​This past weekend was an absolute feast of football, from coaching my U12s on Saturday morning, through a Midland league game on Saturday afternoon, and the rounded off with a Thames Valley Women's League Cup Third Round tie on Sunday afternoon. My girls had come from 3-1 down to earn a 3-3 draw on Saturday which was a decent start to the weekend. The game on Saturday afternoon was entertaining even given the blustery conditions and, on Sunday morning my two Sunday League favourites, Jovial Monk and Caversham United, had both clocked up four goals. Caversham winning 4-3 in a massive local derby and Jovial Monk, unfortunately, throwing away a 4-1 lead to be pegged back to 4-4. Of course West Brom put a blight on the weekend with another abject performance but, having supported them for half a century, I'm very used to that. 
I had been looking forward to seeing Caversham's women's team in action again and, with them playing just down the road from me in Kidlington, it was too good a chance to miss. I had hoped to have some of my U12 girls along with me but a combination of positive tests and other activities meant that it was just my daughter who jumped in the car with and, even that was going to be short-lived as a promised shopping trip with her Mum meant she was leaving me to it before half-time. So much for her learning from watching.

​The Ground
Kidlington Youth Ladies play at the Exeter Close Recreation Ground just outside the town centre. It's part of Kidlington that I don't know well at all. I have been to the Yarnton Road ground on numerous occasions, we (my U12s) have played against Kidlington at a different ground, my daughter has played against Gosford (the local school) and competed in the indoor athletic league at the local leisure centre, but I had never been to this particular ground before. Parking, it has to be said, is not easy. There is limited parking at the ground but very little on the street. having said that, it would be possible to park in town and walk to the ground if necessary. There's not too much to report about the ground. It's a community recreation  area. There's a kid's play area, a pavilion, tennis courts, an outdoor gym and a small-sided pitch. The main pitch looked to be pretty flat and in pretty good condition. There's no spectator cover, as you would imagine.
​

​The Background
For some reason I had it in my head that this was a Quarter-Final. I was wrong, it was a Third Round tie with a place in the QF at stake.
United have had a lot of cup success this season. Of their 7 cup matches before Sunday, they had won 6 and lost just the one, the defeat to Queen's Park Rangers in the FA Cup. Kidlington currently play in the division below The Goats but, on the evidence of their season so far, this will not be the case next season. The Greens lead the way in Division two, five points clear of Haddenham with a game in hand. They've lost just once in the league, an unexpected 2-1 reversal to Slough Town. This was a result they avenged just last week, beating Slough 4-1 on their own patch, with all four goals coming from their top scorer Courtney Sumner. Without a defeat in any competition since November, it seemed likely that they would pose formidable opposition to Caversham.

The Game
Caversham clearly wanted to ensure that they started quickly and brightly so as not to let Kidlington gain any momentum. This they did extremely well, pushing the home side back from kick-off. Caitlin Levy was the first to go close with a good effort from outside the box that went just wide of the post. It was all Caversham but the goal just would not come. Jodie Hayden went close again and the running of Elie Dorey was causing problems for the Kidlington backline, but still they held out with some staunch defence.
However, just the half-hour mark The Goats finally made their pressure pay. Holly Swan slipped her marker in midfield before playing a perfectly weighted through ball for Elie Dorey to run onto. She rounded the keeper before rolling the ball into the net from a tight angle. 0-1
The way the game had gone up to this point, that really should have been the sign for the floodgates to open but that was not the case. Instead, just two minutes after going in front, the Goats gifted Kidlington an equaliser. Nina Merritt unfortunately scuffed a clearance straight to a Kidlington player some 25 yards out. Even more unfortunately, it was the Greens main strike threat, Courtney Sumner. She controlled the errant pass, looked up, and floated a superb equaliser back over the stranded Goats stopper. 1-1. You have to doff your cap to the composure shown by Sumner. No panic, just a pinpoint lob demonstrating just why she is top scorer. The goal gave Kidlington a lift after being under the cosh for the first 30 minutes. You could actually see the belief flood back into them and, a few minutes later, another uncharacteristic mistake, this time from Shannon Hobson, gave them another chance. This time the ball fell to their Number 6 and the Goats were relieved to see her effort clear the bar, but it was a stark warning that this game was far from over.
The remainder of the half passed without too much concern for either goalkeeper. However, it was probably Caversham who were happier to hear the half-time whistle and the opportunity to settle down again.

HT Kidlington Youth Ladies 1 Caversham United Women 1. The Goats were completely in command for the first half hour but then made a couple of mistakes which cost them a goal and gave a boost to their opponents. Kidlington trooped back to the changing room at the break but The Goats, interestingly, stayed out on the pitch even though it was getting a bit chilly by this time (or maybe it was just my old bones feeing it?).

​Perhaps staying pout on the pitch during the break was exactly hat was required because the Goats started the second half in the same way as the first, on the front foot. Only a minute in Elie Dorey stung the Kidlington keeper's hands with a snapshot. The battle between striker and keeper was becoming a feature of the afternoon. Six minutes into the half Dorey almost produced a stunner. Freya Jenkins lofted a free-kick into the Kidlington box, just to the left of centre. Dorey swivelled and volleyed a superb left-foot effort across the goal, beating the keeper, only to see it come back off the far post. Once again, the Goats were commanding the play. Could they press home their advantage this time?
Ten minutes into the second period they came very close. Following a corner there was an almighty scramble in the Kidlington box. At one point the ball came back off the bar and I'm not too sure how it wasn't forced over the line but Kidlington did eventually clear. Some great last ditch defending from the Greens.
Just past the hour mark, however, Caversham did get their noses back in front. There was an air of luck about it but they all count. Holly Swan swung over a cross from the left which drifted over the Kidlington keeper and dropped in at the far post. Was it meant? Who knows. 1-2
Caversham managed not to gifted Kidlington a route back into the game this time. In fact, within another 8 minutes, they stretched their lead when Elie Dorey controlled a ball on the edge of the area, turned sharply and rifled an effort past the keeper. A superb strike. 1-3
The Kidlington keeper did man age to get a little revenge over her nemesis a few minutes later when Dorey was put through for what looked like her hat-trick. The keeper came out quickly and managed to prevent her from scoring, giving a loud and exaggerated laugh as she did so. You can't blame her for celebrating a small victory whilst she could, and it certainly made the spectators laugh.
So, Dorey was not to get her third goal but Caversham hadn't quite finished. Just as we went into time added on Stacey Butler capped her player of the match performance and applied the icing to the Goat's cake by slotting their fourth goal home. 1-4.

FT Kidlington Youth Ladies 1 Caversham United Women 4. In the end the score line suggested a very comfortable win for Caversham and, to be fair, they did have the lionesses' share of possession. However, the real story was that Kidlington really made them work hard for their victory. The Greens have some useful players in their squad and, should they gain promotion as seems likely, they will not be out of place in Division 1. Caversham, meanwhile, live to fight another day in the League Cup and will be looking to extend their winning streak next week when they take on Slough Town in the Semi-Final of the Berks & Bucks FA Trophy. Kidlington are back in league action as they welcome fourth placed Procision Oxford Ladies to The Rec.

