulls YouTube channel.