Midland League

Division 3

Tuesday 24th April 2018

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.50

Coventrians 6 Central Ajax 2,  attendance 10

8’ 1-0

12’ 1-1

18’ 2-1

22’ 3-1

25’ 4-1

45’ + 2, 5-1

65’ 5-2

89’ 6-2

@ Holbrooks Park

Holbrook Lane

Coventry

CV6 4BY

No Admission or Programme.

This was another ground on the ‘to do’ list, as Coventrians will be playing elsewhere next season. I arrived at 17.30 to see a couple of sets of goalposts being put up, then in the next twenty minutes or so we had corner flags, dugouts and a rope along one side of the pitch appear, making it feel a little bit better than ‘just a pitch in a large field’, although it wasn’t helped by being a couple of hundred yards from the changing room building. The only thing lacking was a bit of cover, which would have been very welcome on a night when it started raining at around 17.45 and continued well into the second half.

The match itself was 9th versus 6th in the league table, with Coventrians totally dominating the first half, then Central Ajax being the better side in the second, but never looking likely to turn things round. Unusually, for a non floodlit match in midweek, the Referee allowed everyone to go back to the changing rooms at halftime, which due to the distance involved meant a 13 minute interval. Coupled with the fact that we also kicked off late, meant the light was fading rapidly when the final whistle blew at 20.37.

Cambridgeshire County League

Division 1A

Monday 23rd April 2018

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.46

Steeple Morden 1 Clare Town 1,  attendance 9

41’ 0-1

57’ 1-1

@ Steeple Morden Recreation Ground

Hay Street

Steeple Morden

SG8 0PD

No Admission or Programme.

With the F.A. Find a Club website not working, plus neither club posting any information on their Twitter or Facebook pages, it was very difficult to confirm if this match was definitely on. I telephoned the contact number for the league, at the Cambridgeshire F.A., in an attempt to obtain a number for the home club, which was a total waste of time, as the number I was given was not recognised !

In case of having to divert elsewhere, I left home early and having encountered no hold ups on the M25, ended up arriving at the ground at 17.00, where it was totally deserted. At 17.37, what turned out to be an away player arrived, shortly followed by the first of the home players. The distance of 40 miles for Clare to have to travel for an 18.15 kick off is ridiculous, so I wasn’t expecting them to arrive en masse, but in dribs and drabs.

Five minutes before the scheduled start, the home team headed for the pitch, but no sign of the away side, although I had seen at least 10 of them park up and head for the changing rooms. Apparently, they had no kit, but it duly arrived at 18.22, so at least we would have a match. We finally got started 31 minutes late, with the Referee deciding to play two 40 minute halves because of this.

The two teams were very evenly matched, not surprisingly, as it was 7th versus 6th in the league table. It was actually a really good game considering that the pitch was rock hard and very bobbly. Clare took the lead in the opening minute of the second half, with the hosts levelling when a penalty was saved, but another striker followed in to dispatch the rebound into the far corner of the net from a tight angle.

Nottinghamshire Senior League

Premier Division

Saturday 21st April 2018

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.02

Bingham Town 1 Bilborough Town 0,  attendance 42

90’ 1-0

@ Butt Field

Moorbridge Road

Bingham

NG13 8GG

No Admission

50p Programme, 16 pages.

The match at F.C. Cavaliers had not finished until 14.12, but I was still parked up at the ground in Bingham at 14.42. The match here was 4th versus 17th (second from bottom) in the league table, Bingham still having a chance of finishing second, behind champions Newark Flowserve, due to games in hand over the teams currently placed second and third.

Yet again, another awful game, with both teams being totally inept in front of goal. Just when it looked like finishing goalless, Bingham snatched it with a close range finish as the ninety minute mark was reached.

Nottinghamshire Senior League

Premier Division

Saturday 21st April 2018

Kick Off 12.15 Actual 12.20

F.C. Cavaliers 1 A.F.C. Dunkirk 0,  attendance 38

35’ 1-0

@ The Forest Sports Zone, 3G Pitch

Gregory Boulevard

Nottingham

NG7 6LB

£2 Admission, including Programme, 12 pages.

The early kick off here gave the opportunity for an extra match today and it also meant a special journey wouldn’t have to be made just to visit yet another 3G cage with limited spectator access. This was 2nd versus 13th in the league table, which suggested that the home team would be a decent side, but this wasn’t the case. A really poor match ensued and it was a bit of a surprise that there was actually a goal scored, as these two teams were dreadful.

