Ardal League North West

Friday 15th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.32

N.F.A. 2 Prestatyn Town 2, attendance 438 (official)

2’ 1-0

61’ 1-1

72’ 2-1

89’ 2-2

@ Ffordd Derwen Playing Fields

Derwen Road

Rhyl

LL18 2RN

£5 Admission

No Programme.

The Friday night fixture gave a good opportunity for an overnight stop in North Wales and another far from home match visit on the Saturday. N.F.A. (Full name North Football Association) are in their second season at Tier 3, having previously been in the North Wales Coast East League, which they came up from as champions, whilst Prestatyn Town have played in the top level of Welsh football as recently as ten years ago, also winning the Welsh F.A. Cup in 2013 and with it represented Wales in the U.E.F.A. Europa League the following season, actually getting through the first round of qualifying, before being knocked out by Croatian side HNK Rijeka.

Tonight’s match was 5th versus 3rd in the league table and the switch to Friday night certainly pulled in a very good crowd, although two independent headcounts had it nearer 300, rather than the official one of 438 given on the Cymru App. It only took N.F.A. two minutes to open the scoring, finishing low into the far corner, with huge appeals for offside on the through ball being ignored by the match officials. There was little in the way of anything resembling a really good goal scoring chance until Prestatyn equalised just after the hour mark, when a through ball out of nothing was dispatched into the far corner from just inside the box. With eighteen minutes left N.F.A. were back in front and it looked like it would be enough for them to take all three points. With a minute left Prestatyn sent in a diagonal cross to the far side of the box. It was met with a looping header, which evaded the ‘keeper and found the far corner to make it 2-2 and the points were shared. Probably a fair result in the end.

The ground here at Ffordd Derwen is progressing nicely. Parking is in the nearby housing estate and you enter behind the goal. The pitch is fully railed, with a pair of dugouts on the left hand side. In the near right hand corner, heading towards the halfway line, are the changing rooms/tea bar and beyond that a seated stand. The only thing missing now are floodlights and a bit of additional cover perhaps, especially for when it’s raining, although, by the look of the pitch, that doesn’t seem to occur all that often!

The journey up was fine until hitting the northern edge of the A5 Shrewsbury by-pass and crawled at times until well beyond Oswestry. The leg from Wrexham onwards saw the SatNav avoid all A roads until the final approach into Rhyl. Tonight’s visit now sees the Ardal League North West complete and leaves just Corwen, when they move onto their new ground sometime this season, to complete Tiers 1-3 in the north, with just Clydach required in the south for the full set at these levels.

Perry Street & District League

Reg Eglon Cup

Quarter Final

Thursday 14th August 2025

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.13

Dowlish Wake & Donyatt 4 Merriott Saints 1, attendance 53

32’ 1-0 (pen)

64’ 2-0

65’ 3-0

83’ 3-1

85’ 4-1

@ Lawrence Kellett Playing Field

Oxenford Lane

Dowlish Wake

TA19 0PA

No Admission or Programme.

A trip to Somerset tonight, for a match in the Perry Street & District League’s Reg Eglon Cup, which is for teams in the second division. As well as football, the Lawrence Kellett Playing Field is home to a number of croquet courts, which are between the car park/pavilion and the football pitch itself. It’s just an open pitch, which has a huge end to end slope as well as side to side. There are two wooden dugouts on the far side, flanked by a spectator barrier extending about ten yards.

There was very little between the two sides in the first half and the only goal came courtesy of a penalty that saw the hosts go in front just after the half hour mark. Dowlish doubled their lead midway through the second half, smashing in from close range after a corner from the right wasn’t cleared and a minute later they made it 3-0, when a long ball over the top saw the ‘keeper totally miss his attempted clearance and the ball was rolled into the empty net. Merriott missed an easy chance to get a goal back with ten minutes left, but the follow up to a lob that came back off the crossbar was hit well wide of the target. They did get on the scoresheet a couple of minutes later though, heading in a corner at the near post, but the comeback was short lived, as Dowlish added a fourth goal within minutes, when a corner was turned in from close range.

