Football

Old Foresters v Old Bradfieldians

Arthurian League

Arthur Dunn Cup 2nd Round

Saturday 16th December 2023

Kick Off 11.00 Actual 11.02

Old Foresters 4 Old Bradfieldians 5 (AET), attendance 22

17’ 0-1

23’ 0-2

29’ 0-3

36’ 1-3

45’ 2-3

55’ 3-3

61’ 4-3

63’ 4-4

100’ 4-5 (pen)

@ Forest School Playing Fields

off Bradwell Close/Coppice Way/Cheyne Avenue

Upper Walthamstow

London

E18 2BT

No Admission or Programme.

Traditionally, Arthur Dunn Cup games are hosted at the main school, rather than a random hired pitch. I had seen Old Foresters play a ‘home’ game in early October, which was played at Old Parkonians, but this was a chance to do them at their proper home ground. The F.A. Full Time website was showing this as being played at Sylvestrian Leisure Centre, which is part of Forest School itself, in Oakhurst Gardens. The players did get changed here, but rather than play on the pitch here (visible through the gates), they were actually using the School Playing Fields, which were a couple of hundred yards away, walking through the woods, on the opposite side of the Hornbeam Trail from the school. The game was played on Pitch 1, which was the only one that had a pair of dugouts.

The match was between two Premier Division teams, with 5th hosting 3rd, as far as league positions go. The two had met in the league at the beginning of November, in a game that was won 8-0 by Foresters! When Bradfieldians went 0-3 up inside half an hour, that previous result seemed hard to believe, as they were well on top and by far the better team. Foresters pulled one back and with the last kick of the first half made it 2-3, with a free kick that went in off the inside of the post. Ten minutes into the second half it was 3-3, finishing with a half volley from the edge of the box and six minutes later Foresters were in front, heading in at the far post. The lead only lasted two minutes though, as a long ball forward was finished with a shot on the turn, to make it 4-4. Sadly, the game deteriorated from here, as both teams were more mindful of not losing the game, rather than trying to win it and it came as little surprise when the game headed into extra time and Bradfieldians got what turned out to be the winner, when they scored with a penalty ten minutes into the first period.