Longford Park defeat Wroxton Sports to take the Coronation Cup

Despite only being a few miles away, it has been 10 years since I visited Banbury United. In fact, it was only the second blog I put together for BotP. Back in those days they weren't so much blogs as short ramblings (this one doesn't even mention the score. Spencer Stadium). Things have moved on at both Banbury United and at BotP, hopefully for the better in both cases.
I was clearly overdue a re-visit to the next stop on the M40 and what better opportunity than the Banbury & District Coronation Cup Final between Longford park and Wroxton Sports? Longford's Ash Wingrove had contacted a few weeks ago after I covered their game at Deddington Town (Longford Cant End Park Run), reminding me that they were through to their first cup final. I had also seen Wroxton play before, a superb 8-3 win at Hardwick back in October 2021 (Sports 100% Beaten By Sports). Oddly, I've not seen either of them at home, despite both being in my to-visit list. I must address that next season.

​The Ground
Although this was a re-visit, the details on that original blog are very sparse and, of course, 10 years out of date. Banbury have gained promotion into the National League North since my visit and have made changes to what is now called The Banbury Plant Hire Stadium but will always be the Spencer Stadium to me.
Tucked away down a service road that runs alongside Banbury train station, it's still not the easiest ground to find if you haven't been there before. However, once you do get onto the correct road and past the myriad of speed bumps, you'll find a very good-sized car park directly outside the stadium. Turnstile access takes you from the car park into the stadium, close to the halfway line. Unlike many of the grounds I visit these days, Spencer Stadium is blessed with plenty of spectator cover. In fact, all four sides of the ground has some kind of covered stand. Immediately to your right when you enter is the main stand, the John Nicholls Stand. On the opposite side of the ground, but towards the left-hand goal is another, much newer, covered seating stand. Between them they provide seats for 250 spectators. There is covered standing behind both goals. To the left as you enter there is a small structure, The Puritan Radio Stand, directly behind the goal. Covered standing runs pretty much the full width behind the opposite goal. This structure has been here a while. Painted the club colours of yellow and red, there are Banbury flags and signs placed all along the back wall. In the corner nearest the John Nichols Stand there is also Ann's Tea Bar.
When I first visited Spencer Stadium I said that it was 'proper football ground'. I stand by that statement. It's a gem of a facility that has plenty of modern features, but also manages to capture a bucket load of history and atmosphere. Well worth a visit.

​The Background
Banbury District & Lord Jersey League Coronation Cup was first staged in 1953, the year of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. The early years of the competition were dominated by Bodicote who won seven of the first nine finals, only punctuated by Adderbury in 1955 and Fenny Compton in 1959. Ruscote Sports (who I believe are now no longer around) have the most wins with 8, although if you were to add together Bodicote (6) and Bodicote Sports (5), they could lay claim to being the most prolific team. Just behind Ruscote is Sinclair United who have won on 7 occasions. More recently, Bishops Itchington have been the most common name for the engraver. However, this season, whatever the result in the final, there would be a new name on the trophy.
There are four rounds leading up to the final. In Round 1 Longford Park received a bye whilst Wroxton defeated Bodicote 2-0. The Second Round saw Longford see of Broughton & Newington 3-1 whilst Wroxton went through by means of a home walkover against Arncott Athletic. On to the Quarter-Finals where both sides had convincing victories, Longford beating Steeple Aston 5-2 and Wroxtion disposing of Kings Sutton by a 3-0 score line. Both Semi-Finals were all together closer affairs. Longford Park were held 1-1 by Hardwick Sports before going through 4-3 on penalties. Wroxton triumphed via a hard-fought 1-0 win at Graven Hill.

As a pointer to the way the Final might go, the sides have already met three times this season, twice in the league and once in the Lord Jersey Cup Quarter-Final. The Cup game was a feisty affair in which Longford Park eventual went through 2-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Park also saw Niall Higgins and Nicolas Richardson see red in the game. The first league meeting came on the opening day and ended in a resounding home win for Wroxton. Ibrahima Gueye (the first of 21 over the season), Ousseynou Gueye Ndome, James Nash and Haruha Konateh scoring the goals. The league game at Croughton Playing Fields ended 0-0. Of course, we also have to take into account and congratulate Wroxton Sports for winning the league this season, only losing a single match and going unbeaten on their travels. Some achievement.

The Game
There was decent crowd in the Spencer by the time the teams took to the field, Longford in yellow and black, Wroxton in orange and black. You could say this was something of a local derby but that could to pretty much all of the games in the Banbury League. What was noticeable was that the Wroxton support was either larger or just more vocal than Longford's.
It was Wroxton who manufactured the first shot on target, Mohamed Gueye getting a shot off but it was a simple enough save for Jordan Reynolds Sports continued to move the ball around well, looking sharp up front and well disciplined at the back. They put together a lovely slick move on 10 minutes, some quickfire passing, culminating in the ball being slipped inside the full back for Foster, only for the winger to be flagged offside. However, this move displayed the problems that the Wroxton attack was causing Longford.
Park finally got an attempt on target after 20 minutes when a deep cross found Paul Davies at the far post, but he could only plant his header into the arms of Josh Breakspear. Wroxton immediately went up the other end and came very close themselves when Ibrahima Sewane-Gueye slid his effort wide of the post when he really should have hit the target. The end to end action continued two minutes later when Davies got a flick on a cross from the right, directing the ball into the feet of Ash Wingrove but a last ditch piece of defending got enough of a block on the ball to make it easy for Breakspear to gather. It was Longford's best chance so far, but they were made to pay for passing up the opportunity just a minute later. Wroxton broke again and this time Mohamed Gaye made no mistake with the finish, firing low into the corner of the net. 0-1.
Wroxton, buoyed by the goal, started to turn the screw at this point, looking to increase their advantage whilst on top. Ash Peacock let his frustrations get the better of him just before the half hour mark, picking up a yellow for what could, at best, be described as a robust challenge. The Sports player on the end of it may have used a different description. Then just past the 30 minute marker, Sewane-Gueye was played in on goal only for Reynolds to stand up well, making a great save to keep his team in it. Back at the other end Wingrove, who had been tightly marshalled, managed to make himself a yard and get off a decent effort that Breakspear was down sharply to save.
It looked as if Wroxton would go into the half-time break in front  but, a minute into added time, Longford changed all of the half-time talks by snatching an equaliser. After winning a free-kick out on the right, some 35 yards out, the ball was played into the centre of the penalty area where Michael O'Carroll rose above everyone to power a header over Breakspear into the net. 1-1.

HT Longford Park 1 Wroxton Sports 1. Wroxton probably deserved to go in a goal up but let their guard down right at the end of the half. After going ahead, they had put Longford in a tough spot. They needed to press for the equaliser but were clearly worried about the pace of Wroxton on the break. The late goal changed the complexion of the game again. back to square one for both teams.

​Both teams were eager to get on with the second half, not so the officials who made the teams wait a good couple of minutes before reappearing.
When we did get under way, it wasn't long before tempers flared a little. After a Wroxton attack had been clear, Longford scorer O'Carroll went down with an injury, presumably picked up when clearing the attack. I must admit, I didn't see what happened. However, O'Carroll was incensed by something and made his feeling knows to both the officials and some of the Wroxton players, before being replaced.
Play in the second period was much more even than the first. Longford seemed to have got to grips with the Wroxton attack more effectively and were causing some issues themselves, although neither Breakspear or Reynolds was called into serious action until after the hour mark. Just past that time, Wroxton had the ball in the net through Gaye, but the assistant's flag had gone up before he finished the move. At the other end Lewis Baker flashed a shot just wide, as both sides started to step up their efforts.
Longford had a very lucky escape in the 68th minute when, chasing back into the box, Nic Richardson slipped just as the cross was driven in. The ball appeared to hit his had as he fell. Definitely a 'seen them given' moment, but luckily for the defender the referee was unsighted and the assistant didn't seem to see it either, much to the ire of the Wroxton players.
Longford weren't hanging about to dispute the call though, they went up the other end and, a coupe of minutes later, had the ball in the net themselves when Davies challenged with the goalkeeper for a hanging ball. He swept in the loose ball and wheeled away in delight only for the referee to pull it back for a foul on the keeper. Longford disappointment lasted no more than four minutes though. This time a deep cross from the right found Davies and Danby climbing at the far post. From my vantage point at the far end of the ground, it was impossible to tell who got the final touch, but either way, the ball ended in Breakspear's net and Longford led the Final 2-1.
They say teams are at their most vulnerable straight after scoring. Well, in this case it was certainly true. Longford cheers had barely stopped resonating around the stadium when Wroxton hit back. It also came form their right flank. A deep cross was headed back across goal for Gaye to nudge the ball over the line from inside the 6-yard box. 2-2.
Longford were rocked by the equaliser, the pendulum had swung and it looked like Wroxton might go on to win the game. However, Longford steadied their ship, making some tactical substitutions, possibly in preparation for a penalty shootout. Having already beaten Sports on penalties this season, Longford seemed the happier of the two teams to see the game out. Having said that, Reilly Baldwin had a good go at a very late winner when he smashed a shot just over in added time. However, in the end, neither team could muster a third goal and we were heading straight to spot-kicks.