Kidlington Youth Ladies: Denton, Durham, Keal, Murphy, Overton-Eccles, Owen, Rodway(c), Slavik-Ali, Cumner, Taylor, Thacker. Subs: Chewings, Clayton, Woodward
Caversham United Women: Merritt, Dearling, Wicks, C.Clarke, Hobson, Levy, Butler, Jenkins, Swan, Dorey, McKeever. Subs: Hayden, Thoreau

Ground Number: 305
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

Anyone who has followed the BotP blog for any time will know that the majority of games covered have been midweek matches. However, when the pandemic hit I started getting to games whenever the opportunity presented and, once I got involved with the Cricklade Cup last year, I really began to appreciate the grassroots level game that I had not being able to see much of whilst venturing out in midweek. This season I have managed to get to more Saturday games than in any season in the past 10 years which has been fantastic. I have been able to tap into Step 7 and 8 more, opening a whole new world of new teams and leagues such as the Northants Combination and Division Two & Three of the Midland League structure. It was this latter league that I was planning to turn to this Saturday. A week or two back I posted a picture of the badges of the last 20 teams I have visited. A Midland Division 3 side, Balsall & Berkswell, responded that they would like to see their badge on there, so I checked the fixtures and found that they had a home game against Sutton United (no, not that one). It would have been remiss of me not to pay them a visit. 
As is my habit these days, I spent the journey up the M40 and A46 mulling over the morning's under 12 game. This week was a mixed bag. We came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3, which on the face of it, showed great resilience. The problem was, we really shouldn't have been 3-1 down to start with. Oh well, onwards and upwards for whatever challenges next week brings. A full squad at least, perhaps?

​The Ground
Balsall and Berkswell play at The Triangle just off Lavender Hall Road, the road between Balsall Common and Berkswell on the Western outskirts of Coventry. It's not an area that I am very familiar with although my wife knew of it from her time with the Coventry Telegraph many years ago. The ground is part of the community football grounds and home to Balsall & Berkswell Hornets who provide football for kids from Under 9 upwards. As a coach of junior football myself, I love to see these community clubs providing opportunities to kids from a young age. It is such an important opportunity for their well-being, fitness and growth.
There is a good-sized car park, just off Lavender Hall Lane, which runs behind the goal of the main pitch. I managed to find a spot not directly behind the goal, always a bonus to avoid unwanted dents. On the left of the entrance to the car park is what appears to be a relatively new clubhouse which incorporates the changing areas as well as a comfortable seating area and café (decent cup of tea served here too). They also provide a programme for every home match, which is available in the club house. This is quite unusual, but great to see, for a club at Step 8. It's £2 but, in my opinion, well worth it to put a little bit of money back into the club.
The ground itself does not have any spectator cover at the moment but the pitch looked to be pretty flat and not as heavy as I expected it to be. They do have portable dugouts on the far side of the ground. However, Balsall was suffering from the whiplash of storm Malik this weekend. Nowhere near as bad as Scotland or the North but certainly gusty enough to lift temporary dugouts off the ground. After a little battle between the Balsall coaching staff and the weather, Mother Nature triumphed. One of the dugouts was carried over to the club house, out of harms way. The other was, so we thought, safely wedged into the trees behind the ground. However, we did have a short delay in the second half when a particularly powerful gust threated to blow it across the pitch. It too, was removed to the safety of the lee of the clubhouse.
I liked this ground. There are no real features to comment on but the car park was big enough to cope with the crowd, the clubhouse was friendly and it had a sense of community to it. 

​The Background
This is Balsall and Berkswell's first season in the Midland League structure after moving up from the Coventry Alliance Premier League and, so far, it's been a successful transition for the club. Coming into the game Balsall & Berkswell sat eighth whilst their visitors, Sutton United, were tucked into second spot behind runaway leaders, AFC Coventry Rangers. The sides met at the end of October where goals from Sutton's Joseph Delaney and Leighton Hines were cancelled out by Balsall's Pete Bailey and Daniel Biddle. The Hornets were also coming into the game on a good run of league form. Since defeat to Central Ajax on the 4th of December they had notched up four consecutive victories including a resounding 10-0 win at bottom side Bartley Reds last week. Sutton's recent form also looked very good. Since the 2-2 draw with today's opponents they had won six on the bounce until last week's 3-1 reversal at the leaders. This run included back to back December wins over Birmingham Tigers, 12-0 on the road and 6-2 at home.

​The Game
Sutton started the game brightly and, even playing into the face of the wind, seemed to settle into the game much quicker than their hosts. However, despite looking the brighter of the two sides, Sutton were almost the first to concede and it would have been entirely of their own making. Trying to play out from the back on the quarter-hour mark, they made a real mess of it it, allowing George Ginn to steal the ball inside their own penalty area. The Balsall striker's cheeky backheel was just about blocked and the visitors had survived.
By this time, although the blustery wind was making things difficult, both teams had adapted to the conditions quite well. Sutton still looked the more dangerous of the two but Balsall seems to have weathered their opponent's initial barrage. That was until the 25th minute when Sutton took the lead. Joe Delaney used his pace down the left flank and gave himself enough room to drill a low, hard cross into the six yard box. Home keeper Kieron Reynolds managed to get a hand to it but could only palm it into the path of Jonathan Grigg who slotted home to make it 0-1. Sutton's tails were up now and they came very close to doubling their lead just three minutes later when Reynolds was forced into making a good save from Tom Hughes.
Just past the half hour mark Balsall's task became a little harder when midfielder Connor Smith managed to talk himself into a 10 minute sin-bin. Some of the refereeing decisions that had gone against Balsall had niggled the players but this referee was standing for nothing and when Smith continued his dissent the yellow was quick to follow. Two minutes after that they were almost made to pay when A Tom Massey strike had Reynolds at full length but the ball whistled just wide. However, undeterred by being a man light, The Hornets went up the other end and created an opportunity of their own. Tommy Harris tried his luck from well outside the box but, with George Harrington scrambling across his goal the ball flashed just wide and a little too high, or "Wover" as Palmers FC would say. Smith returned just before the half-time whistle but there was no further scoring.

HT Balsall & Berkswell 0 Sutton United 1. Despite having the wind blowing in their faces, the visitors adapted better to the conditions. Maybe the wind was hindering Balsall's play, making it very difficult to judge balls played forward, many of which flew way too far for the forwards to latch onto.

​Balsall started the second half with more vigour and came very close to an equaliser after just six minutes when, following a free-kick floated in from the left, the ball popped up over the Sutton keeper but hit the bar and bounced to safety. Not sure who got the touch on the ball, but it was a warning sign to Sutton about the dangers of Balsall's delivery from wide. A warning sign that they did not heed. In fact, just three minutes later the equaliser came and it was from a dead ball delivery, in this case a corner, from the right side this time. Tommy Black met the cross to head the ball into the net. 1-1. Sutton didn't even learn from that lesson. Just after the hour mark the home side were in front, this time a corner from the left side did the damage as captain Dan Povey got the vital header to put them 2-1 up.
The game was now really open and on 68 minutes, five minutes after going behind, Sutton were back level and playing Balsall at their own game, scoring from a corner. The ball came in from the left and was bundled over the line, making it hard to see who got the goal. At first it looked the an OG but Sutton credited it to their captain Yousef Semlali. 2-2.
It was just a matter of minutes before the visitors were back ahead. Once again it was from a cross, although this time not a corner and from the right flank. Tarique Hunter stooped low at the near post and his header seemed to loop over Reynolds and into the net. 3-2.
With ten remaining Balsall threw on Nathan Jones and it almost turned into a master-stroke as, with his very first touch, he got his head to a cross only to see his effort go agonisingly wide.
Then, with three minutes left on the clock, there began one of the most incident packed endings to a game I have seen for a long while. First of all Sutton were awarded a free-kick just inside their own half. Semlali took it, lofting it high towards the Balsall penalty area. The ball caught on the wind and completely deceived the home keeper, taking a bounce high over his head and into the net. 4-2. Two minutes after that, something I had never seen before, Connor Smith managed to get himself sin-binned for the second time in the match. The incident happened on the opposite side of the pitch but was sparked by the referee not giving the home side a decision. Then, as Smith was walking away, the assistant on that side flagged to call the referee across. After a brief discussion, the referee went over to George Ginn and showed him a red card. Presumably something else was said, but I honestly could not hear or see from my position. Soon afterwards the referee brought matters to a close and the three points were on their way back to Sutton Coldfield.

