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Wednesday 2nd July 2025

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.31

Daventry Town 2 Baldock Town 2, attendance 71

21’ 0-1 (pen)

30’ 0-2

89’ 1-2

90’ + 3, 2-2

@ Daventry Sports Park, 3G Pitch

Browns Lane

Daventry

NN11 4NS

No Admission or Programme.

Daventry Sports Park is situated next door to the Elderstubbs home ground of Daventry Town, which I’d visited in March 1993, for a 2-1 win versus Raunds Town. It’s a caged pitch, with spectator access along three quarters of one side, with a number of grass pitches here too. There’s ample car parking and a brick built changing room building. There was a mobile catering wagon, but we opted for the clubhouse at the stadium, as it was open well before kick off and was serving hot food at reasonable prices.

Both teams are in Step 5, with this being United Counties League Premier Division South versus Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division. Daventry hit the post early on, but then fell behind after conceding a penalty after twenty one minutes. Seven minutes later they had a chance to draw level, with a penalty of their own, but it was hit wide and a couple of minutes later a quick break was finished with an angled shot into the far corner to give Baldock a 0-2 lead. Eight minutes before halftime the visitors were awarded their second penalty of the night, but it was well saved by the ‘keeper.

Twenty minutes into the second half things were levelled up as far as penalties being awarded goes, with Daventry also being awarded their second one of the game, but the same player who’d missed their first one, also missed this, but it was saved rather than missing the target. A minute from the end, a quick break down the right was played across the six yard box, for an easy tap in at the far post, which saw Daventry pull it back to 1-2 and in stoppage time they managed to snatch an unlikely looking draw, when a cross from the right saw a striker out jump the defence to send a looping header over the ‘keeper.

I’d had a lift to this one, but having collected my car on the return, then had to endure the M25 being closed between J17 and J16 and again between J9 and J8, which resulted in an arrival home exactly three hours after the final whistle. Not great for a ground just 105 miles from home.