With last nights instruction from the F.A. that ‘all friendlies ‘should’ be played without spectators’ extended to include all clubs from Step 1 to Step 7, even if they are the away team, meant it would be much harder to find games to go to now.
Of course, it is very hard to stop people watching a game at a public park or recreation ground anyway, if not impossible, unless they cancel matches at all unenclosed grounds. The most ridiculous thing about this though, is where cricket and football clubs share a ground. Spectators are welcome at the cricket, but not the football!
No problem tonight though. Bramley United are a Sunday team, playing in the Basingstoke & District League, whilst Headley United are in the Hampshire Premier League Division 1, which is Step 8, although their club Twitter claim they are step 7!
Chigwell Town are in the Essex Alliance, with Theydon being a Sunday team, playing in the Essex Corinthian League. The ground is home to Abridge Village, who are in the same league as Theydon.
The earlier game had kicked off late, but with this being less than four miles away, it meant I still arrived at 14.21 and the game then kicked off eight minutes late anyway.
This was Essex Olympian League versus Essex Alliance League. Jolof Sports always looked the better team and were physically fitter and stronger in all areas. The draw certainly flattered Epping.
The venue is a large playing field. When you enter, there is the car park and changing room/reception buildings, with a floodlit athletics track to the left. This is where Woodford Town are supposedly going to be ‘building’ their new ground, although there is no evidence of this at the moment and the pitch is in an absolutely dreadful state. Beyond this is a synthetic hockey pitch, then a huge expanse of grass, with the pitch used today being in the far left hand corner, running parallel with the M11, which is behind the trees along the left hand touchline. There were two other games taking place on adjacent pitches.
Above : The goal posts could do with a lick of paint!
It was 20 weeks ago today that I last watched a match ‘live’, meaning a run of 139 blank days without football, as a result of restrictions imposed following the Covid-19 pandemic. It was good to get out to watch some sport again, even if it was just for a friendly.
The match was Mid Essex League versus Essex Alliance League. Debden Park were always on top, but Dagenham kept it close throughout. Despite it being very hot, the game was played with just a quick drinks break midway through each half.
Despite it being a ‘cage’, it shows just what can be done with a little bit of thought as far as spectator viewing is concerned. Two decent sections of bench seating built into the grass banking meant this felt like a proper ground.
Haughley United 1 Henley Athletic 2 (AET), attendance 96
60’ 1-0 (pen)
76’ 1-1
118’ 1-2
@ National Playing Field
Green Road
Haughley
IP14 3QZ
No Admission or Programme.
It looked like the mass hysteria and scaremongering on the news and social media was going to present a problem with getting any football played today, but thankfully, a number of leagues pressed ahead with fixtures, as the country will be shutdown completely soon enough, so games will then be called off when they actually need to be. One thing that was noticeable was how quiet the M25 was. In fact, until I got to the Dartford Crossing I had cruised along at 70 m.p.h. not needing to use the outside lane at all. It is the first time I have ever driven there without any queuing traffic (usually at least a couple of junctions on the approach) and it all seemed really odd.
Both clubs and the league had tweeted that the game was on, with this being the League Cup (Morrison Freight Trophy as far as sponsorship is concerned) Semi Final, which was between the teams in second and third place in the league table of the Senior Division, level on points, but with Haughley having a goal difference better by four.
As expected, it was a very even contest, but I didn’t expect the game to produce so few chances, especially in the first half. Haughley went ahead on the hour mark, when their young centre forward was fouled and he took the penalty himself, calmly slotting in the opening goal. The game opened up, as Henley pushed for an equaliser. It came sixteen minutes from the end. A free kick on the corner of the 18 yard box was chipped towards the six yard box and the ball was volleyed into the top corner of the net. No more goals in normal time, and it looked like there would be none in extra time either, but with just two minutes left, a corner from the right wasn’t cleared and the ball was smashed into the net from 20 yards to give Henley a late winner. There was still time for Haughley to finish the game with ten men, when their No.5 finally received a second yellow card, which should have come well before the fifth minute of stoppage time that it did! Haughley were denied a penalty eight minutes into stoppage time, when the Henley ‘keeper clattered a home striker having failed to punch a corner clear. At any other stage in the match I’m sure the Referee would have given it.
