​Having grown up in the Black Country and followed West Brom for many a year, it is hard for me to think of Hayes without thinking of the late, great Cyrille Regis. Whilst the club that Cyrille played for does not exist any ore and, what's more, the club that grew out of the old Hayes FC is actually Hayes and Yeading United, a visit to AFC Hayes still felt like I was entering Regis' old stomping ground. AFC Hayes were formed in 1974 as Brook House FC and with their ground being only just over a mile and a half from Hayes FC's Church Road stadium, I like to think that maybe, just maybe, the great man had stepped out on The Brook House pitch at some point.

Back into the 21 Century and the main reason for the choice of game. This was a crucial game at both ends of the Combined Counties Premier League. Visitors Bedfont Sports, started the evening in second place and, although they had already conceded the league to Westfields, were desperate to hold on to their position and grab the second promotion slot. The position at the top was very tight with Sutton Common Rovers pushing The Eagles all the way. The equation, however, was clear. Win all three of their remaining games and Sports would be promoted. The home side were in dire need of points for an entirely different reason. With Farnham Town and Epsom & Ewell already consigned to Division One next season, Hayes started the game with a nine point lead on Godalming Town (looking to avoid a second consecutive relegation season), who occupied the last drop-zone place. Seven more points for Hayes, regardless of The G's results, would guarantee Step 5 football next season. Then, just to add to the tension of the game, the sides are very much local rivals with only seven miles between the grounds. Earlier in the season Sports had edged the reverse fixture by 2-1.

​The Farm Park pitch is set quite a way back from Kingshill Avenue behind the club house and car park. From the car park you have to walk down a short driveway and path before entering the ground through a gate in the South-West corner of the stadium. The majority of the facilities are on the Kingshill Avenue side of the ground, the players and officials changing areas and snack bar, the toilet block and a, four-deep, covered seating stand. On the far side of the ground are the dugouts and a small covered stand (complete with a few free-standing chairs). There is also covered standing running pretty much the full width of the car park end goal.

The first 10 minutes of the game was a fairly even contest with neither side really stamping their authority. Of course, at this point in the season games can often be slow starters and tense affairs. Both sides had a lot to play for and, this season especially, the last few weeks of the season tend to see lots of games shoe-horned into very few days. Hayes, who have had a number of games postponed, still had six games remaining at the start of the day, Bedfont had three left. This highlights one of the advantages of an artificial surface. Bedfont have one, Hayes do not. I am not a big fan of the artificial pitch but I do see the benefits to clubs at this level. Not only do they have potential extra income from being able to use the pitch on a daily basis, they also get more games played at the time of asking rather than being left with a game a day at the end of the season.

It would be interesting to hear from supporters of both clubs on this point. Sports fans, do you like the artificial pitch? Hayes, would your club benefit from moving away from grass?

Back to the game and, as we passed the ten minute mark, Bedfont started to pick up the pace somewhat, beginning to dominate possession of the ball. They would continue to do this for the majority of the remainder of the first half.

The 17th minute of the game saw the effort that came closest to giving us a goal so far. Sports left-back, Alex Rose, latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box and tried his luck only to see the ball beat Kennedy but smack against the keeper's left-hand upright and away to safety. Coincidentally, at exactly the same time a few miles away, CD Hounslow United were in the process of missing a penalty against Farnham Town. It seems that the  17th minute is not a good time to nip to the toilet in Combined Counties games.

Bedfont were now well and truly on top and it was testament to Hayes's determination at the back, as well as some wayward finishing, that they were not behind before the half-hour mark.
It took until the 33rd minute for Hayes to muster a serious effort, Mark seeing his shot go narrowly wide with Pickford scrambling across his goal. Seven minutes later Bedfont were handed an opportunity to break the deadlock when Jack Mills was clipped in the box for an obvious penalty. Mills picked himself up and, after several re-spots of the ball from the referee, slotted the ball past Kennedy. 0-1
Two minutes later Mills showed excellent technique to connect, on the volley, with a ball dropping from the sky. However, his effort was straight at Kennedy and the score remained 0-1.

