Cranfield University 0 Moulton College 13, attendance 3
4’ 0-1
15’ 0-2
22’ 0-3
41’ 0-4
44’ 0-5
46’ 0-6
51’ 0-7
54’ 0-8
61’ 0-9
62’ 0-10
63’ 0-11
80’ 0-12
84’ 0-13
@ Green Lane, 3G Pitch
Wixams
MK42 6DA
No Admission or Programme.
I had been here previously, having seen Wixams play a Bedfordshire County League match on the grass pitch that runs parallel to the 3G caged pitch. This is actually one of the better caged venues to watch from, not that it takes much to be better than the majority of these places. Viewing is along nearly the full length of one side and there are very few obstructions in the way. It also helped that the pitch is only divided into 2 small sized pitches during other use, so fewer other coloured lines to contend with!
I only arrived here a minute before kick off, nearly being caught out by them kicking off twelve minutes early. Moulton came into this with a 100% winning record from their nine matches so far and had beaten Cranfield 9-0 in the reverse fixture. Today was an absolute hammering, but to be fair, all the goals were top quality finishes and it was easy to see why Moulton have won all their matches. It would be nice to see them against better opposition, but there won’t be too many teams testing them at this level.
This match was switched from R.F.C. Luingnois normal home ground in Luingne, to here at the youth complex of Belgian top division club R. Excelsior Mouscron, as it was certain to go ahead on the 3G surface. I had actually been here to watch a game when I lived in Belgium, as it was supposed to be where Mouscron were playing their Reserve match, but on arrival, it became apparent that the information concerning the venue on the Belgian F.A. website was incorrect. It was the only time that I failed to get a match, when having travelled, in my time living there!
Luingnois came into this match in third place in the league table, knowing that a win would see them go top on goal difference. Ninth placed Bleharies took an early lead, but Luingnois soon levelled, with a shot that went in having struck the inside of both posts and evading the ‘keepers best attempt to claw the ball away before it crossed the line. The second half was one way traffic. The Bleharies keeper made a number of good saves, as well as seeing the goal frame come to his rescue a couple of times, but deep into stoppage time, he could do nothing to stop a shot from the edge of the box finding the bottom corner of the net via a slight deflection and nick the three points Luingnois needed to take over at the top of the league table.
Our outbound Tunnel crossing left a minute ahead of schedule and although our 01.22 return left on time, it lost 10 minutes during the crossing. The M20 was closed, yet again, from Junction 6 to Junction 4 for our drive home.
Today was quite an unusual day for watching football, as it was the first time since 1992 that it has been possible to watch games on five Saturdays in the month of February. I wasn’t even born when it occurred the time before that and when it next occurs is 28 years away……..
Back in 1992 I was still very new to ground hopping, which certainly shows from the games I attended on the Saturdays that month….Buckingham Town, Grantham Town, Gainsborough Trinity, Newport (I.O.W.) and West Midlands Police. I can’t believe how many grounds I visited on Saturdays back then that were floodlit, although working until 17.30 did make it harder to do as many midweek matches as I do now. Only WMP on that list hadn’t got lights at that time, and were reachable for me for an early evening kick off, but as it was an F.A. Vase Quarter Final tie versus Sudbury Town, which attracted their record crowd at the time of 1,072, I obviously decided to stay much more local that day!
More notably, perhaps, is the fact that all the games were played on grass! With climate change really kicking in now and the fact that it tends to rain every Friday and Saturday, most games this month have been on 3G pitches. Today, the theme continued. Rather than travel in the hope a game would actually take place on grass, I settled on a handful of options, deciding on this match when I was informed it had been confirmed as on, as well as the change of venue. I wasn’t aware that there were two 3G pitches here at Roding Valley High School though. I arrived at where I thought the match was, but discovered that the game I wanted was actually being played on a second 3G pitch that was accessed via Roding Road, being on the south side of the railway line, the pitch running parallel to Loughton Underground Station. At least there was spectator access, along most of one side of the pitch, but we had the usual other coloured pitch markings and a wire above the halfway line. One thing that was lacking though, were floodlights! There aren’t too many caged pitches built without them these days.
The competition is known by the sponsor name ‘Anagram Records Trophy’ these days, this match being between two teams who are in the Essex Olympian League Premier Division. It was 3rd versus 7th as far as positions in the league table go, but it soon became obvious this wasn’t going to be much of a contest. Buckhurst Hill were just far too good and they scored at will, in a first half that saw them coast into a 5-0 lead. In the first half we had hail and rain, but the sun came out as the afternoon wore on. Rayleigh also improved in the second half, but it was too little, too late. A couple of goals for the visitors, in the last eleven minutes, made the score line look much closer than it was.
Buckinghamshire New University 2 University Sussex 3rds 1, attendance 18
6’ 1-0
12’ 1-1
54’ 2-1
@ The Cressex Synthetic Sports Pitch Centre
Holmers Farm Way
High Wycombe
HP12 4QA
No Admission or Programme.
