Pre-Season Friendly

Saturday 13th July 2019

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 14.13

Barkingside 4 Newbury Forest 1, attendance 12

10’ 1-0

21’ 2-0 (pen)

26’ 3-0

29’ 4-0

79’ 4-1

@ Chigwell Sports Ground

Chigwell Hall

High Road

Chigwell

IG7 6BD

No Admission or Programme.

This was formerly known as The Met Police Sports Ground and was one I had missed when Metpol Chigwell NE played here in the Essex Olympian League until the end of the 2008/09 season.

I arrived at the ground at 14.10 and was surprised to see the teams getting ready to start, as the match wasn’t supposed to be kicking off until 15.00, which was what time both clubs had tweeted this morning. Anyway, they kicked off as I was walking across the cricket pitch, with the football pitch on the far side from here. I can’t understand why clubs hire these venues for friendlies, as the pitch was in dreadful condition and bone hard in places and tufts of grass in other parts. There was an end to end and side to side slope on the pitch, which didn’t help, and one 6 yard box had very little grass on it, rather like a pitch in a public park, where the goals have been left up by the council and kids have worn out the pitch through constant use.

These two are both in the Eastern Counties League Division 1 South, but they seemed miles apart as far as standard of players went. Barkingside were 4-0 up at the break and it could easily have been 10. The slope had obviously had a huge effect, as when Newbury Forest kicked down the hill, they looked a completely different team. Unfortunately, they had a penalty saved within five minutes of the restart, but having gone close on numerous occasions, they did manage a consolation goal with eleven minutes left.