Pre Season Friendly

Saturday 15th July 2017

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 14.50

Balti Sports 2 Portland United 7,  attendance 52

@ The Thomas Hardeye School, 3G Pitch

Queen’s Avenue

Dorchester

DT1 2ET

No admission or programme.

The early kick off this morning meant plenty of time to get to a second match, even allowing for very heavy holiday traffic on a fair bit of the A31.

Balti Sports finished last season as runner up in the Dorset Premier League. Portland United were champions of the Wessex League Premier Division, which is two levels higher.

Portland missed a penalty, which was well saved, then found themselves 1-0 down, but levelled at 1-1 just before the break. It was 1-4 after 70 minutes and despite a Balti goal on 76 minutes, Portland added another three goals for a resounding win.

Pre Season Friendly

Saturday 15th July 2017

Kick Off 11.00 Actual 11.01

Andover Town 4 Downton 1,  attendance 48

@ Sparsholt College

Westley Lane

Sparsholt

Winchester

SO21 2NF

No admission or programme.

This game, between two teams from the Wessex League, never looked like producing a goal, but after Andover (Premier Division, with Downtown in Division 1) scored after 52 minutes the game opened up and it was 3-1 just eight minutes later. The final goal came five minutes from time.

Pre Season Friendly

Wednesday 12th July 2017

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.44

Dover Athletic Academy 7 Chipstead 0,  attendance 36

@ The Abbey Sports Centre, 3G Pitch

The Abbey School

London Road

Faversham

ME13 8RZ

No admission or programme.

Chipstead finished last season in third place in Division 1 West of the Kent County League. They simply had no answer to the pace of the Dover strikers and were 6-0 down at the break. It was a case of damage limitation in the second half, where they held out until the 82nd minute, but never looked like scoring one themselves.

Pre Season Friendly

Tuesday 11th July 2017

Kick Off 19.15 Actual 19.09

Redhill 4 Farleigh Rovers 2,  attendance 12

@ Coulsdon Sixth Form College

Placehouse Lane

Coulsdon

CR5 1YA

No admission or programme.

A decent match between these two Combined Counties League teams. A slightly earlier than advertised kick off, but a sensible decision as the game was played in constant rain that got heavier as the game went on and the light was fading towards the end.

Farleigh ahead three minutes in, and despite being pegged back, they edged in front again just before the break to go in 1-2 up. Redhill converted a penalty ten minutes into the second half, before goals on 70 and 82 minutes gave them the win.

Pre Season Friendly

Saturday 8th July 2017

Kick Off 13.00 Actual 12.58

Millbridge 0 St. Blazey 3,  attendance 30

@ Devenport High School for Boys, 3G Pitch

Paradise Road

Plymouth

PL1 5QP

No admission or programme.

This is the normal home venue of Millbridge, who play in the Premier Division of the Plymouth & West Devon League. The visitors play one step higher, in Division 1 West of the South West Peninsula League.

St. Blazey opened the scoring after 15 minutes, before adding two penalties on 69 and 79 minutes. Millbridge struck the bar twice when it was 0-2.

Pre-Season Friendly

Saturday 24th June 2017

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.11

A.F.C. Aldermaston 0 Woodley United 5,  attendance 22

@ Everest Community Academy, 3G Pitch

Oxford Way

Sherborne St. John

Basingstoke

RG24 9UP

No admission or programme.

This was played at a neutral venue, which is quite common for many early pre-season games these days. Sadly, another trait that is becoming all too regular, is the habit of playing the game as three thirty minute periods, rather than the proper two forty five minute halves.

As for the game, it was very good. Both teams are from the Hellenic League, the visitors one division higher than the hosts. Goals on 3, 21, 30, 59 and 71 minutes saw the higher level side win comfortably.

France

Ligue Nord Pas-de-Calais

Coupe de la Ligue Seniors Semi-Final

Saturday 3rd June 2017

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.07

A.S. Outreau Football 3 A.S. Hellemmes 3 (4-5 pens),  attendance 230

22′ 0-1

34′ 1-1 (pen)

40′ 1-2

70′ 2-2

90′ 2-3

90′ + 3, 3-3

@ Stade Municipal

Terrein D’Honneur

Rue du President Kennedy

62330 Outreau

€5 Admission

No Programme.

*Match Poster.

With the regular season over in England, it was nice to still get a game in that was only 100 miles from home. It also made a nice change to head south when exiting the tunnel, rather than east, with Outreau only half an hour drive down the coast, just to the south of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The top division of the Ligue Nord Pas-de-Calais is the fifth level of football in France, with the Coupe de a Ligue (League Cup) being contested by clubs from all four levels of the league. Today’s game was third level (champions of their division) versus fourth level (finished 4th in their division) of the league.

