All posts by Andrew

A.F.C. Broadwater v Sompting

Brighton, Worthing & District League

Saturday 16th March 2024

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.04

A.F.C. Broadwater 0 Sompting 5, attendance 35

17’ 0-1

53’ 0-2

55’ 0-3

69’ 0-4

79’ 0-5

@ Northbrook Recreation Ground

Romany Road

West Durrington

BN12 6FG

No Admission or Programme.

With the full weekend closure of the M25 in both directions between J10 and J11 (first time this has happened since it opened in 1986), which would cause total gridlock in the area, I was left with the option of heading either south, or east (unless I left ridiculously early) for my game today. I opted for the former, heading to the outskirts of Worthing, where seventh in the league table A.F.C. Broadwater were hosting second placed Sompting, being played at the only ground I hadn’t yet seen a game on in this league. My choice was made easier by the fact that I had a 3G backup about 25 minutes away, but thankfully the pitch here was good to go, despite unbeknown to me, heavy rain having fallen overnight (wasn’t on the Met Office forecast). Northbrook Recreation Ground is a two pitch job, each running widthways when looking from the changing rooms/car park, with today’s game on the furthest one. Both pitches were suffering from mole hills, with our game on the less blighted of the two. It was unusual that both had square goal posts too. There was a soft area just outside the centre circle in one half of the pitch, but the Referee said “we’ll give it a go” and “see how it goes”.

Ovingdean look almost certain to win the league, but even A.F.C. Broadwater could still mathematically finish second (they have five games in hand) coming into this, although it is more likely to be between Sompting, St. Marys and Boys Brigade Old Boys for the runner up spot.

The game here started off as a very even contest. The only goal of the first half being a 25 yard free kick into the bottom corner after seventeen minutes that gave Sompting the lead, with the best of the other chances seeing them have a shot from just outside the box hit the crossbar. Goal number two came eight minutes into the second half, with an angled finish that the ‘keeper should really have kept out and they made it 0-3 a couple of minutes later, when a free kick from near the centre circle was headed over the ‘keeper from 15 yards as a number of players challenged for the ball as it dropped. The hosts notably tired from here and Sompting created chances at will, adding two more goals to round off a resounding win.

Truro City v Chelmsford City

National League South

Saturday 9th March 2024

Kick Off 19.30 On Time!

Truro City 1 Chelmsford City 4, attendance 176

4’ 0-1 (pen)

11’ 1-1

33’ 1-2

42’ 1-3

55’ 1-4 (pen)

@ TigerTurf Stadium (New Meadow Park)

Sudmeadow Road

Gloucester

GL2 5HD

£11 Admission

Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

With Truro City currently not playing in Cornwall and their ground share pitch at Taunton Town being waterlogged, they came up with the ground of Gloucester City as the best alternative they could find (just a mere 194 miles from Truro) to get this game played. The reason for the evening kick off was that Gloucester City had been at home to Boston United (they lost 3-7) at three o’clock.

I’d seen Gloucester City here in December 1990, when they beat Weymouth 2-0 in an F.A. Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round Replay (att. 682), but major work has undergone here in the intervening years, resulting in Meadow Park (pre-sponsor name) now becoming ‘New’ Meadow Park. The ground is in close proximity to the River Severn and regularly suffered from flooding in it’s original form and after being hit by the weather once again in 2007, the club vacated their home of just 22 years, resulting in ground shares at Forest Green Rovers, Cirencester Town, Cheltenham Town and Evesham United, before returning to their own ground in 2020.

The pitch has been moved about 35-40 yards from its original position and raised considerably to combat the rising water levels that caused the flooding of the past. I believe the clubhouse is from the original set up, but the ground itself is all new. Two decent sized seated stands and cover behind each goal, whilst the far side is open to the elements and of course, there is now a 3G pitch. I’d arrived in plenty of time from my afternoon game at English Bicknor, with the gates here still open from the earlier game, so was able to venture inside and get a few photos whilst there was still some daylight. I’d also managed to park right outside the ground too, although it appeared that there was no problem parking in the car park at the entrance end of the stadium. There was also time to venture beyond the far goal end too, just to see to what extent the ground had actually been shifted, as the photos below show…..old terracing still remains and the new pitch is elevated well above it’s original height.

