Base of the Pyramid
  • Home
    • About
  • Blog
  • Hops, Stats & More
    • Ground Hops
    • Match Details
    • All Time Hop Stats
  • Programme Notes
    • Programme Notes - Index

2021 In Review

31/12/2021

0 Comments

 
It's that time of year again. As Christmas approaches and December draws to an end, time to reflect on the footballing side of 2021. It's been quite an odd one, with no football at all until April. However, despite not going to a game until almost a quarter of the year had passed by, I still managed to get to 48 games, which for me, is quite a lot in a calendar year. Many groundhoppers out there will be thinking it's a low number but, I don't see myself as a groundhopper. Yes, I like to see new grounds and watch different teams but I normally restrict myself to one game per week (this year was a little different) and the majority of those are Tuesday or Wednesday evening, meaning I am not going to be travelling a huge distance from Oxfordshire.
This year I thought I would change the end of year review a little. Listed below are all the games I went to and a link to the blog associated with that game (with the exception of 1 game where I didn't write a blog). Why not look for your favourite team and take a look?

There is one aspect of 2021 I would like to mention, however. The Cricklade Supreme Trophy & Shield (#CSTP21). This was a tournament organised by Cricklade Town (mainly their chairman Richard Austen and their then 1st team manager Craig Kent) to give 32 teams the opportunity to play some football. It was organised on a World Cup style group and knockout basis with the top two in each group going into the Trophy, the bottom two into the Shield, giving as much game time to each team as possible. I was lucky to get involved in a small way, providing a web site to keep track of scores and tables. I also managed to get to a number of games, meeting a number of people along the way and getting acquainted with some fantastic clubs. In addition to Richard and Craig, some special mentions for Jovial Monk, who I now follow on a weekly basis and write am ongoing season-long blog about (see below), Minety FC for my mug, Swindon AFC (who won the Shield) and Chesterton FC (who won the Trophy). Also, many thanks to "The only ref in Swindon" (I know he isn't), Andrew Lincoln, who always seemed to be around to supply team sheets before games. Top bloke and top referee. The #CSTP21 gave me a great opportunity to explore some real grassroots football and was an absolute saviour after months of sitting at home. I'm sure I speak on behalf of everyone who participated, officiated, or watched #CSTP21 games, when I say a massive thank you to Cricklade Town, Richard and Craig.

Of the 48 games, 22 ended in home wins, 18 away wins and 8 draws (4 cup games decided on penalties). Not including penalties, 122 goals were scored by home teams and 105 by away teams. A total of 227 goals, 4.7 per game. The biggest home win was Stratton United's 8-0 victory over Kingswood Reserves in #CSTP21. Biggest away win, and highest aggregate score, was Wroxton Sports' 8-3 victory at Hardwick Sports in the Banbury District & Lord Jersey Premier League. The team I have seen play the most often is Swindon AFC, a total of four times, two wins and two defeats.

On the back of #CSTP21 I also got to know Swindon Sunday League side Jovial Monk. Just before the season began I suggested to their manager, Shaun Smith, that we should chronicle a season in Sunday League. This sparked a regular blog piece called A Sunday In Swindon. A list of episodes and links so far is also included at the bottom of this article.

