After a week off celebrating (can you really celebrate getting older?) my birthday in Wroclaw, this Saturday was a big footballing day. My daughter was making her debut for her new club in the morning (albeit a PSF) and, after a quick cross-county dash, we had the small matter of the Henry Hawtin Memorial Cup Final at 2pm.
This season's final featured last season Witney & District Premier League champions, Stonesfield, taking on Charlbury Town. Both had finished top of their respective groups with Charlbury finishing ahead of least year's Henry Hawtin winners Heyford Athletic on goal difference. Stonesfield then disposed of Heyford in the semi-final whilst Charlbury saw off Chadlington.
Both league encounters last season ended in Stonesfield victories, so they were coming into this game a favourites. 
Neither team had seen any problems finding the net in the group stages or the semi-final, so it was going to be interesting to see which defence coped best.

​We did not have long to get the first pointer to this question. Kicking down the slope in the first half, Stonesfield launched a break down the right through Logan Mitchell. His deep cross was met at the far post by Raffy Rice, who stroked the ball back past Archie Bradbury. 0-1 and well under a minute on the clock. What a start from Stonesfield!
The blues continued to look the better side after the goal, with Charlbury struggling to make an inroads. Then, just past the quarter hour, Stonesfield doubled their lead. The roles were reversed from the first goal. Some excellent build up play, cutting through the Charlbury midfield with a series of one-touch passes, the ball was eventually fed to Raffy Rice on the left wing. He sent over a low ball that found Logan Mitchell, who made no mistake at the far port. 0-2. An excellent team goal.
Mike Phipps had still not had to make a significant contribution between the Stonesfield sticks when, on the stroke of the half-hour, the Blues added a third. Bradbury did well in the Town goal, denying Carry Rice twice but, when the ball ran loose a third time, no-one could prevent Mitchell from smashing home his second and Stonesfield's third. 0-3
Three goals up in the opening half-hour. The game was looking to be as good as in the bag, but Stonesfield weren't quite finished, and they'd left the best until last. In the final minute of normal time, they won a free-kick some 25 yards out, slightly left of centre. Jack Newman stepped up, sending a superb curling effort, bending away from Bradbury all the time, into the top corner. The keeper got a hand to it, but couldn't keep it out. 0-4.

HT Charlbury Town 0 Stonesfield 4. A dominant first-half from last season's Premier League winners. In all honesty, it appeared to be about keeping the score down at this point. Aside from a couple of efforts that didn't trouble the keeper, Charlbury had failed to penetrate the Blues defence.

​With the rain still coming down, the Reds of Charlbury made a much more promising start to the second period. Twice in the first couple of minutes they created decent chances, one of which appeared to clip the bar on its way out.
Maybe Stonesfield had taken their foot off the gas a little, or maybe Charlbury had just upped their game. Either way, it was clear that the second half was going to be much more competitive and evenly matched than the first.
Whereas, in the first half, Stonesfield had played through Charlbury with some style and ease, this was not happening in the second half and, with the increased security at the back, came a renewed vigour going forward.
Twenty minutes into the half, Charlbury got a reward for their renewed endeavour. It came in somewhat fortunate circumstances, but they all count. Substitute Alex Croft sent a low free-kick into the edge of the box which took an unfortunate deflection off a Stonesfield defender before skidding past a wrong-footed Phipps on his near post. 1-4.
Ten minutes later Town were left cursing their luck as Toby Ball clipped a glorious effort over Phipps only for the ball to come back off the bar and to safety. Five minutes after that, with ten remining, Charlbury came close to a repeat deflected free-kick performance but this time Phipps was able to recover and drop on the ball bravely as a striker also lunged to poke it over the line. 
If wither of those efforts had gone in, the 83rd minute powerful header from Stefan Lang, off a left-wing corner, would have been even more significant. As it was, it made the score 2-4 with seven minutes of normal time remaining. Too late?
The answer was yes. Stonesfield saw out the final few minutes without any more major scares.

FT Charlbury Town 1 Stonesfield 4. Stonesfield somewhat coasted through the second half after taking a four goal lead at the break. Credit to Charlbury who certainly gave Stones a game in the second half. If one of the efforts that hit the woodwork had gone in, who knows? 
The teams will meet again in two weeks, when they open their league campaigns at Nineacres Recreation ground, but for now:

Congratulations to Stonesfield. Henry Hawtin Memorial Cup winners 2025!

Also, a big thank you to Rob Smith and all at Enstone Sports for organising another great tournament. These things don't just happen, they take a lot of time and hard work by teams of volunteers.

Charlbury Town: 1.Bradbury, 21.Robertson, 8.McCallum, 2.Goode, 6.Nimmo, 20.Lang, 10.Aikens, 12.Nutt, 3.Hawley, 15.Ball, 11.Sweet. Subs: 17.Fitzgerald, 19.Croft, 5.Piotrowsky
Stonesfield: 1.Phipps, 2.Brand-Wiggins, Harris, 4.Wynn, 5.Newman, 7.Barker, 8.Connelly, 9.C.Rice, 10.R.Rice, 11.Mitchell. Subs: 12.Salter, 14.Ladbroke, 15.Hart

Needing to stay local on Tuesday evening, I was very pleased to see that there was a local Oxfordshire derby on the schedule. With under eight miles between the grounds, the villages of North Leigh and Kidlington are certainly very local rivals. They've also spent a fair few of recent years in the same division. This would be the eighth time in the last nine season that they had faced each other in the league. Last season both were relegated from step 4, finishing in the bottom two of The Southern League Division One Central.
Recent games between the sides have resulted in some late winners and, generally, spoils shared across the season. Last term both games ended in away wins with North Leigh winning at Yarnton Road thanks to two Samuel Olawale goals, the winner coming in the 93rd minute. Kidlington won the game at Eynsham park by three goals to one. In the 23/24 campaign both games ended in home wins. Two more late goals saw Kidlington triumph 4-2 whilst North Leigh won the reverse fixture 3-0. They didn't meet in 22/23 because North Leigh spent one season in the Premier League. In their promotion season, 21/22, they were 7-0 winners at home, thanks to four goals from Conor McDonough. The game in Kidlington ended 1-1 but The Greens did gain some local pride by knocking North Leigh out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win at Eynsham Park.
This season has seen a mixed start from Kidlington and a sluggish one from North Leigh. The Millers lost their opening two league games and went out of the FA Cup at home to Risborough Rangers. However, last time out, they came back from two goals behind to earn a 3-3 draw at Milton United. Kidlington's start saw them beat Milton at home before they went out of the FA Cup in a replay at Clevedon Town. They also lost away at Burnham and, last weekend, drew 2-2 at home to Hilltop. All that meant that North Leigh started the evening above the drop zone on goal difference whilst Kidlington sat in mid-table.

