Peterborough & District League

Premier Division

Tuesday 26th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 On Time!

Eye Rangers 0 Netherton United 2, attendance 63

13’ 0-1

67’ 0-2

@ Lindisfarne Recreation Ground

Lindisfarne Road

Eye

PE6 7XH

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight’s game was 12th versus 2nd in the league table, with Eye Rangers picking up one win and one draw from their opening four games, whilst Netherton United had a 100% winning record from their first four games and needed at least a draw here tonight to leapfrog Moulton Harrox at the top of the table, with this being their game in hand on the leaders. It was a decent game, considering the very dry and poor quality pitch. The visitors were ahead after thirteen minutes, when a cross from the left was finished with an easy tap in at the far post. Despite them dominating for long periods, they were unable to add to their early goal and it remained 0-1 at halftime. They went close to grabbing a second goal early in the second half, when a defender scuffed a clearance that bounced twice on the top of the crossbar, before going out for a corner, but did manage to double their lead midway through the half, when a cross from out wide was finished with a cushioned volley, that the ‘keeper got a hand to, but couldn’t keep out. As the game wore on, chances became more frequent, but they were unable to add to their tally.

Home to Eye Rangers is Lindisfarne Recreation Ground. As you enter off Lindisfarne Road there’s a car park to the right, with the changing rooms/toilets to the left. The pitch is ahead, running widthways. It’s railed on the near side and on about half the far side, where there’s also a pair of dugouts. Rather oddly, the rail is set back from the touchline about ten yards on each side.

My journey up to Cambridgeshire, just east of Peterborough, saw me taken via Dartford Crossing, where I lost around fifteen minutes in queuing traffic from near the M2, then via M11 and A1. Coming back was via A1 and M25 past Heathrow, which was about 45 minutes quicker and through the M25 problem areas before the closures began.

Midland League

Division 2

Monday 25th August 2025

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.01

Cadbury Athletic 7 Coventry Alvis 0, attendance 171

11’ 1-0

14’ 2-0

27’ 3-0

42’ 4-0

50’ 5-0

77’ 6-0

80’ 7-0

@ Birmingham Moseley R.U.F.C.

Billesley Common

Yardley Wood Road

Billesley

Birmingham

B13 0HN

£5 Admission

£2 Programme available, didn’t bother buying.

Cadbury Athletic’s own ground, in Bourneville, which I’d seen a game at way back in 1993, doesn’t meet the grading requirements for the level they now play at, so they’ve now signed a ground share agreement to play at Birmingham Moseley R.U.F.C. who play in the third tier of the national rugby competitions. Even better, they have use of the stadium itself, rather than some random outside pitch. It was opened in 2005 and has spectator access on all four sides and a very impressive large seated stand, which was useful today, not to shelter from rain, but a very warm sun. There’s ample parking here and both bar and tea bar were open well before kick off. As you’d expect for a Bank Holiday game, on a ground that’s only recently been hosting football, it attracted plenty of ‘hoppers.

The match was 2nd versus 12th (out of 16) in the league table. As a contest it was over well before halftime. Cadbury were ahead after just eleven minutes, following in a half blocked cross from close range and they doubled their lead just three minutes later, when a corner saw a shot on the turn find the bottom corner. A minute later they saw another effort hit the crossbar, but goal number three arrived just before the half hour, poking in from close range after a corner wasn’t cleared and just before halftime they added a fourth goal, breaking down the right and crossing for a near post tap in. The goal of the game came five minutes into the second half, with a lob over the ‘keeper from the angle of the 18 yard box, to make it 5-0, before two goals in quick succession saw them round off a resounding 7-0 win with ten minutes left.

Unusually, especially with it being a Bank Holiday, traffic was very light heading north. Just a four minute delay on the M25 between the M4 and M40 junctions and around five minutes lost around High Wycombe on the M40 heading home.

Welsh F.A. Cup

2nd Qualifying Round

Saturday 23rd August 2025

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Glynneath Town 2 Margam Youth Centre 1, attendance 137

8’ 1-0

13’ 2-0

28’ 2-1

@ Glynneath R.U.F.C.

Abernant Park

New Street

Glynneath

SA11 5BD

£5 Admission

No Programme.