FT Balsall & Berkswell 2 Sutton United 4. Credit to both sides for putting on an entertaining display in such testing conditions. I think it is fair to say that Sutton adapted better in the first half but, in the second it was quite an even affair. When Balsall went 2-1 up it looked as the momentum was with them and I could see them going on to win it at that point. Sutton were having none of that though and, eventually, deserved their win. Great entertainment though and another cracking example of why I am so pleased to have dipped into the Midland League this season, especially Divisions 2 & 3. The result keeps Sutton's faint hope of catching Coventry Rangers alive but, with Rangers winning again to maintain the 12 point gap, it's going to require a big collapse from the leaders. Next up for Balsall & Berkswell is a trip up to Hadley Stadium to face third from bottom Birmingham Tigers. Sutton are back at home as they welcome second-bottom Continental Star to Hollyfield Road.
Best of luck to both sides for the remainder of the season.

Balsall & Berkswell: Reynolds, Arnold, Smith, Black, Kinsella, Smith, Thomas, Hatfield, Povey, Ginn, Harris. Subs: Biddle, Gane, Jones, Clark
Sutton United: Harrington, Hunter, Dowdall, Whitty, Bannister, Massey, Grigg, Semlali,(c), Hughes, Skinner, Delaney. Subs: Beveridge, Cox, Hines

Ground Number: 304
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: £2.00

Here we go again people. The weekend is almost upon us, so it is time to take a look at our three favourite teams that play on Sundays. It's a little bit special this weekend because Caversham Women will be playing just down the road from me, meaning that I can get along to watch them. I may even get some of my U12 girl's squad coming along (Covid permitting. We have a few out this week). In a strange quirk of fate, we are away to the same club, Kidlington, in a league game next Saturday.

Jovial Monk
The Monks will looking to put last week's cup exit behind them as they resume their quest for league points. Monk sit in 5th spot at the moment and, this weekend, welcome fourth-placed AFC Stratton to Lambourn. There's not too much to choose between the clubs at the moment. Stratton have a two point lead currently with both clubs having played nine games. Stratton's game was postponed last week but they lost the week before, only their second league defeat. Strangely, both of their losses in the league have come against the same team, second placed Gorsehill Borough. This will be the fist meeting of the teams this season, so no reverse fixture to give any hints of a prediction.
Jovial Monk v AFC Stratton
KO 10:30. Lambourn Sports Club, RG17 8PS.

Caversham United
The Goats are at home again this Sunday and, with performances getting better, they will be looking to get their season back on track with the visit of Rose & Thistle, in the 'localest' of local derbies. The two sides share a home ground and are not too far apart in the league table. As it stands Rose & Thistle, in 10th, have a two place and one point lead over The Goats and have both won two league games. However, Caversham have two games in hand. Rose & Thistle's two wins this season have both come in their last four outings and both were against the same team, Reading Kites. This is the second meeting of the teams this season. In October The Goats made the long trip to the opposite changing room as the teams battled to a 1-1 draw.
Caversham United v Rose & Thistle
KO 10:30. Mapledurham Playing Fields, RG4 8LD.

Caversham United Women
Caversham's women's team are fast establishing a reputation as a cup side. Of their 18 games in all competitions this season, 7 of them have been in cup matches and, of those 7 games they have won six. The only blemish being the FA Cup defeat at QPR. This Sunday they face a League Cup Quarter-Final as they travel North to take on Kidlington. The Greens play in Division Two, a league below Caversham, but are currently top of the table, five points clear with a game in hand, have only conceded 4 goals at home in the league and have won their last seven games in all competitions. Taking all of that into account, this could well be a cracking cup match. All being well, BotP will be there to see the game.
Kidlington Youth Ladies v Caversham United Women
KO 14:00. Exeter Close, OX5 1AB.

As always The Monks and assorted Goats will welcome any additional support. So, if you are in Swindon, Reading or Oxfordshire on Sunday, why not pop along and support some grassroots football?

Having not played since mid-December, Jovial Monk were itching to get back on the pitch. However, they would probably have wished for a more gentle re-introduction to football than a Quarter-Final trip to one a team in a division above them. A team recognised as one of Swindon Sunday league's best who had a 100% home record and had only conceded a single goal on home turf this season.

Of course, all Cups have giant-killings and we all love to see an underdog come through and shock one of the 'big boys'. Unfortunately for Jovial Monk, Sunday was not one of those days. The game went very much the way of the form book. Two goals each from Matt Jones, Biagio Mazzotta and Kyle Parker, with another one for Tommy Ouldridge, saw AFC Mannington cruise to a 7-0 win.
As manager Shaun Smith commented afterwards, "We needed more buses".

No time to dwell on what have been though, the Knockout Cup will have to wait for another year. Let's remember that Monk are still fourth in the league and still in with a shout of the title, despite DPR being six points ahead of them. Next Sunday's league clash with third-placed AFC Stratton is the start of four games that could be pivotal. Following the Stratton game Monk welcome Woodlands Edge to Lambourn, before taking on leaders DPR and then second-placed Gorsehill Borough on consecutive Sundays. All to play for.

Look out for the preview of the Stratton game later in the week.

​After a disappointing morning in which my girl's team crashed out of the cup competition, despite taking the lead in their game, I was in need of some football therapy to prevent myself from spending the entire afternoon re-running the game and trying to work out training sessions for next week. The joys of being a coach. Sometimes it is really hard to switch off after a game. So, with wife and daughter on a little shopping trip, there was time for me to find a local 2pm kick-off. A perfect opportunity to venture into the Northants Combination once again and, luckily for me, second-place Blisworth were scheduled to entertain Corby Pegasus. Just a 52 mile round trip which meant I would still be back home at a reasonable hour. Perfect.

The Ground
Blisworth play at Courtenhall Road on the North-East perimeter of the village. Parking is available either in the car park adjacent to the clubhouse or off-road behind the Courtenhall Road goal. The clubhouse block is slightly elevated from the pitch and also incorporates the players & officials areas. Just behind the clubhouse there is an artificial surface 5-a-side pitch. There is cover for spectators on this side of the ground too, along with a small patio area and some wooden chair/tables, all of which have a vantage point over the playing surface. The dugouts are just below the grass bank on this side of the pitch too. The far side is backed by a tall green fence which separates the ground from the local allotments. Spectators seemed to be restricted to the area around the clubhouse today. I'm not sure if this is a permanent restriction or not. The playing surface doesn't appear to have any noticeable slope in any direction and looked to be in good condition for the time of year.

