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Next Round Robins

30/9/2015

The North Stand

Having never attended a Buckingham Charity Cup game or visited The Irish Centre, Tuesday night's choice of game was easy. Buckingham Town v Winslow United in the aforementioned competition. I decided that it would be wise to do some research on this competition before attending a game but, try as I might, I couldn't find a
list of previous winners anywhere. A tweet before the game revealed that the current holders are Buckingham Athletic, Banbury United won it three season on the bounce before that, Cogenhoe, Leighton and Aylesbury Vale have all won in the past 10 years. Thanks to @WinslowUtdFC and @FootballMK for that information. The matchday
programme also showed that Buckingham Town have won it three times, with Winslow winning twice and they have even shared the trophy on one occasion. However, this is
a competition that has run from 1927 onwards, so can we fill in the missing information? Time for some real investigative work.
Buckingham Town, after being evicted from their Ford Meadow ground in 2010, are now playing at Manor Fields, part of the Irish Centre in Bletchley. The centre is also
the home of Bletchley Rugby Club and Bletchley Town Cricket Club.
The football stadium has a capacity of around 2,500 with 600 seats the majority of which are in the North Stand which runs the full length of one side of the pitch.
Opposite this is the smaller South Stand and the dugouts. There are no refreshment facilities within the ground itself but tea, coffee etc. is available from the Irish Club adjacent to the stadium.
Buckingham Town and Winslow United are very old rivals having first played each other competitively in 1898, although there were friendlies prior to this meeting.
Immediately after being evicted from Buckingham, The Robins also played their home games in Winslow, a the Winslow Centre, just a few hundred yards from United's
Elmfields Gate ground. In all the teams have met 112 times with Buckingham having won 64 to Winslow's 39. Extraordinarily, there have only been 9 draws in all these years. (Thanks to the Buckingham Town programme for these facts).
Although both teams are currently in Step 6 divisions they do not play in the same league with Buckingham plying their trade in the United Counties League and Winslow
in the Spartan South Midlands. Neither team has set their respective league alight this term although Buckingham did have a good win at Raunds last weekend to see them
climb into mid-table. United, meanwhile, sit second bottom just above Arlesey Reserves on goal difference, despite conceding 12 on the opening day of the season.
With an FA Vase match coming up and their league predicament to focus on, it was no surprise to hear that Winslow planned to field a mix of first team and reserve players. Buckingham named an unchanged squad from their victory at the weekend.

South Stand

It was the away side who probably had the edge in the first 15 minutes of the game although neither side made any clear cut openings. Winslow were the more direct of the two, especially targeting the channel down their left flank, looking to get the Buckingham defence turned around. The home defence, though, was organised well
enough to thwart this tactic and they gradually worked themselves into the game.
After 25 minutes of cancelling each other out, Buckingham took the lead. A fairly straight-forward ball through the middle was flicked on for top-scorer Tariq Kotey to beat the offside trap. The big number 9 calmly lifted the ball over the advancing keeper and into the net. This seemed to spark the home side into life and they almost went two up immediately. A free-kick played into the box was met with a dipping drive that the Winslow keeper, Owusu Boetang, acrobatically tipped onto the bar. As the ball bounced down, Kotey met it from 6 yards only for Boetang to pull off a spectacular save, tipping it over the bar. As it happened Kotey was offside but credit to the keeper for a fantastic piece of agility.
Winslow then had their best chance of the half when Jason Costello headed over when he probably should have, at least, made the keeper work. They were immediately made
to rue the miss when Buckingham stole the ball in midfield. Attacking down their left, the ball was crossed to the far post leaving Joel McCormick the relatively easy task of knocking past the keeper.

Half-time - 2-0 to the home team and there didn't seem to be a way back for Winslow.

Saying that, very early in the second half, Winslow should really have pulled a goal back. Freshwater's long ball found Barzey clean through with just the keeper to beat. However, the striker misfired and the chance was gone. Whether a goal at that point would have changed the game we'll never know and, just a few minutes later, the Robins sealed the victory. A fine run down the right was pulled across goal for McCormick to control and smash beyond Boetang for 3-0. A further 15 minutes into the half and home captain Denderfield scored the goal of the game. Picking up the ball 30 yards out he fired an unstoppable drive into the top corner.
There was no further scoring from either side. Winslow kept playing to the bitter end but ultimately they had been outclassed on the night. There was plenty of enthusiasm from the away side but the Robins won it at a canter.

So, the big question from the night. Is the complete list of Buckingham Charity Cup winners out there anywhere? Any clues, please let us know.

