King John is crowned
JOHN Suter's beaming face shone brighter than the County league trophy on the day YM were crowned champions.
The runaway leaders, who finished with a 15-point advantage over Rye & Iden, wrapped up the league more than three weeks ago at Arundel but were presented with the trophy on Saturday after they fittingly beat Hassocks 5-2.
"I'm so happy," said the 63 year old. "I keep saying the same things, that I can't believe it's happened. It's fantastic." The YM boss has borrowed , Victor Meldrew's favourite phrase since the Gorings Mead Side won the league, although in sharp contrast to the non-smiling man from 'One Foot in the Grave', Suter has been unable to wipe the grin off his face in recent weeks.
For Suter, who is the longest serving manager in the County League, the realisation that he masterminded his side to glory is finally beginning to sink in.
He joined YM, then in Division 2, in 1989 and after six seasons trying to get promoted, finally achieved his aim in 1995. YM consolidated in the top league after a seven-year absence, collecting a handful of mid-table finishes until they took a creditable third in their centenary season.
The Gorings Mead outfit were becoming a force to be reckoned with. They were then fifth twice, third again at the end of the 2002/3 season after a poor end to the campaign, although last year's disappointing campaign, when Suter offered to resign as YM finished in 13th position, offered little evidence they were potential champions. "I never had aspirations to win the County League," said Suter. "I never thought I would win it. The only ambition I had was to get us out of Division 2, that took us six years. I just wanted to stay in Division 1 then."
It has been a different story this season, however, as YM have been top ever since their 2-1 home win against Sidley on August 14 - a position they did not relinquish.
"I wanted to win it at the start of the season. We scrapped for points at the start of the season, we got them early," said Suter.
YM went on a 20-game unbeaten run, quashing all who stood in their way, until they went down 2-0 at home to Whitehawk at the turn of the year.
Victorious manager Ian Chapman conceded the title in his post-match interview, but Suter stayed loyal to his realist roots, refusing to believe the league was won despite holding an 11-point advantage.
Four straight wins showed YM suffered no ill-effects of that first defeat, although a Sussex Senior Cup loss to Division 2 side Oakwood, a draw with Three Bridges and a loss at home to Eastbourne United was hardly confidence inspiring.
Trailing 2-0 at East Preston during a mid-week game in February, YM were showing signs of stumbling. But they responded magnificently with goals from Steve Davies, the inspirational Ali Russell and James Grant.
The jubilant players sang 'champions, champions' in the changing room after the excep¬tional turnaround and it was hard to disagree.
Defeats to Littlehampton and Rye followed but five wins from their next six games, including a 4-2 win over Littlehampton -where they came back from 2-0 down to win for the third time this season - meant they needed a victory at Arundel on April 9 to be champions.
They duly delivered thanks to Nick Flint's header.
"The players deserve so much credit. The players' attitude has been first class. They have accepted sitting on the bench and a partial squad rotation Everyone has made a contribution and they deserve to win the league. It's the players who w: a league, not a manager," said Suter.
While most people had YM down as champions since the turn of the year, Suter wisely decided to keep quiet until it was mathematically impossible for any other team to leapfrog them.
"You can't take anything for granted in football, it's a fickle mistress. But this has given me an enormous amount of satisfation and pleasure," he added.
YM's success is a victory for the good guys. Undoubted! popular winners, the club has reputation for being friendly and has always done things the right way.
Saturday was another example. Rather than cashing in on their success, the club offered free entry into the ground and the proceeds from the sales of the souvenir programmes and raffle - £260 - will be split between St Catherine's Hospice and the Y-Centre.
"I can't believe it, it's been such a good day. Fantastic," said Suter.
The club encouraged former players and officials to join in the celebrations, the oldest c whom must have been 93 year old Albert 'Tinker' Browning; father of current chairman Mick and manager at Gorings Mead between 1946-54.
"There are so many people here that have played for me over the years - five years ago ten years ago," said Suter "Tinker came up to me on two sticks, he was all smiles. He shook my hand and said 'we done'. It was such a warm hand shake."
What now for Suter, having achieved more than he could have imagined when he first joined?
"I want us to defend it and get promoted," he responded. "But to win it for another year would be a tough ask. We are the champions, everyone will want to beat us."
The club encouraged former players and officials to join in the celebrations, the oldest c whom must have been 93 year old Albert 'Tinker' Browning; father of current chairman Mick and manager at Gorings Mead between 1946-54.
"There are so many people here that have played for me over the years - five years ago ten years ago," said Suter "Tinker came up to me on two sticks, he was all smiles. He shook my hand and said 'we done'. It was such a warm hand shake."
What now for Suter, having achieved more than he could have imagined when he first joined?
"I want us to defend it and get promoted," he responded. "But to win it for another year would be a tough ask. We are the champions, everyone will want to beat us."