​It's that time of the year again. The time when the fixtures start to thin out but the games tend to have more importance. Wednesday evening was a case in question. Two games on my list, both big in their own way and both significant for different reasons. Firstly, there was a Abbeymead rovers playing Longlevens Dev. with Rovers requiring a win to stave off relegation. Then there was the Northants Combination Premier Division Cup Final with current holders and league runners-up Blisworth taking on league champions Roade. A shame that they were on the same evening because I was keen to see both games. However, having missed Blisworth's recent Junior Cup Final at Sixfields, I was inclined to return to Sileby for what promised to be an enthralling game between the best two sides in the Northants Combination this season. Abbeymead are top of my list for next season.

​The Ground
I often omit this section when writing a blog for a re-visited ground. However, there are a couple of reasons for not doing so this time. First of all, I haven't been to Fernie Fields since November 2014 when my blogs were completely different to the current format, so it is worth a review of the ground. Secondly, I wanted to take the opportunity to give praise where it is due. Fernie Fields is a superb facility, clean, tidy and extremely well maintained. The car parking was well marshalled, the snack bar staff were friendly and the pitch looked as good as if this was the first game of the season rather than the last. An credit to the groundsman and to the club in general. A fitting location for a cup final.
I'm not sure that too much has changed at the ground since my last visit. The only major difference that stood out was that the Sileby Rangers sign behind one of the goals has now gone. The Talavera Way side of the ground, which is where the car park and ground entrance is situated, also houses the main covered seating area. Either side of this there is covered standing running the full length of the ground. There is hard-standing surrounding the rest of the ground but no more covered areas. To the right of the entrance, behind one of the goals, there is a clubhouse, snack bar window, patio area with tables and the toilet facilities. 
Although my last visit was almost 8 years ago now, the game I saw that evening remains one of the most entertaining games of football I have ever witnessed (Smells Like Team Spirit)

​The Background
As stated above, this was a Cup Final featuring the top two teams in the Northants Combination Premier Division. After a a season in which the teams were neck and neck Roade finally pulled clear in mid-March when they won 4-1 at Blisworth (All Roads Lead To Roade), a result that avenged a 2-1 home defeat back in November. Blisworth were the league's highest scorers, averaging almost 4 per game. Roade had the tightest defence, conceding fewer than 1 per game on average. Having seen both teams play a couple of times this season, I can vouch for just how good they both are and how evenly matched the sides are (despite that last 4-1 result). This was also the first time that the Premier Division Cup Final had been played since before the pandemic. Blisworth, or James King Blisworth as they were then known, were the last winners after beating Kettering Nomads in the that season's final. They had also won it in 2017, beating the same opposition. Sandwiched between these wins was a defeat to Moulton in 2018. Roade made the final in 2016 but were beaten by Harpole.
To get this far Blisworth beat Rothwell FC Aztec 3-1 in Round 1. They then went to Stewart & Lloyds in the Quarter-Final, winning 5-0, before finally overcoming Wollaston Victoria 4-3 on penalties, after a 4-4 draw, in the semi-final. Roade had a bye in Round 1 but then won 3-2 at Harpole before beating Moulton 2-1 away from home in the semi-final.

​The Game
A decent crowd had built up by the time the teams came out. It's fair to say that Roade settled the quicker of the two and, certainly in terms of possession, had the lion's share over the first fifteen minutes. However, despite their territorial advantage, they couldn't not find a way to penetrate a solid looking Blisworth defence. As the game started to even out, Blisworth redressed the balance of the game but were also finding the Roade defence as resolute as their own.
On the half hour mark we had a situation where both physios were called onto the pitch simultaneously, luckily neither injury was serious. The players took time to grab a quick drink and get revised instructions from the bench. So far the game had been something of a midfield stalemate. Both sides showing some good work in the middle third but then finding that both defences were on top of their game. Neither goalkeeper had been stretched at this point. This trend continued almost up until the half-time whistle. However, on 44 minutes as we were all preparing for our half-time refreshments, the deadlock was finally broken and it was Blisworth who were celebrating. They won a corner on the left which Kieran Westbury went over to take. He lofted the ball towards the back post where centre-half Rhys Gartland rose highest to power a header towards goal. Josh McAdoo got across well but could not get enough on the ball to keep it out of the net. 1-0

HT Blisworth 1 Roade 0. Both defences have been in charge for the majority of the half so quite fitting that the only goal so far was scored by a defender.