​Kidlington, in their change kit of red and white stripes, were kicking towards the clubhouse end in the first half, but didn't let the considerable slope at Eynsham park cause them a problem. Whilst not dominating what was a scrappy start to the game, they had the hosts on the back foot frequently, and didn't look to be in any danger in their own half. An early change for North Leigh didn't help their cause, Joe Smart leaving the pitch after an early injury.
Kidlington came close to opening the scoring a couple of times in the first 15 minutes. Latham Hawkins climb high to head a corner narrowly wide and they had the ball in the net at one point, but the referee had already blown for a foul on a defender when the original cross came in.
The Greens in red did, however, take the lead on 22 minutes. A ball played into the six yard box was just about pushed away by North Leigh goalkeeper Drew Brei, under pressure from Kauan Oliveira and, when a clearance was attempted by a defender the ball found its way to Dani Lucas who powered a strike beyond everyone into the corner of the net. 0-1.
It took some time for North Leigh to generate a response to going behind, but they did manage to give the visitors a coupe of slight scares late on in the half. Last season's tormentor, Samuel Olawale, had the first attempt but his strike wide of the mark. They came even closer with six minutes remaining when Louis Mathias took aim for Barnett's bottom right corner, only missing by a matter of inches with the keeper beaten.

HT North Leigh 0 Kidlington 1. Greens (Reds) on top but, with only a goal in it, they can't afford to relax. One or two niggles were starting to creep in towards the end of the half. The referee needs to keep a lid on things to prevent it getting out of hand.

​Any thoughts North Leigh had of getting anything out of the game were completely shot down within 11 minutes of the restart. On 54 minutes, Kidlington won a corner on the right, which was delivered into the centre of goal where Kauan Oliveira met it with a deft header to make it 0-2. If that was not enough, Kidlington surprised everyone by adding a third just two minutes later, Fraser Allen providing the finish. 0-3.
So, with more than half an hour remaining, it looked a safe bet that the points would be heading back to Yarnton Road and, just past the hour it could have got a lot worse for the hosts. Drew Brei raced off his line and, from a distance, appeared to take out Oliveira when he was clean through on goal. From my vantage point, it looked a bad one, but the referee only saw it as a yellow when it could easily have been red for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
A few minutes after that, with North Leigh finally showing more attacking intent, Louis Mathias did get the ball in the Kidlington net, but the assistant's flag was up well before it went in. It was a very tight decision and could easily have gone either way.
Ten minutes later, however, the hosts did manage to get on the scoresheet. A free-kick was delivered into the Kidlington box. Charlie Barnett pushed the ball up away from immediate danger, under some pressure. However, Jack Hobbs was on hand to head the ball back towards goal and, despite a defender on the line getting a head on it, the ball went in off the underside of the bar. 1-3
Another goal for North Leigh at this point would have set up a grandstand finish. However, the Kidlington defence stood firm, despite picking up a couple more yellow cards in the process.

FT North Leigh 1 Kidlington 3. A solid performance from Kidlington in a typical local derby encounter. Neither team set the world alight with their overall pay, but Kidlington did more than enough to win the game. The three points lifts The Greens into the play-off spots and just two point below Windsor & Eton and Burnham, who occupy first and second, albeit having play one game fewer. North Leigh drop into the relegation zone on goal difference behind Virginia Water and Reading City, who both also have a game in hand.
Next up for North Leigh is a trip to Division One leaders Bedfont in the FA Vase on Saturday. Kidlington are also in Vase action as they welcome anther Division One side, Oxhey Jets, to Yarnton Road.

North Leigh: Brei, Smart, Maxwell, Rushton, Hobbs, Neale(c), Sapwell, Mathias, Olawale, Osbourne-Ricketts, Githua. Subs: Masumbuko, Oppong, Biague, Amadiah, Abdalla
Kidlington: Barnett, Smith, Ulas, Firkin, Hawkins(c), King, Lucas, Seppard, Oliveira, Gabbidon, Allen. Subs: Aust, Marsh, Clarke, Deabill

The Programme
The Millers matchday programme is a full-colour, glossy, 16-page magazine. Aside from the usual welcome message and squad lists, the programme also features in depth articles detailing the history of both North Leigh and this evening's visitors from Kidlington as well as a couple of pages of recent match photographs courtesy of Lentons Photography.

Ground Number: Re-visit
Att: 150
Entrance: £8.00
Programme: £1.00

In 2021, at the height of the pandemic and with the leagues voided, Cricklade Town changed the format of their annual tournament in  an effort to give local teams a chance to play some football. The Cricklade Supreme Trophy & Shield was born. The tournament was created by then Cricklade Town Chairman Richard Austen and first team manager Craig Kent (who moved to Melksham Town). BotP got involved by not only covering many of the games, including both finals, but also hosting the tournament fixtures, results and tables on our web site. I think it's fair to say that the tournament was great success and provided some much needed exercise and entertainment during a trying time for everyone. The match blogs from the two finals can be fond here:-Shield Final Stratton United v Swindon AFC (And Smith Did Score) Trophy Final Chesterton v Malmesbury Vics Dev (Fitting Final Finale).
Although Cricklade's reserve team took part in CSTP21, I didn't actually get to visit the club. So after an X poll to decided where I went this weekend, came out in favour of Cricklade Town v Shrewton United, I was finally heading for Stones Lane for a Wiltshire Senior League Premier Division game. Coming into the game, Cricklade were sitting in fifth spot with seven points from four games. Shrewton were six places lower on four points from three games. Cricklade started the day as joint top scorers in the league but also the joint third worst goals against record. There opening four games had finished 3-2, 3-4, 4-4 and 3-1, so no lack of entertainment there. Shrewton had seen ten goals in their opening two games, seven going to United, but their last game was a 0-0 draw at Pewsey Vale that sounds like it didn't have too much in the way of excitement. To quote Shrewton's own X account "Didn’t forget to tweet just nothing happened, hopefully a better second half" and "Boring day to be the admin". You have to admire the honesty.
Cricklade won Division One last season, earning a place back at the top table. Shrewton finished fifth in the Premier League, five points shy of the top three. The last time the two sides played a complete season in the same division was the 2018-19 season and Cricklade did the double over Shrewton, despite finishing 12 points below them in the table. The last league meeting in Cricklade ended 5-1 to the home side.
Both sides had a few changes to their line-ups for today's game. Shrewton had a couple of debutants in goalkeeper 
Thomas Lewis and central defender Scott Hassell. However, the bigger changes were for the home team who had five players missing from the derby-day win over Shrivenham, including top scorer Lewis-James Bexon-Shaw.

