East Grinstead Players Hope To Have The Fan Backing And Noise To Propel Them To League Finals

^{📷 Eva Gilbert Photography} 

East Grinstead players hope to have the fan backing and noise to propel them to League finals play-offs, reports Rod Gilmour of The Hockey Paper.

A Sunday showdown for supporters to savour at Saint Hill? 

East Grinstead are hoping for a bumper home crowd in their quest for a place in the top eight League finals when they take on Beeston at home in the final match of Phase 2.

On a weekend where Southgate HC are hoping to break the domestic league attendance record for a match by attracting over 1,000 through the gates, East Grinstead’s rallying call will come from their supporters’ group EG Faithful, who are winning praise from the hockey community.

The Lower 6 permutations in the 2pm matches mean that East Grinstead must win by two goals or more against visitors Beeston on Sunday, or hope that local rivals Oxted drop points in their clash against University of Nottingham, to secure one of the two berths to the top eight.

East Grinstead are in this position thanks to a come-from-behind 4-2 win at home last weekend against bottom side Brooklands Manchester University.

Captain Simon Faulkner said: “This group has a lot of belief. Brooklands make you work for any win. We didn’t throw our toys out of the pram, we were able to ground them down and it worked out in the end. 

“It’s always a good gathering of support at Saint Hill and we hope for more of the same on Sunday.”

The EG Faithful started organically at the 2022 Super 6s Championships, while this season they have raised over £1,000 in crowdfunding which has seen them purchase large banners, flags and flares for their atmospheric home games. Their vibrancy then saw East Grinstead take around 250 fans to the Copper Box for January’s Super 6s finals day.

“It’s taken off a bit more and the Super 6s is where it exploded even more,” said Mike Lewis, one of the Faithful founders. “It was amazing to see all the East Grinstead supporters there, we outnumbered everyone else and even though we lost, it felt like we took over the event because of the atmosphere. We probably had more than Old Georgians, Surbiton and Wimbledon combined.”

Lewis conceived the Faithful with fellow men’s 2s player Laurence Richards and have raised the bar with their friendly hockey chat on social media with rival clubs, notably with Old Georgians’ The Firm.

Lewis added: “Within the club and from the wider hockey community we are getting more traction with people complimenting us on what we are trying to achieve. It comes down to getting the crowd size stronger, which is the challenge for us.

“When we played Oxted, it was one of the best atmospheres seen at Saint Hill for a long time. That was due to the club putting out lots of publicity for it and it showed as Oxted turned up with lots of fans. 

“As we are getting the publicity, other fans are thinking ‘we want a piece of that’ and are coming down to the club to show their support.”

Lewis says that the players have relished having such buoyant home support, one willing to go the extra mile to make domestic hockey a more entertaining atmosphere.

“It showed when the indoor lads lost 6-1 to Wimbledon in the Premier Division and then coming out with a 6-6 normal time draw on Finals Day at the Copper Box and Nick Catlin running over towards us celebrating,” said Lewis, an architect by trade.

“Nick even said that he was coming back to us for the outdoor season after enjoying the atmosphere so much, which is amazing as he’s a great player.”

Faulkner added: “He missed the club environment and he has got the bug. He is a fantastic player, with perseverance, understanding and is a game changer.”

The fan connection was heightened outdoors last weekend when East Grinstead rallied from 2-0 down against Brooklands. 

“We didn’t stop singing even at 2-0,” said Lewis, knowing that the club still had a chance to make the top eight. “The players told us in the bar how much it helps them having us sing.”

With East Grinstead’s support and Beeston’s TV production arm, Sunday’s clash will also see a coming together of initiatives both clubs are leading the way in.

Lewis said: “It’s two long standing clubs and we have a lot of respect for what Beeston are doing. Their TV production is excellent and the instant Twitter replays they do, we are fans of theirs. 

“Deep down I hope both of us make the play-offs and the top eight. The signs have gone back outside the club advertising the match and I’m hoping there will be a big crowd on Sunday.”

Sunday: East Grinstead v Beeston, 2pm