The Background
This wasn't the first Northants Combination game I had been to. In mid-December I witnessed a thoroughly entertaining game between leaders Roade and Moulton (Roade Works). However, I certainly would not profess to be an authority in the league but that is one of the things that makes non-league blogging so interesting, researching new teams and leagues. I did know that Blisworth, or James King Blisworth, were one of the most successful teams in recent years but I did not know just how much they had dominated the Premier Division for the last 6 or 7 years. Blisworth were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2011-12 season and immediately settled in with a 6th place finish. The next two seasons saw a steady improvement with 5th spot and then the runners-up place in 2014-14. Since that time they have won the league on every occasion that it has managed to be completed (the last two season's have been null and void), a total of four straight championships. Corby Pegasus proved to be a little more difficult to research. However, I can say that they were a Premier League team prior to Blisworth's promotion in 2012. They then finished bottom in 2014 before returning to the Premier as Division 1 runners-up at the end of the 2015-16 season. Since then they have been consistent but unspectacular, finishing 11th, 9th and 9th. The head-to-head record between the teams indicates that Blisworth really seem to have the Indian sign over Corby. In the past eleven meetings, Blisworth have won nine and there have been two draws. The aggregate score is even more punishing, with Blisworth holding sway by 54 to 13. However, on the plus side for Corby, one of those draws came earlier this season when the sides fought out a 1-1 result in September. 
Current form shows that Blisworth have won their last 8 league games, including a 2-1 win at leaders Roade. Pegasus have also been on a good run though, winning 4 of their last 5. The only blemish being a 3-0 defeat to Roade.

​The Game
Straight from the kick off it was quite clear that Blisworth were in the mood to put this game to bed as early as possible. They set about their opponents with a vigour that 8 straight league wins gives a team, winning the ball back from the Pegasus kick off and immediately launching a series of attacks. Nathan Bobwicz was the first to really test the Corby keeper, turning well and firing in a low effort that the Pegasus stopper blocked with his legs. Four minutes later a lovely ball into the penalty area was met by the head of Westbury but, again, the Corby keeper was positioned well to save comfortably. Pegasus had a stroke of luck on 14 minutes when a delightful through ball split their defence, leaving Duffy with a clear run on goal. However, his first touch let him down allowing the keeper to collect the ball before he could get a shot off. There was no doubt though, it was only a matter of time before the home side took the lead and the breakthrough duly turned up just a minute later, on 15 minutes. Once again it was Nathan Bobwicz, this time striking a blistering shot from the left hand angle of the box. The effort had way too much on it for the visiting goalkeeper, beating him all ends up at the near post. 1-0. 

Two minutes later it looked as if the floodgates may open. Kieran Westbury was fouled on the edge of the box. He picked himself off the floor and then curled a beautiful effort over the wall and into the net. 2-0
Blisworth were well in control of the game and continued to make chances but, for the time being Corby managed to stem the flow and hold tight. That was until the 39th minute when Blisworth won a corner on the right. The ball was drilled into the box where a Blisworth player went full length in an attempt to get a head on the ball. He failed in his attempt. However, a Corby defender behind him, also diving to clear the ball, managed to spectacularly divert the cross high into his own net. 3-0, OG.
The action was not quite over before half-time when the same Blisworth striker managed to get his head on the next corner but was unlucky to see his downward effort bounce just wide.

HT Blisworth 3 Corby Pegasus 0. One way traffic for pretty much all of the 45 minutes. Blisworth totally in control of the game at the break.

​The second half continued in the same vein as the first. Blisworth pressing forward and Corby defending for their lives. The second half was nine minutes old when Blis almost got their fourth. Captain Chris Griffin rose well to meet a right-wing corner but saw his goal bound effort scrambled off the line for another corner. Just before the hour mark the Corby keeper, who in all fairness had kept the score down, did brilliantly to adjust his footing and dive full length to save a deflected shot. However, a minute past the hour hour he was left helpless when a superb delivery from a free-kick out on the right was perfect for substitute Frankie Belfon to head in from almost under the bar. 4-0. Four minutes later another pinpoint delivery from the right, this time from a corner, was met by a great leap from Chris Griffin who, this time, made no mistake. 5-0.
The game was now well and truly done and dusted. It didn't exactly go flat at this point but it did lose some intensity. Blisworth still went in search of more goals but Corby, to their credit, kept plugging away and probably had the ball in the Blisworth more in the final 25 minutes than in the rest of the game combined. It was still quite a quiet day for Jack Bradshaw in the home goal but at least Corby made him get his gloves dirty in the second period.
The only real incident of note after the fifth goal came in the very last minute of the game when a nasty looking foul on a Corby player led to plenty of raised voices between players on both sides. To be fair to both sides, it stayed at raised voices and didn't progress to anything worse. However, Corby's number 9 must have said a little too much to the referee because he was shown a second yellow before the Corby player was helped off the pitch with what looked like a pretty bad injury. The reduction of Corby to ten players had no affect on the game as the referee blew to end proceedings immediately after the free-kick was taken.

FT Blisworth 5 Corby Pegasus 0. The home side dominated the game from minute 1 to minute 90. Credit to Corby for digging in but even they must admit to being out-played on the day. Blisworth looked like a very good side to me. They can certainly play some entertaining football and are also very happy to mix it with their opponents if necessary. 
Blisworth remain in second spot, still seven points adrift of Roade but with two games in hand. Harpole's 0-0 draw Woodford United seems them push Pegasus down a place to ninth. Next week bot sides are in Premier Division Cup action. Blisworth have a home tie against Rothwell FC Aztec whilst Corby are in the road again, this time at Harpole.

Blisworth: Bradshaw, Reina, Dowling, Gartland, Herbert, Morgan, Westbury, Griffin(c), Wilkes, Bobowicz, Duffy. Subs: Grimley, York, Belfon

Ground Number: 303
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

​Last Sunday morning saw an honourable defeat for Caversham United and another postponement for Jovial Monk. Caversham United Women continued to be our flagship Sunday team with their sixth straight win in all competitions. This weekend we once again have the potential for a full house of games. Let's hope the weather plays ball.

Jovial Monk
After being awarded the game at Highworth in the previous round (we won't go into the reasons), Monk have an extremely tough looking away Knockout Cup Quarter-Final game next weekend as they travel to Division One side AFC Mannington who are currently third in the top league. However, they have a game in hand on the top two and are only 3 points adrift. Unlike Mink, who haven't kicked a ball in anger since mid-December, Mannington have managed to get a couple of games under their belts in 2022, although both were defeats, 2-1 at FC Devizes United in the Wiltshire Cup and 3-0 at Penhill in the league. So, they are not in the best of form, something Monk will want to take advantage of.
AFC Mannington v Jovial Monk
KO 10:30. Mannington Rec Pitch 4, SN5 7YW
Let's hope Full-Time is incorrect because it seems to say that FC Walcot v DPR is on the same pitch at the same time.

