Sittingbourne: The fans cheering the club 'on the crest of a wave'
Clive Miller, better known as Clive the Mexican or simply The Sombrero, is a dedicated Sittingbourne FC fan. Home and away, he follows the team in his trademark outfit, belting out songs to spur on his adored club, known by fans as The Brickies. Clive's years of dedication are finally being rewarded as he says the club is "on the crest of a wave".They are unbeaten in 28 games, on course for promotion to the 7th tier, and two games away from Wembley in the FA Trophy - the biggest game in their 140-year history.
A £6.4m stadium is also potentially in the works as part of an 8,400-home 'new town', if the development is given the go-ahead. "Hand on heart I can't remember things being this good," Clive added. Sittingbourne was the lowest ranked side left in the FA Trophy when they played Southend on Saturday but came out on top after a shock win.
Former player Maurice Dunk, now the chairman, said he "burst into tears" when the goal from Anthony Church gave them a 1-0 lead in added time."Everything came back, from the moment I walked in there with my dad as a six-year-old, to the times we nearly went bust. "There was all this pent up emotion," he said.
About 1,000 fans travelled to Roots Hall stadium in Southend, which has a capacity of more than 12,000.One was Neil Cornelius, better known as Southend Brickie, "because I come from Southend and I'm a Brickies fan". He travels three hours each way to the team's home at Woodstock Park for games."It is just the perfect game - especially when Sittingbourne are doing so well and have a fighting chance," he added.Southend Brickie and Clive 'The Sombrero' Miller, are just a couple of "about 50 'ultras' who will follow the club anywhere," according to the chairman.Maurice feels things are "perfectly aligning" and he dreams of making Sittingbourne the biggest non-league club in Kent.
With crowds growing, Maurice said Sittingbourne FC is "a sleeping giant that's been woken up". On March 1, they'll face Aldershot Town at home."They're not on the best run and we're on cloud nine," said Maurice.
BBC South East is running a new feature called 'Behind The Teams' where we'll be looking at the characters who keep small clubs going across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. If you think your team should be featured please email southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or contact us on Facebook, X or Instagram.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Hart says 'stars aligned' for Rebels head coach role
Former Great Britain player Joe Hart believes becoming head coach of Essex Rebels men's team is a "perfect match".The 31-year-old has taken charge after Ross Norfolk stood joined the National League Basketball Division One club last year following spells with Plymouth City Patriots and Newcastle Eagles."When I heard about the opportunity, it consumed my thoughts night and day. It's always something I've wanted to do," he told BBC Essex Sport."I'm aware there are very few opportunities in this country to step into a position like this. I'm from Southend so I've got an affiliation for the area and it kind of seemed like the stars are aligned, a perfect match." The men's team won promotion to Division One five years ago and finished sixth in 2024-25 before losing to Reading Rockets in the play-off quarter-finals."I would love for us to win something, I'd love us to be competing for the league and playing in finals," said Hart."Whether that happens or not leads back to my philosophy of if we're doing things the right way, I'll be content if we don't end up with everyone celebrating at the end of the season, but hopefully, it is a by-product."He continued: "I've always wanted to coach, throughout my playing career it's always been something I was drawn to. I don't know if I was necessarily ready to stop playing but when you get an opportunity to be part of a programme like this and take the lead on something, it definitely helped me take that step."The Rebels are based at the University of Essex, with the women's team competing in Super League Basketball. It is Hart's first head coach role, but he said: "In my second year at Plymouth, I had a torn ACL and because of that I couldn't play, but the club offered me a role as an assistant coach for the men's team - and for the entirety of my time at Plymouth, I coached their university programme and we subsequently had a Division Three side as well."In my last season, we set up an academy so I was coaching 16 to 18 year olds as well on a daily basis, so I've had a little bit of experience with men at pro level, a little bit more hands-on at university level and as well with the 18s."I am excited to oversee this programme now, there's a good balance of guys who are professional and guys still early in their development, which is a nice blend."
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Daily Record
'Charming and unusual' film based on true story axed by BBC in just days
The Phantom of the Open is a biographical film based on the life of Maurice Flitcroft, who notoriously shot the worst round in the history of the Open Championship in 1976 Film aficionados are swooning over this 'delightful' movie, but they're running out of time to catch it on BBC iPlayer, with its removal date set for June 9. The Phantom of the Open, a gem of British cinema, is based on the real-life story of Maurice Flitcroft, who famously achieved the highest score ever at the Open Championship. In 1976, he managed to chalk up a staggering 121 strokes as a professional golfer - a clear signal that he was nothing but an enthusiastic novice. Having premiered in 2021, the film brings to life the tales from the biography The Phantom of the Open: Maurice Flitcroft, The World's Worst Golfer penned by Simon Farnaby and Scott Murray. Set against the backdrop of the colorful 1970s, viewers are treated to the sight of renowned knighted actor Mark Rylance becoming the memorable golfing figure. Maurice, fuelled by undiminished dreams and steadfast self-assurance, engages in earnest endeavours to rise through the ranks of professional golf, even though his day job was as a crane operator. His relentless efforts put him at odds with the golf establishment yet earn him a place in British folklore for simply having a go at a sport he adored. One Rotten Tomatoes review says: "On performances alone, this has to rate highly! MR is a superb choice as the lead, as he deftly matches Maurice's mannerisms and character. The story has a wry humour throughout, mostly due to the slight woodiness of Maurice and the absurdity of his actions and choices.", reports Surrey Live. "It is a remarkably unusual movie, based on a quirky, oddball individual and his family." Another viewer added: "Simply adorable – a delightful feel-good movie. It's certainly not a big blockbuster. It's just a small movie with a small but uplifting story. Sometimes we just need one of these feel-good movies every once while." Mark Rylance graces the screen alongside Sally Hawkins, who portrays his devoted wife Jean, with the addition of Notting Hill's comedic talent Rhys Ifans, Jake Davies, Christian and Johann Myers. The ensemble has garnered acclaim for their portrayal of a nostalgic tale filled with humour and poignant messages. One fan said: "A true story based on the hardships of life and reality, exposing the discriminations of golf. An emotional film that talks of family and its importance. Follow your dreams to disappointment or follow the crowd and dream on." Maurice Flitcroft, whose life inspired the film, passed away from a lung infection in 2007 at the age of 77, but 'The Phantom of the Open' ensures his memory endures. The film is currently available on BBC iPlayer, but be quick to watch it before it departs from the service on June 9.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- BBC News
Shaun Hobson racist abuse fan will be banned, says Southend
Southend United FC has said the person who sent racist abuse to an Oldham Athletic player will be banned from matches once they are Latics beat Southend 3-2 after extra time in the National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium on the match, Oldham defender Shaun Hobson shared a screenshot of a private message he received and wrote that he was "not angry, just disappointed".Hobson played for the Shrimpers before making the switch to Oldham in 2023. The 26-year-old appeared in the final as a substitute in the 98th message was believed to have been sent by a Southend fan and the club said it "strongly condemns the racial abuse"."The incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and we are working closely with them to identify the perpetrator, who will be subject to a club ban. Such abuse is vile and will not be tolerated," said a Southend club said it had reached out to Oldham and Hobson to "apologise and offer its full support while our investigation continues"."Racism has no place in football or society and the club would like to reaffirm its zero-tolerance stance against any form of discrimination," a spokesperson said. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
