​The clouds were hanging dark and low over the Malvern Hills on Wednesday evening. A threat of a storm but nothing compared to darkness gathering over the English FA. For me the whole Sam Allardyce debacle was made even worse by the fact that it was only a couple of months ago that I was feeling so proud that a man from my home town was England manager. What I needed more than anything was a fix of real football and I was hoping that an FA Vase replay between Malvern Town and Birstall United could provide it. I was not to be disappointed.

Malvern's Langlands Avenue ground or, The HDAnywhere Community Stadium as it is now known, is situated on the outskirts of the town. Whilst The Hillsiders have played at the ground for around 70 years, the newly-refurbished club house facility has only been around since 2014. The majority of the ground is given to hard standing. On the car park side of the ground, where the new clubhouse has been built, there is also a very well presented covered seating stand which is built on top of the players and officials changing area. The dug outs are, unusually, also on this side of the pitch. The only other covered area is a small covered standing section directly opposite the main stand.

The sides had shared four goals in Leicestershire at the weekend and, with Malvern already having 36 goals in 10 league games, there was certainly an expectation of some goals to come. Having said that, for the first twenty minutes of the game neither team managed to really stretch the opposition keeper. The game swung backwards and forwards as the teams tested each other out but the defences were on top at this point.
However, just on the 20 minute mark, Birstall did have the ball in the Malvern net. A pass was slipped in behind the home defence for Birstall captain Lewis Dodd to prod past the advancing goalkeeper. It was a tidy finish but, sadly for Birstall, to no avail as the assistant's flag had been raised for offside long before the ball hit the net.

A few minutes later it was Malvern's turn to threaten but Birstall's keeper was equal to the attempt on this occasion. He was, however, beaten all ends up a few minutes later when a lovely Malvern move ended with Hughes crashing a shot against the woodwork.
As the half wore on the game was definitely opening up but it difficult to say which team had the edge. That was until the 40th minute when Birstall finally broke the deadlock with captain Lewis Dodd nipping in to place a header past the keeper and into the net.

The Hillsiders tried to hit back immediately but were thwarted by a good save from the Birstall keeper.
The half finished with the away side leading 1-0. There was very little to choose between the teams and the game was far from over and Malvern would probably have felt a little aggrieved to have been behind.

​They certainly started the second half looking like they wanted to put the scoreline right. Just a few minutes into the half they had quite strong penalty claims for a handball in the box. However, the referee and his assistant had a far better view than I did and waved play on.

Just on the hour mark Malvern fell to a sucker punch. Pushing forward they lost the ball which was quickly moved forward by Birstall. A threaded pass in behind the home defence allowed Sam Moore to run on and slide the ball past the opposing keeper for 0-2.

Within ten minutes, however, Malvern had a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty (awarded whilst I was making use of the facilities, so I didn't see the offence) which was converted by Dave Reynolds to make it 1-2. 

The game, which had already been entertaining, burst into life at this point. Malvern had the bit between their teeth and were pushing forward in search of an equaliser. This, however, was leaving spaces at the back which Birstall were quick to capitalise on with some swift counter-attacks. After 83 minutes it was one of these quick breaks that almost cost Malvern the game. A through ball was chased down by a Birstall striker who got his shot away just as he was clattered by the on-rushing keeper. The ball went wide but the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. The penalty was struck hard but Charlie Weaver in the home goal made a great stop to keep the score at 1-2.
Anyone who thought the miss would have knocked the stuffing out of Birstall would have been mistaken. They immediately went back on the offensive missing two massive chances in quick succession.

In the final minute of the game Birstall were made to pay for their wastefulness when a through ball caused chaos in the Birstall defence and in the ensuing melee Dean Whittal-Williams was able to head the ball into the empty net much to the delight of the local following.
A great comeback from Malvern. They rode their luck to a certain extent and, if the Birstall penalty or even one of the wasted chances had gone in, it would probably have been a much different result. However, you can't knock the way that Malvern battled until the last minute. Full-time Malvern Town 2 Birstall United 2.

With the coaches out on the pitch preparing their players for another 30 minutes, I found myself standing next to a gentleman wearing a Shildon AFC hat and scarf. That in itself woudl have been a strange enough thing for rural Worcestershire but Shildon had played my team, Stourbridge, in the FA Cup a couple of seasons back and had taken them back to Amblecote for a replay. As I was wearing a Stourbridge jacket, we ended up chatting about how we came to be at a game miles from home that didn't involve either of the teams we followed. The reason, it transpired, was the same. Neither of us had been to Malvern Town before. Good enough reason. The Shildon fan turned out to live in the Midlands and was a member at Stourbridge. He was there with a friend who lived in Malvern but supported Kidderminster Harriers. You meet all sorts at non-league football matches.

