All Roads Lead Somewhere...

Wonderful Witney?

2008-10-01T18:05:00.005+01:00

Witney United 1-0 Hook Norton

Tuesday 30th September

Hellenic League Premier Division

Marriotts Stadium

The Hellenic League is one of these leagues that I seldom frequent with only five clubs visited in ten years of watching non-league football. Of the five clubs there have been contrasting fortunes:

Yate Town - now playing in the Southern League

Slimbridge - dropped down to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, now playing in the Gloucestershire County League

Shortwood United - still playing in the Hellenic League Premier Division

Chipping Norton Town - folded

Old Woodstock Town - promoted to the Premier Division and groundsharing @ Abingdon Town.

The day saw me leave Leicester around lunch time and make my way to Cheltenham to visit a friend who I hadn't seen since December last year. The journey I took was uneventful skirting round Coventry, Warwick, Stratford and Evesham before reaching my destination in the west of the town. After catching up we made or way to Witney and arrived in the town at around 6pm. I had made a plan to get some ale (one that can only be bought in branches of Tesco or Threshers in Oxfordshire and Berkshire) but found that a local branch of the latter shut early due to staff shortages. Not to be deterred we had lunch in one of the local hostileries before heading to the ground around 7pm. The Marriotts Stadium is on the west of the town on Downs Way and on entering the car park you are met with the main stand in front you which also houses the changing rooms, bar and catering facilities. Entrance was £5 with a further £1 for an excellent programme. Just as we entered the ground we were asked if wanted to have a look in the club shop and from which a badge was purchased for £3 while the remainder of time before kick-off was spent chatting to the chap that runs it. The ground also has standing cover on two other sides - behind the goal on the left hand side and opposite the main stand.

Before the start of play Witney occupied 4th place on 18 points with nine games played while Hook Norton were 1 point and 1 place below them so a close game seemed to be the order of the day. What followed was a very entertaining game with chances aplenty created and missed from both sides with Witney being particularly guilty. I must add that good goalkeeping from the visiting keeper helped keep the game goalless at half time. The second half continued with Witney playing some excellent football but as in the first half creating and missing chances. The deadlock game on 77 minutes when Gary Wickens headed home for Witney United from a right wing cross - my run of games without a nil-nil continues. (Easter Monday 2006 and 81 games). Witney could and should have had a couple of more goals in the final ten minutes but as with the rest of the game poor finishing was the order of the day.

Final score: 1-0

A game, venue and club I enjoyed visiting. We were back in Cheltenham for around 10.20pm ready for the Champions League highlights. The following morning saw me set of for home at around 8am, taking the scenic route home through the western Cotswolds heading north towards Broadway and then Stratford, before getting home around 10am.

http://www.witneyunited.co.uk/

http://www.hooky.springalldesign.com/

Derbyshire la la la

2008-09-14T16:00:00.006+01:00

Parkhouse 1-3 Westella & Willerby
Saturday 13th September
Central Midlands League Premier Division
Mill Lane

Again having got up early after my night shift I decided to make the most of the good weather and take in a game. I had two criteria in choosing where to go. 1) It must be reasonably near to home and 2) It would be a non-floodlit ground. Had a quick look on the net saw Parkhouse were at home to CML new boys Westella & Willerby. A tick on both accounts and decision made. Plugged ground postcode into sat nav and left home @ around 1.30pm and made my way up the M1 to Derbyshire and more specifically Old Turton which is just outside the town of Clay Cross, and took just over an hour to get there.

Entering the ground by car I am charged £2 admission which includes the match day programme. The programme by the way is an excellent effort and I would not be disappointed if I had paid another £1 for it and I also managed to get a pin badge for £3 from the secretary. The ground is not floodlight and also has no cover - ideal for days like today. The club have laid foundations for a stand on the Mill Lane side of the ground so watch this space as it were.

Now to the game...

The visitors took the game to Parkhouse from the start and created numerous chances before they got the opening goal on 18 minutes, when the ball was played across from the right and was tapped in at the far post by Tom Dent. Four minutes later and it was all square as Paul Bicknall scored with a header from a corner. A further six minutes passed and the visitors regained the lead when Matt Fyvie struck a low shot into the bottom right hand corner from 12 yards or so. Westella continued to look the more dangerous and had the better of proceddings during the remainder of the half. The hosts should have been level at half time as their number six hit the woodwork with an angled shot with time about up. The second period saw the home side have the better chances and play the better football - just better finishing required and the game would have had a different outcome. The hosts were again unlucky when the frame of the goal was struck with the score still at 2-1 but it was the visitors who scored a crucial third goal on 79 minutes through a header from Lee Jackson. No further goals ensued and the game ended with a 3-1 victory to Westella & Willerby. An enjoyable and competitive game at a nice friendly club. A visit is well recommended.

websites:

Parkhouse - www.clubwebsite.co.uk/parkhousesatfc/
Westella & Willerby - www.westella-willerby.co.uk/

Games seen - 2008/09 season

2008-09-03T12:39:00.008+01:00

12/08: New Bradwell St. Peter v Ampthill Town (3-1) Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
16/08: Buckingham Athletic v Sport London e Benfica (0-1) Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
23/08: Ashby Ivanhoe v Asfordby Amateurs (9-0) Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division
26/08: Aylesbury Vale v Leverstock Green (2-2) Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
06/09: Oadby Town v Staveley Miners Welfare (3-0) FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round
09/09: Langford v Bletchley Town (3-0) Spartan South Midlands League Challenge Trophy Round 1
13/09: Parkhouse v Westella & Willerby (1-3) Central Midlands League Premier Division
27/09: F.C. Dynamo v Sileby Town (3-8) Leicestershire Senior League Division 1
30/09: Witney United v Hook Norton (1-0) Hellenic League Premier Division

Ivan-ho-ho-hoe

2008-08-24T06:55:00.004+01:00

Ashby Ivanhoe 9-0 Asfordby Amateurs
Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division

Saturday 23rd August

Hood Park

A decision was made Friday afternoon that I would get up early for the second Saturday in succession to go and watch a game of football. The choice was an easy one this time as Ashby are a club I have been meaning to visit for a while, in fact I went their last season only for it to be when FC Braunstone Victoria did one of their two no-shows.