Caversham United
The Goats face a fixture that probably could be described as a six-pointer as they welcome 9th placed GC United to Mapeldurham. United may be three places and four points above Caversham but they have played three more games than the Goats. Looking at GC's record this season, they don't win often but, when they do, they win big. Their three victories so far, two of which were on the road, have been 4-1, 4-0 and, most recently, a 14-2 demolition of bottom side Reading Kites. This last game was extraordinary in that no fewer than 9 different GC players got on the score sheet. Caversham went down 4-1 in their last game, against high-flying Give Back, but by all accounts the performance in that game was better than the score suggests.
Caversham United v GC United
KO 10:30. Mapledurham Playing Fields, RG4 8LD

Caversham United Women
As I said above, Caversham United Women go into this weekend looking to make it seven wins on the bounce in all competitions as they entertain the team directly below them in the league, Mortimer Ladies. The Goats have a six point cushion between themselves and Mortimer and have played a game less. However, I am sure they will want to see this stretched to 9 points by the end of the game. Mortimer will be buoyed by the fact that both of their league wins this season have come away from home. However, they have also conceded the highest number of goals in the league, 42 in their 10 games. The Goats will be looking to turn their recent excellent cup form into league points.
Caversh​am United Women v Mortimer Ladies
KO 14:00. Mapledurham Playing Fields, RG4 8LD

​Tuesday was a bit of a last minute decision aided by my young daughter telling me that I should go to the game because she wanted a girly night in with her Mum. Oh well, if you insist. The only question then was which game? I had a few on my possible games list, including two on 3G as backups in case the weather played a part. However, as it happened, I decided on choice number one, Shefford Town & Campton v SSML Division 1 leaders, Stotfold. Shefford was a new ground for me to visit and I had never had the opportunity to see either team play before, although I have been to a game at Stotfold's ground (at the Old Roker Park), when I saw their then tenants, Baldock Town take on Winslow United in 2017 (Reds In Beds).

The Ground
Shefford play their home games at Shefford Sports Club on the South East extremities of the town. The ground, just off Hitchin Road, is accessed via a yet unnamed road, that also leads to what looks it will be quite a large housing development. There is a fairly large car park which on this night, maybe because of the expected larger crowd, was being attended by stewards, pointing cars in the right direction. Even with over 30 minutes to go before kick-off, it was almost full when I arrived. The ground is relatively new and looks like it is very well maintained. There is a large clubhouse block which incorporates the players and officials areas. This is situated behind the town end goal and has a marquee and patio area looking out over the pitch. There was also an external burger grill at the side of the clubhouse which I would have made use of if I had not already eaten. The playing surface at Shefford is completely flat and looked to be very well cared for even after the recent bad weather. There are two covered spectator areas, either side of the halfway line, on the car park side, one seating and one standing. Opposite are the dugouts and that side of the ground is backed by a grass bank which allows a good view of the game. The entire playing area is bordered by white tubular fencing. All in all, a very neat and tidy ground clearly geared up in preparation for taking the club further up the pyramid.

​The Background
With only just over 4 miles between the grounds, it's not that surprising that these sides have met each other many, many times over the years, although the majority of the meetings took place when Shefford were still just Shefford Town. The first time they met in the league seems to be in the 1954-55 South Midland Premier season after Stotfold had come up from Division 1 at the end of the previous year. Shefford then had a brief spell in the Parthenon League and the United Counties League, before returning to the South Midlands and sharing a division with Stotfold for some 14 seasons between 1962 and 1976, when Shefford were relegated to Division 1. Hostilities briefly resumed in the mid 80s when Shefford regained their Premier League status but Stotfold then decided to try their luck in the united Counties League, where they stayed until 2010. Meanwhile Shefford Town was wound up in 1994 and the town remained club-less until a new Shefford Town was formed in 2009, merging with Campton the following year to create Shefford Town & Campton. The new club worked its way up the Bedfordshire pyramid before gaining entry back to the Spartan South Midlands league in 2019 and, with it, renewing their rivalry with Stotfold who had returned to the SSML in 2010. Unfortunately, due to Covid, they have yet to complete a full season in Step 6. That first season back the clubs met once, at Stotfold, with the Eagles coming back from a 2-3 half-time deficit to win 5-3/ The following season, which was abandoned early on with Shefford top of the league, the sides did not meet at all. This season, they had not met in the league before Tuesday evening. However, there was a Gladwish Challenge Trophy meeting in early December. Stotfold led by a goal at half-time but, after losing Ryan Lewis to a red card, Shefford collapsed to a 6-1 defeat.
At the start of play Stotfold were sitting top of the pile with 56 points from their 23 games, 7 points clear of Winslow United but having played four more games than them. Shefford were in 13th spot, with 29 points from only 17 games. With so many game sin hand, they could feasibly make top three if they were to win them all.
​

​The Game
Stotfold, with confidence clearly high from their league position and recent cup win, were immediately on the front foot. In the first couple of minutes the ball seemed to be constantly inside Shefford's final third. However, it was actually the home side, on a breakaway, who came close when a Scott Metcalfe cross from the right clipped a defender and crashed against the near post. Granted, Liam Gooch had it covered, but a small warning to the visitors nonetheless. In a breathless start to the game, Stotfold went immediately down the other end and were a little unlucky when Luke Smith's cross shot went narrowly wide of Lewis's right-hand post.
Stotfold continued to dominate possession and came close again after 15 minutes when, after some pinball in the area, Smith tried a cheeky backheel which was cleared off the line. The Eagles' pace and trickery, especially down the right with Jake Davis, caused all sorts of problems for the home defence but they were still hanging in there and tried to get the ball forward when they could, although the gap between their forwards and their midfield, who had been pushed back to defend, meant that most forays were snuffed out quickly.
On 22 minutes Stotfold manufactured a very good opportunity when a diagonal ball put Spavins in the clear. Lewis made himself big and managed to parry the attempt but the ball fell to Smith on the edge of the box. He then saw his goal-bound effort cleared off the line again. A minute later, from a right-wing corner, Stotfold captain Conor Clarke rose highest but saw his header clip the bar and go over. Shefford's goal was leading a charmed life at this point and it seemed like only a matter of time before Stotfold scored. having said that, they still needed to be aware of the Shefford threat on the break. It was close to the half-hour mark when the home side notched their first shot on target, although it was straight into the arms of Gooch.
As we approached the half time whistle it seemed as if Shefford had somehow ridden out the Stotfold storm. Whilst the visitors were still the more potent threat, the level of intensity had, unsurprisingly, dropped a little. It was still somewhat surprising that we went into the break goal-less.

HT Shefford Town & Campton 0 Stotfold 0. Blistering start from Stotfold but credit to Shefford for hanging in there. They rode their luck at times but dug in admirably.

​Judging by the animated style of Stotfold boss Brett Donnelly during the first half, I think it is fair to say that he probably read the riot act to his side at half-time. Not that they had played badly by any means, but that they were still level when they probably should have been two or even three ahead. His teams responded with the opening goal with six minutes of the restart. The ball was fed out wide to Codi-Lee Spavins who ran at his defender, then cut inside before drilling the ball, with the aid of a small deflection, past Lewis. 0-1. The goal looked as if it might signal the beginning of more of the same, with Stotfold dominating the ball and their opponents. Five minutes after going ahead Spavins was unlucky to see another shot come back off the bare and the luckless Smith saw his rebound scrambled off the line for the their time in the game. However, that little piece of action could well have been the turning point. Just past the hour mark, Shefford pushed forward again through the speedy Number 11. He was felled inside teh Stotfold penalty area, giving the referee no decision to make. Penalty. Up stepped Henry Snee to send Gooch the wrong way and level it up. 1-1
It has to be said that after the equaliser and after Stotfold replaced Jake Davis, (who looked to be their biggest threat) the game became much more even. It swung from end to end with both sides making chances. If anything, as it wore on, it was Shefford who started to look the stronger of the two sides. However, no more goals were forthcoming despite the best efforts of both teams to find a winner.
​

​FT Shefford Town & Campton 1 Stotfold 1. A fascinating game in a lot of ways for a neutral observer. Stotfold were very quick out of the blocks and could easily have been out of sight inside the first 15 minutes. However, Shefford are made of stern stuff and really dug in well, earning themselves the right to play their game and trouble Stotfold. In the second half, when the visitors took the lead, they could easily have run away with the game but, once again, Shefford dug in and deservedly equalised. From that point onwards it was anyone's game. On this showing Shefford could well win a few of those games in hand and put themselves into the mix for a top six place. Stotfold are a good side who won't lose too many and, if they can convert chances into goals, could well severely punish some unfortunate teams. At the weekend both sides are in Beds Senior Trophy Semi-Final action. Shefford are preparing for the visit of fellow SSML Division 1 side Langford, whilst Stotfold face a trip to Bedfordshire County Premier outfit Queens Park Crescents.

