British Universities & Colleges Sports

Western 1A

Wednesday 31st January 2018

Kick Off 17.30 Actual 17.32

University West England 0 Bournemouth University 2,  attendance 11

67’ 0-1

80’ 0-2

@ Lockleaze Sports Complex, 3G Pitch

Bonnington Walk

Stoke Gifford

Bristol

BS7 9XY

No Admission or Programme.

The 60 mile journey from Worcester saw me arrive here around 25 minutes before kick off. This is a brand new complex that is being built on the site of an old playing field. The only part constructed so far, is the building that houses the reception/changing rooms/bar, the latter of which is upstairs, but is still not fully kitted out. Either side of this building are 3G pitches, one each for rugby and football, with good views of both from a shared balcony area.

Despite plenty of chances, this looked to be heading for a certain nil-nil , but Bournemouth finally broke the deadlock and should have added a couple more after they scored their second goal.

This was done and dusted by 19.22, which gave me ample time to head just over 4 miles west, for what I hoped would be my third new ground of the day at 20.00.

British Universities & Colleges Sports

Midlands 2A

Wednesday 31st January 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59

University Worcester 3 University Nottingham 2nds 1,  attendance 16

29’ 0-1

38’ 1-1

56’ 2-1

89’ 3-1

@ University Worcester St. John’s Campus, 3G Pitch

Henwick Grove

St. Johns

Worcester

WR2 6AJ

No Admission or Programme.

This was hopefully going to be the first of three matches today, all on previously unvisited grounds. With the pitch being easily accessible from the main road it meant being able to park in the road outside the campus, which was limited to 2 hours to non permit holders, with a walk of a couple of hundred yards to the pitch, saving on the pay & display cost of the car park on the campus.

The match was in the balance right to the end, when Worcester sealed it with a goal on the break. Even with added time for stoppages, I was back in the car at 15.44, so ample time to head south down the M5 for my next match.

Kent County League

Premier Division

Saturday 27th January 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Faversham Strike Force 2 Tudor Sports 2,  attendance 10

61’ 0-1

81’ 0-2

90’ + 1, 1-2 (pen)

90’ + 3, 2-2 (pen)

@ Sittingbourne Community College

Swanstree Avenue

Sittingbourne

ME10 4NL

No Admission or Programme.

With rain falling from lunchtime, on pitches already saturated, I decided to head east where the rain wasn’t forecast to arrive until around 4 o’clock, so I could be guaranteed of getting a game in (with the hosts playing on an artificial pitch), as well as staying dry. However, on arrival, it became apparent that the match wasn’t being played on the 3G pitch, but on a grass pitch that was around 50 yards away, but running parallel. There was no problem whatsoever with the pitch, but unfortunately the rain arrived an hour and a half early.

It was second bottom versus third from top, in the league table. It looked very much like ending scoreless, but Tudor edged in front just after the hour mark, then looked to have sewn it up when a corner was headed into the net with nine minutes left. A minute into stoppage time Faversham scored a penalty, awarded for a foul, then two minutes later scored their second spot kick, awarded for a handball to block a shot.

Southern Counties East League

Division 1

Tuesday 23rd January 2018

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.47

Fisher 3 Phoenix Sports Reserves 0,  attendance 83

33’ 1-0

66’ 2-0

90’ + 2, 3-0

@ St. Paul’s Sports Ground

Salter Road

Rotherhithe

London

SE16 6NT

£7 Admission

£2 Programme, 24 pages.

I had visited the original Fisher Athletic at their old Surrey Docks Stadium, diagonally across the other side of the road from the current ground, now built upon, on 17th February 1990 (1-2 versus Merthyr Tydfil, Conference, attendance 387).

Following the former clubs demise, a newly formed Fisher F.C. was elected into the Kent League for the 2009/10 season, playing games at Dulwich Hamlet F.C. I had seen two ‘home’ matches for the new club before tonight, both for pre season friendlies…..5th August 2011, 4-2 versus Lewisham Borough (Community), at Bacons College 3G, and 24th July 2012, 3-0 versus Bethnal Green United, at Burgess Park 3G. Fisher played their first game at their new St. Paul’s Sports Ground in July 2016.