Ashby-de-la-Zouch is a small market town in north-west Leicestershire (population 12,758 - Wikipedia) between Coalville and Burton-upon-Trent. It's most well known landmark is it's ruined castle. Ashby Ivanhoe the team play on Hood Park which is on the edge of the town centre, the centrance to which is next door to Ivanhoe College. The club were promoted to Division 1 of the Leicestershire Senior League from the North Leicestershire League in 2005. In their first season they finished a creditable 3rd place, 7th place followed the next season while last season saw them finish runners-up to today's opponents Asfordby Amateurs. Asfordby joined the Leicestershire Senior League in 1991 and have spent most of their time in the lower division, only a three year stint in the mid-nineties has been in the Premier Division. The close season saw contrasting fortunes for both teams with Ashby progressing off the field with the installation of floodlights, things down at Asfordby have not gone so well with the resignation of their manager and (I believe) all of last season's squad not re-signing. They actually resigned from the LSL twice but have been persuaded to carry on.

Ashby started their campaign last week at Thurmaston Town with a 4-3 victory, and this was followed up with a League Cup tie against the same opponents. The result: 12-2. Asfordby were at home last weekend to one of the favourites, Blaby & Whetstone Athletic and were hammered 9-0. A trip to Ravenstone followed in midweek in the League Cup and they came away with a
2-0 defeat. There was technally no admission as the club play on a public park but charge £2.50 for a programme. The club do have plans to enclose the ground and progress from the Leicestershire Senior League - watch this space as it were.

Now to the game itself...

The first goal came on 17 minutes when Richard Hanslow made it 1-0 when he lobbed the ball over the visiting keeper, this was after the home sided created three excellent chances in the first fifteen minutes. Ten minutes later and it was 2-0 when Phil Gibson tapped the ball in from six yards after a 20 yard shot crashed against the bar. Phil Gibson got his second on 39 minutes to make it 3-0 when he turned in a low drilled free kick from the left hand side. Either side of the goals Ashby had chances come and go with a combination of poor finishing and good defending / goalkeeping keeping the score down.

Half Time: 3-0

The second half was barely two minutes old when Richard Hanslow got his second of the game to make it 4-0 when he turned between three Asfordby defenders and placed the ball into the corner of the goal. The fifth came fifteen minutes later when Hanslow completed his hat-trick after being put through on the right hand side, he drilled an angled shot into the far corner of the goal. It became 6-0 on 70 minutes when Hanslow scored again, this time from a ball played over the top of the defence and he finished with aplom. Phil Gibson completed his hat-trick on 79 minutes when he turned the ball home after a scramble in the penalty area to make it 7-0. The scoring was still not finished as on 82 minutes Hanslow got his fith of the game, turning the full back inside out before placing the ball into the far corner. Cue comments from bench "you're being greedy". The best of the goals was the last as James Fisher hit a screamer from fully 25 - 30 yards after a corner was not cleared properly. The second half also saw Ashby create many more chances than the ones they scored and on another day it could have been well into double figures.

Final score: 9-0

websites:

Ashby Ivanhoe: www.ashbyivanhoefc.com

Asfordby Amateurs: www.asfordbyamateurs.co.uk

A game on a Saturday...You must be joking!!!

2008-08-18T10:31:00.004+01:00

Buckingham Athletic 0-1 Sport London e Benfica
Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Saturday 16th August 2008
Stratford Fields

This was my first Saturday game since April 5th, the day before I started working nights at a well known supermarket. I made a conscious effort to get up early so I could get to a game and rose at 1pm. This comparing to the previous Saturday when I didn’t get out of bed till 5pm! A quick look at some fixtures and I decided on Buckingham Athletic in the Spartan South Midlands League Division 1. This is not a league that I have frequented very often in the past yet here I am about to attend my second game in a row in this division. As the previous post states I attended the New Bradwell – Ampthill game on the Tuesday and thoroughly enjoyed the game. Buckingham are one of two teams in the town, the other - `Town ply their trade in the United Counties League Division 1 which is the same level in the non-league pyramid as ‘Athletic’. I visited `Town last October in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw against Huntingdon. `Athletic play on the Stratford Road (A422) that goes south east towards Milton Keynes. The drive down was easy and uneventful with the sat-nav taking us down the M1 to junction 15, then onto the A508 towards Stony Stratford and then finally onto the A422 which led us into Buckingham. The time / distance given on Google maps UK is 1 hour 8 minutes / 54 miles. The ground is slightly hidden by large conifer trees on the left hand side before you reach the town centre. Despite being my second visit to watch football I have yet to have a look round the town centre so I cannot tell you much about the place. Below is a few links on the town and district itself:

Buckingham University - www.buckingham.ac.uk

Visit Buckinghamshire - www.visitbuckinghamshire.org

Buckingham Rugby Club - www.buckinghamrugby.co.uk

The ground has an open feel about it, despite being on the edge of town, with a stand on the Stratford Road side of the ground. Luckily the rain that was forecast never materialised in this part of the country so we didn't need the raincoat and / or umbrella! The only goal of the game came on the 2nd minute when the visitors were awarded a free kick on their left hand side and from the resulting kick the ball was headed home by Albert de Matos. The homesters didn't let their heads drop and felt they should have been awarded a penalty a few minutes later, the referee though waved away their claims. Personally I thought it should have been awarded having an excellent view of the incident. A lucky escape for Benfica came on the 13th minute when the keeper gave away possession when just outside the penalty area, only for a first time shot to come back off the post. Six minutes later it was role reversal when Buckingham had their own escape as the visiting no. 10 hit the keeper's left hand post with an angled shot after being put through. The remainder of the half was competitive with the visitors being given very little room and time to play their short passing game I saw at Bedford last year. A credit must go to Buckingham as they had obviously done their homework. The second half was again competitve with both sides evenly matched. Chances were created at either end with both keepers making saves, the visitors through probably created the more clear cut ones and should have made the game safe on 71 minutes when the previously mentioned no. 10 missed a sitter from what seemed no more than eight yards.

Overall an enjoyable couple of hours, though the game deserved more goals. Still no 0-0 since Easter Monday 2006 so can't complain.

Attendance: 29 (football mitoo)

club websites:

Buckingham Athletic: www.buckinghamathletic.co.uk

Sport London e Benfica: www.sportlondonebenficafc.co.uk

Withdrawal symptoms over...

