This was the first Tuesday since games resumed that I had not had a Cricklade Supreme Trophy & Shield game to go to. So, what to do? Put the question to Twitter, of course. Following an online poll that ended all square between Wootton Sports and Swindon AFC, I decided to make the short trip into the Oxfordshire countryside and give myself a rest from the A420 to Swindon for a week or so. The game I decided on was a Ted Young Senior Cup (Witney & District League) tie between Division One Wootton Sports and Premier League side Milton-under-Wychwood.

The Ground
Wootton Sports play their home games on the War Memorial Playing Fields, towards the North end of the village of Wootton, a few miles up the road from Woodstock and Blenheim Palace. There is limited parking on site but plenty of room on the road just outside the playing field. As befits a ground on the edge of the Cotswolds, the far side of the pitch is bordered by a stone wall and trees, with a couple of benches strategically placed for locals to view the match in comfort. The pitch itself looked in good condition. A slight slope but not too much. It was also very well marked out, including technical areas.

​The Background
Not knowing much at all about the Ted Young Senior Cup, I had to do a little digging (thanks to the teams and the WDFL Twitter feed for assistance). The cup comprises of two groups, with the top two from each group going through into the semi-final stage. This was a Group 2 game where Wootton, effectively, could no longer qualify for the semi-final stage. For Milton it was an entirely different matter. A victory in this game would see them go top of the group, leapfrogging Stonesfield and Enstone, and giving themselves a great chance of reaching the semi-finals.

The Game
Just as I had arrived at the ground it began to rain but, by the time we got to kick-off the shower had passed, which may well have cost the home side a goal later on.
The game started at a good pace with both sides looking to get an early grip on proceedings. In the first 20 minutes, Milton certainly had the majority of possession but, conversely it was Wootton who carved out the two most clear cut chances, neither of them taken. However, from around the mid-point of the first half, the home side began to tighten their grip on the match and, just after the half-hour mark, they really should have been ahead. An attack down the right culminated in the ball being fed to Lee Spencer inside the penalty area but he pulled his shot wide of the post.

​On 38 minutes there was another let-off for Milton. Sports launched a long ball which the visiting keeper began to come for. However, seeing he wasn't going to make it he hesitated, getting caught in no man's land. Sports number 10, Karl Ware (or Bilbo as everyone seemed to call him), tried an audacious lob from 35 yards only to see the ball bounce over the bar. Maybe a little more rain before kick-off and it would have gone in.
Sports were now finding ways to put the Milton defence under a lot of pressure. One particular line of attack, a diagonal ball from left to right, played from Michael Steers to the Karl Ware, beat the defence three times but each time the opportunity to score evaded Wootton. 

HT Wootton Sports 0 Milton-under-Wychwood 0. A really competitive and enjoyable game to watch so far. Both sides capable of some good football. The longer the half went on the more Wootton got on top. Can they keep it up?

​From where I was standing I could hear that the Milton coaching staff were quite vocal during the break and, unsurprisingly, Milton noticeably upped their game in the second half.
Only 7 minutes into the second period Milton almost snatched the lead when Sean Godfrey headed against the near post from a left-wing corner. The ball rebounded across the Wootton six-yard area but was hacked clear. From the resulting corner the away side came close again when Wootton defender Phil Stringer's attempted header clear came back off the same post but again, as cleared to safety. A few minutes later the home keeper was forced into action pulling off a good stop to keep the scores level. Milton were winding up the pressure but it was also clear that Wootton were more than capable of hitting them on the break should then opportunity present itself. The game was very finely balanced.

On 68 minutes we almost had a spectacular opening goal when, latching onto  clearance, Milton's centre-half Chris Godfrey unleashed a stinging drive from all of 40 yards that the home keeper was relieved to see whistle past his left-hand post. Ten minutes later Milton came close again, this time Edward Collett, slightly off balance, headed a deep cross just over the bar. They were getting closer but the Sports defence was hanging in there.