The match started at a very slow pace, but soon kicked into life. With the scores level at 2-2, Hellemmes had a man red carded on 81 minutes, but looked to have won it when they went in front in the last minute, but three minutes into stoppage time, Outreau levelled it up with a superb shot off the underside of the bar. Thankfully, no extra time and straight to penalties. Hellemmes went first and were up 5-4 after the first nine kicks. The final attempt for Outreau was scuffed high and wide, sending the visitors into the final, where they will face F.C. Bondues.

Easy drive back to the tunnel and quickly through security, which enabled us to board a train slightly earlier than we were booked on. Even allowing for the time difference, despite the game only finishing at 21.10, I was back in the house for 22.45 !

Wearside League

Shipowners Charity Cup Final

Saturday 27th May 2017

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59

Richmond Town 2 Cleator Moor Celtic 4,  attendance 349

6′ 0-1

48′ 1-1

53′ 1-2

66′ 2-2

88′ 2-3

89′ 2-4

@ Earls Orchard

Sleegill

Richmond

DL10 4RH

£2 Admission

£1 Programme, 12 pages.

As the season draws to a close, it gets harder to pick a game where teams will actually turn up and play the matches. With this being a cup final, it was more likely to go ahead. Richmond had tweeted about the game earlier in the week, whilst the visitors had tweeted that they were running a supporters coach to the match, so it was game on. The visitors coach arrived just after 13.30, with a fair number on board clearly having consumed plenty of alcohol en route, disembarking and immediately urinating amongst the trees alongside the car park. A group of at least twenty of them then proceeded to walk along the path next to the river, before jumping over the fence into the ground in order to avoid paying the £2 entrance fee. So much for charity !

An excellent game ensued between the teams that finished fourth and third in the league, Cleator Moor having won the two league meetings between them, so the win was not unexpected and was achieved despite being drawn away in every round. It was the third time they have now won this competition, having lifted the cup in 2008 and 2013.

During the halftime break,there was a huge thunderstorm, with lightning and hail, which left water standing on the pitch. The Referee wouldn’t restart the match until the lightning stopped, so halftime lasted 39 minutes.

Belgium

West Vlaanderen Provincial 2A Eindronde

Promotion Play Off Semi Final 2nd Leg

Thursday 25th May 2017

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.02

K. Excelsior Zedelgem 3 K.F.C. Varsenare 2 (3-3 aggregate, Varsenare win on away goals),  attendance 203

17′ 1-0

50′ 2-0

60′ 3-0

63′ 3-1(og)

77′ 3-2

@ Stadionlaan 48

De Groene Meersen

8210 Zedelgem

€6 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Having stayed overnight in Dadizele, it was not much more than half an hours drive east to Zedelgem. With it being a public holiday in Belgium today, it meant a choice of three matches which were 15.00 kick offs. We plumped for the highest level match of the three, where the visitors would start the game leading 1-0 from the first leg.

When Zedelgem went 3-0 up, it looked like job done, but a goal just three minutes later for Varsenare meant the tie was still in the balance. When they pulled it back to 3-2, it was a case of them holding what they had, therefore taking the tie on ‘away goals’

Having suffered a 22 minute delay on the outbound journey on the tunnel yesterday, it was more of the same on the way home. We were booked on the 19.20 crossing, covering ourselves in case our match went to extra time, but it was total chaos as we arrived back in Calais and we eventually departed at 20.42.

Belgium

West Vlaanderen Provincial 2B Eindronde

Promotion Play Off Semi Final 2nd Leg

Wednesday 24th May 2017

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.31

V.K. Dadizele 1 R. Dottignies Sports 1 (3-2 aggregate),  attendance 445

26′ 0-1 (og)

30′ 1-1

@ Oliekotstraat

8890 Dadizele

€6 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Apparently, Dadizele normally get around 70 spectators for home matches, so tonight’s turnout was pretty impressive, even for a play off. Having won 1-2 at Dottignies, Dadizele always had the slight advantage, especially with the ‘away goals’ rule counting in the tie.

With the game level at 1-1, Dadizele had a player red carded on 61 minutes, then managed to get a second man dismissed eight minutes later. Dottignies failed to take advantage of the extra two players and then had a player sent off themselves on 84 minutes, but with the game now being 9 v 10, it was easier for Dadizele to hold out and go through to the final.

With tomorrow (Thursday) being a holiday in Belgium, it meant rather than racing back home at the final whistle, it was an opportunity for an overnight stop and a chance to take in another match, which would be between the two teams that were hoping to advance and play Dadizele for the final promotion place into Provincial 1.