Stratford-upon-Avon Alliance League

Stratford Hospital Cup 1st Round

Tuesday 7th August 2018

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.26

Ilmington United Colts 0 Claverdon 10,  attendance 7

17’ 0-1

31’ 0-2

34’ 0-3

47’ 0-4

48’ 0-5

56’ 0-6

61’ 0-7

68’ 0-8

73’ 0-9

78’ 0-10

@ Ilmington Playing Fields

Mickleton Road

Ilmington

CV36 4JQ

No Admission or Programme.

Well, this was certainly a bit of a waste of an evening, although I suppose at least it was a match that was completed, but from a spectators point of view, it was rubbish.

Ilmington are new into the league this season, but are a total embarrassment. They only had 7 players for the duration and only played the match due to the league telling them they would be fined £75 if they failed to do so. They claimed that the rest of the squad were on holiday, although a check on the F.A. Full Time website shows that they only have 12 players registered anyway. They are certainly a club I will avoid at all costs in the future, although I only watch matches in this league during the first midweek of the season, so it won’t cause much of a problem.

Had we known earlier (it was about 3 minutes before kick off that we found out they were going to play with just 7 players) we could have gone to see South Redditch Athletic versus Inkberrow ‘A’ instead, (the only other ground the three of us in the car hadn’t visited) which was being played at Henley in Arden College, not the normal home club venue. That finished 16-2 !

Belgium

Brabant Provincial Cup

Group A

Sunday 5th August 2018

Kick Off 16.00 Actual 16.01

R. Racing Club Etterbeek 5 Maccabi Brussels 1,  attendance 59

10’ 1-0 (pen)

33’ 2-0

44’ 3-0

46’ 4-0

82’ 5-0

84’ 5-1

@ Stade Guy Thys

Rue Baron Dhanis 6

1040 Etterbeek

No Admission or Programme.

When I lived in Brussels this was my nearest ground, but despite living no more than fifteen minutes walk away, I never got round to seeing a match here. Today was the ideal opportunity to rectify that as the driver was heading for a match at R. Ixelles S.C. which is under ten minutes away by car, so perfect for a drop off.

Etterbeek are newly promoted into Provincial 1, whilst Maccabi are in Provincial 2. This was easily the best match of the weekend, with both sides putting in a real effort for the entire game. Etterbeek were just too strong. Maccabi missed a penalty, but it was already 4-0 by then, so it wouldn’t have made much difference to the final outcome if it had been scored.

Back at The Tunnel they were again failing to run to any sort of timetable. We left on a train at 21.18 that was certainly not on the schedule.

Belgium

Belgian F.A. Cup 2nd Round

Saturday 4th August 2018

Kick Off 20.00 Actual 19.59

K. Patro Eisden Maasmechelen 3 K. Kontich F.C. 0,  attendance 241

16’ 1-0

48’ 2-0

75’ 3-0

@ Sportpark Patro Eisden

Kolenmijn Limburg- Maasland 2

3630 Maasmechelen

No Admission

Team Sheet, free.

There was plenty of time en route from Schoonbeek to check in at our overnight accommodation in Lanaken. I was then being dropped here in Maasmechelen, with the driver heading for a Limburg Provincial Cup match at Park Houthalen, where I had already visited.

Patro are now in Division 2 Amateurs, which is level 4 of the Belgian League, having been relegated from the third level at the end of last season. Kontich are in Antwerp Provincial 1. Despite the two level difference, there wasn’t much to choose between these two, although Patro were more clinical going forward. It may have been a different story if Kontich hadn’t missed a penalty, which was saved, when the score was only 2-0.

Having been dropped at the ground at 18.50 it was odd to find the ticket booths closed, but the gates were open, so it was a free night. According to the notices on the windows, it was normally €13 to get in. The ground has covered seating along both sides, with flat open standing at each end. The seats were absolutely filthy and looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in years, so most of the crowd opted to stand !

Below photo : Patro smash in the second goal, beating the ‘keeper at his near post.

