Belgium

Luxembourg Provincial 1

Sunday 18th November 2018

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.07

R. Union Sportive Ethe- Belmont 1 R.F.C. St. Hubert 1,  attendance 148

44’ 0-1

52’ 1-1

@ Stade Charles Servais

Parking “Aux Onous” 1

6760 Ethe

€ Admission ?

Team Sheet, free.

Today, the car load would be splitting up to do two different matches, as two of us had already been to R. Olympic Club Meix-devant-Virton, which was where the driver was heading in order to complete his visits to all the clubs in the Belgian League. I had seen them beat R. Etoile Sportive Champlonaise 4-1 in a Luxembourg Provincial 1 match on 4th April 2014. With the two grounds being around 14 minutes drive apart, it meant we were dropped off close on ninety minutes before kick off, so we were in the clubhouse well before the pay gate was opened and once again no one came inside to collect the admission money off those that arrived early, so a free afternoons entertainment.

The match was 7th versus 4th in the league table and looked like it might be a second successive goalless match for us, but St. Hubert finally broke the deadlock just before the interval, when a shot that was already going in was helped across the line by their big No.9 from all of a yard out. What had been a pretty tepid affair burst into life when Ethe levelled it up early in the second half and they probably did enough to have won the game on the balance of the overall match.

As our match had kicked off late, it meant we only had a couple of minutes to wait to be picked up afterwards. By 17.05 we were on our way, for the 243 mile drive back to The Tunnel, where we were booked on the 21.49 crossing. All was going well, until we got within 10 minutes of the terminal, where we were held in a massive traffic jam caused by French fuel tax protesters, who are not happy with the increase of fuel duty added by their government. Even with the increase, it is still cheaper than in England !

We decided to try and exit the motorway, but they had the slip road barricaded as well, using metal gates and burning fires to disrupt the traffic as much as possible, only allowing 3 or 4 cars to pass through every 5 minutes or so. There were hundreds of protesters walking in the road and running up the motorway embankments and onto the carriageway to prevent traffic moving forward, but despite this, there were no police in sight, although there looked to be plenty of flashing blue lights around and continuous sirens blaring, but no sign of removing the blockage.

We made it through, going around the outskirts of Calais, before approaching the terminal from the opposite direction, where the motorway was free of protesters, although according to our live traffic information, this was only freed up in the last half hour. We actually missed our check-in for our booked 21.49 train, but were offered a place on the next train out which was due at 22.10. Amazingly, this left two minutes early, so we were only nineteen minutes behind our schedule. We thought we would have to contend with the M20 being closed between Junctions 6 and 4, which was supposed to last until Monday morning, but the traffic was moving through unhindered. So, in the end, everything turned out quite well considering…….

Belgium

Namur Provincial 1

Saturday 17th November 2018

Kick Off 20.00 Actual 20.01

R. Union Sportive Loyers 0 Union Sportive Beauraing ‘61 0,  attendance 65

@ Rue Comognes De Loyers, 3G Pitch

5101 Loyers

€6 Admission

No Programme.

Three of us in the car had visited Loyers back on 25th November 2012, where, oddly enough, we saw the same opposition as tonight lose 4-0 in front of 93 spectators. The game was played on Stade Nicolas Loyers, which was a wonderful ground, full of character and still in place. There was a new clubhouse, that was halfway through construction, taking shape behind the top goal. This is now along the side of the newly constructed 3G Pitch that is now home to the first team. The new ground is so bland and unfortunately it is the way so many clubs are now heading, in what they call progress.

Loyers were in second place in the league table, behind Nismes on goal difference. Beauraing were fourteenth, which is three off the bottom. The match was simply dreadful, although Beauraing certainly didn’t look like a team near the bottom and quite how Loyers can now be top of the league following this point is beyond me. Even more ridiculous, is the thought that they could be playing in the Belgian League next season !

Belgium

Oost Vlaanderen Provincial 4C

Saturday 17th November 2018

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.32

F.C. Velzeke ‘B’ 1 S.V. Everbeek 2,  attendance 64

3’ 1-0

29’ 1-1

90’ 1-2

@ Windmolenstraat 1

Velzeke-Ruddershove

9620 Zottegem

€4 Admission

No Programme.

This trip was booked almost two months ago, when the outbound crossing on The Tunnel was to be at 09.24. This was actually re-timed to 09.29, which departed two minutes late.  We were originally only planning a match in the evening, but a couple of matches in the Oost Vlaanderen Provincial League were brought forward to this afternoon.