Shefford Town & Campton: Lewis, O'Neil, Robinson, Hammer, Metcalfe, Renney, Sheridan, Bateman-Foley, Snee, Day, McNamara. subs: Cooksley, Ingham, Lewis
Stotfold: Gooch, Nicholls, Stewart, Ryan, Sears, Clarke(c), Davis, Simms, Smith, Bagge, Spavins. Subs: Godfrey, Woodley, Holmes, Amaning, Alleyne

Ground Number: 302
Att: 165
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: N/A

Saturday morning started with a hard frost across most of the country. My girl's team away game in Oxford was deemed on and then, just as we were about to set off, called off because the pitch was too hard to play safely. Having already decided that I was going to try to get to a game in the afternoon, I was them waiting on pitch inspections to see where I was heading. Top of the list was the local derby in the posh end of Brum, Hampton v Knowle. I had tried to get to this game previously but it had twice been postponed. However, after an 11am pitch inspection, the game was on. Many thanks to both club's Twitter admins for keeping the supporters informed. 
This would be my first visit to Hampton but I have seen Knowle play before in the 2019 Les James Challenge Final at the Banks's Stadium (Quickfire Borough Thwart Robins).

The Ground
Hampton play at The Boggery, a strange name for a football ground but there is a good reason for it. The Boggery was actually the name of a Folk Club opened by local comedian and long-suffering Birmingham City director and fan Bob Davies, better known as Jasper Carrot. The club had three different venues in its lifetime, the second of which, opened in 1974, was the Old Moseleyans Clubhouse on Lugtrout Lane in Solihull. I can't find any reference to Old Moselyans now but the current clubhouse that is used by Hampton FC is on the junction of Lugtrout Lane and Field Lane. That can't be a coincidence. Is this, in fact, the former folk club? 
The Boggery forms part of a very large football complex. Aside from the main pitch there is another full sized pitch and numerous small-sided pitches that seem to stretch for as far as the eye can see, although some of the ones in the distance are part of an adjoining site called The Glades Football Cetre. It's clearly a big football area because, on the opposite side of Field Lane is Coldland Colts FC which also has an array of small-sided youth pitchs.
The Boggery has a fairly large car park, big enough to cope even on a local derby day. The first team pitch is situated on the opposite side of the clubhouse, accessed by a small path on which a man is stationed to take your entrance fee. Having more than one pitch certainly came to their rescue today because, I was told, the top part of their normal home pitch was still too hard to play on, which meant the game was switched to the other full sized pitch adjacent to the car park. Whilst it was great that the game could go ahead, it was a bit of a shame that the game wasn't played on the main pitch, which is quite an impressive set-up for this level, having two covered spectator stands along the Field Lane side. The pitch we were on today does have a couple of dugouts on the Lugtrout Lane side but does not have any spectator cover. Instead a respect barrier had been set up along the opposite side of the pitch. The main thing was, we were going to see a game of football after this fixture had already been postponed twice, once for a waterlogged pitch and once for Covid in the Knowle camp.

​The Background
Thgis game is very much a local derby. Only just over three miles and the M42 separates The Boggery from Robins' Nest. The sides have also been in the same division now for over a decade, so plenty of local rivalry has had time to build up. Looking at recent history also points to the sides being quite closely matched. In the last eleven meetings, including one in the abandoned 2019-20 season, Hampton have won four, Knowle three and there have been four draws. Six of those games have taken place at The Boggery and, again, it is even-steven, two home wins, two away wins and two draws. Knowle have current bragging rights in light of their 2-0 win at The Boggery in the last meeting on Boxing Day 2019. Goals from Brandon Hague and Zak Harbon sealing victory.
This season Knowle have also had the upper hand in terms of league position, although this would be the first meeting of the teams. Prior to kick-off Hampton were sitting fourth from bottom with 15 points from their 16 games and had not won in the league since a 3-0 victory at Bolehall Swifts in late October. During this time they had also suffered a couple of damaging results against teams also in the bottom half, losing 1-0 at home to Barnt Green Spartak and only drawing at home with bottom side Bolehall. Knowle, meanwhile, were very nicely placed in second spot, seven points shy of leaders Cadbury Athletic but with a game in hand. However, after a run of four wins on the bounce they lot last time out, 1-0 at home to Fairfield Villa. Even so, all pointers would suggest an away win but you never know, especially in a local derby.

​The Game
If Knowle started the game expecting to cruise to victory they had a shock in store as early as the 3rd minute. Kori Edinborough drove forward and tried a speculative effort from outside the box. The shot was mis-cued but fell perfectly for Hamza Siddique who made no mistake to give the hosts the lead. 1-0
Knowle tried to recover from the early setback and on 11 minutes produced a lovely flowing move which was only ended when Matt Allely rushed off his line to smother the ball. Good save from the home stopper. His efforts were doubly rewarded when, after 19 minutes, his team went two in front. Winning a free-kick way out on the left side, the ball was pumped into the mix in the Knowle penalty area. It was not cleared properly and the home side managed to slide the ball out to Will Simons who guided it past Tregartha. 2-0
The goal was a signal for Knowle to final work out that they were in a game and they started to show some of the form that had seen them into such a lofty league position. Just past the 20 minute mark they were unlucky when Jay Payne's 20 yard free kick had Allely sweating as the ball went narrowly over his bar. On 32 minutes the visitors had a massive chance to pull a goal back. A superb crossfield ball setting Nathan Corry free on goal. He bore down on Allely but slid his shot narrowly wide of the near post.
Four minutes later Knowle shoudl have been made to pay even more when Tom Parnaby was put clean through but shanked his effort wide of the mark. It was end to end stuff at this point with KNowle almost immediately breaking up the other end and winning a penalty. It looked a clear cut foul from my angle, despite the protestations form the home defenders. Penalty given. Zak Ahrbon, who scored in the team's previous meeting, stepped up but his spot kick was saved well by Allelly diving to his left. It was at a good heght for the keeper, but credit to the save, keeping his team two up. The first-half action was not finished though. With a couple of minutes remaining Hampton won a free kick some 30 yards out and to the right of the goal. The ball was swung in by Luke benham, looking for someone to get a touch. Neither striker or defender coudl get on the end of it forcing Jack Tregartha to throw himself full length at the last second to divert the ball around the post.

HT Hampton 2 Knowle 0. Something of a strange half in some ways. The visitors certainly had more of the ball them their hosts but lacked that killer final ball and were punished by two clinical finishes from Hampton.

