Supersubs at 50 and 63

The Buxted III team is lucky to have two such players. Their 50-year-old manager Norman Smith from Olives Meadow, Uckfield, is always willing to play and 63-year-old Bob Spencer, from Hadlow Down, who usually runs the line each week, is also pleased to have a game.

And with them on board the team is just as likely to come away with a good win as they did recently playing away against top of the table Burgess Hill Albion IIs in division nine of the Robert Gray Mid-Sussex League.

The age range in the Buxted team in that match was from 18 to 63. A hat-trick was scored by 18-year-old Ross Goodey with Lee Steven and Shaun Smith helping take the score to 5-2.

Norman Smith said most village footballers gave up playing in their 30s and it was very unusual to get somebody like Bob aged 63.

'I thought I was doing well at 50 but then of course Stanley Matthews was still playing top grade football until he was 50.'

Norman has been playing village football since he was 15 and appeared for several local teams before breaking a leg badly in the 80s and packing up shortly after that.

But then a few years ago he was asked whether he could help the Buxted III team.

'If we're short I will usually play and likewise with Bob. A lot of youngsters are too busy these days with young girls or the pub on a Friday night and we can't alway get them to get up for matches.

'Village football is a lot different to now than when I started playing. People were a lot keener back in the 60s and 70s.'

However Mr Smith said the Buxted club was doing well having started up a youth section for the under 17s and under 15s and they also had a ladies' team as well as three men's teams.