Surrey Premier County League

Saturday 4th September 2021

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.02

A.F.C. Walcountians 2 Spartans Youth 3, attendance 37

42’ 0-1

45’ + 3, 0-2 (pen)

55’ 1-2

73’ 1-3

84’ 2-3 (pen)

@ Walcountians Sports Club

Carshalton Road

Woodmansterne

SM7 3HU

No Admission or Programme.

I decided to head north, back up the M23, for my second game of the day, where a 26 minute drive saw me arrive at the only ground I hadn’t visited in this league. A.F.C. Walcountians are new into the Surrey Premier County League (formerly Surrey Elite Intermediate League) having been promoted from the Surrey South Eastern Combination League. They had won their opening match at the higher level 4-2 at home to N.P.L., whilst this was the first match of the season for Spartans.

The ground here hosts a number of sports. As well as football, there is also hockey, rugby and cricket (there were two matches going on today, one behind each goal end) with the football pitch being a fair distance from the changing rooms, which will prevent them rising up the pyramid any further as things stand.

The two teams were very evenly matched and it was one of those games that looked like it might not produce a goal, as the defences were certainly on top. However, just before halftime, the deadlock was broken when Spartans went in front. A corner was blocked at the near post, but the rebound was put in from close range. They then doubled their lead in stoppage time, scoring with a penalty.

Ten minutes into the second half the hosts pulled it back to 1-2, but a mix up between a defender and the ‘keeper saw Spartans regain their two goal lead with seventeen minutes left. Walcountians reduced the arrears with a penalty of their own, to make it 2-3, and they came close to equalising, when a shot smashed off the crossbar with the ‘keeper well beaten, but Spartans hung on to take the three points.

Mid Sussex League

Division 3 North

Saturday 4th September 2021

Kick Off 12.30 Actual 12.31

Horley A.F.C. 4 Forest Row Reserves 1, attendance 8

1’ 1-0

6’ 2-0

32’ 3-0

45’ 3-1 (pen)

54’ 4-1

@ Court Lodge Playing Fields

Thornton Close

Horley

RH6 8RJ

No Admission or Programme.

This was an early kick off due to the Reserves also being at home today (there are two other pitches here, but they are both narrower than the main one) and meant an opportunity to take in a second game later in the afternoon, even if it would be a very limited choice, as the majority of lower level leagues kick off at 2 o’clock around these parts. After the long drive back from Mid Wales last night, it was nice to only have to drive sixteen minutes to get to this game.

Horley scored with the first attack and a cracking finish from the edge of the box saw them double their lead after just six minutes. I feared this would become a real thrashing, but despite scoring a third goal, just after the half hour mark, they failed to add to it and Forest Row pulled it back to 3-1, scoring a penalty in the last minute of the half. Nine minutes into the second half it was 4-1, when a diagonal free kick was swept in at the far post and that was it as far as where the three points were heading.

Mid Wales League

East Division

Friday 3rd September 2021

Kick Off 18.30 On Time !

Newtown Wanderers 3 Forden United 3, attendance 32

3’ 0-1

11’ 0-2

43’ 1-2

61’ 2-2

70’ 3-2

81’ 3-3 (pen)

@ Trehafren Fields

off Park Lane

Newtown

SY16 1EN

No Admission or Programme.

It is baffling how this ground can possibly be classed as good enough to host tier 4 football. The players get changed at Latham Park, home of Newtown F.C. and having walked across the car park, they then head down a track towards the river. Here they reach an overgrown area, where there are a couple of very small sized goal posts set out around 200 yards apart. They turn left here and walk into a second area, beyond a hedge, where there are two more pitches that run lengthways, end on end, with the pitch furthest away being the one in use. There is nothing here, bar a rope at one end and along the side that runs parallel to the footpath.

Newtown Wanderers have not had a great start to the season, having lost six of their seven games so far, with their only points coming from a 9-1 win away at bottom club Llanfyllin Town. Forden United had done little better, managing just 7 points from their opening seven matches.

Two defensive mistakes by Newtown saw Forden go 0-2 ahead after eleven minutes and they were well in command. An absolute scorcher for Newtown, that flew into the top corner, pulled it back to 1-2 just before halftime. By the hour mark it was 2-2, as the Forden ‘keeper seemed to totally misjudge a 25 yarder that looked an easy save and ten minutes later Newtown completed the comeback to edge 3-2 ahead. Nine minutes from time Forden equalised from a penalty to make it 3-3. A draw was probably a fair result overall.