Back to extra-time.

With such a late equaliser taking the wind out of the Birstall sails it wass no surprise that Malvern started the better in extra-time and they created a chance quite early on, only for it to be blasted well over. The game then took another swing when Birstall were awarded another penalty. However, once again Weaver guessed right and made a great save to keep his team in the game.
Half-time in Extra-time we were still level at 2-2 and penalties were definitely looming, a daunting prospect for Birstall having already missed from the spot twice.
A penalty shootout turned out to be the least of their worries in the 115th minute when Reynolds smashed in his second from close range, to put Malvern in front for the first time. It was a lead that they would not relinquish as they held on for a superb comeback victory.

It's a footballing cliche but it really was a shame that there had to be a loser in this game. It was the perfect remedy to the mess that our professional game has managed to make for itself through sheer greed. I'm not stupid enough to think that non-league football does not have it's faults or problems but, on nights like this and after games like this one, it glows like a shining beacon against the professional game.

Thanks and best wishes to both clubs for the rest of the season.

Malvern Town - @malverntown1946
Birstall United - @birstall_united

Wednesday night football pretty much alongside the runway at Heathrow Airport. What more could anyone ask for? A cracking game, that's what and boy did we get one of those! More of that shortly, but first a little information about the ground and the two sides that were about to entertain us for 90 minutes.

The teams in question were Badshot Lea and their hosts Bedfont Sports. The Eagles, as they are known, play their home games next door to local rivals Bedfont & Feltham at the Bedfont Sports Recreation Ground. The club was only founded in 2002 so I wasn't expecting too much from their stadium. However, after entering through the single turnstile, just off the car park, I was very pleasantly surprised. 

Immediately to your right as you enter is the snack bar (always good to know where your cup of tea is coming from) and to your left is the main facility block which houses the clubhouse, changing facilities and other activities (I believe there was some boxing training taking place that evening). There are covered seating and standing areas on all four sides of the pitch, which is unusual at this level. When I say all sides, I think the area behind the allotment end is definitely a work in progress at the moment (see photo below). The dugouts, suitably separated by a seating stand, are opposite the main entrance and clubhouse.

A little plug for the groundsman (who's name I didn't get), being the first person I met when I got into the ground. A very pleasant chap, he checked that it was ok for me to use my GoPro during the game. He has also done a fine job on the playing surface which to me looked in very good condition.

As I said, Sports have only existed for a short time but have steadily climbed the pyramid, achieving Step 5 status in 2011/12. Badshot Lea, The Baggies, have been around for considerably longer having been founded in 1904 and have been in the Combined Counties League since 2009. They achieved their highest ever finish a season later, securing sixth place. Since then they seem to have alternated between top half and bottom half finishes and are currently sitting in 22nd spot. 
Last season both league fixtures ended in 1-0 wins for the away side, so goals had been at a premium. As it transpired, that was not to be the case this evening.

​When the teams made their way out I was pleased, as an ex West Brom season ticket holder, to see Badshot Lea in the change kit of yellow. Watching a team nicknamed The Baggies play in claret & blue may have been too much to take.

With Bedfont riding high in the league, currently fifth, their confidence was clearly high and they started like a team on top of their game. Within 3 minutes a right-wing corner was headed against the bar and when the ball dropped debutant Christian Hurst was on hand to put the rebound away. The goal clearly unsettled Badshot Lea and gave an additional boost to Sports. Consequently, it came as no surprise when Bedfont doubled their lead on 11 minutes. A free-kick awarded just outside the box was cleverly dinked over the wall for player-manager Paul Johnson to control and fire past Pat Kinsella in the Badshot goal.

At 2-0 down, Badshot looked completely shot and I was starting to wonder just how many goals Bedfont might score. However, Badshot were having none of that. They rolled their sleeves up and gradually fought their way back into the game. They mustered their first shot on target just after the fifteen minute mark but, more importantly, they steadied the ship at the back, stemming the flow of the red and black Bedfont shirts.

Just after the half-hour mark Badshot managed to gain a foothold. The ball found it's way to Baggies player-manager Neville Roach inside the home penalty area who finished with some confidence. There can't be too many games where both managers score.

