Belgium

Belgian F.A. Cup 2nd Round

Saturday 4th August 2018

Kick Off 20.00 Actual 19.59

K. Patro Eisden Maasmechelen 3 K. Kontich F.C. 0,  attendance 241

16’ 1-0

48’ 2-0

75’ 3-0

@ Sportpark Patro Eisden

Kolenmijn Limburg- Maasland 2

3630 Maasmechelen

No Admission

Team Sheet, free.

There was plenty of time en route from Schoonbeek to check in at our overnight accommodation in Lanaken. I was then being dropped here in Maasmechelen, with the driver heading for a Limburg Provincial Cup match at Park Houthalen, where I had already visited.

Patro are now in Division 2 Amateurs, which is level 4 of the Belgian League, having been relegated from the third level at the end of last season. Kontich are in Antwerp Provincial 1. Despite the two level difference, there wasn’t much to choose between these two, although Patro were more clinical going forward. It may have been a different story if Kontich hadn’t missed a penalty, which was saved, when the score was only 2-0.

Having been dropped at the ground at 18.50 it was odd to find the ticket booths closed, but the gates were open, so it was a free night. According to the notices on the windows, it was normally €13 to get in. The ground has covered seating along both sides, with flat open standing at each end. The seats were absolutely filthy and looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in years, so most of the crowd opted to stand !

Below photo : Patro smash in the second goal, beating the ‘keeper at his near post.

Belgium

Limburg Provincial Cup

Region Zuid Oost

Saturday 4th August 2018

Kick Off 16.00 Actual 15.59

K. Eendracht White Star Schoonbeek-Beverst 2 V. C. Kesselt 5,  attendance 43

26’ 0-1

35’ 0-2

54’ 1-2

56’ 1-3

60’ 1-4

77’ 1-5

78’ 2-5

@ Hereveld, 3G Pitch

Hereveld

Schoonbeek

3740 Bilzen

€5 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Originally, the plan today was to visit K.F.C. Pulle for their Antwerp Provincial Cup match at 3pm, but with this match being an hour later kicking off and the fact it meant far less driving for our intended evening matches, we switched our attention to this instead.

We had been here previously, where we had seen K. Eendracht F.C. Schoonbeek lose 0-1 to K.S.K. Meeuwen in a Limburg Provincial 1 match back in January 2010. It is a ground I am unlikely to forget, as it was the first time I had seen a match played on a snow covered pitch. It was a good 2” deep, with just the main pitch markings cleared, but everyone just got on with it and there seemed little doubt that the game would go ahead !

The following month, the club merged with White Star Beverst, taking on the current name and playing home games in Schoonbeek. Last season they began playing matches on their newly installed 3G Pitch, which has now become the ‘main’ ground. The new clubhouse/changing room block is now built, but is yet to be fitted out, so the old clubhouse is still in use, as are the old changing rooms.

The weather couldn’t have been more of a contrast from our last visit, as the temperature hit 36 degrees. Despite Kesselt being in Provincial 3, one level below the hosts, this was a comfortable win for them. Schoonbeek fielded a very young side, with Kesselt containing a number of ‘old heads’ and it was very much a case of ‘men against boys’.

Below : photos of the old ground, sadly now nearing its end.

Belgium

Limburg Provincial Cup

Region Noord West

Friday 3rd August 2018

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.33

K. Hechtel F.C. 3 K.V.V. Heusden-Zolder 5,  attendance 46

26’ 1-0

37’ 1-1

45’ + 1, 1-2

47’ 1-3

54’ 2-3

67’ 2-4

76’ 3-4

79’ 3-5

@ Duinenstadion

Hoefstraat

3940 Hechtel

€6 Admission

No Programme.

This was the first match of a long weekend in Belgium. Unbelievably, The Tunnel ran just a couple of minutes late on our outbound journey, so despite very heavy traffic around Antwerp, we were at our overnight accommodation in Peer by late afternoon.

Our match tonight was between two clubs who play in Limburg Provincial 3A. The visitors should have scored at least double the goals they managed, such was their dominance, but some of their finishing was woeful. Both teams tired towards the end as the 32 degree heat took its toll.

Belgium

West Vlaanderen Provincial Cup

Group F

Wednesday 1st August 2018

Kick Off 19.00. On Time !