I’d had a very quick response from the home club via text message that the game was going ahead okay and apart from the usual hold up on the A303 past Stonehenge, which cost me nearly ten minutes, it was a pretty trouble free journey heading west. Totally clear run back, helped by the fact that the game was over by 19.50 and back home just after ten.

Kent County League

Premier Division

Wednesday 13th August 2025

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.42

Canterbury City 2 Minster 3, attendance 128

17’ 1-0

41’ 2-0

69’ 2-1

87’ 2-2

90’ 2-3

@ Thanington Recreation Ground

Thanington Road

Thanington

CT1 3XE

No Admission

£2 Programme, 16 pages.

Over the years Canterbury City have been good to me, as far as playing on different grounds go. I first saw them host Witney Town in a Southern League Southern Division match back in March 1992, which was played at the now gone Kingsmead Stadium. By September 2007 they’d moved to Bridge Road in Patrixbourne, where I saw them beat Borden Village 5-0 in a Kent County League Division 2 East match. Next up, in July 2008, was a 2-1 win in a friendly against Erith & Belvedere Reserves, played on the 3G pitch at Whitstable Community College. Ground number four, in August 2009, was Hersden Recreation Ground, where they drew 1-1 with Fleet Leisure in a Kent County League Premier Division match. So, onto tonight. They’re now based at Thanington Recreation Ground, to the west of Canterbury. It’s just an open pitch, with a side to side slope, which was roped off, with a couple of portable dugouts on the far side. The changing rooms are part of the Thanington Resource Centre building, whilst a tea bar was set up at the corner of the pitch, where a match day programme was also available.

It seemed a bit late to schedule an 18.45 kick off this far east, especially as it rained for most of the first half, not helping the light, although the game did get underway three minutes early in the end. Canterbury broke the deadlock after seventeen minutes, when a break down the right was finished with a low angled shot into the far corner. Just after the half hour Minster saw a shot hit the crossbar, before bouncing down on the line, then hacked clear, shortly followed by a header that hit the crossbar, before Canterbury doubled their lead five minutes before halftime, with a free kick from the edge of the D that went straight into the bottom corner. With twenty one minutes left Minster pulled a goal back, converting a cross from the right at the far post and it looked inevitable from there that they’d get something out of the game. The equaliser came with three minutes left, when a long ball forward was controlled on the edge of the box before beating the ‘keeper with a low shot into the near corner of the net, despite him getting a hand to it. The winner for the visitors arrived right on ninety minutes, when a ball down the right hand side of the box was finished low into the corner. There was still time for Canterbury to have a man sent off in stoppage time, picking up a second yellow card for a foul as Minster were attacking down the left.

A totally trouble free journey both down and back from East Kent and this sees the top division of the Kent County League re-completed.

Herts Senior County League

Division 1

Tuesday 12th August 2025

Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.49

Oxhey 1 Ware United 2, attendance 37

58’ 1-0 (pen)

79’ 1-1

88’ 1-2

@ Ware Youth F.C.

Trinity Playing Fields

Fanhams Hall Road

Ware

SG12 7NN

No Admission or Programme.

With neither regular home venues of the two clubs being available to host the game tonight, it was played at Ware Youth F.C. There’s a decent sized car park, to the left as you enter off the roundabout in Fanhams Hall Road, with the clubhouse/changing room building to the right. Tonight’s game was played on a pitch in the far left hand corner from the entrance and was roped on all four sides. In the right hand corner there’s a pitch with a couple of brick dugouts, but this is now set up for 9 a side games, rather than being a full size pitch.

The match was a slow burner and certainly wasn’t lacking in commitment from either team, even if chances were at a premium. The closest we came in the first half to a goal, was a free kick from Ware that hit the crossbar. Just before the hour mark a penalty saw Oxhey go in front and it looked like that might have been enough to take all three points, but Ware drew level with eleven minutes left, when a cross from the right managed to evade everyone in the box, going in off the far post, possibly aided by a deflection. With two minutes left they grabbed a winner, when another cross from the right was swept in at the far post.

