Wiltshire Senior League

Division 1

Tuesday 23rd April 2024

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.29

Bratton 1 Park United 1, attendance 20

9’ 0-1

78’ 1-1

@ Bratton Recreation Ground

Trowbridge Road

Bratton

BA13 4RF

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight’s match was 5th hosting 1st in the league table, both still in with a chance of taking the title and very much in the mix as far as getting one of the three promotion places go. The only problem tonight was the ridiculous kit clash…Bratton in navy blue, with Park United in charcoal/grey and the Referee in black! At least standing with the sun at your backs meant deciphering between them was much easier, if not ideal. As expected, it was very keenly contested and could have gone either way. Park United were ahead after only eight minutes, finishing with an angled shot across the ‘keeper in to the far corner. They had enough chances to make the game safe, but the longer it went on, the more likely it looked that Bratton fancied their chances of getting something from the game and they deservedly levelled with twelve minutes left, when a corner from the left was headed down and hooked in from close range.

The draw keeps Park United top, extending their lead over second placed Faringdon Town to four points, but having played two games more, whilst Bratton are now fourth, six points adrift of third placed Purton, but with two games in hand and still 12 points behind the leaders, but with only three games in hand on them to make up the margin.

Home to Bratton is the local recreation ground, just to the north of the village when heading towards Trowbridge. It is shared with cricket, with the football to the left when looking from the car park/clubhouse. It is roped off along each, with a pair of wooden dugouts backing on to the road. Lovely views, with plenty of hang gliders about. Sadly, the Westbury/Bratton White Horse that’s carved into the Bratton Downs, that form the backdrop here, was on the wrong side of the hill to be viewed from the ground.

Essex & Suffolk Border League

Knock Out Cup Semi Final

Saturday 20th April 2024

Kick Off 14.30 On Time!

Thorpe Athletic 2 Earls Colne 0, attendance 48

5’ 1-0

90’ + 1, 2-0

@ Kirby Playing Fields

Halstead Road

Kirby Cross

CO13 0LW

No Admission or Programme.

Today’s game was an opportunity for Thorpe Athletic to take another step towards a treble winning season. They’ve already won the Essex F.A. Junior Cup and currently lead the Essex & Suffolk Border League Division 1 (need a maximum of 2 points from their last three games to guarantee finishing top). Despite Earls Colne being a division higher (10th place), Thorpe will have fancied taking full advantage of being at home for this one, having only lost once here all season (1-5 to title rivals Cressing United).

Sadly, from a neutral point of view, this wasn’t a great game. Thorpe were ahead after just five minutes, after a cross from the right saw a shot saved by the ‘keeper, but the rebound was smashed in from close range. The eighty five minutes that followed can best be described as attritional. Both ‘keeper’s pulled off one very good save each, but at no time did it look like there would be any further goals, until Thorpe finally killed it off a minute into stoppage time.

Kirby Playing Fields hosts cricket and football, the latter being to the right when looking from the changing rooms. Taped off along the cricket side and rather unusually, still having the old square goal posts. The pitch was bobbly, which probably didn’t help matters and it certainly didn’t feel much like Spring, as the ground is very exposed and there was a very cool wind blowing throughout, but at least it was dry for a change.

National League U19 Alliance

South Division

Friday 19th April 2024

Kick Off 11.30 Actual 11.32

Woking U19 3 Southend U19 5, attendance 27

24’ 1-0

27’ 1-1

28’ 2-1

40’ 3-1

61’ 3-2

73’ 3-3 (pen)

76’ 3-4

89’ 3-5

@ Woking College, 3G Pitch

Rydens Way

Kingfield

Woking

GU22 9DL

No Admission or Programme.

This was 9th versus 13th (out of 14) in the league table and could have produced far more goals than the ten it actually did, such was the attacking nature of both teams. Woking opened the scoring after twenty four minutes, doubling their lead just three minutes later. Southend replied straight from the kick off, but Woking restored their two goal lead five minutes before halftime. Southend pulled it back to 3-2 just after the hour and it was no surprise to see them level it up at 3-3, when they scored a penalty with seventeen minutes left. Within minutes it was 3-4 and despite creating plenty of chances, they were only able to add one more to the total, when a 30 yarder beat the ‘keeper from well outside the box with a minute left.

