Friendly

Wednesday 14th July 2021

Kick Off 19.15 Actual 19.18

Benfleet 3 Rayleigh Town 1, attendance 42

28’ 1-0

39’ 2-0

70’ 3-0

85’ 3-1

@ Woodside Extension

Manor Road

New Thundersley

SS7 4PB

No Admission or Programme.

At the start of the 2018/19 season, Benfleet made the move up to Step 6, having gained promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division 1 South, despite playing in the Essex Olympian League Division 2 (Step 9) the previous season. In doing so, it meant moving to ground share at Canvey Island F.C. in order to meet the ground grading requirements. Their traditional home ground is now only used by the Reserves and Youth teams, so tonight was a chance to see the first team here, as they still use the ground for hosting friendly matches. The pitch used tonight (the only one currently marked out) runs parallel to what was the old first team pitch (brick dugout bases still in place) and is beyond the former, furthest from the changing rooms. There is room for a third pitch, which is to the left, running the opposite way.

As expected, it was a comfortable win for Benfleet, against their Essex Olympian League Premier Division opponents. They dominated for the majority of the game, but actually had very little end product, despite scoring three goals. Having missed a penalty at the end of the first half, that smashed against the crossbar, Rayleigh Town did head in a consolation goal late on, to make the score 3-1.

Welsh F.A. Cup

1st Qualifying Round

Saturday 10th July 2021

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Ruabon Rovers 2 Saltney Town 7, attendance 228

19’ 0-1

21’ 0-2

24’ 0-3

27’ 0-4

41’ 0-5

52’ 1-5

59’ 1-6

78’ 1-7

83’ 2-7

@ The Recreation Ground

Maes-y-Llan Lane

Ruabon

LL14 6AE

No Admission

Programme available.

I had narrowed down my choice of Welsh F.A. Cup matches today to four ties (the other options finished 6-2, 0-6 and 6-4!) but settled on this game, which was a Tier 5 versus Tier 3 clash, as North East Wales League Championship division hosted Ardal League North West.

Ruabon Rovers were formed last year, but only played their first competitive match last week, due to COVID-19 causing a shutdown of football in Wales at all levels below the top tier. It also saw football make a return to Ruabon, as the Recreation Ground has been used by previous clubs in North Wales football, although not for a number of years. The town of Ruabon is where the F.A. of Wales was formed back in 1876, and the Wynnstay Arms pub, where the meeting was held, backs on to the Recreation Ground at the goal end where the main road runs through the town. To mark their big day, the Welsh F.A. Cup (or perhaps just a replica?) was on display before kick off. The club had also done a souvenir programme (plenty of photos on Twitter), but at no time did anyone come round trying to sell any and I only saw two people with them, so I assume they were all snapped up by the ground hoppers in attendance, judging by the number of them here.

As with last week at Greenfield, there were little, or no, Covid-19 precautions in place and you just wandered in. Then again, there was little the club could do anyway, as the pitch is in a public place and accessible from at least three entrances. If the ground had been enclosed, then the 100 spectator limit currently in place in Wales would have certainly been a problem.

Their big day went rather flat in the end, although realistically they were unlikely to beat a team two levels above them. Three goals, in a six minute spell midway through the first half, saw Saltney go 0-3 up and by the break it was 0-5. Ruabon did better in the second half, as the teams shared four goals, as well as Saltney having a penalty saved when it was 1-5, giving a final score line of 2-7. I actually thought this was quite an unusual score, but a check of my records showed it’s the fourteenth time I have seen it, and for the third time in my last 20 matches.

Friendly

Thursday 8th July 2021

Kick Off 18.30. On Time !

Eynesbury United 6 Gamlingay United 1, attendance 38

2’ 1-0

17’ 2-0

21’ 3-0

37’ 4-0

42’ 5-0

51’ 6-0

84’ 6-1

@ Alfred Hall Memorial Ground (Eynesbury Rovers F.C.) Pitch 2

Hall Road

Eynesbury

PE19 2SF

No Admission or Programme.

Pitch 2 here is accessed either via the main ground (if you arrived late enough for the gates to have been unlocked) or by entering through a gate off the rear car park of the Ernulf Academy in Barford Road.

I had seen these two play each other in a Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division match last season, but Eynesbury United have made the sideways move into Spartan South Midlands League Division 2 for this season, which suggests they are looking to progress up the pyramid. They already groundshare here at Eynesbury Rovers, so have the necessary set up to match their on field ambition.

The match was pretty one sided, especially in the first half. Eynesbury cruised into a 5-0 lead, with their No.10 bagging himself a hat trick as well as missing a penalty that was saved by the ‘keeper. The second half saw Gamlingay tighten up at the back, conceding just once more and at least they got the final goal of the night, to pull it back to 6-1 late on. They could have added a second, but their No.9 blazed a penalty over the crossbar.

The main ground here is another one that I don’t remember much about. I had seen Eynesbury Rovers beat Kempston Rovers 4-2 here, in a United Counties League Cup 2nd Round match on 14th January 2003. The photos below show what it is like now.