The half-time break was an opportunity to sit in the car with the heater on full blast, trying to store up enough residual heat to face up to the second half on such a chilly day. It really was quite bitter on the side-lines, although the earlier mist had cleared a little by this time, noticeable by the fact that you could now see the planes taking off from nearby Birmingham Airport, rather than just hear them as was the case at the start of the first period.
When the match restarted it was clear from the very start that Knowle had been given the hairdryer treatment at half-time. Their play showed an increased urgency and they looked sharper across the entire pitch. Their reward for the quick start was not long in coming. 48 minutes were on the clock when Nathan Corry made up for his first-half miss. Collecting the ball some 25 yards out he hit a superb dipping drive which left Allely almost motionless as it crashed in, clipping the underside of the bar on its way. 2-1 and game well and truly on. Knowle were now full of confidence and looked as they would get the equaliser in quick fashion as they pushed their hosts back. Thomas Cullen saw a shot well saved by Allely on 56 minutes as the visitors went for the jugular. However, as was the case in the first period, their final ball was letting them down time and again.
Hampton did well to ride the wave of Knowle pressure at the start of the half. They gradually steadied the ship and, as we approached the last 15 minutes, started to look a little more confident themselves. That was when potential disaster struck for the hoists. A rash challenge from Parnaby seeing him pick up his second yellow. Now it really was backs against the wall for Hampton. Knowle smelled blood and were pretty much pinning Hampton in the own half. Still they could not find a goal. A combination of solid defending, good goalkeeping, untidy finishing and, it has to be said, a dose of luck, served to keep Knowle at bay. The Robins' cause was not helped when substitute Ethan Galloway was sin-binned in the final minute.

FT Hampton 2 Knowle 1. The hosts held strong in the face of almost constant second-half pressure. I'm not sure even they know how they managed to hang on, but hang on they did and you have to take your hat off to their resilience. Knowle maybe took the game for granted in the first half, thinking three pounts were in the bag. In the second half, however, they showed why they are pushing the top teams as they strung move after move together. On a different day they would probably have had four or five goals. Overall though, a cracking game for a neutral to watch.
If you would like to catch either of these teams in action, both face away games next weekend. Knowle travel to mid-table Alcester Town while Hampton face a six-pointer at Barnt Green Spartak. Both have the potential to be excellent games, so why not go along to one of them?
Best wishes to both Hampton and Knowle for the remainder of the season and apologies to Knowle who I have now seen lost 2-1 twice. When I get me moped back on the road, I'll be back.


Hampton: Allely, Considine, Chapman, Wyatt, Morris(c), Benham, Connaire, Simons, Parnaby, Edinborough, Siddique. Subs: Knight, Fletcher, McGrath, Mitchell
Knowle: Tregartha, Fox, Payne, Regan, Cosgrove(c), Delaney, Harbon, Andrews, Hague, Cullen, Corry. Subs: Bennett, Galloway, Arthur, Seeley


Ground Number: 301
Att: 72
Entrance: £3.00
Programme: N/A

Footnote: If the former West Brom season ticket holder, with whom I had a conversation in the second half, is reading this. We could have cleaned up at the bookies between us. I seem to remember me saying "This has 1-0 to QPR written all over it" and you said "Charlie Austin to come on and score the winner". There's years of bitter Albion experience and disappointment in those comments, we've seen it all before.

After last week's complete washout let's hope that all three of our favourites can get a game under their belts this Sunday. All three are scheduled to be in action, so fingers crossed. As always, we start the preview with Swindon's finest as they look to get their title challenge back on track.

Jovial Monk
By the time Sunday comes round it will be over a month since the Monks graced the turf and over 2 months, before we had even heard of Omicron, since they last won a game. As luck would have it, this Sunday they take on Chiseldon, the last team they beat, back in November. That game at Lambourn saw both Jono Peachey-Score and Mitch Sutton grab hat-tricks with goals from Anthony Collett and Kris Redford rounding off an 8-0 thrashing. Chisledon have only played once since that day, a 6-0 defeat at Casuals. A good win for Monk could put them right back in contention, depending upon other results and, with two of the teams above them playing each other, the prospects are good.
Chiseldon v Jovial Monk
KO 10:30. Chiseldon Recreation Ground, SN4 0LE

Caversham United
There's no doubt about it. The Goats need a lift. Second from bottom and winless since October (albeit with three draws in that time), a three-pointer is really needed. Consequently, the visit of unbeaten Give Back FC may not be the fixture they would have chosen this weekend. However, we know that goats love to climb mountains, so here is the chance for them to prove it. The sides met on the second weekend of the season with Give Back running out 6-3 after Caversham played the majority of the second half with 10 men after Oliver Frost's red card. Give Back have been busy in cup action recently and have not played a league game since the November 3-2 win over Emmer Green which only came one week after Caversham had drawn 1-1 at Emmer Green.
Caversham United v Give Back FC
KO 10:30. Mapledurham Playing Fields, RG4 8LD

Caversham United Women
Caversham Women face a trip to Buckinghamshire where they take on mid-table Long Crendon Ladies. The Goats sit third from bottom at the start of play but with Penn & Tylers Green not in action and Wargrave away at second placed Tilehurst, a  good result for them could see them jump into a mid-table slot themselves. They are in a pretty good run of form, albeit mainly in cup matches, with only one defeat in their last five games. Back in October Long Crendon left Reading licking their wounds after two from Rosie Page-Smith and a Caitlin Levy goal saw Caversham cruise to a 3-1 victory. More of the same required for the Goats this weekend.
Long Crendon Ladies v Caversham United Women
KO 14:00. Long Crendon Rec. HP18 9AW

​Ground 300. Not a massive number in comparison to some people I know but, nevertheless, it is a small milestone. It did look as if the chance to clock up 300 was going to pass me by this week. A couple of games that I had pencilled in for Tuesday were washed out but things looked a little brighter on Wednesday and I was very happy to find out that the Midland Division One clash between Bilston Town ad Cradley Town looked as if it was going to survive. I have driven past Bilston's Queen Street ground on many occasions. It seemed like a good choice to be heading back to the Midlands and especially to a town that I had some historical connection to. In the 60s and 70s my Dad worked as an upholsterer for H. Beach & Sons, based in Bilston High Street. As a small boy I went to their workshop many times and sometimes travelled out to jobs during the Summer holidays, something I have mentioned in a previous blog (Step Six Sanitised). I also have a vague memory of Wolverhampton & District Sunday League away games against a team called Lunt, coincidentally the area of Bilston that is home to Bilston Town. I believe Lunt played in a green kit (possibly most of their players were Irish too) but, a glance at the current League tables suggests they don't exist any more. Another team, that seems to now be defunct, from that era of Sunday league was Bantock Park from nearby Wolverhampton. I mention this because Bilston Town spent a short time playing on Bantock Park a few years back, during a period when their ground was deemed unsafe after a period of vandalism. Anyway, I digress. The game was one, so it was time to head up the M40 in time for kick-off.