The game was played on the 3G pitch at Woking College. Typical cage set up with spectator viewing along three quarters of one side and a pair of dugouts on the other.

Yeovil & District League

Division 1

Thursday 18th April 2024

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.34

Templecombe Rovers 5 Bullets 0, attendance 35

27’ 1-0 (pen)

34’ 2-0

41’ 3-0

50’ 4-0

80’ 5-0

@ Templecombe Sports & Social Club

Vine Street

Templecombe

BA8 0JY

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight’s match involved two teams needing the points for different reasons. Templecombe came into this second in the league table, 4 points behind leaders Evercreech Sports, but with five games in hand, whilst Bullets are 7th (out of 11) and although Pen Mill Athletic are 5 points adrift at the bottom, with at least three games in hand on all the teams above them, whilst only three points separate the next four and goal difference is very close too.

It took Templecombe twenty seven minutes to break the deadlock, courtesy of a penalty, quickly followed by a downward header at the far post and four minutes before the break they made it 3-0 when a diagonal pass was chested down and finished into the far corner. When they added their fourth goal five minutes into the second half I expected it to become a real rout, but Bullets were still creating chances of their own, but Templecombe rounded off the scoring with ten minutes left, finishing one on one after being played through on goal.

The ground is entered via a one-way system in Vine Street. The clubhouse/changing rooms are in front of you, with the pitch out of sight to the right, set down in a dip, with the near side having grass banking running along the touchline and a few park benches at the top.

The win now sees Templecombe close the gap at the top to a single point, needing a maximum of 8 points from their last six games to guarantee the title, although a win at current leaders Evercreech in a couple of games time could clinch it earlier.

Bedfordshire County League

Premier Division

Wednesday 17th April 2024

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.19

A.F.C. Kempston Town Hammers 0 Queens Park Crescents 7, attendance 37

13’ 0-1, 17’ 0-2, 36’ 0-3, 39’ 0-4

48’ 0-5, 83’ 0-6, 85’ 0-7

@ Kempston Hammers Sports & Social Club

134 High Street

Kempston

MK42 7BN

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight I took the opportunity to visit the only ground I hadn’t previously seen a game at in this division. Hammers are rock bottom of the league table and already relegated, but at least tonight they had a realistic chance of getting their first win of the season, as Queens Park Crescents are second bottom and in the reverse fixture they drew 2-2…the only point Hammers have picked up all season! They came into this with a goal difference of -109, certainly not helped by losing 17-0 away at Biggleswade Reserves on Saturday, but to their credit, they have fulfilled all their fixtures to date and even had four substitutes tonight.

Crescents certainly did their survival hopes the world of good and now only trail Riseley Sports by two points and have three games in hand to make up the deficit. Tonight’s game was over as a contest by halftime, with two goals in the opening seventeen minutes setting Crescents on their way to what turned out to be a comfortable win. It was 0-4 by halftime and despite goal number five arriving three minutes into the second half, Hammers didn’t totally collapse and the final two goals only came in the last seven minutes.

The sports ground hosts cricket, rugby and football, with the latter in the far left hand corner as you enter off High Street, running parallel with Cemetery Road. Just a basic pitch and little else. Even the clubhouse remained closed.

Mid Sussex League

Premier Division

Tuesday 16th April 2024

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.48

Balcombe 0 Cuckfield Rangers 3, attendance 23

24’ 0-1

25’ 0-2

31’ 0-3

@ Ifield Community College, 3G Pitch

Crawley Avenue

Ifield

Crawley

RH11 0DB

No Admission or Programme.

Each time I get within touching distance of seeing a game at every first team venue in the Sussex football pyramid, another new ground pops up. In an effort to get fixtures played, Balcombe moved this game to the 3G pitch here at Ifield Community College, which although having no designated spectator area, the Referee had no problem with us standing inside the cage, as long as you remained on the one side with both teams ‘benches’.

