Gloucestershire Northern Senior League
Reg Davis Memorial Cup
1st Round
Wednesday 6th August 2025
Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.31
Barnwood United 4 Winchcombe Town 3, attendance 43
21’ 0-1
40’ 0-2
44’ 1-2
46’ 1-3
56’ 2-3
89’ 3-3
90’ 4-3
@ Coopers Edge Sports Hub
Bowthorpe Drive
Brockworth
GL3 4FS
No Admission or Programme.
I’d seen Barnwood United play at their previous home ground at Wall’s Sports & Social Club back in 2019, but that has now been sold off and they’ve moved to the Coopers Edge Sports Hub in Brockworth. When the name Sports Hub is used in non league football, it usually means a complex containing one or more 3G pitches. No such thing here though. It’s a two pitch grass set up, found at the end of a new housing estate, where there’s a brick built changing room building and small car park. The main pitch is on a plateau, with the near goal end backing on to Bowthorpe Drive and is enclosed by trees/shrubs.
The match was between two teams in Division 2 of the league and a game that was in the balance right up to the final whistle. Winchcombe opened the scoring with a free kick from the halfway line, aided by the bounce of the very dry pitch, as it landed inside the box and just beat the ‘keeper, who got his fingertips to it, but couldn’t get enough of a touch to prevent it going in. He was at fault for the second goal too, five minutes before halftime, fumbling a corner at the near post and the ball was smashed in from close range. Barnwood got back into it right on halftime, when a diagonal free kick was squeezed in at the far post.
The comeback was short lived, as Winchcombe restored their two goal lead a minute into the second half, when a ball over the top saw the ‘keeper totally fluff the clearance and the ball was tapped into the empty net. They nearly added a fourth minutes later, but headed against the crossbar, with the goal gaping, before a far post header, from a diagonal free kick, saw Barnwood pull it back to 2-3 just before the hour mark. Winchcombe should have really sewn the game up, but were made to pay for missed chances when Barnwood grabbed an equaliser with a minute left, when a free kick from the right was headed in from six yards. A minute later they grabbed the winner, when a through ball was touched past a defender, before being finished high into the near top corner. Winchcombe nearly took the tie to penalties, when a header crashed off the crossbar six minutes into stoppage time, but Barnwood survived and they now host Wickwar Wanderers in the next round.