The journey up was trouble free, but 40 minutes were lost on the return (we ignored the SatNav, deciding not to take the £7 rip off on the Toll Road). The M6 was closed for bridge work at Junction 10, meaning queuing up the slip road and across the roundabout, before rejoining the other side, then just south of Junction 7 the Police stopped the traffic for 15-20 minutes. There was no evidence of anything having happened, as we were finally allowed to continue on our way.

Cheltenham League

Division 1 North

Thursday 2nd September 2021

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.13

Prestbury Rovers 2 Bishop’s Cleeve Reserves 2, attendance 21

5’ 1-0

73’ 2-0

76’ 2-1

78’ 2-2

@ Prestbury Playing Fields

New Barn Close

Prestbury

GL52 3LP

No Admission or Programme.

Having already planned to come here, it was disappointing to see that the match was off according to The Football Traveller magazine. However, the F.A. Full Time website was still listing the fixture, so a text to the very helpful Prestbury Rovers secretary was required and he confirmed that the game was indeed on. Not sure where TFT got the wrong information from, but it shows it can’t be trusted and confirmation of matches from more reliable sources is a safer bet.

Prestbury took an early lead, but failed to add any further goals during an even first half. When they went 2-0 up with seventeen minutes left it looked like the game was safe, but three minutes later an own goal gave BCR hope, and within a couple of minutes they had levelled it up at 2-2. A decent night’s entertainment and glad we checked that the game was still on!

Stroud & District League

Division 1

Wednesday 1st September 2021

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.17

Wickwar Wanderers 2 Kingswood 3, attendance 55

20’ 0-1

25’ 1-1

40’ 1-2

41’ 1-3

73’ 2-3

@ King George V Playing Field

The Downs Road

Wickwar

GL12 8NE

No Admission or Programme.

Wickwar had managed a win and a defeat from their opening two games, whilst ex-Gloucestershire County League club and league leaders Kingswood had won three from three, scoring 15 goals and conceding just 1 in the process.

It was Kingswood who went ahead on twenty minutes, with a superb strike into the top corner from 25 yards, that gave the ‘keeper no chance. Within five minutes Wickwar were level, when a striker cut in from the left and fired in a shot off the inside of the far post. Five minutes before halftime Kingswood went 1-2 up when a free kick wasn’t cleared and the ball was smashed in from 12 yards and a minute later it was 1-3, with the ball lobbed in from near the touch line. The first half was as good as anything I’ve seen this season and was such a contrast to last night’s match.

The second half was never going to be as good as the first, but it didn’t fall far short. Wickwar did pull it back to 2-3, with a good finish from a defence splitting pass and they were unlucky not to get a point from the game as they were well on top for the last quarter of an hour. The final whistle came as a huge relief to Kingswood, but they held on to maintain their 100% winning start to the season.

Trowbridge & District League

Division 1

Tuesday 31st August 2021

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.14

Semington Magpies 1 Freshford United 0, attendance 28

59’ 1-0

@ Little Marsh Playing Field

Cross Roads

Little Marsh

BA14 6JE

No Admission or Programme.

Living in the South East means there are very few non floodlit matches played at the start of the season, but there are plenty of options if you head westwards. This was the first game I had ever watched in the Trowbridge & District League, with Division 1 being the top tier.

I don’t know what was more disappointing, the fact that the Magpies didn’t play in black and white, or just how poor a standard the football was. It was dreadful, which perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise given that the two teams had only one win between them from their opening nine matches. It didn’t help that the pitch was far too wide (70 yards) for this level of football. Unbelievably, the game somehow managed to produce a goal, which was a lob over the ‘keeper from the corner of the 18 yard box. One goal was always going to be enough to win the game.

It was certainly not the greatest match to mark my 5,555th ground visit.

Somerset County League

Division 1

Monday 30th August 2021

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.02

A.F.C. Brislington 0 Wrington Redhill 0, attendance 27

@ Brislington Juniors F.C. (U.B.H.T. Ground)

Ironmould Lane

Brislington

BS4 5RS

No Admission or Programme.

The days of double opportunities on Bank Holidays are a thing of the past. In fact, I only had four possible new grounds today. Halwill or Farway United (Devon & Exeter League Div 1 and Div 4 respectively), A.F.C. Coventry Rangers (Midland League Div 3), but they are apparently getting floodlights, so I will keep that back for a midweek visit, or the game here at A.F.C. Brislington. This was the highest level, so the choice was nice and easy.

