Essex Olympian League

Premier Division

Saturday 21st October 2023

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.06

Canning Town 2 Bishop’s Stortford Swifts 5, attendance 13

18’ 0-1

27’ 0-2

31’ 0-3

51’ 1-3

53’ 1-4 (pen)

58’ 1-5

69’ 2-5

@ West Ham United Foundation, 3G Pitch

60A Albatross Close

Beckton

London

E6 5NX

No Admission or Programme.

The journey from south of the River Thames to the north took just 25 minutes, via The Rotherhithe Tunnel. The ground is just to the south of the A13 when heading eastwards out of London towards the M25. It’s a standard cage set up with spectator access along three quarters of one side, with a pair of dugouts opposite. There is just a changing room/toilet block and that’s it. I had thought of coming here for a midweek youth match, but apparently, spectator access is no longer allowed. Even today, there was security on both the car park (no check, just drive in) and building entrance. You just had to sign in at the changing room entrance and walk through to the pitch, which is at the rear of the building, with the pitch running lengthways away from here.

The match was 11th versus 6th (out of 14) and turned out to be an excellent game. Bishop’s Stortford Swifts raced into a 0-3 lead after half an hour, with three clinical finishes and although Canning Town had a goal disallowed for handball, they offered little to suggest anything resembling a comeback of any sort. They did pull one back six minutes into the second half, breaking down the right before curling a shot into the far corner from the angle of the 18 yard box. The comeback was short lived though. Swifts replied almost immediately, scoring with a penalty and five minutes later made it 1-5, when a break down the right was controlled first time and having beaten his marker, the striker smashed it into the bottom corner. Canning Town did grab the final goal of the day, scoring at the near post following a quickly taken throw in, but they never looked like adding to it.

I also had a number of options in the lower divisions of the Essex & Suffolk Border League this afternoon, on grass pitches, but kicking off an hour later than this game. Rather than take a risk of a late postponement, I played it safe and came here. It turned out I needn’t have bothered. All the alternatives went ahead okay! Still, at least this saw the completion of this division for me.

Arthurian League

Division 4

Saturday 21st October 2023

Kick Off 11.00 Actual 11.05

Old King’s Scholars 3 Old Wellingtonians 2, attendance 6

29’ 0-1

54’ 1-1

61’ 2-1

70’ 2-2

89’ 3-2

@ The City of London Academy (Southwark), 3G Pitch

240 Lynton Road

Bermondsey

London

SE1 5LA

No Admission or Programme.

Today’s game was a clash between two ground sharers, as 6th hosted 5th in the league table. This is a relatively new set up, not too far from The New Den, home of Millwall F.C. The only spectator area is restricted to a small section on the halfway line (to the left when looking from the car park/changing rooms) where there is a seated stand for 100, although the view is hampered slightly by one of the goals for the small sized pitch being stuck right in front. Plenty of parking here though and even better, it’s free!

It was a game with plenty of chances, at both ends. The only goal of the first half saw Wellingtonians go ahead just before the half hour mark. King’s levelled nine minutes into the second half and then went in front seven minutes later, coolly lobbing in from 25 yards after the ‘keeper had totally miss kicked an attempted clearance wide to the left of his 18 yard box. Wellingtonians hit back to make it 2-2 with twenty minutes left, when a cross to the far post from the right was controlled and finished with a shot into the bottom corner. King’s won it with a curling shot into the bottom corner from just outside the box, which may have got a slight deflection. Wellingtonians nearly grabbed a point, when they had a shot come back off the crossbar with what turned out to be the last kick of the match.