City University London 2 University Essex 3rds 1, attendance 6
8’ 1-0
38’ 1-1
63’ 2-1
@ Salisbury Hall Playing Fields, 3G Pitch
Walthamstow Avenue
Walthamstow
London
E4 8ST
No Admission or Programme.
This was 2nd versus 1st in the league table and what is now becoming an all too often occurrence at BUCS games, a colour clash meant the home team played in bibs.
City went ahead early, finishing a through ball with a shot through the ’keeper’s legs, with Essex drawing level shortly before halftime, when a quick break down the right, ended with a pass across the six yard box for a side foot finish at the far post. The hosts got the winner just after the hour mark with a 20 yard effort curled into the top corner. City cut the lead at the top to a single point with this win, whilst Westminster are third, a further point back, but having played a game more than the top two.
The ground is accessed via the car park of Sainsbury’s (it is also where you park, which is free for 3 hours), going through a gate to the right hand side of the store. Spectator access inside the cage is along half of one side, although the middle section of this has a high fence, so in effect the viewing section is only a quarter of the pitch length.
A.F.C. Wimbledon 2 Cheltenham Town 2, attendance 6,138 (277 away)
8’ 1-0
31’ 1-1
34’ 1-2 (pen)
80’ 2-2
@ The Cherry Red Records Stadium
Plough Lane
Wimbledon
London
SW17 0NR
£28 Admission*
£3 Programme, didn’t bother buying.
*Having only decided late this afternoon to come here, rather than buying a ticket online, I decided to buy one at the stadium. They were actually sold from a table under the main stand, accessed via a manned gate to the left of the entrance. The ticket seller was unable to get an internet connection, meaning I was unable to pay by card, but was given the ticket free of charge as ”its our system which is at fault. Enjoy the game.” A nice touch!
Tonight would once again see ’The 92’ recompleted and clubs with Wimbledon in their name have certainly come up trumps for me as far as ground visits for Football League clubs go. Back in February 1989 I saw Wimbledon beat Grimsby Town 3-1 in an F.A. Cup 5th Round match, played at the old Plough Lane ground (later seeing their reserves play a home game there in October 1994 and another in September 1995). On 7th September 1991, when they were ground sharing at Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace F.C, I saw them beat Luton Town 3-0 in a Division 1 match (what is now the Premier League) in front of just 3,231 spectators, and what was the lowest ever crowd for a top tier game in England at the time, although they went on to ’beat’ this figure with an even lower crowd later in the season. By the time I next watched them, the club had uprooted to Milton Keynes, where I saw them beat Bradford City 2-1 in a Division 1 match on 1st November 2003, which was played at the National Hockey Stadium, another ground no longer with us. The club were later rebranded and are now Milton Keynes Dons.
The next time I saw ’Wimbledon’ at home, it was for an A.F.C. Wimbledon game on 4th October 2011, in an Associate Members Cup game versus Stevenage, played at Kingsmeadow Stadium in Kingston upon Thames, where they won 4-3 on penalties, after drawing 2-2 at the end of normal time. This season they have moved into the brand new Cherry Red Records Stadium, built on what was formerly Wimbledon Stadium (Greyhounds/Speedway) and just a few hundred yards from the old Plough Lane. It is all seated (although the home end has a section of ’safe standing’) with a capacity of 9,215 which is perfectly adequate for the crowds they attract. It would certainly win no awards for it’s exterior looks. In fact, it looks more like a shopping centre than a football stadium. Once inside though, it is smart and modern, although the rake of seating is poor and unless you are near the back of the main stand (the other three sides are much lower in height) then the view is not great. My original seat was in row D, the furthest back from the pitch that was available,(thankfully there were plenty of empty seats to move to) and was great if you want to see the back of the substitutes warming up in front of you, or you like watching the action at the far end by peering through a gaggle of managers/coaches stood in the technical areas. I would certainly recommend sitting as near to the back of whichever stand you are in, unless actually ’watching the game’ isn’t a top priority.
I wasn’t expecting too much from tonight’s match, as both teams were hovering just above the relegation zone, as 20th hosted 17th in the league table, although when they met here in the F.A. Cup earlier in the season it had finished 4-3 to the hosts. A bright start by both teams, along with an early goal for Wimbledon, helped the game from a neutral point of view. Cheltenham responded to going behind by deciding to use a very, shall we say, physical approach. It certainly worked for them, although it wasn’t pretty to watch. They levelled just after the half hour, then went ahead from the penalty spot just three minutes later. Wimbledon didn’t make it 2-2 until ten minutes from time, but then absolutely battered Cheltenham right up until the final whistle, piling on the pressure, but just coming up short of nicking it. If only they had shown this spirit a little earlier, then they would have surely taken all three points. I thought the Referee had an absolute shocker, but he is one of the few officials that have actually managed to get the game started on time, which is a real rarity these days.