​The second half was initially not too different from the first. Roade, being behind, had slightly more urgency, but both sides continued to stick to their game plans and, as in the first half, neither goalkeeper was being kept too busy. Although, for one of them at least, this was about to change.
In the 69th minute, with Blisworth defending a Roade foray, the ball was fed to Blisworth substitute Ross Watson inside his own half. He immediately looked to break forward, fending off a challenging and weaving around a couple more before surging towards the edge of the Roade penalty area. McAdoo was off his line quickly though, narrowing the angle enough to force the shot to go wide of the mark. It was great run though, livening up a game that had, at that point, tailed off a little. 
The miss looked as if it might be even more important two minutes later as the game sprang into life again. A long ball out of the Roade defence for once caught out the Blisworth back line, sailing above their heads. A Roade striker (I was at the other end and didn't see who it was) was alive to the possibilities and had taken the chance of running in behind the line. It paid off as he reached the ball a split second before Blisworth keeper Jack Bradshaw. The keeper couldn't prevent himself from taking out the striker right on the edge of the penalty area. The referee took a little time to consult with his assistant before brandishing a red card to Bradshaw. After a short delay for treatment to the Roade player and for the Blisworth bench to work out who to sacrifice in order to get reserve keeper Sachin Tayal on, the free-kick was taken but came to nothing. However, with 20 minutes remaining, it was backs to the wall time for Blisworth. Roade surged forward at every opportunity but were nowhere near as clinical up front as they were in the league match two months ago. They were also not allowed to relax by a Blisworth team who did not let the red card affect their ability to counter-attack effectively. In fact in the closing minutes it was Blisworth who probably had the best chance when Nathan Bobowicz burst through but dragged his shot wide. Roade just could not find a way through the Blisworth defence and, after a few minutes of stoppage time, the referee drew a close to the game.

FT Blisworth 1 Roade 0. A tight and tense match throughout decided by a single goal from a set piece as the sides cancelled each other out for much of the game. Great credit to Blisworth for the way they approached the game after going down to 10 men. Roade denied the league a cup double but will be more than happy with the title. Blisworth didn't get the league title for the first time in seven years but they did manage a cup double. Both sides have provided plenty of entertainment over the season and I for one will definitely be heading back to the Northants Combination next season.
Oh, and for anyone interested, Abbeymead Rovers won 1-0 securing the points required to retain their place in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division One.

Blisworth: 1.Bradshaw, 2.Herbert, 3.Reina, 4.Redding, 5.Gartland, 6.Morgan, 8.Lyons, 9.Duffy, 10.Bobowicz, 11.Westbury, 14.Major. Subs: Tayal, Watson, York
Roade: McAdoo, Betts, Hogben(c), Lawton, Jackson, Faulkner, Lewis, McDonald, Wingrove, Joyce, Watts. Subs: Hall, Roberts, Smith, Abrams, Reece

Ground Number: Re-visit
Att:
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: Included

I'll be honest, this was not the number one game on my list of possible ganes today. It was up there but I had originally intended to go to Abbeymead Rovers v Brockworth Albion in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League. This was a crucial relegation battle that Rovers needed to win to have any chance of beating the drop. However, in the morning I had to take my girl's under 12s into a relegation play-off game. What a match it turned out to be. Twice we took the lead, twice we were pegged back, with my keeper saving a penalty in all of that action. The game went to extra-time where we finally managed to get our noses in front and stay there. I'm not ashamed to say, I was drained at the end of the game (coaching is mentally more tiring than actually playing the game) and I really couldn't face watching another relegation dogfight. I needed entertainment to help me wind down. As it turned out, that was exactly what I got.

