Belgium

Brabant Provincial 1 A.C.F.F.

Sunday 7th October 2018

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.01

Racing Club Villers-La-Ville 1 F.C. Genappe 0,  attendance 243

84’ 1-0

@ Plaine Des Sports

Rue Emile Leger 15

1495 Villers-La-Ville

€7 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

This was 1st versus 12th in the league table, with VLV only failing to win one of their matches so far, when they drew 0-0 at second placed Stade Everois Racing Club last week. It looked like being a second successive scoreless match for them, but they won it with just six minutes left when a right wing corner was headed in from six yards.

With the visitors being just six miles away, there was a good crowd here today for the local derby. If VLV are promoted into the Belgian League next season, then the ground will be one of the worst in the league, as it is only really two sided and couldn’t cope with a very much larger crowd than today’s.

The Tunnel once again failed to run to schedule. Our 0820 outbound crossing was re-timed to 0850, but still managed to leave two minutes late. Despite announcing that due to technical problems the train would also be running at a slower speed, it did in fact cross in the normal 35 minutes. At least the return journey was on time.

Somerset F.A. Senior Cup

2nd Round

Saturday 6th October 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.04

Ilminster Town 2 Cheddar Reserves 4,  attendance 31

25’ 1-0

43’ 1-1

62’ 2-1

69’ 2-2

79’ 2-3

86’ 2-4

@ Archie Gooch Pavilion

Canal Way

Ilminster

TA19 9FE

Admission, by collection box

No Programme.

Normally, having stopped over following the match in Cornwall last night, I would have done another match in the area today, but having tickets to see Henning Wehn in Guildford at 7.30 pm meant I needed something a little nearer home, especially when having to allow for the possibility of extra time and penalties.

I had visited the ‘old’ ground of Ilminster Town on 8th November 2003, when they beat Crewkerne 3-0 in a Somerset County League, Division 1 match. That pitch, now minus the old covered area, is still there, with the new ground a couple of hundred yards away, separated by a cricket ground and a canal.

I picked this match, as I thought it was unlikely to need extra time to settle it, which was correct, but not for the reason I thought. With Ilminster being in the Premier Division of the Somerset County League and visitors Cheddar Reserves being in Division 3, albeit top and undefeated in their first six matches, I was expecting a home win.

Ilminster broke the deadlock with a deflected free kick on twenty five minutes, but Cheddar headed an equaliser just before the break. When Ilminster edged back in front just after the hour mark I thought they would go on to win comfortably, but Cheddar levelled again when an attempt to block a cross saw the ball loop over the goalkeeper and drop inside the far corner of the net to make it 2-2. Despite looking very tired, it was Cheddar who got their noses in front next and deservedly finished things off with a shot from an acute angle with four minutes left, to make it 2-4.

Ilminster may have been cheesed off with this result, but it suited me fine, leaving ample time to make it for the evening entertainment !

Cornwall F.A. Senior Cup

1st Round

Friday 5th October 2018

Kick Off 19.30. On Time !

Helston Athletic 3 Penzance 2 (AET),  attendance 156

8’ 1-0

15’ 2-0

30’ 2-1

43’ 2-2

118’ 3-2

@ Kellaway Park

Clodgey Lane

Helston

TR13 8PJ

£5 Admission, including Programme, 4 pages.

With the only two clubs I hadn’t visited in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division both having home matches tonight in the Cornwall Senior Cup, it was an ideal night to tick off Helston, with the back up of Sticker en route if I hit any traffic problems. The traffic was not too bad, but heading along the A30 between Bodmin and Camborne the mist began to come down and visibility was becoming poor. Thankfully, once I was south of Cambourne, it began to lift and it was totally clear for the last 8 miles or so heading into Helston.