FT Longford Park 2 Wroxton Sports 2. The second half turned into a proper blood and thunder cup tie. Some crunching tackles, two disallowed goals, a few disagreements, and some great entertainment for the crowd. As I heard someone say as I was heading back to car park 'You can't knock that for three quid'.
It was hard to separate the teams, especially in the second half. The both gave it everything they had and there were some very tired legs out there toward the end.

​Penalty Kicks
Big responsibilities on the shoulders of the goalkeepers, Jordan Reynolds for Longford park and Josh Breakspear for Wroxton Sports. The penalty shoot-out went as follows (apologies if I got any names wrong. I was trying to Tweet as each kick was taken. More than happy to change them if necessary).
​

Longford Park: Reynolds, Peacock, Richardson, O'Carroll, Gallagher, Higgins(c), Baker, Davies, Peters, Baldwin, Wingrove. Subs: Brookes, Danby, Williams, Holloway, Baughan
Wroxton Sports: Breakspear, Gregory(c), Gueye-Ndome, Witton, Sanneh, Nash, Fall, I.Gaye, Sewane-Gueye, Foster, M.Gaye. Subs: Hartwell, Kimani, Sroda, Konateh, Johnson

Ground Number: Re-visit
Att:
Entrance: £3.00
Programme: N/A

My season started way back in August when I took a trip West to watch Berkeley Town take on Tredworth Tigers in the Reg Davis Memorial Cup. Tigers, then newly promoted to the GNSL Division 2, signified their intent by defeating Division 1 Town 3-1 that evening (Tigers, Tigers, Burning Bright). Now, almost 9 months down the line, Tigers have the opportunity to clinch a second consecutive promotion by taking one more point from their remaining five league games, joining Tewkesbury Town who have already secured their place in Division 1 next season. They started that quest this evening, with a home game against Cheltenham Civil Service Reserves. Although I had not see CSS's reserves in action before, I did see their first team win at Chalford towards the end of last season, clinching their promotion to the Gloucestershire County League (Civil Uprising).

​The Ground
With the cricket season already under way, Tredworth have had to find a temporary home for their remaining fixtures, due to sharing with Gloucester Cricket Club. Consequently, this evening's fixture had been moved out of the City to the Dowty Sports & Social Club, in Down Hatherley a village between Gloucester and Cheltenham. The club is a large facility that provides sports and leisure activities. There's a large main hall, a lounge and a bar, that can be used for events and conferences. Outside, there are multiple football pitches both full-size and small-sided, a bowls club and a couple of tennis courts. Tredworth had been allocated the pitch directly in front of the main clubhouse building. The pitch itself slopes from right to left as you look from the clubhouse and was in dire need of a trim. Not the greatest surface for football, but I guess it's the same for both teams. Obviously, as a community pitch, there is no spectator shelter around the ground. However, there are some benches outside the club, which provide a view of the match action. 

The Background
Thanks to some postponements, this would be the first league meeting between the sides, with the reverse scheduled for next week. However, as a pointer, there was a cup meeting back in the early days of the season. That day, in Cheltenham, Tigers came out on top by four goals to two. Matt Pegrum and Jamie Moore scored for CCS. A Lee Smith hat-trick and another from Jacob Rogers sending the visitors how victorious.
At the start of play Tredworth sat in second spot, 10 points adrift of champions-elect and already promoted, Tewkesbury Town. Tigers also held an eleven point gap to fourth-placed Falcons and, with three to be promoted, only required a single point from their five remaining fixtures to guarantee a place in Division 1 next season. Having won the Stroud & District Division 1 title last season, Tredworth were looking to gain a second consecutive promotion.
Cheltenham came into the game in fifth spot but were a few points short of being capable of catching third placed Bibury.
The full league table statistics provided an interesting insight into the way this game could go. Tredworth have by far the most impressive scoring record in the league, having already amassed 93 goals in 23 games prior to kick-off. They also had the second best goals against record with 25. Cheltenham certainly could not match Tredworth for goals scored, having only notched 39 times, but they did boast a very credible gaols against tally, only 28 conceded in 24 games and only 12 of these had come on the road.
Consequently, despite only needing a point, Tredworth could certainly not expect the ask to be made easy for them. To add to Tredworth's wish to get the job done as soon as possible, they had seen two red cards in their prvious game and were set to lose captain Courtney Hamilton and Dave Rich to suspension after this game.
As always, great to meet up with Tredworth's coaching team, Adam Dix and Lee Smith, before the game. Thanks also to referee Andrew Leeds for letting me take photos of the team sheets prior to kick-off.

​The Game
Tredworth almost got off to the perfect start when within the first minute Corey Hill was played in on the left side but failed to get a clean strike on the ball, possibly the first of what would be many mis-controls from both sides, caused by the length of the grass.
The home side continued to have the lion's share of possession. On 12 minutes Lee Smith's through ball almost put Hill in again but visiting keeper Finley Ray was very quick off his line to smother the ball. A minute later, as Tredworth started to ramp up the pressure, Corey Warrington slipped a ball across to Lee Smith on the edge of the box. The striker cut back onto his left foot but put his shot wide of the mark. Three minutes after that, it was bodies on the line time for Cheltenham. First of all a defender threw himself of a goal bound effort from Hill before Hamilton's follow up effort was saved well by Ray.
Of course, with Tredworth holding sway in such a way, the first goal of the match went completely against the run of play. With 19 minutes gone Cheltenham pressed forward, winning a throw-in deep into Tredworth territory on the right. The initial throw was cleared back to Cole Hallam, way out on the touchline. He immediately volleyed a superb dipping effort over Adam Fenner into the far corner. A superb strike, almost van Basten-esque. 0-1
Tigers tried to step it up after conceding but found it increasingly difficult to find the ball to break down a very well-organised and disciplined Cheltenham defence. The visitors were very quick to get men behind the ball if the conceded possession, restricting the space for Tredworth to work in, on a narrow pitch.
It took until three minutes before the break for the home side to finally break down the visitors and, when it came, it took a great piece of individual skill to create the goal. Corey Hill brought down a crossfield pass on the left hand edge of the penalty area. He then wriggled through a couple of challenges before firing a shot across Ray. The keeper got a hand to it but could not prevent it from going into the corner of the net. 1-1
Almost on the stroke of half-time, Cheltenham had a golden opportunity to get their noses back in front. Riley Greenwood just about got his toe to a cross ahead of Adam Fenner. The Tredworth keeper was left in a heap, with no foul given, Greenwood was up quickly to get onto the loose ball, but could only screw his effort wide of the far post. A let off for Tredworth.

HT Tredworth Tigers 1 Cheltenham Civil Service Reserves 1. Tredworth had more of the ball but, at times, struggled to break down the Cheltenham defence. Cheltenham, after getting ahead with a wonder goal, were happy to get behind the bll and play on the break. To be fair, when they did break, they always looked dangerous.

Tredworth were out and ready to go for the second half well in advance of their visitors. They were clearly up for it, and the breakthrough didn't take long to come. Three minutes into the half captain Courtney Hamilton drifted a inch-perfect cross into the Cheltenham area for Lee Smith to head low past Ray. 2-1
The goal settled Tredworth and, at the same time, seemed to knock some of the stuffing out of Cheltenham. Hamilton ws starting to pull the strings in midfield. Just under ten minutes into the half, the Tigers captain again threaded a lovely pass through, this time for Corey Hill, who struck his effort well but not accurately enough. The pattern continued for the next 20 minutes or so. Tredworth continued to look the better of the two sides but could ot find the killer third goal. At the same time, Cheltenham had shown what they could do, so the home defence were not given an opportunity to relax too much. That was until the 72nd minute when, with Tredworth again inside the Cheltenham box, the refree pointed to the spot after what looked to be a fairly innocuous challenge from where I stood. However, trhe official was much closer than me and, in his defence, there didn't seem to be too much in the way of complaints from the Cheltenham players.
Tyler Hll stepped up to take the spot-kick but Ray guessed correctly, diving to his right to make the save. Unfortunately for the keeper, he could only parry the ball back into the path of Hill, who stroked the ball into an empty net. 3-1

There was no way back for Cheltenham now. Both sides had made a few changes, one of those for Tredworth was the introduction of Nick Musty on the left. It was he who had the last big opportunity of the game, bursting through a couple of challenges, he looked as if he had done the hard part but, when one on one with the keeper, he smashed his effort well wide.

