Friendly

Saturday 6th July 2024

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.04

Saffron Walden Town 4 Dunmow Town 4, attendance 49

25’ 1-0

39’ 1-1

47’ 1-2

48’ 1-3

56’ 2-3

60’ 2-4

81’ 3-4

82’ 4-4

@ Lime Avenue Playing Fields

Lime Avenue

Saffron Walden

CB10 2GE

No Admission or Programme.

This was Essex Senior League (Step 5) v Eastern Counties League Division 1 South (Step 6), a clash between two teams who will share the Catons Lane ground of Saffron Walden Town this season. With the main stadium being unavailable, as it was staging a function, this was played at Lime Avenue Playing Fields, a couple of hundred yards to the north and was brought forward to a noon kick off to enable players/supporters ample time to get home for the England game. There are two pitches here, separated by a changing room building and car park, with today’s game played on the most northern of the two.

The journey up the M11 was very wet and it continued to rain for most of the first half, although it did brighten up during the second half. Saffron Walden opened the scoring midway through the first half, but Dunmow drew level six minutes before the break. Two goals within a minute of each other, saw Dunmow open up a 1-3 lead just three minutes into the second half and although Saffron Walden pulled one back, the visitors restored their two goal lead on the hour mark. Saffron made it 3-4 with nine minutes left, cutting in from the right, before finishing into the far corner and levelled it up at 4-4 a minute later, with a cracking finish into the top corner from the edge of the 18 yard box.

Friendly

Thursday 4th July 2024

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.15

Clevedon Town 3 Nailsea United 4, attendance 42

21’ 0-1

30’ 1-1

41’ 2-1

60’ 2-2

62’ 2-3

67’ 2-4

86’ 3-4

@ Hand Stadium, 3G Pitch

Davis Lane

Clevedon

BS21 6TG

No Admission or Programme.

I’d visited the main stadium here twice, oddly just six weeks apart, both in 1993, but this was an opportunity to see a game on the 3G pitch here. It is immediately in front of you, as you enter the car park off Davis Lane, running parallel to the stadium. There is a changing room building in the near left corner, with a small section of covered standing on the left hand side, just beyond the halfway line, although the view of the pitch is obscured in one corner, whilst there are a couple of brick built dugouts on the opposite side, albeit not covered! No problem watching inside the fence, with ample room all the way round. The game kicked off fifteen minutes late and with the weather being blustery and grey overhead, as well as a couple of showers in each half, it meant the Referee requested that the floodlights were switched on for the last fifteen minutes, which wouldn’t have been needed had they kicked off when they should have done.

The match was Western League Premier Division (Step 5) versus Somerset County League Premier Division (Step 7), with Clevedon fielding ten different outfield players in each half, as well as a kit change at halftime, which led to a colour clash, whilst Nailsea had the ‘normal’ five substitutes. It was end to end stuff and despite having an early penalty saved, Nailsea went in front midway through the first half, but Clevedon had turned it round to lead 2-1 at the break. Nailsea hit the post with a long range effort, before levelling the score at 2-2 on the hour, edging in front when they scored direct from a corner just two minutes later before soon making it 2-4, following a quick break down the left. Clevedon did pull it back to 3-4 with four minutes left and there was still time for Nailsea to go close to getting a fifth, but a 25 yarder came back off the crossbar.

Friendly

Tuesday 2nd July 2024

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.59

Takeley 0 Redbridge 1, attendance 27

72’ 0-1

@ Mark Hall Sports Centre, 3G Pitch

London Road

Harlow

CM17 9LX

No Admission or Programme.

This was my first pre-season game in the build up to the new season, played at the neutral venue of Mark Hall Sports Centre. It was in the 3G cage, which despite having no designated spectator area, there was no problem watching from inside the fence.

The game was Essex Senior League Premier Division (Step 5) versus Isthmian League Division 1 North (Step 4), with both teams having a squad of around 20 players, with most of the substitutions taking place at halftime, which helped with the flow of the game. Despite being end to end stuff, it looked like we’d be lucky to get a goal. Takeley had the best first half chance, hitting the post in the final minutes, with two follow ups both blocked. Redbridge had the better of the second half, getting the winning goal with eighteen minutes left, when a long ball over the top saw the striker just nick the ball past the on rushing ‘keeper, before finishing with a shot on the turn from the edge of the box.