​The Background
This game was the North Bucks League Premier Division Challenge Trophy Final. Great Horwood had already claimed the league title and were hoping to pull off a fantastic double. Hanslope had finished fourth in the league, 14 points adrift of Great Horwood, in what their Twitter account had described as a disappointing season. However in the league games between the sides honours had been shared over the season. Early on in the campaign Hanslope registered a 3-1 home win. This was countered by Great Horwood's 4-2 home win in February.
As far as this competition's concerned Great Horwood won it once before, back in the 20016-17 season. Hanslope are defending the trophy having beaten Aylesbury Vale Dynamos Dev. 7-1 at Willen Road last season. I didn't see any reference to previous wins but I'm sure someone will let me know if this statistic is incorrect,
​To get to this stage Great Horwood had seen off Willen 3-2, Stewkley 2-0 and then Bletchley Scot 4-1 in the semi-final. Hanslope won 1-0 at MK Irish Athletic before beating Marsh Gibbon 3-1 away and then Grendon rangers by the same score in the semi. 

​The Game
Before getting into the game itself, a big thank you to the Buckingham Athletic Chairman and the NBDFL Official who were both happy to share team sheets with me before the game. It's always a lot easier to write these blogs when I have names against the shirt numbers.
After some initial sparring it was Great Horwood who created the first good opportunity when Andy Brunning wriggled free down the right before drilling a low, hard cross right across the face of the Hanslope goal. Unfortunately for Horwood no strikers was able to get a touch on the cross. The chance was a sign that Great Horwood were stepping up the pressure and two minutes later they came close again when a half clearance fell to Dale Armitage just outside the box, but his volley was just too high and wide of the target. Two more minutes passed before Horwood went even closer. A long throw-in caused chaos in the Hanslope area before Brunning was able to get a flick on the ball sending it past the outstretched hand of McKenzie, only for the ball to come back off the foot of the far post and be cleared. A minute later they hit the opposite post when a thumping header from a corner beat everyone but not the woodwork. The ball came back into play but was then scrambled off the line with the keeper beaten. Great pressure from the team in yellow, who were unlucky not to have gone ahead.
Just past the halfway mark of the half, Hanslope conjured up their first really dangerous looking attack when James Gregory's near post cross just evaded the touch of Matt Pickard. However, the Hanslope striker was to get another chance just before the half-hour mark. It began with an intricate passing move before the ball was fed into Pickard. He twisted first one way then the other, giving himself a small gap to fire through a sea of legs past an unsighted Lightfoot. 0-1, against the run of play but I doubt that would be a concern of Hanslope.
Suddenly, after being on the backfoot, Hanslope's tails were up. Three minutes after scoring Pickard came close to a second but his powerful drive went just wide of the target. Undeterred Hanslope came looking for more and, after winning a free-kick out on the left flank, Gregory again delivered a superb cross. This time it was onto the head of Michael Read who met the ball well but kept his effort too close to Lightfoot.
Great Horwood took a few minutes to recover from going behind but did stem the flow of Hanslope attacks before forcing Callum McKenzie into a good save on 36 minutes, signalling that they were far from out of the game. What they couldn't do, however, was find a way to breach the Hanslope defence before the break. At some point before the break Great Horwood also lost Frankie Tarrant to a sin-binning, although I have to say I didn't see or hear the offence myself.

FT Great Horwood 0 Hanslope 1. On the balance of possession Great Horwood would no doubt consider themselves unlucky to be behind. They could easily have been  couple of goals to the good. However, if you don't take your chances there is always the possibility of being punished and that is exactly what Hanslope did to them.

