Somerset County League
Division 1
Saturday 31st December 2022
Kick Off 13.00 Actual 13.01
Uphill Castle 4 Somerton Town 1, attendance 35
2’ 1-0 (pen)
27’ 2-0
60’ 3-0
72’ 3-1
74’ 4-1
@ Weston-super-Mare F.C. 3G Pitch
Winterstoke Road
Weston-super-Mare
BS24 9AA
No Admission or Programme.
Rather than risk a grass pitch, I rounded off the year by once again playing it safe by doing a 3G pitch. Uphill Castle play on the 3G cage that runs parallel to the main Weston-super-Mare F.C. ground (which I had visited on 27th October 2004 for a 3-0 win in a National League South match versus St. Albans City). On 10th May 1997 I had seen Westland United lose 1-2 to Shirehampton in a Somerset Senior League Premier Division match that was played on a grass pitch here, but that was beyond a line of trees that are still in situ, clearly visible to the left of the car park as you enter the complex.
The cage is unusual, in the fact that the only designated spectator area is at the goal end where you enter. There is a small bit of overhang off the changing room building in one corner, but the view of the pitch is through the mesh fence, so not really much use!
The match was 2nd (W9 D4 L1) versus 5th ( W6 D3 L1) in the league table and was a good advert for this level of football. Uphill Castle were ahead from the penalty spot after just two minutes. Somerton had a goal disallowed for offside in the opening ten minutes and were gradually getting on top, but conceded a second goal just before the half hour mark, with an angled shot into the far corner, to go in trailing 2-0 at the break.
Uphill Castle dominated the second half and the visitor’s keeper was forced to tip a curling shot round the post, but was beaten again soon afterwards, as a first time shot made it 3-0 on the hour mark. Somerton headed in from a corner to pull it back to 3-1 with eighteen minutes left, but there was no hope of a comeback, as Uphill restored their three goal lead two minutes later.
Today’s match leaves Mendip Broadwalk as the only ground not visited in the top two divisions of this league now. After a year (and life for that matter!) that nearly ended so abruptly for me in July, it is nice to be back on the circuit. I’m pleased to have managed 140 new ground visits (lowest total since 1998, not counting the badly affected Covid-19 year), although my back to back best year totals of 343 and 396 (2013-2014) are now unlikely to ever be challenged, but never say never….