The matchday programme here was also really poor and would not be worth bothering with if it wasn’t included in the admission price. It didn’t help that it was poorly printed, both in quality and presentation, with the even numbered pages being printed correctly, but all the odd ones were upside down !

Belgium

Brabant Provincial 1 A.C.F.F.

Thursday 19th April 2018

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.32

R. Union Lasne Ohain 1 R. Cercle Sportif Brainois 1,  attendance 176

2’ 0-1

25’ 1-1

@ Route De Genval 20A

1380 Ohain

€7 Admission

No Programme.

Despite the current ground and stand/clubhouse being very modern, football has actually been staged here since 1941, being the former home of R.C.S. Ohain up until 2015.

Tonights match was third in the league table versus the league leaders. The hosts can still finish second, whilst Brainois cannot be caught at the top, so they should be promoted into the Belgian League next season.

The match had been developing into a really good contest, but was spoiled by a very ‘card happy’ Referee. Brainois had a man red carded on 38 minutes for swearing at the Linesman, following an incident involving whether a shot had crossed the line before the ‘keeper scrambled the ball away….it looked  like it crossed the line from where I was stood, less than 5 yards away. They then had a second man sent off, ten minutes into the second half, for two yellow cards. In between this, their Manager was also sent off. The hosts then had a man sent off in stoppage time, once again for two yellow card offences.

The Tunnel was a mixture of good and bad today. Our outbound train ran 14 minutes late, then on the return, due to an earlier cancellation, the 23.50 that we were booked on, was re-timed to 23.58. We had only made it to check in at 11.27, so for once, their failure to run on time worked in our favour. If it had been running to timetable, we would have had to take the 01.22 train instead…….

East Sussex League

Hastings F.A. Intermediate Cup Semi Final

Wednesday 18th April 2018

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.34

Battle Baptist 0 Hollington United 1,  attendance 79

23’ 0-1

@ Battle Recreation Ground

North Trade Road

Battle

TN33 0HB

No Admission or Programme.

This looked like it might be a really good match to watch, as going on league positions in the East Sussex League Premier Division, it was 2nd v 1st. Both teams have five matches to play, with unbeaten Hollington on 41 points, whilst Battle have 40 points, their only defeat being a 1-3 home loss to tonight’s visitors. They meet again at Hollington on 5th May, in a match that will surely decide the title.

The match tonight just never kicked into life, as the two teams cancelled each other out. It was just too stop, start, not helped by a very fussy Referee who just never let the game flow. Even the winning goal came from a deflected shot that gave the ‘keeper no chance. Battle had a man red carded on 72 minutes, which was the signal for Hollington to run the clock down at every opportunity, which killed the game from a neutral spectators point.

Gwent County League

Division 3

Tuesday 17th April 2018

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.26

Cwmcarn Athletic 3 West of St. Julians 4,  attendance 10

26’ 0-1

34’ 1-1

45’ 2-1

46’ 2-2

49’ 2-3

51’ 2-4

63’ 3-4

@ Waunfawr Park

Waunfawr Park Road

Crosskeys

NP11 7PH

No Admission

£1 Programme, 24 pages.

There was a bit of confusion over what was the correct kick off time for this match, with 18.00, 18.15 and 18.30 the various options. The Referee arrived at 18.07, so at least the possibilities were down to two, but we actually got underway at 18.26.

The match was 7th versus 11th in the league table, although the visitors still have ten more league matches to play after tonight, so they should climb up a few places on the evidence of this performance.

Once again, the Gwent County League came up trumps for entertainment, with both teams attacking at will, on a pitch that stood up well to the rain that fell before the match, plus the light rain we encountered for most of the second half.

The programme produced by the club is worth a mention.  It looks very professional, with the fixtures, results and league tables bang up to date. All in colour, with quite a few photographs too.

Midland League

Division 3

Monday 16th April 2018

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.33

Guru Nanak Prakash Sports 7 F.C. Stratford 1,  attendance 42

2’ 1-0

30’ 2-0

37’ 2-1

58’ 3-1

62’ 4-1

69’ 5-1

71’ 6-1

72’ 7-1

@ Coventry Athletics Track

University of Warwick Westwood Campus

Kirby Corner Road

Coventry

CV4 7AL

No Admission or Programme.

This ground went on the ‘to do’ list when G.N.P. Sports announced recently that they will play their home matches next season at Coventry Sphinx F.C. Although the ground will not disappear, it may not host football so regularly in the future.

With just one more home game after tonight, which is on Saturday, this was the ideal time to tick this one off, especially as this was a virtual title clincher. G.N.P. came into this match unbeaten in their 24 league matches, winning 22 of them, whilst Stratford were in fourth place in the league table, being 27 points adrift, but with 5 games in hand.

