Staffordshire County Senior League

Division 1

Monday 6th November 2017

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.34

Keele University 4 Walsall Phoenix Reserves 1,  attendance 28

28’ 1-0

39’ 2-0

60’ 3-0

79’ 3-1

89’ 4-1

@ Keele University Sports Centre, 3G Pitch

Keele University

ST5 5BD

No Admission or Programme.

I had seen a game at Keele University before (Port Vale 1 Stoke City 1, in a Midland Youth Alliance match on 10th October 1992) but that was played on a grass pitch, in a different part of the University Campus. On a Saturday, Keele play their matches on a railed off grass pitch inside an athletics track, which is behind one end of the 3G cage, running the opposite way, so this was a good opportunity to do a game on the less frequently used synthetic pitch. It was not a ‘normal’ caged pitch as there was a small seated stand and also proper dugouts on the opposite side.

It took a while for Keele to make the breakthrough, but once they edged in front it was a comfortable win.

Belgium

National League

Division 2 Amateurs V.F.V. A

Sunday 5th November 2017

Kick Off 14.30  On Time.

K.Sint-Eloois-Winkel Sport 3 V.K. Westhoek 1,  attendance 273

32’ 1-0

44’ 2-0

67’ 3-0 (pen)

79’ 3-1 (pen)

@ Ter Schuerenpark

Vlaschaardlaan 89

8880 Ledegem

€10 Admission (although no one in the pay box at 13.20 so not charged)

Team Sheet, free.

This was the second nearest Belgian League Ground for me from home, being just 150 miles drive each way. It was 7th v 5th, the visitors being quite local,  a merged club of K.V.K. Ieper and B.S. Poperinge, playing at the home of the former.

It was a bit of a slow burner and Westhoek only seemed to be interested when it was too late to do anything about it. Winkel certainly deserved the win and have stopped places with the visitors in the league table following this win.

We were booked on the 19.20 return, but were offered an earlier service at 19.06 when we arrived at check in. However, once through to the loading area, it became apparent that there was no 19.06 train and we actually failed to leave until 19.28 ! One day Eurotunnel might get the hang of running to a timetable, but after 20 years of practice they are far from achieving this.

Southern Combination League

Division 2

Saturday 4th November 2017

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Jarvis Brook 1 Upper Beeding 0,  attendance 26

38’ 1-0

@ Limekiln Playing Fields

Palesgate Lane

Crowborough

TN6 3HG

No Admission or Programme.

I had visited this venue previously, back on 5th May 2008, when I saw Jarvis Brook 1 Old Varndeanians 1, in a Mid Sussex League, Premier Division match. That day, the match was played on the nearest of two pitches that are behind the hedge that runs behind the goal at the bottom end of the current ground.

The club have now railed off the pitch next to the clubhouse, which is far better situated, but does have a slope from end to end and the pitch drops away towards the side where the dugouts are. The club tweeted that the pitch had passed an inspection just after 11 o’clock, following early morning rain, and with no further rain forecast, it was game on.

It was a very tight game, perhaps expected, being 2nd v 5th in the league table, but the result could have gone either way. The team attacking down the slope were always on top, with the hosts managing to nick it with a cracking shot into the top corner from just inside the 18 yard box.

Belgium

Liege Provincial 2A

Wednesday 1st November 2017

Kick Off 17.30 Actual 17.34

R. Entente Hesbignonne Braives 5 R. Couthuin Sports 1,  attendance 153

10’ 1-0

12’ 2-0

21’ 3-0

24’ 3-1

29’ 4-1

52’ 5-1

@ Rue de Brivioulle

4260 Braives

No Admission * or Programme.

This fixture was a late change from the standard afternoon kick off time. We only spotted it on Tuesday afternoon and a quick look at the map told us it would give us a nice easy double. It was less than 50 minutes drive from Warsage and a diversion of less than 10 miles off our route home, so perfect.

*There is no pay gate at the entrance, but when grounds are like this, they normally come round during the match to collect the admission money, but I never saw this happen.

Braives are top of the league, having won 9 of their first 10 league games before tonight, whilst Couthuin were 8th. The game was over as a contest after 20 minutes, although the visitors did score the goal of the game, a 25 yard overhead kick following a challenge with the ‘keeper just outside the box.

