Third oldest City of Portsmouth Sunday League Watersedge fold – after winning only their second divisional title

Watersedge, who were crowned Division 4 champions in 2021/22, have called it a day due to the squad’s thirtysomething nature.

They finished 10 points ahead of Lakeside Refit after winning 21 of their 24 league matches.

Jamie Dunne, one of the club’s founding members, told The News why the team have gone out on a high.

‘There’s three of us (Paul Squibb and Mike Anslow are the others) who have probably played all 16 seasons,’ he said. ‘There’s five who’ve probably played 14 or 15, and another eight who’ve played eight or nine years.

‘We’re all getting on, we’re in our early to mid-30s and it was becoming quite difficult to get a squad every week. I’d say for two thirds of the season, we could only get 11 players on a Sunday.

‘We knew last summer this would be our last season. We wanted to go out on a high - and it’s worked out really well.

‘We were relegated the previous season, and we had a little bit more quality for the division (4) we were in.’

Dunne said Watersedge’s ageing legs contributed to their 2020/21 relegation. After a huge break to take in lockdowns, the season was completed with a host of double header fixtures.

‘We were playing fit, younger sides,’ he recalled. ‘We had seven double headers and we’d do alright in the first game but lose the second, because we were all knackered!’

Watersedge were the third longest-serving CoP Sunday League club, behind Saturn Royale and Cross Keys.

In their first season, they were relegated with just one point - picked up via a 0-0 draw in the penultimate game!

In their third season, Watersedge won the Division 6 title. And due to regularly finishing in a high enough position, they found themselves in the top flight a few years later.

They lasted just one season - finishing bottom - but enjoyed the experience of becoming the first Portsmouth League side to enter the FA Sunday Cup.

There was also a solitary cup win to savour - Watersedge coming from behind to beat Southsea Bronx 3-2 in the London Cup final in 2016/17.

Another highlight was the club’s first ever competitive win, at the start of their second campaign. Trailing 5-0 in a cup tie, they staged a sensational recovery to lead 6-5 only to concede an equaliser. They eventually triumphed 8-6 after extra time.

Though Watersedge have now folded, Dunne said he and other players have had offers from rival Sunday League clubs to play next season. ‘A lot of them have said they don’t want to play anymore, but I’ll carry on somewhere,’ he revealed.