About us - club history
The Chequer F.C. was formed in 1995 by a group
of young friends that tended to socialise together in The Chequer
Inn, Steyning. The team, originally known as Chequer Rovers F.C.,
was very young with an average age of just 21.
The Chequer began their first season - 1995/96
- in Division Three of The Worthing & Horsham District Sunday
League. Despite their youth and the fact that many of the side
had not played together before, the team performed strongly and
gained promotion to Division Two. The 1996/97 season saw a subsequent
promotion from Division Two to One. Unfortunately an exodus of
players at the end of the season meant the squad was much weakened
for the 1997/98 season. The team was unable to sustain itself
in Division One and the season brought relegation back two Divisions
at the club's request to Division Three. In 1999/2000, the team,
severely lacking in experience and craft, just managed to avoid
relegation to Division Four on goal difference, despite shipping
a shocking 104 goals in 24 league matches.
A number of new faces were brought in for the
2000/01 season, notably from the disbanded local side The Norfolk
Arms F.C. who had been playing in the Premier Division of the
stronger Sussex Sunday League. The influx of new players and experience
greatly improved the side who went on to win Division Three to
gain promotion back up to Division Two.
In 2001/02 the team were runners up in Division
Two, losing only twice in the league. We missed out on the title
in our final game of the season to eventual winners Worthing Albion.
A controversial offside decision and dubious penalty award earned
Albion a precious point that effectively handed them the league.
Promotion to Division One had however been secured. The team were
run away leaders in the scoring stakes, scoring an impressive
83 league goals (23 more than anyone else in the Division).
The 2002/03 season again saw The Chequer finish
in runners up spot and end the season as the First Division's
leading scorers with 74 goals. But for a couple of defensive collapses,
including throwing away a 4-1 half time lead to lose to The Yeoman,
the team would surely have won the Division. However, the team
can be proud of achieving a third successive promotion, this time
to the premier league.
The 2003/04 season saw us start brightly with
two pre-season five-a-side tournament victories. In the league
we began strongly only losing once in our first eight games and
recording six victories, and for the first half of the season
we occupied first or second place. However in the second half
of the season we fell apart winning only three games and losing
seven, including a number of games we dominated. Injuries cost
us dearly, but we still should have won three or four of these
games which would have seen us claim second or third, as opposed
to the fifth place we occupied at the end of the season. Too many
goals, were leaked - 53 - 2 more than we scored all season, and
we will need to shore up defensively for the forthcoming season.
Pre-season 2004/05 we retained the Handcross
five-a-side trophy, with impressive turns from Si Price, Tom Pickford
& George Trafford. Several players have left the squad this
season - notably Christian Young, Simon Friend-James and Ben Garman,
and several others have expressed a desire to play less often
due to Saturday footballing commitments. Thus, we have had to
make some new signings to ensure a sizeable squad, as a lack of
players caught us out several times last year. Joining the fold
this season are: Danny Gainsford, David Kennett, Phil Lewis, Adam
Price and Mark Friend-James and we hope to make some more signings
in the near future.
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