2008-08-13T08:13:00.002+01:00

New Bradwell St. Peter 3-1 Ampthill Town

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1

Bradwell Recreation Ground

Tuesday 12th August 2008

My first game of the season saw me and my dad end up in Milton Keynes, and more specifically New Bradwell St Peter Football Club. This is one club that I has been on my hit list as it were for a few years, especially as Milton Keynes is within easy reach of Leicester. I have only previously visited five clubs in the Spartan South Midlands League, three of the clubs currently ply their trade in the same division as New Bradwell and two clubs in the MK area - Newport Pagnell and Stony Stratford. The day started out with a trip to the Northamptonshire Records Office on the edge of Northampton to do some family research with the intention of trying to take the "Campion" name beyond the mid / late 1700's by looking at old parish records. Having spent around 2 and a half hours in the records office we did not manage to take the name further back but found out that the surname changed from "Camping" to "Campion" in the late 18th century. After leaving the records office the plan was to grab some lunch and then look at some of the villages and towns in Northamptonshire where our relatives came from. First up was Rushden, and more specifically Duck Street. Duck Street in 2008 is pretty non-descript, an average street on the edge of Rushden town centre. From there is was to Finedon and more specifically the church where a Campion was married in 1814. The final stop of the day was the village of Stanwick near Raunds. A lot of Campions / Campings in the late 18th century were christened here but strangely the father, an Edward Camping was neither born or buried in the village. Brick wall time!

After leaving Stanwick we decided to head to Milton Keynes itself and made the relatively short journey down the A509 and pulled into Willen Lake for a drink before heading to New Bradwell. Note - there are two Bradwell Roads. The one with the football ground on is in the postcode district of MK13. A phone call was made to the club to confirm location and we arrived with around 15 minutes before kick-off. No admission was taken, programmes had to be collected from a club official's house and I managed to get hold of one during the first half for £1. The club also had badges for sale from their centenary year six years ago which were sold for a bargain £1 each.

Despite arriving at the ground before kick-off we managed to miss the first ten minutes (and first goal for the home side) due to us talking in the bar and losing track of time. Shit happens I suppose!!! A couple of minutes after arriving at pitch side the home side were awarded a free-kick. Lee White stepped up and scored direct from the kick from fully 35 yards to make it 2-0 against a side that won 4-1 at the weekend. I'm not sure if it was intentional but the keeper was expecting a cross and was caught out position wise, added to the fact that the ball seemed to catch the wind. The home side continued to play the better football during the first half and should have been further ahead at the interval. The visitors came out with more intent and purpose in the second half (probably after a rollocking from their manager), but did not cause the home side too many problems. Both sides continued to create chances until Ampthill got a goal back on 77 minutes through Needleman. A free kick was spilled by the home keeper and the afore mentioned player reacted first to stab the ball home from a few yards out. The old saying in football that you are at your most vulnerable after you've just scored couldn't have rang truer, as just a minute later the home side restored their two goal cushion when the ball was diverted into his home net by a visiting defender from a right wing cross. No further scoring ensued and the home side were deserved winners. An enjoyable game hosted by a nice friendly club.

Trying to recall what happened without taking notes is difficult, even after less than 24 hours after the game ended. Hopefully the next time I attend a game I will remember to take my note book!

Distance / time (according to Google maps UK): 52.1 miles / 1 hour 7 minutes

Websites:

www.newbradwellstpeter.co.uk
www.ampthilltownfc.co.uk

The new season...

2008-08-10T18:07:00.002+01:00

With the season having started for some with pre-season friendlies, my first game of the new season will be in a couple of days. The plan is to take in New Bradwell St. Peter in the Spartan South Midlands League (SSM) Division 1 after spending the earlier part of the day doing some family research in the Wellingborough / Rushden area . The SSM League is not one that I have seen many games in, and off the top of my head I think you can count the number of games seen on one hand! Recalling the depths of my memory bank I believe the clubs visited are...

1) Toddington Rovers - former club who I saw them play when ground sharing with Barton Rovers.
2) Biggleswade United
3) Cranfield United
4) Stony Stratford Town
5) Bedford

...and that's it.

Not sure what my plans are for the rest of the season but I'd like to complete three leagues - the Midland Football Alliance, United Counties League and Leicestershire Senior League, and take in some more clubs that are within a 60 - 70 minute drive from home. Clubs that fall into these categories are...

Tipton Town (MFA); Sleaford Town, Boston Town, Eynesbury Rovers, Olney Town and Rushden & Higham United (UCL); Ashby Ivanhoe, FC Dynamo, Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves and Evington (LSL); Shirebrook Town (Northern Counties East League); Castle Vale, Continental Star, Loughborough University, Meir K.A. (Midland Combination); Uppingham Town (Peterborough League); Bolsover Town, Pinxton, Nettleham (Central Midlands League); Romulus and Malvern Town (Southern League).

All of this depends on money and time. Both of which I don't have a lot of at the moment. Time - I work nights so am dependent of Tuesday night fixtures at present as I'm often not awake before 3pm on Saturday's, and taking yesterday as an example I didn't wake till around 4.45. Money - will be tight this side of Christmas due to having two weddings and a stag weekend to attend in the Autumn. I will be surprised if I take in more than 8 games before the calender year turns.