​Then came the dramatic conclusion to the game. My watch was already reading 90 minutes when Milton launched a long ball downfield which had the home defence back-peddling. Jaap Stam-a-like centre-half Gary Townsend tried to head clear but the ball was slightly above him and skimmed off his head against the inside of the same post that had already been struck twice earlier. This time, however, the home side were out of luck with the ricochet which fell nicely into the path of Alex Ayres who buried it to make it 0-1. On Saturday I was watching a game in the birthplace of Pam Ayres. Three days later I am waiting a game decided by Alex Ayres.

There was still time for Wootton to launch a last-gasp attack ended in the ball going out for what they believed as a corner kick. The referee insisted it was a goal-kick and Steers argued a little too strongly, receiving his second yellow card of the game and getting his marching orders.

FT Wootton Sports 0 Milton-under-Wychwood 1. A pulsating game that could have gone either way. Great effort from the Division One side who matched their Premier League opponents all the way. Credit to Milton who picked themselves up at half-time when they looked like they were struggling towards the end of the first 45 minutes. A shame that there was some argy-bargy at the end of the game which seemed to have been played in pretty good spirits up until that point (of course, you can never be too sure what is being said on the field). I guess a last minute winner can make passions boil over. Best of luck to both sides in the future. The game was a credit to the Witney & District League.
The Witney & District website tells me that, this weekend, Milton take on Bletchington at home whilst Wootton can still have a say in the top to as they travel to third-placed Stonesfield.
Apologies for not using many player names, I had no team sheets. Happy to fill them in if anyone wants to enlighten me.

Wootton Sports: Simms, Townsend, Leggett, Power, Robinson, Steers, Guschtscha, Stringer, Ware, Hutton, Spencer. Subs: Brandon, Ludlow
Milton-under-Wychwood: Allan, Keitly, Taylor, C.Godfrey, James, S.Godfrey, W.Collett, Fletcher, P.Collett, Pearce, L.Breaks. Subs: E.Collett, F.Breaks, Lake, Ayres

Ground Number: 260
Att: N/A
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

​For the second Saturday running I was heading off to a Cricklade Supreme Trophy & Shield game on the back of a defeat for my Under 11 girls team. Still, it was a lovely, sunny day, so an ideal opportunity to shake off the disappointment of the morning's defeat with a good game in the afternoon. My chosen game was a Group H match-up featuring two North Berks League sides, Division One Stanford and Lambourn Sports from the Premier League.

The Ground
Stanford are based in Stanford in the Vale an Oxfordshire village between Wantage to the South and Faringdon to the North. The village has a history of poets. Pam Ayres was born in the village and William Wordsworth's youngest brother, Christopher, was Vicar of Stanford for 19 years in the mid 19th Century.
The football ground is on Cottage Road, on the Northern edge of the village. Trees line the Faringdon Road end and Cottage Road side, with opposite side open to a park and skate park. The goal at the opposite end to Faringdon Road is backed by some houses. On the Cottage Road side there is a single storey building that houses the changing rooms and, I assume, a small clubhouse (closed at the moment). The pitch, which slopes  slightly left to right when standing on the Cottage Road side, looked to be in very good condition.

​The Background
Visitors Sports hail from the large village of Lambourn in West Berkshire, famous for horse racing with a number of top owners owning stables in and around the village. Aside from notable residents associated with the sport, there are two names that stood out for me. Cozy Powell and Patrick Macnee, star of, amongst many other things, the Avengers where he played John Steed alongside the rather wonderful Diana Rigg who sadly died last September.
The game itself was something of a shootout. Lambourn just needed to avoid defeat to guarantee qualification as table toppers. Stanford, currently in third spot, would take second place above Cricklade Town 'A' with any kind of win but, if they were to triumph by three goals, they would also leapfrog Lambourn and win the group themselves.

