British Universities & Colleges Sport

Premier North

Wednesday 17th November 2021

Kick Off 13.00. On Time !

Loughborough University 0 University Stirling 2, attendance 32

57’ 0-1

78’ 0-2

@ Holywell Park, Pitch 7

Holywell Way

Loughborough

LE11 3QF

No Admission or Programme.

This was the third time I’ve been to Loughborough University for a game. On my first visit, back on 9th March 2005, I saw them beat M.M.U. Cheshire 5-0 in a Championship Play Off Quarter Final, which was played on Cayley No.1 pitch, which was on a part of the Haslegrave Cricket Ground, in the extreme east of the campus. My next visit was for the stadium pitch, where I saw them beat Dunkirk 3-1 in a Midland Alliance League Cup 2nd Round match on 6th November 2012. Then today it was for Pitch 7 on Holywell Park, which is on the extreme westerly edge of the campus. You can’t get any further apart than today’s pitch and the one I did at Cayley and it is a good 700-800 yards from the stadium pitch.

These two teams play at a reasonable level of football on a Saturday, as well as the top level of the University leagues. Loughborough are in the United Counties League Premier Division North, which is Step 5, whilst Stirling are in the Lowland League, which is level 5 in Scotland, one level below the Scottish Professional League.

As for today’s match it was 4th (out of 6) versus 2nd. Stirling looked to have the edge, but it took them nearly an hour to make the breakthrough, when a shot was curled into the top corner from the angle of the 18 yard box. The second goal came twelve minutes from time, finished from close range after Loughborough failed to clear a corner.

The game was over by 14.44, so ample time to head north east for my second game of the day.