Midland League

Division 3

Monday 11th August 2025

Kick Off 19.00 On Time!

Solihull Academy 2 A.F.C. Balsall 1, attendance 104

71’ 1-0

81’ 1-1 (pen)

84’ 2-1

@ Tudor Grange Academy Solihull, 3G Pitch

Dingle Lane

Solihull

B91 3PD

£5 Admission

No Programme.

This was 7th versus 3rd in the league table, Solihull Academy having taken four points from their opening three games, whilst Balsall were undefeated, with two wins and a draw from their three. There wasn’t much between the two teams. The best chance of the first half saw Solihull hit the post just before the half hour mark and it remained scoreless at halftime. Solihull broke the deadlock with nineteen minutes left, when a diagonal shot from the right hand side of the box looped into the far corner. Balsall drew level with a penalty with nine minutes left, but it only took Solihull three minutes to go back in front, cutting in from the left, before hitting a 25 yarder into the top corner, that the ‘keeper got his fingertips to, but couldn’t keep out.

Home to Solihull Academy is Tudor Grange Academy Solihull. It’s a standard cage set up, with spectator access along three quarters of one side, although parts of this have high fencing, so not ideal, especially with a three figure crowd, that included a couple of dozen ‘hoppers. Good to see a tea bar operating from a table just inside the cage entrance, which is unusual at this level….as was the £5 admission charge. I wouldn’t think there’s that many other clubs in the country charging that amount at Step 8?

Central Wales League

Southern Division

Saturday 9th August 2025

Kick Off 14.30 On Time!

Bont 2 Ffostrasol Wanderers 3, attendance 36 (official 50)

19’ 0-1

36’ 0-2

39’ 0-3

78’ 1-3

85’ 2-3

@ Pantyfedwen Park

B4340

Pontrhydfendigaid

SY25 6BB

£3 Admission

No Programme.

With a favourable weather forecast, where despite looking threatening at times, did remain dry throughout, I decided to head into Mid Wales, to visit the only ground I still needed in the Central Wales League, that of Bont, in the village of Pontrhydfendigaid, in Ceredigion. Coming from the east, you are fine until you get to Rhayader, where you then reach the Cambrian Mountains, with the most direct route from there being via a B road, straight through the Elan Valley. It’s certainly scenic, but littered with cattle grids and numerous sections of single track road, with the last 22 miles taking around 50 minutes to drive. At least when you enter the village, the ground is right in front of you. There’s a small car park, with the changing rooms/tea bar/toilets behind the near goal. The pitch is railed on three sides (just the far end not), with a pair of dugouts on the left hand side and a small stand opposite, painted in the club colours, which has two rows of bench seating.

The match was between two teams who’d started their league season’s with a win from their opening game and Ffostrasol will look to go one better than last season, when they finished second to champions Knighton Town, who’ve since been promoted. The first half went very much the way of the visitors, as they comfortably raced into a three goal lead. They opened the scoring after a diagonal cross from the left was headed up onto the air by a defender, dropping to a Ffostrasol player who volleyed in from close range. Another close range volley saw them double their lead after thirty six minutes, after a corner from the left had been headed on at the near post and their third followed soon after, once again from the left, when a free kick evaded the entire defence and was swept in unmarked at the far post. Ffostrasol saw a long range effort tipped onto the crossbar on the hour mark, but rarely looked like adding any further goals. With twelve minutes left Bont pulled a goal back, cutting in from the right before hitting a left footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the D. They then made it 2-3 as we entered the last five minutes, when a diagonal ball into the box was finished with a shot on the turn into the far corner, but despite mounting pressure in the remaining time, were unable to force an equaliser.