The match was 14th in the Premier Division versus 6th in Division 1 West. After 15 minutes it looked to be going to form as Helston raced into a 2-0 lead. Penzance pulled one goal back, then just before the break, headed in an equaliser from a scramble inside the six yard box. Both teams had plenty of chances to win it in normal time, but it finished level at 2-2 after 90 minutes. Again, in extra time both teams had some decent chances to win it and with it looking like heading to penalties to decide it, Helston broke away and their striker managed to slot the ball past the on rushing ‘keeper to seal the win with just two minutes left on the clock.

The official crowd was announced as 156, although I only counted 128.

Taunton League

Seward Cup 1st Round

Wednesday 3rd October 2018

Kick Off 20.00 Actual 20.05

Nether Stowey 2 Norton Fitzwarren 0,  attendance 23

43’ 1-0

81’ 2-0

@ Bridgwater College Academy, 3G Pitch

Parkway

Bridgwater

TA6 4QY

No Admission or Programme.

The Taunton League schedule the majority of their cup matches to be played on Wednesday or Friday evenings, using this facility and another 3G Pitch in Taunton to stage games.

Having never seen a match in this league previously, I wasn’t sure what standard it would be. It turned out to be plenty of effort, but lacking somewhat in attacking ability. Despite it being 4th in Division 3 versus 7th in Division 2, the match was totally dominated by the lower level team. It looked like neither side was capable of scoring, but Nether Stowey broke the deadlock just before the break with a 40 yard punt that was fumbled over the goal line by the ‘keeper. The second goal was better though, with a 25 yard shot curled into the bottom corner of the net to seal it late on.

Liverpool Premier League

Premier Division

Tuesday 2nd October 2018

Kick Off 20.05 Actual 20.03

Liverpool Nalgo 1 B.R.N.E.S.C. 4,  attendance 32

7’ 0-1

37’ 0-2

41’ 0-3

42’ 0-4

85’ 1-4

@ Liverpool County F.A. Ground, 3G Pitch

Walton Hall Park

Walton Hall Avenue

Liverpool L4 9XP

No Admission or Programme.

I had visited the Liverpool County F.A. Ground twice before, as they have two floodlit grass pitches here, both with covered standing areas and fully railed. They are at the back of the complex, with the pitch to the right, as you look from the car park, visited on 27th April 2000, with the left hand of the two being visited on 19th November 2007.

The Liverpool Premier League schedule all members to play midweek matches here, rather than at their own grounds, but use the 3G Pitch, which is to the left of the car park as you enter the complex, hence the need to attend for a third time. There are a few ‘outside’ pitches as well, but I will probably never be back for any of those, but never say never !

Nalgo came into this in second place in the league table, still undefeated, knowing a win would take them top. B.R.N.E.S.C. (British Rail North End Social Club, to give them their full title) were fifth, but could go level at the top of the table with a win. As it was, it went the way of the ‘visitors’, who totally blew the hosts away in a superb first half display. The second half never really got going and the late goal for Nalgo was little consolation for them.

Despite the Liverpool Premier League being one of the best Step 7 leagues as far as the standard of football goes, off field it is just like being at a Sunday League match down the local park. The Nalgo ‘Manager’ spent the entire match stood about 2-3 yards on the pitch, joined by two or three others for the vast majority of the game, whilst a couple of kids played with a football, at times 10 yards onto the pitch, even when the game was being played in that half of the pitch at the time !!! I was surprised the 3 match officials didn’t do anything about this, especially as the Linesman on their side of the pitch would have been able to see very little of the touch line most of the time.

Welsh F.A. Cup

2nd Qualifying Round

Saturday 29th September 2018

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.31

C.P.D. Aberffraw 0 Rhostyllen 0 (AET) (3-4 pens),  attendance 35

@ Parc Cynlas

Cae Cynlas

Ty Croes

Angelsey

LL63 5SN

£2 Admission

£1 Programme, 8 pages.

