Newport & District League

Premier X Division

Tuesday 19th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 On Time!

Afon Valley 0 Spencer Boys Club 14, attendance 44

13’ 0-1, 16’ 0-2, 27’ 0-3, 39’ 0-4

47’ 0-5, 66’ 0-6, 72’ 0-7, 76’ 0-8, 78’ 0-9, 81’ 0-10, 83’ 0-11, 84’ 0-12, 86’ 0-13, 90’ 0-14

@ Tredegar Park Recreation Ground

Cardiff Road

Maes-Glas

NP20 3AQ

No Admission or Programme.

This wasn’t my intended match tonight. I arrived at my first choice game at Llanyrafon just after five o’clock, but found out about ten minutes later that the game had been postponed. Apparently, it was some problem to do with the away team Mill Street Dynamo. The home club never replied on Twitter about the game and it was still showing on the Cymru App as being on a couple of hours later, but is now shown as an awarded 5-0 home win. Anyway, I headed off to Tredegar Park Recreation Ground, about fifteen minutes drive south west, for another game in the same division.

The ground is to the west of Newport, sandwiched between the A48 and the M4. It’s nothing more than a pitch in a huge park. Parking is immediately inside the entrance, where there’s a brick built changing room building. The pitch is a good 400-500 yards away, beyond mini golf, a skatepark and some tennis courts, with one goal end backing onto a concrete path that runs through the complex and the other end having a cricket pitch with an artificial wicket.

Afon Valley are a newly formed club and on this evidence, may not last too long. This was the opening league game for both clubs and Spencer were relentless, even though they had the game won by halftime, when they were already four goals to the good. The Afon ‘keeper went off injured during the halftime interval and was replaced by an outfield player. At 0-7 the hosts went down to ten men, due to injuries and Spencer totally overwhelmed them, running in another seven goals in the last fourteen minutes. Star of the show for Spencer was Nihad Yousif, who scored a double hattrick and had three assists, with Liam Smith also grabbing a hattrick. From a neutral point of view, it wasn’t a great watch. Afon Valley, to their credit, didn’t give up, but at no time can I recall them even troubling the Spencer ‘keeper.

The journey down to Wales was trouble free. The same can’t be said of the return. The M4 was closed between J13 and J12 and the diversion via Basingstoke wasn’t helped by a section of single lane roadworks on the M3, before the usual M25 closure between J11 and J10 and then a speed restriction from J9 to J8 due to ‘the report of pedestrians’.

North Wales Coast West League

Premier Division

Saturday 16th August 2025

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.32

C.P.D. Mynydd Llandegai 0 Cemaes Bay 3, attendance 60

8’ 0-1

25’ 0-2

88’ 0-3

@ Penrhiw

Neuadd Goffa

Mynydd Llandegai

LL57 4LQ

£3 Admission

No Programme.

After stopping overnight in Rhyl, it was an easy drive of around 50 minutes east, to the ground of Mynydd Llandegai (also spelled as ‘Llandygai’ on road signs and on one of the signs at the entrance of the ground). There can’t be too many grounds in Wales that are higher above sea level than this one. It was pretty much uphill all the way from the A5/A55 intersection. It’s certainly one to do in good weather and to say it’s scenic, is not really doing it justice. The ground is fully railed, with a pair of dugouts on the far side. The entrance side has a seated stand and the changing room building, which also housed the tea bar. There was very limited parking, but no problem using the lane outside, which rather surprisingly, had a regular bus service passing, both before and during the match.

The match was 12th versus 10th in the league table. Mynydd Llandegai are currently playing at their highest level ever, but Cemaes Bay have played in the top tier of Welsh football and they were in the League of Wales when I made the trip to Ynys Mon back in December 1995, when they lost 2-4 versus Caernarfon Town in a League Cup group match. Mynydd Llandegai hit the crossbar in the opening 30 seconds of the match, but fell behind after just eight minutes, when a cross from the right wasn’t cleared and was finished with a low shot onto the bottom corner of the net. It was 0-2 after twenty five minutes, when a corner was headed back across the six yard box and headed in unmarked at the far post. The first drinks break of the afternoon was taken before the re-start and the visitors still held their two goal lead by the time the next break was taken midway through the second half. Cemaes Bay saw a shot come back off the inside of the far post with eighteen minutes left, but finally grabbed a third goal in the dying minutes, with an angled shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar.