​Hanslope started the second half as if they had a point to prove and, of course, were facing only 10 players for the first five or six minutes. Any idea that they might try to sit on their lead was quickly thrown out of the window as they immediately pushed Great Horwood back from kick off. Horwood needed something special to get themselves back in the game and that is exactly what they got on 52 minutes. Freshly up to full strength after Tarrant's sin-bin time ended, An innocuous looking cross was planted into the Hanslope area. Nothing looked on until Gary Ridgeway performed some aerial acrobatics, producing a scissor kick that sent the ball spiralling over McKenzie and into the far top corner. A spectacular goal. 1-1
Suddenly it was Great Horwood who were in the ascendency. Just before the hour mark a through ball was chased down by Brunning. The striker was going away from goal but Mckenzie, sprinting off his line, took him out and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. A moment of madness from the keeper but when Sam Archer stepped up to strike the spot-kick, McKenzie made amends by throwing himself to his right, making a great save.
There was a brief period where the game lulled a little which, as it happened, was probably just as well to give the spectators chance to steel themselves for the closing stages. On 69 minutes a sloppy back pass was almost seized upon by Tarrant but McKenzie just manage to get there first and clear. then a minute later Horwood substitute Glen Hawkins got a flick on to a through ball which dropped perfectly to  Dale Armitage. His curled effort flew just high and wide of McKenzie's far post. It looked as if Horwood were getting back on top but that appears to be when Hanslope are at their most dangerous. Sure enough, on 78 minutes and again slightly against the run of play at the time, they got in front once more. A corner from the right was played deep towards the far post where Mike Jones was lurking to head home. 1-2.
The goal brought about a response from Great Horwood and they were very close to getting back on level terms within two minutes.  A free-kick from just inside the Hanslope half, was floated into the penalty area. Once again Hawkins got the all important flick on, this time perfectly for Brunning to get his head to it from less than 10 yards out. McKenzie reacted brilliantly though, diving to his right and pushing the ball against the post and out for a corner.
That was looking like the match winning save until the 88th minute when we had a moment of some controversy. Great Horwood had a corner on their right. It was played in towards the far post where a group of players challenged for it. The ball was was diverted either by a head or foot towards the the Hanslope goal and seemed to cross the line before the keeper scooped it away. However, the referee had already blown and was signalling for a penalty. I honestly didn't see what the offence was but the Hanslope players didn't appear to protest too much. The Great Horwood players were more incensed because they felt they had had a goal ruled out in favour of the spot-kick. Captain Sam Archer stepped up again, a brave move after already missing, and with less then two minutes of normal time to go. This time, however, his aim was true. He went the same way but McKenzie was powerless to stop this one. 2-2.
We headed into the final minute of the game and the momentum now seemed to have swung to Great Horwood again. I was on the verge of texting my wife to let her know that we may have to delay dinner when Hanslope sprung the ultimate surprise. Their initial attack seemed to have come to nothing but the ball was recycled back into the middle of the area where Tom Parish was available to crash a superb volley past Lightfoot. 2-3 and cue huge celebrations from the Hanslope players, bench and supporters.
Even in this game of swings and roundabouts there was not enough time for Great Horwood to recover from the latest blow before the referee blew his whistle to signal the end.

FT Great Horwood 2 Hanslope 3. Wonderful entertainment on a glorious, sunny afternoon. Just what I needed to wind down form the stress of the morning. Thanks to both sides for their contribution to a great afternoon of football. A credit to the league. many congratulations to Hanslope who showed superb spirit throughout the game, even when they were pushed back for quite a bit of time. Commiserations to Great Horwood, it was just not their day today but I am sure they will be more than happy with their league title. For me, I've really enjoyed my forays into the North Bucks League and I will most certainly be getting to more games next season. Great to see that Hanslope keeper Callum McKenzie go the MotM award. I had him marked down as my MotM too. Well deserved.
For those who read to the end, Abbeymead Rovers beat Brockworth Albion 2-1 which means that they are still in with a chance of survival. Shoudl they win on Wednesday evening (home to Longlevens Reserves) they will survive and send down? Yes, you've got it, Brockworth Albion. 