Cheers

Coast 2 Cove

2008-04-16T14:33:00.003+01:00

Cove 1-0 Banstead Athletic

Tuesday 15th April 2008

Combined Counties League Premier Division

Oak Farm

As mentioned in the previous post I now work nights having Monday and Tuesday off. This has given me another chance to have a day out with Mrs Rambler (who generally has Tuesday's off from work as well) and also the bonus of taking in a game. Looking at the fixtures in Sunday's non league paper I decided that we should head to the coast, and as the geographically aware people among you will know Leicester is in the middle of the country and at least 80 miles from any seaside town. Skegness is the nearest at 84.4 miles using MS Autoroute's shortest option. Having been Skeggy many times and also no football being played in the vicinity I originally looked at Cromer on the north Norfolk coast - a mere 120 miles away and also had the advantage of somewhere that neither of us had been before. That was sorted until I saw the weather report which in a nutshell said that anywhere south the M4 would have no rain. Bingo we'll head down south. Had another look at the Non League Paper and saw that both the Wessex and Combined Counties league had fixtures being played. Didn't matter who and did not plan to decide until Tuesday afternoon. So we decided on visiting Bognor Regis (a mere 177 miles away using the sat nav route) and left about 8.30am. The journey took us down the M1 towards the M25 which we got caught in the traffic problems caused by the road works south of Luton Airport which delayed us by about 20 minutes. We were then onto the M25 which was generally trouble free, only the volume of traffic slowing us down slightly as we headed towards the A3 exit. Again no problems apart from more road works, this time at Hindhead half way between Guildford and Petersfield. Passing through Hindhead we noticed a pub with an unusual name - the Devil's Punchbowl - mental note made. Eventually we arrived at Bognor at 12.40pm (- a mere four hours since we left off, though we did stop for breakfast and refuelling on the M1 for half an hour) and parked up 350 yards from the seafront. I found Bognor to be smaller than I had envisaged but pleasant enough all the same. The pier is at one end of the promenade and the Butlins resort the other. With the season not yet in full swing and also being a weekday the place was fairly quiet and as forecast the weather was lovely - not a cloud in the sky. First port of call was the have some chips and eat them on the beach, you have to really! Four hours passed and we decided to call it a day and made our way back to the carpark. After a look at the map and another at the fixtures I decided that we should head back the way we came and stop off for a drink at the previously mentioned Devil's Punchbowl. A pint of Kronenburg was what the doctor ordered and went down very easily. From here the decision was made to head to Farnborough and more specifically Cove Football Club - only 35 minutes from our rest stop and within two hours drive of home.

Cove play on Squirrel Lane with the ground being at the bottom end of a narrow lane. There is parking both inside the club gates and in front of the clubhouse. We chose the latter due to not realising the about the former until going into the ground. We were charged £6 each which included a programme and also managed to get hold of a badge for £2. The clubhouse has recently been refurbished and houses a pool table and darts board. Inside the ground all the accommodation is on the far side with a (covered) seated stand being straddled by two sections of (covered) standing. More than enough for the 30 people (head count) in attendance. Mention must be made to the person who was on the gate - he made us feel very welcome and went out of his way to look for the badges at half time. I didn't get his name but it is people like him that give non league football the reputation it deserves.

To be fair to Cove the pitch was not in the best condition but considering the unpredictable nature of the weather we have had over the past few months it is a credit that clubs like themselves keep them playable all season long. At the start of play Cove were occupying fifth place, though some 35 points behind leaders Merstham while Banstead were in 18th place in the 22 team division. The home side started off brighter and playing the better football but the first chance of note came on the half hour when Cove's no. 11 blasted the ball over the bar from 8 yards or so. The visiting keeper was the busier and on 38 minutes got down well to save from the home no. 10. Two minutes later the home side deservedly took the lead when the no. 10 scored following up from a good save by the Banstead keeper from the no. 11.

The second half started in a similar vain to the first with Cove playing the better football and looking more likely to score. Their first clear cut chance of the half was on the hour mark when their no. 5 had a free header from 10 yards but put it over the goal. Five minutes later another chance for Cove, this time the no. 9 was put through from the half way line, managed to hold of the advancing defender and slid his shot past the keeper only for the ball to hit the upright. The visiting keeper was keeping his side in the game as with ten minutes left made another good save to deny the no. 11 again.

Final score: 1-0

A deserved win by Cove who on another day would have won by three or four goals. To be fair to Banstead they never gave up but didn't create enough to worry the home side. An enjoyable day out on the coast with a visit to a club that is a credit to this level. The journey home took around two hours and we were back in Leicester at around midnight.

Woedby Town (Game 535)

2008-04-16T12:21:00.002+01:00

Oadby Town 0-1 Coalville Town

Tuesday 8th April 2008

Midland Football Alliance

Topps Park

A week after the game I thought it about time I typed up my notes from this game so here goes.

A rareity this season - a midweek game! This sees me back at my spiritual home in non-league football circles, Oadby Town for only the third time this season. If anyone reading this is does not know me, I used to programme edit for the club and then helped out on the gate when required. Due to recently changing jobs and working hours Tuesday night game will probably become the norm, expecially next season as I will be working Wednesday through Sunday nights.

Admission to Topps Park is £5 / £3 and £1 for a programme. The ground is situation on the Wigston Road in Oadby which though is a seperate town is basically a suburb of Leicester. There are two entrances at either side of the ground - the one at the clubhouse side is pay on foot while the one on Washbrook Lane side hosts the main spectator car park. The club have a covered seated stand which holds around 220 - most of which is in bench seated form. At the start of play both teams are languishing in the bottom half of the Midland Alliance table, though neither are in danger of relegation. Possession early on in the game is even with the visitors having the better chances and force home keeper Laurie Pearson to make a couple of saves, albeit relatively easily. All Oadby had to show for their efforts were wayward long range shots from Steve Fenton and David Fisher. To be honest the first half is poor but the home side should have scored in the dying seconds when Carl Adams slotted the ball past the visiting keeper only for the ball the hit the post and was cleared. The home team protested that the ball was over the line but the referee was having non of it. One question though - why didn't Matt Moore who was nearest the ball as it went past the keeper make sure it hit the back of the net only he can answer.

Coalville got the only goal of the game on 53 minutes when their no. 10 scored into the right hand corner following a free kick from 10 yards. The rest of the game was uneventful between two poor sides which Coalville only slightly the better of the two. On this performance it is not hard to see why Oadby are where they are in the MFA table. On the plus side they have two cup finals to look forward too in May - they play Hinckley United in the Rolleston Charity Cup and Friar Lane & Epworth in the "Westerby" County Challenge Cup.

The Welbeckian (Game 534)

2008-04-07T16:19:00.005+01:00

Welbeck Welfare 0-2 Ollerton Town

Saturday 5th April

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Elkesley Road Ground

I had two games planned for this afternoon and neither were this one. I made my what is now customary change of plan at 1pm and decided on this fixture - mainly due to the fact that Welbeck had scored 91 and conceded 99 goals this season so far. And no it is not a misprint!

At the start of play Ollerton are leading the division with the home side occupying 11th place in a twenty team division.