HT AFC Hayes 0 Bedfont Sports 1. The away side were on top for the majority of the half but still required a penalty to take the lead. Hayes' effort can't be faulted but their decision making for the final ball has been very poor.

​Bedfont set about the second-half in the same vein as the first, sweeping forward at every opportunity but, again, failing to convert their chances. Goal-scorer Mills was a constant treat on the right-flank, at one point twisting and turning his marker before forcing Kennedy into a smart save.

Hayes looked to be tiring and were hitting fairly aimless balls towards their lone striker only to see the Bedfont defence mop up with ease and begin another attack for the away side.

However there was still just a single goal between the sides and Sports almost lived to regret their profligacy when a rare Hayes foray into their territory led to Pickford needing to go full length to keep out a decent effort from the edge of the box. In response, Bedfont launched a raid of their own which culminated in Rose's cross clipping Kennedy's crossbar before rebounding to safety.
As we entered time added on Bedfont finally made the points safe with a goal very much out of the Route One playbook. A long clearance upfield turned the home defence allowing Bedfont substitute Simo Mbonkwi, who is for some reason called Jeff, to out-pace and out-muscle his defender to get onto the ball before finishing with a low drive past Kennedy. 0-2.

FT AFC Hayes 0 Bedfont Sports 2. Bedfont were easily the better team but made much harder work of the game than they probably should. Hayes will need to gather their strength for the run-in but they couldn't be faulted for effort even if they lacked craft in a few areas.

AFC Hayes: Kennedy, Benincasa, Bishop, Carter, Cahill, Masembe (c), Maw, McDonnell, Ahenkorah, Ahmadi, Mark. Subs: Fitzgerlad, Rennemo, Bustard, Galloway

Badfont Sports: Pickford, Pitt, Rose, Ruddick, Jackson, Richards (c, Mills, Johnson, Tiryaki, Baxter, Nwachukwy. Subs: Mbonkwi, Harris, Mngadi, Read, Jones

Att: 
Ground Number: 155
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: £1.00 (discounted on the night because it was from the original game that was called off in March)

Tuesday evening offered up not only a chance to visit a new ground, but also to take another look at Midland Division One Champions elect, Walsall Wood. I knew that they certainly wouldn't be counting their chickens but, looking at the table and the games remaining, I couldn't see past Wood for the title this season.

The Beehive is situated on the edge of Studley, just outside Redditch. It is part of the Studley Sports Centre complex which also boasts a 3G pitch. Midland League Division Two side Montpelier also play their home games here. There is ample parking space adjacent to the ground with access to the football stadium through a single turnstile, directly from the car park. This brings you into the ground on the Abbeyfields Road side, which is also where all of the facilities are situated. There is a large clubhouse and function build running half the length of the pitch. The snack bar is situated next to the entrance and just to the other side of turnstile is the single covered seating area. This is an interesting stand in as much as it is not stepped in any way. There are four or five rows of seats but they are all at the same level.
Directly opposite the entrance are the two dugouts, backed by the 3G pitch. There are no other covered areas in the ground and, from what I could see, no access to the opposite side for spectators. One other noticeable feature of The Beehive is the floodlights which are not as high as the usual structures. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe a local requirement to prevent light pollution into the nearby town? I suppose the ground is not a million miles from Birmingham Airport (Ashford Towm (MX) have low-level floodlights because of their proximity to Heathrow) but I didn't notice that it was on a direct flight-path.

​Studley were coming into the game having ended a run of four straight defeats with a 1-0 victory over Paget Rangers at the weekend. Wood, however, were looking to make it ten consecutive wins and were fresh from a 7-1 away victory at Pershore Town on Saturday. The sides met at the ML Safety Stadium in January with Walsall coming out on top by 7 goals to nil.