​Despite kicking up the slope in the first half, Shrewton quickly began to assert themselves on the game. They also revealed their major threat as early as the third minute. Eddie Perrett's long throw from the left was flicked on and Tom Plank came close to getting his header on target. A few minutes later Dan Baulsom got a strike on target, but was thwarted by a good block by the feet of goalkeeper Harrison Ellis.
It wasn't all one-way. Cricklade did show some intent when Nick Craft burst down the right before drilling over a cross-shot that debutant United keeper, Thomas Lewis, handled with confidence. His opposite number was proving to be the busier of the two stoppers though, making a good save low at the far post to push away Kian Tydeman's diving header following another long throw. Perrett's throws were proving to be more accurate and dangerous than any crosses or corners and Cricklade didn't seem to have a way of defending them.
Craft was still doing his best to generate something at the other end and, just before the water break, he did manage to get the home side's first attempt on target. Once again Lewis was well positioned to make a comfortable stop.
On the half-hour mark the visitors finally make the breakthrough that their overall play had deserved and, of course, it came from a Perrett long throw. Delivered into the mix another debutant, Scott Hassell, got the flick on, and there was Tom Plank to head in at the far post. 0-1. The goal opened the floodgates. A minute later Ellis had to be at his very best to tip Tydeman's dipping free-kick over the bar. However, even the Crick captain was left helpless after 33 minutes when Plank's right-wing corner was met by the head of Hassell, who powered in a debut headed goal. 0-2. Five minutes later it was three. Another Perrett Exocet this time flicked on by Charlie Utterson and met at the back post by Kian Tydeman. 0-3. Three goals in eight minutes for the visitors, who were now well on top.
The third goal did spark some stirring of response from Cricklade. Four minutes before the break Lewis was made to go full-stretch to push away Lewis Shaw's drive. Then, what was looking like the perfect first half for Shrewton was marred slightly in the 44th minute when a long ball caused some miscommunication between the defence and goalkeeper, allowing Lewis Shaw to nip in, round the keeper, and slot the ball into the net. 1-3

HT Cricklade Town 1 Shrewton United 3. Shrewton well on top but will be slightly disappointed to have conceded just before the break. Cricklade have had to work hard just to stay in the game so far, but will the late goal back give them renewed vigour in the second half?

​If Cricklade had gained confidence from the late goal back, Shrewton looked keen to knock this out of them early on in the second period. Just seven minutes in Jordan Cross sent over a cross that captain Utterson headed narrowly over. However, the stay of execution for Crick was brief. Two minutes later Ellis did very well to save from Utterson but could not do anything about the follow-up from Kian Tydeman, who guided the ball low into the bottom corner. 1-4.
At this stage, you have to say, the game was probably over as a contest. If Crick had got another back early on in the second half, maybe it would have caused some Shrewton jitters. However, restoring the three goal lead and reasserting their dominance, looked to have given the visitors the points. This was further driven home just past the hour. Substitute Sanjay Samuda, who had already looked very lively, drove down the left before squaring perfectly for Tydeman to guide the ball past Ellis again, claiming his hat-trick in the process. 1-5.
Samuda was having fun now. A few minutes later he was very unlucky to see his low strike crash back off Ellis's left-hand upright, as Shrewton went in search of more goals.
Cricklade were offering little in reply but Lewis Shaw did keep Thomas Lewis on his toes, sending an 80th minute effort on target which the United stopper pushed away for a corner, which came to nothing. Then on 86 minutes Sanjay Samuda topped off a flowing Shrewton move by slotting the ball past Ellis once more. 1-6
That left just time for Cricklade's day to be summed up by Jacob Ryan limping off in added time, leaving them with ten men, having no substitutes remaining. A bad day at the office for Crick.

FT Cricklade Town 1 Shrewton United 6. A great result for Shrewton who took the game to their hosts from the first minute. True, Cricklade were disrupted by a lot of changes, but you can't take anything away from the Shrewton performance. They fully deserved all three points. The result sees The Shrews leapfrog Crick into fifth spot. Cricklade slide down to ninth, although the teams are level on points. 
Next up for Cricklade is the visit of bottom side Devizes Town Reserves next Saturday. Shrewton are also at home as they welcome last season's runners-up, Letcombe.

Cricklade Town: Ellis(c), Hylton, Ash, Glass, Caybasi, Painter, Craft, Fisher, Cobb, Ryan, Shaw. Subs: Anaisie, Gargett, Hicks, Truchon
Shrewton United: Lewis, Baulsom, Perrett, Hardy, Hassell, Spratt, Cross, Compton, Utterson(c), Plank, Tydeman. Subs: Stimpson, Elshaw, Castle, Sale, Samuda

The Ground
Cricklade Town play at Cricklade Leisure Centre on the western outskirts of the town. The football ground is behind the leisure centre building and can be accessed from either side of the main facility. There's ample parking around the ground with additional space on the surrounding roads if necessary. Spectator facilities, such as toilets and a cafe, are all situated in the main leisure centre building. Incidentally, the cafe does a very good sponge cake which helps t fil a gap if you miss lunch (as I had because of the traffic problems on the A420). The football ground has white metal low level barriers around two sides of the playing surface. There are dugouts on the Stones Lane side of the ground, but not covered spectator areas. The pitch slopes slightly back towards the leisure centre end of the ground.