Buckingham Town - @buckingham_town
Winslow United - @winslowutdfc

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Reds Stun Atho

23/9/2015

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The main stand and dugouts

Braving the M1 on a Tuesday night isn't one of my favourite pastimes but that was the requirement to get to Leicestershire for my midweek fix of United Counties League action. A first ever visit to Lutterworth Athletic to see them take on Woodford United in a Division One clash. Athletic are a relatively new team. Only formed in 1993
they have risen slowly and steadily up the pyramid in that time, moving from the Leicester & District League in Step 9 through to their current Step 6 level transferring into the UCL for the 2013-14 season. Woodford, a team I first saw in 2013, during their own annus horribilis where they lost 65 consecutive matches, have stabilised after dropping from Step 4 back into Step 6.
Hall Park is also a new looking arena which is part of the Lutterworth Soccer Centre. Located outside the town, in Bitteswell, it features 5-a-side pitches, a fairly large clubhouse and the Weston Arena (home of Lutterworth Athletic FC).
The stadium is separate from the clubhouse (which houses all of the facilities) and has a single covered seating area running along about two-thirds of the far side.
This structure also incorporates the team dugouts (see photo). The rest of the pitch is surrounded by white plastic fencing and hard-standing.
Woodford started much the brighter and forced a good double save from debutant Lutterworth keeper within the first 30 seconds of the game. The away side were knocking the ball about with a confidence that didn't reflect their league position and, for the first 10 minutes or so, were by far the better side. Lutterworth did start to get a small toe-hold on the game and even made a couple of half chances themselves but it was Woodford who continued to look the more likely to open the scoring.
With 20 minutes gone the game had become a very entertaining affair. No goals scored but a number of chances made and plenty of good football to admire especially the wing play of Woodford number 7 Greg Anayiotis who was combining speed with some impressive ball control.
Sure enough, on 32 minutes, it was a right-wing run and cross which lead to Joe Henderson opening the scoring with a deft finish. The same player had come close a few minutes earlier with a fierce drive that hit the side netting but made no mistake this time.
I am guessing from the reaction of the Woodford bench that they have a tendency to sit back if they take the lead. There was plenty of gesticulating and shouting to encourage the Reds not to drop too deep.
Lutterworth, to their credit, did visibly step the pace up for a few minutes after the goal and actually looked a much better side now that they were a goal down.
With two minutes to go until the break they finally made an attempt count or, to be more accurate, they forced a mistake from the Woodford defence. A right-wing cross was headed up in the air rather than out of the box. In the resultant scramble it was a Woodford head that diverted the ball past the keeper and into the net for the equaliser.
Athletic would have been quite pleased to have gone in level at half-time especially as they had been second best for much of the half. However, this was not to be the case. Within a minute of being pegged back Woodford got their noses in front again, this time with a superb 25 yard drive, low to the keepers right, from Tom Fountain.
So, 1-2 at half-time, a score-line that accurately reflected the balance of play in the first half.

Lutterowrth started the second half with far more purpose than the first forcing the Woodford keeper into action quite early on. However, despite having less of the ball than in the first period, Woodford still looked dangerous when they did get possession.
They then extended their lead 10 minutes into the second half when Aaron King hit a splendid dipping 30 yard volley over the surprised Atho keeper and into the far corner.

This, as it turned out, was pretty much United's last serious attempt on goal. As the half progressed they gradually began to drop deeper and deeper, especially as legs began to tire. With, I believe, only one outfield player on the bench, the players that had got them into this winning position were also going to be the ones that had to try to hang on.
Lutterworth never gave up trying, pushing Woodford back and resorting to three up front in an attempt to get something from the game. With just over 8 minutes of normal time remaining they did get one back when Sam Burton slotted home from the edge of the box.
At this point a comeback looked highly likely. Woodford looked a bit like a heavyweight in round 10, pinned on the ropes and relying on pure adrenaline to stay upright.
The last 10 minutes was an almighty, backs to the wall effort from the away side but they survived and claimed their first away win of the season.

All in all an entertaining evening of football and great value for money yet again.

Lutterworth Athletic - @official_atho
Woodford United - @official_wufc

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The Sting

18/9/2015

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Bowden's Park

Keeping possession of the football does not automatically guarantee winning a game. This was never more evident than Tuesday night at Bowdens Park. The home side, Harborough Town, had much more of the ball in both halves but still, ultimately, lost the game.