This match pitted Welsh Alliance Division 2 (7th place) with Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) Premier Division (bottom of league table). Aberffraw had beaten Bodedern Athletic, who are in the division  above them, in the last round, so would have fancied their chances of another win today, as despite being one level higher up the pyramid, Rhostyllen have lost all seven league matches that they have played so far this season.

Having come within ten seconds of my first scoreless match last Saturday, it soon became obvious that the run would be ending this afternoon, even with an extra thirty minutes ‘action’. Both teams had upwards of a dozen efforts on goal, but every time the shot was straight at the ‘keeper, or dragged hopelessly wide of the target.

A glance at the squad lists on the back of the match programme meant it was a case of keeping up with the Joneses, which was matched by the Williamses, who also had six players with that surname. For good measure, we also had Roberts (x 5), Rees (x 2), Hughes (x 2) and Chesters (x 2) as well as a Brown and Browne !

It is trips like this that really make this hobby what it is. What can be better on a Saturday than travelling 590 miles, sat in a car for 10 hours, to be entertained for two hours……without seeing a goal ?! Even the backdrop of Snowdonia National Park was little compensation.

Below : Rhostyllen score the winning penalty in the shoot out.

Sweden

Allsvenskan

Wednesday 26th September 2018

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.01

Hammarby I.F. 0 I.F. Elfsborg 1,  attendance 17,896

31’ 0-1

@ Tele2 Arena

Arenaslingan 14

121 77 Johanneshov

Stockholm

240 SEK Admission + 30 SEK Booking Fee (rip off add on), Print at Home Ticket

30 SEK Programme, 32 pages.

Tonight, it was back to top division action, for third in the league table versus twelfth. The stadium is easily reached from central Stockholm, taking the Metro on line T19 south towards Hagsatra, getting off at the stop for Globen, which is less than 10 minutes walk away.

Tele2 Arena was opened in 2013 and has a capacity of 33,000. It is also home to fellow top division team Djurgårdens I.F. Having a retractable roof makes it an ideal venue for concerts, with the record crowd of 39,338 having been here to see Madonna in 2015. I am not sure if cash is taken inside the stadium here or not, as due to the close proximity of the city centre, there is no need to eat or drink here.

Hammarby were in with a real chance of becoming league champions just four matches ago, but three defeats and a draw in the subsequent games have left them looking out of it now, as they have dropped to third place, where they trail Norrköping by 4 points and leaders A.I.K. by a further 3, with just seven games remaining.

Elfsborg managed to score with one of just two efforts on goal during the entire match, whilst Hammarby were simply dreadful, despite having at least three quarters of the possession. They did have a goal disallowed for offside and also managed to somehow hit the post from an open goal just six yards out. If this is the third best team in Sweden, then it doesn’t say much for the standard of the league.

One thing that was unusual tonight was the attendance figure. It was officially given as 17,896, but on their on-line ticket page, it was showing they had sold 20,034 tickets around 2 hours before kick off. Most clubs add a load on to the figures (rather like Arsenal) so this must be one of the few that do it by actual number of fans present.

Sweden

Superettan

Monday 24th September 2018

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.01

A.F.C. Eskilstuna 3 Östers I.F. 0,  attendance 1,665

71’ 1-0

75’ 2-0

90’ + 4, 3-0

@ Tunavallen

Vasterasvagen 18

632 23 Eskilstuna

110 SEK Admission, Print at Home Ticket.

Programme, free. A3 size double sided printed card,concertina style.

Tonight’s  match was in the second tier of Swedish football, involving a journey heading 70 miles west of the capital. The train from Stockholm Central Station to Eskilstuna Central Station took 1 hour 5 minutes and cost 290 SEK return, followed by a walk of barely ten minutes to reach the stadium. Having been on four trains in the last couple of days to matches, where they have all been dead on time, tonight was not so punctual, although better than any train in England could ever hope to be. Four minutes late on the outbound journey, then just one minute late on the return !

