Ben Hoggan reports: "Securing fourth spot in the Sussex sun, Brighton & Hove’s 2-1 win over Bromley & Beckenham felt light years away from the soaking rain and brewing pressures of relegation that had characterised the reverse fixture four months previously.

With safety secured two weeks before and the league leaders a handful of points beyond
reach, Bromley’s trip to the coast could seem to some to be a non-event for both sides. But
with the London side unbeaten in 2025 and Brighton having lost just once in that time, the
playground-esque bragging rights were a prize worth battling for.

And the game began (and continued) in a playground-esque fashion. Tough tackles and yelped appeals to umpires led to a back-and-forth start, with the ball being fired forward quickly and often lost seconds later. Both circles were breached and clear-cut chances were forged by both sides, but the goalkeepers made several convincing stops to keep the scores level.

Finding a flow and playing through the spectral ease of Rob Cornell in the centre of the pitch, the home side began to unlock the ever-encroaching Bromley press. Where Brighton have tended to exploit wide areas, the option of moving through the middle posed different questions to the visitors and left more space on the flanks.

Just before the end of the quarter, Brighton capitalised on this space. The ball was threaded through to the unmarked Ben Trigwell on the right, who played it across to the top of the circle. A reaching Rio Tuson and an on-charging Cornell met the ball, bundling it towards the penalty spot, where Tuson smashed Brighton into a 1-0 lead.

The to-and-froing of momentum and possession continued into the second quarter, with both sides riding the wave of their 2025 form. The reverse fixture had seen multiple, scrabbling mistakes across the pitch; in the second quarter, this game was being played at a higher standard. Turnovers were beginning to become more meticulously crafted wins than simply errors pounced upon, and neither side threw the ball away as they had done earlier.

The scoreline remained untouched in the first-half, however, and Brighton kept one hand on the fourth-place prize. The second half of the game grew more scratchy, with both sides tiring under the dry heat and wailing appeals to umpires sharpening. Bromley started to cut Brighton slightly deeper, drawing out better possession in higher areas and challenging the home side’s circle often.

However, in the 47th minute, the Bromley possession faltered. Trying to cut the corner of
their backline, the ball was played from the right sideline to the left, but not before Jens
Peters jumped to intercept. Surprising the visitors with his height in the press, Peters carried
forward to the right of the circle, before passing back across Juan Sosa. Sosa watched the
ball onto his reverse and clipped the ball past Matthew Cady in goal and into the back of the net. The score was 2-0 and Brighton were on the cusp of ending Bromley’s unbeaten run.

However, just three minutes later and after a dominant response from the visitors, Brighton
conceded a penalty corner. A clashing of bodies in the circle was deemed a Brighton push
and Bromley had a chance to get back into the game. The first flick was saved by Chris
Borsoi in goal but the second penalty corner, awarded after a defensive foot, was fired
emphatically into the top left corner by Juan Martin Gomez Sanchez. The visitors had
reduced their deficit to just one goal and the game was entirely open.

Bromley quickly won another penalty corner, and, after a false start in the Brighton corner
defence, they were limited to three outfield defenders in the goal. The ball was flicked again, hard at Borsoi this time and the rebound fell to a Bromley attacker. He quickly shot and flicked the ball up into a Brighton body – the umpire blew for a penalty stroke.

The pivotal moment for Bromley level the game was interrupted, however, by another whistle. The umpires, after conferring, judged that Borsoi had been behind the defender, enough of a presence to mean that the foul did not block an open goal. A penalty corner was awarded and saved before the whistle went once more to end the quarter.

Brighton were 17 and a half minutes from the coveted fourth place and their bragging rights. They defended assuredly, as has been their way throughout the second half of the season. Bromley’s only genuine threat was emanating from their goalscorer and player-coach, Gomez. Carrying down the right, he made dents in the Brighton defence and created a couple of good chances for his forwards. Becoming frustrated later on, however, Gomez lashed out at a Brighton player carrying forward and was shown a yellow card.

Against ten men, Brighton looked comfortable until a hard Bromley dribble pierced through into the circle and won a penalty corner just three minutes later. However, the player who had won the foul was Gomez, who should still have been serving time for the card. The miscommunication between TD and umpires had sent Gomez on too early and the penalty corner was reversed, giving Brighton a restart and allowing them to see out the game and finish the season with a 2-1 win.

Four months on from the drenched 1-1 draw in south London, Brighton’s win marks a total
transformation in their season, securing a fourth place finish with just seven points fewer
than champions, Surbiton. Whilst the statistic is largely inconsequential, Brighton’s feat of
earning more points than anyone else in 2025 is a signal to the Conference East for next
season and an injection of belief for the squad that they can seriously compete.

Securing fourth in the league after having been bottom of the league and having faced a brutal relegation in the previous season, a Brighton team that returns with confidence, belief and good form will be an imposing threat against any team in the 25/26 East Conference.

Brighton will hope that, after the summer, they can continue from where they are now as a team, especially with the fantastic support they have had this season right there with them."

EHL Conference East week 18 results: Brighton & Hove 2 Bromley & Beckenham 1, Surbiton 4 Hampstead & Westminster 2, London Wayfarers 1 Wimbledon 2, Tunbridge Wells 1 Old Cranleighan 4, West Herts 2 Spencer 5.
Champions: Surbiton. Relegated: West Herts, Tunbridge Wells.

Other results

BHHC 3s 5 Middleton 1s 0
BHHC 4s 0 Crowborough 1s 1
Worthing 3s 1 BHHC 5s 0
BHHC 6s 2 Crawley 2s 3
BHHC 7s 1 Southwick 2s 4
South Saxons 5s 0 BHHC 8s 5
Middleton 2s 2 BHHC 9s 1
Crawley 3s 7 BHHC 10s 0