Burton Albion U18 1 Mansfield Town U18 0, attendance 40
90’+ 3, 1-0
@ St. George’s Park, Dick Bate Pitch 10
Newborough Road
Needwood
Burton upon Trent
DE13 9PD
No Admission or Programme.
St. Georges Park has twelve full size pitches, one of which is indoor and another that is 3G. I had previously done Pitch 6, which is the main show pitch that has covered seating along one side as well as seeing a game on Pitch 2, which is the 3G. The pitches are named in honour of past England players etc, such as David Beckham, Paul Ince, Alan Shearer, Sir Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and, erm Dick Bate, which is where today’s game was played. I had to google him, but can’t see what he really did to achieve having a pitch named after him.
It was a good contest, between two very evenly matched teams. A bit too evenly matched really and it looked nailed on to end goalless, especially after Mansfield had a penalty saved midway through the first half. The deadlock was finally broken in the third minute of stoppage time, with a bit of a scuffed shot that found the bottom corner. The Referee blew the final whistle as soon as the game restarted.
Hylton Colliery Welfare 1 South Moor 2, attendance 21
15’ 0-1
80’ 1-1
87’ 1-2
@ Downhill Football Hub, 3G Pitch 3
Kingsway Road
Downhill
SR5 4BB
No Admission or Programme.
The Downhill Football Hub has hosted regular matches this season in the bottom two divisions of the Wearside League, as well as a number of cup matches, as the league look to avoid end of season fixture congestion by playing games at this neutral venue. There are three 3G pitches here, two that run parallel to each other, whilst Pitch 3 is down in a hollow to the right as you exit the hub building. All three having spectator viewing areas along one side. As with a number of these hubs, a QR code is required to gain entry.
Tonight’s match was 7th versus 3rd in the league table. South Moor took an early lead and played some really nice football. They were well in command and should have had the game sewn up before halftime. Hylton would certainly be top of the league if moaning at the Referee after every decision was rewarded with points. They didn’t come across as the nicest of clubs. It didn’t help that their ’bench’, and hangers on, felt the need to stand on the pitch for the duration of the match, usually 2 or 3 yards in from the touchline, even when the ball was in play and only twenty yards away from where they stood. At one point there were eight of them, including two that were smoking. There really is no need for this when there is a permanent barrier in place.
Hylton equalised with ten minutes left, after South Moor had failed to get the all important second goal that would have killed the game off. Three minutes from time, the visitors got a deserved winner, when a shot from the edge of the D flew into the top corner, giving the ’keeper no chance.
University Westminster 3 University Surrey 3rds 1, attendance 2
17’ 1-0
61’ 2-0
90’+ 2, 2-1
90’+ 4, 3-1
@ Quintin Hogg Memorial Sports Ground, River Pitches 3G
Hartington Road
Chiswick
London
W4 3UJ
No Admission or Programme.
When I came to the Quintin Hogg Memorial Ground to see University Westminster play Brunel University 3rds on 13th November 2019, the game was played on the grass pitch in front of the old pavilion. They are now playing their home games on the recently opened 3G pitch, located at the River Pitches part of the sports ground, which is on the opposite side of Hartington Road, sandwiched between Chiswick Bridge and Westminster Boat House. There is spectator access along the full length of one side of the pitch.
The match was third in Division 5D versus fourth in Division 5C. Westminster led at the break courtesy of an own goal, following a diagonal free kick into the box that was inadvertently headed into his own net by a defender whilst challenging to clear the ball. A far post header saw them double their lead just after the hour mark and despite Surrey reducing the arrears a couple of minutes into stoppage time, there was still time for Westminster to restore their two goal margin.
Sutton United 0 Salford City 0, attendance 2,491 (58 away)
@ The Borough Sports Ground
Gander Green Lane
Sutton
SM1 2EY
£20 Admission
£3 Programme, didn’t bother buying.
I first came here on 24th March 1990, when I saw Sutton United beat Altrincham 2-1 in a Conference match, in front of 752 spectators. Twenty years later, I returned, this time seeing a 2-0 win versus Kingstonian, in an Isthmian League Premier Division match (att. 779) on 9th November 2010 and tonight, after a gap of eleven years, it was to see them playing in the Football League.
I’m not too sure that there have been significant changes to the ground since I was last here, apart from the television gantry and the tiny temporary looking seated section in the away end. It is safe to say, it isn’t the best ground, as far as getting a good viewing point goes. You are just too far from the action (not that there was much tonight!) and combined with no atmosphere at all, it gives a pretty poor match day experience.