The match itself was 18th (out of 24) versus 2nd and was a decent game to watch as a neutral. An early penalty saw Chelmsford go in front, but Truro levelled the scores after eleven minutes, when an attempted clearance from the ‘keeper, following a back pass, was charged down, resulting in the ball rebounding into the far corner of the net. Chelmsford were totally dominant and if it wasn’t for a number of outstanding saves by the Truro ‘keeper, this game would have been decided much earlier than it was. Chelmsford saw a header come back off the post as well, but finally edged back in front after 33 minutes, when a free kick was swung in from the right and finished from close range, with possibly the final touch coming right on the line, just before the ball went in? Goal number three for the visitors came just before halftime, cutting in from the left before finishing right footed into the bottom corner from the edge of the D. Any chance of a comeback disappeared ten minutes into the second half, when Chelmsford made it 1-4, with their second penalty of the game, this time in off the underside of the crossbar. They nearly added a fifth late on, but a 20 yard curler came back off the post.

It was nice to tidy this one up and do it with two other games in the area, saving me a 250 mile round trip, even though the match didn’t involve the actual home club and there probably haven’t been too many occasions where I’ve travelled fewer miles to watch a game than the two teams involved

English Bicknor v Tredworth Tigers

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League

Division 1

Saturday 9th March 2024

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 14.59

English Bicknor 2 Tredworth Tigers 3, attendance 44

24’ 1-0

47’ 2-0

61’ 2-1

67’ 2-2 (pen)

85’ 2-3

@ Worral Hill Recreation Ground

Main Road

Worral Hill

GL17 9QF

No Admission or Programme.

I had only visited English Bicknor as recently as December 2021, when they played in the village itself, but they are now based at Worral Hill, no more than a couple of miles away as the crow flies, but just over four miles by road. I’d actually planned on coming here back in August, when they moved one of their fixtures to a Friday night, but unfortunately as I was thinking about setting off, the SatNav was showing over an hour of hold ups on the M25, let alone any problems on the M4, so I reluctantly gave up.

When heading south west along the A4136 from Gloucester, the ground is visible on the right, where you then turn in towards the village, with the entrance to the small car park about 100 yards along on the right. I’d made the 18 mile journey from Gloucester comfortably, arriving just under half an hour before kick off.

The clubhouse/changing rooms are in the near corner, next to the car park, with the pitch running lengthways away from here. The pitch is fully railed and has a set of dugouts on the right hand side, whilst opposite are two wooden dugouts, set back from the pitch slightly, which were used as seating for spectators. English Bicknor had seen their home game postponed last Saturday, but no such problems today, confirmed in a quick reply to a text message to the Secretary, sent during my earlier game.

The match affected both ends of the league table, as 14th (3rd bottom) hosted 2nd. If you’d turned up not knowing which team was in which position, you’d have assumed it was English Bicknor who were the team going for the title as they looked the better side from the off. They took the lead midway through the first half, finishing from close range, after a corner from the right wasn’t cleared and although Tredworth created a few chances, it remained 1-0 at the break. Rather oddly, considering the changing rooms are right by the pitch, both teams and Referee all stayed out at halftime. Even more strange was the fact that we had a rain shower for the entire duration and we were back underway by 15.53.

Within two minutes of the restart it was 2-0, when a ball down the right saw the striker just win the race against the ‘keeper, before hooking the ball across the face of the goal for an easy finish from another player in support. Tredworth pulled one back just after the hour, cutting in from the left before finishing into the bottom corner from 18 yards. Six minutes later it was 2-2, as the visitors converted a penalty, awarded for a foul just inside the box. Minutes later the Referee somehow failed to award another penalty to Tredworth, which looked absolutely nailed on! Neither side were settling for a point and both had chances to win it, but in the end it was Tredworth who grabbed the winner, with just five minutes left, when a through ball from inside the centre circle played a player clear and having had one touch to steady himself, he finished with a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The defeat leaves English Bicknor three points from safety, whilst Tredworth leapfrog Longlevens Reserves at the top of the table, with the latter now two points behind, but with two games in hand. So, with Division 2 already completed, I’m left with just reigning Division 1 champions Chalford to complete all ground visits in this league now….hopefully on the main pitch this time, rather than the adjacent one they used on a Sunday morning kick off back in March 2004, when I saw them lose a Stroud Charity Cup Semi-Final on penalties to Brockworth Albion, after a 0-0 draw at ninety minutes.