Ground Number: 456
Att: 52
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

This Tuesday evening saw a last minute change of venue after I had planned to go further afield whilst the weather was still good, but got delayed by work. I always have a list of potential games and the estimated drive time so that I can change plans when required. Needing to find a game that wasn't much more than an hour away, I settled on finally visiting Wembley FC, a team that had featured on my planned list for some time.
Having finished bottom of the Combined Counties Premier North last season, Wembley were back in Step 6 for the first time in many years. Their opponents, Hillingdon Borough, have been in Step 6 since relegation from the Spartan Premier a decade ago. Last season's sixth place finish was their best league placing in that time.
Thanks to the stat-packed Wembley programme, I also knew that the teams last met competitively in the 2016-17 FA Vase. Wembley came out on top that day, edging through 2-1 despite having a player sent off mid-way through the first half.
This season has seen contrasting fortunes for the two teams so far. Coming into the game, Wembley were placed in 10th spot having won two, lost two and drawn one. They were also unbeaten i their two home games so far, a 1-0 defeat of Oxhey Jets and a 1-1 draw with Holmer Green. Meanwhile, Hillingdon's start has been fraught to say the least. Four defeats from their opening four games saw them sitting second from bottom before kick-off (third if you count Windsor who withdrew before a ball was kicked). Even more concerning for The Hillmen would be the number of goals conceded, 17 in those four games. Averaging four against is always going to make it very difficult to pick up points.
I'm pleased to say that there was no need to go looking for team sheets as Wembley very helpfully pin them up next to the turnstile before kick-off.

​Wembley were the first to show early on when Alfie Bates saw his far post effort go just wide after five minutes. The home side were holding sway in terms of possession, the lion's share you could say, but had their goalkeeper Avante Joseph to thank in the 12th minute. The stopper had to be very quick off his line to block well from Hamza Ali after a through ball split the home defence. Back up the other end Ben Lawson-Hatch pushed forward to good effect before sending over a low cross-cum-shot that beat Idris Kalokoh's left-hand post and evaded any incoming strikers.
The score remained level until the 24th minute, when a through-ball sent Freddie Stoner-Redfern free for a run on goal. The number 10 remained calm, stroking the ball low below Kalokoh. 1-0
Facing the prospect of a fifth straight defeat, Hillingdon tried to respond and on the half-hour mark, maybe should have had an opportunity to get back on terms. Another defence splitting pass allowed a Borough player to run in diagonally beyond the defence, only for Joseph to come hurtling out of goal and appear to take out the forward. My vantage point was from the opposite end of the pitch so I can't profess to have had a clear view, but it certainly didn't look good. Expecting the referee to point to the spot (if it was in the area) and possibly even issue a red to Joseph, I, the Hillingdon players and some spectators in the main stand, were very surprised to see the referee award a free-kick to Wembley and a yellow card to the Borough striker. The referee was much closer and had a much better view than I had, so who am I to argue. Maybe it looked worse from my angle than it actually was?
Whatever the case, it did seem to spark some fight in the Hillingdon belly, as the visitors began to look far more threatening as the half came to a close. Hamza Ali again tested Joseph after cutting in from the left and making the keeper go full-length to keep out his shot.
However, the referee soon drew the half to a close with Wembley still a goal to the good.

HT Wembley 1 Hillingdon Borough 0. The Lions deservedly ahead on the balance of play although Hillingdon began to assert a little more pressure towards the end of the half. The next goal could be crucial.

​And we didn't have to wait too long for that next goal to arrive. Six minutes to be exact. That's when a corner from the right hand side was met by the head of Gabriel Tshibangu. The big central defender getting enough on the ball to bundle it over the line. 2-0
Again, the Hillingdon response to the goal was good. Withing a few minutes Jacob Wint cut in from the left and fizzed in a real stinger, heading for the bottom corner. However, Joseph got down exceptionally well to get fingertips to the  all, turning it away for a corner.
That saved proved to be crucial too when, four minutes later, an excellent left-wing cross from Ben Lawson-Hatch found Freddie Stoner-Redfern who deftly nodded the ball past Kalokoh. 3-0
That effectively sealed the points with 30 minutes remaining. Stoner-Redfern had a couple of efforts to seal his hat-trick and, for Hillingdon, Jamie Pitt came close with a clipped effort that beat keeper and crossbar, but there was to be no more scoring.

FT Wembley 3 Hillingdon Borough 0. In the end, a comfortable three points for Wembley, who move up to 7th spot, level on points with four teams above them and only two points off leaders Bedfont. Hillingdon remain just above Deportivo Galicia on goals scored, but have now played a game more. It's now five defeats on the bounce for The Hillmen and life doesn't get any easier. On Saturday they make the short trip to The Orchard to face top of the table Bedfont. Wembley are back at home, and could do Borough a favour, as they welcome bottom side Deportivo Galicia to Vale Farm.

Wembley: Joseph, Osborne, Lawson-Hatch, Tshibangu, Statham, Baker, A.Bates, Osei, Acheampong, Stoner-Redfern, Iley. Subs: Lupumba, F.Bates, Williams, Langan, Sheehan
Hillingdon Borough: Kalokoh, Pitt, El-Kaffash, Salaam, Campbell, Wint, Binaj, Animashuan, Almeida-Joaquim, Ali, Ipinson-Fabien. Subs: Thomas, Andar, Gobishavi, Preko, Martial

The Ground
Vale Farm has long been on my list of grounds to visit, and I was not disappointed. Situated just off Watford Road in North Wembley, the ground is penned-in on three sides by housing and an NHS facility, with a park bordering the eastern perimeter. The outside of the walled perimeter on the park side is decorated with a series of Soul'D Art works, some of which can be seen on the web site (https://sould-art.com/). The Wembley Stadium arch looms above the ground, just over 2 miles away. There's a small car park within the grounds of the stadium and plenty of free parking available a very short walk away. Access to the ground is via a short service road and then through a turnstile. Whilst the stadium a few miles away has all mod-cons it has nothing comparable to the charm and character of Vale Farm. The ground boasts a plethora of covered stands, all of different design due to the organic growth of the stadium. The biggest is the main stand, The Budweiser Stand, that spans half of the eastern side. The south side has a covered standing area and a further covered stand is situated on the lower section of the west side. This side, which is where you enter, also has the entrance to the clubhouse and snack bar, as well as the players and officials changing rooms and the dugouts. Alongside the entrance there is also a shallow terrace which has a single row of seats on the top level. The most intriguing feature is on the northern side, behind the goal. There are extra toilets in this section, although they are currently closed, but that's not the oddity. Behind the goal there is a row of bench seats and tables, akin to a picnic area or the outdoor area of a fast food joint (you can see these on the Google maps photo section).
Vale Farm is a gem of a non-league ground. Quirky and full of history and character.
​

