Stroud & District League
Division 1
Saturday 20th December 2025
Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59
Stroud United 1 Minchinhampton 4, attendance 49
30’ 1-0
45’ + 2, 1-1
55’ 1-2 (pen)
80’ 1-3
85’ 1-4
@ Stratford Court Playing Fields
Stratford Road
Beeches Green
Stroud
GL5 4AQ
No Admission or Programme.
Pre-Christmas shenanigans in Stroud should have seen me at Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 2 club Painswick, but by ten o’clock that was showing on F.A. Full Time as postponed. The only other club I hadn’t visited in that league, Winchcombe Town, were also at home this afternoon, but they play on a 3G cage with no spectator area. With it being a nice sunny morning, with plenty of blue sky, it seemed a waste to settle for an artificial pitch, so I looked for a local game on grass, but with enough time to get to Winchcombe if need be. I opted for Stroud United, one step lower and to my surprise, the only club in the top division of the Stroud & District League I’d yet to see a game at, although it’s not that difficult with only seven of the twelve teams being non-reserves.
I arrived at Stratford Court Playing Fields just after one o’clock and was pleased to see the corner flags in and the goal nets being put up. There’s no car parking here, but it’s free to park across the road at Stratford Park, as long as you don’t exceed the 12 hour time limit! It’s a basic venue. There’s a wooden changing room/clubhouse building, serving a variety of canned alcohol and soft drinks, which has a covered overhang, but not needed today. The pitch runs widthways in front of here, roped from one corner to the halfway line.
The match was 11th (out of 12) versus 4th and attracted a far bigger crowd than I was expecting, with almost half appearing to be with the visitors. Just to add spice to the fixture, the Minchinhampton manager was making a return to his former club, as were a number of his players. It was real end to end stuff, with both teams going at it with 100% commitment and a great advert for this level of football. Stroud took the lead after half an hour, when a diagonal ball in from the left was chested down and finished from the edge of the box and although the ‘keeper got a hand to it, he couldn’t keep it out. Minchinhampton levelled two minutes into stoppage time, when a throw in was laid off in the corner of the 18 yard box for a curled shot into the far corner.
The visitors had a headed goal disallowed for a foul nine minutes into the second half, before going in front a minute later from the penalty spot. The home No.5 was scuffing up the penalty spot, whilst a number of his team mates surrounded the referee arguing the decision, but it made no difference, with the penalty emphatically fired into the corner. Minchinhampton totally dominated from here, but didn’t get the all important third goal until ten minutes from the end, heading in a corner at the far post and five minutes later they added a fourth, when a header back towards the ‘keeper fell short and was lobbed in from just inside the box.
The win sees Minchinhampton move up to second in the league table, two points adrift of leaders Abbeymead Rovers and a point ahead of Tuffley Rovers Reserves and Old Richians, who both have games in hand on the top two.
So, that’s it until after Christmas. The home linesman certainly got into the festive spirit, dressed in full Santa outfit, just minus the white beard.