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League

Reg Davis Memorial Cup

1st Round

Wednesday 6th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.31

Barnwood United 4 Winchcombe Town 3, attendance 43

21’ 0-1

40’ 0-2

44’ 1-2

46’ 1-3

56’ 2-3

89’ 3-3

90’ 4-3

@ Coopers Edge Sports Hub

Bowthorpe Drive

Brockworth

GL3 4FS

No Admission or Programme.

I’d seen Barnwood United play at their previous home ground at Wall’s Sports & Social Club back in 2019, but that has now been sold off and they’ve moved to the Coopers Edge Sports Hub in Brockworth. When the name Sports Hub is used in non league football, it usually means a complex containing one or more 3G pitches. No such thing here though. It’s a two pitch grass set up, found at the end of a new housing estate, where there’s a brick built changing room building and small car park. The main pitch is on a plateau, with the near goal end backing on to Bowthorpe Drive and is enclosed by trees/shrubs.

The match was between two teams in Division 2 of the league and a game that was in the balance right up to the final whistle. Winchcombe opened the scoring with a free kick from the halfway line, aided by the bounce of the very dry pitch, as it landed inside the box and just beat the ‘keeper, who got his fingertips to it, but couldn’t get enough of a touch to prevent it going in. He was at fault for the second goal too, five minutes before halftime, fumbling a corner at the near post and the ball was smashed in from close range. Barnwood got back into it right on halftime, when a diagonal free kick was squeezed in at the far post.

The comeback was short lived, as Winchcombe restored their two goal lead a minute into the second half, when a ball over the top saw the ‘keeper totally fluff the clearance and the ball was tapped into the empty net. They nearly added a fourth minutes later, but headed against the crossbar, with the goal gaping, before a far post header, from a diagonal free kick, saw Barnwood pull it back to 2-3 just before the hour mark. Winchcombe should have really sewn the game up, but were made to pay for missed chances when Barnwood grabbed an equaliser with a minute left, when a free kick from the right was headed in from six yards. A minute later they grabbed the winner, when a through ball was touched past a defender, before being finished high into the near top corner. Winchcombe nearly took the tie to penalties, when a header crashed off the crossbar six minutes into stoppage time, but Barnwood survived and they now host Wickwar Wanderers in the next round.

Faringdon Thursday Memorial Cup

1st Round

Tuesday 5th August 2025

Kick Off 18.30 On Time!

Hailey 3 North Leigh Reserves 1, attendance 37

31’ 0-1

43’ 1-1

65’ 2-1

73’ 3-1

@ The Recreation Ground

Middletown

Hailey

OX29 9TA

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight’s game was Witney & District League Premier Division versus Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division, two teams just four miles apart. The ground here in Hailey, adjacent to the village hall, is just an open pitch, enclosed by trees/bushes, with a small car park behind the goal end nearest the entrance and a changing room building in the near right hand corner.

North Leigh Reserves were the better team in the early stages and deservedly opened the scoring just after the half hour mark, when a cross in from the left was knocked down and finished with a first time shot into the bottom corner. Two minutes before halftime Hailey drew level, when a free kick from just outside the box went straight through the wall and right on halftime they almost went in front, but a finger tip save saw the ball turned round the post. Twenty minutes into the second half Hailey went in front, with an angled shot through the ‘keeper’s legs that found the far corner and they rounded off the scoring with seventeen minutes left, when a ball over the top was finished with a first time shot that the ‘keeper should really have kept out. The win now sees Hailey visit Letcombe in the quarter finals.

A surprisingly quiet M25 in both directions, losing under ten minutes on the outbound journey and totally trouble free on the return.

Above : Hailey’s No.10 (in green) smashes in their second goal.

F.A. Wales Amateur Trophy

1st Qualifying Round

Saturday 2nd August 2025

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59

Burry Port 0 Pontardawe Town 6, attendance 55

5’ 0-1

30’ 0-2

37’ 0-3

47’ 0-4

63’ 0-5

80’ 0-6

@ Woodbrook Lane

Heol Y Bardd

Burry Port

SA16 0NN

£3 Admission, including 8 page Programme.