​The Game
The game kicked off a little later thn the scheduled 2pm start but the delay certainly did not affect Lambourn who attacked down the right straight from kick-off and, one low hard cross later, Sam Lourie was wheeling away after being left alone in the middle to tap in the quickest goal I think I have ever seen at a game. 0-1. 
I didn't time the goal but I don't think it could have been any more than 15 seconds from the start.
Two minutes later the hosts were shocked again as Sports went two up. This time a break on the left saw Lourie get in a lovely cross which was headed home by Scott Garrett. 0-2.
Stanford were rocking but, to give them credit, they did mange to steady the ship somewhat without ever really threatening the Lambourn goal. However, they were exposed again in the 31st minute when another delightful cross from the right was met by Garrett in the 6-yard box to make it 0-3.
Lambourn were having fun in the sun, especially down both flanks where their wide players were causing all sorts of problems for Stanford's defence.

HT Stanford 0 Lambourn Sports 3. Stanford did well to stay in touch at all after the opening couple of minutes. Lambourn have been completely in charge of the game and the home side will need a massive turnaround to change the outcome of the game.

​Both sides stayed out on the pitch during the half-time break. Stanford, with the slope on their side in the second half, would need to make an early dent in the Lambourn back-line if they wanted to get anything from the game.
That thought was almost pie in the sky just 11 minutes into the second period as Sports saw a header crash against the home crossbar from a left-wing corner. A slight reprieve for the hosts, but it didn't last long. Just before the hour mark Lambourn captain, Jamie Stones, produced a sharp half turn and volley inside the Stanford box, sending the ball sailing past the keeper into the far corner to make it 0-4 and put the game to bed.
To give them their due, Stanford never threw in the towel. Urged on by one of their coaches who was also running the line, and led by their captain and main striker, they tried their hardest to make inroads into the Lambourn penalty area. 
Of course, the more they tried to push forward, the more they left gaps at the back and it was one of these that Sam Long exploited to drive into the home box. His run was ended illegally and the referee pointe to the spot. Long himself got up to take it, sending the keeper the wrong way to make it 0-5.

There were a lot of tired legs on the pitch on both sides but, with both teams having made all of their subs, the remaining players had to soldier on, even with one or two noticeable injuries. Stanford almost got a consolation when their captain bustled his way into a shooting position only to see his effort hit the side netting.

FT Stanford 0 Lambourn Sports 5. Stanford never really recovered from the initial blast delivered by Lambourn in the opening two and a half minutes. Lambourn showed their higher league status and, after getting in front early on, never really looked like they would let the lead slip.
Lambourn now face a tricky tie against Malmesbury Victoria Development in the last 16 of the Cup competition. Stanford  will face Redhouse Vets in the Shield.


Ground Number: 259
Att: N/A
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

​I was hedging my bets a little this Tuesday evening. Not 100% certain if my day job would allow me sufficient time to get to a #CSTP21 game in Wiltshire, I had also lined up a possible North Berks League game at East Hendred as my backup. However, I needn't have worried. My final meeting of the day went through without a hitch and I was able to hop in the car and make the 1 hour trip down to Purton for the Group F game between group leaders Redhouse and Swindon AFC.

The Ground
This was not a new ground for me. I previously visited The Redhouse Club back in May 2019 when I saw an end of season clash between Purton and Kintbury Rangers (Purt Symmetry). The ground has not changed in the two years since I visited. It's a nice part of the world and certainly worth a visit for any groundhopper who has not yet been there.
​

​The Background
With all four teams in the group having one game left to play, Redhouse topped the table with two wins from two games. Swindon, who I saw at Nalgo last week (Only Ref in Swindon), propped up the group after two defeats. Nalgo and Purton, both on 3 points, have a second place shoot-out next week.
Both sides play in the Swindon & District League, Redhouse in the Premier and Swindon in Division One. When the league was curtailed for last season, both had unbeaten records. Redhouse were fourth, two points shy of leaders The Globe. Swindon, with nine wins and a draw from their ten games, were 7 points clear at the top of their division. The two sides were league-mates in Division 2 during the 2018-19 season, Redhouse doing the double over The Maroons on their way to the league title. The league was reorganised the following season with Division 2 being scrapped. So, Redhouse went straight to the Premier and Swindon became members of Division One.