FT Tredworth Tigers 3 Cheltenham Civil Service 1. Tigers dominated the second half after going ahead only three minutes in. Tredworth confirm their place in Division One next season alongside Tewkesbury Town and one from either Bibury or Falcons. Bibury's 3-2 defeat to Barnwood United this evening has put the matter into the hands of Falcons who are five points nehind with two games in hand.
On Saturday Tredworth entertain Frampton United Reserves at Dowty's, whilst Cheltenham have the day off. Bibury face the reverse fixture with Barnwood united and Falcons are at home to league leaders Tewkesbury Town. All matters could be resolved come 5pm on Saturday afternoon.

Many (including my wife) may think I am crazy for making a three hour round trip to watch a Step 9 league game. Nonsense, this is what football is all about to me. Besides, the journey to and from Cheltenham takes me through the Cotswolds, so not really a great hardship. On the way home, whilst randomly clicking on Spotify tracks, one of the first to be thrown up was The Beat's Mirror in the Bathroom. Quite apt when I was heading back from Gloucestershire. Back in the dim and distant past (now really showing my age), my first holiday romance was a girl called Sarah from Twyning in Gloucestershire. She had one of those two-tone dresses, and Mirror in the Bathroom was one of her favourite songs. 40-odd years on, I was transported back to Brean Sands and the Summer of 1980. Either massive coincidence or Spotify's algorithms are getting scary.

Tredworth Tigers: Fenner, Foster, Morgan, Whereat, Rich, Dyer, C.Warrington, Hill, Hamilton(c), Smith, Hill. Subs: James, R.Warrington, Barney, Spear, Musty
Cheltenham Civil Service Reserves: Ray, A.Greenwood, Sheahan, Davis, Griffin, B.Greenwood, Fivash, Jones, R.Greenwood, Hallam, Pegrum. Subs: Campbell, Jenkins, Shore-Nye, Edgington

Ground Number: 363
Att: c30 (manual count)
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

This weekend saw the final game of the 2022-23 D1N season take place. This will be the final edition of the weekly round-up. next season the blog will be extended to the entire Southern Region structure. Thanks to everyone for reading and contributing to the blog. It's been great fun. Look out for a season round-up coming out in the next few weeks.

Eversley & California 0-2 Penn & Tylers Green
A goal in each half was enough for Penn to consolidate their third place finish. Rebecca Stopforth opened the scoring with a second added by Georgie Lloyd after the break. The defeat leaves Eversley in seventh spot, in a congested lower half of the table. Only a single point separated Kidlington, Caversham and Eversley.

Coalville Town put their fans through the wringer, but just miss out on the title despite a breath-taking start.

Saturday provided the opportunity to take in a Stourbridge away game and have a day out with my oldest and closest mate, his father-in-law and one of his friends from the WMG. The only downside was that, in the not so distant past, it would have been a five-some with my Dad (Pyramid Senior), also with us. Sadly, he can't be with us anymore, but I know he would have wanted us to have a good day out, so that was the plan. With a large crowd expected, tickets had been secured in advance and we set out on the road up to Leicestershire in good spirits. Destination, the Owen Street Sports Ground, Coalville.

​The Background
One of the reasons this game was attracting a large crowd was the league position of the home side. This was the final game of the Southern League Central premier season and The Ravens were currently sitting in second place, only kept off top shot by means of Tamworth's 2-goal goal difference advantage. Tamworth were away at Redditch United. The mathematics were that Coalville had to better Tamworth's result or, should both teams win, better the Tamworth score by two goals. Being level on goal difference would give the advantage to Coalville because they had the better head-to-head record, having beaten Tamworth twice this season.
Stourbridge had nothing left to play for, their slim play-off aspirations having been ended a few weeks back.
The reverse fixture, at the War Memorial Ground, only took place a month ago. In a topsy-turvy encounter, Stourbridge took an early lead through Stan Anaebonam only for two from Tim Berridge and one from Tom McGlinchey give Coalville a 3-1 half-time lead. Alex Prosser scored late on for the Glassboys but The Ravens held on for the points.

​The Ground
The Owen Street Sports Ground or, to give it  its current name, The Mander Cruickshank Solicitors Stadium, is located just to the South of Coalville High Street. Coalville moved to the ground after failing to get permission for floodlight sat their previous Ravenslea ground in neighbouring Ravenstone. Presumably, this is where they got their Ravens nickname. The ground is accessed via a fairly long service road from Owen Street. There is parking available at the ground but, with such a large crowd expected, we parked up when we found a spot on Owen Street. The walk down the service road takes you past some small-sided pitches and another full-size pitch before you reach the main stadium. Entrance is through a turnstile on the corner of the ground which brings you in next to a small shop that would normally sell programmes. However, even though we were a good 30 minutes before kick-off, the ground was already half-full and programmes had sold out. The 'home' end of the ground is the Shed End, a covered standing area behind the goal. this was already rammed to capacity when we arrived. On the training ground side of the ground, to the right as you enter, there is a covered spectator stand and the clubhouse, which has a balcony with seating looking out over the pitch (presumably reserved for officials). This block also houses the changing areas. There is covered standing at the far end of the ground and more covered seating opposite the clubhouse.
It's a compact ground that has plenty of atmosphere, especially when packed to the rafters as it was for this game with over 1,700 jammed inside.

​The Game
With the 'olds' safely ensconced in the seats, we headed behind the goal that the Barmy Llamas had made their base for the game. This would be the end that Stourbridge were defending in the first half. Luckily (or unluckily) we were in position well before the game started because we were about to witness the quickest goal I had ever seen at a football match. Coalville kicked off in the now traditional manner of launching a long ball toward the opposition right-back position. A Stour defender won the header and tried to direct the ball across his own area towards goalkeeper Charlie Price. However, the header was mis-directed allowing Tim Berridge to nip in and poke the ball past ther keep and into the net. 1-0. Officially timed at 11 seconds. What a strat for Coalville. I'm sure most Stourbridge supporters were not expecting too much from the game but no-one expected to be be a goal down quite so early. It could be a long afternoon.
The goal seemed to take the home side by surprise too and, instead of hammering home their advantage, they allowed Stourbridge to get over the shock. Even then, the Glassboys looked absolutely toothless once into the final third, never really threatening Paul White's goal. Stourbridge supporters, with very little to cheer about themsleves, took much delight in celebrating Tamworth's 17th minute opener at Redditch.
The most surprising thing was that it took Coalville another 26 minutes to increase their lead. Again it came from the Stourbridge right, this time George Wilson cut inside and fired a slightly deflected effort past Price's left-hand, low into the corner of the net. 2-0
Again the goal prompted very little in response from Stourbridge. Coalville continued to press forward without looking overly threatening themselves to be fair. Charlie Price did have to pull off a superb stop on 36 minutes to prevent a third goal, blocking from Tom Berridge when the striker was one on one.
News came through that Tamworth had doubled their advantage at Redditch, meaning that Coalville needed to score at least two more without conceding. Maybe that prompted their action because two minutes after Kyle Finn had scored for The Lambs, Coalville bagged a third themselves. Tom McGlinchey curled a lovely shot over Price. The ball hit the underside of the bar and bounced out only for Billy Kee to be on hand to nod it over the line. 3-0

HT Coalville Town 3 Stourbridge 0. Stourbridge never really recovered from the very early goal and offered very little going forward. Coalville managed to get themselves three goals in front without playing that well themselves. With Tamworth also two in front, Coalville knew they needed to win this game and win it by a large margin if they wanted to be champions. Glassboys supporters were fully expecting an onslaught in the second half.

​As it happened the siege never really transpired. This was possibly down to a couple of early events in the second half. First of all news filtered through that Jamie Jellis had put Tamworth three up after 51 minutes. Then, eight minutes into the second half at Coalville, Stourbridge were awarded a penalty. Stan Anaebonam stepped up and sent White the wrong way. 3-1.
Coalville almost immediately forced a huge scramble in the Glassboys penalty area but somehow the ball was scrambled clear. However, after the initial response to the penalty, the double blow seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side, and also subdued the Shed End. Stourbridge, after looking hopeless in the first half, suddenly looked the better side and certainly were the more threatening as we approached the hour point.
Both Chris Knights and Reece King went close and the introduction of Farid Mikidam added some power to Stourbridge's attack.
Coalville stepped their efforts up again as the clock began to wind down. Price was again called into action a few times towards the dying moments, producing a series of good saves as the home side desperately tried to achieve the near impossible task of scoring three more times. Unfortunately for them, it was a step too far. Tamworth completed their 3-0 win, taking the title on goal difference.