Clearly, Studley were going to be up against it this evening and they didn't get off to the sort of start they would have wanted. With only a minute on the clock a complete defensive mix-up led to Lei Brown being left with a gaping net in front of him and the ball at his feet. He duly obliged. 0-1.
The tone was set for the first half. Wood dominated possession of the ball and the majority of the game was being played in the Studley half of the pitch. Credit to the home side for steadying the ship somewhat after the early shock but they never managed to get off the back foot and, for almost half an hour it was looking like the most one-sided 1-0 game I had ever seen.
However, after 27 minutes Wood made it two when Jordan Fitzpatrick let fly from outside the box. Bees stopper Ryan Young did well to get down and parry the stinging effort but the ball dropped into the path of Brown, who made no mistake to grab his and Walsall's second of the night. 0-2.
Seven minutes later Brown came very close to a hat-trick but saw his effort come back off Young's post with the keeper beaten. However, Wood did not have to wait much longer for another goal. This time it was a Fitzpatrick corner, from the left, that curled in towards the goal, evaded all touches, and nestled in the far corner. 0-3.

HT Studley 0 Walsall Wood 3. Wood completely dominated the game and have spent much of it in the Studley half. Ransome, in the Wood goal, has not yet got his knees dirty.

​When the second half kicked off it was noticeable that Studley had been told to tighten things up, especially in the midfield area. This they did manage to do, with some effect. Although Wood still had the lion's share of the ball, they were not being allowed as much time and, therefore, were not creating as many chances as in the first half. The home side, perhaps bolstered by their improvement, did manage to mount a couple of forays into the Walsall half but still could not muster anything to unduly worry Ransome.

The fourth goal took until the 70th minute to arrive. A glorious through-ball from Lee Butler forced Young to pull down the Walsall striker as he tried to round him. The referee pointed to the spot but,thankfully, resisted the urge to hand out a red card, which would have completely killed the game. Paul Sullivan stepped up and, despite Young getting a hand to the ball, put his side four to the good. 0-4.
With Studley still bravely fighting away, it took Wood another 10 minutes to clock up he fifth goal, but it was worth the wait. Butler picked up a loose ball about 25 yards out, took a step, took aim, and fired a low drive past Young. 0-5.
All that was left was for another substitute, Tony Clarke, to rise at the near post and glance a 91st minute free-kick past the keeper to make it six. 0-6

FT Studley 0 Walsall Wood 6. Wood showed their title credentials with a thoroughly professional performance. They were quicker, sharper in the tackle, stronger and technically superior from the first minute to the last. Studley battled away bravely for the entire game, but just could not live with their opponents. With Ilkeston going down 4-2 at Warwick, Wood now just need 3 points to be crowned champions. Coincidentally, they could pick up the required points at home to the side who gave them the opportunity, Racing Club Warwick, on Saturday. A note for anyone wanting to attend this game. It will be played at nearby Chasetown FC (The Scholars Ground, Church St, Chasetown, WS7 3QL).

Studley: Young, English, McCalla, Powell, Dineen, King, Westwood, Clarke, Healey, Wynee-Wilson, Ludlow(c). Subs: Oldfield, Cowley, Nwosu, Oldfield

Walsall Wood: Ransome, Hayden, Okonie, Walker, Rowley, Tolley(c), Fitzpatrick, Westwood, Sullivam, Lund, Brown. Subs: Slater, Butler, Clarke, McFarlane, Hurren

Att: 
Ground Number: 154
Entrance: £5
Programme: £1.00

​Another Tuesday spent keeping an eye on Twitter feeds and websites to see which games were going to survive the weather. Luckily, one of the grounds that passed a pitch inspection was a stadium that had been on my list for a long time, Sheepy Road, home of The Adders, Atherstone Town.

I have to say that the wait to visit Sheepy Road was well worth it. The stadium has everything that a good non-league ground should have. Yes, it's definitely showing signs of wear and tear. Yes, there are indications of a past life at a higher level. No, there wasn't any means of drying your hands in the gents (on the Rowlands Way side) but what great character the place has. I loved it and would certainly put it up there in my top ten, maybe even top five, non-league venues. Sheepy Road also appears to have three entrances. Two is a rarity in non-league. I don't think I have come across a ground with three before.
​
I parked on the Rowlands Way side of the ground and entered through the single turnstile which brings you into the complex behind the players and officials block as well as the main stand, which runs almost the full length of this side of the ground. On the opposite, Sheepy Road side, there is another covered stand, the dugouts, the snack bar, the clubhouse/bar and another turnstile entrance. Behind both goals there are shallow terraces and, at the Gypsy Lane end, another entrance as well as what looks like an old snack hut (one of the signs of life at a higher level?).