F.C. Rangers Merelbeke was our chosen match, but when the fixture list was updated, this had reverted back to the original Sunday afternoon slot, but with the match in Velzeke being no more than ten minutes off route, we decided to go here instead,(we were booked on the same outbound train, whether we did the match or not) even though it was only the ‘B’ team and the match was being played on the main ground, which is home to the first team, who play one level higher, in Provincial 3. Things are a bit different in Belgium. Despite being the ‘B’ team, many of these clubs clubs play in the main pyramid and there is then a reserve league below this, where they field their ‘reserve’ teams.

Anyway, this looked like it might be a reasonable match, as the ninth placed hosts were entertaining the unbeaten league leaders, although it was hard to tell which of them was top of the table, as Velzeke attacked them from the off and totally dominated the early exchanges. Having scored after three minutes, they then had a couple more chances, before being awarded a penalty in the twenty second minute, which is where the match turned on its head. The penalty was easily saved and a few minutes later Evebeek levelled it up with a 20 yard free kick that gave the ‘keeper no chance. The second half was played almost entirely in the Velzeke half of the pitch, but they looked like they would hang on to gain a point, until a long ball over the top saw the visitors break clear and win it at the death.

There was plenty of time to head south east into Namur Province, checking in at our overnight hotel, before taking in a match in Namur Provincial 1 at 8pm.

Below photo : The Evebeek ‘keeper easily saves the Velzeke penalty kick.

British Universities & Colleges Sport

South Eastern 3B

Wednesday 14th November 2018

Kick Off 14.00  On Time !

King’s College London (GKT) 2 Kent University 2nds 1,  attendance 2

7’ 1-0

39’ 1-1

88’ 2-1

@ Honor Oak Park Sports Ground

Brockley Rise

Honor Oak Park

London

SE23 1NW

No Admission or Programme.

The ‘GKT’ in the college name stands for Guy’s, King’s and St. Thomas’s. The ground here in Brockley Rise was used last season by South East Athletic in the Kent County League, but I never got round to visiting here during their tenure.

King’s had so much possession and created so many chances, it was hard to believe they only just won it in the dying minutes. They led early on, but a scuffed clearance by their ‘keeper, from the corner of the 18 yard box, saw Kent draw level with a lob from the halfway line. King’s scrambled the winner when a corner on the left was not cleared from the box and the ball was swept in from 12 yards. One odd thing of note, was that King’s played in four different versions of their shirt,  as apparently they are in need of a new kit and these were the best they could muster up from various old ones.

Anglian Combination League

Premier Division

Saturday 10th November 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.02

Long Stratton 0 Scole United 0,  attendance 43

@ Long Stratton Playing Field

Manor Road

Long Stratton

NR15 2XR

No Admission

Programme, free, 28 pages.

I headed east today, as there was no rain forecast, which was spot on. This match was 2nd versus 6th in the league table, but it was a really dour match that was mainly played in the middle third of the pitch. It was a couple of minutes into the second half before there was a genuine attempt on goal. The home ‘keeper was sin binned for the last 10 minutes of the first half, but the stand in wasn’t even tested during that time. Scole had two good chances in the second half, but two equally good saves, meant this one finished goalless.

There will be a new changing room building here, replacing the now demolished wooden pavilion, with a few portacabins doing the job temporarily. The club do make a bit of an effort though, as they serve refreshments from a table at pitch side, which is also where the programme is available, although I am pretty sure I was the only one at the match who bothered to get one, despite it being free. The locals obviously knew it was rubbish, as it was a really poor effort and not worth bothering with and yet another reminder why programmes are dying out. The fixture page for the Reserves was for last season and showed the next home match as being on 21st April ! There were also final league tables for last season, which is a total waste of time.

Belgium

West Vlaanderen Provincial 4A

Friday 9th November 2018

Kick Off 20.00 Actual 20.01

Jeugd Voetbal Lo-Reninge 3 White Star Bulskamp 0,  attendance 38

6’ 1-0 (pen)

12’ 2-0

49’ 3-0

@ Lostraat 10A

8647 Lo-Reninge

€5 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

This match was brought forward to Friday evening to avoid clashing with Armistice Day commemorative events in the town on Sunday.