FT Coalville Town 3 Stourbridge 1. A disappointing second half from Coalville. Events transpired against them st teh start of the half with Tamworth scoring their third and Stourbriedge pulling one back from the spot. It made the home side's task just that little bit too difficult. However, after their start to the game, their supporters must have had high hopes early on. Even at half-time, with their team three up and Tamworth to ahead, the Shed End must have been thinking they could lay siege to the Stourbrifdge goal and grab a few more goals. That's football though. As a supporter, it's the hope that kills you.
Congratulations to Tamworth on gaining promotion. Coalville will face a home play-off semi-final with Rushall Olympic on Wednesday. The winner of that game will face either Leiston or Nuneaton in the Final.

Coalville Town: White, Dean, Putman, Pepe-Ngoma, Wilkinson, Wilson, Shaw, Doyle-Charles(c), Berridge, Kee, McGlinchey. Subs: Chitiza, Chambers, Smith, Thanoj, Towers
Stourbridge: Price, Lyttle, Wilson, Prosser, Kettle, Hull, White, King(c), Knight, Rowe, Anaeboam. Subs: Knights, Worley, Walters, Gittings, Mikidam

Ground Number: 362
Att: 1,710
Entrance: £10.00
Programme: Sold Out

Thursday presented an unexpected opportunity to get to a match and, as luck would have it, there was a very interesting looking top of the table clash in the Hellenic League Division Two West taking place less than an hour's drive away. Perfect. The game in question, leaders Feckenham taking on second placed Pershore Town Development. Not only was this my first time watching Feckenham FC, it was also the first time I had ever been to the Feckenham, a small village about a third of the way between Redditch and Worcester. Possibly helped by the clear blue skies and sun, I have to say, first impression was that the village is a beautiful place, despite having a name that sounds like a curse form Father Ted.

The Ground
Feckenham FC, The Millers, have returned to the village after spending some time playing at nearby Studley FC. They now play their home games at the Mill Lane Recreation Ground just off High Street. There's no parking available at the ground but there is a free car park (signposted) on Tufton Gardens, just a short walk away. There's an alley that leads from Tufton Gardens directly into the recreation ground.
There's a reasonably large clubhouse on the Mill Lane side of the ground which sells hot and cold drinks as well as snacks. The dugouts are also on this side of the ground, one each side of the clubhouse block. The pitch slopes slightly, down from the village/Church End towards the kid's playground at the far end.
There's no spectator cover as such at the ground. However, there is seating built in to the wall of the clubhouse that might give a little shelter in inclement weather.

​The Background
One of the main reasons that this match attracted me was the position of the two teams in the league. At the start of play Feckenham were top of the league, two points clear of Pershore in second place. With just a few games left, the situation was that Pershore, who had played two more than Feckenham and only had two games remaining, needed to win to keep alive any faint hopes of the title. However, there was also a third club involved in the title chase, fourth placed New Dales Vale. The Worcester based club had three games remaining and were six points adrift of the leaders. Consequently, if Feckenham were to win this evening and New Dales Vale did not beat Shipston Excelsior at home, The Millers would be confirmed as champions. Defeat for Feckenham and a win for Vale would man that all three teams were still in with a shout.
Current form was certainly on the side of the leaders. In the past six games they had won five of them, suffering defeat (for the only time so far this season) at the hands of Shipston earlier in the month. Pershore had lost twice in their last six, including a damaging 2-1 home defeat to Feckenham. On that occasion first half goals from Dave Phelan and Ben Welsh were enough for The Millers, despite a late Ben Espley strike for The Plums.

​The Game
The fact that Pershore needed the three points more than their hosts became quite apparent early on. Their tempo and general game looked sharper than Feckenham's, demonstrated as early as the ninth minute when a raking pass from Kian Collins found Tom Daccus who fired just wide of Watson's left-hand post.
Watson was by far the busier of the two keepers and was called into action again after 16 minutes, diving at the feet of a Pershore striker to save well. The home side were obviously under instruction to allow Pershore to have the ball in their own half, retreating deep until the ball was in their own half before engaging. This had the effect of inviting Pershore onto them, something that the visitors were starting to take full advantage of. 
About halfway through the half, Watson had to be even braver as he threw himself at the feet of another Pershore striker to prevent what looked like a certian goal. As if the home side weren't under enough pressure from Pershore, they contrived on 27 minutes, to make life even harder for themselves, getting i a right mess at the back. The ball fell at the feet of a Pershore striker on the edge of the box but, with Watson well out of position, the hsost were saved by a defender making it back onto the line to scramble clear.
The close shave seemed to act as something of a wake up call to to Feckenham and they finally managed to pose a threat to the Plum's goal on the half-hour mark, when Skelton flicked on for Tolley to burst clear only to fire well over Loader's bar.
We were 34 minutes into the game before either side won a corner and, when it came, it went to the visitors but stil came to nothing.
With just three minutes of the half remaining, what had become something of a stalemate, albeit with Pershore on top, sprang into life. A superb diagonal through ball found Reece Day on the right. He drove into the box before shooting across Watson from a tight angle, nestling the ball in the far corner. 0-1. To be fair to Pershore, the goal had been on the cards for much of the half and it looked as if they were going to carry the advantage into the break until a minute into added time. A delightful ball into the Pershore penalty area tempted Scott Loader to race off his line only to be beaten to it by Janny Dinanga. Keeper and striker collided, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. A tough call on the keeper who was genuinely going for the ball but was a millisecond later than Dinanga. Dave Phelan stepped up to take the kick but Loader guessed correctly, diving to his left to make a great save.

HT Feckenham 0 Pershore Town Development 1. The Plums took a deserved lead into the break, thanks to a great penalty save from captain Scott Loader. Feckenham struggled to get any fluency and seemed to be panicking on the ball, frequently giving it straight back to their opponents. With New Dales Vale a goal up at home to Shipston, the position at the top of the table was looking very interesting.

​The home side were back out on the pitch very quickly after, presumably, getting a rocket from the Manager Glen Adams at half-time. Clearly up for it, they made a quick start to the second-half with George Tolley shooting just wide only a minute in. The home side looked a lot livelier than now and Pershore, kicking up the slope, were struggling to get on the ball as much as they did in the first 45 minutes. Loader had to be at his best after 53 minutes, doing well to save from the league's top-scorer Will Skelton. Just past the hour mark, after being on the back foot for much of the half, Pershore demonstrated to their hosts that they were still capable of hurting them when substitute Joe Peachy headed narrowly wide with Watson struggling to get across to the effort.
However, it was still the home side who were looking the more likely to get on the scoresheet, but they were starting to run out of time. New Dales Vale were now 2-0 up (even though they had been down to 10 men since the 30th minute) and looking as if the three points were in the bag. Feckenham needed to throw everything at their visitors for the final fifteen minutes.
Dan Poxon flicked a header narrowly wide on 77 minutes but a minute later the Millers were back on the offensive, winning a corner on the right. When the ball was played into the box, Will Skelton rose above everyone to power in a header, beating Loader at last. 1-1

The siege was now on. Feckenham poured forward looking for a winner. Credit to them, because a point here would certainly not have been the end of the world. They came mightily close to taking the lead when Phelan's free-kick from outside the box, was just about kept out by a combination of Loader's fingertips and the woodwork. However, a minute later came the late drama and confusion. Curtis Haywood got the ball into the Plum's net, despite the efforts of a defender hacking it clear at the last second. The home side and supporters claimed the ball had crossed the line, the visitors, of course, claimed the opposite. To be fair, even from my position on the halfway line, it looked to be clearly over the line. There was a brief moment of confusion when it was not clear what the referee had given but this soon turned to jubilation for the home side as he signalled a gaol. Judging by the fairly muted Pershore complaints, I think the first judgement that t had crossed the line, was the correct one. With just a few minutes remaining, plus a little stoppage time, there was not enough time for the visitors to redress the balance.

FT Feckenham 2 Pershore Town Development 1. Credit to Feckenham for the way they wound up the pressure in the second half, especially after looking second best in the first half.
The result ended Pershore's faint hopes of catching Feckenham at the top. However, New Dales Vale's victory over Shipston Excelsior left them six points behind the leaders with two games remaining, meaning Feckenham still need a point from their remaining three games to be mathematically certain of the title.
On Saturday Feckenham welcome sixth placed Tuffley Rovers Dev with the champagne sitting in the ice bucket. A Dave Phelan goal saw The Millers win 1-0 at Glevum Park in January. Meanwhile New Dales Vale got to Bishops Cleeve Dev. knowing they have to keep winning in order to keep the pressure on. Pershore Town Dev. welcome Longlevens Dev. to the Community Stadium in their final game.