Five minutes later we were treated to the goal of the game when the ball found it's way to Jordan Goater some twenty-odd yards out. He fizzed a wonderful shot over the keeper and in off the underside of the bar. A superb strike worthy of the entrance fee on it's own.

It was now the turn of Bedfont to look rattled. A couple of goals does wonders for a team's confidence and this was apparent in the way that Badshot were now taking the game to their opponents.
Just on the stroke of half-time a slip in the Bedfont defence allowed Cameron Blackie a clear run on goal. He made no mistake, slipping the ball past the onrushing Bishop to send Badshot in 3-2 up at the break.

Both sides seemed keen for more and appeared for the second-half well ahead of the officials. When we did get started it was Bedfont who hit the ground running, just as they did in the first half. Just shy of the 55 minute mark a great Scott Harris effort almost drew the sides level but it wasn't all Bedfont. Badshot were playing some delightful football of their own and put together a great passing move just before the hour resulting in a glancing header going just wide.

A minute came what turned out to be the turning point of the game. Another Badshot attack ended with the ball dropping in the Bedfont area. Attacker and defender challenged and the ball was cleared but the referee had blown for a foul and was pointing to the spot. From my vantage point the foul was not clear but there didn't seem to be a great deal of protest from the home side. The penalty was hit low to Bishop's right hand side but he got down fell and pushed the ball away. So, it remained 3-2 to Badshot but the penalty save seemed to invigorate Bedfont.

Ten minutes after almost going 4-2 down, Bedfont conjured up an equaliser. Scott Harris taking advantage of some uncertain defending to round the keeper and score from an acute angle.
There was no let up from either side. No settling for a point in this game. Both sides continued to go for it but, as the half wore on, the pace of the Bedfont forward line, especially from the introduced substitutes, started to give the Baggies defence more problems.

Sure enough, with 5 minutes remaining the Badshot back-line was breached again. A perfect ball across the six-yard line was met by Harris who smashed it past the keeper to claim his second and Bedfont's fourth.
There was still enough time left for Bedfont to miss a chance to really put the game to bed. A shot from distance was parried by Pat Kinsella but Eagles substitute Gidson Pasma could only put the rebound over the bar.

After a few minutes of added time, it finished Bedfont Sports 4 Badshot Lea 3. Slightly harsh in the visitors who, after going two down so early on, had fought back magnificently. However, Bedfont also rallied themselves after trailing at the break.

As a neutral it was a fantastic game and a credit to the Combined Counties League. I would imagine that some of the defending may give the respective managers nightmares but as a spectacle it was worth the £6 entrance fee many times over.


Bedfont Sports - @bsfc_official
Badshot Lea - @blfccommunity

Having ventured into the realms of Monday Night Football last week waiting until the following Wednesday seemed to take an age to come around. However, arrive it did, and I set off, on an extremely warm September evening, for the wilds of Wiltshire. The Elms, Highworth to be exact and a chance to see Highworth Town take on Oxford City Nomads in the Hellenic Premier League.

There's something not quite right about watching night-time football in mid-September clad only in a t-shirt and shorts. It just feels wrong. Having said that, it was very pleasant to be in the rural setting of The Elms on a warm summer's evening.

Parking, as I was warned, is not brilliant around the ground. It is part of a large sports complex, Highworth Recreation Centre, which includes multiple football pitches, bowls, cricket and tennis. The car park is a shared facility and isn't that big. Therefore, unless you arrive very early, you aren't going to find a spot. The best place to park is probably what's referred to as the lower field, which is accessed from the golf club entrance just off the A361.

Once inside the ground, accessed from the Recreation Centre car park, you will find yourself next to the main facilities block, which is perched on a bank above the playing surface. There is a clubhouse, which incorporates a tea/snack bar, as well as the changing facilities for players and officials. The ground is, effectively, three-sided as there is no hard-standing to the right hand-side as you look from the clubhouse, although this is where the dugouts are situated. Looking to the left from the clubhouse there are two covered seating areas and a covered standing area running down the side of the ground. The playing surface which has a slight slope from the clubhouse down to the lower field end, looked in very good condition as the teams took to the field.

Both sides started the game in the lower half of the table, separated by a point, with The Worthians on ten points and Nomads on nine. However, in recent meetings, Nomads certainly had the edge. The previous five game had seen Nomads win four and Town just one. 