Rugby League

National Conference League

Premier Division

Saturday 22nd June 2024

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.32

Siddal 30 Rochdale Mayfield 22, attendance 430

@ Siddal Sports & Community Centre

Exley Lane

Siddal

HX3 9EW

£3 Admission

No Programme.

This was the game of the day in the Premier Division, with 2nd hosting 3rd in the league table, level on points, with just two fewer than leaders West Hull. It certainly got off to a quick start, with Rochdale in front within ten seconds, when the kick off saw the bounce of the ball totally misjudged by the defence and the ball fell kindly for the visitors, resulting in a try near the posts, easily converted. Six minutes later it was 0-12 as Siddal conceded a second try. The hosts hit back with a try of their own and midway through the half levelled the score at 12-12, which remained the score at halftime.

Siddal edged ahead just three minutes into the second half to lead 18-12, but Rochdale soon levelled at 18-18 and the next try would be crucial. It went the way of the hosts and they scored another to increase their lead to 30-18 inside the last ten minutes and the points were safe. Rochdale did manage to score the last try of the day, to pull it back to 30-22, but too late to affect the outcome.

There are two parallel pitches here, the main one being floodlit and fully railed off, on the lower plateau of the two. Very scenic backdrop, especially on a day like this and the weather will have certainly helped in attracting such a good crowd, with the clubhouse and tea bar both doing a roaring trade.

Derbyshire Summer League

Wednesday 19th June 2024

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.02

Bramshall 4 Broughton Wanderers 2, attendance 35

11’ 0-1

32’ 1-1 (pen)

61’ 1-2

86’ 2-2

89’ 3-2

90’ + 2, 4-2

@ Bramshall Road (B5027)

Bramshall

ST14 5BE

No Admission or Programme.

This was the first game I’d done in this league for five years, as new venues are quite a rarity. New entrants Bramshall bucked the trend when joining this year, as they play at a previously unused ground, as far as the Summer League goes, playing in the village itself. It’s to the east, on the left hand side of the B5027 road when heading towards Uttoxeter, sandwiched between Stocks Lane and Bramshall Farm. There is a single pitch, with a small wooden changing room building on the far side, with car parking inside the field, along both touchlines.

The match was 2nd versus 6th (out of 8) and looked for long periods that there might be a bit of an upset. Broughton took an early lead, which was cancelled out by a penalty half an hour in and when Bramshall had a player sent off for trying to head butt a Broughton player on the hour mark, followed quickly by a second goal for the visitors, which put them 1-2 up a minute later, it looked like a real uphill battle for Bramshall to get anything from the game. But, despite being a man short, they managed to force an equaliser with four minutes left and then headed in from a corner in the last minute, to put them ahead and they even managed a fourth goal in stoppage time, to wrap up a 4-2 win.

Humber Premier League

Thursday 30th May 2024

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.56

Cherry Burton 0 Sculcoates Amateurs 4, attendance 53

35’ 0-1

70’ 0-2

90’ + 1, 0-3

90’ + 3, 0-4

@ Cherry Burton Sports Field

The Meadows

Cherry Burton

HU17 7SD

No Admission

£1 Programme, 4 pages.

This game was 2nd bottom v 2nd in the league table and was the last Humber Premier League game of the season. It certainly had something on it, at least at the bottom end of the table, as Cherry Burton knew nothing other than a win would see them relegated to the East Riding County League. There had already been an attempt to get this game played earlier in the week, when it was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch on Tuesday night, with the score 0-0 at the time.

Tonight’s game was just as tight, with the deadlock not broken until ten minutes before halftime, when a break down the right was finished with an angled shot into the bottom corner. Cherry Burton had enough chances to have been in front, but when Sculcoates made it 0-2 with twenty minutes left, it was game over and they rounded off the scoring with two more goals in stoppage time, both from Jake Harman, which completed his hattrick, having also scored the opener.

Cherry Burton Sports Field hosts both cricket and football. There is a large wooden pavilion, with the football pitch to the left when looking out. It is hemmed in by hedges along the far side, where there are a pair of wooden dugouts and behind the far goal, with tennis courts behind the near goal. The near side, bordering the cricket pitch, was part roped.