Feckenham: Watson, A.Bunn, A.Wright, J.Wright, Ingram, Tolley, Cox, Phelan(c), Skelton, Haywood, Dinanga. Subs: Fergie, Poxon, Davies, Lane, Jarvis
Pershore Town Development: Loader(c), Dankenbring, Bennett, Pinches, Tolley, Collins, Day, Espley, Wilesmith, Savciuc, Daccus. Subs: Simmonds, Peachy, Carter, Sommers, Forsyth

Ground Number: 361
Att: 55
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

After a two week break for Easter, MakeAD1N is back with a round-up of what we have missed as well as a preview of the final D1N league game of the season.

County Cup Quarter Final
Abbey Rangers 1-1 Eversley & California (8-9 Penalties)
Eversley's reserve side put on a superb display to see off a team four division's higher in the pyramid.
Lily-May Varney put Eversley ahead early on only for Megan McGarvey to equalise on the quarter hour. A tight, well contested game followed, described brilliantly for us by Wandering Tractor (@wanderintractor), before Eversley finally triumphed 9-8 on penalties. The action was captured for us by Andrew Batt (@andrewbatt5)

Combined Counties FL Women's League Cup
Penn & Tylers Green 1-3 Queens Park Rangers
Penn put up a really good fight against National League opposition. A goal from Emma Nolan was not enough to save them from defeat. Ellen Wardlaw, Ellie Searle and an OG saw the Hoops progress by 3-1. They will take on Chesham United in the Quarter-Final.

League
Kidlington 3-0 Eversley & California
Kidlington got back to winning ways, leapfrogging Caversham United and Eversley in the process. They finish their season with a very creditable 13 points and a guaranteed a minimum of sixth place. Goals from Cloe Woodward, Courtney Sumner and an own goal, were enough to see Kidlington finish their season on a high.
The Boars have one game remaining (see below).

Upcoming fixtures (23 April. 2pm)
Eversley & California v Penn & Tylers Green
The Ampersand Derby gets another airing as the final game of the D1N season hopes to finally take place this Sunday. This match has been postponed at least twice before, so fingers crossed for this weekend. Penn have already guaranteed a third spot finish and can't catch Milton in second spot. Eversley, who lost at Kidlington last weekend, need a point or more to climb to places to fifth place. The reverse fixture ended 3-0 to Penn with two goals from Henna Hussain and one from Sasha Smith.
ESA, Fox Lane, Eversley RG27 0NS

Stourbridge Women overcome Northampton to take the Women's National League Division 1 Midland title, securing their third consecutive promotion and second consecutive league title.

A Sunday morning trip up to visit my Mum was followed by a short hop over to the War Memorial Ground to watch what I hoped would be Stourbridge Women's third promotion in three seasons. Their opponents were fourth-placed Northampton Town, a team I had watched in a very entertaining 1-1 draw with Doncaster Belles just two weeks previously (Late Belle). I knew from that game that The Cobblers were a very competent team and The Glassgirls would certainly not be coasting to the league title. They could expect stern resistance from their opponents.

​The Ground
Considering that I have been to the War Memorial Ground more often than any other ground (apart from The Hawthorns), I don't often write blogs for Stourbridge home games, so I have not done a ground description in the past. Time to fix that, even if I am a little biased. Although strictly speaking Dudley is my home town, I started going to Stourbridge games in the 70s and therefore class Stourbridge as my home town team.
The WMG is and has always been, in my opinion, a fantastic example of a non-league ground. Despite sharing with the cricket club, which makes the ground three-sided, there is normally a good atmosphere at the ground. The majority of the Old Wharf Road side of the ground (the Jones & Attwood side to those of us of a certain age) has covered seating and standing spanning almost the full length of the ground. 

​The far end of the ground, the Shed End, also provides covered standing and can be segregated for away supporters if necessary. The Church End, where you enter the ground either from the car park or from the entrance opposite the church, is where all of the amenities are situated. There is a large clubhouse, The Glassboys Bar, the club shop and a permanent tea/snack bar behind the Church End goal. This end of the ground has been renovated in recent years too. The old gravel bank in the corner of the ground, which in the dim and distant past had a shed perched atop selling programmes and badges, has been replaced by terracing giving a much better view of the pitch.
Of course, on the open side where the cricket square is situated, there is stil lthe famous Victorian pavilion in the background. If you have not visited the WMG, you should.

The Background
Could this be the biggest game in Stourbridge Women's history? Hard to say because, for the past few years, they've made it a habit to break records and have big days on a very regular basis. However, to put this one into context, a point today would see The Glassgirls attain promotion to the National League Regional Premier Division, the third tier of women's football in England. Considering their position three years ago, this is the equivalent of the Stourbridge men's side getting into the football league, in terms of promotions.
As it stood before kick-off, Stourbridge led the division from Sporting Khlasa and Doncaster Belles, with Northampton in fourth. The only team that could catch The Glassgirls was Doncaster but even then, they would need to win all four remaining games whilst Stourbridge lost all three of theirs, an unlikely scenario. That being said, regardless of Doncaster's result at Leafield Athletic, a Stourbridge point would make it mathematically certain.
Current form and recent history were certainly on the side of the Glassgirls. They best Northampton 2-1 at Harpole in the reverse fixture last September. Niamh Deasy giving Stourbridge a half-time lead. The same player then doubled the advantage early in the second period, before Favour Omenazu pulled one back. Stourbridge also started the day unbeaten at home, winning nine and drawing one so far. They had not lost at all in the league since the opening day 2-0 defeat at Sheffield FC.
In Niamh Deasy, Stourbridge could lay claim to the league's top scorer, with 22 goals in 24 games. However, Northampton could boast two players well into double figures, Alex Dicks (16/25) and Jade Bell (13/12).
Last time out Stourbridge gained some revenge for their opening day defeat by beating Sheffield 3-1. Northampton went down by two goals to one at Lincoln City.

​The Game
Both sides seemed to take a little while to settle into the game but when they did it was the visitors who were first to come close. A dangerous corner into the Stourbridge box caused a few problems and Amie Preston had to be very alert to make a good block from Vicky Barrett's close range shot. However, Stourbridge responded in kind a few minutes later when Jo Daniel did well to parry an Alex Nicklin shot, the ball ran loose but was just too far out of Roxie Harrison's reach for her to get a clean strike and the ball went over the crossbar. The two chances settled the sides down but it was the home side who began to look the more dangerous. Harrison again got in on goal only to be stopped by Daniel and the assistant's flag. Then, on 24 minutes, Lois Jefferies made a good run to the byline before lifting a lovely cross over Daniel towards the far post. Unfortunately for The Glassgirls they couldn't get anyone on the end of it. 
Stourbridge were now really starting to ramp up thei rgame but the Cobbler's defence looked organised and resolute.
Just before the half-hour mark Nicklin, who was now starting to pull strings in midfield, lofted a glorious cross onto the head of Jefferies, but Daniel was in the right place to make a comfortable stop. Then a minute later, as a reminder that the home side could not relax, Jade Bell, who had been quite quiet until that point, drove into the penalty area before lifting a cross-shot over Preston and against the bar.
Jo Daniel was called into action again on the 34th minute, holding onto a Lois Jefferies free-kick after Harrison had been pulled down in full flight on the edge of the box. The relief was short-lived, however. Three minutes later Daniel was helpless as Mil Rogers turned sharply in the box before firing in a shot that took a deflection, sending it past the keeper. The ball hit the inside of Daniel's right-hand post before rolling across the line and spinning back into the net on the opposite side. 1-0.
Northampton tried to press for an equaliser before the break but the Stourbridge defence stood solid, demonstrated by Amie Preston coming out to claim a ball into the area just before the whistle. A safe pair of hands despite taking a knock as she collected the ball. That's the sort of goalkeeping that gives defenders confidence.

HT Stourbridge 1 Northampton Town 0. A really good, competitive game of football. The Glassgirls definitely had the overall edge and deserve their lead. However, they know they can't afford to give the Cobblers any chances.