Friendly

Tuesday 6th July 2021

Kick Off 19.15 Actual 19.26

Oakwood 0 Saltdean United 5, attendance 19

3’ 0-1

17’ 0-2

61’ 0-3

71’ 0-4

84’ 0-5

@ Oakwood Sports & Social Club, Pitch 2

Tinsley Lane

Three Bridges

RH10 8AT

No Admission or Programme.

On Saturday I noticed that Forest Row, who groundshare at Oakwood, had played their friendly match on the second pitch, so thought there was a chance that tonight’s match may also be played here. Indeed it was, but with neither team mentioning the match on Twitter, it meant the information was drip fed slowly. Saltdean confirmed the game was actually taking place, then Oakwood supplied the vital information, well to me at least, that it was on Pitch 2 (in the field behind the social club/changing rooms side of the main ground, running at right angles to the main pitch) and it was kicking off at 19.15 ish! In the end it kicked off eleven minutes later, due to a combination of Oakwood looking unprepared and the Referee requesting that an area of the pitch was forked and swept clear of water, following heavy rain during the afternoon that hadn’t soaked in.

This was between two teams from the Southern Combination League, as Division 1 (Step 6) hosted Premier Division. The gulf in class looked more than one division and Saltdean bossed the game throughout. Oakwood changed their entire team at halftime, but it made little difference. The winning margin would have been greater, but for some cracking saves from the Oakwood ‘keeper in the second half.

My visit to the main ground had been back on 2nd November 2007, when I saw Oakwood lose 1-2 to East Preston in a Sussex County League Division 1 match in front of 33 spectators. I can’t say that I remembered much of what the ground looked like, but the photo below shows what it is like now.

North East Wales League

Premier Division

Saturday 3rd July 2021

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.28

Greenfield 2 Cefn Mawr Rangers 1, attendance 26

29’ 0-1 (pen)

34’ 1-1

86’ 2-1

@ Alpha Park

Bagillt Road

Greenfield

CH8 7HG

No Admission or Programme.

At last, I finally got to see a game outside England, following endless restrictions on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time I managed this was back on 8th March 2020, with a trip to Belgium to see K. Standaard S.V. Denderleeuw and I hadn’t managed a visit to Wales since seeing Pontypridd Town on 17th January 2020. The shutdown of football in Wales feels like it has been going on forever and today’s match was the first competitive fixture for the clubs in 483 days!

I decided to tick off the only ground I hadn’t visited in the Premier Division of the North East Wales League, which sits at Tier 4 of the Welsh pyramid. I was a bit concerned as to whether I would be allowed in to watch the match, as there seemed some confusion over whether there was a limit of 100 spectators (set by the Welsh Government/F.A. Wales ?) and some reports suggested this number included players, etc. I had asked both clubs for confirmation on Twitter, but neither bothered to reply, despite having active accounts. In the end it didn’t matter, as the crowd was a pitiful 26, and you just strolled in through the gate.

Cefn Mawr Rangers started off the better of the two. They opened the scoring half an hour into the game, with a penalty awarded for a handball. Their lead only lasted five minutes. A through ball was taken around the ‘keeper and slotted in to make it 1-1. The second half saw plenty of effort, but neither side looked capable of getting a winner. Then, as we entered the last five minutes, out of nothing, another through ball saw the striker race clear, nicking the ball one side of the ‘keeper, whilst he went the other, and he finished calmly from a tight angle. There was still time for Cefn to have an equaliser bizarrely disallowed. A striker went for a 50/50 ball with the ‘keeper and both ended up on the floor. The ‘keeper stayed down, but wasn’t really injured and was told by the Referee “get on with it ‘keeper, he never touched you”. He stood up, placed the ball on the ground and took a couple of steps back. The striker then tapped the ball into the empty net, but for some reason the goal never stood. There was no whistle blown at any stage by the Referee and he obviously hadn’t awarded a free kick, but Cefn just seemed to accept it. All of us watching, that were nearest to the incident, were in agreement that the goal should have stood. Very strange decision.

Friendly

Thursday 1st July 2021

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.32

Ryedale 0 Pickering Town 6, attendance 114

7’ 0-1

45’ + 1, 0-2

54’ 0-3

60’ 0-4

86’ 0-5

89’ 0-6

@ Ryedale Sports Club

Thornton Road

Pickering

YO18 7JX

£2 Admission

No Programme.

So, my new season started less than 24 hours after the last one finished. The game was between Beckett League club Ryedale and their more illustrious neighbours Pickering Town, who play in the Northern Premier League Division 1 East, which sits at Step 4 of the non-league pyramid.

As expected, it was a large winning margin for the visitors. Pickering changed all eleven players at halftime, whilst the hosts just had a ‘normal’ squad, and it was only as Ryedale tired that the game became one sided.

Wensleydale League

Dales Cup Final

Wednesday 30th June 2021

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.31

Leyburn Town 2 Unicorn 2 (1-3 pens), attendance 89

9’ 1-0 (pen)

26’ 1-1

31’ 1-2

89’ 2-2

@ The Athletic Field

Caravan Site Road

Back Lane

Reeth

DL11 6TT

£2 Admission

No Programme.