Kings v Montpellier

Cheltenham League

Senior Charity Cup Quarter Final

Saturday 9th March 2024

Kick Off 12.15 Actual 12.16

Kings 0 Montpellier 5, attendance 15

19’ 0-1

36’ 0-2

57’ 0-3

64’ 0-4

79’ 0-5

@ Oxtalls Sports Park, 3G Pitch

Plock Court

off Tewkesbury Road

Gloucester

GL2 9DW

No Admission or Programme.

First up today was a game in the Cheltenham League’s Senior Charity Cup and a Quarter Final tie between two teams in Division 1 (second of three divisions), with 7th hosting 2nd as far as league positions go. Montpellier are unbeaten in the league this season (12 wins, 1 draw) and are favourites to take the title, as they trail leaders Cheltenham United, the only team they didn’t win against, by just two points and have five games in hand, as well as a far superior goal difference. Today’s game went to form, but Kings certainly made them work hard for it, especially early on. Montpellier were 0-2 up at halftime, both goals coming from corners and finished from close range.

When the visitors made it 0-3 just before the hour mark, there was no way back for the hosts. Goal number four arrived shortly afterwards, following a quick break down the right and the scoring was rounded off eleven minutes from time, when a ball over the top sent the striker through on goal and he finished with a shot into the bottom corner.

The complex was very busy, as you’d expect on a Saturday morning, with car park spaces at a premium, although good to see there were no charges. There are three caged pitches here. The first one, on the left as you enter, was hosting hockey, with the next one, on the right, marked out for rugby, with the main football one being the furthest, behind the building and running the opposite way to the other two. It is a standard set up, with spectator viewing along three quarters of one side and a pair of dugouts on the other.

Floriana v Gudja United

Malta

Premier League

Sunday 3rd March 2024

Kick Off 16.15 On Time!

Floriana 5 Gudja United 1, attendance 700

26’ 0-1

33’ 1-1 (pen)

36’ 2-1

47’ 3-1

55’ 4-1

69’ 5-1

@ Tony Bezzina Stadium

Telgha Ta Ras Hanzir

Paola

PLA 3000

€10 Admission

No Programme.

The taxi ride from the earlier game saw us arrive here at the Tony Bezzina Stadium around ten minutes before kick off, dropped off about 50 yards from the ground. We went to the first ticket booth we saw, on the corner nearest that car park, which turned out to be the Gudja United section. No problem choosing a seat once inside as the number in this end just about reached 30. The ‘home’ end looked quite full, with plenty of flags being waved and singing and chanting for the majority of the game.

Yet again it was a one sided ground, with 11 rows of seats, which are fully covered and has a capacity just short of 3,000. It was opened in 1986 and was originally known as The Hibernians Football Ground, as it is home to Hibernians and was the first time a club had owned their own ground in Malta.

The match was 2nd versus 14th (bottom) in the league table. From a neutral point of view, it was good to see Gudja take the lead after twenty six minutes, when a cross from wide on the right touchline saw the ball sail high over the ‘keeper from around 35-40 yards and nestle in the far corner. It only took Floriana seven minutes to equalise, converting a penalty and three minutes later they were in front, curling into the far corner from just inside the angle of the 18 yard box.

Two minutes into the second half it was 3-1, finishing at the far post from a cross from the right and eight minutes later it was 4-1 and game over. The scoring was rounded off when they made it 5-1 with just over twenty minutes left, finishing one on one against the ‘keeper having been played through on goal.