2021 Games and Blog Links
​
Home Away Result Blog Link
Chesterton 5 Jovial Monk 1 H Smith Makes Jovial Monk Frown
Nalgo Sports 5 Swindon AFC 4 H Only Ref In Swindon?
Minety 0 Tredworth Tigers 3 A Beaten, But Certainly No Mugs
Redhouse 3 Swindon AFC 1 H Swindon Resistance Torpedoed By Subs
Stanford 0 Lambourn Sports 5 A Lambourn Engage Sports Mode
Wootton Sports 0 Milton-under-Wychwood 1 A Ayres Rocks
Hatherop 0 Redhouse 0 4-2 p D Rop Spot On
Heyford Athletic 1 Malvern Town Dev. 2 A Last Kick
Yarnton 3 Garsington 4 A Shed End
Siddington 1 Jovial Monk 5 A Monks Get Winning Habit
Allexton & New Parks 5 Earl Shilton Albion 4 H Bitter End For Albion
Ludgershall Sports 0 Swindon AFC 4 A Marooned
Swindon AFC 4 Jovial Monk 2 H Tom Tom Tom Club
Stratton United 8 Kingswood Reserves 0 H Four By Four
Wickwar Wanderers 1 Malmesbury Victoria Dev. 1 4-5p D The End Of The War
Reading YMCA Rapids 4 Henley Town Development 1 H Bye Bye Red Kites
Swindon AFC 3 Stratton United 2 H And Smith Did Score
Chesterton 6 Hatherop 0 H Chesterton Too Hot For Rop
Chesterton 3 Malmesbury Victoria Dev. 3 9-8p D Fitting Final Finale
Ludgershall United 2 Bicester Athletic 5 A It's All Downhill From Here
Letcombe 3 East Hendred 1 H Monday, The New Thursday
Procision Oxford 4 Saxton Rovers 1 H Procision Progress
Aylesbury Vale Dynamos 0 Longlevens 1 A Dynamos Fail To Light Up The Cup
Whittlesey Athletic 1 Downham Town 4 A Up Market
Tring Corinthians 4 Berkhamsted Comrades 5 A Nine Goal Thriller
Marlborough Town 0 Pewsey Vale 5 A V For Vale
Stockbridge 4 Liss Athletic 0 H Bad Omens For Blues
West Oxfordshire Women 3 Caversham United Women 2 H Goats Beaten By WOW Factor
Warminster Town 1 Welton Rovers 2 A Silver Jubilee For Rovers
Birstall United 2 Bourne Town 0 H Battling Birstall Burn Bourne
Halse United 2 Garsington 2 D Points Shared
Wormley Rovers 2 Hackney Wick 2 D Deluge
Westbury United 5 Calne Town 0 H Polite Announcement - United Win Again
Hardwick Sports 3 Wroxton Sports 8 A Sports 100% Beaten By Sports
Bedfont & Feltham 1 Enfield Borough 2 A An Evening With Bob
Bodicote Sports 2 Hardwick Sports 3 A Two In The Bin
Kenilworth Sporting 3 Alcester Town 6 A Romans March On
QPR Women 4 Caversham United Women 0 H Blues And Twos
Harefield United 2 Aylesbury Vale Dynamos 2 D Not Even A Hare's Breadth
Old Bradwell united 0 Milton Keynes Irish 1 A Gone Fishing
Gornal Athletic 1 Old Wulfrunians 0 H No Blog
Darlaston Town 1 Dudley Town 1 3-2p D Robins Need To Raise The Bar
FC Stratford 3 Clanfield 85 3 D Drama At The Home Of Drama
Newent Town 3 Tytherington Rocks 0 H Cooper Has Rocks Over A Barrel
Roade 4 Moulton 1 H Roade Works
Worcester Raiders 2 Newent Town 0 H Step Six Sanitised
Woodstock Town 5 Chinnor 3 H Get Yer Mince Pies On This One
Toternhoe 3 The 61FC 2 H Hoe Hoe Hoe

A Sunday In Swindon - The Story So Far
​
Title Link
Episode One
A Sunday In Swindon - Edition 1
Cup Day A Sunday In Swindon - The Monk's Cup Does Not Runneth Over
Ref! Ref! A Sunday In Swindon - Ref! Ref!
The Cat Drawn Out Of The Hat A Sunday In Swindon - The Cat Drawn Out Of The Hat
4am Project A Sunday In Swindon - The 4am Project
Miracle Monks
A Sunday In Swindon - Miracle Monks
Sinners Still Winners A Sunday In Swindon - Sinners Still Winners
The Jono Show
A Sunday In Swindon - The Jono Show
Don't Want To Talk About It
A Sunday In Swindon - Don't Want To Talk About It
A Game of Two Halves
A Sunday In Swindon - A Game Of Two Halves
Paying The Price A Sunday In Swindon - Paying the Price
Meet The Monks (1)
A Sunday In Swindon - Meet The Monks Part 1
Meet The Monks(2) A Sunday In Swindon - Meet The Monks Part 2 (NSFW Edition)
0 Comments

Hoe Hoe Hoe

29/12/2021

0 Comments

 
PictureWelcome
Is it just me or does everyone else struggle to remember what day it is over the Christmas period? This feeling is not helped this year by the way it has fallen over a weekend meaning that the traditional Boxing Day fixtures have been effectively spread across 2 or 3 days. This Tuesday, 28th December, was an example. A local derby, a traditional Boxing Day fixture, but being played on a Tuesday afternoon (not even an evening kick off). Nevertheless, it was a good chance to get out and watch a game, especially as all my planned games on Monday were washed out. So, Totternhoe versus The 61FC it was then. Less than an hour's drive and a 2pm kick off. Perfect to get back home at a reasonable hour.