Kicking down the slope in the first half, Highworth began the half with the intent of establishing the tempo of the game. They were knocking the ball around quite nicely and looking to play balls into the feet of their lively front pairing of Corrick and McCarthy. However, they always looked a little vulnerable to the counter-attack, playing a very high line and leaving space for balls over the top. Nomads were not shy of playing the long ball and, once or twice, almost broke the home side's offside trap.

It was, however, the home side who made the first real chance of the game when Aysa Corrick, who had started to really influence the game, went on a mazy run down the right. He pulled the ball across to Gleed but he put his shot well over the top of Lawrence's goal.

The game continued in the same vein for most of the first half. Highworth playing neat balls into the forward line with Corrick and Stanners causing problems for the Nomads defence, Nomads getting the ball forward much quicker and trying to turn the Town defence.

It was about midway through the half that I was again reminded of the power of the internet. After tweeting about the match using player numbers rather than names I was asked by the former Highworth Twitter Admin, who wasn't at the game, if I needed a team-sheet. He then quickly sent me a picture of said sheet and hey presto! I was equipped with player names. Thanks to @fatbury for the information. Most helpful

After 34 minutes, Nomads had a great chance to take the lead. A very nicely disguised reverse pass set Kaylem Patterson in on goal. However, his shot was straight at Scholefield who managed to turn it over the bar for a corner.
Nomads were made to regret the miss just six minutes later. A defensive slip gifted the ball to Corrick some 40 yards out on the right. He still had a lot to do but after jinking past a couple of defenders he turned inside and drilled a low shot past into the net at the near post. A very accomplished finish from the most dangerous on the pitch in the first half.

At half-time it was 1-0 to Highworth which, on balance, they just about deserved.

​Despite it still being a warm evening, a half-time cup of tea was called for, so I headed off to the club house. It was whilst there that I spotted someone who looked very much like Twitter contact and Highworth committee member, Derek Lloyd. So, having conversed on Twitter a few times I took the opportunity to introduce myself. We then spent a very pleasant 15 minutes or so discussing the first-half, the pleasure (and pain) of being involved with a non-league team and general football chit-chat. It was really nice to meet up with someone that I had previously only known as a Twitter ID and especially someone who shares a passion for the game.

It was the home side who started the second half the brighter although, I'll be honest, I was still busy chatting to Derek for the first 5 minutes or so. 
Ten minutes into the second half Highworth produced a very slick piece of football that almost, and probably should have, got them a second goal. A minute or two later they once again broke down the Nomads defence and only a slack piece of finsihing prevented them from extending their lead.

In fact, for most of the first 25 minutes of the second half, Highworth continued to look the most likely team to score. Then, as often happens in these situations, they got caught out by a swift counter-attack. The high line that Highworth were playing, something I had mentioned to Derek at half-time as a potentially dangerous game, was breached by a ball over the top. Tyriq Hunte was onto it like a flash and, as the keeper advanced, he expertly lobbed it over him and into the net. It was a very calm finish by the striker giving the keeper no chance at all.

Not to be undone though, Highworth hit back almost immediately with a classy goal of their own. The away side had barely finished celebrating when The Worthians sliced through their defence with a series of one-touch passes culminating with Fabian McCarthy sliding the ball past the keeper for 2-1. It was by far the best move of the game and a goal well worthy of winning any match.

Nomads clearly did not agree with that statement though and for the last 10 minutes they set about trying to get an equaliser. They almost did too, crashing a shot against the foot of the post when it looked easier to score (always easy to say that from the sideline though).
​
That was the last major incident of the game and Highworth held on to take all three points with a 2-1 scoreline.
Nomads now have over a week to wait before they take on Ardley United at home. Highworth face three long away trips, Havant & Waterlooville (whose manager, Lee Bradbury was watching this evening), in the FA Cup, on Saturday is followed by a league trip to Longlevens on Tuesday and then an FA Vase tie at Bashley the following Saturday.

Good luck to both teams for the rest of the season.

Highworth Town - @highworthtownfc
Oxford City Nomads - @oxcityfc

Monday Night Football is not just a hashtag or the sole domain of Sky Sports, and this Monday BotP was making a first trip to Hill Farm Lane, home of Binfield FC, for the Hellenic Premier clash with Highmoor Ibis.
With the hosts sitting pretty at the top of the table and their visitors unbeaten in eighth spot, it promised to be an interesting contest.
For anyone who has not yet visited Hill Farm Lane, you really should take a trip. As the name suggests it is a very rural setting. The ground is situated on the edge of Binfield village and is accessed from a single track lane. Entrance fees are taken upon entrance to the complex as, once in the car park, you are effectively in the ground itself. There are no turnstiles. There are actually there grass pitches in the complex, the main playing surface, one adjacent to it and a further pitch behind pitch 2. The clubhouse, snack bar and toilets are all in a building block next to the car park. This is set atop a bank which then overlooks the main playing surface. The clubhouse is directly behind one of the goal areas. To the right hand side of the ground is the main stand and the dugouts, one either side of the stand. The remainder of the playing area is bordered by hard-standing.