The journey up to Humberside was horrendous, with the SatNav taking us via A1, Lincoln and across the Humber Bridge (only £1.50 toll), arriving six hours after I’d left home to meet up for a lift. Home via M1, which seems to have more roadworks on it than areas without and even after being dropped off, I still had to negotiate the M25 closed for access from the M40 at J16 and also closed from J15 to J13. Arrived home thirteen and a half hours after I’d left!

Devon & Exeter League

Bill Slee Cup Semi Final

Tuesday 28th May 2024

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 18.58!

Farway United 1 Exmouth Spartans 1, (3-5 pens) attendance 26

9’ 0-1

45’ 1-1

@ Eastlee Park

Money Acre Road

Farway

EX24 6EF

No Admission or Programme.

With this being a cup semi final, I was confident both teams would turn up (sadly, not always the case in many leagues these days!) and a phone call to the home team manager at lunchtime confirmed it was indeed all good to go. Farway is in East Devon, around five miles south of Honiton. The ground is to the north of the village, in between Church Green and Farway itself, on the right hand side of Money Acre Road as you head south. There is a very small car park and a wooden changing room/clubhouse building (hot drinks available) on the right as you enter, with the pitch down below, running widthways. Almost the entire crowd watched from the raised area, where there are also a number of wooden benches, whilst the far side has a couple of wooden dugouts. Quite a feat to find a flat enough area around here to accommodate a football pitch!

The game was between two teams from Division 2 of the league, with 6th hosting 8th, as far as final league positions go. Both goals came in the first half, Exmouth taking the lead after nine minutes, when a cross from the right was slid in from six yards and Farway levelling in the final minute of the half, when a free kick from the angle of the 18 yard box beat the ‘keeper at the near post.

Despite having a man sin binned early in the second half, Exmouth managed to hold out and once back at the full compliment probably had the better chances to win it. In the dying seconds they had a point blank header tipped around the post from a free kick and then saw a shot come back off the other post from the resulting corner.

Straight to penalties at ninety minutes. Exmouth went first and scored all five of theirs. Farway scored their first three, but number four was saved. According to F.A. Full Time it was 4-5 on penalties, which cannot possibly be correct when the team going first scored the final kick of the shootout!

Doncaster League

Division 1 Knock Out Cup Final

Saturday 25th May 2024

Kick Off 11.00 Actual 11.04

Bawtry Town 3 A.F.C. Doncaster Town 3 (A.E.T.) (5-6 pens) attendance 214

7’ 1-0

26’ 1-1

71’ 1-2

90’ + 1, 2-2

106’ 2-3

118’ 3-3

@ Doncaster Knights R.U.F.C.

Castle Park

Armthorpe Road

Doncaster

DN2 5QB

£5 Admission

£2 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

With the Doncaster League playing their three Saturday finals here today (there are two Sunday League ones tomorrow) it was a great opportunity to see a football match at the Castle Park home of Doncaster Knights R.U.F.C. who play in the R.F.U. Championship. It’s an impressive set up, with a capacity of around 5,000, with a large main stand with 1,650 seats and an open ten step terrace opposite, whilst there is a section of open seating at one end. As well as a mobile caterer (very expensive) there was a food/drink outlet behind the left hand goal end, but without doubt, the best for value was certainly from the large bar beneath the main stand. Car parking was available, free of charge, in the club car park as you enter off Armthorpe Road.

We opted for the first game of the day, the Division 1 Knock Out Cup Final, scheduled to kick off at 11 o’clock, which got underway four minutes late. It was 2nd versus 5th, as far as final league positions go and looked like it would be going to form when Bawtry took a seventh minute lead and were in total control of the early exchanges, but Doncaster drew level midway through the half and it became much more even. Doncaster edged in front with nineteen minutes left, when they finished a through ball with a one on one finish into the top corner, that came back off the stanchion of the goal frame. It looked like it would be enough to win the cup, but a minute into stoppage time Bawtry drew level, when a ball over the top saw the striker win the race against the on rushing ‘keeper and nick it past him, before an easy finish from close range.

So, extra time beckoned. Very little of note in the first period, apart from what seemed like continual stoppages, as players went down with cramp after almost every challenge. A minute into the second period and Doncaster were back in front, breaking quickly down the right, before playing the ball across for a finish into the bottom corner. Once again they were close to the winning line, but with two minutes left, a header was flicked on and the ball was dispatched into the bottom corner of the net to make it 3-3.

