These two teams lacked any real quality, but it served up a pretty entertaining match despite this. Bradford had a man sent off when they were already leading 4-1 and when they made it 5-1 the game was finished and yet again it was a short half, this time by 7 minutes. According to the Referee it was because Sandwell had “had enough”.
Azaad Sports came into this leading the table and only second placed F.C. Khalsa Leicester could catch them. Singh Brothers Derby never looked like winning this. Azaad Sports held a comfortable 2-0 lead, before both teams scored twice in a nine minute spell as we approached the final 17 minutes to make it 4-2. As in the last match, the game was cut short, this time by six minutes.
Above : Azaad Sports make it 4-1 from the penalty spot.
This match was bottom versus second bottom in the league table and whoever won would retain their place in Premier 2 Division. It was pretty poor quality and easy to see how they are the two worst teams. When Lions went 1-3 up just before the hour mark it looked all over. Wonder Vaults pulled it back to 2-3 with three minutes left, but the Referee then blew the final whistle, although there was no protest from the losers about the short timing of the match, despite it meaning they will be relegated to Division 1 for next years competition.
With 4 pitches in use today, it meant that this was our only choice of match if we were to do all four pitches back to back, rather than having to wait round for the final set of matches in order to complete the set. This was by far the most basic venue I have visited for a Khalsa Tournament and was certainly the worst supported as far as spectator numbers go. In fact, it would be fair to say that the ground hoppers in attendance outnumbered everyone else!
The match itself was quite even during the first half, which ended 2-2, but Shere Punjab Youth won comfortably in the end and could have won by a far bigger margin.
Clanfield 1 United Services Portsmouth 2, attendance 21
9’ 0-1
53’ 0-2
90’ 1-2
@ Havant Academy
Wakefords Way
Havant
PO9 5JD
No Admission or Programme.
Clanfield are in the Hampshire Premier League Senior Division, whilst United Services Portsmouth play one level higher, in the Wessex League Division 1.
U.S.P. had two matches tonight, playing a mixed squad in each game. The team that came here were noticeably better than Clanfield, but were very wasteful with their chances. An early goal in each half was all they managed from a very dominant display. The Clanfield goal, in the last minute, was only their second shot on target in the match.
Erith are in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division, whilst Rochester play in Division 1 of the same league. This was as one sided as the score line suggests. Rochester were well on top, especially in the second half, and they could easily have doubled their amount of goals scored.
Frimley Green 1 Metropolitan Police 4, attendance 33
10’ 0-1
19’ 0-2
59’ 1-2
63’ 1-3
82’ 1-4
@ Frimley Lodge Park, 3G Pitch
Sturt Road
Frimley Green
GU16 6HY
No Admission or Programme.
Frimley Green are newly promoted into the Combined Counties League Premier Division, whilst Met Police are in the Southern League, Premier Division South.
Met Police were far superior, although at 0-2 Frimley Green started to create some chances and make a game of it. At halftime Met Police changed their entire outfield team, as well as playing in a totally different coloured kit to the first half. Oddly, the second half was played with both teams playing in the same direction as they had done in the first half. I can’t recall seeing this in a match before. Frimley Green did pull it back to 1-2 just before the hour mark, but the young Police team added two more goals for a deserved 1-4 win.
Sporting Club Thamesmead 2 Welling Park 2, attendance 52
7’ 1-0
41’ 1-1
47’ 2-1
87’ 2-2
@ Bayliss Avenue, 3G Pitch
Thamesmead
London
SE28 8NJ
No Admission or Programme.
I had visited Bayliss Avenue back on 2nd May 1994 when I saw Thamesmead Town beat Chatham Town 4-1 in a Kent League match. The concept of artificial pitches hadn’t really took off then, but there is now a 3G Pitch built behind the main ground that runs parallel. There is no spectator access inside the cage, but there is a good view from the balcony of the clubhouse.
S.C. Thamesmead play in the Southern Counties East League Division 1, whilst Welling Park are in Division 1 West of the Kent County League, some two levels lower. The game was end to end and although Thamesmead scored early in each half, it was Welling who finished the stronger, scoring late goals in each half to get a deserved 2-2 draw.
Today’s match was at Rugby Lions R.U.F.C. which is situated in Webb Ellis Road, named after the alleged inventor of rugby football, William Webb Ellis, who back in 1823, whilst as a pupil at Rugby School, picked the ball up and began running with it during a school match and the new game of ‘rugby’ was invented.
This was the third home venue for Coventry this season, due to pitch works taking place at their normal home at Butts Arena. It was only two weeks ago that I saw them play the last of three matches staged at Broadstreet R.U.F.C. and today would begin a run of their final four league matches being played here in Rugby.
I had visited Rugby Lions R.U.F.C. previously, as Rugby Town F.C. played here during the 2000/01 season. My visit was for a Midland Combination League Division 2 match, which was a 0-0 draw versus Lichfield Enots on Wednesday 21st February 2001. The ground today is pretty much unchanged.
Coventry started off well today and led 8-0 after twenty minutes, but Hunslet came back into it and took a 8-16 lead. Both teams added another converted try to give a 14-22 halftime score. Bears then scored another try early in the second half, which was converted, to make it 20-22, but unfortunately were unable to add another point during the next 37 minutes and Hunslet dominated them from here in for a comfortable 20-48 win.
This was formerly known as The Met Police Sports Ground and was one I had missed when Metpol Chigwell NE played here in the Essex Olympian League until the end of the 2008/09 season.
I arrived at the ground at 14.10 and was surprised to see the teams getting ready to start, as the match wasn’t supposed to be kicking off until 15.00, which was what time both clubs had tweeted this morning. Anyway, they kicked off as I was walking across the cricket pitch, with the football pitch on the far side from here. I can’t understand why clubs hire these venues for friendlies, as the pitch was in dreadful condition and bone hard in places and tufts of grass in other parts. There was an end to end and side to side slope on the pitch, which didn’t help, and one 6 yard box had very little grass on it, rather like a pitch in a public park, where the goals have been left up by the council and kids have worn out the pitch through constant use.
These two are both in the Eastern Counties League Division 1 South, but they seemed miles apart as far as standard of players went. Barkingside were 4-0 up at the break and it could easily have been 10. The slope had obviously had a huge effect, as when Newbury Forest kicked down the hill, they looked a completely different team. Unfortunately, they had a penalty saved within five minutes of the restart, but having gone close on numerous occasions, they did manage a consolation goal with eleven minutes left.