I’d already seen Glynneath Town play a home game, back in September 2023, when they lost 2-5 to Afan United in an F.A. Wales Amateur Trophy match, which was played at their normal home ground at the Welfare Park. The attraction of today’s game was that it was being played at the ground of Glynneath R.U.F.C. They’d played here in the last round too, but I was in Scotland at the time, so I certainly wasn’t going to miss out this time. It was only half an hours drive from my hotel, having stopped overnight following last night’s game in Carmarthenshire.

Abernant Park is a cracking ground. There’s a decent seated stand, with the pitch railed on three sides and floodlit. The bar was open and a tea bar operated from a window on the outside of the building. As with most grounds in the valleys, there’s the usual scenic backdrop too. You might even spot a celebrity. Last time I was here, a statue was unveiled in the town of Max Boyce, a singer/comedian from the 1970’s who’s a former president of the rugby club and lives in the house next to the entrance of the ground. Today, I exchanged nods with the man himself, as he was coming out of his house, as I headed back to my car, having taken a few pre match photos of the ground.

The match was Neath & District League Premier Division (Tier 5) versus South Wales Premier League Division 1 West (Tier 6). A diagonal free kick into the box, which wasn’t dealt with by the ‘keeper, was headed in from close range to give Glynneath the lead after just eight minutes. Five minutes later they made it 2-0, when a ball cut back from the left was finished high into the roof of the net from eight yards. Glynneath also saw a 25 yard free kick hit the crossbar, before Margam pulled a goal back after twenty eight minutes, when a free kick was fumbled by the ‘keeper and followed in from close range. Just after the hour mark Margam were down to ten men, having a man sent off for picking up a second yellow card and three minutes later, they were down to nine, when another player received his second yellow card of the match. Oddly, it was the nine men that looked the more likely to get the next goal, having a point blank effort blocked, then heading narrowly wide from the resulting corner and seeing another close range shot saved by the ‘keeper with five minutes left. Glynneath always looked dangerous on the break, but the final pass always let them down and I think they’d have been quite relieved when they heard the final whistle, having endured six minutes of stoppage time, where it was frantic end to end stuff.

SatNav brought me home via the A465 Heads of the Valleys road to Merthyr Tydfil, which is finally fully open, after years of roadworks upgrading it to dual carriageway. Back to Merthyr in no time at all and a clear A470 down to the M4 and no delays whatsoever saw me back home for seven o’clock.

Krislyn Summer Cup Final

Friday 22nd August 2025

Kick Off 18.15 On Time!

Pontlliw 2 Killay 1, attendance 96

2’ 1-0

7’ 2-0

74’ 2-1

@ Loughor Rovers A.F.C.

The Lodge

Alexandra Road

Gorseinon

SA4 4PE

£2 Admission

No Programme.

The Krislyn Summer Cup is contested by eight teams, split into two groups of four, with the top two from each group then advancing to the semi finals. These two qualified from the same group, with Pontlliw then beating cup final hosts Loughor Rovers in their semi and Killay edging out Kingsbridge Colts in theirs. The Lodge ground is at the rear of New Lodge Gorseinon Independent Social Club (which was open throughout), off Alexandra Road, heading west out of Gorseinon towards Loughor. There’s plenty of car parking at the rear of the building, with the pitch running widthways as you enter. A cut away shipping container, with a few ‘school chairs’, acts as a stand, whilst there’s also overhang on the changing room building, giving additional cover. Most of the stand side was roped off, as was the far side, which also has a permanent rail running the width of the centre circle. The left hand goal end was out of bounds, with the pitch sloping up towards the other goal end, which had raised viewing from a grass bank.

Pontlliw got off to a flyer. They were ahead after just two minutes, when a long ball over the top was finished left footed into the far corner. Five minutes later they added a second, this time with a 20 yarder into the bottom corner. Sadly, from a neutral point of view, it was pretty much game over from here. Killay did pull a goal back with sixteen minutes left, with a free kick from just outside the centre circle catching the Pontlliw ‘keeper out and it went in off the underside off the crossbar. They never really looked like grabbing an equaliser, despite having an extra man for what turned out to be seven minutes of added time at the end of the ninety, after Pontlliw had a man sin binned right at the end of regulation time.

I was glad to be doing an overnight stop afterwards, as the journey down to Carmarthenshire was horrendous, due to the Bank Holiday weekend getaway. Having left home at 11 o’clock, I certainly didn’t envisage only arriving at the ground 40 minutes before kick off.