The Ground
Totternhoe play their home games at the Totternhoe Recreation Ground on the Eastern edge of the village heading towards Dunstable. There is a fair sized car park behind the club house and plenty of parking in the surrounding streets if necessary. The clubhouse block also incorporates the players and official's changing areas and is situated behind the Dunstable Road end goal. There is covered standing in front of the clubhouse block, known as the Jim Basterfield Stand, named after the Totternhoe legend who stepped down as Club Secretary in June 2020 after 60 years with the club. There are dugouts on the far side of the ground, which appear to be removeable and are put in place before each game. On the Dunstable Road side, where there is also a children's playground, and behind the far goal, the playing area is ring-fenced by a white post and bar barrier. The pitch has a slight slope back towards the car park end and, following the recent weather, was heavy but in better condition than I expected to see (especially as so many games had been postponed in the last couple of days).

The Background
This game was very much a local derby being only just over 5 miles apart. A little bit of research also showed that, effectively, the two grounds are on the same road, Dunstable Road.
Both of these clubs are founder members of the Spartan South Midlands Senior Division and, since the 2004-05 season, have both played in the same division every season, Division Two. Since that time, overall, it is Totternhoe who have the more consistent form having finished in the top half more often than not. However, it is The 61FC who can boast of winning the division, a feat achieved in the 2008-09 season (they also won Division 1 back in the 1980-81 season). Totternhoe have also won Division One, back in 1961-62
Looking back over recent results, Totternhoe certainly hold sway, without a defeat in the last nine league meetings going back to the 2015-16 season. During that period Totts have won seven times with two games ending in a stalemate. The most recent meeting, in the abandoned 2019-20 season, finished The 61FC 0 Totternhoe 2, although the visitors finished the game with 10 men after Dereece O'Callaghan was sent off.
Coming into the game Totternhoe sat in 45th spot, with 29 points from their 16 outings. The 61 were down in 13th spot with 12 points from their 17 games. However, last time out, they did manage a very good 2-1 victory over Risborough Rangers Dev. with goals from Temitayo Akerele and Elijah Babalola. Totternhoe also came into the game on the back of a 2-1 win, away at bottom side Tring Corinthians. This came on the back of consecutive defeats to high-flying Eynesbury United, 2-0 away and 2-1 at home.
PictureTotts clear a corner
The Game
This game started with an absolute bang. Only just over 30 seconds had gone when the visitors keeper was forced to race off his line in an attempt to get to a ball into the box first. He failed, catching the Totternhoe striker and sending him sprawling in the box. Penalty to Totternhoe but, luckily for the visitors, the ball was far enough wide of the goal to not be classed as preventing a clear goal scoring opportunity. Callum Horgan, who was himself to have a very interesting and mixed game, stepped up and slotted the ball home. 1-0
Almost immediately after the restart Totternhoe had the ball back again, breaking down the right. A searching ball into the penalty area found the rampaging left-back Riley Keeble who met it on the volley, stroking the ball just wide of the post. Two minutes later only the intervention of The 61's number 2, heading off the line, prevented Totternhoe from increasing their lead. The home side could easily have been three to the good within the opening 5 or 6 minutes. However, urged on by their captain, The 61 began to steady the ship and stemmed the flow of home attacks. So much so that, in the 12th minute, they were back on level terms. Aron Griffin rode a couple of challenges, burst into the box and slid the ball past Palmer to make it 1-1.
What a start to the game but, as so often happens, neither could sustain the end to end action. Maybe both sides wanted to steady themselves but the game did fizzle out a little with neither side able to gain the upper hand. 

HT Totternhoe 1 The 61FC 1. A blistering start from the home side but they ran out of ideas a little once the visitors woke up. The majority of the half was a fairly even contest on a pitch that started to cut up especially in the centre where most of the action took place.

Picture
Getting dark and muddy
​Totternhoe's start to the second half was not quite a rapid as their first half effort but it wasn't too far off. Five minutes had ticked by when Ryan Adams struck a wicked drive goalward which was just about kept out by a combination of the goalkeeper and the woodwork. However, the visitor's relief was short-lived when the corner was whipped in for an unmarked, stooping Matt Woolaway to head into the bottom corner. 2-1
PictureMatt Woolaway nods home the second (Photo: Leyah Maddix)
​Totternhoe were forced to take Horgan out of the action quite early in the second half after he seemed to hold back a visiting player, preventing a break away. The referee showed some leniency in not showing a second yellow (even though he appeared to reach for his pocket at one point).
Just before the hour mark the 61 keeper was called into action again when a long ball evaded all defenders and ran into the path of Nic Palmer. His dipping drive was palmed away by the keeper, although it may have just been creeping wide anyway. Just past the hour mark it was the turn of Totternhoe keeper Tom Palmer to show his skills, stretching his frame well to tip over a looping effort that may well have just dropped in below the bar. Five minutes later the hosts increased their led and, once again, it was a corner form the left that did the damage. This time the ball was not cleared and captain Johnny Butler was on hand to swivel and fire a left-foot effort past the keeper. 3-1.
Inside the final 20 minutes Totternhoe produced the most fluid move of the game, two or three one-touch passes resulting in Woolaway bursting into the box and lifting the ball over the advancing keeper only to see his effort strike the upright and stay out. There was a moment of hesitation from both the keeper and covering defender before the keeper gratefully dropped on the loose ball before any attackers could react. If that move had resulted in a goal it would certainly have killed the game off. However, three minutes after almost going 4-1 down The 61 produced a good move of their own to pull one back. The ball eventually threaded through to Kaleem Lewis who slotted under the keeper calmly. 3-2