Sporting Keiem 4 K.S.K. Vlamertinge 5,  attendance 66

8’ 1-0

21’ 2-0

23’ 2-1

25’ 2-2

37’ 2-3

70’ 3-3

79’ 3-4

89’ 4-4

90’ 4-5

@ Tervaete Campus Keiem

Tervaetstraat

8600 Keiem

No Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Last season, these two were playing at a different level than they are this season. Keiem have been promoted from West Vlaanderen Provincial 3B into the second tier, whilst Vlamertinge were in the Belgian League, but now find themselves back in Provincial 1.

Keiem started off well, but seemed to be thrown out of their stride when a water break was taken immediately after they had gone 2-0 up. Within four minutes of the restart it was 2-2, before the visitors went in front before the break. When Keiem levelled it at 4-4 with a minute left they looked like they had grabbed an unlikely looking draw, but Vlamertinge just had enough time to nick the winner.

Once again The Tunnel were unable to run to a timetable, with delays of at least an hour outbound. With Keiem being under an hours drive from Calais, we easily made the 22.20 return, which still managed to leave seven minutes late, even though there were very few vehicles around. We then had to contend with the M20 being closed from Junction 9 to 8, which wasn’t helped with the alternate route on the A20 having two-way traffic lights for more roadworks. How do these people who plan these works manage to keep themselves in employment ?

Pre Season Friendly

Tuesday 31st July 2018

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.47

Potters Bar Town 2 Heybridge Swifts 3,  attendance 26

2’ 0-1

36’ 1-1

43’ 1-2

64’ 2-2

81’ 2-3

@ Middlesex County F.A. Ground, 3G Pitch No. 2

Rectory Park

Ruislip Road

Northolt

UX5 6DE

No Admission or Programme.

Rectory Park is the new headquarters of the Middlesex F.A. It consists of the administrative offices and two 3G pitches. The main pitch has two sections of seating, with the second pitch just railed down the full length of the side backing on to the other pitch.

The main pitch was hosting Egham Town v Harrow Borough, which I had originally intended to watch, but this was too good an opportunity to pick up a game on the second pitch. After all, I’m more likely to return to see a game on the main pitch than I would the other pitch and that is likely to host more games anyway, or so I hope.

Potters Bar are in the Isthmian League Premier Division, whilst Heybridge are one level below in Division 1 North. This was pretty even throughout and could have gone either way. With the M25 closed between Junction 22 and 21, it meant Heybridge struggled to make it, hence the late kick off and apparently a bit of a disruption to their team selection.

When the ground opened a couple of weeks ago, a number of vehicles were broken into in the car park. Thankfully, no such problems tonight, with the area now using cameras and staff to police the area. Hopefully, the local low life will get the message that there are no longer any easy pickings for them here.

Peterborough & District League

Division 2

Sunday 29th July 2018

Kick Off 17.00. On Time !

Stilton United 4 Cardea 2,  attendance 304

38’ 1-0

50’ 2-0

55’ 2-1

60’ 2-2

63’ 3-2

79’ 4-2

@ Stilton Pavilion

Village Playing Field

High Street

Stilton

PE7 3RA

£4 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one at any event organised by Groundhop UK.

Having already visited the two Wellingborough clubs that were hosting the first two matches today, the trip to Stilton would be the only game seen today. If it wasn’t scheduled so late, it may have been worth stopping over last night, but with three of us once again making the trip, it was much cheaper to drive back up and it saved wasting a day hanging around waiting for kick off.

Considering the poor condition of the pitch, which seemed to have drainage channels where the grass had failed to grow, the teams put on a good show, even if it did lack in skill at times.

This was the first time Stilton had played in their own village for 15 years and they had turned the occasion in to a fun day. The locals turned out in force, but the number of hoppers was noticeably down, mainly due to the late schedule of the kick off as a lot had already visited the two earlier grounds of the day, so gave this a miss altogether.

It was a shame to see a box of at least 200 programmes left unsold (I’m obviously not the only one who couldn’t be bothered to buy one), but considering they normally get barely a dozen watching, then it seems strange that they produced so many in the first place.