Great Horwood: 1.Lightfoot, 2. Thickbroom, 3. Ridgeway, 16. A.Armitage, 5. Woolley, 6. Tarrent, 7. Brunning, 8. S.Archer(c), 9. Howkins, 10. E.Archer, 11. D.Armitage. Subs: 12. Bingham, 14. Bowes, 15. Sutton, 4. Hawkins
Hanslope: 1. McKenzie, 2. Banks, 3. Gregory, 4. Potter, 5. J.Chilton, 6. M.Chilton(c). 7. Pickard, 8. Jones, 9. Phillips, 10. Read, 11. Rowe. Subs: 12. Kerin, 14. Hollingsworth, 15. Hopkins, 16. Parish

Ground Number: Re-visit
Att:
Entrance: £2.00
Programme: N/A

here was no game for me at the weekend and, to be honest, Tuesday evening was touch and go. However, late in the afternoon I decided on a fairly local game at Clanfield, just over 40 minutes drive. The game in question was the Witney & District League Ted Young Senior Cup semi-final between two 21st Century stalwarts of the league, Hailey and Hanborough. I had tweeted that I was hoping to get to the game and got a reply from Witney & District Registration Secretary and all-round Mr Witney-football, John Smyth, saying to ask for him and introduce myself when I got to the ground. As it happened, when I walked in, the first person I saw walking towards me bore a distinct resemblance to his Twitter profile picture and, sure enough, it was the man himself. Very good to meet with him and have a chat about football in general (and share the team sheets). Clearly a knowledgeable and popular champion of local football. John is exactly the sort of non-league volunteer that I admire and am thankful to for keeping the game alive and kicking. There are John's all over the country giving up their time and, in a lot of cases, hard-earned cash to provide football for everyone at a grassroots level.

​The Background
This was not the first time I had been to Clanfield's Radcot Road ground. In fact, I was there earlier this season to watch the local side take on Milton United in the Hellenic League. Neither was it the first time I had seen Hailey and Hanborough. I have seen Hailey twice before, a pre-season friendly at home to Bicester Town Colts last season (Two 100% Records In One Night) and the final of this very competition in 2019 when Hailey defeated Hollybush 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. (All Hail Hailey). I have only seen Hanborough once before, a 3-0 defeat at Cropredy in the 2019-20 Oxfordshire Senior League season (Crop Top).
Both sides are now playing in the Witney & District League structure and, this season, finished as the top two with Hailey taking the title by an eight point margin, their first league title since 2012 and their fourth in total. During the season Hailey beat their closest rivals twice. A 3-2 away win in September was followed up with a 3-0 win at the recreation Ground in February. Both sides have won this trophy on several occasions. Hailey are the current holders and, in fact, have won the last two competed tournaments (2020 was not played as far as I can see). In all they have won the ted Young Cup six times. Hanborough have won it three times, the most recent being in 2017. The winners of this game would face Stonesfield in the Final after they beat Milton-under-Wychwood 2-1 in the other semi. Let's hope I haven't made too many statistical errors for Mr Witney to correct :-).