Northamptonshire Combination League

Premier Division

Wednesday 20th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.33

Medbourne 3 Stewarts & Lloyds Corby 2, attendance 68

59’ 1-0

75’ 1-1 (pen)

78’ 2-1

87’ 3-1

90’ 3-2

@ Medbourne Sports Club

Hallaton Road

Medbourne

LE16 8DR

No Admission or Programme.

Medbourne Sports Club is actually in Leicestershire, despite the club playing in a Northamptonshire league, being some seven miles northeast of Market Harborough. It’s a large multi sport set up that also hosts cricket and tennis. Behind the north goal end is a small car park and the clubhouse/changing rooms, where both bar and tea bar were open, with the pitch running lengthways away from here, parallel to Hallaton Road, which side has a couple of perspex dugouts for the substitutes and a third for spectator use, with hard standing running along this side. The pitch is roped off on all bar the far end, with the cricket pitch overlapping the left hand touchline, with the pitch sloping down towards this side.

Medbourne had finished fifth in this division last season, whilst S&L Corby are newly promoted from Division 1. Both had won their opening games on Saturday and there was little between them tonight, right down to their kit choice! The opening goal didn’t come until just before the hour mark, when a 25 yard free kick, that the ‘keeper should really have saved, saw Medbourne take the lead. With fifteen minutes left S&L equalised with a penalty, but were behind again just three minutes later, when a corner from the left was headed in powerfully from six yards. A diagonal free kick, which was headed back across the box, before another header sent it into the far top corner, saw Medbourne make the points safe with three minutes left. S&L did pull a goal back in the last minute, heading in a right wing cross at the far post, but too late to avoid the defeat.

Apart from the usual M25 queue between the M4 and M40, it was a totally trouble free journey north. The return was also relatively smooth. Apart from two lanes being shut on the M1 around J9-J8, there were no other delays. According to the overhead signs, which began on the M1, the M25 was closed from J11 to J10. It wasn’t, it was just more incompetence from the Highways Agency, once again giving out false information.

Newport & District League

Premier X Division

Tuesday 19th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 On Time!

Afon Valley 0 Spencer Boys Club 14, attendance 44

13’ 0-1, 16’ 0-2, 27’ 0-3, 39’ 0-4

47’ 0-5, 66’ 0-6, 72’ 0-7, 76’ 0-8, 78’ 0-9, 81’ 0-10, 83’ 0-11, 84’ 0-12, 86’ 0-13, 90’ 0-14

@ Tredegar Park Recreation Ground

Cardiff Road

Maes-Glas

NP20 3AQ

No Admission or Programme.

This wasn’t my intended match tonight. I arrived at my first choice game at Llanyrafon just after five o’clock, but found out about ten minutes later that the game had been postponed. Apparently, it was some problem to do with the away team Mill Street Dynamo. The home club never replied on Twitter about the game and it was still showing on the Cymru App as being on a couple of hours later, but is now shown as an awarded 5-0 home win. Anyway, I headed off to Tredegar Park Recreation Ground, about fifteen minutes drive south west, for another game in the same division.

The ground is to the west of Newport, sandwiched between the A48 and the M4. It’s nothing more than a pitch in a huge park. Parking is immediately inside the entrance, where there’s a brick built changing room building. The pitch is a good 400-500 yards away, beyond mini golf, a skatepark and some tennis courts, with one goal end backing onto a concrete path that runs through the complex and the other end having a cricket pitch with an artificial wicket.

Afon Valley are a newly formed club and on this evidence, may not last too long. This was the opening league game for both clubs and Spencer were relentless, even though they had the game won by halftime, when they were already four goals to the good. The Afon ‘keeper went off injured during the halftime interval and was replaced by an outfield player. At 0-7 the hosts went down to ten men, due to injuries and Spencer totally overwhelmed them, running in another seven goals in the last fourteen minutes. Star of the show for Spencer was Nihad Yousif, who scored a double hattrick and had three assists, with Liam Smith also grabbing a hattrick. From a neutral point of view, it wasn’t a great watch. Afon Valley, to their credit, didn’t give up, but at no time can I recall them even troubling the Spencer ‘keeper.

The journey down to Wales was trouble free. The same can’t be said of the return. The M4 was closed between J13 and J12 and the diversion via Basingstoke wasn’t helped by a section of single lane roadworks on the M3, before the usual M25 closure between J11 and J10 and then a speed restriction from J9 to J8 due to ‘the report of pedestrians’.