The match itself was dreadful, which doesn’t say much for this division, considering it was 3rd versus 10th in the table.The first half was absolutely dire. Salford had a goal ruled out for an alleged hand ball (no VAR here) and Sutton hit the post in stoppage time. That was about it. The second half wasn’t much better. Sutton had a couple of half chances, whilst Salford offered nothing.
The game didn’t finish until 21.45, but on the plus side, I was in the house just twenty seven minutes later. It’s a shame it was such a poor game, as it is an easy ground to visit midweek, but it will be hard to tempt me back after that showing.
@ Paringdon Sports & Social Club, Top Field Pitch 2
Paringdon Road
Sumners
Harlow
CM19 4SG
No Admission or Programme.
Paringdon Sports & Social Club has five grass pitches, all of which are roped off through plastic posts. There are three pitches that run parallel in front of the changing room building, then up on a higher plateau, hence the name Top Field, are two more, today’s game taking place on Pitch 2, the furthest one from the entrance. Thankfully, there is plenty of on site parking, as the housing estate bordering the complex didn’t look like the kind of place you would want to leave your car.
On paper, this looked to be the perfect cup tie, as Division 2 (6th place) hosted Premier Division (9th place). In the end it didn’t meet expectations. Chipperfield should have been six goals up, before finally converting in stoppage time to lead 0-1 at the break. Two minutes into the second half it was 0-2 and game over. Despite an awful pitch, which was certainly a leveller as far as the gulf between the teams went, Broxbourne never looked like scoring. In fact, I think they only got the ball into the opposition box three times, twice wasting what can only be described as half chances, at best. Chipperfield finally made it 0-3 with five minutes left. They should really have hit double figures, but their finishing was woeful.
Despite the game not being great, I found it more disappointing that a team called Badgers didn’t play in black and white!
Above : Chipperfield substitute (extreme right) sends goal No.3 on its way into the top corner
Old Albanians S.A. 3 Old Kingstonians 0, attendance 4
16’ 1-0
28’ 2-0
44’ 3-0
@ Katherine Warington School Sports Centre
Common Lane
off Lower Luton Road
Batford
Harpenden
AL5 5FH
No Admission or Programme.
Today’s match saw 3rd in Division 4 host 4th in Division 5 South. Old Albanians S.A. had a comfortable start in their defence of the trophy they won by beating Old Cholmeleians II in last season’s final. They missed an early chance to go ahead from the penalty spot, but the kick was well saved. It wasn’t long before they broke the deadlock however, when a long ball was flicked on and the striker coolly lobbed the ’keeper. The same player doubled their lead, shooting through a crowded box from 16 yards, before the game was put beyond reach a minute before halftime, when a ball from out on the left hand touch line was totally misjudged by the ’keeper, ending up in the far corner after it bounced over his head. The second have drifted to a conclusion, with a few chances for the hosts,, but the goal tally never looked like being added to.
Above : Old Albanians see an early penalty saved.Above : Old Albanians open the scoring.
The 3G pitch here at Abertillery Sports Centre has hosted Welsh League games in the past. It is far better than most caged pitches, as there is full spectator access on all four sides, as well as a decent length of cover on one side. Rassau normally play on the 3G at Ebbw Vale Sports Centre, but double bookings of that facility led to the game being switched here.
This was my first taste of the North Gwent League, as 8th hosted 3rd in the league table. Rassau held a 1-0 lead at the break, scoring with a far post header, after a cross found it’s way across the box at the second attempt. Aberbargoed drew level midway through the second half, firing in from close range after the ’keeper failed to punch clear from a near post corner. The visitors looked to have won it eight minutes from time, scoring with a cracking finish that beat the ’keeper at his near post, to edge 1-2 ahead, but three minutes later Rassau made it 2-2, nodding in from close range, after a cross was headed back across the box. A fair result overall.
City University London 2 University Essex 3rds 1, attendance 6
8’ 1-0
38’ 1-1
63’ 2-1
@ Salisbury Hall Playing Fields, 3G Pitch
Walthamstow Avenue
Walthamstow
London
E4 8ST
No Admission or Programme.
This was 2nd versus 1st in the league table and what is now becoming an all too often occurrence at BUCS games, a colour clash meant the home team played in bibs.
City went ahead early, finishing a through ball with a shot through the ’keeper’s legs, with Essex drawing level shortly before halftime, when a quick break down the right, ended with a pass across the six yard box for a side foot finish at the far post. The hosts got the winner just after the hour mark with a 20 yard effort curled into the top corner. City cut the lead at the top to a single point with this win, whilst Westminster are third, a further point back, but having played a game more than the top two.
The ground is accessed via the car park of Sainsbury’s (it is also where you park, which is free for 3 hours), going through a gate to the right hand side of the store. Spectator access inside the cage is along half of one side, although the middle section of this has a high fence, so in effect the viewing section is only a quarter of the pitch length.
