This was 11th versus 2nd in the league table, with the visitors in a three way fight for the title with A.F.C. Alsager and Brereton Social. An early close range finish, that was put in following a corner not being cleared, saw Redgate Clayton go in front and they were never really tested from there on in. They made the game safe two minutes before halftime, following another corner on the left, heading in unmarked at the far post. They missed two great chances to add to their tally in the second half, which may prove costly, but were never under any pressure, in what turned out to be a very poor second half.
The win sees Redgate Clayton go top of the table on 74 points (+ 52 Goal Difference) with one game to play. Brereton Social are second on 73 points (+ 58 GD) with A.F.C. Alsager third, also on 73 points (+ 49 GD). The two chasers have two to play, but Saturday sees them clash at Alsager, so the title is going right to the wire.
Hemel Hempstead Rovers 8 Hatfield Town Reserves 0, attendance 42
6’ 1-0
15’ 2-0
23’ 3-0
26’ 4-0
30’ 5-0
36’ 6-0
41’ 7-0
73’ 8-0
@ The Reith Fields
Langlands
Hemel Hempstead
HP2 4DG
No Admission or Programme.
The league leaders had no problem brushing aside seventh in the table Hatfield Town Reserves. The visitors were a total shambles and were lucky not to be at least a dozen goals behind at halftime. They did have the full eleven players though, as well as a substitute who ran the line, with others arriving as the game was in progress. They introduced a couple of the late arrivals at the start of the second half and were more competitive, but it was far too late to alter the outcome. Perhaps if this line up had started the game, it may have been closer. Taking nothing away from Hemel though. They were very impressive and at least two of their players should be playing at a far higher level than this. They were ruthless in front of goal and could have easily doubled their tally.
Hemel Hempstead Rovers have now won 21, drawn 1 and lost 1 of their twenty three games played, with an impressive +99 goal difference and now lead second placed Little Heath by six points, with both having three games left.
Awliscombe United 3 South Zeal United 1, attendance 84
1’ 1-0
20’ 2-0
90’ 2-1
90’+ 1, 3-1
@ Greenway Lane
Awliscombe
EX14 4SG
No Admission or Programme.
With the M25 and A303 both behaving, with just a two minute delay passing Stonehenge, it was an easy 2 hour 50 minute drive down to East Devon. The ground here is in as rural a setting as you could possibly find. If you head north east out of the village, on Greenway Lane, the pitch appears on the left hand side after about a mile, with parking on the opposite side of the road, on the driveway that leads to Hill Farm. There are no facilities at the ground, so players get changed at the Village Hall in Awliscombe, then travel to the pitch by car.
The match was 7th in Division 5 versus 3rd in Division 4, with the winners advancing to play Division 3 runners up Devon Yeoman in the final. Unusually, the game got underway three minutes early, with at least half the crowd missing the opening goal for Awliscombe, as they scored with the first attack, shooting in off the inside of the far post. They doubled their lead on twenty minutes, when a diagonal ball found their over lapping Left Back on the corner of the 18 yard box and he coolly lobbed the ’keeper with a first time shot.
South Zeal never really recovered from the early setback. They pushed hard to get back into it, but the Awliscombe defence stood firm and despite both teams making chances, it looked like the two early strikes would be enough to win it. However, a last minute goal saw the visitors pull it back to 2-1, finishing at the far post from a right wing cross, but Awliscombe went straight down the other end, restoring their two goal lead immediately, shooting into the far corner from the edge of the box. It was a well deserved win and the visitors could have no complaints. They were just beaten by the better team on the day.
Traffic on the return journey was relatively light, taking exactly three hours to drive home. Why can’t all Bank Holidays be like this……
I had visited Yatton Athletic back on Christmas Eve 2016, when I saw them lose 3-4 to Middlezoy Rovers in a Somerset County League Premier Division match, which was played at Hangstones Pavilion, in Yatton. They went on to finish bottom of the division and at the end of that season they merged with Cleeve West Town, becoming Yatton & Cleeve United, playing first team games at the ground here in Cleeve, with their former ground hosting all other club matches.
Today’s game was another with nothing riding on it, as 8th hosted 10th in the league table, but it fitted in perfectly with the earlier game at Long Ashton. It was a good open game, played on an immaculate pitch. Yatton took an early lead, following in on a shot spilled by the ’keeper, with Welton levelling ten minutes before halftime, heading in unmarked at the near post, from a corner on the right. Just before the hour mark Yatton went back in front, beating the offside trap and finishing left footed into the far corner, but Welton were only behind five minutes, a ball pulled back across the six yard box being smashed high into the roof of the net, to make it 2-2. Welton had a player sin binned after seventy six minutes, but when he returned, he had a great chance to win it, but he tried to beat the ’keeper at his near post, when a simple pass to either of the two supporting team mates, may have been the better option.