According to the trusty (?) sat nav it should take around 75 minutes to get to Meden Vale which is the village in which the club are located - take note do no follow any direction signs to Welbeck itself. The trusty (?) sat nav took me up the M1 to junction 27 then across through Mansfield and out the other end - wrong choice there me thinks Mr Tom Tom. Getting through Mansfield was shall we say a pain in the backside without resorting to swear words, a different route home is a definate. The weather throughout the day was very hit and miss - at times glorious sunshine but also equally cold wintery showers - lovely!!!!!! I arrived at the ground about fifteen minutes before kick off and parked on the road outside the ground. The ground has the backdrop of a working colliery - hence the name of the club, and added to the atmosphere of the place. It is something that will live long in the memory of my groundhopping. By complete coincidence I met up with "Mr Central Midlands League" Rob Hornby for the third time this season - we better stop doing this Rob or both of our better halves will start getting suspicious! I managed to buy a copy of a wonderful programme for £1 and then paid £2 to watch the game. There is no cover at the ground and only hard standing on one side of the pitch nearest the colliery. It does have a large grass bank on the far side which gave an excellent vantage point of both the pitch and it's backdrop. Also at the game while talking to Rob we met another groundhopper, Stickypalms who also has his own blog "The Groundhopper" - see link on right hand side of page, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with someone who you only know by a pseudonym and talking football about places that either of us had been - I recommended some clubs in Leicestershire and likewise was recommended clubs in Nottinghamshire that I have not yet visited. I should also add thanks for Mr Stickpalms for buying me a coffee - cheers, much appreciated.

Now to the game itself...Ollerton got off to a flyer when they were awarded a penalty inside three minutes which was duly despatched - still no nil-nil for me this season...hooray :-) No further goals were added but in reality the visitors should have been several goals to the good at half time which can be attributed to three (normally the case) factors - poor finishing, good goalkeeping and poor control. Though to be fair to Ollerton two early forced substitutions due ton injuries didn't help their cause and disrupted the flow and momentum. Inside two minutes of the restart Ollerton should have killed the game off but their no. 10, having forced the keeper to make a good save blasted the follow up over the bar when it seemed more easier to score. This then saw Ollerton begin to get frustrated and Welbeck get back into the game and looking likely to get an equaliser, but on 72 minutes the crucial second goal game when some excellent work on the left hand side by the full back saw him put in a low cross for 'a player' to make it 2-0 and game over. Further goals were hoped for but alas were not forthcoming and the final score remained at 2-0 to Ollerton and with it their place at the top of the Premier Division.

Another Central Midlands League club ticked off this season - for the record six and third in succession.

Easter Monday Part 2 (Game 533)

2008-03-27T16:57:00.004Z

Kiveton Park 2-1 Calverton Miners Welfare

Monday 24th March

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Hard Lane

The second part of a Central Midlands League double bill saw me head south towards home and stop off at Kiveton Park for a 3pm kick-off. Due to having time to kill I stopped off at Woodhall services on the M1 and then made the further 15 minute journey to Kiveton Park. The football ground on Hard Lane is on the edge of the village and has off road parking for a handful of cars. Admission was £2 with a further £1 for a programme and this was payable in the catering hut.

There are three pitches on the Hard Lane complex with the main one with stand being the middle of the three. It does, unfortunately have an air of despair around the place through the efforts of the local chavs. In the programme the club stated that they would like to enclose the ground properly to keep out the afore mentioned locals, then build new dressing rooms and install floodlights. The club also do not have a clubhouse on site so no alcohol is available.

Going into the game saw Kiveton occupy 4th place and Calverton heading the division with Ollerton and Kinsley sitting between them. I did not have to wait long for the opening goal with Rob Jones with the home side the lead after 6 minutes from an overhead kick following a corner. Both sides tried to play football and keep the ball down on an excellent pitch. The game started off in bright sunshine but after 10 minutes or so we were joined by the snow which laster for he remainder of the half. Calverton nearly equalised on 20 minutes when their no. 10 saw his shot roll past the wrong side of the post. The visitors did though equalise on 28 minutes when Craig Boulton scored with a header following a cross from the right hand side. This was just two minutes after they should have been awarded a penatly - why they weren't was a mystery to all in the ground and even the home keeper who had commited the offence! Further chances occured for both teams but the half ended 1-1.

The second half carried on as the first ended with both teams not wanting to settle for a point and went for the win. Chances were created by both teams and it was looking likely that a draw would be the end result. Alas this theory proved to be incorrect as the home snatched the winner five minutes from time through Chris Nelson, who scrambled the ball home following a goalmouth scramble.

Final score: 2-1 (attendance: 45 - head count)

Seventy Five minutes after the final whistle I was back home in Leicester after the drive down the M1 to Leicester. I was thinking of watching Loughborough University in an evening kick-off but would have had too much time to kill, anyway they can wait till the end of this season or next season. I like to do a few local clubs each season so holding them back as it were will not nessesarily be a bad thing.

Easter Monday Part 1 (Game 532)

2008-03-25T17:18:00.004Z

Bentley Colliery 2-0 Hatfield Main

Monday 24th March

Central Midlands League Supreme Division

Bentley Welfare Ground

The first part of an Easter Monday double bill in the Central Midlands League saw a trip up the M1 / M18 and A1(M) to the Bentley area of Doncaster for an 11am kick-off. The journey north took around 90 minutes with the ever so common aide of a sat-nav and I arrived with 10 minutes to kick-off. The ground is on Avenue Road and is opposite the cricket ground. There is no off-street parking and the club do not have a clubhouse on site and portakabin's house the changing rooms, toilets and catering facilities. There is a covered stand on the Avenue Road side of the ground while the rest of the ground remains open. Admission was £3 and a further £1 for a programme - these were sold out but I managed to aquire one from a fellow groundhopper which was much appreciated.

At the start of play these teams were next to each other in mid-table so a close game was predicted, well my me anyway! Hatfield settled quicker and had the better of the early exhanges, but the hosts gradually got into the game and looked the better side. The opening goal came on 35 minutes through Luke Atkinson who scored from a far post header from a cross on the left hand side. No further goals were added during the half which was scrappy, though both teams tried to get forward at every opportunity. Bentley increased their lead on 52 minutes when they scored from another header, this time from Josh Lumsden who bravely headed in from a corner. Both sides created chances with the home side having the better ones and also played the better football. To be fair to Hatfield they had several of their own but I don't recall any that were on target.

2-0 was a fair result in cold and at times snowy conditions. I did a head count during the game and counted 35 people in attendant. Next up is a drive down to Kiveton Park for a 3pm kick-off. See next post...