​The Game
For the first time in quite a while I watched an evening game kick off without a jacket on. It was a lovely Spring evening in Wiltshire, blue skies (well mostly blue) and some late evening sunshine. Whilst Swindon could not qualify for the Cup knockout phase, they started the game with a considerable verve. This, however, was soon dampened when, on 9 minutes, the home side took the lead. Daniel Axford received the ball inside the Swindon box with his back to goal. He turned sharply and fired a low effort under Miller to make it 1-0
Any thought that Swindon may crumble after going behind early on were soon dispelled. Three minutes after conceding they were level. The ball was played to Jake Good who beat his defender with a deft flick (think Gazza v Scotland in 1996), or was it just a very bad first touch which deceived the defender? We will never know, but let's just call it a sublime piece of skill. Whatever the case, there was no doubt what happened next as Good unleased a low, fizzing drive that beat Mingard to make it 1-1.

Redhouse pushed to get their noses in front again but despite having more of the ball, they could not fin a way past a resolute Swindon defence. They did have what looked to be a strong claim for a penalty after 18 minutes when Valters looked to be the meat in a Swindon defender sandwich, but referee Andrew Lincoln (yes, him again. If he turns up in many more blogs I'm going to haveto pay him royalties) waved away the shouts. Miller was also called on again to deny Duffy from close range a few minutes later.

HT Redhouse 1 Swindon AFC 1. The flurry of goalmouth activity inside the 10-15 minutes around the goals aside, there weren't too many other clear chances. Swindon defied the one division difference between the teams and more than held their own.

​The expected onslaught from Redhouse in the second half did not materialise. Instead, it was Swindon who began the half looking the more dangerous of the two sides, led by Tom Whitham, who was dropping deeper to collect the ball and orchestrate proceedings. This is the way the game proceeded until Redhouse made a couple of changes. One in particular was to replace Lenny Khan, who had been a very stable influence in the centre of midfield, with Kieran Curtis who, although nowhere near as strong as Khan, is a very nippy and skillfull player who wants to be on the ball all of the time. His influence in the centre, demanding the ball and driving Redhouse forward, combined with the introduction of Corey Cullen and Kane Howcut wide on the right, proved to be the ultimate undoign of Swindon's brave resistance.
With less that 20 minutes remaining Redgouse broke down a Swindon attack and broke with great speed, culminating with Cullen being sent in one on one with Miller. The Swindon stopper, on this occasion, came out on top, pulling off a superb one-hand block. Howevr, 5 minutes later, after great work from Howcut out on the right wing, his inch-perfect cross was headed past Miller into the corner of the net. 2-1
Then, in the 82nd minute, to complete the trumverate of substitute influence, Curtis saw his shot spilled by Miller only for Duffy to pounce and slot home to make it 3-1.

It had taken over 80 minutes, but Redhouse had finally managed to get on top of Swindon. Duffy was definitely up for getting his hat-trick but never really got another clear opportunity and, to be fair, Swindon never gave up the game either. 

FT Redhouse 3 Swindon AFC 1. Redhouse finish the group with a 100% record and earn the chance to take on Hatherop in the knockout phase. Swindon, the lowest ranked team in the group, finish in bottom spot. However, that does not tell the whole tale. I have had the pleasure of seeing them play twice now and, in both games, they have looked like a good side with a lot of fight in them. At Nalgo they almost recovered from 4-1 down to get something from the game. Last night they made a very good Redhouse side work extremely hard for the points and at no time in the game coudl you tell they were a divison below their opponents.
I wish both teams the best of luck in the remainder of the tournament and next season. I have feeling I may be seeing more SDFL games in the future.