The game finished at 16.25, but a clear run back, with no roadworks, meant home just after nine.

Ardal League North West

Friday 15th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.32

N.F.A. 2 Prestatyn Town 2, attendance 438 (official)

2’ 1-0

61’ 1-1

72’ 2-1

89’ 2-2

@ Ffordd Derwen Playing Fields

Derwen Road

Rhyl

LL18 2RN

£5 Admission

No Programme.

The Friday night fixture gave a good opportunity for an overnight stop in North Wales and another far from home match visit on the Saturday. N.F.A. (Full name North Football Association) are in their second season at Tier 3, having previously been in the North Wales Coast East League, which they came up from as champions, whilst Prestatyn Town have played in the top level of Welsh football as recently as ten years ago, also winning the Welsh F.A. Cup in 2013 and with it represented Wales in the U.E.F.A. Europa League the following season, actually getting through the first round of qualifying, before being knocked out by Croatian side HNK Rijeka.

Tonight’s match was 5th versus 3rd in the league table and the switch to Friday night certainly pulled in a very good crowd, although two independent headcounts had it nearer 300, rather than the official one of 438 given on the Cymru App. It only took N.F.A. two minutes to open the scoring, finishing low into the far corner, with huge appeals for offside on the through ball being ignored by the match officials. There was little in the way of anything resembling a really good goal scoring chance until Prestatyn equalised just after the hour mark, when a through ball out of nothing was dispatched into the far corner from just inside the box. With eighteen minutes left N.F.A. were back in front and it looked like it would be enough for them to take all three points. With a minute left Prestatyn sent in a diagonal cross to the far side of the box. It was met with a looping header, which evaded the ‘keeper and found the far corner to make it 2-2 and the points were shared. Probably a fair result in the end.

The ground here at Ffordd Derwen is progressing nicely. Parking is in the nearby housing estate and you enter behind the goal. The pitch is fully railed, with a pair of dugouts on the left hand side. In the near right hand corner, heading towards the halfway line, are the changing rooms/tea bar and beyond that a seated stand. The only thing missing now are floodlights and a bit of additional cover perhaps, especially for when it’s raining, although, by the look of the pitch, that doesn’t seem to occur all that often!

The journey up was fine until hitting the northern edge of the A5 Shrewsbury by-pass and crawled at times until well beyond Oswestry. The leg from Wrexham onwards saw the SatNav avoid all A roads until the final approach into Rhyl. Tonight’s visit now sees the Ardal League North West complete and leaves just Corwen, when they move onto their new ground sometime this season, to complete Tiers 1-3 in the north, with just Clydach required in the south for the full set at these levels.

Perry Street & District League

Reg Eglon Cup

Quarter Final

Thursday 14th August 2025

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.13

Dowlish Wake & Donyatt 4 Merriott Saints 1, attendance 53

32’ 1-0 (pen)

64’ 2-0

65’ 3-0

83’ 3-1

85’ 4-1

@ Lawrence Kellett Playing Field

Oxenford Lane

Dowlish Wake

TA19 0PA

No Admission or Programme.

A trip to Somerset tonight, for a match in the Perry Street & District League’s Reg Eglon Cup, which is for teams in the second division. As well as football, the Lawrence Kellett Playing Field is home to a number of croquet courts, which are between the car park/pavilion and the football pitch itself. It’s just an open pitch, which has a huge end to end slope as well as side to side. There are two wooden dugouts on the far side, flanked by a spectator barrier extending about ten yards.

There was very little between the two sides in the first half and the only goal came courtesy of a penalty that saw the hosts go in front just after the half hour mark. Dowlish doubled their lead midway through the second half, smashing in from close range after a corner from the right wasn’t cleared and a minute later they made it 3-0, when a long ball over the top saw the ‘keeper totally miss his attempted clearance and the ball was rolled into the empty net. Merriott missed an easy chance to get a goal back with ten minutes left, but the follow up to a lob that came back off the crossbar was hit well wide of the target. They did get on the scoresheet a couple of minutes later though, heading in a corner at the near post, but the comeback was short lived, as Dowlish added a fourth goal within minutes, when a corner was turned in from close range.

I’d had a very quick response from the home club via text message that the game was going ahead okay and apart from the usual hold up on the A303 past Stonehenge, which cost me nearly ten minutes, it was a pretty trouble free journey heading west. Totally clear run back, helped by the fact that the game was over by 19.50 and back home just after ten.