The Game
No sooner had John written the teams up on the whiteboard than Hailey announced that they were going to make a change to their starting line-up when Cam Foster limped out of the warm-up. His place at right-back was taken by Kieran Fallon. Not too long after kick-off the early change score was evened up when Hanborough defender Peter Coombes was forced off through injury, to be replaced by Jonny Ayris.
The opening encounters were reasonably evenly matched although Hailey seemed to be first to settle and were holding sway possession-wise without unduly troubling Bennington in the Boro goal. However, it was Hanborough who engineered the first big moment of the game. A raking pass split the Hailey defence allowing Collins to get clear and drill home a low shot. Unfortunately for the Reds the assistant's flag had already gone up well before the ball hit the net. Five minutes later, with Hailey starting to get on top, Sam Wheeler was played in behind the Boro defence but blazed his effort high and wide.  The next close call came on the 26th minute as Freddie Buckingham lofted a teasing free-kick into the Boro box, causing absolute chaos before a slight touch from Bennington saw the ball out for a corner. When that ball was played in Hailey came even closer as what looked to be a goalbound header was deflected over off one of their own players. A few minutes later, Nathan Kimber was put clean through but saw Bennington react well to save with his feet. The ball was now almost exclusively staying in the Boro half as Hailey looked to turn their territorial advantage into goals. Just past the half hour mark Sam Wheeler went on a run, bursting through the Boro defence and letting rip, only to see the ball deflected for another corner.
As the half drew to a close it looked as if Hailey had missed their opportunity. After being on top for a good part of the half, they found themselves being pushed back more in the final few minutes as Hanborough began to make inroads into the Hailey half. A good response from Boro after being on the back foot for quite some time, they showed that this game was far from over.

HT Hailey 0 Hanborough 0. A close game so far as would be expected of the top two in the league. Hailey certainly had the greater number of chances but Boro's defence has held out well.

​In keeping with the final few minutes of the first half, Hanborough started well in the second period. Seven minutes in they produced one of the best moves of the game, culminating in a perfectly weighted, flicked pass putting Collins in on goal. His driven effort was too hot for Davies to hold but he did enough to smuggle the ball out for a corner. That effort on goal and resulting save proved to be a turning point in the game. Exactly on 60 minutes Hailey were awarded a free-kick for a foul on Kimber, just outside the box and a little to the left of goal. Freddie Buckingham stepped up and curled an absolute beauty over the wall and out of Bennington's reach. 1-0. Of course, a one goal lead doesn't guarantee a victory but you could see and feel the extra confidence in the Hailey team now. They believed the game was theirs and were quicker to each ball, snappier in the tackle and on the front foot. With 20 minutes to go they hit Boro with a lightning quick break and almost grabbed a second as Buckingham fed in Kimber who slid his shot just wide of the far post. A couple of minutes later another Hailey chance went begging as a low cross from the right was inches too far in front of Aust inside the 6 yard box. However, on 78 minutes, Hailey did make it two and once again it was the speed of their thinking and attacking play that caused the damage. Kimber was the architect this time, bursting down the left flank before squaring to Travis O'Connor who deftly lobbed the keeper to make it 2-0. 
That was it as far as most watching were concerned. There was no way back for Boro now but Hailey wanted to make absolutely certain and, on 84 minutes, they did exactly that. Again quick thinking was the order of the day. Hailey were awarded a free-kick close to the halfway line. Before Hanborough could set themselves the ball was lofted to the unmarked Nathan Kimber who checked inside before firing low and hard past Bennington. 3-0.
There was still just enough time for Buckingham to almost repeat his free-kick from a very similar position. This time, however, Bennington managed to get a fingertip to the ball, diverting it against the bar.

FT Hailey 3 Hanborough 0. Overall a comprehensive victory for Hailey. Once they got their noses in front it didn't feel as if they were going to let it slip. Three very good finishes, aided by some quick thinking, won the day.

Hailey: 1.Davies, 15. Fallon, 3. Wood(c), 2. Turner, 7. Wheeler, 17. Cormack, 8. O'Conner, 4. King, 13. Britnell, 11. Buckingham, 10. Kimber. Subs: 16. Fisher, 12, Bolly, 9. Evans, 14. Aust

Hanborough: 1. Bennington, 5. Haggie, 2. Austin, 12. Coombs, 3, Hobley, 7. Johnson, 6. Collins, 8. Ashley, 9. Morton, 16. Mays, 11. Rogers. Subs: 20. Loach, 10. Brookes, 4, Ayris

Ground Number: Re-Visit
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A