Redhouse: Mingard, Ricketts, Thackary, Watson, Inount, Valters, Cutler, Khan, R.Curtis, Duffy, Axford. Subs: K.Curtis, Cullen, Howcut
Swindon AFC: Miller, Buckingham, Reece Cass, J.Sawyer, Fisher, Goodd, Diyalou, R.wyer, Carter, Whitham, Street. Subs: Regan Cass, Wells, Bradfield

​Following a disappointing morning where my girl's team lost in what was admittedly always going to be a tricky cup game, I just about had time to jump in the car and make the quick dash down the A420 towards Swindon in time for a 1pm Cricklade Supreme Trophy and Shield Group B game between Minety and Tredworth Tigers. It was close, especially with the rather annoying roadworks on the junction of the A420 and A419, but I just made it with 10 minutes to spare before kick-off.
As always before I visit a new ground I try to do a little research on the local area and, after consulting Wikipedia, I discovered that Ian Anderson front-man of Jethro Tull, famous for playing the flute whilst balancing on one leg, is (or was) a resident of the village. I didn't see him at the game but that would be one hell of a celebrity supporter and surely Mother Goose would make the perfect walk-on music?

The Ground
Minety play at Minety Playing Fields which they share with the rugby club, accessed from a service road off Hornbury Hill. There is a reasonable amount of parking within the club and also parking available in the streets close by. There is a good sized clubhouse, not open at the moment of course but the club had erected a tent outside so that they could still serve. There were also food outlets in the car park, one of which had an online menu that you could order from in advance. Signage for the toilets was very clear with an entrance and separate exit, in line with Covid restrictions. The pitch itself, which does slope a little, looked in pretty good shape. All in all, the football club gives an impression of a club way above the level that they play at, which is effectively Step 12. I've certainly been to grounds at a much higher level that did not feel as professional or organised. 

​The Background
Coming into the game Minety, on the back of two wins against Siddington and Tredworth's Division One companions Quedgeley Wanderers Reserves, had already achieved qualification to the Cup knockout round, which gave them the opportunity to give a run out to some of the squad players. Tredworth were in second spot on goal difference from Quedgeley but, with a winnable game against the group's lowest ranked team, Siddington, to come, knew that a result today could see them ultimately top the group and avoid a tricky looking knockout tie at Shrewton United.
​

​The Game
Andrew Lincoln, the referee who sparked the title of the last blog, was not officiating this game. However, he was at the game as a spectator and it was very good to have the chance to chat to him throughout the match. It was also very good to meet Rob Needham, coach and match reporter for Minety, who very kindly gave me a Minety FC mug just before kick-off. A very nice gesture, very much appreciated.

The home side started the game quickly and on the front foot. Kicking down the slight slope, they looked very much up for the game. That was until Tredworth showed their higher league class for the first time, breaking with pace down the left flank. A low, hard cross beat everyone except for the Tiger's Lee Smith who was lurking at the back post to open the scoring. 0-1
Going behind didn't seem to phase the home side though, and they continued to play some great football keeping the ball in the visitors half for quite long periods. Despite that though, they rarely posed a serious threat to the Tiger's goal except for one occasion where they were unlucky to see an effort cleared off the line. Maybe I am also being a little unkind on Tredworth too. Although they were not getting as much of the ball, they never really seemed to be too stretched at the back and were very dangerous when they did break. They showed as much on 42 minutes when, after a little scramble in the home box, they thudded an effort off the post.

HT Minety 0 Tredworth Tigers 1. Some great football on show from both sides. Minety look very good on the ball but lacked the final incisive pass to break down a well organised Tredworth defence.

​Tredworth came out of the blocks quickly in the second half. With the added advantage of kicking down the slope, they immediately set about giving themselves a better cushion. Ten minutes into the second period they managed it. Christian Manners seemed to get a stroke of luck when the ball broke perfectly to him, but there was nothing lucky about his confident finish. 0-2.
Tigers were on the front foot now and had Minety back-peddling again just a minute later, Smith very unlucky not to get his second goal. 
I think it is fair to say that, from this point onwards, it looked unlikely that the home side would get back into the game. Tredworth looked a well prepared side, very solid across the whole pitch, not shy about putting in a tackle (this was definitely the most physical game I had seen in this tournament so far), and certainly didn't look like a team that would let a two goal lead slide. Having said that, Minety were by no means throwing the towel in. They continued to play some very good football and, in my eyes, posed a particular threat when they used the pace and exuberance of Jethro Kingsley out wide. 
However, the away side finally made it completely safe on 77 minutes with a goal not too dissimilar from their first. A break down the left flank, a low cross but this time turned in by Mark Ford. 0-3.