There was nothing on this game, as 12th hosted 8th in the league table. It was the 12.30 kick off that was of interest, as it gave the opportunity of getting in a double today. The early kick off had been agreed to give the home team the chance to go and watch Bristol City play their last Championship match of the season, against Hull City at Ashton Gate. Although the two grounds are only three miles apart, it was still a surprise that the game here kicked off six minutes late, caused by problems with the net at one end not being pegged down properly, which the Referee had brought to their attention twenty minutes before kick off!
Cutters got off to a flyer, going ahead within two minutes of the start, when a through ball saw the ’keeper completely miss his kick when attempting to clear and the striker rolled it into an empty net. A left footed finish into the bottom corner saw them go 0-2 up after twenty minutes, but Long Ashton replied quickly, heading in at the far post from a cross on the right. A good end to end match remained 1-2 at halftime and the second half never really matched the first, as far as goal chances went, bar a couple of decent saves by the home ’keeper. Cutters made it 1-3 with fifteen minutes left, scrambling in a corner from close range and despite having their ’keeper sin binned late on, they comfortably held on for the win.
The game finished at 14.17, giving plenty of time for the players to head off to Bristol City, whilst my second match was less than fifteen minutes drive from here.
Westerfield United 2 Trimley Red Devils 4, attendance 56
1’ 0-1
7’ 0-2
21’ 0-3
45’ 1-3
79’ 1-4
90’ 2-4
@ Ipswich School Sports Centre
The Street
Rushmere St. Andrew
IP5 1DE
No Admission or Programme.
Westerfield United came into what was their final game of the season, sitting 13th (fourth bottom) in the league table. With two to go down, they could have done with picking up something from this, to keep their destiny in their own hands. Bottom club Achilles can’t catch them, but Capel Plough and Leiston St. Margarets can and, perhaps crucially, they meet in the final game of the season. Trimley Red Devils sit in sixth place, but could still finish third.
Westerfield were warned by the Referee that he would report them for causing the late kick off, which needn’t have happened, as the warm ups were taking place at least twenty minutes before the scheduled start. The dithering didn’t seem to work. They went behind after just 19 seconds and conceded the second before we were eight minutes in, a superb curling shot, that went in off the far post, giving the visitors a 0-2 lead. Midway through the half it was 0-3 and any chance Westerfield had of getting anything from this had gone. They did head in from a free kick in the final minute of the half, to pull it back to 1-3, but the damage was done.
They did improve in the second half and despite having a player sin binned early in the half, they kept the visitors at bay until an own goal (scored by the player who’d earlier been sin binned) made it 1-4 with eleven minutes left. Westerfield rounded off the scoring for the night, when a looping header went over the ’keeper, to make it 2-4 in the last minute.
The Sports Centre is a hive of activity. There is a large car park at the entrance, where the walk from the two storey changing room/reception/bar building to reach the pitch is about 150 yards. To the left is a blue artificial hockey pitch, then some netball courts, whilst to the right, running the opposite way, is a traditional green artificial hockey pitch and another couple of netball courts. On reaching the Westerfield pitch, which is the middle of three parallel, (the old changing room building is in the far left hand corner) there is a second blue artificial hockey pitch to the left, whilst to the right is a second football pitch, which has permanent dugouts and wooden stakes around the perimeter, although no rope through them. A.F.C. Kesgrave Reserves played on this pitch tonight, losing 0-3 to Bacton United ’89 Reserves.
Above : With the ’keeper stranded, Trimley side foot in to make it 0-3.
Falcons have been rumoured to be moving from The Beeches for a number of seasons now. It is not surprising, as it is an awful venue, with a very poor quality pitch. It doesn’t help that it is a good 200 yards from the changing rooms, although when you are actually pitch side, it feels more enclosed than it first appears when looking across from the car park.
The match was 4th versus 8th in the league table, with Falcons in a four way fight for one of the three promotion places and still in with a chance of taking the title, if they win their remaining games. They went ahead early, with a deflected shot that wrong footed the ’keeper, but Bibury scrambled in an equaliser five minutes later. It was very competitive, which was full credit to Bibury, as they were safe in mid table, so had little to play for. The visitors edged 1-2 in front just before halftime, with a cracking 25 yarder that the ’keeper got a hand to, but was unable to keep out.