North Wales Coast West League

Premier Division

Saturday 16th August 2025

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.32

C.P.D. Mynydd Llandegai 0 Cemaes Bay 3, attendance 60

8’ 0-1

25’ 0-2

88’ 0-3

@ Penrhiw

Neuadd Goffa

Mynydd Llandegai

LL57 4LQ

£3 Admission

No Programme.

After stopping overnight in Rhyl, it was an easy drive of around 50 minutes east, to the ground of Mynydd Llandegai (also spelled as ‘Llandygai’ on road signs and on one of the signs at the entrance of the ground). There can’t be too many grounds in Wales that are higher above sea level than this one. It was pretty much uphill all the way from the A5/A55 intersection. It’s certainly one to do in good weather and to say it’s scenic, is not really doing it justice. The ground is fully railed, with a pair of dugouts on the far side. The entrance side has a seated stand and the changing room building, which also housed the tea bar. There was very limited parking, but no problem using the lane outside, which rather surprisingly, had a regular bus service passing, both before and during the match.

The match was 12th versus 10th in the league table. Mynydd Llandegai are currently playing at their highest level ever, but Cemaes Bay have played in the top tier of Welsh football and they were in the League of Wales when I made the trip to Ynys Mon back in December 1995, when they lost 2-4 versus Caernarfon Town in a League Cup group match. Mynydd Llandegai hit the crossbar in the opening 30 seconds of the match, but fell behind after just eight minutes, when a cross from the right wasn’t cleared and was finished with a low shot onto the bottom corner of the net. It was 0-2 after twenty five minutes, when a corner was headed back across the six yard box and headed in unmarked at the far post. The first drinks break of the afternoon was taken before the re-start and the visitors still held their two goal lead by the time the next break was taken midway through the second half. Cemaes Bay saw a shot come back off the inside of the far post with eighteen minutes left, but finally grabbed a third goal in the dying minutes, with an angled shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar.

The game finished at 16.25, but a clear run back, with no roadworks, meant home just after nine.

Ardal League North West

Friday 15th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.32

N.F.A. 2 Prestatyn Town 2, attendance 438 (official)

2’ 1-0

61’ 1-1

72’ 2-1

89’ 2-2

@ Ffordd Derwen Playing Fields

Derwen Road

Rhyl

LL18 2RN

£5 Admission

No Programme.

The Friday night fixture gave a good opportunity for an overnight stop in North Wales and another far from home match visit on the Saturday. N.F.A. (Full name North Football Association) are in their second season at Tier 3, having previously been in the North Wales Coast East League, which they came up from as champions, whilst Prestatyn Town have played in the top level of Welsh football as recently as ten years ago, also winning the Welsh F.A. Cup in 2013 and with it represented Wales in the U.E.F.A. Europa League the following season, actually getting through the first round of qualifying, before being knocked out by Croatian side HNK Rijeka.

Tonight’s match was 5th versus 3rd in the league table and the switch to Friday night certainly pulled in a very good crowd, although two independent headcounts had it nearer 300, rather than the official one of 438 given on the Cymru App. It only took N.F.A. two minutes to open the scoring, finishing low into the far corner, with huge appeals for offside on the through ball being ignored by the match officials. There was little in the way of anything resembling a really good goal scoring chance until Prestatyn equalised just after the hour mark, when a through ball out of nothing was dispatched into the far corner from just inside the box. With eighteen minutes left N.F.A. were back in front and it looked like it would be enough for them to take all three points. With a minute left Prestatyn sent in a diagonal cross to the far side of the box. It was met with a looping header, which evaded the ‘keeper and found the far corner to make it 2-2 and the points were shared. Probably a fair result in the end.

The ground here at Ffordd Derwen is progressing nicely. Parking is in the nearby housing estate and you enter behind the goal. The pitch is fully railed, with a pair of dugouts on the left hand side. In the near right hand corner, heading towards the halfway line, are the changing rooms/tea bar and beyond that a seated stand. The only thing missing now are floodlights and a bit of additional cover perhaps, especially for when it’s raining, although, by the look of the pitch, that doesn’t seem to occur all that often!

The journey up was fine until hitting the northern edge of the A5 Shrewsbury by-pass and crawled at times until well beyond Oswestry. The leg from Wrexham onwards saw the SatNav avoid all A roads until the final approach into Rhyl. Tonight’s visit now sees the Ardal League North West complete and leaves just Corwen, when they move onto their new ground sometime this season, to complete Tiers 1-3 in the north, with just Clydach required in the south for the full set at these levels.