Going into the game, Atherstone were sitting in fifth spot, below Hinckley on goal difference and 18 points shy of leaders Walsall Wood. In fact, only an absolute collapse from Wood could give any of the chasing pack a chance of the title. Swifts, by contrast, were sitting third from bottom, 10 points above Alvis but having played a game extra. Although they had a little bit of leeway, they still need to get a few more points on the board to feel completely safe. The reverse fixture in Tamworth finished 4-0 to Atherstone, so Swifts obviously knew they were in for a real battle.
​

​The first 10 minutes of the game, however, were relatively even. Swifts, kicking down the slight slope, more than held their own in the opening encounters without really threatening the home goal too much.
That all changed after 11 minutes though. It took a little bit of good luck, but Atherstone took the lead when a Ryan Quinn drive, from the edge of the box, took a slight deflection which took it out of reach of Paintain's despairing dive. 1-0.
The goal, it has to be said, changed the complexion of the game in as much as it visibly gave Atherstone more confidence. Suddenly the passes were crisper and there was a swagger to their game. Bolehall's heads didn't drop after going a goal down, but they were being pushed back more and more.
On the half hour mark the second goal arrived when Alex Naughton turned very sharply on the corner of the 18-yard box before rifling  drive into Paintain's far corner. 2-0.
The final fifteen minutes of the first half felt very much like Atherstone versus Swifts goalkeeper, Paintain. The Bolehall stopper single-handedly kept the score down to two with some superb saves, managing to get fingertips to a number of goal-bound efforts.

HT Atherstone Town 2 Bolehall Swifts 0. Once into their flow, Atherstone played some wonderful football. Bolehall hung in there and will be happy to be only two down at the break, mainly thanks to their keeper who has pulled off a number of superb saves.

​The second-half started as the first had ended, with Atherstone on the front foot. The big surprise was that it took them a further 14 minutes to add to the score. However, when they finally did breakthrough they went on a mini goal spree.
On 59 minutes some great work by Naughton on the right, taking the ball to the byline and cutting it back, laid the third on a plate for Harry Walker-Donovan to make it 3-0.
Two minutes later substitute Danny Harris supplied a very nice finish to make it 4-0 and then the icing on the cake was supplied on the 63rd minute by Jonathan Gould. The left-sided player picked the ball out some 35-40 yards out, beat a series of Swifts defenders and then delicately lofted the ball over the onrushing Paintain to make it 5-0. A brilliant individual effort.

At this point it was obviously a case of damage limitation for Bolehall and, to their absolute credit, they fought hard until the final whistle showing some great team spirit. Town, however, were dominant and continued to try to pas the ball into the net, which is one of the reasons they didn't get to double figures.

Somewhat surprisingly, Atherstone failed to add to their total, despite going close on a number of occasions.

FT Atherstone Town 5 Bolehall Swifts 0. A comprehensive victory and wonderful display of football from the home side. Towards the end, one or two home supporters were getting a bit annoyed that the Adders hadn't scored more goals but, let me tell you, they are very privileged to be able to watch this style of football on a weekly basis. The way Atherstone play the game is an absolute credit to their club and management. Entertainment at it's very best.

Atherstone Town: Beeson, Goodby, Gould, Haines, Gray, Thomson, Walker-Donovan, Baxter (c), Naughton, Quinn, Mewies. Subs: Williams, Harris, Green, Shorthouse, Eggleton

Bolehall Swifts: Paintain, Selvester, L.Taylor, Day, Brown, Dunlevy, Atkinson-Forbus, Phillips, Iliffe, Payne, O'Neill. Subs: Weir, Derrington, J.Taylor, Smith

Att: 112
Ground Number: 153
Entrance: £6
Programme: £1.50

​If you thought that Thursday night football was just for those teams not quite good enough to make it into the Champions League, then think again. The way that the weather has played havoc with non-league fixtures this season, there will probably be a large number of games played on Thursday evening in the next few weeks. I think it may be a first for me, certainly a first league encounter on Thursday, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth after my understanding wife gave me the nod for a second game in two days. Rather than go for a new ground, I decided to stay quite local and re-visit Elmfields Gate, home of Winslow United. My only previous visit to the Gate was almost three years to the day, April 7 2015, when United hosted and beat Amersham Town.