The win sees Floriana close the gap on leaders Hamrun Spartans to a single point, with a seven point cushion over third placed Sliema Wanderers, whilst Gudja United remain bottom, still winless after 19 games, three points adrift of second bottom Sirens and a further ten points behind third bottom Valletta.

Another Uber picked us up after the game and soon had us back at our Valletta hotel. So, a successful first trip to Malta had gone as planned. All five grounds used in the ‘professional’ levels had been visited (1 on Gozo, 4 on Malta) and the weather had been very favourable. Even our return flight with Air Malta back to London Gatwick on Monday morning left within a few minutes of its scheduled departure time.

Marsa v Melita

Malta

Challenge League (Top 6)

Sunday 3rd March 2024

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.01

Marsa 0 Melita 4, attendance 250

14’ 0-1

66’ 0-2

70’ 0-3

73’ 0-4

@ Victor Tedesco Stadium

Triq Mile End

Hamrun

HMR 1716

€6 Admission

No Programme.

Today started off with another Challenge League match in the fight for promotion to the Premier League, as 5th hosted 2nd in the league table. It was played at Victor Tedesco Stadium, which is home to Hamrun Spartans, who host all their non Premier League club games here. It is another one sided ground as far as spectator access goes. There are 1,800 uncovered seats, set out in 11 rows and once again each team were allocated half of the stand and we were in the Marsa section. There is a 3G pitch and again there are blind spots due to the pitch being tightly hemmed in and the front rows require viewing through the Perspex screen.

The match went to form in the end, but Melita only led 0-1 at the break courtesy of a goal in the opening quarter of an hour. Goal number two arrived twenty minutes into the second half and Marsa totally collapsed from this point, with a quick break down the right that was finished with an angled shot into the far corner to make it 0-3, soon followed by a cross from the right that was finished from close range to make it 0-4. The last fifteen minutes saw plenty of time wasting and needless rolling about after tackles.

The game finished at 15.51 and we were outside and in our Uber just minutes later, heading for another game that was due to kick off at 16.15. It was only across the other side of the harbour, with the floodlights clearly visible to our left as we walked down to this game from our hotel in Valletta, but it was nearly four miles by road.

Zabbar St. Patrick v Zurrieq

Malta

Challenge League (Top 6)

Saturday 2nd March 2024

Kick Off 16.30 Actual 16.34

Zabbar St. Patrick 2 Zurrieq 0, attendance 350

34’ 1-0

82’ 2-0

@ Centenary Stadium

Triq ta Vnezja

Attard

ATD 4000

€6 Admission

No Programme.

It took no more than five minutes to do the short walk from National Stadium to the adjacent Centenary Stadium, even via the longer route exiting the former on the far side from where we needed to be. It was opened in 1999 and is a 3G surface with a capacity of 3,000 seats, all on one side, with each club once again allocated half of the stand each. Despite being relatively new, the sight lines are poor, with a low glass screen at the front and the near touchline can’t be seen wherever you sit as it is too tight to the seats.

The match was in the Challenge League, which is tier two in Malta and was a Top 6 match, where the teams that finished in the top half of the table play each other again, retaining their points already gained to date, in order to see who gains promotion to the Premier League at the end of it, with this being 2nd versus 6th in the table.

It was a crazy start to proceedings as Zabbar St. Patrick had a man sent off after just three minutes, bringing down an opposition player who would have been through on goal had he not been fouled. Six minutes later it was 10 a side, as Zurrieq had a man sent off for blocking a goal bound shot with his hand. The penalty was missed though, with the ‘keeper easily saving low to his right. Zabbar did break the deadlock just after the half hour mark, when a ball pulled back from the left was well saved by the ‘keeper, but put in on the rebound by the player who’d seen his penalty saved earlier on.

The second half was played at a much slower pace and Zabbar grabbed the all important second goal with eight minutes left, when a speculative effort from 25 yards out found the bottom corner and should really have been stopped by the ‘keeper. The win sees Zabbar now top the group, although second in the table Melita will regain the lead if they win their game tomorrow.

With the problem of where the bus would be running from after the game, we decided to order an Uber back in to Valletta instead and were picked up less than five minutes after the final whistle.