FT Minety 0 Tredworth Tigers 3. A very solid performance form Tigers who showed their Division One pedigree when and where it really mattered. They were well organised at the back but were made to work for the win by a much-changed Minety side. There was plenty of good football on show from both sides which produced a lively and enjoyable game to watch. With that and the lovely Spring weather, it felt great to be back out watching football again. Goo luck to both clubs in the remaaindder of the competition.
On a final note, the Wikipedia page for the village of Minety states "It has a primary school and a successful rugby club." I think the author needs to start thinking about changing that to "It has a primary school and successful football & rugby clubs".


Ground Number: 258
Att: N/A
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

This Tuesday I was finally back out on the road for an evening kick-off and it was something of a local derby between two sides in the Swindon & District League, albeit currently a division apart. Nalgo Sports of the premier Division and Swindon AFC of Division 1. It's less than three miles from Nalgo's Cricklade Road ground to Swindon's home at St Joseph's College which in turn is with walking distance of Swindon Town's County Ground. However, after checking the map, I see that there is no need to go through the notorious Magic Roundabout to get from one to the other, and also no need for me to cross it.

​The Ground
Nalgo Sports play at the Nalgo Sports & Leisure Club to the North-East of Swindon town centre, which is a multi-sport complex hosting rugby, cricket and tennis as well as football. The facility is run by a team of volunteers with a remit to help local teams and clubs within the Swindon area. There is parking available outside the club house or on a grassed area just off the service road that leads into the ground. The main football pitch is directly in front of the clubhouse and car park. As with the vast majority of grounds at this level, there are no covered spectator areas. The pitch itself slopes a little from the car park end down towards the opposite goal.
​

​The Background
At the time of the shutdown Swindon AFC were unbeaten and seven points clear at the top of Division One, so could easily have been looking at playing in the same division as Nalgo from August onwards. Nalgo were sitting in the bottom half of the premier League so, although there is officially a division between the teams, in actuality it is only a matter of 5 league places.
The game this evening was a Group F fixture in the Cricklade Supreme Trophy & Shield. Both sides come into the game having lost their opening games, Nalgo going down 4-2 to group leaders Redhouse and Swindon losing 3-1 to Step 7 outfit Purton. Consequently, the game was a must win for both sides.


The Game
Arriving at the ground, the first person I saw was referee Andrew Lincoln who I had had a conversation with at half-time during the last game I was at, Chesterton v Jovial Monk. Two cup games in  week and the same referee for both. As I jokingly said to Andrew, "Is there only one referee in Swindon?".
The game kicked off with the home side kicking down the slope and immediately on the offensive. However, we were only 5 minutes in when their attacking formation left them exposed. Swindon interrupted a Nalgo attack and quickly launched a counter, setting Sam Bradfield free down the right. He drove towards the by-line before cutting the ball across the box to an unmarked Tom Whitman who had the simplest of finishes to make it 0-1. Classic counter attacking football well executed.
There was almost an immediate response from Nalgo who forced a corner and then saw Louis Freegard's header cleared off the line and away for another corner which came to nothing.
Just short of the half-hour mark, Swindon once a gain exploited some space on the right flank but this time Diyalou, under pressure from a defender, lifted his effort just over the bar. He was then made to rue the miss when Nalgo forced a corner on their left. When the ball was not cleared properly, Sean Broomfield was on hand to stab the ball home and make it 1-1. This raised the spirits of the home side and within 5 minutes they completely turned the game around after the referee awarded a penalty for a trip in the area. Luke Murphy stepped up and, despite Will Miller going the right way, scored low to the keeper's right. 2-1

HT Nalgo Sports 2 Swindon AFC 1. A good response from Nalgo after going behind so early on. After that, they had the lion's share of possession and probably deserved their half-time lead. Having said that, there was not a ,lot to choose between the sides and everything was to play for in the second half.