Today I made the long trip down to West Wales, for a game at a ground that has hosted Welsh League football in the past, when it was home to Porth Tywyn Suburbs for a ten year stint during the mid 1990’s, before they resigned during the 2003/04 season. There is a changing room building at the entrance, which also has a tea bar. The pitch is fully railed, with a full length of advert boards on the far side and a pair of perspex dugouts on the near side, where grass banking gives an elevated view. Although the pitch was well grassed, it was very dry and in need of some rain. Car parking is limited to the surrounding streets, no more than a couple of minutes away.

Burry Port are in the Carmarthenshire League Premier Division (Tier 5) whilst Pontardawe Town are in Ardal League South West (Tier 3). As expected, it turned out to be a comfortable win for the visitors and was a little disappointing from a neutral point of view, with the hosts never really looking like scoring. It didn’t help that Pontardawe only took five minutes to go in front, lobbing the ‘keeper from wide on the right. A corner from the right was headed back across the box and volleyed in from close range to make it 0-2 after half an hour and it was 0-3 seven minutes later, following in from close range after an initial save by the ‘keeper. An easy tap in a couple of minutes into the second half made it 0-4, before the fifth goal came just after the hour mark. They had another ruled out for offside, before a tap in at the far post saw them make it 0-6, with their sixth different scorer and they even had another effort hit the crossbar late on.

Football League Cup

Preliminary Round

Tuesday 29th July 2025

Kick Off 19.30 On Time!

Barnet 2 Newport County 2 (2-4 pens), attendance 1,789

31’ 0-1 Antwi

42’ 0-2 Reindorf

90’ + 7, 1-2 Galvin

90’ + 9, 2-2 Browne

@ The Hive Stadium

Camrose Avenue

Edgware

HA8 6AG

£13 Admission

No Programme (saw a few Team Sheets).

Having completed ‘the 92’ back in 1990 (joined the 92 Club, but now a lapsed member) I always liked to keep up to date by re-visiting clubs that I’d already visited during their non-league days, just to see how the grounds have changed in the subsequent years. I never got here during their recent stint in the Football League, so thought tonight was as good a time as any to put that right. I’d actually made my first visit here in November 2013, on a midweek trip via Eurotunnel, when living in Brussels, for a 0-0 draw versus Welling United (att.1,172) in a National League game. At least I only had to drive 43 miles tonight, which still took close on two hours, despite the M25 being relatively quiet. Street parking was readily available, less than 10 minutes walk from the stadium and I purchased my ticket for a surprisingly cheap £13 (unlike the £12 cheeseburger and coke inside, which was very poor and tasted bland) from the ticket office at the corner of the stadium as you enter the complex. It’s still a three sided ground, with the near goal end just backing on to the car park. I chose to sit in The Legends Stand, being two rows from the back, right on the halfway line, where the view was excellent. The away section was in the stand behind the goal to the left, with around 250 present, in the end block adjoining our stand.

It was a decent game, with Barnet totally dominating possession, but not able to take advantage of it. Newport opened the scoring just after the half hour mark, when Antwi volleyed in from the angle of the 18 yard box, beating the ‘keeper high into the near top corner of the net and they doubled their lead three minutes before halftime, when Reindorf cut in from the left, weaving between two defenders, then bending a shot into the top corner. Barnet looked to have run out of ideas and quite a few of their fans had already left, when seven minutes into stoppage time they pulled a goal back, when a diagonal cross from the right was swept in at the far post by Galvin. Unbelievably, two minutes later, with what was the last action of the match, they grabbed an equaliser, when Kanu cut inside from the left, beat his man and crossed to the far post where Browne headed in.

So, it was straight to penalties. Newport went first, but their first effort was saved. Barnet scored their first two, but hit the post with the third and saw the fourth saved, leaving Newport to win it with all their next four being scored. Their reward is a first round home tie with Millwall.