Hamrun Spartans v Valletta

Malta

Premier League

Saturday 2nd March 2024

Kick Off 14.00 On Time!

Hamrun Spartans 1 Valletta 1, attendance 3,000

45’ + 3, 1-0

57’ 1-1

@ Ta’ Qali National Stadium

Triq ta Vnezja

Attard

ATD 4000

€10 Admission

No Programme.

The first match today saw a seven mile bus ride out of Valletta (€2.50 flat rate) to the Ta’ Qali National Stadium, just to the west of the town of Attard. It ended with a fifteen minute walk at the end, rather than a drop off outside the stadium, as roadworks meant the final approach road was closed off and the bus driver knew nothing about it and refused to go round, opting to abort the journey where we were. It certainly didn’t go down too well with a number of locals, one of which rang the bus company to vent his anger at them! As the name suggests, the stadium is home to the national team and has an all seated capacity of 17,797 although only the main stand was in use today, with each team allocated half each and we opted for seats in the Valletta section, purely based on the fact that it was the first ticket booth we arrived at. These are two of the most successful teams as far as Maltese League titles go, with Hamrun having won nine titles and Valletta twenty five (only Sliema Wanderers and Floriana, both with 26 have won more) and Hamrun came into this as league leaders, whilst Valletta are having a poor season by their standards, lying down in twelfth place (out of 14) and are in danger of being relegated.

It was a decent atmosphere, with Hamrun having the larger support, although neither set of fans had that much to shout about. It was a first half of few chances. Hamrun went close early on, but the Valletta ‘keeper kept out a good chance from about eight yards out and it looked as if we’d be heading for the halftime break goalless, but Hamrun managed to break the deadlock three minutes into stoppage time, cutting in from the left and finishing with an angled shot into the far corner, with no time to re-start.

Valletta levelled twelve minutes into the second half, nicking the ball off a defender on his blind side and he tripped the striker just inside the box as he attempted to clear. The penalty was easily saved by the ‘keeper, but the rebound was followed in successfully. The nearest we came to either side getting a winner was when Valletta saw a header from a corner come back off the crossbar with twenty minutes left.

There was plenty of time to make it to the second game of the day, kicking off at 16.30 at Centenary Stadium, handily located no more than 100 yards away, running widthways behind the north end of the National Stadium, although our side of the stand had to exit via the far side of the ground, which basically doubled the distance! What could possibly be easier when doing a double….

Oratory Youths v S.K. Victoria Wanderers

Malta

Gozo League

1st Division

Friday 1st March 2024

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.04

Oratory Youths 1 S.K. Victoria Wanderers 1, attendance 85

61’ 1-0

90’ + 1, 1-1

@ Gozo Stadium

Mgarr Road

Xewkija

Gozo

€3 Admission

No Programme.


A few days away in Malta and the opportunity to visit the second largest and second most populated island of the Maltese archipelago, Gozo. The fast ferry from Valletta, the Maltese capital, to Ghajnsielem, on the southern tip of Gozo, takes 45 minutes to cover the 17 miles and costs just €15 return. From there it is an easy bus ride (flat fare of €2.50) to the ground, which is to the south-east of the island’s capital Victoria, although we continued to the capital itself and later walked back to the stadium, which took around twenty minutes and was pretty much downhill all the way.

The Gozo League consists of two divisions (8 and 6 teams), with the top level games all taking place at the 4,000 capacity Gozo Stadium. Only one side of the ground is open for matches, with 8 rows of seats along most of the length of that side, with a small section of standing at the end, where the toilets and refreshment hut are. The stand is split with designated ends for each club, although unless you are wearing colours, there’s no way of distinguishing who’s who. You just purchased your ticket at the booth that was at the end you wanted to sit in….I just asked for two tickets (in the Oratory Youths end) and was charged €6. It was only when looking closer at the ticket that it stated ‘over 60’ on them. Not too bad for me, as I’m only two years short of that, but the other half certainly wasn’t impressed!