From that point onwards, The 61 threw everything they had at Totternhoe, despite not having any substitutes on the bench and the pitch being heavy, they gave it all they had. In the final minute they won a free-kick just outside the box to the right of the goal. Even their keeper was pushed up. Then all hell broke loose in the box. The home keeper made one close range save, the ball seemed to be scrambled off the line as it pinballed around with pretty much every player seemingly inside the 6 yard box. Finally the referee blew his whistle and signalled a free-kick awards for a foul on the home keeper and that was it. Game over.

FT Totternhoe 3 The 61FC 2. A very hard-earned three points for the home side but, as I said my tweet at the time, even the most hardened Totternhoe supporter must have been full of admiration for the way the visitors kept going today. They had no substitutes, went behind inside a minute, could easily have been 3 down after 6 minutes and then went 3-1 down with 20 minutes to go. A lot of teams would have crumbled but The 61 were still pushing for an equaliser in the very last seconds of the game. Impressive. Next  up for Totternhoe is another local derby as they welcome Pitstone & Ivinghoe  on Monday. It's a longer break for The 61 who don't have a game scheduled until the visit of Tring Corinthians on the 15th.

Note that a couple of the photos included in this blog were not taken by myself. They are the fine work of Leyah Maddix. You can see a selection of her other photos on Flickr (click to link to her albums) or follow her on Instagram: @maddxsp. Many thanks to Leyah for allowing me to use a couple of her shots on this blog.

Totternhoe: T.Palmer, Kent, Keeble, Loasby, Horgan, Butler(c), Taylor, Connolly, Woolaway, Capehorn, Adam. Suns: Alexander, N.Palmer, Beary
The 61FC: Akerele, Bintuuka, Debola, Griffin, Lewis, Boffah, Posso, Reinsford, Rourke, Sahif, Sharpe

Ground Number: 297
Att: 71
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

Picture
Congratulations for the skipper after the third goal (Photo: Leyah Maddix)
0 Comments

Get Yer Mince Pies On This One

19/12/2021

0 Comments

 
PictureWelcome to Woodstock
No game for my girl's team this Saturday so, after wrapping up the last of the Christmas shopping early on, I was given the green light from my wife and daughter to catch another game. Judging by the rise in infection, the number of games getting called off and the latest SAGE recommendations, it might be as well. It is looking as if we will get a break in play soon and, whisper it quietly, the prospect of yet another truncated season. So, after a quick look through The Football Traveller, I decided on a short journey West to the market town of Woodstock for the Hellenic Division Two North match-up between Woodstock Town and Chinnor.
​
The Ground
New Road has long been on my list of grounds to visit but, being close to home, I have repeatedly kept it in reserve for a rainy day when travelling further afield was out of the question. Today was not that rainy but I did make my decision to go to a game quite late, so I needed a reasonably close ground and New Road fitted the bill perfectly. The ground is situated in the heart of the town, within walking distance of the town centre, not a million miles from Blenheim Palace and pretty much surrounded by residential areas. There is a car park at the ground along with some parking on grass just off the car park.

PictureOld school, before the rename
​However, I was quite late arriving and had to park on one of the surrounding roads, of which there are plenty to choose from. Adjacent to the car park on the New Road side of the ground, there is a clubhouse which also houses the changing areas just behind it. The clubhouse has a covered standing area attached to the front of it. opposite are the dugouts which back onto another, smaller pitch. The ground does not have floodlights, possibly due to the proximity of the residential areas, and this has been a problem to the club in the past, restricting them from promotion and then, a few years back when the ground requirements changed, earning them a demotion to Step 7, where they currently reside. Whilst I understand the need for minimum ground requirements, in this case it does seem to be a shame because the ground itself is of a decent standard. I was particularly impressed with the offer of a free mince pie to go with my pre-match cup of tea. A very nice touch at this time of year.