The match was 5th versus 11th in the league table and was pretty much one way traffic once the hosts converted an early penalty. Bulskamp did improve late in the second half, but as they were already 3-0 down by then, there was no way back for them.

For once, The Tunnel was running to schedule, at least on the outbound leg. We were booked on the 14.50 going out, but the earliest we could get back after the match was the 00.26 on Saturday morning. It left six minutes late, then lost another six minutes on the published crossing time, but by the recent standards of Eurotunnel, that is as good as it gets. Once again the M20 was closed between Junction 9 and 7 for our return drive home.

Below photo : The opening goal, scored from the penalty spot.

British Universities & Colleges Sport

South Eastern 1A

Wednesday 7th November 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.03

Surrey University 0 Reading University 1,  attendance 12

38’ 0-1

@ Surrey Sports Park

Richard Meyjes Road

Guildford

GU2 7AD

No Admission or Programme.

I had visited Surrey University before, on 5th November 2008, when they lost 2-3 versus Sussex University in a South Eastern Conference 2A match. The match was played on a pitch immediately on the left when entering Richard Meyjes Road from Egerton Road, when the venue was known as The Varsity Centre. That pitch is now used for rugby and the football have now moved to what is known as Pitch A1, which is adjacent to the main hub of the Surrey Sports Park, a good 3-400 yards away from my last visit.

The match was really poor. It was bottom of the league table, versus top, but lacked any real quality. The only goal of the game was a side footed effort from 12 yards following a cut back from the right. There was a ridiculous colour clash, so Surrey played in yellow bibs, but at least the shirt numbers were still visible. For some reason, teams in the B.U.C.S. competition never have an alternate shirt colour with them, despite the website clearly showing the team colours on the fixture page.

South West Peninsula League

Premier Division

Tuesday 6th November 2018

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.31

Sticker 1 Helston Athletic 3,  attendance 63

20’ 0-1

48’ 0-2

53’ 1-2

80’ 1-3

@ Burngullow Park

Burngullow Lane

off St. Stephens Road

Sticker

PL26 7EN

£5 Admission

Programme, free, 10 page shell with 4 page insert.

Thankfully, Sticker have an excellent pitch that drains well. If I had believed the BBC Weather forecast, there is no way I would have risked travelling to Cornwall tonight, as they had shown rain all day, but the Met Office were only showing 3 hours of heavy rain, but that it would be gone before kick off, then remaining pretty much dry for the rest of the evening. Apart from three or four heavy showers during the match, it did remain dry for the large part and the pitch was in superb condition.

Sticker are really struggling this season and are rooted to the foot of the league table, failing to win any of their 19 league games so far, although they have managed 4 draws. Helston came into this in fourteenth place, so I thought this might be a match that Sticker had a chance of getting something from. Despite conceding the first goal, Sticker could have been in front before halftime, as they hit the crossbar twice with the ‘keeper well beaten both times and with a bit of luck it could have turned the game round. When the visitors made it 0-2 early in the second half I thought that was it, but Sticker reduced the arrears within five minutes and were well in the game until Helston finally made it 1-3 with ten minutes left. The run of games without a win for Sticker now extends to 20, although having won games in the cups this season, surely it is only a matter of time before they break their duck in the league.

This now completes the top division for me and was also the last of the floodlit grounds I had left to visit in the league. It leaves just Bere Alston United, Ludgvan and Waldon Athletic to do now and as none of them have floodlights, then it may be a while before I get to any of them.

The journey home was very wet and windy. It rained constantly from Bodmin to the M25 and despite the A30 being closed near Tedburn St. Mary, I was still home for 01.30.

Belgium

Division 2 Amateurs V.F.V. A

Sunday 4th November 2018

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.02

K.F.C. Mandel United Izegem-Ingelmunster 1 K. Olympia Sportkring Club Wijgmaal 0,  attendance 259

90’ + 4, 1-0

@ Gemeentelijk Sportstadion

Bollewerpstraat 92B

8770 Ingelmunster

€12 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

Today, I was offered the chance to be dropped off in Ingelmunster, as the driver was heading off to watch Division 3 Amateur club K.F.C. Merelbeke, who are playing this season at the ground of Oost Vlaanderen Provincial club J.V. De Pinte. I had already visited that ground, but as my choice of match was en route, then it made perfect sense to be dropped here, especially as the ground here is supposed to be being vacated in the near future. With the match in Merelbeke kicking off half an hour earlier than ours, it meant the three of us being left here had plenty of time to stroll around the town (not that there is much to see !) then on to the stadium. Arriving here early meant we were in the clubhouse before the admission was being taken on the gate, and unusually for games in Belgium, they didn’t come round to collect any money from anyone already in the ground.