This was the first match that Buckinghamshire New University have played at this venue. It is typical of so many of these caged pitches, with multiple coloured line markings, no corner flags and a wire across the centre of the pitch (to curtain off the area into smaller sized pitches) which was hit on at least half a dozen times, resulting in a drop ball restart.
Buckinghamshire went in front early, but were soon pegged back. The game threatened to get out of hand a number of times and became very niggly. It wasn’t helped by the Referee spending most of the game in the centre circle, resulting in him being too far away from any incidents that were occurring. Not unexpectedly I suppose, as he didn’t even bother to change out of his tracksuit to do the game in the first place.
The second half never really got going, but it did produce what turned out to be the winning goal for Buckinghamshire. A corner on the right was floated into the six yard box, with the Sussex ‘keeper failing to make contact, and the ball was swept into the net from close range.
It seems ridiculous that Liphook United played their ‘home’ game some twenty miles from their base, on a hired 3G pitch, but at least the unusual late kick off meant it gave me a double today and also completed visits to all the Hampshire Premier League grounds for me, as this is where Denmead play their matches in Division 1.
I saw Infinity lose 4-0 away at Bush Hill on the last day of last season, in what was a title decider, with both teams going into the match level on points, but with Bush Hill having the better goal difference. It looks very much like it being a two way battle for the title between the same two clubs this time round as well. Infinity came into this match unbeaten in the league this season, topping the league table, with 18 wins and 3 draws from their twenty one games. Bush Hill are currently third in the league table, some 15 points adrift, but they have four games in hand.
Infinity were just too good for Liphook (8th in the league table) in every department. Somehow, it took twenty six minutes before the breakthrough was made, when a cross from the right was headed in from six yards. It should have been all over by halftime, but Liphook rode their luck and it was still only 0-1 at halftime. The second half was more of the same and it was a case of just how many Infinity would score. Just after the hour mark it was all over. Two more headers, the first from a corner and the second headed past the ‘keeper at the near post, four minutes later, made it 0-3. The final goal came eight minutes from the end with a shot on the run finding the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the box.
The gap remains the same at the top of the league table after this as Bush Hill beat second placed Paulsgrove 5-1 today.
I try to avoid doing 3G pitches on a Saturday, preferring to save them in case they host a midweek match, or even do them for friendlies at the start of the season, as games in cages don’t really feel like proper games. I only chose to break the rule today as it meant a double was possible and both matches were more or less guaranteed to go ahead.
This wasn’t really a one off venue. A.F.C. Petersfield normally play home matches at Love Lane (on a pitch adjacent to the ground of Petersfield Town) where I visited on 18th March 2017, seeing them lose 0-1 to Upham. They have now played five home games (out of 11) here at The Petersfield School. Today was their last home match of the season, due to there being just twelve teams in this division.
With this being second bottom versus fourth bottom in the league table, I wasn’t expecting great things. I was expecting a rather better match than the one these two very poor teams put on though. Neither team had much idea and quite how five goals were scored is a mystery. M & T took the lead with a free kick that went straight into the net with little attempt to block it. Petersfield levelled with a goal out of nothing, when a turn inside the centre circle saw their striker race clear and score with a shot off the inside of the far post. A penalty on the stroke of halftime made it 1-2 to the visitors, before Petersfield levelled through a penalty of their own, making it 2-2 with thirteen minutes left. A draw would have been a fair result, but a 25 yard free kick into the top corner of the net won it for M & T three minutes from the end.
Having kicked off eight minutes late, plus numerous injuries (mostly fake)it meant this didn’t finish until dead on 16.00. Luckily it was only eighteen minutes drive to my second match.
F.C. Guru Nanak Gurdwara 2 Rugby Borough 9, attendance 19
8’ 0-1
42’ 1-1
43’ 1-2
49’ 1-3
56’ 1-4
59’ 1-5
70’ 1-6
75’ 1-7
81’ 1-8
89’ 2-8
90’+2, 2-9
@ Riverside Football Ground, 3G Pitch
Braunstone Lane East
Leicester
LE3 2FW
No Admission or Programme.
With the main grass pitch being unfit (G.N.G. warmed up on it so it couldn’t have been that bad) this match was switched to the 3G Pitch, which runs end on to the main ground and is nothing more than a cage. There is no designated spectator area, but we were allowed to stand inside the cage to watch. A couple of minutes before kick off there was a flash of lightning, followed by a rumble of thunder. We then had a five minute hailstorm, then five or ten minutes of rain, none of which were forecast. At least it remained dry from here onwards, although there was a very cold wind.
The match was 12th versus 7th in the league table, but there was a huge gulf between the two teams. Rugby scored early on and looked well in control. G.N.G. did come back into it and did well to level it up three minutes before the break, but conceded again within a minute to go in 1-2 down at the break. An early second half goal made it 1-3 and from then on it was one way traffic. Rugby should have scored well into double figures, such was their dominance.
