Liverpool F.A. Senior Cup

1st Round

Wednesday 21st November 2018

Kick Off 20.00 Actual 20.02

Lower Breck 2 Skelmersdale United 0,  attendance 261

35’ 1-0

66’ 2-0

@ Anfield Sports & Community Centre, 3G Pitch

Breckside Park

Lower Breck Road

Liverpool

L6 0AG

£3 Admission

£1.50 Programme, 28 pages, plus free team sheet.

On first impressions, the programme looks decent and you are issued a match specific ticket when you pay your admission money at the reception area to the building, but……..you then notice the wrong date on both the programme cover and the ticket. Opening the programme and reading the first page of text and it gets worse….twice they use ‘there’, instead of ‘their’……I couldn’t be bothered to read on, but I wouldn’t imagine it got any better.

I have been to many Hellenic League grounds over the years, which are possibly the worst standard Step 6 grounds you could possibly come across, but these dreadful 3G caged grounds make those seem far better than they were. I would probably put this ground top of the list of ‘worst ground of the current Step 6 set up’. It is just accessible down one side and behind one goal. As for the tiny atcost stand that is plonked in one corner, well what a waste of time that is, but as we all know, the F.A. will say it ‘ticks all the boxes’.

On the pitch however, Lower Breck are really impressive. They are currently in fourth place in the North West Counties League, Division 1 North, whilst tonight’s visitors are two levels higher, in the Northern Premier League, West Division, although they are propping up the table. The opening goal came against the run of play, but they dominated the second half and once they scored the second goal it was game over. It was an excellent crowd ( I only counted 234, but still very good) swelled by a good away following, despite it being a really cold night in such an exposed ground. At least it was dry.

The journey home wasn’t as bad as it could have been, considering the M6 was closed from Junction 15-14 and the M25 was closed from Junction 11-10, but I still made it home for 02.10.

British Universities & Colleges Sport

Northern Conference Cup 3rd Round

Wednesday 21st November 2018

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.01

Bangor University 3 Newcastle University 2nds 4,  attendance 16

2’ 0-1

36’ 0-2

53’ 1-2

75’ 2-2

77’ 2-3

83’ 2-4

90’+2, 3-4

@ Nantporth 3G Pitch

Holyhead Road

Bangor

LL57 2HQ

No Admission or Programme.

After staying overnight in Bangor, this was my obvious choice for this afternoon. The 3G Pitch here is next door to the stadium of Bangor City, which is behind the left hand goal, down in a hollow and running in the opposite direction. It is also where the teams got changed for today’s match.

The five hour journey for Newcastle will have felt all the better having progressed into the quarter finals with this win. They were coasting at halftime, but a free kick early in the second half lifted the spirits of Bangor and they drew level with a shot from a tight angle that went through the ‘keeper’s legs with fifteen minutes left on the clock. However, within two minutes, Newcastle were back in front and when they made it 2-4 with seven minutes left, it looked all over. Bangor pulled it back to 3-4 in stoppage time, but despite playing an additional seven minutes, they were unable to force an equaliser.

Welsh Alliance

Division 2

Tuesday 20th November 2018

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.31

Pwllheli 3 Amlwch Town 0,  attendance 37

49’ 1-0

56’ 2-0

64’ 3-0

@ Treborth Playing Fields

Treborth Road

Bangor

LL57 2RQ

No Admission or Programme.

Having had a successful run in the cup matches this season, Pwllheli have fallen behind in their league matches, having only played 4 games so far, which leaves them second from bottom in the league table. Amlwch are propping up the table, coming into this having lost all ten of their games.

Their own ground doesn’t have floodlights, so in an effort to catch up their fixture backlog, Pwllheli hired the floodlit ground at Treborth Playing Fields, (belonging to Bangor University) which is Pitch 4 according to the map of the complex that was on the changing room building wall.

Amlwch battled well, although they did ride their luck at times, but when Pwllheli broke the deadlock early in the second half, then added another two soon after, it was game over. With a three goal lead, they took their foot off the pedal and coasted to a comfortable three points. The win lifted them three places up the league table, and if they were to win their games in hand, they could go up to second place, just two points behind leaders Blaenau Amateurs. Despite kicking off a minute late, this was a very prompt finish. The players stayed on the pitch at halftime, rather than trek the 200 yards back to the changing rooms, so we were done and dusted by 21.09.

I know the Welsh have their own language, but didn’t realise they also have a different way of counting numbers. According to the league website, the official attendance tonight was 70. It wouldn’t have reached that total even if you included the players !

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.