Gloucestershire Northern Senior League

Reg Davis Cup Group B

Wednesday 5th May 2021

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.31

Brockworth Albion 1 Charlton Rovers 0, attendance 34

50’ 1-0

@ Mill Lane Playing Fields

Mill Lane

Brockworth

GL3 4QL

No Admission or Programme.

I had visited Brockworth (minus the Albion in those days) back on 24th April 1999, when they lost 0-4 to Cadbury Heath in a Gloucestershire County League match. That game was played at Brockworth Rugby Club which is a couple of hundred yards east along Mill Lane, on the opposite side of the road. Two or three years ago the club started playing here at Mill Lane Playing Fields and they have since railed off the main pitch. Unbelievably, the F.A. Full Time website still lists all their home games as being played at the Rugby Club and gives very detailed directions on how to get there!

Despite being in a housing estate it is surprisingly scenic. Beyond the far goal end you get a great view of Cooper’s Hill, home to the famous Gloucestershire cheese-rolling and wake, where each Spring Bank Holiday participants race down the 200m hill chasing a round of Double Gloucester cheese, often resulting in serious injuries being suffered by those brave/daft enough to take part.

The match was 3rd versus 2nd in this group of matches, both teams being in Division 1 of the league. It wasn’t very good, due in part to them cancelling each other out and also the fact that Brockworth did nothing but ‘time waste’ after going ahead early in the second half. They used any way possible to break up the game, the worst being when they kicked a couple of spare balls onto the pitch as Charlton tried to take a quick throw in. The visitors were not that much better, having a player sin binned after 75 minutes, then when he returned it was only three minutes before another player received the same punishment. Not a good advert for the league and a very poor match that won’t live long in the memory.