Having been relegated last season, Fisher are looking to bounce back immediately, currently in third place in the league table. The visitors, who are in fourteenth place, never offered much resistance. Two minutes after Fisher went 2-0 up, through a neat chest down and volley from 12 yards, Phoenix had a very poorly struck penalty saved, and that was their chance of getting anything from the game gone.

This completes visits to all the Southern Counties East League grounds. It also takes the number of grounds required at Step 6 down to seven.

Belgium

Division 3 Amateurs A.C.F.F. A

Sunday 21st January 2018

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.29

R. Racing Club Waterloo 2 R.F.C. Tournai 2,  attendance 116

6’ 0-1

13’ 1-1

25’ 2-1

46’ 2-2

@ Complexe Sportif De Joli Bois

Chaussee Bara

1410 Waterloo

€10 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

With the driver and one passenger heading for R.A.S. Jodoigne (Brabant Provincial 1), a ground I have already visited when they were in Provincial 3, the other two of us decided to be dropped off in Waterloo, to take in a match in the bottom level of the Belgian League.

Waterloo are bottom of the league, managing just 7 points before today and on the back of seven successive defeats. Tournai, on the other hand, had won their last three games and arrived here in fourth place in the league table. When Tournai took the lead early on (photo No.10, below), it looked to be going the way we expected, but Waterloo soon turned it round, then eight minutes after going in front, they had a man sent off for a second yellow card in a matter of minutes. Having conceded the equaliser just seconds into the second half, it looked like it would be too long for them to hold out, but hold out they did, and in the last ten minutes they actually had a couple of chances to nick it.

We had a wait of just over an hour before being picked up at the agreed meeting point, out towards the motorway, so time to warm up in the Clubhouse with a coffee, where surprisingly, there was also free WiFi available.

The Tunnel didn’t fair too badly this week, but still managed to be eight minutes late on the outbound journey, then nine minutes late on our scheduled return aboard the 20.20 train.

Surrey County Intermediate League (Western)

Division 1

Saturday 20th January 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.01

Guildford United 6 Burpham 1,  attendance 8

23’ 1-0

24’ 2-0

43’ 3-0

47’ 4-0

49’ 5-0

86’ 6-0

87’ 6-1

@ Farncombe Cricket Club

Broadwater Park

Summers Road

Farncombe

GU7 3BE

No Admission or Programme.

With plenty of overnight rain, it was a case of finding a game that was definitely going to be on and this was the first game with a positive reply. Despite it being very wet around the perimeter, the pitch itself was fine and looked no worse at the end of the match than it had at kick off. The ground is shared with the cricket club, but the football have separate changing rooms.

The match was 5th v 7th in the league table and the win now sees Guildford draw level with league leaders Windlesham United, who they have a game in hand over, as do third placed Old Salesians, who are also level on points.

Southern League

Premier Division

Tuesday 16th January 2018

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.47

Slough Town 2 Dorchester Town 0,  attendance 436

8’ 1-0

45’ 2-0

@ Arbour Park

Stoke Road

SL2 5AY

£11 Admission

£2 Programme, 40 pages.

I visited their former home, Wexham Park Stadium, nearly 28 years ago, when they played at the top level of non-league football (20th October 1990, Slough Town 3 Barrow 0, attendance 928, Conference). At the end of season 2002/03 they were evicted by the stadium owners, which meant groundshares at Windsor & Eton and Beaconsfield S.Y.C.O.B. before moving into their new home, here at Arbour Park, in August 2016. The stadium at Wexham Park is less than a mile from here and is still intact, but in a state of serious disrepair.

The new stadium, although impressive, was obviously designed for hot, dry, days. With at least a foot gap at the top of the covered ends, between the back of the stand and the roof, means the wind howls through, which is the same on the seated section opposite the main stand. As for the main stand, the roof is so high, it is debatable whether it would actually stop you getting a soaking when it rains, unless you were in the middle section towards the back, perhaps.

Having arrived at around 18.20, having left home early to give myself a chance of making it around the M25, I was able to get one of the 120 free car park spaces behind the north end of the ground. The spaces didnt really fill up until around half an hour before kick off, maybe due to this being the lowest league crowd at Slough this season. In fact, the official crowd of 436 looked to be nearer to 300, if truth be told.

The match was 8th v 19th (out of 24) in the league table and went pretty much as expected. Slough could easily have won it by a larger margin, with Dorchester offering very little up front. Slough are now up to sixth in the table, twelve points off the top, but have six games in hand over all those above them, except for Hereford (2 games).