K.F.C. Mandel United Izegem-Ingelmunster is the result of a merger in 2017, between K.F.C. Izegem and Olympic Molen Sport Ingelmunster, with the first team playing matches here in Ingelmunster. Luckily, I had managed a visit to the ground of K.F.C. Izegem, when I saw them lose 1-2 to K. Racing Club Gent Zeehaven, in a Belgian League Division 3A match on 11th September 2013.

In Belgium, they have a system of qualifying for the end of season promotion play offs, by splitting the season into ‘periods’, where whoever finishes top of each set of 10 league matches advances to the play offs, along with the actual league champions. The system is not perfect, but it does mean clubs can be rewarded for going on a bit of a winning streak at various stages of the season.

It was all to play for in this match, with four teams still being in with a chance of finishing the day on top of the league table. K. Sint-Eloois-Winkel Sport were leading the way with 19 points, ahead of today’s visitors K. Olympia S.C. Wijgmaal, who were on the same points. K.F.C. Sparta Petegem were third, on 18 points, one above today’s hosts.

This was a pretty cagey match, with very few clear cut chances being created in the first half. For some reason, Ingelmunster came out for the second half having had a change of kit. The red shirts and black shorts were replaced by white shirt and shorts. The second half had more energy and the hosts began to build more pressure. They certainly stepped it up during the last quarter of an hour and were helped when Wijgmaal were reduced to ten men on 83 minutes, with a straight red card for a foul. Deep into stoppage time, a cut back on the right was diverted past his own ‘keeper by a defender attempting to block the cross. Judging by their desperation to get the goal, Ingelmunster must have known that St-Eloois-Winkel had lost 1-3 at home and Sparta Petegem had drawn 0-0 away. If they had kept a clean sheet, it would have been Wijgmaal that topped the table, but as it was, it was Ingelmunster who booked their ticket for the end of season play offs.

The driver was already waiting for us after the match and we were checked in at The Tunnel by 18.27, which was ample time for our booked 19.20 return. Unfortunately, Eurotunnel were once again providing their regular joke service, and for the second time in four days, it was their customers who would suffer their incompetence. They claimed that a train was broken down in the tunnel and their answer was just to suspend all trains, rather than moving the obstacle hastily……it is not like they haven’t faced the problem before, as it happens most days !

Again, we had continual lies of possible departures shown on the screens, with them adding half hour at a time to the expected delays. We eventually departed at 22.34…….3 hours 14 minutes late !!!!!!!

The delays in Calais also meant we would have the possible closure of the M20 to deal with as well. And yes, sure enough we did. It was closed from Junction 9 to Junction 7, which is pretty much the longest section you get on here. I finally got home at 23.50, which is unbelievable for a match that is only 158 miles away.

East Sussex League

Premier Division

Saturday 3rd November 2018

Kick Off 14.00. On Time !

Rye Town 1 Sidley United 4,  attendance 44

6’ 0-1

24’ 1-1

38’ 1-2

60’ 1-3 (pen)

63’ 1-4 (pen)

@ Rye Rugby Union Football Club

New Road

Rye

TN31 7LS

No Admission or Programme.

Having visited Rye United back on 7th October 2008, I never expected to return to the town to see another match. The game that day was played at The Salts, in Fishmarket Road, which is also home to the local Cricket Club, where they beat Bexhill United 2-1 in a Sussex County League, Division 2 match. The club withdrew from the league on 20th March 2014 with immediate effect.

Football returned to the town for the 2016/17 season, when the newly formed Rye Town joined the East Sussex League, also playing at The Salts. However, this season they have moved half a mile out of town, playing on a pitch at Rye Rugby Club, which according to people connected with the home club is for the entire season, although they would like to make it a permanent move.

Today’s match was 6th versus 4th in the league table and it seemed to be a real grudge match. Sidley opened the scoring early on, but Rye headed in an equaliser from a corner. Sidley regained the lead before the break, then scored twice from the penalty spot around the hour mark to sew the game up. Rye had a player sin binned after 70 minutes, but he was only off the pitch for seven minutes, rather than the stipulated ten.

Below photo : The Salts, now minus the floodlights from the Sussex County League days.