​The Programme
The Wembley match day programme follows the same lines as Vale Farm. It's not quite symmetrical, some pages aren't quite stapled in line and some of the printing isn't spirit-level straight. But you know what? Much like the stadium, it's all part of the charm. At 24-pages for £1.50, it's a good value programme. Part colour and containing more articles than adverts too. Aside from the standard team lists, results, tables and statistics, it also boats a few more unusual sections. There's an "on this day" section that highlights other Wembley games over the years and a page of more in-depth season stats so far. In this particular edition there was also part 1 of an article chronicling the constitution changes for Steps 5 & 6 this season. It's a programme that is clearly put together with some thought and a love for the club. Well worth a read.


Ground Number: 455
Att:46
Entrance: £7.00
Programme: £1.50

​This Saturday I had already decided to head West but I was still in two minds about my destination until close to lunch time. At that point, as I had a little more time on my hands, I decided to head for the further of my two games. So, forsaking Falcons v Cheltenham Civil Service (which maybe explains why I managed to tag CCS into a couple of posts), I instead headed back into Worcestershire for the Gloucester Northern Senior League Division One clash between Bredon AFC and Longlevens Reserves.
The two sides have shared a division since 2019-20, after Bredon's promotion. Since that time there have been eight league meetings with Longlevens winning six, one draw and one win for Bredon, which came last season in this fixture. The aggregate score over those eight games is 27-6 in favour of Longlevens. However, that 2-1 win last season went a long way towards securing Bredon's league placing. They eventually finished three points above the drop zone.
So far this season, Longlevens have beaten Division Two Fintan 3-0 on penalties after a 2-2 Reg Davis Cup draw. This was to be their first league outing. Bredon also won in the Reg Davis Cup, beating fellow Division One side Staunton & Corse 2-0. However, they lost their opening league game 2-0 at home to Whaddon United.

Many thanks to referee Edward Lang for sharing the team sheets with me prior to kick-off. As always, greatly appreciated.

​On a very warm afternoon with a surprisingly gusty breeze blowing across the pitch, it was the visitors, kicking up the slope in the first half, who had the first opportunity. Kieran Squires with a good effort that Dan Johns did well to parry away from goal. That early save set a pattern that was to be followed several times again before half-time.
However, the next good chance came at the opposite end after a long ball down the left flank tempted goalkeeper Levens 'keeper Jack Sargent well out of his box. However, after the stopper missed his kick, Guy Brookes was able to latch into the loose ball and try his luck from a very tight angle. Unfortunately for Bredon, the strike went wide of the mark.
It looked as if the home side may rue that missed chance as Longlevens began to take control of the game. Three times in the next 20 minutes Bredon were indebted to their goalkeeper Dan Johns. His superb reflex save in the 13th minute, as it happens, would not have counted because the assistant's flag was already up. However, Johns was not to know that when he instinctively stuck out a hand to save from point blank rage. Five minutes later the Bredon stopper was at it again, producing another sharp block to keep out Tom Spencer. Just past the half-hour mark Johns made it a hat-trick of excellent stops when he had to react quickly to a Abdel Nasser effort from a Joe Haswell cross.
The pressure from the visitors was ramping up and, despite the efforts of Johns, the inevitable goal had to come. This it duly did 10 minutes before the break. Once again it came from a Haswell cross, deep towards the back post. This time Kieran Squires rose to head home from almost under the bar. 0-1. There were cries of offside from the home defence aimed more at Haswell's initial run before the cross. However, there was no flag and nothing doing from the referee. The goal stood.

HT Bredon 0 Longlevens Reserves 1. A deserved lead for Levens on overall play. They could have been two or three ahead if not for the Bredon goalkeeper.

Bredon began the second half in a much more positive manner, with Toby Patterson testing Jack Sargent in the opening few minutes. The strike was off target, but it was an encouraging effort. The introduction of Elliott Miles-Kingston (any relation to former Mo-dettes drummer June Miles-Kingston?), also seemed to liven things up form Bredon.
However, Levens were not too rattled and, despite not having anywhere near as much of the ball as they'd had in the first 45 minutes, they still looked fairly comfortable. 
That was until six minutes after the hour. Bredon laid a mini-siege on the visitors' goal and after a couple of attempts were blocked, the ball looped up in the air, dropping in invitingly for Jay Tomkotowicz. Although slightly off-balance the Bredon number 10 struck a clean volley past Sargent into the far corner. 1-1
The goal rallied the home troops. Suddenly they looked the better team, knocking the ball around with more confidence and denying any chance for Levens to respond. Consequently, it wasn't too much of a surprise when, six minutes after equalising, Bredon took the lead. Once again it was Tomkotowicz, this time played in on the right of the box before drilling the ball low past Sargent again. 2-1.
What happened next was quite extraordinary. Whilst Longlevens must have been stung by going behind, the goal served to shock them back into a response. And what a response it was.
With 79 minute son the clock, seven minutes after Bredon's second goal, James Barnett broke down the Levens right before squaring to the unmarked Leo Marsden-Green, who stroked the ball under Johns. 2-2. No sooner had Bredon kicked off than Levens hit them again. This time captain Jack Cornell with the strike. 2-3 and another turnaround complete. Or was it? One more minute passed before another quick break set up substitute Jayden Bee, who calmly made it 2-4.
Three goals in three minutes for Longlevens. That's some way to respond to going behind. Bredon didn't know what had hit them and were never going to get back into the game after that salvo.

FT Bredon 2 Longlevens Reserves 4. A rollercoaster of a second half. Credit to Bredon for getting themselves in front after being behind at the break. Credit also to Longlevens for their response to going behind. 
Up next for both sides is a repeat performance, as Longlevens return to Bredon on Wednesday evening in a Reg Davis Cup tie. Next Saturday Bredon travel to Lydney Town Reserves in the league. Longlevens Reserves take on last season's runners-up Whaddon United at home.