Game 531

2008-03-22T21:16:00.003Z

Leicester City 0-2 Hull City

Football League Championship
Saturday 22nd March

Walkers Stadium

My first visit to the Walkers Stadium for a few seasons was due to a promotional offer in the Leicester Mercury newspaper where they were offering tickets for £8 and a further £3 for a programme. I went along to the game with my wife, mother and her partner. The weather was like the rest of the country - cold, windy, sunshine and the occasional snow shower - it was warmer last month in February which is normally one of, if not the coldest month of the year. To save on the hassle of parking around the stadium we caught the bus (Arriva no. 302) which dropped us off right outside for £3 return and took about 10 - 15 minutes to get there.

This season has seen contrasting fortunes for the teams - Leicester struggling at the bottom end of the table, though boosted by an excellent 4-1 win at promotion chasing West Bromwich Albion last weekend, while Hull currently occupy one of the four play-off spots. Now to the game itself...

Very little was offered by Leicester during the whole ninety minutes and didn't record a shot on target during the whole game. Possession was probably an even split but the visitors had the better chances with home keeper Paul Henderson making two or three good saves and a goalline clearance keeping the Foxes on an even keel. Just as it looked as the first half would end goalless Hull took the lead on 45 minutes through Dean Marney. The second half saw a similar pattern to the first with both teams having their fair share of possession but Hull looking the most likely to increase their lead. Midway through the half Fraizer Campbell was brought down inside the penalty area by keeper Henderson, but the keeper made amends by saving Marney's spot kick. Hull did though add a second on 74 minutes when substitute Caleb Folan beat the offside trap and slotted the ball past Henderson.

To sum up...Let's not beat about the bush - Leicester were awful today and are in serious danger of relegation and if they play like this then they deserve to go down. Not something I want to see being Leicester born and bred but the table never lies. Hull meanwhile are looking good for a play-off place at least and if they continue with their form then automatic promotion is not out of the question in this ever-so tight division.

Club websites:

Leicester City - http://www.lcfc.co.uk/

Hull City - http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/

Game 530

2008-03-16T17:19:00.003Z

St. Ives Town 0-1 Stotfold

United Counties League Premier Division

Saturday 15th March 2008

Westwood Road

Another day where I couldn't decide who to go and watch. I narrowed it down to a short list of eight which included Welshpool, Sleaford and Hitchin but in the end I opted this UCL clash. The United Counties League is one of three that I am close to completing with only five clubs now left to visit - Boston, Eynesbury, Olney, Rushden & Higham and Sleaford. St. Ives is about 1hour 25 from Leicester down the M1 to junction 19 and across on the A14 and I relied on the trusty sat nav to get me to Westwood Road. I arrived at the ground around 30 minutes before kick off and was charged £5 for admission and programme This gave me time to get some food (£1.50 for a burger and 50p for a large cup of coffee), read the programme which looks impressive but did not contain much reading material and consists mostly of adverts - credit to the club though for achieving this and take a couple of photographs.

You enter the ground on one side which contains the serving hatch and clubhouse. There is a lean to projecting from the clubhouse to provide some covered standing (and is where the majority of fans congregated), and a seated stand on the opposite side of the pitch. This had more people using it in the second half due to the inclement weather that appeared after half and hour into the match. Doing a head count during the second half I would say there was around 75 - 80 people in attendant.

At the start of play Stotfold were leading the Premier Division and had scored 97 goals in the process while St. Ives occupied ninth place. The visitors nearly got of to the perfect start when I think, their number 9 forced the home keeper to make a save after only 20 or 30 seconds. The game then took a turn for the worse on the 12th minute when two players (one from each side) were sent off. I did not see the initial incident but what I then saw was the Stotfold number 7 swing a punch at the St. Ives number 3 who had his back to him, the St. Ives player then turned round and shoved the afore mentioned number 7. The Stotfold player was shall we say the least insensed by this decision and then proceeded to throw his shirt of the pitch and had to be calmed down and taken to the changing rooms. When he returned some of the home fans were giving him some verbals as he stood behind his team's dugout but instead of ignoring them he replied a couple of times, much to the annoyance of his manager who then got one of his non-playing staff to take him to a different part of the ground. Lucikly the game settled down and did not degenerate into all out war. Both sides created chances during the half with both keepers and poor finishing helping keep the score goalless.

The second half carried on from the first with both teams creating chances and failing to put them away. St. Ives had the clearer opportunities while Stotfold created more of them. This was always going to be a game where one goal was going to be enough - just a matter of which team was going to get it. About half way through the second half it occured to me that the last nil-nil I saw involved Stotfold on Easter Monday 2006!!! Maybe my jinx would strike again. Thankfully this was proved incorrect as the visitors scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot on 79 minutes through their number 10 after the no. 6 was brought down. Being a neutral and having an excellent view of the incident I thought the referee got this correct. St Ives pushed hard for an equaliser they deserved on the day but it was not to be. That's football.

Game 529

2008-03-08T18:32:00.002Z

Birstall R.B.L. 0-3 Barlestone St. Giles

Leicester & District League Premier Division

Saturday 8th March 2008

School Lane Playing Fields

The reason for this fixture is that I wanted to have a look at Barlestone St. Giles who are currently sitting top of the division unbeaten, and will more than likley be playing in the Leicestershire Senior League next season. Birstall meanwhile at the start of play occupy 12th place in the 14 team division. Facilities in the District League vary from club to club - some have their own grounds with clubhouses (e.g. Barlestone) while others like today's hosts Birstall R.B.L. play on a roped off pitch on community playing fields. School Lane is easy to find whether coming from the south (Leicester) or the north (Loughborough & A46) and the pitch that the home side use is the first one next to School Lane itself if turning from the A6 Loughborough Road. Parking is either on the road or a car park which is at the far end of the playing fields. As expected there was no admission charged or programme issued and depending on when a head count was taken there were between 10 and 20 people watching the game.

The first half started evenly with the home side giving as good as they got against the league leaders in blustery conditions. Barlestone though created the better chances and it wasn't until 15 minutes that the first shot on target was registered. It was around this time that the visitors settled down and started to play some football and scored the opening goal after 20 minutes when the number 9 tapped in from a few yards out following a cross from the right hand side. Barlestone doubled their lead on 35 minutes when the number 9 got his second when he stabbed the ball home from about 8 yards out. Birstall continued to try hard but did not force the visiting keeper to make a save of note during the first half, while Barlestone came close on several further occasions with the home keeper making a couple of good saves.