I had parked in Avondale Road, (could have parked even closer with hindsight) where the parking restrictions finish at 18.30, from where it was an easy twelve minute walk to the stadium. Despite the game not finishing until 21.43 I was still home for 22.32.
Fleckney Athletic have struggled somewhat since gaining promotion into this division. They were sitting second bottom in the league table last season, when Covid-19 caused the season to be brought to a premature halt, having won just one of their ten games played at the time. This season, they have made little improvement, sitting bottom of the table, with just two wins from their twenty matches played coming into this.
The visitors, starting the day fifth in the table, were just too strong. Fleckney competed well, but just lacked that little bit of quality in the final third. Blaby & Whetstone were good value for their 0-2 halftime lead and they put the game out of reach when they added a third goal eleven minutes into the second half.
Leicester Football Education Academy U21 2 A.F.C. Rushden & Diamonds U21 1, attendance 21
26’ 1-0
49’ 2-0
56’ 2-1
@ Jubilee Park
Barkby Thorpe Lane
Thurmaston
LE4 8GN
No Admission or Programme.
This was the first game I had watched in this league, with 7th hosting 5th (out of 10) in the table. LFEA went ahead after twenty six minutes, with a shot from the edge of the box that found the bottom corner and they looked to be coasting to a comfortable win when they doubled their lead four minutes into the second half. R&D pulled it back to 2-1 within seven minutes, before going down to 10 men following a sin bin a few minutes later. They survived with a man light, and once back to the full compliment, pushed hard for an equaliser, but just couldn’t beat the home ’keeper, who put in a man of the match performance to keep them out.
Richmond Town 1 Shildon Reserves 1, attendance 155
52’ 1-0
70’ 1-1
@ The Dave Clark Arena
Richmond School
Darlington Road
Richmond
DL10 7BQ
£3 Admission
No Programme.
The Dave Clark Arena is actually just a 3G cage with a spectator area along three quarters of one side of the pitch. Despite tonight’s match only being 10th versus 13th in the league table, it attracted a superb crowd of 155, although it means many get a poor view, such is the layout at these awful set ups, that are not really fit for purpose when more than one man and his dog turn up. It is certainly not a patch on their old ground, but then again, not many grounds are, although it was more about the backdrop of the imposing Richmond Castle towering above it, rather than the ground itself. I saw Richmond Town lose 2-4 to Cleator Moor Celtic in the Shipowners Charity Cup Final there on 27th May 2017, in front of 349 spectators.
Above :Their former Earls Orchard ground.
The two sides were evenly matched and although both teams hit the crossbar, it was still goalless at the break. Richmond broke the deadlock seven minutes into the second half, when former Middlesbrough Youth team player Nathan Fisher (also played in Scottish League for Gretna and at Chester-le-Street Town and Gateshead amongst a handful of North East clubs) fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Shildon levelled when a through ball was touched past the on rushing ’keeper with twenty minutes left. Richmond had an effort clip the outside of the post in stoppage time, but the draw was a fair result.
Photo opportunities were limited tonight, because if you moved from your viewing point, then you wouldn’t get your place back.
Chippenham Town 3 St. Albans City 1, attendance 449
17’ 1-0
41’ 2-0
65’ 3-0
72’ 3-1
@ Hardenhuish Park
Bristol Road
Chippenham
SN14 6LR
£13 Admission
£3 Programme, didn’t bother buying.
Having been in Somerset this afternoon, it seemed the ideal time to revisit a ground I hadn’t been to since 1st January 1993, when I saw Chippenham Town draw 2-2 with Frome Town in a Western League Premier Division match. The club had been using social media to push the fact that you could buy tickets online in advance, up until 5 o’clock this evening, but it was actually more expensive than paying at the turnstile, so I can’t see why anyone would bother, especially as it was possible to pay by cash or card on the gate. I remembered very little about the ground. It has certainly got character a plenty, along with it’s end to end sloping pitch, but it is not great for actually getting a decent view of the game. There are just too many pillars and it doesn’t help that the floodlight pylons on one side of the ground are inside the pitch surround.
The match was between two teams just outside the play off places, as 9th hosted 8th in the league table. If they were to win their games in hand, St. Albans could go within two points of leaders Dorking Wanderers. Chippenham have played more games than all the clubs above them, so are less likely to be in the mix come season’s end.
Chippenham went ahead after seventeen minutes, a shot across the ’keeper finding the far corner of the net. They doubled their lead four minutes before halftime when a blocked tackle saw the ball break for a left footed finish from the edge of the box. Midway through the second half it was 3-0, when a cracking 25 yarder looped over the ’keeper into the top corner. St. Albans did pull one back, but never threatened to take a share of the points.
Had I known beforehand that my route home would see the M4 being closed from Junction 17-16 and then Junction 12-11, as well as the M3 from Junction 3-2, then I may have headed straight home from Bristol City U23’s and done something more local instead.