​The second half started sluggishly. Maybe nerves had returned for Stourbridge, or maybe they were happy to keep the scoreline as it was? They were still doing enough to keep Northampton at bay, but didn't look like they were going to add to their advantage. Once again, as in the first half, it was Northampton who got the best effort away first, but that was not until the hour mark when Jade Bell got a shot off only to see it go only just over the bar. 
The narrow escape prompted Stourbridge back into life. Left-back Meg Hadley did well down the left flank, creating enough room to get a near post cross in that Lois Jefferies, under pressure, could only nod just past the post. However, with only just over 20 minutes remaining, Stourbridge knew that another goal would seal the deal. This duly came on 67 minutes and, once again, it was the delivery of Alex Nicklin that created the goal. The midfielder put in a perfect cross that evaded Daniel's reach but dropped perfectly for Lois Jefferies to add the finishing nod from almost on the line. 2-0. Jefferies than got a yellow card for belting the ball over the stand in her celebration. Letter of the law I know, but a bit harsh in the circumstances.
The second goal may well have been the game winner but on 73 minutes defender Jess Bate demonstrated the sort of dedication to the cause that wins games and championships, sliding in bravely to prevent an almost certain goal. A real body on the line clearance.
With fifteen left to play Northampton's Fay Noble picked up a yellow for a foul on Hannah Fishwick and was then sent to the sin-bin for comments made to the referee in the aftermath. With Northampton two down and a player light, the Stourbridge bench began to warm-up in anticipation of the final whistle celebration. On the pitch, the players began to relax and turn on the style, playing some delightful football, best demonstrated when Niamh Deasy, on as a substitute, produced an audacious back-heeled pass to set up Fishwick only for her shot to go just over.
At the other end Alex Dicks tested Preston and Jade Bell, who was still buzzing around, got into the penalty area before hitting a cross-shot narrowly wide of Preston's right-hand post. Another Stour substitute, Angie Morley, got in a shot to test Daniel again but the Northampton keeper got fingertips to her effort to turn it away for a corner. There was time for Amber Lawrence to shoot over from the edge of the box before the referee blew for the end of the game and cued up the celebrations of the Stourbridge player, coaches and supporters.

FT Stourbridge 2 Northampton Town 0. A wonderful achievement for The Glassgirls and one that is thoroughly deserved. Only two points dropped at home all season and the title clinched with two games to go. Doncaster also won, 3-0 at Leafield, but it didn't matter. Stourbridge will have some cracking local derbies to look forward to next season as they go up against the likes of West Brom, Wolves and Coventry United. Next weekend's trip to fourth placed Peterborough United will be something of a celebration but you can't see this team letting off just because the title has been confirmed. Stour won the reverse fixture 4-0 and will, no doubt, be looking for something similar.
Northampton, for their part, played well and did much to make the game an entertaining spectacle. This is the second time I have seen them play in two weeks and, if they can retain their squad, they could well be a force to be reckoned with next season. A very good side with the ability to hurt teams. They welcome Solihull Moors to Harpole next weekend. An Alex Dicks double helped them to a 2-1 win at Damson Park earlier in the season.

Stourbridge: Preston, Bate, Levick, Heaselgrave, Hadley, Moran(c), McGovern, Nicklin, Rogers, Harrison, Jefferies. Subs: Deasy, Fishwick, Lawrence, Glover, Morley
Northampton Town: Daniel, Barrett, Noble, Wait, Omenazu, Bell, Farrow, Artemiou, Dicks, Mumford, Boote(c). Subs: Luttman, Brewin, Reboul, Doig, Richards

Ground Number: Re-visit
Att: 333
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: N/A

​Having been away in York for a few days, this week's football was restricted to Thursday evening although, at this stage of the season, there are more Thursday matches to choose from than normal. I had a number of games on my list but in the end decided on staying quite local. An early kick-off meant a much needed early evening rather than getting back at midnight as is often the case. Just over a year ago I watched Faringdon Town suffer a narrow defeat at Carterton (Close Encounter). Since that date I had planned to visit Faringdon's Tucker Park ground and today was the perfect opportunity as they were scheduled to play host to Marlborough Town Development.

The Ground
Tucker Park is situated just to the South of Faringdon town centre. There's very little parking available at the ground, so little that the club website directs visitors to the Tesco car park on the opposite side of Park Road from the ground entrance. The ground is accessed by a narrow service road that leads from Park Road up alongside the pitch to the clubhouse and players changing blocks. The clubhouse, which is currently being refurbished, is a good size and has a large patio area that is raised above pitch level, giving a good elevated view of the match. There is no spectator cover around the pitch.
The playing surface slopes slightly from right to left, back towards Park Road. In the distance, behind the Park Road end goal, you can see the famous Faringdon Folly perched atop Folly Hill.

​The Background
Faringdon are having their most successful period since re-joining the Hellenic League structure back in the 2016-17 season. At the start of play they sat third in the table, nine pints adrift of the leaders, Letcombe, but with a game in hand. Things had been even better earlier in the season, but a bad run of form just at the wrong time has effectively ended any title hopes. In early March, Faringdon were also third but were only six points adrift with two games in hand. Unfortunately a run of just two wins in six, including a damaging 3-0 defeat against the leaders, has seen them slip away. Having said that, a top three or four finish would be a significant achievement.
Marlborough's Dev team have not had it easy this season. They beat Wroughton Dev. 3-2 on the opening day but have only won one more game since that time and now sit bottom of the league. The fact that they have not picked up an away point yet, had scored only 12 in 18 before tonight and conceded 82 in the process, demonstrate the difficulties they have had. However, as it stands, they could still avoid the wooden spoon as they are just a point behind Wroughton with two games in hand and a better goal difference.
The omens for this evening's game were not good for the visitors though. The league's lowest scorers up against the second tightest defence. The reverse fixture saw a Faringdon inflict a heavy defeat too as they rattled in nine unanswered goals.

​The Game
Marlborough, kicking down the slope in the first half, were first to fire a shot in anger when Nathan Good tried an audacious lob from 30 yards. Jack Gibson was far enough of his line to make it worthwhile but the effort cleared the bar by some way. It took Faringdon a further 5 minutes to respond in kind, top scorer Matt Pill also firing over the bar. In what was a lively start from both sides, Marlborough's Harry Womersley got the first effort on target after 7 minutes only for Gibson to punch the ball clear. Two minutes after this Faringdon striker Andy Goodchild won a race to the ball with Marlborough stopper Kieran Maidment, only to see his stabbed effort run just wide of the post. It was the closest anyone had come so far though.
Just past the quarter hour mark Faringdon came very close again. Adam Sly drove into the Marlborough penalty area but was forced wide of the goal, his cross-cum-shot from a narrow angle, beat Maidment but rolled inches past the far post with no Faringdon player far enough advanced to apply a finishing touch. Maidment was called into action again a few minutes later, saving well from Jack Tomes as Faringdon began to turn the screw. A deep cross from the right on 21 minutes found full-back Sam Leech arriving at the far post but his first time volley flew narrowly wide of Maidment's left-hand post. It seemed as if a goal was coming for the home team and sure enough, on 23 minutes, they finally made the breakthrough after winning a corner on the right. The ball was right across the box, eventually being fed back in dangerously from the left flank to find Andy Goodchild arriving perfectly to nudge the ball over the line. 1-0.
If Farngdon expected the first goal to open the floodgates, they were wrong. Liam Hares did see his goalbound header cleared off the line and Maidment did enough to force a Mitch Coombes shot over the bar, but the second goal did not transpire and the hosts could only take a single goal lead into the break.

HT Faringdon Town 1 Marlborough Town Development 0. Faringdon were on top overall but didn't make the most of their extra possession. Marlborough showed enough to demonstrate that they can also pose a threat.

​A minute into the second half Marlborough should have been level. A mistake at the back for Faringdon was pounced upon by Harry Womersley, he squared the ball to the unmarked Nathan Good only for the striker to be denied by a good save from Jack Gibson. Despite not getting back on level terms, the visitors looked to be rejuvenated at the start of the second period, far more positive in their approach. Faringdon were struggling to find any fluidity after the restart and didn't make too many inroads themselves until just short of the hour mark. After winning a free-kick on the edge of the box they forced Maidment into a good save, pushing the ball away to his left. However, the ball was immediately recycled back into the box where Adam Sly was waiting to pounce. 2-0.
Even at two goals down, Marlborough didn't let their heads drop. In fact, they continued to look the more dangerous of the teams. On 65 minutes substitute Charlie Frampton shot just wide and then, with just under twenty minutes remaining, they did get their reward for their second half efforts. Once again it was a mistake at the back that was punished and this time Nathan Good made no mistake with the finish. 2-1 and game on.
The goal shook Faringdon up enough for them to stem the Marlborough tide somewhat, although they were still spending more time in their own half than you would suppose they wanted to. In fact, it wasn't until the 87th minute that Faringdon finally made the game safe. It came from the penalty spot, Jamie Broadbent sending Maidment the wrong way to make it 3-1. Then with Marlborough still trying to press forward, the icing on the cake was applied when Matt Pill was sent clear of the defence before sliding the ball under the advancing Maidment to make it 4-1.

FT Faringdon Town 4 Marlborough Town Development 1. The scoreline suggests a relatively easy three points for Faringdon but it doesn't tell the whole story. Faringdon probably weren't at their best, but Marlborough can also take heart that they put up a good fight even though the odds were stacked well and truly against them. Both sides are back in action this Saturday. Marlborough are back at home as they welcome mid-table Highworth Town Reserves in their bid to avoid the bottom spot. The reverse fixture ended in a narrow 2-1 win for Highworth. Faringdon are on the road as they make the short trip to eighth placed Wantage Town to take in their Development team. Faringdon ran out 5-0 winners in the game at Tucker Park in March.