It was a long day out, but worth it to get two games in. We had left on the 07.50 from Folkestone and having had a good run back to Calais, managed to get the 22.19 return, rather than the 22.50 we were booked on. Unfortunately, the M20 was closed on the way home, meaning a large portion of the gained time was lost with a diversion through Maidstone Town Centre.

Belgium

Liege Provincial 1

Wednesday 1st November 2017

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.32

F.C. Warsage 0 Union Clubs Espagnols Liège 3,  attendance 121

31’ 0-1

57’ 0-2

64’ 0-3

@ Stade Roger Claessen

Rue Thier Saive (entrance via Crucifix Bouillon)

4608 Dalhem

€6 Admission

No Programme.

Today was All Saints Day, which meant that some provinces of Belgium would be scheduling fixtures. Even better, they would be afternoon kick offs.

It was 14th v 9th in the league table, with both these clubs being promoted into Provincial 1 for this season. From the off, there only looked like being one winner here, which is how it turned out. Warsage only looked like scoring when it was 0-3, but their good spell never lasted long enough to give them hope of an unexpected comeback.

The ground is named after Roger Claessen, who was born in Warsage and voted the all time greatest player ever to represent R. Standard Liège, in a poll of their supporters. The pitch here has a huge end to end slope and is lacking in any cover if it rains. On the right, when approaching the ground entrance, there is a railed off 3G pitch, with floodlights, but perhaps more crucially, a small section of covered terrace. It wouldn’t be a great surprise if Warsage move their first team fixtures onto this pitch at some time in the future.

Combined Counties League

Premier Division

Tuesday 31st October 2017

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.46

C.B. Hounslow United 0 Camberley Town 1,  attendance 72

57’ 0-1

@ Green Lane

Hounslow

TW4 6DH

£6 Admission

£1 Programme, 40 pages (double issue with game on Saturday 4th November).

The ‘C.B.’ stands for Cater Bank, which was the company owned by the father of the current Chairman. According to the match programme, it has taken 17 years of fund raising and negotiation to enable the club to finally get a ground of their own, after many years of ground shares. The new ground is ok, as far as new builds go, and the pitch is absolutely superb and hard to tell that it is real grass, rather than artificial, due to the immaculate appearance. Sadly, once again, the social side of the layout is awful. Everything from toilets/clubhouse/tea bar are outside the ground, which must greatly affect the takings, especially for the tea bar, as it is on the far side of the building and has the slowest service imaginable.

As for the match, it was really poor and looked like a 0-0 banker. Hounslow missed a stoppage time penalty, that was well saved, but they didn’t really deserve a point had it gone in. The boredom of the match meant plenty of time to view the endless stream of airplanes coming low over the ground as they make their approach into nearby London Heathrow Airport, with the gap at roughly 90 seconds between planes for the entirety of the game and something that would be far better seen at a non floodlit match from a plane spotters view.

This once again completes visits to all the Combined Counties League grounds, although technically I do still need Walton & Hersham at their new ground, but as it is also home to Walton Casuals, who play at a higher level, then I would rather save my first visit for one of their home games.

Belgium

Brabant Provincial 1 V.F.V.

Sunday 29th October 2017

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 14.59

K.F.C. Meise 2 V.C. Houtem-Oplinter 2,  attendance 106

19’ 1-0

39’ 2-0

83’ 2-1

84’ 2-2

@ Sportpark De Nekker

Sint-Annastraat 29

1860 Meise

€8 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Meise are newly promoted into Provincial 1. The visitors are a merged club, last season being V.V. Houtem (Prov 1) and K. Arsenal Oplinter (Prov 2).

They are both struggling this season, today being bottom of the league table v third bottom. Meise have only managed 2 points from their first six matches, but they blew a great chance of getting their first win of the season today and in the end were lucky to hold onto a point.

Eurotunnel were once again struggling to cope on a busy weekend, due to it being the end of the schools half term. Our booked 08.20 shuttle was cancelled and we were placed on the 08.31, which failed to leave until 08.44. Still problems on the way back, as our booked 19.36 departure didn’t depart until 19.50.

