Common boss joins the fast finishers

The 28-year-old netted almost straight from the kick-off in the Sussex County League Division Two fixture at home to Oakwood on New Year’s Eve.

Common vice-chairman Daniel Eldridge estimated the goal to have been “in the region of five seconds” and it set the club on the road to a resounding 5-0 victory.

Marc Burrows is recognised as scoring the sport’s fastest ever goal with a wind-assisted strike in a time of 2.5 seconds for Cowes Sports against Eastleigh reserves in 2004.

The old world record was set by Argentinian player Ricardo Olivera for Rio Negro in the Uruguay League 14 years ago, while the quickest blast in an English national competition was by Colin Cowperthwaite, who struck after 3.5 seconds for Barrow against Kettering Town in 1979.

We wondered if it might be the fastest ever Sussex County League goal, but Ben White is convinced he once scored in “two or three seconds” during his Bexhill United days.

Whereas Eldridge struck from a couple of metres inside his own half after the ball was rolled back to him, White let fly with the very first kick of a Division Three Challenge Cup tie away to Broadbridge Heath in 2009.

See tomorrow’s Bexhill Observer for the full article.