This visit completed Step 3 for me, as well as everything from Premier League down to Step 5. As for Step 6, I am left with eight more to go……Oakham United, Penn & Tylers Green (the only one not floodlit), Fisher, Alton, Hythe & Dibden, Bristol Telephones, Helston Athletic and Sticker.

Belgium

Brabant Provincial 1 V.F.V.

Sunday 14th January 2018

Kick Off 15.00  On Time.

F.C. Melsbroek 0 K. Hoger-Op Bierbeek 2,  attendance 137

35’ 0-1

90’ + 1, 0-2

@ Complex De Wylder

Wylder 12

1820 Melsbroek

€8 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

This match was really low on quality, especially considering it was seventh versus third in the league table. There were two decent goals though. The opener was a superb free kick bent into the top corner (photo No.13 below), with the second being a quick break that saw the ‘keeper rounded, before the ball was coolly slotted into the empty net.

The ground here was opened last year and is pretty bland, but functional, although a great improvement on their previous home, which although I never saw a match there, I did see it when driving past it on numerous occasions when trying to avoid stationary traffic around the Brussels Ring, during my time living over there.

A very rare trip with no delays on The Tunnel, although there was a reduced service in place due to maintenance, which meant all crossings were taking ten minutes longer than the normal 35 minutes.

Sussex F.A. Intermediate Cup Quarter Final

Saturday 13th January 2018

Kick Off 13.30 Actual 13.33

Sidley United 1 Angmering Seniors 5,  attendance 30

13’ 0-1

26’ 0-2

34’ 0-3

77’ 0-4

85’ 0-5

90’ 1-5

@ Hooe Recreation Ground

Mill Lane

Hooe

TN33 9HR

No Admission or Programme.

Sidley United were members of the Sussex County League up until 2013, when they lost their ground in Glovers Lane. I had visited them as part of an unusual ‘Tuesday treble’, back on 30th March 1999……

14.00 Crystal Palace 2 Charlton Athletic 1 (F.A. Premier Academy League U19)

17.45 Bexhill Town 0 Westfield 8 (Sussex County League Div.3)

19.45 Sidley United 1 Crawley Down Village 1 (Sussex County League Div.2)

They now play in the village of Hooe, on the ground previously used by Hooe Sports, former East Sussex League members.

Sidley are eighth in the East Sussex League, Premier Division. The visitors are top of the West Sussex League, Premier Division, having won all nine of their league fixtures this season, so this one went pretty much to form. At 0-2, Sidley had a great chance to pull a goal back, but having failed to convert the chance at the far post, the ball was cleared and the visitors broke away to make it 0-3 and it was game over. The hosts did have the majority of possession in the second half, but only because Angmering had taken their foot off the gas.

London F.A. Junior Cup 4th Round

Tuesday 9th January 2018

Kick Off 20.15 Actual 20.17

Altis 1 United London 1 (2-4 pens),  attendance 91

11’ 0-1

61’ 1-1

@ London Marathon Community Track

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

London

E20 2ST

£3 Admission, including Programme, 12 pages.

This match was brought forward from Saturday, in an effort to make it a ‘Ground Hoppers match’, also being the first midweek game staged at the stadium. It certainly worked, as around 70 of those present were ‘Hoppers’. The stadium is next door to the London Stadium, now home to West Ham United, and was built to act as a warm up track when London staged the 2012 Olympic Games.

I opted to travel by car, rather than risk the long winded, and far more expensive journey by train. The only downside to this is that the nearest parking was close on 20 minutes walk away, in the Westfield Shopping Centre (£6.70 for up to 3 hours), but with the game finishing just after 22.00, I was still home before 23.25.

Altis play in the Amateur Football Combination, Senior Division 2 North (third level), whilst the visitors are from the Essex Alliance League, Premier Division. The match was pretty even, but the visitors had a great chance to win it at the death, when the Altis ‘keeper was red carded for a foul outside the box a minute into stoppage time. The resultant free kick was blazed over the crossbar, then with almost the last kick of the match, a point blank effort was also put over the bar when anything on target would surely have beaten the stand in ‘keeper. So, straight to penalties. Altis missed their first two kicks, and that was it for them, as the visitors wrapped it up by scoring their first four.