I chose this match for two reasons. Firstly, there was a threat that the rain that was accompanying Storm Dennis may be a problem, but it wouldn’t affect this match due to the 3G surface. Secondly, it would make full use of the hire car, as Castledawson is 36 miles northwest of Belfast and much harder to reach if on public transport. Of my other two choices of game today, both on grass pitches, Knockbreda (just under an hours journey from Belfast City Centre using bus and then on foot) was called off less than an hour before kick off. The other, Dundela (easily walkable from Belfast City Centre) went ahead without problems.
It was 140 years ago yesterday, that Moyola Park played their first ever match, beating Cliftonville 3-0 in a friendly match. On 9th April 1881 they were inaugural winners of the Irish F.A. Cup, beating Cliftonville 1-0 in the final, which to this day is their only trophy they have won at Senior level. Nowadays, they play in the Premier Intermediate League, which is level three of Northern Irish football.
I had been to Moyola Park before, when I saw them lose 0-1 to Ballymena United in a pre-season friendly on 31st July 2007, whilst I was in Northern Ireland for a week to watch the ‘Milk Cup’ Youth Tournament’. In those days they played at their ‘Moyola Park’ ground, which was part of the country estate of the same name. They left the ground at the end of the 2008/09 season, playing the first part of the 2009/10 season at Coagh United’s Hagan Park, before moving to their new ground on 16th January 2010, when they hosted Lurgan Celtic.
Moyola Park came into this second bottom in the league table, but a win would see them climb three places. Dollingstown were fifth, but a win would see them rise to third. Dollingstown looked the better team from the off, going close a number of times, before finally making the breakthrough when a fumble by the ‘keeper was put in from close range by substitute Aaron Duke, who was on early due to an injury to Thompson. Duke added a second a few minutes later, going round the ‘keeper and finishing from a tight angle to give the visitors a 0-2 lead at halftime.
Just after the hour mark Moyola Park were back in it, when a volley from the edge of the box was half blocked by the ‘keeper, but the ball was spinning viciously and he was unable to stop it crossing the goal line. The game remained in the balance, but with nine minutes left, a pass was taken down by Duke and smashed into the top corner of the net, to complete his hat trick and seal the points for the visitors. Three minutes later he added his fourth goal of the day, stooping to head in from close range, after a shot had rebounded off the crossbar, to make it 1-4.
Storm Dennis wasn’t really much of a storm after all. It had rained for around forty five minutes before kick off, but remained dry then until a heavy downpour five minutes before halftime. The dark clouds moved in at the start of the second half, resulting in the floodlights being turned on, but after a brief rain shower, it soon moved on and there was blue sky and sunshine for brief spells during the second half.
With all Premiership matches switched to Friday night, to avoid teams playing the same day as the League Cup Final at Windsor Park tomorrow night, it was a perfect opportunity to visit the only ground I hadn’t been to in the top division in Northern Ireland. Despite it being second bottom versus bottom in the league table, it was very much all to play for. Warrenpoint held a two point lead coming into the match and knew a win would probably ensure their survival in the top flight. Institute knew anything other than a defeat would be a good result.
Warrenpoint opened the scoring with a deflected shot that gave the ‘keeper no chance of making a save and also saw a shot smash against the crossbar as they attempted to double their lead. Three minutes before the break it was 1-1, when Institute swept the ball in from 8 yards after a cross was not cleared. The second half saw both teams go close and after a couple of good chances for the visitors, Warrenpoint broke away and a cross from the right was sent into the bottom corner by a cushioned volley, for what would surely be the winner. Institute showed some real fight though and with a minute left they were awarded a free kick wide on the left. It was floated into the six yard box and as a number of players challenged for the ball it ended up being flicked into the net for what was probably a deserved equaliser.
Stotfold 0 London Lions 0, attendance 168 (official)
@ New Roker Park
Arlesey Road
Stotfold
SG5 4HE
£6 Admission
Programme available, didn’t bother buying.
I visited Stotfold at their old Roker Park ground back on 23rd February 1995, when they beat Potton United 5-1 in a United Counties League Premier Division match. On Saturday they played the first match at the brand new ‘New Roker Park’, attracting a very impressive 644 crowd, although it doesn’t look like many of those will return, as tonight’s crowd was only 168 and over twenty of those were groundhoppers.
The ground is exactly what you would expect of any new ground built these days for Step 5 or Step 6 clubs. A seated Atcost stand, a small metal section of standing area and a green barrier around the pitch. The only difference here is that it has a grass pitch, as opposed to the usual 3G pitches that are becoming all too common. As far as dull and bland goes, it is up there with the best!
The match itself was absolutely dreadful. It was 6th versus 8th in the league table, with very little to choose between two very negative teams. London Lions did have a goal disallowed for a foul and also managed a shot against the crossbar. I think Stotfold did have one shot, or perhaps two. Neither chance looked like being a goal.
