Northern Counties East League

Division 1

Tuesday 21st February 2017

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.48

Hall Road Rangers 3 Eccleshill United 1,  attendance 76

30′ 1-0

35′ 1-1

68′ 2-1

85′ 3-1

@ Harworth Park

Dawson Drive

Kingston upon Hull

HU6 7AB

£5 Admission

£1.50p Programme, 24 pages.

Unlike Bilborough Town last week, Hall Road have someone reliable doing their club Twitter account. A tweet very early on showed the pitch to be in superb condition and a conversation with the very helpful club Secretary, just after 12 o’clock,  meant I would soon be off on the 4 hour journey to Humberside.

Thankfully, the rain that fell here was very light, so no problem of the game being on, as it is certainly a pitch that has suffered from a fair amount of postponements since the club moved here from their old ground in Dunswell.

A strong wind blowing down the pitch certainly helped Hall Road in the first half, as they played with it at their backs, going ahead after almost constant pressure from the start. A quick reply saw the visitors back on level terms, which remained the case until they had a man sent off on 67 minutes, before going behind a minute later, which was basically game over.

Journey home saw numerous lane closures on the M1 and what seemed like endless sections of 50mph restrictions. Just to round the night off, the exit from the M1 onto the M25 was closed, but at least the diversion around the top end of Watford was pretty much traffic free.

Second successive night of completing both a division and league.

 

Combined Counties League

Premier Division

Monday 20th February 2017

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.46

Abbey Rangers 0 Epsom & Ewell 1,  attendance 70

55′ 0-1

@ Addlestone Moor

Addlestone

KT15 2QH

£7 Admission, including programme, 24 pages.

This was my second visit here, the first being on January 2nd 2012, when the game was played on a pitch that runs lengthways beyond the far end from the clubhouse. What was just a pitch you walked past to reach the old ‘ground’, is now railed off, floodlit and has two bits of cover, one being a small seated stand. According to the programme, hard standing will be completed along the side of the pitch opposite the dugouts, and a new 50 seat stand will be in place during March. I hope they give more consideration to the placement of the new stand than they gave when positioning the current one.

As for the game…..certainly not the best I have seen this season. The visitors deserved the win though, as they created much more in the areas where it mattered.

Tonights visit completes both the top division and Combined Counties League overall.

Hellenic League

Division 1 East

Saturday 18th February 2017

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.01

Headington Amateurs 2 Bicester Town 1,  attendance 38

20′ 1-0

22′ 1-1 (pen)

32′ 2-1

@ Horspath Sports Ground

Oxford Road

Horspath

OX4 2RR

No Admission

£2 Programme, 20 pages.

This one became a priority ground to visit as it is rumoured to be a temporary move for Headington. The pitch here is beyond the Athletics Stadium, on the right hand side of the driveway leading into the complex. To the left is just an open expanse of pitches, where there was another game taking place in the far left hand corner of the field. The clubhouse has seen better days, although at least you could get tea and coffee in here and the bar did look as if it may have been open, but not really obvious when I was in there around 45 minutes before kick off.

Programmes were available behind the tea bar and unless you hunted one out, no one made any attempt to sell them, which is a pity, because it contained all the information you need from a programme.

Having been told it was ‘just a pitch’, I wasn’t looking forward to this one, especially as the Hellenic League is probably the worst Step 6 league in the country for making no attempt whatsoever in making clubs meet ground grading criteria, as so many awful ‘grounds’ that have hosted games in this league in the past confirm. It turned out to be ok. At least the pitch had an enclosed feel, especially if looking from the goal end backing onto the driveway.

A decent game as well, as 2nd edged out 5th in the league table. Glad I did it on a dry day, as no chance of any shelter if it had rained.

Anglian Combination

Division 1

Friday 17th February 2017

Kick Off 19.45, On Time

Aylsham 4 Scole United 4,  attendance 116

2′ 1-0

22′ 1-1

27′ 2-1

43′ 2-2

48′ 2-3

81′ 2-4

88′ 3-4

90′ + 3, 4-4

@ Youngs Park

Woodgate Way

Cawston Road

Aylsham

NR11 6UJ

No admission or programme.

A trouble free drive up from Enfield saw me arrive far too early, although had I driven straight from home, then I wouldn’t have left much later anyway, such are the problems with traffic on the M25 on Friday evenings.

What did seem strange here, was the fact that the game was moved to Friday evening, from the normal Saturday, as the clubhouse was not available until after 8pm due to a martial arts class taking place, which must have cost the club a fair few quid in bar takings, as it was packed during halftime. The tea bar was open though, although the only food was chocolate bars, of which there were probably at least a dozen options. The club did do a raffle, at £1 a go, although no idea if/when it was drawn, but not interested in winning it, as both prizes mentioned were bottles of wine.

This was 1st v 3rd bottom, so when Aylsham opened the scoring after a couple of minutes it looked like it was going to form. Scole levelled just before the break and were soon ahead in the second half. When they got a deserved fourth, with nine minutes left, it looked all over. Aylsham pressed hard and made it 3-4 with two minutes left, then Scole had a man sent off three minutes into stoppage time and the resultant penalty was duly dispatched to give the homesters a point.

U18 Premier League

Friday 17th February 2017

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.03

Tottenham Hotspur U18 0 Fulham U18 3,  attendance 129

45′ 0-1 J. Brown (OG)

52′ 0-2 M. O’Riley

89′ 0-3 C. Thompson

@ Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, Pitch 1

Hotspur Way

Whitewebbs Lane

Enfield

EN2 9AP

No Admission

Team Sheet free, Fulham team printed on back.