Perry Street & District League

Reg Eglon Cup

Quarter Final

Thursday 14th August 2025

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.13

Dowlish Wake & Donyatt 4 Merriott Saints 1, attendance 53

32’ 1-0 (pen)

64’ 2-0

65’ 3-0

83’ 3-1

85’ 4-1

@ Lawrence Kellett Playing Field

Oxenford Lane

Dowlish Wake

TA19 0PA

No Admission or Programme.

A trip to Somerset tonight, for a match in the Perry Street & District League’s Reg Eglon Cup, which is for teams in the second division. As well as football, the Lawrence Kellett Playing Field is home to a number of croquet courts, which are between the car park/pavilion and the football pitch itself. It’s just an open pitch, which has a huge end to end slope as well as side to side. There are two wooden dugouts on the far side, flanked by a spectator barrier extending about ten yards.

There was very little between the two sides in the first half and the only goal came courtesy of a penalty that saw the hosts go in front just after the half hour mark. Dowlish doubled their lead midway through the second half, smashing in from close range after a corner from the right wasn’t cleared and a minute later they made it 3-0, when a long ball over the top saw the ‘keeper totally miss his attempted clearance and the ball was rolled into the empty net. Merriott missed an easy chance to get a goal back with ten minutes left, but the follow up to a lob that came back off the crossbar was hit well wide of the target. They did get on the scoresheet a couple of minutes later though, heading in a corner at the near post, but the comeback was short lived, as Dowlish added a fourth goal within minutes, when a corner was turned in from close range.

I’d had a very quick response from the home club via text message that the game was going ahead okay and apart from the usual hold up on the A303 past Stonehenge, which cost me nearly ten minutes, it was a pretty trouble free journey heading west. Totally clear run back, helped by the fact that the game was over by 19.50 and back home just after ten.

Kent County League

Premier Division

Wednesday 13th August 2025

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.42

Canterbury City 2 Minster 3, attendance 128

17’ 1-0

41’ 2-0

69’ 2-1

87’ 2-2

90’ 2-3

@ Thanington Recreation Ground

Thanington Road

Thanington

CT1 3XE

No Admission

£2 Programme, 16 pages.

Over the years Canterbury City have been good to me, as far as playing on different grounds go. I first saw them host Witney Town in a Southern League Southern Division match back in March 1992, which was played at the now gone Kingsmead Stadium. By September 2007 they’d moved to Bridge Road in Patrixbourne, where I saw them beat Borden Village 5-0 in a Kent County League Division 2 East match. Next up, in July 2008, was a 2-1 win in a friendly against Erith & Belvedere Reserves, played on the 3G pitch at Whitstable Community College. Ground number four, in August 2009, was Hersden Recreation Ground, where they drew 1-1 with Fleet Leisure in a Kent County League Premier Division match. So, onto tonight. They’re now based at Thanington Recreation Ground, to the west of Canterbury. It’s just an open pitch, with a side to side slope, which was roped off, with a couple of portable dugouts on the far side. The changing rooms are part of the Thanington Resource Centre building, whilst a tea bar was set up at the corner of the pitch, where a match day programme was also available.

It seemed a bit late to schedule an 18.45 kick off this far east, especially as it rained for most of the first half, not helping the light, although the game did get underway three minutes early in the end. Canterbury broke the deadlock after seventeen minutes, when a break down the right was finished with a low angled shot into the far corner. Just after the half hour Minster saw a shot hit the crossbar, before bouncing down on the line, then hacked clear, shortly followed by a header that hit the crossbar, before Canterbury doubled their lead five minutes before halftime, with a free kick from the edge of the D that went straight into the bottom corner. With twenty one minutes left Minster pulled a goal back, converting a cross from the right at the far post and it looked inevitable from there that they’d get something out of the game. The equaliser came with three minutes left, when a long ball forward was controlled on the edge of the box before beating the ‘keeper with a low shot into the near corner of the net, despite him getting a hand to it. The winner for the visitors arrived right on ninety minutes, when a ball down the right hand side of the box was finished low into the corner. There was still time for Canterbury to have a man sent off in stoppage time, picking up a second yellow card for a foul as Minster were attacking down the left.

A totally trouble free journey both down and back from East Kent and this sees the top division of the Kent County League re-completed.