Peterborough & District League

Premier Division

Saturday 28th July 2018

Kick Off 16.30 Actual 16.29

Sutton Bridge United 5 Peterborough Polonia 3,  attendance 337

20’ 1-0

35’ 1-1

43’ 1-2

56’ 2-2

67’ 3-2 (pen)

69’ 4-2 (pen)

74’ 5-2

90’ + 3, 5-3

@ Sutton Bridge Memorial Park

Bridge Road

Sutton Bridge

PE12 9SA

£4 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one at any event organised by Groundhop UK.

This was just 6 miles drive from Tydd St. Giles and was the last game of the day for me as I had already visited the evening match at Sleaford Town which was where the Hop was heading next.

It is rare to see proper away supporters at this level of the game, but Polonia had a fair number with them, decked out in the club shirts and scarves. One of them also had a drum, to which a couple of women ‘supporting’ Sutton Bridge took exception to. The older woman was soon mouthing off at him, before the younger one wrestled it from him and following a bit of a scuffle, managed to puncture the skin. This sort of thing doesn’t reflect well on the home club at all, not that they seemed to care.

On the field, it was certainly the game of the day. It was finely balanced at 2-2, when all hell broke loose. There was a very heavy downpour, sending the majority of the crowd looking for shelter under the surrounding trees, during which Sutton Bridge scored two penalties, the second seeing the Polonia ‘keeper dismissed for the foul, then adding a fifth goal to lead 5-2, in little more than a seven minute spell. The 10 men scored a stoppage time goal to round off the scoring.

Below photo : Sutton Bridge open the scoring from a 20 yard free kick.

Peterborough & District League

Premier Division

Saturday 28th July 2018

Kick Off 13.30 Actual 13.27

Tydd 2 Moulton Harrox 3,  attendance 342

28’ 0-1

51’ 0-2

58’ 0-3

59’ 1-3

90’ + 3, 2-3

@ Broad Drove East

Tydd St. Giles

PE13 5LN

£4 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one at any event organised by Groundhop UK.

Just eleven miles from the first match and we were in the village of Tydd St. Giles, to see the club who were previously named Tydd St. Mary (the village where they were based), but are now just plain ‘Tydd F.C.’ following their ‘move’ here. Well, they are apparently going to be moving here, but perhaps not until next season, playing matches at Wisbech F.C. for the time being, so this was something of a one off venue.

Tydd are newly promoted and looked up for it early on, but Harrox got on top and it never looked like being anything other than an away win. The final score line really flattered the hosts.

Peterborough & District League

Division 2

Saturday 28th July 2018

Kick Off 10.45 Actual 10.47

Whaplode Drove 1 Rippingale & Folkingham 3,  attendance 227

34’ 1-0

50’ 1-1

73’ 1-2

76’ 1-3 (pen)

@ Parsons Lane

Whaplode Drove

PE12 0GB

£4 Admission

Programme available, but I won’t buy one at any event organised by Groundhop UK.

So, the first competitive games of the season for me in England, taking in the first 3 matches today of this years United Counties League/Peterborough & District League Groundhop, well, the Peterborough League ones, as I have already seen matches at the four grounds that are to be visited in the United Counties League.

This is one of the hops not run by the league themselves, so I always make a point of ‘paying on the gate’, ensuring that the admission cost (matches at this level are normally free) goes to the club. After all, it is supposed to be about helping them raise much needed funds and I can’t see why leagues and clubs can’t/won’t set things up themselves, therefore maximising their profits.

I was surprised how poor the standard of football was in this league, after the rubbish I witnessed last year, but, although the first half today was dire, the second half was a vast improvement. Playing competitive matches in July doesn’t really do the players any favours at all, but at least the weather is more favourable for spectators, with the majority of the grounds being nothing more than roped off pitches.

Below photo : The visitors make it 1-3 from the penalty spot.

Pre Season Friendly

Tuesday 24th July 2018

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.36

Marlow United 3 Thatcham Town U18 1,  attendance 31

1’ 1-0

7’ 2-0

50’ 2-1 (pen)

63’ 3-1

@ Cox Green Leisure Centre, 3G Pitch

Highfield Lane

Cox Green

Maidenhead

SL6 3AX

No Admission or Programme.

Marlow United, of the Thames Valley Premier League Premier Division, started at a blistering pace and it looked like this would be a total mismatch. Thatcham then settled into it and it turned out to be a decent contest in the end.