Belgium

Limburg Provincial Cup

Region Zuid Oost

Saturday 4th August 2018

Kick Off 16.00 Actual 15.59

K. Eendracht White Star Schoonbeek-Beverst 2 V. C. Kesselt 5,  attendance 43

26’ 0-1

35’ 0-2

54’ 1-2

56’ 1-3

60’ 1-4

77’ 1-5

78’ 2-5

@ Hereveld, 3G Pitch

Hereveld

Schoonbeek

3740 Bilzen

€5 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Originally, the plan today was to visit K.F.C. Pulle for their Antwerp Provincial Cup match at 3pm, but with this match being an hour later kicking off and the fact it meant far less driving for our intended evening matches, we switched our attention to this instead.

We had been here previously, where we had seen K. Eendracht F.C. Schoonbeek lose 0-1 to K.S.K. Meeuwen in a Limburg Provincial 1 match back in January 2010. It is a ground I am unlikely to forget, as it was the first time I had seen a match played on a snow covered pitch. It was a good 2” deep, with just the main pitch markings cleared, but everyone just got on with it and there seemed little doubt that the game would go ahead !

The following month, the club merged with White Star Beverst, taking on the current name and playing home games in Schoonbeek. Last season they began playing matches on their newly installed 3G Pitch, which has now become the ‘main’ ground. The new clubhouse/changing room block is now built, but is yet to be fitted out, so the old clubhouse is still in use, as are the old changing rooms.

The weather couldn’t have been more of a contrast from our last visit, as the temperature hit 36 degrees. Despite Kesselt being in Provincial 3, one level below the hosts, this was a comfortable win for them. Schoonbeek fielded a very young side, with Kesselt containing a number of ‘old heads’ and it was very much a case of ‘men against boys’.

Below : photos of the old ground, sadly now nearing its end.

Belgium

Limburg Provincial Cup

Region Noord West

Friday 3rd August 2018

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.33

K. Hechtel F.C. 3 K.V.V. Heusden-Zolder 5,  attendance 46

26’ 1-0

37’ 1-1

45’ + 1, 1-2

47’ 1-3

54’ 2-3

67’ 2-4

76’ 3-4

79’ 3-5

@ Duinenstadion

Hoefstraat

3940 Hechtel

€6 Admission

No Programme.

This was the first match of a long weekend in Belgium. Unbelievably, The Tunnel ran just a couple of minutes late on our outbound journey, so despite very heavy traffic around Antwerp, we were at our overnight accommodation in Peer by late afternoon.

Our match tonight was between two clubs who play in Limburg Provincial 3A. The visitors should have scored at least double the goals they managed, such was their dominance, but some of their finishing was woeful. Both teams tired towards the end as the 32 degree heat took its toll.

Belgium

West Vlaanderen Provincial Cup

Group F

Wednesday 1st August 2018

Kick Off 19.00. On Time !

Sporting Keiem 4 K.S.K. Vlamertinge 5,  attendance 66

8’ 1-0

21’ 2-0

23’ 2-1

25’ 2-2

37’ 2-3

70’ 3-3

79’ 3-4

89’ 4-4

90’ 4-5

@ Tervaete Campus Keiem

Tervaetstraat

8600 Keiem

No Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Last season, these two were playing at a different level than they are this season. Keiem have been promoted from West Vlaanderen Provincial 3B into the second tier, whilst Vlamertinge were in the Belgian League, but now find themselves back in Provincial 1.

Keiem started off well, but seemed to be thrown out of their stride when a water break was taken immediately after they had gone 2-0 up. Within four minutes of the restart it was 2-2, before the visitors went in front before the break. When Keiem levelled it at 4-4 with a minute left they looked like they had grabbed an unlikely looking draw, but Vlamertinge just had enough time to nick the winner.

Once again The Tunnel were unable to run to a timetable, with delays of at least an hour outbound. With Keiem being under an hours drive from Calais, we easily made the 22.20 return, which still managed to leave seven minutes late, even though there were very few vehicles around. We then had to contend with the M20 being closed from Junction 9 to 8, which wasn’t helped with the alternate route on the A20 having two-way traffic lights for more roadworks. How do these people who plan these works manage to keep themselves in employment ?