Although there was a threat of rain and rather dark skies, it was a very muggy summer evening which saw the two teams emerge down the steps and onto a pitch that looked in pretty good condition.
It was league leaders Binfield who started the stronger. Within the first couple of minutes Ferdinand turned sharply in the box and smashed a shot against the foot of the Ibis post with Nathan Silver beaten. It was all Binfield in the opening 10 minutes, a fact that the Ibis bench realised early on and were calling for their team to ride out the initial onslaught.
​
They nearly did and maybe should have but for the intervention of the referee. Another Binfield attack, this time up the left flank, lead to a fierce shot being struck which, according to the official, was unlawfully blocked by an Ibis hand. The incident was very close to where I was standing and, I have to say, the shot was hit from less than 10 feet from the defender and if he had the reactions to reach out and deliberately block the ball with his hand then it was an incredible reflex stop. There is no doubt that the ball hit the defender but, even if it was on the hand or arm, I am not convinced there was any way he could have moved out of the way. Still, the referee makes the decisions and this one said penalty.
Liam Ferdinand stepped up and just about beat Silver with the spot-kick. 1-0 to Binfield.

The way the game had gone until this point it was surprising that the flood gates didn't open. Credit to Highmoor though, they dug in and stemmed the flow of home attacks. In fact, three minutes after going behind they came close to equalising when Piercy thumped a shot against the foot of the Binfield post. The rebound fell kindly to the home team and they cleared the danger.

Whilst Binfield probably edged possession for the remainder of the half it was certainly a much more equal affair than the first ten minutes. The game got a little niggly at times and Highmoor, possibly still annoyed by the penalty decision, were certainly making their grievances known to the officials. To be fair, I did think that some decisions were going against them at times. However, the more they complained, the fewer 50/50s seemed to go their way. Easy to say from the sidelines but they may have been better advised to have suppressed their unhappiness.

Half-time Binfield 1 Highmoor Ibis 0.

The away side began the second half in much the same way as The Moles did the first, on the front foot. Binfield seemed to be really struggling to find any kind of fluency with their passing which was probably a credit to the increased work rate of Highmoor.
However, try as the might, Ibis didn't really stretch keeper Garry Aulsberry too much and the Binfield back-line looked calm and assured for the most part.
​
Once again the refereeing decisions didn't seem to be going the way of Ibis when a shot, from a similar position as the one that won the penalty for Binfield, struck a defender amidst very vociferous penalty claims. To be honest, I was now on the opposite side of the pitch and couldn't see where the ball hit the player or if it was ball to player or player to ball contact. However, the Ibis shouts were loud and prolonged. They clearly thought they had a case. The man in the middle, however, thought otherwise.

After 77 minutes Binfield struck the killer blow. Following a good save by Silver the resulting corner was swung in from the right and met on the volley by James Charlton to score his first Moles goal. At 1-0 down Highmoor always looked like they might get back into the game, at 2-0 with just over 10 minutes left, it looked very much less likely.

With five minutes to go Silver parried an effort down into the path of Luke Hayden who made absolutely no mistake in firing it straight back past the keeper and into the net. A very well taken goal and another player scoring for the first time in the senior team.

Final score Binfield 3 Highmoor Ibis 0

All in all it was deserved three points for Binfield who retained their place on top of the Premier League. Dangerous when they attacked and looking pretty strong at the back. Highmoor will feel somewhat aggrieved at the penalty decisions and losing their unbeaten record but even they would probably agree that the points went to the better team on the night.

Binfield - @binfieldfc
Highmoor Ibis - @highmooribis

​So, how was Non-League Day 2016 for you? There were some great results, giant-killings in the FA Cup and massive crowds (yes, South Shields I'm looking at you. 1,409. Amazing!).