A.F.C. Brislington had lost their first four games, but were only fourth from bottom in the league table, as there were three teams who were in the same boat, but with inferior goal differences. It was easy to see how they find themselves in this position as they had no attacking threat where it really mattered and just never looked like scoring, even though they created plenty of chances. Wrington were little better, which was surprising for a team third in the league, but they did hit the post and had a goal ruled out for a handball in the dying minutes of the first half. The second half was much of the same, meaning my run of 82 games without a 0-0 was brought to an end.

Mid Sussex League

Championship Division

Saturday 28th August 2021

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.06

Sovereign Saints 3 Ashurst Wood 1, attendance 34

8’ 1-0

43’ 2-0 (pen)

52’ 2-1

90’ + 3, 3-1

@ Shinewater Lane

Langney

Eastbourne

BN23 8DQ

No Admission or Programme.

This ground was home to Shinewater Association for the eleven seasons they spent in the Sussex County League, but they were unable to obtain planning permission for floodlights and the ground suffered constant vandalism (hardly surprising seeing the less than salubrious housing estate on one side of the ground and some of the local youths at the game), which resulted in them upping sticks and merging with Eastbourne United for the start of the 2003/04 season, becoming known as Eastbourne United Association.

Today’s match was 3rd versus 1st in the league table, both teams having won their opening two matches. There was a bit of concern that we might be struggling for a Referee, but he eventually turned up sixteen minutes before kick off, although his late arrival caused the game to start six minutes late. Sovereign Saints took an early lead, but the game never really sparked into life. As halftime approached Ashurst Wood conceded a penalty, when their ‘keeper took down a player who was clear, then during the usual pushing and shoving that followed, he put his hand in a players face and was duly sent off. The penalty was dispatched past the stand in ‘keeper and the 2-0 halftime lead looked like it was game over.

The ten men scored early in the second half to make it 2-1 and it was certainly not over and the game really opened up. They dominated from here and created enough chances to turn the game round and were well worth at least a draw. Sovereign Saints were desperately hanging on, relying on quick breaks to try and relieve the pressure. They had a chance to tie things up, when they were awarded a second penalty with eight minutes left, but this was well saved, before they finally killed the game off when they made it 3-1 in stoppage time.

Somerset County League

Division 3

Friday 27th August 2021

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.31

St. George Easton-in-Gordano 5 Nailsea United Reserves 1, attendance 54

2’ 1-0

6’ 2-0

35’ 3-0

56’ 4-0

60’ 4-1

78’ 5-1

@ Court Hay

Priory Road

Easton-in-Gordano

BS20 0PA

No Admission or Programme.

If you thought the only thing to see in Easton-in-Gordano was the motorway service station, then you’d be wrong. It is also home to Somerset County League team St. George Easton-in-Gordano, who play at a picturesque ground next to St. George’s Church, within earshot of the M5.

SGEIG came into this with a win and two defeats from their opening three matches, whilst Nailsea had only played two, losing them both 0-1. Within six minutes of kick off the hosts were already 2-0 up and by halftime they led 3-0. There was no way back for the visitors once it became 4-0 and despite them pulling a goal back, it was SGEIG who scored next, wrapping up a resounding 5-1 win.

The usual Friday traffic, compounded by the Bank Holiday weekend, meant the journey to the West Country took 3 hours 35 minutes, but with no M4 closures for a change, or roadworks on the M3 or M25, the drive back took just 2 hours 15 minutes.

Friendly

Thursday 26th August 2021

Kick Off 19.20 Actual 19.18

Guildford United 2 Holland Sports 1, attendance 12

33’ 1-0

52’ 1-1 (pen)

69’ 2-1

@ Kings Community Sports Hub, 3G Pitch

Park Barn Drive

Guildford

GU2 8EN

No Admission or Programme.

When it comes to watching games in 3G cages, I have no qualms about ticking them off for friendlies, rather than competitive matches, as they never really feel like ‘proper’ games anyway, especially when, like here, there are red, yellow and blue markings on the pitch for other uses as well.

These two are both in Step 7 of the pyramid, Guildford United in the Surrey Premier County League (previously known as the Surrey Elite Intermediate League), with this being their home ground, whilst Holland Sports are in the Mid Sussex League Premier Division.

It was a very good match up and keenly contested throughout. Guildford led 1-0 at the break, courtesy of a shot across the ‘keeper into the far corner of the net, with Holland levelling from the penalty spot early in the second half. The winner came when a long ball was nicked past the on rushing ‘keeper, before the striker steadied himself and smashed the ball past a defender on the line. The only downside was the constant moaning at the Referee by the Guildford players for the entire game. I was surprised it only led to them having one player sin binned, the Referee finally losing patience five minutes before halftime.