A.F.C. Wimbledon 2 Cheltenham Town 2, attendance 6,138 (277 away)
8’ 1-0
31’ 1-1
34’ 1-2 (pen)
80’ 2-2
@ The Cherry Red Records Stadium
Plough Lane
Wimbledon
London
SW17 0NR
£28 Admission*
£3 Programme, didn’t bother buying.
*Having only decided late this afternoon to come here, rather than buying a ticket online, I decided to buy one at the stadium. They were actually sold from a table under the main stand, accessed via a manned gate to the left of the entrance. The ticket seller was unable to get an internet connection, meaning I was unable to pay by card, but was given the ticket free of charge as ”its our system which is at fault. Enjoy the game.” A nice touch!
Tonight would once again see ’The 92’ recompleted and clubs with Wimbledon in their name have certainly come up trumps for me as far as ground visits for Football League clubs go. Back in February 1989 I saw Wimbledon beat Grimsby Town 3-1 in an F.A. Cup 5th Round match, played at the old Plough Lane ground (later seeing their reserves play a home game there in October 1994 and another in September 1995). On 7th September 1991, when they were ground sharing at Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace F.C, I saw them beat Luton Town 3-0 in a Division 1 match (what is now the Premier League) in front of just 3,231 spectators, and what was the lowest ever crowd for a top tier game in England at the time, although they went on to ’beat’ this figure with an even lower crowd later in the season. By the time I next watched them, the club had uprooted to Milton Keynes, where I saw them beat Bradford City 2-1 in a Division 1 match on 1st November 2003, which was played at the National Hockey Stadium, another ground no longer with us. The club were later rebranded and are now Milton Keynes Dons.
The next time I saw ’Wimbledon’ at home, it was for an A.F.C. Wimbledon game on 4th October 2011, in an Associate Members Cup game versus Stevenage, played at Kingsmeadow Stadium in Kingston upon Thames, where they won 4-3 on penalties, after drawing 2-2 at the end of normal time. This season they have moved into the brand new Cherry Red Records Stadium, built on what was formerly Wimbledon Stadium (Greyhounds/Speedway) and just a few hundred yards from the old Plough Lane. It is all seated (although the home end has a section of ’safe standing’) with a capacity of 9,215 which is perfectly adequate for the crowds they attract. It would certainly win no awards for it’s exterior looks. In fact, it looks more like a shopping centre than a football stadium. Once inside though, it is smart and modern, although the rake of seating is poor and unless you are near the back of the main stand (the other three sides are much lower in height) then the view is not great. My original seat was in row D, the furthest back from the pitch that was available,(thankfully there were plenty of empty seats to move to) and was great if you want to see the back of the substitutes warming up in front of you, or you like watching the action at the far end by peering through a gaggle of managers/coaches stood in the technical areas. I would certainly recommend sitting as near to the back of whichever stand you are in, unless actually ’watching the game’ isn’t a top priority.
I wasn’t expecting too much from tonight’s match, as both teams were hovering just above the relegation zone, as 20th hosted 17th in the league table, although when they met here in the F.A. Cup earlier in the season it had finished 4-3 to the hosts. A bright start by both teams, along with an early goal for Wimbledon, helped the game from a neutral point of view. Cheltenham responded to going behind by deciding to use a very, shall we say, physical approach. It certainly worked for them, although it wasn’t pretty to watch. They levelled just after the half hour, then went ahead from the penalty spot just three minutes later. Wimbledon didn’t make it 2-2 until ten minutes from time, but then absolutely battered Cheltenham right up until the final whistle, piling on the pressure, but just coming up short of nicking it. If only they had shown this spirit a little earlier, then they would have surely taken all three points. I thought the Referee had an absolute shocker, but he is one of the few officials that have actually managed to get the game started on time, which is a real rarity these days.
I had parked in Avondale Road, (could have parked even closer with hindsight) where the parking restrictions finish at 18.30, from where it was an easy twelve minute walk to the stadium. Despite the game not finishing until 21.43 I was still home for 22.32.
Fleckney Athletic have struggled somewhat since gaining promotion into this division. They were sitting second bottom in the league table last season, when Covid-19 caused the season to be brought to a premature halt, having won just one of their ten games played at the time. This season, they have made little improvement, sitting bottom of the table, with just two wins from their twenty matches played coming into this.
The visitors, starting the day fifth in the table, were just too strong. Fleckney competed well, but just lacked that little bit of quality in the final third. Blaby & Whetstone were good value for their 0-2 halftime lead and they put the game out of reach when they added a third goal eleven minutes into the second half.