The match was 3rd versus 7th in the league table, with Balcombe trailing league leaders Reigate Priory by seven points, but having three games in hand, so they were very much in with a chance of the title. Cuckfield Rangers are comfortably mid table and will end up roughly where they were coming into this, so it was a bit of a surprise to see how much effort they put into winning this and certainly didn’t turn up with an end of season attitude towards the game. The opening goal came on twenty four minutes, when a back pass saw the ‘keeper totally fluff his attempt to clear the ball and it rolled past him into the corner of the net. A minute later it was 0-2, when a cross from the left was finished side footed from 10 yards and six minutes later it was 0-3, when a through ball was taken wide of the ‘keeper and finished from a tight angle. With the points won, Cuckfield eased off in the second half and Balcombe never looked like getting back into it.

The defeat has certainly dented Balcombe’s hopes as far as the title goes. Even their games in hand aren’t enough to lift them above Reigate Priory and Ringmer A.F.C. now and the three teams below them, namely Westfield, Oxted & District and Eastbourne United Association, all have enough games in hand to go above them as well.

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League

Division 1

Monday 15th April 2024

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.32

Chalford 1 Dursley Town 0, attendance 63

14’ 1-0

@ Chalford Sports & Social Club

Highfield Way

Chalford Hill

GL6 8LZ

No Admission or Programme.

I’d seen Chalford play a home game here at Chalford Sports & Social Club back in March 2004, when they drew 0-0 (1-3 pens) versus Brockworth Albion, in a Stroud Charity Cup semi-final, that was played on Pitch 2, which is to the right of the cricket square when looking from the clubhouse/car park. I can’t believe it has taken me over 20 years to return for a game on the main pitch, which is to the left of the cricket square. It is almost completely railed off (roped along the cricket square) and has a small section of cover on the far side, flanked by the old dugouts, whilst a new pair are now placed in front, meaning the view of the pitch from the cover is virtually non existent.

I had managed to confirm via Twitter that the game was going ahead (reply from Dursley, ignored by Chalford), but was unable to confirm that it was being played on the main pitch. Luckily, for me, it was indeed on the pitch I’d hoped for, which meant I would finally accomplish seeing a game on every ground in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, having completed Division 2 earlier in the season.

Chalford are the reigning champions, but came into this sitting in fourth place in the table, whilst Dursley were fifth, with both still in with a realistic chance of taking the title, as only six points separated the top five teams. As expected, it was a tight game and was in the balance right up to the final whistle. The only goal came after fourteen minutes, when a corner from the left wasn’t cleared and was finished through a crowded box from eight yards. There were very few clear cut chances, with defences on top and Chalford probably just about deserved it overall. The win sees Chalford move up to second in the table, a point behind Brockworth Albion, but with a game in hand, both having leapfrogged this morning’s leaders Tredworth Tigers, having won their games tonight.

Mid Sussex League

Division 3 North

Saturday 13th April 2024

Kick Off 14.00 On Time!

Caterham 2 A.S. Crawley 6, attendance 4

27’ 0-1 (pen)

31’ 0-2

57’ 0-3

67’ 1-3

75’ 2-3

77’ 2-4

90’ + 7, 2-5

90’ + 8, 2-6

@ Old Coulsdon Colts F.C.

Drive Road

Old Coulsdon

CR5 1BD

No Admission or Programme.

We’re at the time of season where teams can’t be bothered to raise a team for games, with the Mid Sussex League being one of the worst for this. Six games were off in this league today due to this, but I received a positive reply from A.S. Crawley via text message that the game was on okay (Caterham didn’t bother replying) and that they were about to set off. I wanted to get a game in here just in case Caterham play elsewhere next season, as they have suffered endless postponements, due to the poor quality of the pitch and it would also complete the division for me. It was clearly evident which end of the pitch was the problem and walking behind that goal end was very soft, even on a bright, sunny day like today.

The sports ground here has a couple of changing room buildings, with the brick built one to the left as you enter the car park being the one used. The pitch is to the left (a lot of smaller sized ones cover the rest of the field) running lengthways away from here. It looked like the groundsman ran out of white paint whilst marking out the pitch, as a good 75-80% was marked in blue!