Bredon: 1. Johns, 2.Mannings, 4.Smallwood, 6.Hart, 14.D.Turner, 5.Byde(c), 7.B.Turner, 10.Tomkotowicz, 15.Brookes, 20.Patterson, 9.Tarling. Subs: 21.James, 11.Miles-Kingston
Longlevens Reserves: 1.Sargent, 2.Dyson, 3.Barnett, 4.Sherchan, 5.Boakes, 6.Spencer, 7.Haswell, 8.Blackburn, 18.Squires, 10.Cornell(c), 11.Nasser. Subs: 12.Bee, 14.Martin, 15. Troke, 16. Marsden-Green, 17.Kavanagh

The Ground
Bredon Playing Fields are just to the East of Bredon village and a few miles North of Tewkesbury. It's the home of not only the football club but also Bredon Star Rugby Club and Bredon Bowling Club. There are also tennis courts and an outdoor basketball court, as well as a kid's playground at the far end. There's a medium sized car park alongside the bowling club which looks out over the football pitch. There appears to be two clubhouses one for football, one for rugby (which has a balcony looking over the pitches). There's no spectator facilities around the pitch aside from the usual respect ropes, although there are a few benches that have a view of the action. The pitch itself slopes a little away from the clubhouse end and, probably due to the recent hot weather, was quite dry, dusty and uneven in places. Not really that surprising at this time of year.


Ground Number: 454
Att:
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

It was game night in Group B of the Henry Hawtin Cup last night. Table-toppers Stonesfield, ahead of Chadlington on goal difference, were taking on third-placed Longford Park, a point behind the leaders. With all teams having played two games and only a single point separating the top four, this was a crunch game in the battle for a top two finish and a place in the semi-finals. The Longford Park Henry Hawtin squad is, I am led to believe, predominantly made up of the Dev team who, coincidentally, be playing the home matches at Enstone next season. So, this was effectively a home game for them despite being listed as the away team.

Stonesfield looked to be very aware that a win would almost guarantee a spot in the semi-finals and, kicking down the slope, they set about their opponents with some vigour. Marshalled at the back by captain Jordan Newman and driven on by the very lively centre-midfielder Jack Newman, Stones quickly took control.
Stonesfield took the lead in the 9th minute when a cross from the right was inadvertently flicked on by Logan Mitchell into the path of Raffy Rice, who met the ball first time, guiding a controlled side-foot effort into the far corner from the edger of the box. Classy finish. 1-0
Stonesfield continued to press forward and generated several more good chances in the following twenty minutes, not least when Rice almost got his second, glancing a left-wing corner across goal and back off the post.
Longford Park had little in response, struggling to find any cohesion and constantly under threat from the passing quality of their opponents.
Sure enough, just past the half-hour mark, Stonesfield doubled their lead, and it was a quality move that created the goal. A passage of one touch passing took them from defence to attack, the ball ending at the feet of Jack Newman. His low, fizzing strike was parried by Elliot May but only as far as Liam Harris who put the loose ball into the far corner. 2-0
At 2-0 Stonesfield would have felt comfortable but could also have been further ahead. Longford would have been relatively happy to go in two goals down at the break. However, even that was not to be. Into injury time Stonesfield launched a long ball deep into Longford territory. May began to come off his line but an attempted defensive clearance sent the ball looping over him, bouncing into the net before anyone could get a touch. 3-0

HT Stonesfield 3 Longford Park 0. A very good display from Stonesfield, who knocked the ball about with plenty of confidence and could easily have been further ahead. A mountain to climb for Longford Park who, at least had the slope in their favour for the second half

​The second half was an all-together different game to the opening 45 minutes. A more determined Longford Park side were clearly under orders to tighten the game up. Stonesfield, meanwhile, were confident that the points were in the bag and were not some fluid in the attack. Having said that, Stonesfield remained the more likely to get another goal and were still commanding the lion's share of possession.
Ten minutes into the half Langford did finally give Mike Phipps something to do when he pushed Jack Medham's well struck free-kick over the bar.
Then, with 20 minutes remaining, Longfo0rd finally broke down the Stonesfield back-line with a through ball that saw Dan Mundy break free. One on one with Phipps, the striker calmly rolled the ball home. 3-1
The goal inspired Longford to look for another but, in all fairness, Stonesfield never appeared unduly concerned, even after conceding.

FT Stonesfield 3 Longford Park 1. A relatively comfortable three points for Stonesfield that leaves them three clear at the top of the Group B table. A point in their final game versus Ducklington would confirm their place in the semis. Longford aren't mathematically out of the running, but they need to beat Chadlington in the final game and hope that other results go their way. This evening Ducklington take on Spartan Rangers, knowing a win would put them into second spot.
Take a look at the group tables, results and remaining fixtures

Stonesfield: 1.Phipps, 2.Kemp, 3.Harris, 4.Wynn, 5.Jordan Newman(c), 6.D.Newman, 14.Hart, 10.R.Rice, 9.C.Rice, 7.Johnson, 11.Mitchell, 12.Jack Newman, 17.Oliver, 15.Barker, Connolly
Longford Park: 13.May, 2.Moon, 6.Lally, 5.S.Green, 7.Williams, 8.J.Green, 19.Medham, 11.Millar, 17.Walsh, 10.E.Green, 9.Mundy, 20.Lennon, Roy, 3.Coles, 15. Cunnold

This Tuesday my midweek travels took me back up the M1 into Nottinghamshire. My destination was Sandiacre, a small town almost equidistant between Nottingham and Derby.
The home team, Sandiacre Town, were embarking on their third season in the United Counties Division One (Step 6), after climbing up through the Central Midlands structure, of which they were founder members in 1983. The previous two seasons in Division One have been hard for The Saints, finishing 20th and 17th, but surviving to fight another day. This season has started in a much more positive light with six points from their opening three games and the chance to hit top spot this evening, if they should win.
This evening's visitors were FCV Grace Dieu who were only founded in 2023, the adult men's team of FCV International Football Academy based at Grace Dieu Manor in Leicestershire. Their two previous seasons have been very successful. They finished runners-up in the Nottingham Senior League Division One in the first season, earning promotion to the Premier League, which they won at the first time of asking, taking the title with a 10 point margin from Cotgrave. They came into this game unbeaten in their two outings so far, a 3-0 home defeat of Shirebrook Town and a 1-1 draw at Retford FC. Their multi-national squad featured players from nine different countries and included a few internationals such as Shahoi Dorsett (Antigua & Barbuda), Spencer Weir-Daley (Montserrat) and England Deaf Football defender Harry Boorman.
Thanks to both teams for posting the line-ups to social media before the game.

