Mid Sussex League

Division 3 North

Saturday 4th September 2021

Kick Off 12.30 Actual 12.31

Horley A.F.C. 4 Forest Row Reserves 1, attendance 8

1’ 1-0

6’ 2-0

32’ 3-0

45’ 3-1 (pen)

54’ 4-1

@ Court Lodge Playing Fields

Thornton Close

Horley

RH6 8RJ

No Admission or Programme.

This was an early kick off due to the Reserves also being at home today (there are two other pitches here, but they are both narrower than the main one) and meant an opportunity to take in a second game later in the afternoon, even if it would be a very limited choice, as the majority of lower level leagues kick off at 2 o’clock around these parts. After the long drive back from Mid Wales last night, it was nice to only have to drive sixteen minutes to get to this game.

Horley scored with the first attack and a cracking finish from the edge of the box saw them double their lead after just six minutes. I feared this would become a real thrashing, but despite scoring a third goal, just after the half hour mark, they failed to add to it and Forest Row pulled it back to 3-1, scoring a penalty in the last minute of the half. Nine minutes into the second half it was 4-1, when a diagonal free kick was swept in at the far post and that was it as far as where the three points were heading.

Mid Wales League

East Division

Friday 3rd September 2021

Kick Off 18.30 On Time !

Newtown Wanderers 3 Forden United 3, attendance 32

3’ 0-1

11’ 0-2

43’ 1-2

61’ 2-2

70’ 3-2

81’ 3-3 (pen)

@ Trehafren Fields

off Park Lane

Newtown

SY16 1EN

No Admission or Programme.

It is baffling how this ground can possibly be classed as good enough to host tier 4 football. The players get changed at Latham Park, home of Newtown F.C. and having walked across the car park, they then head down a track towards the river. Here they reach an overgrown area, where there are a couple of very small sized goal posts set out around 200 yards apart. They turn left here and walk into a second area, beyond a hedge, where there are two more pitches that run lengthways, end on end, with the pitch furthest away being the one in use. There is nothing here, bar a rope at one end and along the side that runs parallel to the footpath.

Newtown Wanderers have not had a great start to the season, having lost six of their seven games so far, with their only points coming from a 9-1 win away at bottom club Llanfyllin Town. Forden United had done little better, managing just 7 points from their opening seven matches.

Two defensive mistakes by Newtown saw Forden go 0-2 ahead after eleven minutes and they were well in command. An absolute scorcher for Newtown, that flew into the top corner, pulled it back to 1-2 just before halftime. By the hour mark it was 2-2, as the Forden ‘keeper seemed to totally misjudge a 25 yarder that looked an easy save and ten minutes later Newtown completed the comeback to edge 3-2 ahead. Nine minutes from time Forden equalised from a penalty to make it 3-3. A draw was probably a fair result overall.

The journey up was trouble free, but 40 minutes were lost on the return (we ignored the SatNav, deciding not to take the £7 rip off on the Toll Road). The M6 was closed for bridge work at Junction 10, meaning queuing up the slip road and across the roundabout, before rejoining the other side, then just south of Junction 7 the Police stopped the traffic for 15-20 minutes. There was no evidence of anything having happened, as we were finally allowed to continue on our way.

Cheltenham League

Division 1 North

Thursday 2nd September 2021

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.13

Prestbury Rovers 2 Bishop’s Cleeve Reserves 2, attendance 21

5’ 1-0

73’ 2-0

76’ 2-1

78’ 2-2

@ Prestbury Playing Fields

New Barn Close

Prestbury

GL52 3LP

No Admission or Programme.

Having already planned to come here, it was disappointing to see that the match was off according to The Football Traveller magazine. However, the F.A. Full Time website was still listing the fixture, so a text to the very helpful Prestbury Rovers secretary was required and he confirmed that the game was indeed on. Not sure where TFT got the wrong information from, but it shows it can’t be trusted and confirmation of matches from more reliable sources is a safer bet.

Prestbury took an early lead, but failed to add any further goals during an even first half. When they went 2-0 up with seventeen minutes left it looked like the game was safe, but three minutes later an own goal gave BCR hope, and within a couple of minutes they had levelled it up at 2-2. A decent night’s entertainment and glad we checked that the game was still on!

Stroud & District League

Division 1

Wednesday 1st September 2021

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.17

Wickwar Wanderers 2 Kingswood 3, attendance 55

20’ 0-1

25’ 1-1

40’ 1-2

41’ 1-3

73’ 2-3

@ King George V Playing Field

The Downs Road

Wickwar

GL12 8NE

No Admission or Programme.

Wickwar had managed a win and a defeat from their opening two games, whilst ex-Gloucestershire County League club and league leaders Kingswood had won three from three, scoring 15 goals and conceding just 1 in the process.

It was Kingswood who went ahead on twenty minutes, with a superb strike into the top corner from 25 yards, that gave the ‘keeper no chance. Within five minutes Wickwar were level, when a striker cut in from the left and fired in a shot off the inside of the far post. Five minutes before halftime Kingswood went 1-2 up when a free kick wasn’t cleared and the ball was smashed in from 12 yards and a minute later it was 1-3, with the ball lobbed in from near the touch line. The first half was as good as anything I’ve seen this season and was such a contrast to last night’s match.

The second half was never going to be as good as the first, but it didn’t fall far short. Wickwar did pull it back to 2-3, with a good finish from a defence splitting pass and they were unlucky not to get a point from the game as they were well on top for the last quarter of an hour. The final whistle came as a huge relief to Kingswood, but they held on to maintain their 100% winning start to the season.