St. John’s College 0 St. Catharine’s College 0 (AET) (4-5 pens), attendance 339
@ St. John’s College Playing Fields
Grange Road
Cambridge
CB3 0HF
No Admission
2 Different Programmes available, A4 and A5 size. Didn’t bother buying.
St. John’s won the toss to determine who would host the final, hence it being played at their very impressive ground in Grange Road, although there is also access off Queen’s Road at the eastern end, but the former being the designated address. Players get changed in the main pavilion, which faces the cricket pitch (Queen’s Road side) with the football pitch at the rear, running parallel to a rugby pitch (Grange Road side). It was roped off for tonight’s game and had as good a playing surface as you’d find anywhere. It was absolutely immaculate.
Unfortunately, the game was poor and offered very little in the way of goalmouth action. To make it worse, we had to suffer an extra 30 minutes as well, which was even more turgid than the previous 90! Neither side deserved to win and it was obvious from very early in the match that we’d be lucky to see a goal and sure enough it finished 0-0. So, on to the penalties. St. John’s went first and scored their first four, before their fifth was sent high over the crossbar. St. Catharine’s were 100% with theirs, so it was a bit of an upset, as they play a division lower than their hosts.
Tongwynlais 0 Cwmbach Royal Stars S.C. 3, attendance 82
52’ 0-1
81’ 0-2
88’ 0-3
@ Iron Bridge Road
Tongwynlais
CF15 7NJ
No Admission or Programme.
Tonight’s game was 5th versus 1st in the league table, with Tongwynlais able to finish fourth with a win tonight, whilst Cwmbach Royal Stars had wrapped up the title on Saturday, having beaten their nearest challengers Cardiff Cosmopolitan 5-2 away. They still had something to play for tonight though….avoid defeat and they would have gone unbeaten all season in the league, having won 15 and drawn 4 of their games so far.
The first half had been quite even, although little in the way of goalmouth action, so no surprise it was still goalless at the break. Seven minutes into the second half Cwmbach broke the deadlock, when a ball in from the right was finished into the bottom corner from the angle of the six yard box. They never looked like being pegged back, let alone actually lose it and they rounded off a comfortable win with two goals in the last nine minutes, both angled finishes into the far corner.
The ground here at Iron Bridge Road is enclosed by a triangle of the M4, the A470 towards Merthyr Tydfil and the River Taff. The pitch is in front of the changing room building and is fully railed off and has a dugout on each side, with the car park behind the goal as you enter. There is a second railed pitch, running at right angles to the main one, about 20 yards beyond the far touchline.
Tonight’s game was 1st versus 4th in the league table, with Corby Strip Mills knowing that a win against the reigning champions would give them the league title. They came into this on the back of twelve consecutive league wins, but went behind to a nineteenth minute opener for the visitors, which certainly made it more interesting from a neutral point of view. Corby had a goal disallowed for offside, but soon levelled with a downward header at the far post and were in front four minutes later, when a diagonal ball into the box saw hesitation between ‘keeper and defender, which allowed a striker to nip between them, chesting down the ball, before shooting into the bottom corner and they managed to add another one in the final minute of the half. When they made it 4-1 just five minutes into the second half, the title was secured. Goal number five arrived just before the hour mark and although Kettering pulled it back to 5-2 with fourteen minutes left, Corby rounded off the scoring with a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box which was immediately followed by the final whistle.
The game was played on Pitch 1 here at Glebe Park, the furthest of two pitches from the changing rooms/car park on the south side of the complex. As is all too often the case with these hired venues, as opposed to a club owned ground, the pitch was poor and the grass could certainly do with cutting. It was roped off on all four sides and was a pleasant setting on a rare warm and sunny evening. The nice weather will have certainly helped in attracting an excellent crowd of just under 200.
The journey from the earlier game at A.F.C. Solihull, on a surprisingly quiet M42/M5/M6/M54, saw us arrive here around 45 minutes before kick off. The ground here, shared with the local bowls club, is good for the level, being railed off on two sides and hemmed in by hedges on the other two, which are out of bounds to spectators and there’s a pair of dugouts too. Grass banking at one end gives an excellent view of the game as well as of the backdrop of The Wrekin to the west. Hot food and drinks were served in the clubhouse building throughout the game.