It's fair to say that it was a scrappy start to the game from both teams. Neither managed to establish any early fluidity and neither were able to retain possession for more than a couple of passes. In the opening 15 minutes neither keeper was tested but, as the half drew on and the teams settled, it was Sandiacre who began to gain the upper hand. They began to push FCV back into their own half and, when the did concede possession, were hunting in packs to win the ball back again, preventing the visitors from getting into anything resembling a rhythm.
Saints were rewarded for their increased tempo in the 19th minute when, after a small scramble in the box, a snapshot struck the arm of an FCV defender prompting the referee to immediately point to the spot. The shot struck the arms from fairly close range but, presumably, the referee deemed that the defenders arm was not in a natural position. Benni Wilson stepped up, calmly sending Antigua and Barbuda international Shahoi Dorsett the wrong way. 1-0.
The goal visibly shook the visitors and buoyed The Saints. Within a minute of conceding a fluffed clearance from Dorsett almost presented Jack Vipond with a clear sight of goal but, luckily for the keeper, his defenders were alert enough to snuff out the danger.
Town could smell blood now and they had FCV rattled. Passes were going astray and, try as they might, FCV could not stem the waves of Sandiacre attacks. Consequently, it was really no great surprise when, on 28 minutes, player-manager Jamie Williamson stooped to head in a right-wing free-kick, making it 2-0.
Sandiacre continued to hold the upper hand. Solid at back with Williamson and debutant Kesharn Brown dominant, they were also winning the midfield battle, forcing FCV into hurried passes which were either cut out or went completely astray. The visitors were getting increasingly frustrated.
Grace Dieu would probably have been relatively happy to go into the half-time break just two goals down, but even that was not to be. Conceding a free-kick some 30 yards out, the initial strike was blocked but fell back into the path of Benni Wilson who drilled an unstoppable effort into Dorsett's top left-hand corner. 3-0 and literally the last kick of the half as referee Liam Mark blew for the break as soon as the ball hit the net.

HT Sandiacre Town 3 FCV Grace Dieu 0. After the initial probing, Sandiacre took control of the game, breaking up FCV moves with tenacious closing down, and looking very dangerous every time they pushed forward. At two goals up they looked fairly comfortable. The third, on the stroke of half-time, could well have put the game to bed.

​Grace Dieu came back out for the second half well in advance of Sandiacre and the officials, clearly keen to get going and knowing they needed an early goal if they wanted to get back into the game. To be fair, they did make much more of a fist of the game in the second period but were still unable to make too many inroads against a very determined home side, who defended from the front, closing the FCV players down at every opportunity.
What FCV were able to do was quell the waves of Sandiacre attacks.
There were one or two flare-ups as frustrations grew, possibly left over from a flash point that occurred in the first half. Sandiacre's work-rate off the ball looked as if it was going to earn them a clean sheet to go with their third straight home win. When goalkeeper Richard Stainsby stretched out a hand to make a good stop from substitute Ernest Osaretin in the 75th minute, that looked even more likely.
To their credit, FCV did not give up the ghost, even as late as added time. One minute into the four allotted,  they did grab a late consolation when a ball in from the right was turned in by Aiden Wiseman. So muted was the response from a clearly disappointed and defeated FCV team that, initially, I wondered if he had put the shot wide.

FT Sandiacre Town 3 FCV Grace Dieu 1. An all-round excellent display from Sandiacre. FCV never managed to establish any kind of foothold in the game, mainly due to the incredible work-rate of the home side, who closed the academy players down across the entire pitch. I have rarely seen a team at this level capable of maintaining that level of press for an entire match. FCV are, undoubtedly, a good side who, given time and space, looked like they could be very dangerous. The Saints countered this by not allowing the time or space. The win sees Sandiacre go top of the table, at least until tonight's games have completed.
If you want to see either of these teams in action soon, they are both back in league action on Saturday. Sandiacre make the long journey North to Retford United who are currently unbeaten but play this evening against Staveley who have a 100% record so far. Meanwhile, FCV Grace Dieu are back at the Academy taking on South Yorkshire side Swallownest.

Sandiacre Town: Stainsby, Godwin, Neil, Durose, Williamson, Brown, Vipond, Brandon(c), Lambert, Wilson, Hlabangana. Subs: Burrows, Elliott, Moore, Almond, Sawa
FCV Grace Dieu: Dorsett, Boorman, Ahmed, Green, Adbi, Emery, Olajide-Oriowo, Merrick(c), Hallaci, Halliday, Weir-Daley. Subs: Tune, Hill, Osaretin, Wiseman, Ezeja

The Ground
St Giles Park is situated to the North of Sandiacre town centre close to St Giles' Church which dates back to the 11th century. There's a small car park in front of the ground, just off Stanton Road. Additional parking is available on the surrounding streets. The clubhouse is accessed via the car park but the entrance to the ground, through a single gate, is situated behind the clubhouse and accessed via a path that runs alongside the building through the park. There is a single covered stand, directly behind the church end goal which has two rows of seats at either end and standing space in the centre. The team's name is emblazoned across the top of the stand with the church spire, that shares it's name with the park and stadium, standing proud above the treeline beyond. The dugouts are on the far side of the pitch backed by thick bushes and trees. There's no spectator standing on that side of the ground. The playing surface has no noticeable slopes and looked in good condition, especially considering the recent dry spell. Note that all spectator facilities are back in the clubhouse. There's nothing within the boundaries of the ground itself.

The Programme
The Saints produce a full colour, 16-page, matchday programme, available at the gate for £1. Contents include a history of the club, recent results and fixtures, current league table, full fixture list, visitors details and, of course, squad lists for the game.
 
Ground Number: 453
Att: 88
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: £1.00

We've reached the halfway point in the group stage. Each team has now played twice and the group tables are beginning to take shape. In Group A holders Heyford Athletic sit top on goal difference, closely followed by Charlbury Town. The to two are three clear of Deddington with Witney and Milton still looking for their first points. However, the top two have yet to meet and Deddington also have to face Heyford. The top two look favourites to progress, but any slip-up could be pounced on by Deddington.