​With Nalgo now having to kick up the slope in the second half, I was expecting it to again be a fairly even affair. That was until it became clear that the home side had put their shooting boots on during the break. 
On 52 minutes, with no real danger apparent, James Relen lofted a superb dipping effort over the keeper from all of 25 yards out to make it 3-1. Thirteen minutes later, not to be outdone, substitute Joel Ofori went one better, absolutely hammering a volley over the helpless keeper from at least 30 yards. 4-1. 
You had to feel sorry for Miller in the Swindon goal. Beaten from way out twice but absolutely nothing he could have done about either goal. Two fantastic strikes.

At this point it really looked as if it was just a case of how many Nalgo would score. Swindon looked a bit shell-shocked and there were a few words being had between their players. However, against the odds, the away side rallied well, and after 70 minutes were awarded a penalty of their own giving Whitham the opportunity to get his second of the night, which he duly took. 4-2.
Just four minutes later Diyalou got a toe in front of his marked from a left-wing corner and diverted the ball past O'Reilly to make it 4-3. Could the fightback be well and truly on? Suddenly it was the away side who had a spring in their step and a new found belief.
They huffed and puffed but couldn't find the equaliser and then, on 79 minutes, the killer blow was applied. Nalgo substitute Jimmy Horwood was given a sight of goal from around 12 yards out and he duly obliged by rifling an unstoppable effort high into the roof of the net. An excellent strike of the ball to make it 5-3.

Coming back from two goals down with 10 minutes left looked like it was beyond Swindon but someone forgot to tell their players. They didn't give the game up and with a minute remaining scored a fantastic goal of their own. Sub Alex Street broke two tackles on the left wing before placing a perfect shot past the keeper into the far top corner. 5-4.
Despite the near heroics, it was jut too little, too late for Swindon and referee Andrew Lincoln blew the final whistle.

FT Nalgo Sports 5 Swindon AFC 4. Some great finishes from both teams and a wonderfully entertaining game from a neutral perspective, well worth every minute of the 2 hour round trip. Best wishes to both sides for the remainder of the competition.


Nalgo Sports: O'Reilly, Osborne, Fitzsimons, Endicott(c), Crisp, Relen, Jones, Freegard, Wilkinson, Broomfield, Murphy. Subs: Ofori, Purvis, Horwood

Swindon AFC: Miller, Carter, Buckingham, Reece Cass, Good, Diyaolu, Smith, R.Sawyer, Bradfield, Regan Cass, Whitham. Subs: Fisher, J.Sawyer, Street, Wells

Att: N/A
Ground Number: 257
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

​Only 5 days shy of four months since my last live football, I headed out though the wilds of the Cotswolds towards the village of Siddington, a mile South of Cirencester. Siddington is the home of Stroud & District Division One side Chesterton AFC. Chesterton is one of the five main areas of the town of Cirencester which also includes the town centre, Stratton village, Watermoor and The Beeches.

The Ground
Chesterton play their home games at Siddington Playing Field just West of the village of Siddington not a million miles away from The Corinium Stadium, Cirencester Town's ground. It is a public space which has no covered spectator areas. There are, however, a couple of benches nearby that give a perfect vie of the pitch. Alternatively, you could bring your own fold-up chairs, as the local, former referee, I bumped into before the game had. The pitch looked in magnificent condition. It has a slight slope from the changing room side across the pitch but overall is a fantastic surface for a public ground.

​The Background
This game was a Group E fixture in the Cricklade Supreme Trophy and Shield between Stroud & District Division 1 side Chesterton and Jovial Monk from Swindon Sunday League's Division Two. The competition is being run by Cricklade Town, featuring teams spread over 5 counties and 7 leagues. It features eight groups of four teams, the top two of each group go into the Cup knockout phase , the bottom two into the Shield. It's a fantastic idea which gives 32 grassroots teams the opportunity to get playing again in a competitive manner after such a long layoff.
Coming into the game one team in the group, Swindon Centurians, had already forfeited their games, opting to play in the Shield section of the knockouts. As is the competition rule, their games were awarded as a 10-0 win to their opposition. Therefore, before kick-off, Jovial Monk led the table with four points after a 2-2 draw with second placed Hatherop last week. Chesterton were in third spot on three points following their 10-0 walkover award. All this meant that a win for either team would see them qualify for the knockout stage of the Cup competition.