Faringdon Town: Gibson, Platt, Leech, Tomes, Broadfield, L.Hares, Forth,(c), Sly, Goodchild, Pill, Coombes. Subs: Fletcher, Lawrence, Yates, Munns
Marlborough Town Development: Maidment, Johnstone, Bathe, T.Womersley, Gale, Beel, Wooliams, Mooney(c), Good, Fraser, H.Womersley. Subs: Frampton, Burke, De Souza

Ground Number: 360
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

​I was in three minds about where to head for this Saturday. I had three options, two a little further afield and one much closer just in case I was delayed in anyway. When I realised that I was going to have plenty of time to make it to one of the more distant games, that eased my decision a little, but I still had to choose between Leicestershire and Gloucestershire. In the end, I decided to head to the first game that I had jotted down as a potential, for no other reason than it was the first one on my list. As it happens game option two, Hathern v Thurnby Rangers, finished 7-3. Thankfully the game I chose, Wick v Rockleaze Rangers, may not have been so high-scoring but was an excellent match.

The Ground
Wick play at The Owl's Nest on Oldbury lane, about half a mile to the South of the village of Wick which, in turn, is around 10 miles North of Bath and 9 miles East of Bristol. The ground is signposted off the A420 which runs through the village. There is a good-sized car park, marshalled for optimum parking which is required because Oldbury Lane is way too narrow for any additional parking and it's a fair old walk from the village to the ground. The club is currently undergoing some additions and improvements to the ground (see The Background), however, they already have two full size pitches and a 3G training/5-a-side pitch with floodlights. The main pitch does not have lighting yet. The clubhouse is off to the right of the car park, tucked away in the corner of the complex. There's a bar and snack bar as well as provision for an outside bar and what looks like a relatively new patio area to the side of the bar, overlooking the smaller of the two main pitches. There is also a larger, newer building, just to the rear of the current clubhouse, presumably part of the club's development scheme. The first team play on the second of the two full-size pitches, situated furthest away from the clubhouse. The playing surface is ringed by what also looks like a relatively new white plastic fence. Dugouts are on he far side of the ground. Currently there is no spectator cover available, not that it was required this Saturday with the sun finally making a show for us. The pitch looked to be in pretty good condition, especially given the recent heavy rain we have seen. The locals seem friendly enough too. Special thanks to supporter Peter Galea who used his contacts at the club to help me get hold of the team sheets, as well as giving me some of the background to the club and what happened after last season's league title win.
All in all, a very nice ground with a distinctly rural feel to it, with trees and open fields as far as the eye can see. A total juxtaposition to my midweek trip to inner city Nottingham a few days ago, where the ground was hemmed in by houses and businesses.

The Programme
I have become aware that I don't give enough credit to teams who produce programmes. Therefore, from this point onwards, if there is a programme, there will be a review to go with it. 
Not too many clubs at Step 7 produce a printed programme but Wick are one of the exceptions and, I have to say, it is a very good example. Eighteen pages with some colour photos and adverts, it's clearly a labour love for editor Matt Davis (who is also the club treasurer, so obviously a sucker for punishment). The pages are packed full of useful information, statistics and player information for both home and away teams, league news and wider non-league news (taken form the content offered by the Non-League Paper. There's a history of both Wick and their visitors and, more importantly, the information (scores, tables etc.) are bang up to date. All of this for just a pound. A great effort which will, no doubt, be an attraction for groundhoppers.

​The Background
Wick are the current Gloucestershire County League title holders. However, after winning the league last season, they were refused entry to the Western League because of delays in gaining planning permission for their ground improvements. The upshot of this was that they lost their entire squad and management team, who went o to move up the pyramid. The rebuild of the squad has taken some time. It seven games in all competitions for Wick to finally win this season. However, the longer the season has gone on, the more they have started to gel and, with four wins from their last six games, they went into this game in better current form than their second-placed visitors. Rockleaze were coming into the game with an unbeaten away record, having played eight, winning six and drawing two including a very creditable 2-2 draw at leaders Cribbs Reserves last month. Despite being in eleventh at the start of play, Wick had a few games in hand on some of the teams above them, including Rockleaze who had played four more than their hosts. Wick also came into the game with local history firmly on their side. back in February they won 2-1 at Rangers with goals from Liam Towler and Joe Beardwell, Fraser Butt scoring for Rockleaze. Last season Wick did the double over Rangers, winning 2- 0 away and 1-0 at The Nest. Having said that, in the last full season before the pandemic, Rockleaze completed a double over Wick, winning 3-2 at Oldbury Lane and 5-1 at home.

​The Game
A lively start to the game saw the teams set out their stalls and clearly three pints was firmly on the agenda for both. Six minutes in a Tate Shaw fired in a free-kick for Rangers that wasn't too far wide of Ashton Trott's post. However, as the game settled down, it became quite apparent that Wick were getting on top, playing some very attractive football as they pressed Rockleaze back again and again. The home side came close to breaking the deadlock on 19 minutes when Louie Millard planted a header towards the corner of the goal. However, Henry Trett in the Rangers goal was down very sharply to his right to make a good stop.
Three minutes later the Rangers stopper was powerless to prevent the home side going ahead. With Rockleaze struggling to clear a cross Scott Hatcher was on hand to stab the ball past Trett. Maybe not the cleanest of strikes, but they all count. 1-0.
The Owls were now firmly on top and should have made it two on the half-hour mark when a cross from the right was nodded back into the mix by Millard only for Joe Beardwell to put his finish wide of the mark with only the keeper to beat. Something of a let-off for the visitors who then had their keeper to thank a few minutes later as Beardwell broke from the halfway line and got a shot off only for Trett to make a good save. Credit also to Rangers captain Marcus Williams for getting back to put enough pressure on Beardwell to force him a little wider than he would have wanted. Two minutes later, with Wick really winding up the pressure, their captain Sam Roberts hit a left-foot effort from the edge of the box that beat Trett but crashed back off the underside of the bar and flew to safety. It was all Wick at this point and they could easily have been two or three goals ahead. However, with seven minutes to go before the break and, as so often happens when the team on top don't consolidate their position, Rockleaze grabbed an equaliser. It came from a corner on their right. The ball was delivered into a dangerous area where Jenson Beard climbed highest to power a header past Trott. 1-1

HT Wick 1 Rockleaze Rangers 1. A very good half from Wick who took the game to Rangers from the first whistle. They should probably have been a couple of goals ahead before Rockleaze managed to get themselves back on level terms just before the break.

​Undeterred by the equaliser, Wick continued the second half in the same vein as the first. Two minutes in Seb Scott got free on the left before driving in a shot that ended in the side netting. A signal of intent by the home side and they continued to pour on pressure without unduly disturbing Trett.
Chances came and went for the home side but, with just under 20 minutes eft, it started to look as if they may have run out of steam. Rockleaze began to push them back as the momentum of the match started to swing in favour of the visitors. This became more apparent in the 73rd minute when George James got a toe to a low left-wing cross, diverting the ball narrowly over Trott's crossbar. Wick were not lying own though and at the other end Trett had to be at his very best to keep out an effort from Hatcher. As we moved into the final five minutes, Rangers began to throw everything at their hosts in a last ditch effort to take all three points. Trott was called into action on 84 minutes when Tate Shaw nipped in at the near post only to be denied by the reflexes of the goalkeeper. Then with a minute of normal time remaining Trott was beaten when another Shaw effort fizzed past his far post, narrowly missing the target. Right on full-time Rangers went close again when Williams burst clear on the left before feeding the ball to Sam Bailey who slid his effort just wide of the post. Wick, after being on top for much of the game, were suddenly riding their luck and the home crowd was getting nervous.
They needn't have worried as their team went straight back down the other end, attacking down the left flank. the ball was squared across the six-yard box and there was substitute Jacob Saunders to smash the ball into the net for the winner. 2-1

FT Wick 2 Rockleaze Rangers 1. The result drops Rangers from second to fourth following wins for both Bromley Heath United and Gala Wilton. Wick remain in eleventh spot but are now just four points adrift of Little Stoke in sixth. Their games continue thick and fast. They face a trip to Cheltenham Civil Service on Monday with only three points between the teams in favour of the Cheltenham side. They then welcome Little Stoke to the Nest of Wednesday. Rockleaze don't play on Monday but do have a crunch meeting at Gala Wilton on Wednesday.