Group B is a lot closer. The top four are separated by just a single point. Stonesfield lead the way on goal difference from Chadlington, after the two drew yesterday, leaving them both on four points. A point behind are Longford Park and Ducklington, both with a goal difference of zero. This is a result of Ducklington's 4-2 defeat of Longford Park yesterday. Spartan Rangers bring up the rear and are yet to register a point. This group is wide open and very difficult to predict who is going to finish in the top two.

It's been almost six years since my last visit to Lowther Road. So, a Friday evening FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round game on a summer's evening was too much to resist. The last time I made the trip Wokingham and Emmbrook, as they were briefly known, were taking Chipping Sodbury Town in the FA Vase. Something of a homecoming for The Town's Team, who were playing in a FA competition back in Wokingham for the first time in 20 years (Satsumas Vase Homecoming Bears Fruit). Arriving at the ground with 45 minutes to spare the car park looked to be almost full and Lowther Road was also already quite busy with cars parking up for the game. It looked like a big crowd would be turning out. A walk around the ground revealed that there was also a fair contingent in red, having made the journey across the M4 from Brislington, this evening's visitors.
Neither side has a particularly glorious FA Cup history. Brislington's best run came in the 2013-14 season where they reached the fourth qualifying round, beating some big names in Weston-Super-Mare and Truro City on the way, before going down 1-0 at home to Welling United. Wokingham have gone one better, reaching Round One in the 1982-83 campaign as an Isthmian Premier team, eventually going out 3-0 in a replay at Cardiff City after holding their Football League opponents to a 1-1 draw at home. Both teams went out at this stage of the competition last season.
Their current league campaigns have started very differently. Whilst Wokingham won their opening encounter, 5-1 away at Holyport, Brislington have already played two league games, losing both. An opening day 1-0 defeat at Street was followed by a 2-0 home reversal to Clevedon Town.

​Backed by a vociferous junior section, Sumas got off to almost the perfect start. Only three minutes had passed when a free-kick was lofted into the Brislington area. The ball was headed down into the path of Ty Moorcroft who took a touch before firing low past Schofield. 1-0. Not quite the first goal of the 2025-26 FA Cup. That honour went to Pickering Town's captain, Connor Avison, who scored the opener at 7:56pm, four minutes before Wokingham kicked off and 7 minutes earlier than Moorcroft's goal. Avison's goal could be the earliest date/time that a goal has been scored in the competition (statistic courtesy of the brilliant @facupfactfile).
The home side continued to dominate the ball and had several more half-chances before, on 18 minutes, being caught absolutely cold. Brislington had not threatened at all until a ball forward was only half-cleared to the edge of the box. Alfie Clarke responded quickest, getting to the ball marginally before a defender and absolutely lashing a strike beyond the outstretched fingers of Emilio Fantocchio in the Sumas goal. 1-1.
The goal seemed to deflate the home side's enthusiasm, but did little to boost Brislington, who still struggled to make any inroads. The game fell into a lull in proceedings, with neither side looking particularly fluid.
That lull was broken just past the half-hour mark when Moorcroft was again presented with an opportunity of the right-hand side of the box. Once again the striker made no mistake, striking the ball low and hard past Schofield to give Wokingham a 2-1 advantage.

HT Wokingham Town 2 Brislington 1. A deserved half-time lead for Wokingham, who had created a number of chances and could easily have been further in front. Brislington after creating next to nothing in terms of goalscoring opportunities, somehow managed to score the best goal of the half and were still well in the game.

​Brislington were back out well in advance of the restart, as were the officials. However, there was no sign of Wokingham until well past the hour. A bit of gamesmanship to wind up their opponents?
The game continued in much the same way, with the exception that Brislington were now seeing more of the ball but still not making too many chances.
It was becoming something of a war of attrition. Brislington had upped their game and were now restricting Wokingham's chances much better than in the first half. During the first period there had been a couple of small off the ball niggles which, as the game progressed, were beginning to become a little more pronounced. Players from both sides were leaving something on their opponent and a couple of times it threatened to boil over and led to a number of free-kicks.
One such incident, in the 67th minute, resulted in a free-kick to Brislington some 45 yards out on the left-hand flank. Jayden Radway sent the ball deep into the home penalty area where Oaklan Buck managed to get in a  glancing header that appeared to take an age to creep in at the far post. 2-2. 
Seven minutes later the visitors thought they had gone in front for the first time but celebrations were halted by the assistant's flag. 
The game appeared to be drifting toward a stalemate. Tempers flared a couple of times more and even the benches got involved at one point, but it was beginning to look as if hostilities may have to be resumed in midweek at Ironmould Lane. That was until the 89th minute when, after a period of home pressure the ball found it's way to captain Sean Moore inside the left-hand side of the Brislington box. He struck the ball low and hard, giving Schofield little chance and sending the home support into raptures. 3-2.
Despite a fair few added minutes, there was still not enough time for Brislington to respond, leaving Wokingham to celebrate and prepare for the weekend of more festivities as they mark their 150th anniversary with a Party on the Pitch and some celebrity guests.

FT Wokingham Town 3 Brislington 2. Overall, despite an improved Brislington performance in the second half, Wokingham deserved to progress. They probably should have been out of sight by half-time, but contrived to make life more difficult by not killing the game off when on top.
If you want to catch either team in action they both have league games coming up in the next week. Wokingham make the trip to Slough Town's Arbour Park on Tuesday evening as they take on Virginia Water in a Combined Counties Premier North clash. Then, on Saturday, they are away again, facing Amersham Town at Spratleys Meadow. Meanwhile, Brislington have the week to recover before they welcome Sidmouth Town to Ironmould Lane, with both sides looking for their first points.

Wokingham Town: Fantocchio, Hamblin, Richardson, Harris, Green Hayworth, Martin, Jordan, Moore(c), Mills-Chandler, Moorcroft. Subs: Port, Badshah, Mullan, Miller, Forster, Wint, Hybert
Brislington: Schofield, Withey(c), Clarke, Weaver, Ames,, Fraser, Malpas, Radway, Jones, Buck, Saunders. Subs: Kington, Evans, Williams, Wiltshire, McLeary


Ground Number: Re-visit
Att:
Entrance: £10.00
Programme: £1.00