Last Thursday I saw Unicorn win the Wensleydale League, by virtue of achieving the two goal victory they required, in what was a comfortable 1-5 win away to Leyburn Town. Tonight, the same two teams met in the Dales Cup Final, a competition that was first contested back in 1939. In fact, before last week, the only other match I had seen in this league was the Dales Cup Final in 2004, played at the now demolished Central Sports Ground in Catterick Garrison.

Unlike last week, Leyburn had something to play for tonight, and Unicorn were certainly made to work for their win. An early goal for the underdogs, scored from the penalty spot following a handball, was just what the game needed from a neutral point of view. Unicorn gradually came into the game and it was no surprise to see them draw level when their very impressive No.11 beat the offside trap and finished coolly. Five minutes later the same player cut inside and finished into the far corner to put Unicorn 1-2 up. The second half saw few chances and was very dull compared to what we witnessed before halftime. The game petered out and it looked like Unicorn had one hand on the cup, but Leyburn fashioned a goal out of nothing to level it up at 2-2 a minute from time.

We headed straight to penalties. The Leyburn efforts were simply dreadful. Their first and third kicks were saved, whilst Unicorn scored all three they had taken. Leyburn then saw their fourth kick sail so far over the crossbar it may have cleared the hills in the distance, and that was it, the league champions had achieved the double.

Rochester & District League

Division 1

Saturday 26th June 2021

Kick Off 14.15 Actual 14.21

A.E.I. Sports 2 Cliffe United 7, attendance 85

11’ 0-1

47’ 0-2

55’ 0-3

77’ 0-4

81’ 0-5

82’ 0-6

84’ 1-6

87’ 1-7

90’ 2-7

@ Cliffe Woods Recreation Ground

Merryboys Road

Cliffe Woods

ME3 8UL

No Admission or Programme.

I was actually heading for a cup match at Sheering in the Hertford & District League. My estimated arrival time was an hour before kick off according to what my SatNav was saying when I left home, already factoring in a delay of 14 minutes en route. The roads around the approach to the Dartford Crossing were in total gridlock, and by now I was looking at arriving just 4 minutes before kick off. There was no movement of the traffic whatsoever, even though I had managed to circumnavigate a fair few miles of the queue by taking a route away from the M25. I decided to bail out and head for a game in the Rochester & District League instead and arrived at my alternate choice nearly an hour before the kick off.

I don’t know why I didn’t just head here in the first place. It was 2nd versus 1st in the league table, in what was both teams last game of the season and the visitors led the table by a point. There was a decent crowd too, helped no doubt by the fact that both clubs play their home games here. There were also three match officials on duty, but I wouldn’t think this is the norm, for what is tier two of this league.

It was a very tight first half. Cliffe United scored early on and could have been two or three up. Half an hour into the game an A.E.I. player left the field with an injury, and his day was made worse, when he received a red card for something he said to the Linesman as he was getting changed out of his kit at the side of the pitch. It was still only 0-1 at the break, but within two minutes of the restart Cliffe United doubled their lead and when it became 0-3 eight minutes later, the title was won. A.E.I. let their heads drop and they totally capitulated. Cliffe United didn’t ease off and ran in three more goals, with little resistance from a tiring looking home defence. A cracking free kick from the angle of the 18 yard box did pull it back to 1-6, but the visitors soon restored their six goal lead. With the last kick of the match, a cross from wide on the touch line sailed over the ‘keeper into the far corner of the net to make it 2-7, but it was little consolation to the hosts. They had been well and truly beaten.

Cliffe United certainly looked like worthy champions. They were unbeaten during the league season, with a 1-1 draw with Sittingbourne Town being the only game they didn’t win.

Wensleydale League

Thursday 24th June 2021

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.32

Leyburn Town 1 Unicorn 5, attendance 71

17’ 0-1

31’ 0-2

34’ 0-3

59’ 0-4

76’ 1-4

78’ 1-5

@ Middleham Sports Field

off Castle Hill

Middleham

DL8 4QW

No Admission

£1 Programme, 8 pages.

This season has seen competitive football return to Middleham for the first time since the demise of Middleham Town at the end of 2007/08 season. The setting here is superb. The scenic views would take some beating, with the surrounding rolling hills and the magnificent Middleham Castle that looms large beyond the goal at the entrance end of the ground. Difficulty with access to their former ground at Wensleydale School in Leyburn, following the erection of new security fencing, saw them lead a nomadic existence last season before making the switch to their new home in Middleham, three miles to the south.

The league title would be decided tonight. If Unicorn won by two clear goals they would pip Richmond Town Reserves to top spot on goal difference. Well, a two goal win would see them finish with the same goal difference, but Unicorn would take the title as they have scored more goals.

A blistering start saw Unicorn race into a 0-3 lead in little more than half an hour, so they just needed to see the game out from there. By the hour mark it was 0-4. Second from bottom Leyburn had nothing to play for (no automatic relegation from this league), but never gave up. They pulled it back to 1-4, but Unicorn replied almost immediately, wrapping up a 1-5 win and the title with it.

Next Wednesday the two clubs meet again, when they play in the Dales Cup Final at the ground of Reeth Athletic.