Surrey Elite Intermediate League

Saturday 28th October 2017

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03

N.P.L. 1 A.F.C. Spelthorne Sports 2,  attendance 22

28’ 0-1

40’ 0-2

79’ 1-2

@ N.P.L. Sports Club

Queens Road

Teddington

TW11 0LZ

No Admission or Programme.

N.P.L. stands for National Physical Laboratory. I arrived here to find a game in progress,(another one followed it at 3pm) on a pitch to the right of the entrance, The main pitch here is to the left, being nearest the cricket pavilion, clubhouse and football changing rooms. There are also tennis courts beyond the far touchline.

This was a mid table battle, being 7th v 8th. Spelthorne just about edged it, although they did survive a 90th minute penalty miss, that was well saved by the ‘keeper and a ridiculous eleven minutes of stoppage time, to take the points.

Arthurian League

Arthur Dunn Cup 1st Round

Saturday 28th October 2017

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.05

Old Sennockians 2 Old Cholmeleians 1,  attendance 3

3’ 0-1

57’ 1-1

66’ 2-1

@ Barn Elms Sports Centre, Pitch 5

Queen Elizabeth Walk

Barnes

London

SW13 9SA

No Admission or Programme.

This was probably my last Saturday double until March, unless I take in a floodlit match as part 2, but I prefer to save those grounds for midweek. The league website had the venue as Barn Elms Playing Fields, but that is the first set of pitches along the driveway on the right. The game was actually at the Barn Elms Sports Centre, which is a mixture of rugby and football pitches and is 100 yards further along the road. There was another noon kick off on the adjacent pitch, as well as four more games due to kick off at 2pm. There were also 6 rugby games, one of them being Barnes first XV, where there is a small seated stand. Clearly visible, on the other side of the Thames, is Craven Cottage, home to Fulham F.C. Despite it not getting dark until around 6 o’clock, the floodlights were on at 1.30pm, as they were hosting Bolton Wanderers at 3pm.

The main event, as far as I was concerned, was 5th in Division 3 v 5th in Division 1, the hosts only having the bare eleven players, whilst the visitors at least managed a substitute, although apparently he was injured, although he did come on for the last twenty minutes. Two very poor sides, lacking in many of the basics. The game was won when a defender hacked a clearance from near the halfway line and it sailed over the ‘keeper who appeared to totally misjudge where he was and had he taken a step backwards, could have easily tipped it over. We were spared extra time when the visitors smashed an effort off the crossbar with the last kick of the match.

Hellenic League

Premier Division

Wednesday 25th September 2017

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.48

Royal Wootton Bassett Town 0 Oxford City Nomads 5,  attendance 72

8’ 0-1

44’ 0-2

50’ 0-3

79’ 0-4

86’ 0-5

@ Gerard Buxton Sports Ground

Brinkworth Road

Royal Wootton Bassett

SN4 8DS

£6 Admission

£1.50 Programme, 60 pages.

I had visited Wootton Bassett previously, before the ‘Royal’ was added, to take in a match at their old ground. They took a hammering that night as well, losing 0-4 versus Abingdon United, again in Hellenic League, Premier Division, on 24th September 2002. Oddly, it was just three days after I made my first visit to the ground I had been to this afternoon.

Despite being a relatively new ground, it is poorly laid out. Neither the clubhouse(which is really in the cricket club) or the toilets are within the fence surrounding the ground and the floodlights were really poor and must be some of the dimmest anywhere at Step 5. The photos don’t really show how bad the lights were to the naked eye.

I very rarely look at my match programme until I get home, but it is a pretty good effort, with plenty of reading amongst the mammoth 60 pages. Only one criticism really, it needed being more up to date, as the results page was 11 days behind. It would be far better to do a programme half the size and bang up to date and therefore more relevant to the match.

The result was rather unexpected, as it was 8th v 15th at start of play. Bassett had only lost one of their last twelve matches, but were flattered by the 0-5 score. It could easily have been double figures and a red card for the hosts, on 65 minutes, just rounded off a bad night for them.

Tonights visit completes the Hellenic League, Premier Division once more.