University Roehampton 1 Royal Holloway University 11, attendance 3
9’ 0-1
11’ 1-1
14’ 1-2
23’ 1-3
36’ 1-4
42’ 1-5
44’ 1-6
59’ 1-7
80’ 1-8
82’ 1-9
84’ 1-10
88’ 1-11
@ Bank of England Sports Centre
Bank Lane
off Priory Lane
Roehampton
London
SW15 5JT
No Admission or Programme.
I saw a game at The Bank of England Sports Ground, as it was called then, on 7th February 1995, when I saw a representative match where The Southern Amateur League ‘B‘ beat The Arthurian League 2-0. That match was played on the main pitch, which is immediately on the left as you enter the complex, running lengthways away from the very impressive looking main building that is raised above the near goal end, separated by a grass bank and the driveway. I had only recently found out that Roehampton played their games here on a different pitch to this. In fact, it couldn’t be any further away. It is in the far left hand corner, hemmed in by tennis courts and a good 500 yards away from the main pitch.
Today’s fixture was the only game versus first team opposition that Roehampton would play this season, and was the final match in this division. It was bottom of the table (on minus 6 points) versus top, so it wasn’t likely to be a very close contest. Royal Holloway took an early lead, but Roehampton soon levelled. Within minutes Holloway were back in front and by halftime they had rattled in another four goals, as well as missing a penalty, to lead 1-6. Roehampton had started with the bare eleven players, but just before halftime three substitutes arrived and all three entered the game for the second half. It certainly made it a more even match, as they looked far better than the players they had replaced, but eventually the team tired and Royal Holloway comfortably took their goal tally into double figures.
Above : The Roehampton ’keeper saves a first half penalty.
Shepshed Dynamo 2 Pinchbeck United 1, attendance 95 (official 110)
33’ 1-0
40’ 1-1
70’ 2-1
@ Aylestone Park F.C. 3G Pitch
Mary Linwood Ground
Saffron Lane
Leicester
LE2 6TG
£7 Admission
£1.50 Programme, 32 pages (from original match on 15th February with an insert cover added)
Shepshed had tweeted earlier this morning that they may switch the game from their own ground, to that of Aylestone Park F.C., depending how the 13.30 pitch inspection went. It didn’t go well, so it was indeed switched. The only problem was, that neither Shepshed or Pinchbeck bothered to mention on their Twitter that it was being played on the 3G pitch here (there are also two floodlit grass pitches), but after a bit of investigation, it was confirmed that it was indeed on the plastic.
The pitch is railed along the near side and has a small section of cover which has two rows of bench seating, but the view from here is poor due to the fences running intermittently along the side of the pitch. Apart from the main clubhouse, there is a separate tea bar at the entrance to the cage, so you didn’t need to traipse all the way back past the main pitch at halftime. Unfortunately, both teams and the three officials went back to the changing rooms though, so it was 20.54 before the second half got underway. I don’t watch much football at Step 5 these days, certainly not for a first time visit, so had forgotten how expensive it is….£7 to watch a game in a cage seemed excessive, but I suppose this is what non-league football has come to these days. Then again, some of the organised ground hops charge £5 to stand in a field or public park at far lower levels than this, so……
The game didn’t really appeal, apart from it being at a ground I hadn’t visited, with Shepshed sitting fourth in the league table and looking near certainties to win it, such is the amount of games they have in hand over the teams above them. It would take a failure of some scale for them to blow it. Pinchbeck, on the other hand, are bottom of the table, with just one win from their twenty matches!
Shepshed wasted chance after chance, perhaps because it was too easy, but finally broke the deadlock just after the half hour mark when a cross from the left was swept into the net. Pinchbeck offered absolutely nothing, but out of the blue they levelled it up at 1-1 five minutes before halftime, when a 25 yard free kick was fired into the top corner, but the ‘keeper should have really saved it. The second half was much of the same and Shepshed got the winner with twenty minutes left, when a fumble by the ‘keeper was followed in from close range.
