Football

Sherborne Harriers v Hatherop Reserves

Witney & District League

Division 4

Sunday 19th September 2021

Kick Off 10.30 Actual 10.59

Sherborne Harriers 3 Hatherop Reserves 2, attendance 136 (official)

10’ 1-0

38’ 2-0

41’ 2-1 (pen)

74’ 2-2

80’ 3-2

@ Sherborne Park

off A40

Sherborne

GL54 3LY

£4 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not. ( I never want or will buy a programme at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.)

Well, it looks like the organised ground hops have reached their lowest point. This was a game that is notionally Step 13 of the non-League football pyramid, which is the seventeenth level overall. To charge an admission price of £4 is an absolute joke. It is not the fault of the club, as they are instructed what to charge, but they should feel embarrassed at charging that amount for such a low level game.

The match finally kicked off twenty nine minutes late, as it was supposed to be a 10.30 kick off according to the Full Time website and the front cover of the match programme. Then again, the programme also failed to note that the opposition were Hatherop RESERVES and not their first team , who play in the Swindon & District League.

The standard of football was dreadful, although that doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining. Sherborne went in front with a fluked lob over the ‘keeper after ten minutes. Three minutes later, Hatherop Reserves, who arrived here as league leaders, had a chance to level the scores, but they missed a penalty, which was well saved by the ‘keeper. When Sherborne went 2-0 up it looked like they might have a comfortable win, but the visitors pulled it back to 2-1 just before the break, this time making no mistake from the penalty spot, having failed earlier on.

Hatherop Reserves had the better of the second half and it was no surprise when a left footed shot into the bottom corner of the net levelled the game up at 2-2 with sixteen minutes left. Having got back into it, they were caught out with a long ball over the top and the striker looped a header over the ‘keeper to win it for Sherborne ten minutes from time.