Tonight’s match was bottom of the league table versus third. The standard wasn’t great, although I’d somehow expected it to be a little better than it was. The first half was awful and apart from a fumble by the Victoria ‘keeper just before halftime, from a diagonal free kick into the box, that saw the rebound unbelievably put wide of the post, very little else occurred. The second half improved slightly, helped by Oratory taking an unexpected lead just after the hour mark, when a ball in from the left was controlled and finished with a shot across the ‘keeper into the far corner. Victoria grabbed an equaliser a minute into stoppage time, heading in a left wing cross at the far post. Oratory thought they’d managed to grab a winner, with what turned out to be the last play of the game, but the header from a free kick was ruled out for offside.

There was a second game kicking off after this, but the last fast ferry back to Valletta leaves at 21.15 on a Friday night, so just did the one game. Not sure I’d have fancied another ninety minutes anyway. The bus stop is right outside and the first bus arrived no more than three or four minutes after the final whistle, so back at the port in time to grab something to eat before boarding.

Bexhill Rovers v Hooe

East Sussex League

Hastings F.A. Junior Cup Semi Final

Saturday 24th February 2024

Kick Off 13.30 On Time!

Bexhill Rovers 4 Hooe 1, attendance 26 (Abandoned Halftime, Waterlogged)

1’ 0-1

11’ 1-1

13’ 2-1

35’ 3-1

45’ 4-1

@ Bexhill Sixth Form College Playing Fields

Gunters Lane

Bexhill-on-Sea

TN39 4BY

No Admission or Programme.

This was the last of the East Sussex League grounds I hadn’t previously seen a game on and with nearby Westfield (Mid Sussex League Premier Division) kicking off half an hour later than here, also tweeting early on that their game had also passed a pitch inspection, this seemed the ideal time to make a trip down to the coast, for a cup match between two teams in Division 2 of the league, as 2nd hosted 3rd, as far as league positions go. According to the Met Office weather forecast, rain wasn’t due here until two o’clock, which would be another plus. However, once again, the forecast was completely wrong. It rained all the way from Gatwick down to Bexhill, but on arrival it was good to see nets and corner flags in place and both teams warming up. One of the goal mouths was being swept to clear a puddle, but it looked all good to go.

Hooe opened the scoring with only about 15 seconds on the clock, breaking down the right straight from the kick off, before pulling the ball back for a shot that was saved on the line by the ‘keeper, but followed in from close range. Bexhill levelled after eleven minutes, finishing a right wing cross with a half volley at the near post and were ahead two minutes later, when a free kick found the top corner from 20 yards. It was end to end stuff, with chances galore and with Bexhill getting the upper hand it was no surprise when they made it 3-1 after thirty five minutes, when a corner from the right saw a shot saved by the ‘keeper at the near post, but the rebound was smashed high into the roof of the net. Goal number four arrived in the dying seconds of the half, when a free kick from inside the centre circle was played into the box, but was only partially cleared and was finished with a shot hooked in overhead from six yards.

At halftime, both teams stayed on the pitch, but unfortunately, the Referee went back to the changing rooms. Whilst there, he was harassed (they’ll call it banter!) for almost the entirety by three or four players/officials of another team in this division (their tops had the club badge on) suggesting that the game should be abandoned and one of them continued to shout from the changing room door as the teams lined up to start the second half. We had ‘’it’s dangerous Ref”, “someone’s going to get hurt” and finally “they’ll sue you Ref”. I’m not saying this had any influence on the decision, or how clearly the shouts could be heard on the pitch, but at this point the Referee suddenly decided conditions were too bad to continue and immediately abandoned the game. The pitch was no worse than it had been at kick off. To be fair to the two teams actually involved in the match, there was no obvious suggestion from either that it should be called to a halt and full credit to Hooe for that, as they were the ones to really gain from this. It would certainly have taken a massive turnaround to see them pull back the three goal deficit in the second half and if there’s any justice, Bexhill will go on to win the tie when it’s rearranged.

Before I’d even left the car park the nets were coming down. I hadn’t even got out of Bexhill and the rain had stopped and the sky was brighter and the cloud was clearing. A few miles further west and there was blue sky and sunshine. It always seems to be the case when you leave an abandoned game!