The match was 7th versus 3rd (out of 8) in the league table. Crawley can’t finish any higher, whilst Caterham knew a defeat would see them relegated. Crawley opened the scoring with a penalty on twenty seven minutes and made it 0-2 four minutes later. It was 0-3 just before the hour mark and Crawley eased off, thinking it was job done. Two goals in eight minutes saw Caterham pull it back to 2-3 with fifteen minutes left, but Crawley made it 2-4 within a couple of minutes and despite having a man sin binned late on, still added two more in stoppage time to give them a resounding 2-6 win. Man of the match was certainly the Crawley No.7. He was fouled for the penalty that set them on their way and went on to score four of the other five goals.

Cambridgeshire County League

Division 2A

Tuesday 9th April 2024

18.15

Match Postponed

@ Balsham Recreation Ground

Church Lane

Balsham

CB21 4DS.

The Cambridgeshire County League is one of those leagues that finding out about whether games are on or not are nigh on impossible to confirm, especially as the social media of most clubs at this level is non existent. I’d left home at 15.30, with the game on the F.A. Fulltime website still showing as ‘on’ or should that be ‘not off’? Anyway, I arrived at the ground at 17.00 to find the gate to the car park open, but it was deserted. I checked the website again, with the match now showing as postponed. I can only assume one or other of the teams couldn’t be bothered to raise at team ? (It was 3rd bottom v 2nd bottom) as there was no problem with the pitch.

I did have a backup though…twenty minutes away, where Cambridge Ambassadors were hosting Girton United at Trumpington College 3G pitch. Well, according to F.A. Full Time it was there. Again it was deserted on arrival. A quick check on Ambassadors Twitter showed that the game was being played at Comberton Village College, which is another 3G, but the kick off was 18.45, so plenty of time to head there in time for kick off. Unfortunately, no one here either. Inside the venue I was told that the club had cancelled their booking. A few minutes later they tweeted that the game was ‘underway’. No mention of where it was being played, but it transpires it was at Girton, where I’ve been anyway. The F.A. Fulltime results page shows it as having been played at Trumpington!

Unfortunately, when you are down to the levels I now find myself frequenting these days, (the more you do, the further down the barrel you go!) these things tend to happen at least once a season. On a Saturday you can invariably find an alternative, but not so easy on a Tuesday night, especially with the early kick offs. I’m now 13 grounds off my next milestone, as far as number of grounds visited goes and it was certainly an unlucky number tonight….4 hours driving and just over 200 miles wasted….as well as £4 on the Dartford Crossing.

Oh well, surely I’ll be okay tomorrow, although I won’t hold my breath, as I’m planning on a game in the West Sussex League, which is anything but reliable…

Essex & Suffolk Border League

Premier Division

Saturday 6th April 2024

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.02

Belle Vue Social Club 2 Tiptree Heath 1, attendance 25

30’ 0-1

60’ 1-1

74’ 2-1

@ Garrison A Cricket Ground

Napier Road

Colchester

CO2 7GA

No Admission or Programme.

Today’s game was a visit to the last ground I hadn’t seen a game on in this division and a game between the teams 12th (out of 15) and 2nd in the league table. I’d received an early reply to a text message that the game was going ahead okay and arrived at the ground just as the three match officials were doing a quick walk of the pitch. No problems whatsoever, with the playing surface in immaculate condition. The car park here is payable by app only, so I parked across the road in a standard pay and display car park instead. When entering the ground from the car park, the pavilion/changing rooms are to the right, whilst the pitch is on the far side of the cricket square, running widthways, butting up to St. John’s Green Primary School. The pitch is roped along the near side and has a couple of portable dugouts, although they were just frames without the covers.

It was a good even contest, played with a strong wind blowing across the pitch, but at least it was dry! Tiptree Heath led at the break, having gone ahead after half an hour with a finish from just inside the 18 yard box. Belle Vue equalised on the hour, when a cross field ball put the winger through and he finished diagonally into the far corner and they grabbed the winner with sixteen minutes left, when a long throw in Was flicked on and finished from close range.

Despite the defeat Tiptree remain second in the table. Colne Athletic won the title a few weeks ago, but there are still four clubs who can grab the runners up spot. Belle Vue move up two places into tenth.