5th in the table Albrighton (they’ve since risen a place following the League awarding points from previously postponed fixtures) were hosting a Cannock Dynamo team that had already finished in a promotion place, but needing a win from this, their final game, to take the title, as second placed Newhall United still have two games to play and were only five points behind them. An early penalty set them on their way and they got the crucial second goal three minutes before halftime, finishing with a shot across the ‘keeper after controlling a ball in from the left. The game was put beyond doubt two minutes into the second half, when a downward header at the far post made it 0-3.
The journey round the M25 and then up the M40 as far as High Wycombe was in very wet conditions, but further north it looked more promising and by the time we arrived at the ground, just north of Earlswood, off Junction 3 of the M42, the sun had appeared. A.F.C. Solihull had moved here to the ground of Leafield Athletic, (who play in the Birmingham A.F.A. League) part way through the season, so it attracted a fair number of ground hoppers today. We arrived a good ninety minutes before kick off and the clubhouse was already open, with a good supply of hot drinks and food on offer, as well as the usual chocolate/crisps etc. There are two pitches here, both part railed, with the game taking place on the main one, running widthways in front of the clubhouse.
The hosts had wrapped up the league title already, with the trophy presentation taking place after today’s game, whilst Feckenham were fifth, but could still finish third. A pretty uneventful first half ended goalless, but when Solihull broke the deadlock twelve minutes into the second half, things changed completely and they totally dominated for the remainder of the game. They made it 2-0 with sixteen minutes left, heading in at the near post and added two more in the last seven minutes to round off the scoring, with a tap in from six yards followed by an angled shot into the far corner. The win sees Solihull finish the season six points clear of Northfield Town at the top of the table.
Today’s game was 4th versus 6th in the league table. It was the last game of the season for Nelson, but if Tongwynlais were to win here today, then beat top of the table Cwmbach Royal Stars in their final game, then they would be the ones taking that fourth place. Tongwynlais got off to the perfect start, going ahead after eleven minutes, finishing high into the near top corner of the net, after a through ball beat the offside trap. They doubled their lead twelve minutes into the second half, when a cross from wide on the left was left by both ‘keeper and defender, but it dropped to a striker at the far post, who finished with a cushioned volley. They could have added a third minutes later, but a 25 yarder hit the crossbar. Nelson got a consolation goal a minute into stoppage time, heading in at the far post, from a corner on the left and they could have grabbed an unlikely looking point in the dying seconds, when they had a headed goal disallowed for offside and another effort cleared off the line, with the ‘keeper stranded, but the visitors held on for the win.
Home to Nelson Cavaliers is Wern Park. The changing rooms/car park are as you enter off Caerphilly Road, whilst the pitch is down below, hidden from sight. It is railed on both sides and along the majority of both ends, with the dugouts on the side of the steep grass bank that runs along the near side, where there is a small section of three steps of wooden ‘terracing’ (people sat on it), but the view of the pitch was badly obscured by the dugouts.
Tonight’s game was between two teams safely sitting in the higher mid table positions in the league, with 5th hosting 7th. Lymm hit the post and St. Helens had an effort come back off the crossbar early on, but it was the hosts that broke the deadlock just before halftime, when a miss kick by the ‘keeper, following a back pass, led to an easy finish from 12 yards. Goal number two came eight minutes into the second half, with an angled shot into the corner and the scoring was rounded off in stoppage time, when a fumbled cross by the ‘keeper was tapped in from close range to make it 3-0.
Home to Lymm Rovers is the 3G pitch at Lymm High School. A typical cage set up, with spectator access along three quarters of one side and a pair of portable dugouts, placed on opposite touchlines. A good display of flags from the St. Helens contingent adorned one goal end, which is an indicator of their more illustrious past. They were inaugural members of the North West Counties League and were F.A. Vase winners at Wembley Stadium back in 1987, where they beat Warrington Town 3-2 in the final.
Five Oak Green 3 Tunbridge Wells Foresters Reserves 0, attendance 37
11’ 1-0
49’ 2-0
64’ 3-0
@ Five Oak Green Recreation Ground
Falmouth Place
Five Oak Green
TN12 6RD
No Admission or Programme.
There are three teams battling it out for the title in this division. Five Oak Green came into this sitting top of the table on 38 points (5 to play), leading Roselands on goal difference (also 5 to play), whilst Tunbridge Wells Foresters Reserves are a further two points back, with one game fewer to play than the other two. Tonight’s teams both have to host Roselands yet, so it could still go right to the wire, whatever the outcome tonight.
The first half was end to end, played at a 100 mph pace. The only goal of the half came after eleven minutes, when FOG finished a break down the right with a shot from just inside the box. They doubled their lead four minutes into the second half, when a striker managed to nick the ball off a defender as he tried to shepherd the ball back to the ‘keeper, leaving an easy finish from eight yards. Just after the hour they made it 3-0, heading in from close range from a corner on the right and there was no way back for the visitors.