However, before we get onto the game, a little about Bowdens Park. It's always good to get to new stadia and this was a first visit to Harborough Town for BotP. The stadium is part of a larger sports complex on the outskirts of Market Harborough. There is ample parking pretty much in front of the new-looking clubhouse and main building with very clear signs directing supporters down the side of the building and players into the other entrance. A single turnstile brings you into the ground right next to the left hand corner flag of the clubhouse end. The ground itself is very typical of the newer non-league, purpose built stadiums. It's very neat and tidy, completely surrounded by fencing with all of the facilities being in the clubhouse complex. There are two covered seating areas on the right hand side of the pitch with a further covered standing are in the far right hand corner. The dugouts are opposite the two main stands and hard-standing surrounds there sides of the ground. There is no access for spectators to the left-hand side of the ground, behind the dugouts.The pitch looked in pretty good condition and the surface was slick from some rain during the day. Unfortunately, as kick-off approached, the heavens opened and we had a fairly heavy downpour for the first 10-15 minutes of the game.

With Kirby boasting a 100% away record and Harborough having already lost 2 out of 3 at home, it was something of a surprise when the home side immediately took the game to their opponents. In fact, for the first 10 minutes Kirby barely managed to get out of their own half. However, despite their dominance, The Bees rarely forced the Kirby keeper into action, with just one good shot turned over the bar being the only real chance.

As the half progressed Kirby did start to get themselves back into the game a little and you had the feeling that the home side may have missed their opportunity. Kirby looked especially dangerous when playing the ball down the flanks. Pradeep Bahrey, on the left especially looked like he may be the way for Kirby to break through. Having said that, Harborough continued to have the lion's share of possession and looked the more likely to score. Towards the end of the half they got into a good position down their right-wing and, when the ball was played across, it was somehow scrambled clear.

So the teams went in all square at half-time and I would imagine the away side were much the happier to have gone in still on level terms.

As an aside from the game, a point of note for supporters. If you make use of the facilities that are next to the entrance to the clubhouse then be aware of the lighting. The automatic timer does not stay on for more than 15 seconds and the PIR does not reach the urinal. Therefore you will be plunged into darkness mid-stream and no amount of hand waving will make the light come back on. A small thing but it made me smile at the time.

Sure enough though, just eight minutes into the second half, Kirby went 1-0 up against the run of play. A cross field ball to the right hand side of the Harborough box was headed back across goal for Verrall to head in. It was a nicely worked goal and showed that with possession it's all about quality, not quantity.

The rest of the half, pretty much, followed the same pattern as the first half. Harborough battled away, causing a lot of problems down the Kirby left but soften the final ball just wasn't quite there. They did force the Kirby keeper into a couple of decent saves, tipping another over the bar and getting down sharply to block a one on one effort. Kirby, for their part, looked fairly dangerous when they did break but seemed content to hold on to what they had. They slowed the game down to a crawl at every given opportunity, frustrating the home side with their tactics. This did spark a certain amount of fairly light-hearted banter between the home support and the visiting keeper. This is very much a part of non-league football in my opinion and something to be cherished so long as it does not get out of hand. It makes the game feel that much more accessible to the supporters, unlike the modern day professional game.

So, Kirby maintain their unbeaten start to the season and, with Leicester Nirvana only drawing with Oadby, sees them open a two point gap at the top. I'll be honest, I can't see them staying there but, having said that, they found a way to win a game that they really shouldn't have won. That is the mark of a good side, so they could well prove me wrong.

Harborough, I felt, were a little unlucky on the night. They played some good football and with more luck and more ruthlessness around the box, they should start picking up points.

A final note. Harborough have some of the most appreciative supporters I have seen at this level. They have the vociferous group of youngsters who stand behind the goal that they are attacking plus a general public who applauded each player as they were substituted, as well as showing their appreciation of the effort shown by their team.