The Game
I just had time for a quick chat with Chesterton's manager and Twitter admin before leaving him to get on with the important job of coaching his team.
After an initial bit of sparring and sizing each other up, we didn't have too long to wait until the first goal, and it was the away side who sprung a surprise on their hosts. There didn't seem to be too much danger when their number 7 (sorry, I didn't get the player's name) picked the ball up some 25 yards out but he unleashed a superb effort which dipped over the home keeper's outstretched hand into the top left corner. A fantastic strike to make it 0-1.
Unfortunately for the player, and Jovial Monk, it was his last action. It seems that he was already carrying a knock and the act of scoring obviously exacerbated it.
The Sunday League team were in front for just over 7 minutes before Chesterton won a corner on the left. When it was swung in towards the near post the visiting keeper, under pressure, spilled the cross unfortunately for him, straight to the feet of Chesterton's number 9 Scott Smith who was able to stab the ball home. 1-1
Chesterton were now bossing possession but not quite able to find the final ball into the front men. Having said that, they could not relax at the back because Jovial Monk always looked capable of hitting them on the break with both their number 2 and number 9 showing they had the pace to cause problems.
Just past the half hour mark Chesterton got their noses in front for the first time when a cross from the left evaded everyone in the box, including the keeper, and came back off the far post. Once again Scott Smith was Johnny on the Spot to slot the lose ball home. 2-1

HT Chesterton 2 Jovial Monk 1. A good response from the home side after going behind early on. They had the lion's share of possession for most of the half but, all in all, a pretty even game.

​As if to show just how even the game has been up to this point, Jovial Monk who started the stronger in the second half. Chesterton had their keeper to thank for retaining their lead as he produced a superb stop to turn a pile-driving free-kick from Jovial's number 9 onto the bar. A minute later he was called into action again, getting an outstretched arm to a near post effort from the same Monk player and diverting it for a corner.

10 minutes after the double-save, the home keeper's good work paid dividends as his team-mates took a two goal lead. Smith again was the scorer, slipping in between two defenders, beating the offside call and sliding the ball past the onrushing keeper for his hat-trick. 3-1. 
Kudos here to the Jovial Monk linesman who kept his flag down despite calls from his defenders. It was a narrow decision which many a club linesman would have been tempted to raise his flag for. Great sportsmanship, in keeping with general spirit of the game.

At 3-1 down Monk were on the ropes but certainly not beaten. There was still plenty left in the game. However, on 67 minutes, Smith effectively put the game to bed. It was four for him and Chesterton as he struck a low, driven, left-footed effort which the Monk keeper got a hand to but couldn't keep out. 4-1. 

It was all starting to come apart for Jovial Monk at this point. After losing two more payers through injury, they then had a player sin-binned for a comment to the referee (at least I believe it was something he said) and had not got their latest substitute on, leaving them temporarily down to 8 outfield players. They did soon get the sub on but, of course, had ten minutes to wait to get back up to full strength. Credit to them, however, they did not concede a goal during the time that they were a player short.
As the game drew to a close, Chesterton did still have enough time to make it five when, with almost the last kick of the game, Smith was presented with a tap-in to make it 5-1 for the home side and cap a great day for him personally.

FT Chesterton 5 Jovial Monk 1. By the time the full-time whistle blew it was bitterly cold on the touchline but absolutely fantastic to be back out watching football again. The scoreline makes it sound as if this was a one-sided game but, in truth, until the fourth goal went in Jovial Monk were not out of the game. All in all, a great afternoon out watching the game I love certainly not made any worse by having to drive through beautiful places such as Barnsley and Bibury twice. 

Good luck to both sides for the rest of the competition and many thanks for providing a great return to live football.

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