The ground here is shared with cricket. Looking from the car park/changing rooms the pitch is to the right of an artificial cricket wicket, with the pitch running away lengthways.
When I last saw Trewern United play a home game, back in 1992, they were playing at the Trewern Community Centre in the village itself, where they lost 0-5 to League of Wales side Llanidloes Town in a Montgomeryshire Cup 1st Round match. These days they play at the rear of Llandrinio Village Hall, some six miles from their base. It is just a pitch, at the far end of the playing field, running widthways, hemmed in by hedges on three sides and a pair of portable dugouts on the near touchline.
Although tonight’s game had nothing riding on it, as 11th hosted 5th (out of 15), it certainly wasn’t played out that way, as you’d expect when local bragging rights are concerned (Four Crosses is only a couple of miles from Llandrinio). It was a game that could have gone either way, though in the end the visitors won it as they made their goal chances count. Four crosses were ahead after just eight minutes, flicking in a free kick from close range, but Trewern levelled four minutes later, following a wayward back pass that gifted an open goal equaliser. Just before halftime Four Crosses were back in front, with a good finish from the edge of the box. They finally made the game safe with eleven minutes left, when a quick break down the right was put in at the far post and they rounded off the scoring with three minutes left, when a through ball saw a challenge with the ‘keeper that resulted in the loose ball being dispatched by a player following in.
This was the only ground I hadn’t previously visited in this division and I’m now left with just Llanilar to do in the south division.
Burscough Richmond 2 Coppull United 1, attendance 48
18’ 1-0
36’ 1-1
55’ 2-1
@ Richmond Park
Junction Lane
Burscough
L40 5SS
No Admission or Programme.
I had to look at the 3 pm kick offs in order to get in a double today and with the two clubs I hadn’t visited in the West Lancashire League Premier Division both being at home this afternoon, my mind was easily made up. I opted for Burscough Richmond (the other being Hurst Green) as it was the nearer of the two to Ince and arrived a good thirty five minutes before the scheduled kick off. The ground is accessed off Junction Lane, where I turned left into the small car park between Nos. 14 and 12 as I arrived from the south. On entering Richmond Park, there is a bowling green to the left, with the clubhouse/changing rooms adjacent, whilst the pitch is beyond, running at a slight angle. It is fully railed and has a pair of dugouts on the near side. The clubhouse had hot/cold food and drinks on offer and had I known just how good the pies were, I’d have had one pre-match, rather than waiting until halftime!
The match was 5th versus 14th (out of 17) in the league table. Burscough Richmond are the reigning champions, but third place will be their best possible finish this time round, such is the gap between them and leaders Thornton Cleveleys and second placed C.M.B. Although Coppull United could still mathematically be overtaken by second bottom Wyre Villa (it would take a freak set of results) they will survive at Step 7 for another season at least.
Both teams played an open game, with both playing attacking football, with no thoughts of negative tactics at all, which made it an excellent game to watch from a neutral perspective. Burscough opened the scoring after eighteen minutes, beating the ‘keeper at the near post with a diagonally hit free kick from 25 yards. Coppull deservedly levelled nine minutes before halftime, when a cross field pass was chested down and finished clinically into the far corner. What turned out to be the winner came ten minutes into the second half when a through ball was flicked on and finished into the bottom corner. Coppull nearly grabbed an equaliser four minutes into stoppage time when a header from a corner was headed clear off the line.
So, a successful day was had and a good way to notch up the milestone of my 6,000th football ground I’ve seen a match at. It certainly feels like it was a long time coming, not helped by the Covid 19 pandemic and of course the cardiac arrest I suffered that certainly slowed things down considerably!
For the record, the others were….
1,000 – 3rd March 1998 Bridgwater Town – Fairfax Park
2,000 – 13th December 2003 Ferryhill Athletic – Sunnyvale Leisure Centre
3,000 – 9th September 2009 Berkshire County Sports – Berkshire County Sports & Social Club
4,000 – 18th January 2014 R.F.C. Xhoffraix – Rue de la Tournerie
5,000 – 11th March 2018 Pont-A-Celles-Buzet- Rue Norte Dame des Graces
6,000 – 27th April 2024 Burscough Richmond – Richmond Park
Hopefully, both me and the blog will still be going strong when number 7,000 needs to be added sometime in the future…..