As far as I could tell, nothing major had changed at the ground, so I won't go into any detail on that front. The pitch, given how wet it was just a day previously, looked in remarkable condition with only one noticeable sticky patch, in the corner near the changing rooms. Credit to the ground staff and volunteers who had clearly worked hard on the pitch to get the game on.

The game promised to be a close affair. Before kick-off Winslow held the edge, sitting fifth on 53 points but Rangers were just three places and four points worse off. The reverse game, late in December at Windsors, saw Winslow take the three points, winning 3-2 in a game that saw a red card for both sides, Kevin Mealor for Risborough and Simon King for The Ploughmen.

​Both sides struggled to cope with the conditions early on. Although the pitch was perfectly playable, it was clearly still heavy as could be seen by the unpredictable bounce (or non-bounce) of the ball on occasions. However, both sides began to find their feet and managed to string together some reasonable passages of play, but always failing to find the final ball.
Despite the fact that Winslow probably edged possession and made more half-chances, it was Rangers who had the most clear-cut opportunities, making Ashmead the busier of the two goalkeepers. Rangers also managed to get the ball in the United net but were pulled back for what the referee appeared to think was dangerous play in the build-up. It seemed a harsh decision from my view point and was one of a few strange decisions given by the man in the middle. Winslow captain Simon King possibly had his side's best opportunity, heading over from inside the box.

HT Winslow United 0 Risborough Rangers 0. Not that much between the teams. Both sides had chances to take the lead but neither seemed to have brought their shooting boots.

​Four minutes into the second-half, however, the home side finally took an opportunity. There was an element of luck in the build-up when Simon King's shot was blocked but the ball fell to his brother, Aaron King, who made no mistake despite Rangers stopper Brooker getting a hand to the shot. 1-0.

Rangers immediately set about regaining parity and, as it transpired, the United lead did not last long. Less than five minutes in fact after Rangers were awarded a penalty when Lamar Mason-Williams was felled in the box. Captain Martin Griggs stepped up and levelled the scores. 1-1.

We were then treated to a much more open game than in the first half. Both sides were clearly intent on getting three points and both managed to create chances, but we saw no more goals. That was until well into time added on. As the clock had run down the home side had certainly won more and more possession and, although not laying siege as such, the ball was spending more time in the Rangers half. After 93 minutes, two United substitutes linked up, Anthony Ball went down the right flank and produced, arguably, the best cross of the night. It was met at the far post by another substitute, Harry Dalton, whose header beat Brooker and nested in the net. 2-1.
The drama, however, was not completely over. there was still time for ex-United player Kevin Mealor to earn a second yellow and get sent off for the second time this season against his former team.

FT Winslow United 2 Risborough Rangers 1. United left it very late to get the winner but, on the overall balance of play, just about deserved to get the three points in my opinion.

Winslow United: Ashmead; Bowers, Freshwater, Jenkins, Hussey Page, S King, Delderfield, Kew, Parsons, A King. Subs: Ball, Dalton, Karwacinski, Garbutt

Risborough Rangers: Brooker, Castello, Harrison, Newton, Gordon, Yearwood, Wylie, Davis,Shrimpton, Mason-Williams, Griggs (c). Subs: Mealor, Collins, Rawson, Fox, Clark

Att: 57
Ground Number: Not a new ground
Entrance: £5
Programme: £1

Holiday, the Easter break and bad weather combined meant that it had been two weeks since I was last out on the road to watch some football. My checklist of possible games for this Tuesday was also getting shorter and shorter as pitch inspections began to rule out games. There was a possibility of Newmarket Town v Ely City which, being an artificial surface, was almost certainly going to survive. However, work restrictions meant that the 2 hour journey was just not going to be feasible. So, after crossing off any new grounds, I decided that a local game would be my bets bet then, even a late postponement or abandonment due to more rain, wouldn't be the end of the world. To my surprise one of the games that had survived a pitch inspection was Wallingford Town v Milton United. A final home game of the season for Wally, a local derby, and less than 30 miles from home. My decision was made.