Half time: 0-2

The second half saw Barlestone hit the ground running as they made it 3-0 in the 47th minute when the number 9 completed his hat-trick from a shot on the turn from about 12 yards. The expected rout never materialised as both sides struggled in the conditions and Birstall refusing to be "the lambs in a slaughter". To be fair to them they kept going and had chances of their own and came close on a couple of occasions and a goal would have been just rewards for their efforts. The visitors should have had a fourth when the captain had the miss of the season as he managed to put the ball wide from a couple of yards out when it seemed easier to score.

Final score: 0-3

Overall, not the best game but the conditions played a part in this. Also without doing the home side any injustice I felt it was a below par performance from Barlestone St. Giles who remain unbeaten and top of the Leicester & District League. Next up is another outing to Birstall to take on bottom side Woodgate & Newfoundpool W.M.C. who play on Meadow Lane.

Game 528

2008-02-24T09:51:00.005Z

Pilkington XXX 2-1 Bolehall Swifts

Midland Combination Premier Division

Saturday 23rd February

Triplex Sports Ground

Unlike previous games this was no change of plan. Ian McDonald (programme editor and webmaster) had organised a couple of groundhopper's days - this being the second and I thought I would take up the offer. I was planning to visit Pilkington but more than likely next season so this gave me further incentive to visit. I had arranged to go with my mum's partner but my mother and wife decided to come along as well. We left Leicester around midday and headed down the M69 and M6 into Birmingham city centre. The idea being to have some lunch before going to the game. Unfortunately all the pubs were packed due to the Birmingham City - Arsenal game being on the tv and we ended up eating in the glamorous surroundings of a Subway restaurant!!! We arrived at the ground about 5 minutes before kick-off - note if you have not yet visited there is no on site parking, and with the voucher it cost £10 for admission and programme x2 plus a badge. Bargain! The ground was originally used by the works' team from Triplex Safety Glass. Since 1984 there has been a few previous clubs using the ground - Triplex, Richmond Swifts / Kings Norton Town. The Triplex Sports Ground also houses a lawn bowls club while the football pitch has a 100 (approx) seated stand which also contains a small section of covered standing on the far touchline next to the dugouts with three rows of terracing behind both goals. There isn't a clubhouse as such but the building is a private members club, though the club uses one of the rooms at half time to serve refreshments.

Now to the game itself...it was literally a game of two halves. The home side dominated the first and the visitors the second. Pilkington at times were a joy to watch - they got the ball down, didn't result to long ball tactics and played some really good football. The first chance of note came in the 6th minute when the post was struck from 20 yards by one of the home forwards - excellent effort that deserved a goal. The home side struck on the 23rd minute when Paul O'Brien scored as he slotted the ball past the keeper in a one on one situation following a well worked move between himself and the no. 10. Seven minutes later it was 2-0 following a throw in midway inside Bolehall's half the ball was worked into the penalty area and no. 6 Matt Hill hit a low angled shot from 15 yards that went into the bottom right (keeper's side) hand corner. No further goals were added in the first half. Bolehall had a reasonable amount of possession and never gave up but lacked anything up front. The second half was a complete role reversal and Bolehall hit back within five minutes of the restart with Hussain Turgut scoring from 20 yards. A few minutes later Pilkington had an excellent chance to restore their two goal lead but the visiting keeper thwarted the home side no. 8 on another one on one situation. My gut reaction was that could prove costly but despite having most of the possession and chances they could not find a way through and force and equaliser.

Final score: 2-1 (attendance 41 - Midland Combination website)

An enjoyable game, nice ground, excellent hospitality and well worth a visit. Top marks.

Game 527

2008-02-17T15:16:00.004Z

Wakefield 0-3 Rossendale United

Northern Premier League Division 1 North

Saturday 16th February

College Grove

For the third game in a row my original plan went out of the window, this time it was due to Goole not answering their phone. Why? Anyway I had confirmation that Wakefield was on and that back-up choice Stocksbridge Park Steels was off. For the first time this calendar year I had a travelling companion that was not a member of my familar but a good friend, Kevin Zupp who is Lutterworth Athletic's secretary and programme editor. We decided to head "up north" anyhow and left Leicester at around 12.45, with the plan being to stop at the services on the M1 before you get to Sheffield and try Goole again. Still no answer and we made the rather easy decision to go to Wakefield. With neither of us ever venturing into Wakefield before we relied on the sat nav to get us to the ground and we arrived at around 2.30. The ground is part of the Wakefield Sports Club set up which includes a floodlit hockey pitch and a bowls club. All three were in use this afternoon and we managed to get the last parking space in the complex. The football pitch is a tight enclosure with the turnstiles on the nearside corner nearest the hockey pitch. We were charged £7.50 admission which included a programme. There is a 300 seater stand on the far side of the ground with some open terracing to the left hand side (if facing it). The offices and clubhouse are all portakabins with merchandise and old programmes available before and at half time.

The game itself was not the best I have seen this season but was compeitive throughout. The home side probably had the better exchanges during the first half which ended goalless. The second half saw the visitors come out with all guns blazing and scored three goals inside eight minutes between the 52nd and 60th. The first came from Joe Booth* who scored with a shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner. The second came five minutes later when two Wakefield players went for the same ball, clashed heads which allowed Rossendale to take advantage and double their lead when Phil Eastwood* scored at the second attempt. The third and final goal saw Eastwood score his second three minutes later to finish the game in terms of the outcome. To be fair to the home side they did create a few chance towards the end of the game but went unrewarded.

* - from Wakefield F.C. website

Game 526

2008-02-10T21:23:00.000Z

Ollerton Town 1-1 Kinsley Boys

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Saturday 9th February

The Lane

I was originally going to "go local" today as I planned to make the 10 minute drive to watch Glenfield Town take on Barlestone St. Giles in the Leicester & District League, but having picked up the wife from work at lunchtime I noticed the Ollerton - Kinsley fixture on the net I decided to make the easy 50 mile drive up into deepest Nottinghamshire. For the record "Mrs Rambler" came along as it was the lesser of two evils compared with spending the afternoon watching telly! I guess it goes to show how bad tv is at present!!!