My own Non-League Day was less than perfect. After being awake from 2:30 am, I was already tired and irritable by the time it came to head out to the game. It was about to get worse.
For reasons that I won't go into on this blog, I had decided that my best option for a game was going to be Headngton Amateurs v Finchamstead in the Hellenic Challenge Cup. I had never been to The A's ground before, so I could combine some rare Saturday football with a new ground and still be done in time to spend time with my family. Unfortunately, as it turned out, I had already committed what can only be described as a schoolboy error. I have never really considered my self to be a groundhopper but I have been watching non-league for quite a while and know that websites are not always to be trusted so, seasoned hoppers look away now. When planning the day I had looked on the Headington website for details of the ground. The match reports on the site were all up to date so I, incorrectly, assumed that all other details were also current. Never assume. After leaving my wife and daughter in Headington, I walked to where I thought the ground was situated. Not a long walk but at least half a mile or so. Upon arriving, five minutes before scheduled kick-off, it was very apparent that this was not the correct address. It was at this point that I checked the Hellenic League website and realised that there was a subtle difference between the address here and the address on the club website. The ground name was the same, Barton Recreation Ground, but the post codes were very different. So, with no car and less than 5 minutes to kick-off, I was scuppered and facing the prospect of no football on Non-League Day. Couple that with the fact that I had now been up for 12 hours, I was less than happy and tweeted my displeasure.
The response from the Headington Twitter account was almost immediate and, in it's content, demonstrated all that is good about the non-league game. The first response was to apologise for the web site content error. The second, which I got quite a bit later because I was on the phone to my wife, was to offer to drive to the old ground and pick me up. This goes way beyond the remit of a twitter account adminstrator. As I said though, I was already well on my way back to find my wife and daughter and, by the time I saw the tweet, the game had already started. There was no way that I could expect someone to drive around Oxford looking for me whilst their team were already in action. I take my hat off to them though, what a thoroughly superb response. They even tweeted after the game had finished to apologise once more. I will have to make a trip to Headington at some point in the future.

One slice of luck was that the Headington game was due to kick-off half an hour before most games and, as we had decided to head home, I asked my wife to drop me at Ardley so that I could catch the second half of the Bicester v North Leigh game. As it happened, we made it there 20 minutes before half-time.

I was informed by the turnstile operator that the score was 1-0 to North Leigh United, who are the development squad of the Southern League side North Leigh, who were themselves in FA Cup action at Corinthian Casuals.
It became clear very quickly that Bicester had their work cut out if they were going to get back on level terms. North Leigh looked the more assured of the two sides and were knocking the ball around well. Ten minutes after I arrived Bicester's task got even harder when they were reduced to ten men and fell 2-0 behind. North Leigh mounted another attack on the Bicester goal, forcing the keeper to make a good save but when the rebound fell straight to a North Leigh striker, his shot was acrobatically turned away by a Bicester defender's hand. The referee had no choice but to show the red card and award a penalty, which was duly put away for 0-2.
The away side took less than five minutes to make it three. A beautifully flighted free-kick from their left was superbly headed beyond the home keeper to make it 0-3.
The players trudged off at half-time with the home side needing a miracle. Three-nil and a player down, things were looking about as bleak as the weather which has progressively worsened as the game went on.

Bicester came out for the second half with all guns blazing though. Kicking down the slope and with a bit of wind at their backs, they clearly had decided to give it everything they had at the start of the second half. They came veyr close to pulling one back too, hitting the post just two minutes in. North Leigh, however, were too well organised and too experienced to panic under a little bit of pressure. They quickly re-established their dominance and took the sting out of the home side's onslaught.
It did, however, take them another 12 minutes to get a fourth goal but it was worth waiting for. A bit of panic in the Bicester back line caused a hurried half clearance which fell kindly to North Leigh's number 7 just outside the box. Before anyone could react he smashed a lovely twenty yard shot past the Bicester keeper and into the net.
North Leigh, unsurprisingly, took their foot off the gas a little at this point keeping control of the game whilst not really threatening too much themsleves.
Almost on the half-hour mark of the second half they did make it five and once again it was a great finish. Once againthe ball came to a North Leigh striker just outside the Bicester box. A little shimmy made some space and then another fine finish was dispatched past the keeper from 18 yards.
There was still enough time for Bicester to get one back though. A penalty was awarded by the referee. It was at the opposite end of the ground and I coudln't see any clear offence but the defenders offered very little argument either because it was a clear penalty or because they were five up with a minute to go. Either way, it was struck home and the final score read Bicester Town 1 North Leigh United 5.

All in all, an eventful day out but I got to see some football, I got to take my family out for dinner afterwards and Stourbridge made it through to the next round of the FA Cup. All's well that ends well.