G.N.P. were ahead within two minutes before increasing their lead with as good an own goal as you could ever wish to see, with the defender somehow managing to beat his own ‘keeper with a superb finish from just inside the 18 yard box. When Stratford pulled a goal back before halftime it set it up nicely for the second half, but G.N.P. ran away with it, scoring five goals in a fifteen minute purple patch, with some finishing that would not look out of place a few divisions higher.

Having not lost in 25 games, G.N.P. would now have to lose their last five matches for either F.C. Stratford or Central Ajax to draw level with them, as well as both those teams winning their remaining 10 matches. The fact that G.N.P. have a goal difference of +102, compared to the +53 and +21 of the two chasers, then it really is all over.

Although the match was scheduled to finish in ‘daylight’, the floodlights around the running track were switched on early in the second half. Even if the the five bulbs that were not working were replaced, the lights might not be good enough to stage a proper midweek ‘floodlit’ match.

South West Peninsula League

Division 1 East

Sunday 15th April 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.02

Honiton Town 4 Torridgeside 2,  attendance 60

1’ 1-0

36’ 2-0 (pen)

59’ 3-0

65’ 3-1

79’ 3-2

86’ 4-2

@ Mountbatten Park

Ottery Moor Lane

Honiton

EX14 1AR

£3 Admission, included Programme (marked as £1 on front cover), 12 pages.

On Good Friday, Honiton Town should have been hosting the middle game, of three, on the South West Peninsula League Groundhop, but due to constant rain, the match was switched to the ground of Exwick Villa, with it’s 3G pitch, which I had visited when the ground was used by Exeter Civil Service, albeit a grass pitch in those days.

A conversation with the home club Secretary at 10.15 convinced me to travel to East Devon for this match, as although it had been raining all morning, the club were confident everything would be fine. Indeed it was, and although it was a little soft underfoot, the pitch was immaculate, despite the Reserves having played on it yesterday. The rain even stopped before kick off and apart from a five minute bit of drizzle during the first half, it remained dry and patches of blue sky began to appear during the second half.

Honiton were fourth off the bottom of the league table, with visitors Torridgeside safely in mid table. A goal in the first 50 seconds gave The Hippos a dream start, before the visitors had a man red carded, with the resultant penalty dispatched to make it 2-0. When a further goal was conceded there looked no way back for the 10 men, but they managed to score twice before Honiton finally notched their fourth goal to seal the three points.

South Wales Alliance League

Division 2

Saturday 14th April 2018

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 17.59

Cardiff Hibernian 2 A.F.C. Bargoed 2,  attendance 197

14’ 0-1

28’ 0-2

32’ 1-2

89’ 2-2

@ Trelai Park (Ely Racecourse)

Vincent Road

off Cowbridge Road West

Ely

Cardiff

CF5 5AQ

No Admission

£3 Programme * (didn’t purchase as never saw any on sale)

This match was part of the South Wales Groundhop, which is organised by Groundhop U.K.  It is the second time I have visited Cardiff Hibernian when they have hosted a ‘Hop Match’ , as they were on the 2016 Groundhop, when they lost 2-4 versus Cardiff Airport, in a match played at their former home, Archer Road. This season has seen them move here for their home matches. Sadly, the Secretary of Cardiff Hibernian, Stephen Price, died a week before the match, so it was decided that this would become a memorial match, with any profits going to his family.

* Apparently, very few programmes were produced, and there was certainly no effort made to sell any. As the ground is little more than a railed off pitch, in a huge expanse of grass (last used as Ely Racecourse in 1937) then it is not possible to charge for admission, so the majority of the close on 200 crowd would have paid nothing. There was not even a collection made, which was very odd, considering this was supposed to be geared to raising money. With the pitch being so far away from the nearest building, it also meant no refreshments being sold, although it was later mentioned that there were sandwiches and filled rolls available from a table near the dugouts.

As for the match, which was third bottom versus bottom in the league table, it was never going to be a classic, especially on a dreadful pitch that had some pretty deep holes on it, but at least they weren’t full of water, unlike the ones that had to be walked across to reach this one.

The Groundhop continues tomorrow, with a match in the Bridgend Sunday League (which is of no interest whatsoever) before a visit to A.F.C. Butetown, of the South Wales Alliance League, which although I haven’t visited, will be left for another day, as it is certainly not worth the cost of an overnight stop.

Today was another milestone of sorts, this being the 350th ground I have seen a match on in Wales.