The second half was spent mostly in the Bibury half of the pitch, as Falcons pushed hard for an equaliser. It came fifteen minutes from time, the striker wriggling free from a challenge, before smashing in left footed from just inside the box. With six minutes to go, Bibury were reduced to 10 men, a defender being red carded for a foul when he was ’last man’. Two minutes from time Falcons were awarded a penalty, for a handball, which they duly put away to make it 3-2, with Bibury having a player sin binned for arguing the decision, so playing out the remainder of the game with nine men.
It is all to play for at the top. Leaders Stonehouse Town Reserves are on 60 points, with two games left, whilst the three chasers all have a game in hand. Smiths Barometrics have 59 points, F.C. Lakeside 57 and Falcons 56.
Above : The kind of thing you remember as a kid. Square goal posts, bits of tape everywhere and a badly worn six yard box.
Lenham Wanderers 1 West Kingsdown 2, attendance 43
22’ 0-1
52’ 1-1
77’ 1-2
@ The William Pitt Field
Old Ham Lane
Lenham
ME17 2LR
No Admission or Programme.
This match should have been played earlier in the season, but was called off at short notice by Lenham, for which they received a deduction of one point as punishment for failing to fulfil the fixture. They came into this in ninth place in the league table, so had nothing to play for, but West Kingsdown certainly did, as they required seven points from their remaining four matches, to guarantee finishing ahead of second placed A.F.C. Rangers for the title, with both clubs having already secured promotion. On top of this, they were hoping to go undefeated for the season, having won 16 and drawn 2 from their opening 18 games.
Lenham certainly didn’t make it easy for West Kingsdown, especially in the opening 15 minutes or so. The visitors finally went ahead after twenty two minutes, having already had two goals disallowed for offside, when their lightning quick right winger crossed for an easy tap in at the far post. Lenham never looked like drawing level, but seven minutes into the second half, out of nothing, a ball was played forward and volleyed in on the turn, from the angle of the 18 yard box, to make it 1-1.
West Kingsdown pushed for a winner and when Lenham lost their ’keeper to injury with twenty minutes left, replaced by an outfield player, it looked like their job might be easier. It wasn’t, as the stand in did well and pulled off a cracking save, but minutes later he was beaten, when another rapid breakaway down the right saw the ball played across the six yard box and it was bundled across the line to give the visitors a 1-2 win.
I never visited Hawkenbury during their five seasons spent in the Kent County League Division 2 East from 2009/10 to 2013/14. I only got to visit the ground today, after Tunbridge Wells District Council gave the club permission to play one final game here, before removing the goal posts for the Summer.
Hawkenbury are in fourth place in the Sevenoaks & District League Premier Division, whilst West Farleigh play two levels higher, in Kent County League Division 2 Central & East, where they are second in the table, very much in the running for one of the two promotion spots and still able to take the title.
The game was played in very windy conditions, not helped by the ground being very exposed. Despite being well grassed, apart from the two six yard boxes, the pitch was awful, being rock hard and very dusty and certainly affected the game. Hawkenbury went ahead early, a defender heading into his own net, trying to cut out a diagonal free kick into the box. West Farleigh always gave the impression that they would turn things round, but the equaliser just didn’t come. The killer second goal came fifteen minutes from time, when an innocuous effort from 25 yards, somehow went under the ’keeper.
I had visited the Jaguar Daimler Sports Ground, in Middlemarch Road, back on 16th May 1994, when I saw Massey-Ferguson beat Swift P.P. 2-1 in the Midland Combination League Challenge Vase Final. That ground is no more, now part of a huge new housing estate. Jaguar Daimler now play at the Daimler Green Community Centre, no more than 150-200 yards from their former home. It is a two pitch set up, with a surprisingly busy and well used clubhouse.
For the second time this midweek, I found myself at a game that kicked off well behind schedule, this finally getting underway 17 minutes late, despite both teams warming up well before kick off. These two are both in Division 2, with 7th hosting 6th, as far as league positions go. Jaguar Daimler got off to a flying start, volleying in from a corner within two minutes. Binley had plenty of chances to level it up, but it wasn’t until thirteen minutes into the second half, that they got a deserved equaliser, the striker knocking the ball past a defender, before curling a shot past ‘keeper into the far corner. Five minutes later, the same player got what turned out to be the winner, nicking the ball past the ’keeper in a race to a through ball. A decent game, considering it was on a rock hard pitch and it didn’t help that the dimensions were huge, which never helps at this level, as players lack both the skill and fitness levels to make use of it.
Above : The opening goal finds the corner of the net.Above : Binley equalise.
