Middlesex County League
Premier Division Cup 2nd Round
Saturday 23rd September 2023
Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03
Feltham 4 London Tigers 2, attendance 40
4’ 1-0
20’ 1-1 (pen)
35’ 1-2
37’ 2-2
64’ 3-2
84’ 4-2
@ Spelthorne Sports Club, Pitch 2
296 Staines Road West
Ashford Common
Sunbury-on-Thames
TW15 1RY
No Admission
Programme free, 12 pages.
It was way back in 1995 that I saw Feltham beat Reading Town 8-2 in a Combined Counties League match at the Feltham Arena, complete with one of the original dreadful ‘plastic’ pitches. After a number of mergers, the ‘Feltham FC’ name has now been resurrected, firstly as a youth set up, but now back as an adult team and today was the first game at their new home here at Spelthorne Sports Club and it would also complete visits to all the current Middlesex County League top division grounds for me. I had been here before, having seen Spelthorne Sports lose 1-3 to Virginia Water in a Surrey Elite Intermediate League match on a Bank Holiday morning fixture in December 2010. That game was played on the main stadium, to the right as you enter the car park off the A308, but today’s game was on Pitch 2, which is to the left, behind the clubhouse and running widthways, on the far side beyond the cricket square. It is part roped along the near side, where the majority of the crowd watched from and tightly hemmed in on the other three sides by bushes and hedges. The substitutes and coaches were stationed on the far side.
Neither side have had a great start to the season. As far as league positions go, it was bottom versus third bottom. Both have managed just one win each. Oddly, both achieved against Cricklewood Wanderers, who are mid table. At least they could forget about league points today as a place in the next round of the cup was up for grabs.
Feltham went ahead early, closing down a back pass to the ‘keeper, before squeezing in a shot from a tight angle. London Tigers levelled from the penalty spot, awarded for an handball and went in front shortly afterwards, although the goal looked well offside on the final pass to the scorer. Feltham hit back immediately, flicking in following a free kick that was headed back across the box. Just after the hour mark Feltham went 3-2 up, following a cool finish when played clear and six minutes from the end they made the game safe, when they added a fourth, when a long ball forward was controlled, before shooting on the turn, sending it looping over the ‘keeper from the edge of the box.