​The Ground
Bilston Town have played at Queen Street since 1919. It features what I would say is an iconic orange cage-style fence around about a third of the ground, presumably to prevent stray balls landing in the middle of the adjacent, busy Black Country Route. This is the reason I use the word iconic. Anyone who has driven between Dudley and the M6 will have seen the structure, you can't miss it. I'm pretty certain it is a unique feature of a football ground. (Maybe the power of the internet will prove me wrong?). The ground is situated to the East of Bilston town centre in the Lunt district. Access into the ground is through a double gate which allows both pedestrian and vehicle access. Cars can be parked inside the ground but there is also plenty of parking on the surrounding streets. In fact, you can park immediately outside the ground on a match day. The main stand, which straddles the halfway line on the Queen Street side of the ground, is pretty large by Step 6 standards, a throwback to when the club played a little higher up the pyramid and, of course, to days of bigger crowds. The ground attendance record is a colossal 8,000 for a friendly against Wolves in 1953. Alongside the main stand is the clubhouse which also houses has a tea/snack bar. The players and officials changing facilities are part of the main stand accessed via a rarity at this level, a tunnel. At either end of the ground, behind both goals, there are also small covered spectator areas. The one at the town end is labelled Turners End (named after a supporter perhaps?). Opposite the main stand, on the Black Country Route side, there is no cover but plenty of hard standing in front of the parking area which is directly under the orange fencing. What I really like about this ground is the character. yes, it's a bit rickety in places and the main stand has, I'm sur, seen better days, but it's not one of these new style grounds that all look identical. It has seen football for over a century. It has history and I love it. If you haven't been, you should take a visit. It's well worth it.

​The Background
Both Bilston and Cradley are in the first season in Midland League Division One after coming over from the West Midlands (Regional) premier during the Summer reorganisation. However, they have shared a division now for almost a decade. During that time neither have really threatened the league leaders and, in most cases, they have finished in mid-table. Cradley have probably had slightly the better record overall but there's not a great deal in it. This season, however, it has been a different case. Coming into the game Bilston were sitting in 7th spot with 33 points from their 22 games, whereas Cradley were only just above the drop zone with 20 points from 21 games. Recent form for Bilston had been a bit up and down. they had collected 7 points from their last 6 outings which had included a 6-0 win and a 6-1 defeat. Cradley, meanwhile, were coming into the game on a really poor run of form having lost their last five league outings. This included two potentially damaging defeats, 3-1 at home to Khalsa FF and 5-0 at AFC Bridgnorth, both sides just below them in the league table. Earlier in the season the sides had met at The Beeches with A Casey Collins strike not being enough for Cradley as goals from Adam Garmson and Jake Healy gave The Steelmen a 2-1 victory. So, although history was just about on the side of The Hammers, recent form seemed to suggest we would not be hearing the phrase "'ommer 'um Cradley" this evening. Of course, football has a strange habit of throwing up unexpected results.

​The Game
After a slightly later than scheduled kick-off, we finally got under way with Bilston, in their home kit of all orange, defending the goal at Turners End. However after a fairly even first 15 minutes, it was Cradley in their change kit of blue shirts with a black chevron and black shorts, who hit the front. Following a corner that was cleared, Cradley won the ball back. Following some good work down the right flank a low cross was played in where captain Darren Whitley, who had stayed up following the corner, was on hand to finish off the move with a simple tap-in. 0-1.
The goal prompted action from the home side and they only took five minutes to get back to parity. Again it was an attack that was partially cleared by the defending team. The time, however, the ball ended at the feet of Adam Garmson who fired a low effort into the near post where it evaded bot goalkeeper Ethan Hawkes and a covering defender. 1-1
The action was now coming so thick and fats that I was still tweeting about the equaliser when Cradley went straight up the other end and won a penalty. I must admit I didn't see the incident but there weren't any complaints from the home side. It was taken by Jordan Bladen, but he saw home keeper Matt Ballard throw himself to his left and make a very good save. Still 1-1 with 24 minutes gone.
Five minutes later and the visitors were really rueing the penalty miss as The Steelmen went in front with a superb piece of individual skill. The ball was pinged, at a fair rate of knots, into Garmson around waist height. His control was instant, pulling the ball out of the air before juggling a couple of times and smashing a dipping volley over Hakes from all of 25 yards. 2-1. There were some claims of offside from the Cradley defence but, I have to say, Garmson looked on from my vantage point. What a strike too. The best goal I have seen so far this season.
The Bilston joy did not last long at all though. On 32 minutes Casey Collins, who's pace and willingness to run had caused huge problems to the home defence, set off in pursuit of what looked like another lost cause. he managed to chase down a through ball, pressuring the defender into a mistake before using his pace to just about get to the loose ball before Ballard and then slide it into the net. 2-2. Not as spectacular as Garmson's effort but a great goal in its own right made completely by the tenacity, pace and determination of Collins.
That ended the scoring in the first half as both teams needed to take stock and steady themselves after 16 minutes of non-stop incident.

HT Bilston Town 2 Cradley Town 2. On overall play all-square at the break was the right score line in what was a very even but well contested game of football.

Both teams were out ahead of the officials for the second half, clearly keen to get on with proceedings. It was clear from the restart that Cradley had been given instruction to up their game and go flat out for the win. They were immediately quicker to every ball and sharper in the tackle as they tried to rock their hosts back. Only five minutes in, the new approach paid dividends. A quick throw-in just on the halfway line released Collins and caught out the home defence, leaving the Cradley striker one on one with his marker. He shrugged off the challenge before blasting the ball past the keeper. 2-3.
Cradley did not try to sit back and defend their lead, quite the opposite, they continued to keep up their higher tempo. The big question was, could they keep it up. The game became increasingly spread and was pretty much end to end for a period in the middle of the half. As time ran on Cradley definitely started to wilt a little, the pressing and pace starting to get to them, despite making a couple of substitutions. Bilston pressed and pressed. As we approached the end of the game the ball definitely spent more time in the Cradley half but still the home side could not find an equaliser. The referee found quite a lot of added time but it wasn't enough for Bilston.

FT Bilston Town 2 Cradley Town 3. A really top game of football as far as a neutral was concerned. I've been very fortunate lately, seeing some really good games and this was up there with them all. Both sides clearly wanted to win the game. Great credit to Cradley for their second half display. The way they took the game to Bilson at the start of the second half changed the game and the hosts struggled to contain them for a while. I honestly didn't think they were going to be able to hang on but that is exactly what they did despite Bilston desperately trying to find a way back into the game.
If you want to catch either of these teams, they are both back in action away from home on Saturday. Bilston face a tricky looking trip North to take on second placed Stapenhill, victors by 3-1 at Queen Street in October, whilst Cradley have a trip to the Pingles Stadium where they face 8th placed Nuneaton Griff who won 4-0 at The beeches in late August.
Best of luck to both sides for the remainder of the season.

Bilston Town: Ballard, Sappleton-Williams, Short, Weston(c), Harper-Bailey, Davies, Barnett, Pierpoint, Montague, Garmson, Dunkley. Subs: Babs, Skeldon, Mohammed, Ogugua
Cradley Town: Hawkes, Bibb, Umoh, Whitley(c), Gould, Bladen, Dimmock, Calmis, Bladen, Collins, Crackett. Subs: Buchanan, Tomlinson, Bewick, Hangero-Cham, Craddock

Ground Number: 300
Att: 
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: N/A

​Footnote:
In the process of writing this blog I remembered another connection to the town of Bilston Some 30 years ago, at the same time that I worked at local newspaper the Express & Star,  I played in a band that recorded a 4 track cassette (who remembers cassettes?) at a studio in Bilston. We knew it as Blind Mart's (yes, it was owned by a blind guy called Mart) but it may well have had an official name that I have forgotten over time. The fact that I still work in IT and write non-league football blogs probably tells you all you need to know about the quality of the recording. Does anyone remember the studio? The entrance was down an alleyway I think but I can't remember whereabout it was in the town.