Kent County League

Premier Division

Wednesday 13th August 2025

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.42

Canterbury City 2 Minster 3, attendance 128

17’ 1-0

41’ 2-0

69’ 2-1

87’ 2-2

90’ 2-3

@ Thanington Recreation Ground

Thanington Road

Thanington

CT1 3XE

No Admission

£2 Programme, 16 pages.

Over the years Canterbury City have been good to me, as far as playing on different grounds go. I first saw them host Witney Town in a Southern League Southern Division match back in March 1992, which was played at the now gone Kingsmead Stadium. By September 2007 they’d moved to Bridge Road in Patrixbourne, where I saw them beat Borden Village 5-0 in a Kent County League Division 2 East match. Next up, in July 2008, was a 2-1 win in a friendly against Erith & Belvedere Reserves, played on the 3G pitch at Whitstable Community College. Ground number four, in August 2009, was Hersden Recreation Ground, where they drew 1-1 with Fleet Leisure in a Kent County League Premier Division match. So, onto tonight. They’re now based at Thanington Recreation Ground, to the west of Canterbury. It’s just an open pitch, with a side to side slope, which was roped off, with a couple of portable dugouts on the far side. The changing rooms are part of the Thanington Resource Centre building, whilst a tea bar was set up at the corner of the pitch, where a match day programme was also available.

It seemed a bit late to schedule an 18.45 kick off this far east, especially as it rained for most of the first half, not helping the light, although the game did get underway three minutes early in the end. Canterbury broke the deadlock after seventeen minutes, when a break down the right was finished with a low angled shot into the far corner. Just after the half hour Minster saw a shot hit the crossbar, before bouncing down on the line, then hacked clear, shortly followed by a header that hit the crossbar, before Canterbury doubled their lead five minutes before halftime, with a free kick from the edge of the D that went straight into the bottom corner. With twenty one minutes left Minster pulled a goal back, converting a cross from the right at the far post and it looked inevitable from there that they’d get something out of the game. The equaliser came with three minutes left, when a long ball forward was controlled on the edge of the box before beating the ‘keeper with a low shot into the near corner of the net, despite him getting a hand to it. The winner for the visitors arrived right on ninety minutes, when a ball down the right hand side of the box was finished low into the corner. There was still time for Canterbury to have a man sent off in stoppage time, picking up a second yellow card for a foul as Minster were attacking down the left.

A totally trouble free journey both down and back from East Kent and this sees the top division of the Kent County League re-completed.

Herts Senior County League

Division 1

Tuesday 12th August 2025

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.49

Oxhey 1 Ware United 2, attendance 37

58’ 1-0 (pen)

79’ 1-1

88’ 1-2

@ Ware Youth F.C.

Trinity Playing Fields

Fanhams Hall Road

Ware

SG12 7NN

No Admission or Programme.

With neither regular home venues of the two clubs being available to host the game tonight, it was played at Ware Youth F.C. There’s a decent sized car park, to the left as you enter off the roundabout in Fanhams Hall Road, with the clubhouse/changing room building to the right. Tonight’s game was played on a pitch in the far left hand corner from the entrance and was roped on all four sides. In the right hand corner there’s a pitch with a couple of brick dugouts, but this is now set up for 9 a side games, rather than being a full size pitch.

The match was a slow burner and certainly wasn’t lacking in commitment from either team, even if chances were at a premium. The closest we came in the first half to a goal, was a free kick from Ware that hit the crossbar. Just before the hour mark a penalty saw Oxhey go in front and it looked like that might have been enough to take all three points, but Ware drew level with eleven minutes left, when a cross from the right managed to evade everyone in the box, going in off the far post, possibly aided by a deflection. With two minutes left they grabbed a winner, when another cross from the right was swept in at the far post.

Midland League

Division 3

Monday 11th August 2025

Kick Off 19.00 On Time!

Solihull Academy 2 A.F.C. Balsall 1, attendance 104

71’ 1-0

81’ 1-1 (pen)

84’ 2-1

@ Tudor Grange Academy Solihull, 3G Pitch

Dingle Lane

Solihull

B91 3PD

£5 Admission

No Programme.