K. Standaard S.V. Denderleeuw 2 Zeveren Sportief 3, attendance 84
41’ 1-0 (pen)
59’ 2-0
63’ 2-1 (pen)
66’ 2-2
86’ 2-3
@ Stadion Armand De Pelsmaeker
Walleken 18
9470 Denderleeuw
€5 Admission
No Programme.
The driver and the other two passengers were heading for a game at Brabant Provincial 2 club V.C. Leeuwkens Teralfene today, which I had visited back in January 2015, so I needed to find an alternative. I came up with the match here in Denderleeuw, which despite the two grounds being only two miles apart, it is in the province of Oost Vlaanderen.
The match was 10th versus 9th in the league table, so it didn’t have a lot riding on it, but it turned out to be a cracking match, eventually…… It was a pretty dull first half, which apart from each team hitting the woodwork, there were few chances. Denderleeuw were awarded a very soft penalty just before the break to go in 1-0 up.
Five minutes into the second half Zeveren had a man sent off for a ‘last man’ foul just outside the centre circle. Nine minutes later it was 2-0 and it looked to be all over, but far from it! Four minutes later Zeveren had a shot come back off the post, but the ball wasn’t cleared and a handball during the scramble to clear the ball saw them awarded a penalty. They duly scored and it was very much game on. Within three minutes it was all square at 2-2, when a shot beat the ‘keeper at his near post. Denderleeuw then looked to regain the lead, hitting the crossbar twice, but couldn’t break the resolute defence down. Zeveren played very effectively on the break and their three strikers put in one hell of a shift. With four minutes left, a corner was played short and an exchange of passes ended with a shot rifled into the bottom corner of the net from the angle of the 18 yard box. It was nothing less than the visitors deserved, taking all three points, that certainly didn’t look likely with half an hour left.
Our outbound 09.20 Tunnel left a minute ahead of schedule. We were booked on the 19.50 back, but with the Eurotunnel being very quiet when we arrived at check in, we were offered a place on the 19.36 instead. Even better, we managed to then ‘tail end’ onto the 19.20, which left three minutes early. Arriving back in Kent earlier than expected meant we were ahead of the nightly closures on the M20. Result!
Above : Denderleeuw go ahead from the penalty spot.
I had hoped I wouldn’t have to do a second 3G pitch in order to get my double in today and thankfully, that was how it turned out. The Springfield Manager (formerly of Shenfield) had tweeted last night that this match was 100% on and it fitted perfectly with my earlier game. I was surprised on arrival to see the pitch was in superb condition, and both teams were warming up on it, despite the amount of rain we have suffered recently.
The match was 5th versus 12th (out of 14) in the league table and delivered a surprising result. Shenfield went ahead with their first attack of the game. A defensive header back to the ‘keeper fell short and the striker nipped in to lift the ball over him into the empty net. Springfield missed a penalty after thirty five minutes, which was saved, but three minutes later they levelled the scores with a close range finish to make it 1-1 at halftime.
Ten minutes into the second half it was 1-2. Another defensive mistake saw a miss kicked back pass again leave the ‘keeper stranded and he was lobbed from 20 yards. A cracking 25 yard shot looped into the top corner to level it up at 2-2 with sixteen minutes left, but Shenfield were back in front within two minutes. In the last eight minutes the visitors wrapped it up with two more goals on the break to give them a resounding 2-5 win. If they played like this every week, then they wouldn’t be battling against relegation.
With Writtle switching their second successive home match to the 3G pitch which is adjacent to the ground of Chelmsford City, combined with the noon kick off, it meant another double possibility today. The match finally got underway thirteen minutes late, due to the fact that it took the various youth teams using the facility, ten minutes over their allotted booking slot to vacate the pitch.
The match was 7th versus 9th in the league table. Writtle were second best from the off and the 0-3 score line flattered them somewhat. An early penalty set Burnham on their way and the second goal came just before the half hour mark, when a one-two on the edge of the box was finished with an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner of the net. The Burnham ‘keeper pulled off some decent saves in the second half, before they rounded off a resounding win with a close range headed finish with nine minutes left.
The late kick off was nullified by the teams taking just six minutes for halftime, but with a 52 minute first half, followed by a 49 minute second, it meant this didn’t finish until 2 o’clock. Luckily, my second match was only eleven minutes drive from here.