Considering the recent weather, when I arrived at Wallingford's Hithercroft ground it was actually quite a pleasant evening. No sign of any more rain even if there was a slight chill in the air more reminiscent of Autumn than Spring. After paying my entrance fee and picking up my programme, the first person I bumped into was none other than @FACupFactFile himself, Phil Annets. Phil was tucking into one of the famous Wally Town Sausage Rolls, a delicacy that I had missed out on when I first visited the club on Non-League Day. I wasn't going to let that happen again and immediately followed Phil's lead by ordering up a sausage roll and a cup of tea. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The Wally Town Sausage Roll is up there in the Premier League of football catering. Home-made, of course, it consists of perfectly seasoned sausage meat wrapped in the loveliest of pastry cases. A case that, I was informed, seemed a little flakier than usual. However, apart from managing to cover myself in flaky pastry, I could not fault it in any way. If you haven't sampled this delight, get yourself down to Hithercroft and try one for yourself. Of course, you'll have to wait until next season now though.

Anyhow before this turns into a food blog, on with the main course, the football. The pitch looked in remarkably good condition despite the amount of rain that had fallen recently. The fact that no football had been played on it for the best part of a month was, no doubt, a contributing factor. 

It was the home side who started the livelier of the two and it wasn't too logn into the game before the Milton 'keeper, a former Wallingford player, was called into action, tipping a looping affort against the bar and over for a corner.
Shortly after this the stopper was powerless as a thunderous drive beat him all ends up before smackinbg against the cross-bar and flying away to safety.
We then had quite a long dely due to an injury to a Wallingford player (Zac Field?) who was eventually taken off on a stretcher. Not a sight that you want to see at any match. Initial reports seemed to suggest there was a possibility of a break. Let's hope that it wasn't that serious. Wishing the player a speedy recovery.
When play resumed, Wally continued where they had left off. There was no shortage of effort and endeavour but a lack of definite shortage of clinical final ball once they were in the final third.

HT Wallingford Town 0 Milton United 0. Wally well on top but could regret not getting a goal.

Despite plenty of possession from the home side at the start of the second-half, there was still no real sign of a breakthrough. The locals were becoming a little restless. The longer the game wore on, the more it started to feel like one of those games where one side should be two or three in front but then get suckered with a last minute goal and lose 1-0.
However, after 65 minutes, Wally finally got their noses in front with a very well taken goal. An attack down the right flank and a low cross led to the ball dropping towards the edge of the Milton penalty area. Max Mohan-Triggle was first to react, latching onto the ball with a low, well-placed drive that nested into the corner of the United net for 1-0. Interestingly, three of us standing in the same spot registered three different positions for the strike. @FACupFactFile saw it as a strike from just outside the box. I thought he was well inside, closer to the penalty spot and the guy next to us thought it was just inside. That's what makes the game so freat, how people see things slightly differently. Of course, if we ask the player, he struck it from 30 yards or more. Whatever the case, Wally had the lead.


FT Wallingford Town 1 Milton United 0. Not the most exciting of games but the points assure Wally of a solid mid-table finish in their first season back at Step 6. It was great to be back out watching football and an absolute pleasure to pass the evening chatting to @FACupFactFile about all things football. I think we put quite a bit of the footballing world straight during the 90 minutes but I look forward to fixing the rest of it the next time we meet up.

Wallingford Town: Vaughan, Bickerton, Stott, Thurston, Baptie, Morgan, Field, Beach, Spruyt, Mohan-Triggle, McLaughlin. Subs: Walker, Morris, Webber, Le Paih, Eatwell

Att: 66
Ground Number: Not a new ground
Entrance: £5
Programme: Included in entrance fee