Gloucestershire Northern Senior League
Division 2
Saturday 4th October 2025
Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03
Mitcheldean 2 Barnwood United 8, attendance 18
6’ 1-0
8’ 1-1
23’ 2-1
42’ 2-2
56’ 2-3
69’ 2-4
72’ 2-5
75’ 2-6
80’ 2-7
83’ 2-8
@ Mitcheldean Recreation Ground
Townsend
Mitcheldean
GL17 0BE
No Admission or Programme.
I headed into the Forest of Dean for my afternoon match, arriving half an hour before kick off. There’s a small car park, with the changing room building adjacent and a community centre building running lengthways beyond here. A large grass bank runs along the far touchline of what’s just an open pitch, with the far end and near side enclosed by trees and bushes.
Mitcheldean had won the North Gloucestershire League last season, but are finding it a bit tougher since making the step up into the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League. They came into this sitting 13th (out of 15) in the league table, having won just two of their opening seven games, whilst Barnwood United were fourth, having lost just once in their seven games so far.
Mitcheldean got off to a great start, when a ball cut back from the left was finished low into the bottom corner to put them ahead after just six minutes. Their lead only lasted two minutes though, when a cross from the right was rolled into an empty net at the far post to level things up. A far post tap in, from a left wing cross, saw Mitcheldean go back in front midway through the half, but Barnwood equalised again three minutes before halftime, when a through ball was finished one on one, following a shot off the crossbar that was only cleared to just outside the box. A long ball, taken around the ‘keeper and finished from a tight angle, saw Barnwood go in front for the first time, just before the hour mark and when they made it 2-4 with just over twenty minutes left, the points looked safe. Mitcheldean visibly tired and it was a case of how many more Barnwood would add from here. Two headers in the next few minutes saw them hit the half dozen, before two easy finishes saw them increase their lead to 2-8 in the final ten minutes of the match.
Despite the heavy defeat, Mitcheldean remain third from bottom in the table, with Barnwood now up to third. Another good day out and no traffic problems in either direction, rounding off the day nicely.