The ground is easy to find being just a few minutes from the main A614 and is located on Walesby Lane. We were charged £2 each for admission and also managed to get hold of a programme for £1 and a pin badge for £2.50. A crowd of around 100 (head count) was present to watch this encounter between the top two in this division. I also, by complete chance met Rob Hornby for the second time in a month.

The game itself was competitve from the start with both teams being guilty of niggly fouls and plenty of verbals with very little football being played. The first decent move saw Kinsley have a goal disallowed due to a late offside flag. From our position on the half way line we didn't agree with the assistant's decision. About midway through the first half with the ball in Ollerton territory our eyes were diverted to an incident in the Kinsley penalty area in which we saw a Kinsley defender shove an Ollerton forward over in the penalty area. The only person which didn't see the incident appeared to be the referee as we thought it was a stonewall penalty. Ollerton were though awarded a penalty (the incident eludes me) late on in the half and was duy despatched to give the home side the lead.

Half time: 1-0

The second continued where the first half finished with niggly fouls and plenty of verbals. Ollerton though decided to play some football as they dominated possession and created the better and majority of chances. As often happens when a side fails to kill off a game they get punished and it happened in this game. With about 10 minutes to go Kinsley got into the game and decided to play some football of their own and got an equaliser with about two minutes left.

The game ended with honours even.

Game 525

2008-01-31T18:45:00.000Z

Staveley Miners Welfare 1-0 Tadcaster Albion

Northern Counties East League Division 1

Saturday 26th January

Inkersall Road

Nearly a week after the game I finally I have time to put some words onto the screen and also I received some photos of the game and ground from my dad.

The original plan was to visit Olney Town with my dad but his partner decided she wanted to come out for the day, which we duly did along with my wife. Neither of the women likes football by the way! Due to this change I decided to look for another fixture with a reasonable sized town not visited before nearby. Staveley fitted the bill perfectly being only a few miles from Chesterfield. The trip up the M1 to north Derbyshire was an easy journey took about an hour and a quarter.
Chesterfield is a pleasant town with some nice buildings though the one that stands out is the church (the name of which eludes me) with the crooked spire. Lunch was had in one of the well known pub chains that you see in a lot of town centres across the country and the food and beer was as you would expect. I am one of these people that likes to try different lagers, pils and pale ales - and surprisingly did not have anything different for sale.

Staveley Miners Welfare play on Inkersall Road - I can't tell you anything about the place as we followed the directions of the sat nav. Admission was £3 and a further £1 for a programme - no arugments for those prices and I counted around 50 people in attendance. There is a stand on the right hand side of the ground which I would guess seats 200 and a covered terrace stand behind the far goal. Hot food and drink are available in one of the portakabins which has about 6 tables in. Merchandise was also available - hats, scarves, shirts and jackets. No badges for sales as yet - it is something that they are looking into.

The first half was pretty even in terms of possession though the home side created the better chances and took the lead on 15 minutes. Staveley also had a shot cleared off the line when one of their players rounded the visiting keeper and looked destined to score. From the resulting corner the woodwork was struck.

The second half saw the home side dominate and created numerous chances but through good goalkeeping and poor finishing, failed to take any of them and add to the score.

Overall a nice friendly club and well worth a visit.

Game 524

2008-01-12T17:33:00.000Z

Newark Flowserve 2-0 Harworth C.I.

Lowfields Works

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Saturday 12th January

My first game in three weeks since I saw Brereton Social on the Saturday before Christmas saw me make the relatively short trip up the A46 to the New Balderton area of Newark to see Newark Flowserve take on Harworth Colliery Institute. The ground is on the site of Lowfields Works which is on Hawton Lane and took me around 1 hour to get to from my home in the Braunstone area of Leicester. I was not charged an admission and programmes were on sale for £1. I did a head count during the second half and there was around 35 people in attendance.

I met "Mr Central Midlands League" Rob Hornby at the game and spent the whole time talking non-league football, whether it be our "travellers tales" or issues within the game itself. It was nice to meet up with Rob again and look forward to seeing him and fellow groundhoppers at the Nettleham game on the Easter Weekend hop - it will be the only game of the eight that I will be attending.

The game itself saw a fairly even first half with the home side shading it that saw a few chances in a competitve but free flowing half. I can only recall about two or three fouls during the whole of the half. The half ended goalless.

The second was better in terms of entertainment and chances created with Harworth having more of the posession and creating the better chances. The home keeper was forced into action on more than one occasion and kept Flowserve in the game. As often is the case the sucker punch happend as the home side scored with a few minutes to go through their number 9 who rounded the visiting keeper to score. There was still time for a second from the home side with a tap in on the goal line from with the last kick of the game.

Game 520

2007-11-11T14:26:00.000Z

Newport Pagnell Town 2-0 Yaxley

United Counties League Premier Division

Saturday 10th November

Willen Road Sports Ground

Newport Pagnell was chosen for two reasons 1) due to them being on my "hit list" for a few years now 2) the nearest UCL club that I hadn't visited.

Willen Road is easy to find just five minutes from junction 14 of the M1 and about an hours drive from my home in south west Leicester. The clubhouse is outside the entrance to the pitch which contains a bar and toilets - there was no hot food available today, just cups of tea which being a coffee drinker left me having to buy either an alcoholic or soft drink. There were also ham and cheese cobs available at £1.40 from the bar. The ground entrance is nearest the clubhouse on the right hand side and cost £4 plus £1 for an average programme. There is hard standing all around the pitch with two seated stands either side of the pitch - one of these was only erected during the summer and is of the modern metal variety that a springing up and down the country.

The game itself...

Newport started the strongest and scored with a well worked move after only 3 minutes and had the better of the exchanges and chances for the majority of the first half. Yaxley came into it for the last 5 or 10 minutes or so which also saw the home side reduced to 10 men for what I believe, retaliation.

The second half saw Yaxley come out with more purpose but clear cut chances were few and far between. Newport seemed to be happy to try and play on the counter attack and it was they who scored a decisive second goal 10 minutes from time to secure a victory they deserved.

The only disapointment I felt was that the attendance was a paltry 54 (head count). With the MK Dons away from home @ Crewe in the FA Cup the people of Newport it seems have no desire for their football club. A real shame. Nice friendly club run by nice friendly people and I hope they get the support they deserve in the future.