This was 7th versus 3rd in the league table, Solihull Academy having taken four points from their opening three games, whilst Balsall were undefeated, with two wins and a draw from their three. There wasn’t much between the two teams. The best chance of the first half saw Solihull hit the post just before the half hour mark and it remained scoreless at halftime. Solihull broke the deadlock with nineteen minutes left, when a diagonal shot from the right hand side of the box looped into the far corner. Balsall drew level with a penalty with nine minutes left, but it only took Solihull three minutes to go back in front, cutting in from the left, before hitting a 25 yarder into the top corner, that the ‘keeper got his fingertips to, but couldn’t keep out.

Home to Solihull Academy is Tudor Grange Academy Solihull. It’s a standard cage set up, with spectator access along three quarters of one side, although parts of this have high fencing, so not ideal, especially with a three figure crowd, that included a couple of dozen ‘hoppers. Good to see a tea bar operating from a table just inside the cage entrance, which is unusual at this level….as was the £5 admission charge. I wouldn’t think there’s that many other clubs in the country charging that amount at Step 8?

Central Wales League

Southern Division

Saturday 9th August 2025

Kick Off 14.30 On Time!

Bont 2 Ffostrasol Wanderers 3, attendance 36 (official 50)

19’ 0-1

36’ 0-2

39’ 0-3

78’ 1-3

85’ 2-3

@ Pantyfedwen Park

B4340

Pontrhydfendigaid

SY25 6BB

£3 Admission

No Programme.

With a favourable weather forecast, where despite looking threatening at times, did remain dry throughout, I decided to head into Mid Wales, to visit the only ground I still needed in the Central Wales League, that of Bont, in the village of Pontrhydfendigaid, in Ceredigion. Coming from the east, you are fine until you get to Rhayader, where you then reach the Cambrian Mountains, with the most direct route from there being via a B road, straight through the Elan Valley. It’s certainly scenic, but littered with cattle grids and numerous sections of single track road, with the last 22 miles taking around 50 minutes to drive. At least when you enter the village, the ground is right in front of you. There’s a small car park, with the changing rooms/tea bar/toilets behind the near goal. The pitch is railed on three sides (just the far end not), with a pair of dugouts on the left hand side and a small stand opposite, painted in the club colours, which has two rows of bench seating.

The match was between two teams who’d started their league season’s with a win from their opening game and Ffostrasol will look to go one better than last season, when they finished second to champions Knighton Town, who’ve since been promoted. The first half went very much the way of the visitors, as they comfortably raced into a three goal lead. They opened the scoring after a diagonal cross from the left was headed up onto the air by a defender, dropping to a Ffostrasol player who volleyed in from close range. Another close range volley saw them double their lead after thirty six minutes, after a corner from the left had been headed on at the near post and their third followed soon after, once again from the left, when a free kick evaded the entire defence and was swept in unmarked at the far post. Ffostrasol saw a long range effort tipped onto the crossbar on the hour mark, but rarely looked like adding any further goals. With twelve minutes left Bont pulled a goal back, cutting in from the right before hitting a left footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the D. They then made it 2-3 as we entered the last five minutes, when a diagonal ball into the box was finished with a shot on the turn into the far corner, but despite mounting pressure in the remaining time, were unable to force an equaliser.

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.

Faringdon Thursday Memorial Cup

1st Round

Tuesday 5th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 On Time!

Hailey 3 North Leigh Reserves 1, attendance 37

31’ 0-1

43’ 1-1

65’ 2-1

73’ 3-1

@ The Recreation Ground

Middletown

Hailey

OX29 9TA

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight’s game was Witney & District League Premier Division versus Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division, two teams just four miles apart. The ground here in Hailey, adjacent to the village hall, is just an open pitch, enclosed by trees/bushes, with a small car park behind the goal end nearest the entrance and a changing room building in the near right hand corner.

North Leigh Reserves were the better team in the early stages and deservedly opened the scoring just after the half hour mark, when a cross in from the left was knocked down and finished with a first time shot into the bottom corner. Two minutes before halftime Hailey drew level, when a free kick from just outside the box went straight through the wall and right on halftime they almost went in front, but a finger tip save saw the ball turned round the post. Twenty minutes into the second half Hailey went in front, with an angled shot through the ‘keeper’s legs that found the far corner and they rounded off the scoring with seventeen minutes left, when a ball over the top was finished with a first time shot that the ‘keeper should really have kept out. The win now sees Hailey visit Letcombe in the quarter finals.

A surprisingly quiet M25 in both directions, losing under ten minutes on the outbound journey and totally trouble free on the return.

Above : Hailey’s No.10 (in green) smashes in their second goal.