It was now left to penalties to decide the winners. Despite missing their first kick, which hit the crossbar, Doncaster scored their next six. Bawtry had seen their second kick saved and their seventh one sail high over the crossbar, so Doncaster took the shootout 6-5. What with the late kick off, a drinks break in each half, as well as what seemed like endless stoppage time, followed by the extra time and penalties, it was pushing 14.00 when this finally finished. Thankfully, our planned afternoon game, which was due to kick off at 14.30, was only fifteen minutes drive from here, so no need to panic.

Weston-super-Mare & District League

Division 1

Thursday 23rd May 2024

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.33

Churchill Club 70 1 Weston Town 2, attendance 55

15’ 1-0

65’ 1-1

85’ 1-2

@ Churchill Recreation Ground

Ladymead Lane

Churchill

BS25 5NH

No Admission or Programme.

I never got to see a game here when Churchill Club played in the Somerset County League, despite it being as recently as 2017, when they then dropped into the Weston-super-Mare & District League. I was lucky I came to see this game tonight, as we were told this was the last ever game before the club merges with Congresbury and ups sticks to -play first team games some four miles north of here, although the ground itself is still going to remain. The sports ground is also home to the local cricket club, with the football changing rooms being next to the car park as you enter off Ladymead Lane. The pitch runs widthways, beyond a hedge, with the changing rooms in the left hand corner and a double sized concrete dugout on this side. Although the majority of the crowd watched from the near side, it was possible to watch from all four sides, with the far side slightly raised in one corner.

As for the match, where 6th hosted 2nd, there was plenty to play for. Churchill were playing for the pride of the club going out on a positive note, whilst Weston, the reigning champions, had to win in order to pip league leaders Isle of Wedmore to the title, by virtue of having a better goal difference. From a neutral point of view, the game got off to a perfect start, with Churchill going ahead after fifteen minutes, chasing down a long ball, before lobbing it over the on rushing ‘keeper and finishing from a tight angle. Churchill fought hard and they looked the more likely to add a second, rather than Weston draw level.

As the second half wore on, Weston began to get on top and it felt like a constant pressure building up on the Churchill goal. The equaliser came shortly after Weston had hit the post, when a cross was finished with a looping header that found its way in despite the ‘keeper getting his fingers to it. They now had twenty five minutes to find a winner, with the remainder of the game now being played almost entirely in the Churchill half of the pitch. Weston thought they’d won it, but had a goal disallowed for offside, but with just five minutes left, they finally got the all important goal, when a cross from the right wasn’t cleared and the ball ran loose to be smashed in from close range.

Essex & Suffolk Border League

Division 4

Wednesday 22nd May 2024

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.28!

Ramsey & Mistley 0 Tendring District 2, attendance 25

2’ 0-1

65’ 0-2

@ Furze Hill Recreation Ground

Shrublands Road

Mistley

CO11 1HS

No Admission or Programme.

I’d received positive replies from both clubs that this was going ahead okay, so it was off to Essex for this local derby, with 11th hosting 10th (out of 13) in the table. I assume they’re both safe from relegation, but you never know these days. It was certainly competitive and both teams gave it 100% throughout. As well as battling each other, perhaps the biggest obstacle was the pitch! It was dreadful. As I arrived, I saw various areas being mowed, but they only tackled the worst parts. The grass was far too long and despite overnight rain, the pitch sounded very hard in places.

Tendring went in front after just two minutes, heading in a corner on the left from a couple of yards out. They doubled their lead midway through the second half, with a cracking long range effort that beat the ‘keeper into the bottom corner. Ramsey & Mistley did have a goal ruled out for offside and Tendring almost added a third late on, when a lob over the ‘keeper came back off the crossbar, but it finished 0-2.

Home to Ramsey & Mistley is Furze Hill Recreation Ground in Mistley. It’s a large expanse of grass with a couple of parallel pitches, one for football, running widthways in front of the buildings and the furthest one for rugby. The football changing rooms are first as you enter the car park, followed by the village hall and then rugby clubhouse, which was open for business, serving drinks, sweets, crisps, etc.