Once I had confirmed that I could gain access to this game there were no problems. An e-mail received an automated reply that was of no use whatsoever. Leaving name and phone number received no reply at all. An hour and a half later, after six calls that went straight to answer phone, my call was finally answered. I was then put through to Reception and told entry for the game was not restricted, so off I went, making the 1 hour 15 minute drive clockwise on the M25, thereby avoiding a toll charge on the Dartford Crossing and less than 10 miles further than taking the anti-clockwise route.

Once through the security gate you are directed to the car park. Team sheets are available from the reception area. Today’s game was played on Pitch 1, spectator access limited to one side of the pitch.

This was a bit of a slow burner, Fulham well deserving the win, which could easily have been by a couple more goals.

Nottinghamshire Senior League

Premier Division

Wednesday 15th February 2017

Kick Off 19.45

Bilborough Town v Wollaton, MATCH POSTPONED.

@ Harvey Hadden Stadium

Wigman Road

Nottingham

NG8 4PB

The journey from Wycombe took over 3 hours, despite only being 130 miles. Still, at least I knew the game would be on, as Bilborough Town had tweeted at 10.30 that they were all set to go and that there were no problems. Another tweet at 13.00 stated no problems pitch wise and with it raining en route, I once again checked their twitter feed at 17.00 and no update since 13.00, but then again, why would there be, as they had already tweeted twice today that there was not a problem with the pitch. I arrived at 18.45 and was told by someone to do with the Athletics that the game was off. One look at the pitch and the large pool of water in one goalmouth told me why. What a pity that the club put out such misleading information on their official twitter account, then don’t update as things change, as there is no way this game could have taken place, so why put it on their twitter that everything was fine. And even when it was off, there had been no update when I left for home at 18.50. At least the journey back was less than two and a half hours.

This should have been my second match visit here, as back in the early 1990’s I saw Nottingham City Rugby League play here.

 

British Universities & Colleges Sport

South Eastern Conference Cup

Quarter Final

Wednesday 15th February 2017

Kick Off 13.30 Actual 13.47

Buckingham New University 3 St. Mary’s University 1,  attendance 24

10′ 1-0

57′ 2-0

76′ 2-1

90′ 3-1

@ The Rye

Bassetsbury Lane

High Wycombe

HP11 1QX

No admission or programme.

This one fitted in well with my intended evening match and would mean I wouldn’t have to touch the M25 after the game either.

The game was played on the second pitch on the left as you enter the complex off the road. Another game took place on the first pitch as you enter. With it being open to the elements, it was lucky that we only had to contend with light drizzle to start with, which turned to light rain, but this had stopped early into the second half.

BNU looked well in control and coasting, but they were hanging on at the end, clinching it with a breakaway goal with the last effort of the match.

Anglian Combination

Premier Division

Tuesday 14th February 2017

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.31

Mulbarton Wanderers 1 Norwich C.E.Y.M.S. 0,  attendance 31

67′ 1-0

@ Mulberry Park

The Common

NR14 8AE

£2 Admission

No programme.

This was at least my fifth attempt at getting a game here, spread over about 15 years, following four aborted attempts when the game has been called off after setting off for the match. As is normally the case with clubs who have so few games scheduled midweek, when they are re-arranged it is normally for the last week of March, or later, and as all ground hoppers know, floodlit grounds are not even on the radar once the early kick offs arrive for clubs without floodlights.

Of course, most of the attempts were for the club that previously played here, Mulbarton Town. They disappeared, and after a while a new club was formed, taking the name Wanderers. They started in the bottom division of the Anglian Combination and a rapid rise soon saw them back in the leagues top division.

Programmes are normally issued for games. Indeed, copies were available from Saturday’s game, free of charge, to any of the hoppers present who wanted one. It looked like a decent effort, but if it isn’t for the actual match I am at, then I don’t bother taking one.

The game was poor and didn’t really have the feel of a local derby, with the visitors being based about three miles away. We were lucky to get a goal at all and even that was a scrappy affair, forced in from close range.

Mid Sussex League

Premier Division

Saturday 11th February 2017

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.02

Smallfield 3 Copthorne 2,  attendance 15

26′ 1-0

38′ 1-1

64′ 1-2

65′ 2-2

90′ 3-2

@ Smallfield Cricket Club

Plough Road

RH6 9JL

No admission or programme.

So, my first game since moving back to England. In fact, we had only landed back at London Heathrow airport at 07.30 this morning, with a further 45 minutes sat on the plane waiting for a gate to become available due to the plane currently parked  there having to be de-iced. It seemed hard to believe that just 12 hours earlier (not counting the 6 hour time difference) we had been picked up at our hotel in Dallas where it was a beautiful sunny day and very close to 26 degrees !

A fair bit of running around, trying to sort out a few of the basics that just have to be done when you move back home, meant it was soon 1330. I had only got a couple of games in mind for today, this being one of them. Confirmation that the game was going ahead, as far as he knew, was done with a quick phone call to the away team’s Secretary, and by 1352 I was pulling into the car park and pleased to see corner flags and nets up and both teams warming up. It was bitterly cold, just 2 degrees, according to the temperature gauge in the car and it was snowing, albeit quite lightly. The walk from the changing rooms/clubhouse to the pitch was across the cricket field, where water came over my shoes at nearly every step. Thankfully, the actual playing area for the football was fine, but had the two different sports pitches been in opposite positions, then I doubt this would have been on.

At halftime, five of the crowd had pints in the clubhouse, with another couple nipping to the pub across the road from the ground. Two returned for the second half and finished their drinks pitchside !