Bristol City U23 1 Charlton Athletic U23 2, attendance 128
32’ 0-1
80’ 0-2
86’ 1-2
@ Robins High Performance Centre, Stadium Pitch
Cleveland Road
Failand
BS8 3TN
Admission Free, Print at Home Ticket
Team Sheet, free.
I had seen Bristol City U18 lose 0-1 to Chelsea U18 back on 5th September 2009, where the game was played at the Q.E.H. Sports Ground. Car parking is still at this ground, but the new Robins High Performance Centre has been built next door, towards Bristol, with a main Stadium Pitch that has just over 300 seats. Admission is free, but you have to book a ticket online.
Today’s game was poor. Charlton created far more chances and were deserved winners. The opening goal came from a follow in on a shot that came back off the crossbar and their second was a tap in at the far post, after the ball was played across the six yard box. The late City goal, followed in after the ’keeper parried a shot from the edge of the box, was little more than a consolation.
Queens Park Crescents 0 Stotfold 5, attendance 125
10’ 0-1
27’ 0-2
34’ 0-3
63’ 0-4
73’ 0-5
@ Allen Park
Old Ford End Road
Bedford
MK40 4LY
No Admission or Programme.
This was 9th in Bedfordshire County League Premier Division (Step 7) versus 1st in Spartan South Midlands League Division 1 (Step 6). I had seen QPC away at Oakley United in an earlier round of the competition (they were losing 3-2 when the game was abandoned due to an horrific injury to an Oakley player, before getting through on penalties, after a 4-4 draw, when the game was rescheduled) and had been impressed with them. They played some really good football and were third in the league table at the time.
Today, however, they were easily blown away by the visitors. In fact, I don’t recall them even having a shot on target. It was very disappointing game to watch as a neutral and never looked like there was ever a chance of a cup upset. The game was all over before we were even half an hour in, as Stotfold went 0-2 up and soon added another to make it 0-3 at halftime. The second half was more of the same, with Stotfold adding two more, both scored by Kersey, to complete his hat trick. I can’t imagine too many teams have had such an easy game to reach a cup final.
Dover Athletic U19 2 Welling United U19 2, attendance 9
17’ 1-0
62’ 1-1
66’ 1-2
86’ 2-2
@ Baldon Sports Ground
Eltham Palace Road
Lee
London
SE9 5LU
No Admission or Programme.
Although this was a Dover Athletic home game, it was played in South East London, at a ground Welling United use for their academy games when not using the main stadium at Park View Road.
The match was 5th versus 11th (2nd bottom) in the league table and was an excellent match of very high quality. Dover opened the scoring with a superb goal. The ball was played forward to a striker, who with back to goal, flicked the ball up and swivelled to volley an unstoppable shot that dipped over the ‘keeper into the far corner of the net. Pretty much a carbon copy of the goal Thierry Henry scored for Arsenal against Manchester United at Highbury back in 2000.
Welling turned the game round with two goals in five minutes just after the hour mark, the first a shot from the edge of the box and the second a cracking 30 yarder that flew over the ‘keeper. Dover deservedly drew level with four minutes left, scrambling in a corner from close range, but they will be disappointed to have only taken a draw from a game where they were the better side for long periods.
Hampton & Richmond Borough 2 Braintree Town 4, attendance 657
20’ 1-0 (pen)
22’ 1-1
30’ 1-2
37’ 1-3
81’ 2-3
88’ 2-4
@ The Beveree Stadium
Beaver Close
off Station Road
Hampton
TW12 2BX
Free Admission (normally £14)
£1 minimum donation for Programme (from original date) Didn’t bother buying.
With no new grounds available to me tonight, I had whittled down to a couple of choices for revisits. Here, or nearby Molesey, who were hosting Jersey Bulls. I went for this as it was free admission (still had to book a ticket online, but just counted in by a hand clicker on arrival, so didn’t need it) which came about due to the original game being abandoned (with Braintree leading 0-1 at the time) before the rescheduled match was postponed not long before kick off. So they were hoping it would be third time lucky. My only other visit here was to see Hampton 0 Brentford 8 in a pre season friendly back on 19th July 1995 and I remembered nothing whatsoever about the ground. It is a bit of a hotch potch of six separate bits of cover and tightly hemmed in. In those days Hampton were only in Isthmian League Division 2, whilst Brentford were in the ‘old’ Second Division, so quite a rise for the two clubs in the intervening 27 years.
Tonight’s match was 15th versus 21st (bottom). Braintree started off much the better side, but H&RB went in front from the penalty spot, totally against the run of play. By halftime the visitors had turned it round, to lead 1-3, but they could easily have doubled this, such was their dominance. The second half never matched the free flowing, end to end, nature of the first. A late goal for the hosts, making it 2-3 with nine minutes left, livened it up though. Braintree didn’t sit back and try to hang on, but instead replied with a fourth goal two minutes from time, breaking down the right and playing the ball across the box, where the ‘keeper was beaten emphatically to make it 2-4. Braintree deservedly took all three points and climb off the bottom of the table as a result.