Tunavallen was opened in 1924, with the original stadium being one of the host venues for the 1958 World Cup. Major renovation took place in 2002 and current capacity here is 7,800. Unlike the last couple of days, cash was actually accepted for payment of food and drinks inside the ground !

Eskilstuna came into the match in third place in the league table, with the visitors lying eighth. Östers had the best of the first half, but Eskilstuna dominated the second. The opening goal was a close range effort, following a shot parried by the ‘keeper, with the other two being decent finishes. 3-0 was not really a true reflection of how the game went.

Sweden

Division 1 Norra

Sunday 23rd September 2018

Kick Off 16.00 Actual 16.01

Assyriska F.F. 0 Västerås S.K. 2,  attendance 463

59’ 0-1

65’ 0-2

@ Södertälje Fotbollsarena

Genetaleden 5

Geneta

151 06 Södertälje

100 SEK Admission

No Programme.

Today’s action was a third tier match, where third from bottom in the league table were hosting the leaders. It was a 45 minute train ride from Stockholm City Station (on the commuter train, rather than the regional network, costing 72 SEK return ) to Södertälje Centrum Station. From here, it was 2.5 miles to the stadium. With plenty of time and with the weather not too cold, we opted to walk, which took just over 50 minutes, with a couple of minutes less on the return.

The Södertälje Fotbollsarena was built in 2005 and has a capacity of 6,400. The stadium also hosts the matches of Syrianska F.C. who are in the same division. Cash was taken at the turnstiles, but as with the match yesterday, once inside, food and drink was only available by paying via mobile phone.

Assyriska never had the fire power up front to trouble the league leaders, although they did have an effort cleared off the line, as well as a disallowed goal, which was flagged offside. Västerås finally broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, doubling their lead five minutes later. They should really have scored a couple more as they opened up the home defence at will late on.

The official attendance for the match was given as 463, but I only counted 279, of which 75 were in the visitors section, although they had another 25-30 sat in the centre of the main stand.

Sweden

Allsvenskan

Saturday 22nd September 2018

Kick Off 16.00. On Time !

I.K. Sirius 0 Östersunds F.K. 1,  attendance 3,840

90’ + 5, 0-1

@ Studenternas I.P.

Ullerakersvagen 6

753 09 Uppsala

190 SEK Admission, Print at Home Ticket.

15 SEK Programme, 8 pages.

It was a 30 minute train ride north from Stockholm Central Station to Uppsala for this top division clash, between third bottom in the league table Sirius and sixth placed Östersunds. The train left on time in both directions, with the cost being 190 SEK return. The walk from Uppsala Central Station to the ground took just over 15 minutes.

The Studenternas I.P. was opened in 1909 and originally had a running track around the pitch. This has now gone, with both ends of the ground now having ‘temporary’ type metal terracing butting up to the pitch. There is a new west stand under construction, which once finished, will take capacity up from 7,200 to around 10,000. I hope the traditional huge corner floodlight pylons survive as the ground is modernised.

Entering the ground, it was very unusual to have male stewards frisking female supporters. In fact, in most countries, this is pretty much something that would not be acceptable in the current climate. Then, once inside, there is no cash payment accepted for food and drink, with transactions carried out via mobile phone banking. At least there was free water, along with paper cups, available from containers under the stands. It was also a bit of a problem trying to buy a programme. Although they were actually taking cash for these, most of the sellers were refusing bank notes, but they seemed okay with coins. In the end, one of them agreed to take a 100 SEK note and gave change, which included four 20 SEK notes !

As for the match, it was never one to live long in the memory. Both teams hit the crossbar in the first half, with Östersunds always looking the more likely to nick it. I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to see my first scoreless match of the season, but with just 10 seconds of the five added minutes left on the clock, (they left the scoreboard clock running as we hit the 90 minute mark) the visitors scored with a close range finish from a pull back from just inside the box, much to the delight of the travelling fans, who had arrived at the ground en masse, having marched from the city centre.