Wick: Trott, Mansfield, Richards, Roberts(c), Osbourne, Mignott, Millard, Towler, Beardwell, Hatcher, Scott. Subs: Fox, Saunders, Creaney, Troake, Wade
Rockleaze Rangers: Trett, Rook, Perham, Lewis, Grotzke, Boontam, Williams(c), Bailey, Beard, James, Shaw. Subs: Johnson, Elgahmi, Webb, Hargreaves


Ground Number: 359
Att: 95
Entrance: N/A
Programme: £1.00

​Once again I had to leave my match choice until the last minute because of an over running business meeting. To be honest, I didn't really have a first choice, I had left the option down to my travel time limits. As it happened, Mendip Broadwalk will have to wait for another time. I opted for a more straight-forward whizz up the M1 to Nottinghamshire and a crunch battle near the top of the United Counties Division One. This also gave me the option of a slightly closer game in Leicestershire should the traffic situation on the M1 be too bad. The game in question being fifth/sixth-placed Radford at home to second-placed Birstall United. The reason for the confusion between fifth and sixth spot for Radford is that they were fifth at the start of play but when I came to write up this blog I noticed they seem to have been hit with a 3 point reduction, meaning they were effectively sixth.
This would be my first visit to Selhurst Street and, indeed, the first time I had seen Radford play. I've seen Birstall play three times in total, a fantastic FA Vase replay at Malvern Town in 2016 (The Antidote), another FA Vase away game, at Pinxton in 2019 (Pinxton Blue) and a 2021 league encounter at home to Bourne Town (Battling Birstall Burn Bourne)

​The Ground
Radford, The Pheasants, have played at Selhurst Street since the start of the 1985-86 season. The ground, currently branded the Oakfield Arena, is situated in the club's ancestral home of Hyson Green, just a stone's throw North of Nottingham city centre. Tucked away behind a row of shops, it is very easy to miss the turning off Radford Road for Selhurst Street (I did). If you are heading towards the city centre, along the tram lines, when you see the Asda petrol sign ahead, turn right (opposite Glenstone Court). There is very limited parking within the ground but there is a small free car park behind the shops (not sure if there's a time limit at Asda). Access into the ground is through a single turnstile which brings you in behind the Radford Road (or Bell End) goal. There is a clubhouse at this end of the ground too, topped by a Welcome to Radford FC sign. Just past the clubhouse, which has some covered standing directly behind the goal, there is a covered seating stand. There are also three other covered stands around the ground, two on the school side, either side of the dugouts, and one on the Birkin Avenue side. The tea bar is also situated on the school side of the ground. Tightly penned in on three sides by housing and shops with a school on the fourth side, the ground has a real inner-city feel to it. Definitely a 'proper', old-style non-league ground with a really good feel to it. Helped during the game by quite a vociferous home crowd, backed by some occasional drumming behind the Bell End goal (thankfully not constant). Certainly a ground worth visiting if you haven't been before, or again if you have.

​The Background
As stated this was a big game at the top end of the United Counties Division One table. The sides only met in the reverse fixture on March 21st. Birstall led 2-0 at half-time through Jack Astill and an own goal. However, Radford came back in the second half, getting a goal back also through an own goal, and then equalising through Jordan Alls in the 82nd minute.
The teams had come through different routes of the pyramid until the 2016-17 season when they were both in the East Midlands Counties League for two seasons until Birstall moved into the United Counties League in 2018. Radford followed suit last season. In the six meetings prior to this season, Radford hold the edge with three wins to Birstall's two and one drawn match. The games have been relatively high scoring as well. Again Radford hold the edge, outscoring United 16 to 9. Previous games at Selhurst Street have finished 3-0 to Radford, 4-3 to Birstall and 5-0 to Radford.
Current form for both teams has been pretty good, although both teams have dropped a few points here and there. Birstall had won four of their last six, drawing one and suffering a single defeat, 2-1 at Clipstone. Radford hadn't lost in the last six but had drawn three of them, including a 1-1 draw with bottom side Grantham.

​The Game
With neither side wanting to make the first mistake, it was a scrappy start to the game. Radford eventually started to settle first and were the first to trouble the opposition defence when, on 5 minutes, Jevon Seaton stretched to get on the end of a ball but couldn't quite get his effort on target. Two minutes later visitor's keeper, Charlie Doherty, had to be very brave, throwing himself at the feet of the onrushing Joe Meakin to make a good block. Then, on the quarter hour, Doherty was again called into action when Sasha Markelic met a low cross from the left. The United stopper doing well to block the effort from very close range. Doherty was beaten three minutes after that as Seaton burst through onto a long ball. His lob was too good for Doherty but also just cleared the bar. As it happened the assistant's flag was already up for offside anyway.
That effort signalled the end to Radford's first-half dominance of possession as Birstall began to play themselves back into the game. Halfway through the half they mustered their first effort on target when Yinka Adebowale was called upon to keep out a Josh Crossley effort. The home side were then really let off the hook when the same Birstall player was left unmarked in the penalty area and found by a Jake McLeary cross, but could only divert his header over the top of the bar, with Adebowale beaten. The momentum had swung in favour of Birstall now and just past the half hour mark only a superb and brave block from David Boafa kept out a powerful close-range strike from Sam Moore. Real body on the line defending.

HT Radford 0 Birstall United 0. Very scrappy at times. Neither side managed to gain any real fluency. Radford started the stronger but the longer the game went on, the more Birstall began to look dangerous. Two evenly matched sides so far. Clear to see why there is not too much between them in the league.

​The Pheasants were second back on the pitch for the second period but certainly not second to anything when the game restarted. They went for Birstall straight from the whistle and, only there minutes in, go their reward. With the ball bouncing on the edge of the area Jordan Alls won he heading duel, nodding the ball into the path of Sasha Markelic who drilled it low past Doherty's right hand. 1-0
Radford were well on the front foot now. Two minutes after going ahead Michael Fitzhugh tried his luck but this time Doherty was down well to save. A minute later, however, Doherty was left powerless as Adegbola's deep cross from the right was headed back over him by Jevin Seaton. A lovely goal and a superbly placed header. 2-0
Birstall tried to hit back. First of all a Sam Moore free kick was expertly saved by Adebolawe and then, just before the hour mark they won a corner. Their captain Paul Pallett, who had been off in the sin bin following the first Radford goal, was called back on just in time to get into the area and power in a header which Adebowale did very well to tip away. Five minutes later Sam Moore tried a long range effort but, again, Adebowale was able to deal with it quite comfortably.
Try as they might, Birstall could still not muster a head of steam and they were still reliant upon their goalkeeper a the other end. On 78 minutes Doherty was again on his toes, going full length to keep out a Jordan Alls drive. The straight up the other end Birstall had a shout for a penalty when Moore appeared to be clipped in the box. Nothing given.
With seven minutes to go it was game over. Fitzhugh's low cross from the right was met by Sasha Markelic running into the six yard box to smash the ball past Doherty. 3-0. Then, smack bang on the 90 minute mark, centre forward Jordan Alls cut in from the left and shaped a delightful shot around Doherty and into the far corner for 4-0.

FT Radford 4 Birstall United 0. An excellent second half performance from Radford. Whereas in the first half the game was very much 50-50, in the second period Radford dominated for large parts, scoring some superb team goals. The result should have put Radford within three points of Hucknall Town but  the three point deduction for an ineligible player against Harrowby in February, means they remain in sixth, a point behind Newark Town who also won, 4-1 at Saffron Dynamo. Birstall drop to third following their defeat and Bourne Town's 3-1 win at Clifton All Whites.
Aylestone Park are still odds-on to win the league, seven points clear with three to play. However, the play-off spots are still to be decided. Bourne and Birstall look to be safe in there, as too Hucknall Town, although they have played a game more than everyone else. It does look to be a straight shoot-out between Radford and Newark Town for the final place. Newark have a one point lead with both sides having three to play.
Newark are at home to Aylestone Park at the weekend with park needing 3 points to win the league. They then have a home derby with 15th placed Southwell City and, finally, travel to 8th placed Blackstones. 
Radford have three away games remaining. They go to relegation threatened Saffron Dynamo at the weekend, then a Nottingham derby against Dunkirk, who beat Radford 2-1 earlier in the season. Their final game is at another relegation threatened team, St Andrews, who the Pheasants thrashed 11-0 in the reverse fixture.
It's going to be a thrilling end to the season.

Radford: Adebowale, Adegbola, Tait, Tobin(c), Boafo, Ofushine, Fitzhugh, C.Meakin, Alls, Seaton, Markelic. Subs: Thurman, Fletcher, J.Meakin, Campbell, Daniels
Birstall United: Doherty, Kee, Tuck, Watts, Pallett(c), McLeary, Burton, Bucalossi, Moore, Astill, Crossley. Subs: Phillips, Jordan, Sutton, Richards
​
Ground Number: 358
Att: 115
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: £1.50