Harborough Town - @htfc75official
Kirby Muxloe - @kirbymuxloefc

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That's Entertainment

2/9/2015

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Moon over Waterworks Field

After a two week layoff, BotP was back on the road this Tuesday evening, with a first United Counties game of the season at Desborough Town. Ar Tarn, as they are known, were due to take on Leicester Nirvana (formerly Thurnby Nirvana) in a Premier League game. Both sides were coming into the game on a decent run of form and a good match was anticipated.
Desborough's Waterworks Field Stadium is situated on the outskirts of the town, easily accessible from the A6. The car park is fairly small but there is plenty of parking available on Baybrooke Road, all within easy reach of the ground. The first thing that strikes you about the ground are the flooodlights, which are proper old-fashioned pylons, all of which seem to have mobile phone masts, or signal boosters attached to them. There is a single turnstile which takes you into the ground at the Braybrooke Road end, to the left of the goal. There is a covered standing area behind this goal. A further covered standing area runs along half of the left hand side. This becomes a covered seating area eaither side of the halfway line. The rest of the ground is given to hard-standing.
This was a first trip to Waterworks Field and a first chance to see Desborough Town. Nirvana, however, featurd in last season's most entertaining match and also picked up the award for best team performance (http://www.botp.co.uk/blog/warwick-to-coventry-a-round-trip) on their way to promotion. I was interested to see if they would be able to continue their free-flowing style of play in a higher league.
From kick-off, Leicester answered my question. The same snappy passing and movement off the ball that they displayed last season but now they have also added a more direct alternative, quickly hitting the front players and getting support in to them as soon as possible. With the home side also looking to get the ball down and pass it around, this promised to be a very entertaining match. And so it proved.
The first 10 minutes of the game were pretty even. Both sides playing some good stuff with Desborough probably edging it on chances. However, Leicester's passing style and ability to switch play quickly, which they did to great effect on a number of occassions, started to push the home side backwards. As the home midfield dropped back to help their defence it created more space in the middle for Nirvana's ball-playing centre-half, Francis Lynch, to step into and take control of the game.
Eighteen minutes in and a through ball set Nirvana through one-on-one with the home keeper. Although the initial effort was blocked, the ball broke loose and Nassor kept his nerve to chip into an unguarded net from 20 yards.
It took another thirteen minutes for Leicester to double their lead but when they did it was a lovely move that created the goal. A pinpoint pass down the right flank was taken to the by-line then pulled back for a cross to the far post. This was met by Lynch with a header back across the goal and into the far corner of the net. Two miutes later and the game appeared to be
over. A similar scenrio to the first goal saw a ball played through and fumbled by the home keeper leaving Reece Morris with the simplest of chances to roll the ball into an empty net.
At 3-0 down with 10 minutes left until half-time, Desborough could have collapsed but, to their credit they didn't let their heads drop and actually created a couple of very good chances. However, Aaron Harris in the Nirvana goal was in no mood to give up his clean sheet easily, producing two top-class saves in the space of 20 seconds to deny Jake Bettles and Stefan Gatting.
The first half ended with the visitors 3-0 up and worthy of their lead. Fourteen years ago to the day I stood on the terraces of the Olympiastadion, mouth open in amazement, as England thumped Germany 5-1. I'm not trying to say that this game was a spectacle of the same magnitude in any way but I did find myself thinking that I would be more than happy to watch 45 minutes of football like this any day of the year.
Despite the slightly one-sided scoreline, both sides had contributed to a really entertaining half of football. I wandered off for a cuppa looking forward to the second half.

Waterworks Field from the Baybrooke Rd End

Desborough, as expected, came out all guns blazing for the second half. It was noticeable that they were pushing much higher up the field, closing the gap between midfield and the forward line and, as a consequence, pushing Lynch back into his defensive role.
An early goal for the home side woudl make it an interesting second half and they almost got it when Bettles shot across the goal hitting the far post before the ball was cleared to safety. In what was the epitomy of the cliched game of two halves, it was all Desborough with Leicester struggling to get hold of the ball.
On the hour mark the home side made the breakthrough. Good work down the right, a superb cross and a powerful header from Jake Bettles made it 1-3, finally running Harris's clean sheet. A few minutes later it should have been 2-3 when the home side missed a glorious opportunity but, with more than 20 minutes left on the clock, they did pull another back when Gatting squeezed the ball home from close range.
At this point all of the momentum seemed to be with Desborough but, urged on by a vociferous bench, Leicester did not panic and set about containing the home side again. Indeed, Nirvana, themselves then struck a post before, in the final minute, delivering the killer blow. With Desborough urgently trying to get the ball forward a move broke down inside their own half.
Jordan Nelson won a 50-50 with a Desborough defender, took a few strides forward and smashed drive past Foulger into the far corner to make it 2-4.
It was somewhat harsh on Desborough after such a spirited second-half display but, over the full 90 minutes, Leicester probably did shade the game. On this showing though, I wouldn't rule either of these teams out for a challenge at the top end of the league.
Once again I left a United Counties League game with the feeling of getting more than value for money and of being entertained throughout the entire match. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you haven't sampled the UCL, get to a match. If you enjoy football, you'll enjoy the UCL.

Desborough Town - @desboroughfc
Leicester Nirvana - @leicnirvanafc

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