The Background
This was very much a mid-table clash. At the start of play Chinnor sat in sixth spot on 19 points from their 10 games. One place below them, on 17 points but having played three games more, were Woodstock. They met in the revers fixture on the opening day of the season with Woodstock coming back from Station Road with all three points after a 1-0 win. Woodstock finished the game with 10 men after Mason Horwood saw red, Ben Strong getting the winner. This remains Chinnor's only home league defeat of the season.
The visitors had been on a good run in the league. Since they lost 2-0 to Adderbury Park at the end of October, they had won four on the bounce scoring 23 and conceding 4. Conversely, Woodstock came into the game on the back of four consecutive defeats, two of which came against Buckingham Athletic Development, who two weeks ago rattled in eight at Stratford Fields.

PictureClubhouse in the background
​The Game
I managed to get sight of the Woodstock team sheet before kick off but didn't see the Chinnor sheet, so apologies that I only have shirt numbers. I will gladly edit if/when I have the names.
It was the visitors who started the better, getting their noses ahead as early as the fifth minute when Number 11 produced some good work down the left, getting to the by line and cutting get ball back. Number 9, bursting in to the box, drilled the ball emphatically past Gareth Walker to put Chinnor in front. 0-1
The goal clearly woke Woodstock up and they responded accordingly, pushing Chinnor backwards almost immediately. The equaliser did not take long to transpire either. Elliott Powell just about getting to the ball first to power a left-foot drive past the goalkeeper just as he was tackled. 1-1
It was now the turn of the home side to take the upper hand, moving the ball about well to create a few chances. Chinnor had something of a lucky escape on 16 minutes when what looked like a clear case of hand to ball was not punished by the officials. To be fair, I couldn't see if it was in or out of the area but it did look to be a clear handball from my vantage point. Eight minutes later the home side were awarded a free-kick just outside the penalty area and to the left of the goal as the looked at it. With the goalkeeper and defence expecting a ball towards the far post Jason Trinder went for goal, catching the keeper out and beating him at the near post. 2-1.
With the home side now in front and looking the more likely to get another goal, it really looked like it may be a long afternoon for Chinnor, especially when they conceded another free-kick just outside the box. This time, however, Trinder curled his effort just over the bar. Credit to Chinnor though, they steadied the ship somewhat and began to make a few inroads themselves. Four minutes before half-time it appeared they had been rewarded for their hard work and would go in level at the break. A pinpoint cross from Sam Tanner just eluded the covering defender but was perfect for Chinnor's Number 9 who gratefully nodded the ball home. 2-2
Maybe the visitors relaxed a little too soon, however, because they had hardly stopped celebrating when they were behind again. A ball threaded up the left flank was flicked on despite the home player being fouled from behind. The referee played advantage, allowing Harris Kilburn to run onto the loose ball, drive into the box and place a perfect shot into the far corner. 3-2

HT Woodstock Town 3 Chinnor 2. An entertaining half with both sides looking capable of grabbing more goals.

PictureTown defend a corner
Both sides looked up for it at the start of the second half. The strangest thing about the second period was the fact that it took 17 minutes for us to get another goal. When it came it was yet another Chinnor equaliser. A free-kick from way out on the left was not cleared properly and Chinnor's Number 6 drilled the ball home from 10 yards. 3-3
Once again though Chinnor almost got caught cold after scoring. Only three minutes later they had their keeper to thank for keeping them level, making a good save with his feet when Powell looked odds-on to put Town back in front. At this point the game could have gone either way. Both sides looked capable of scoring and both looked capable of conceding. With fifteen left on the clock and piece of individual magic from Matheus Medeiros almost got the hosts in front. The midfielder weaved his way into the penalty area, leaving two or three defenders in his wake before unleashing a powerful drive from 8 yards which the visitor's keeper did brilliantly to block. I'm not sure he knew that much about it and may even have blocked it with his face, but it was one hell of a stop. The keeper needed a little treatment when play stopped, presumably from taking the full force of the shot. It was the start of 10 minutes of play that the visitor's keeper would be heavily involved in. Not too long after Medeiros had ben denied the same player  was on hand at the edge of the area to fire in a low, left-footed drive which this time did beat the keeper. 4-3.
​I'm not too sure what sparked the Chinnor complaints but, whatever it was, the keeper clearly went too far with his protestations and was sin-binned by the referee. Since  sin-binning was brought it, I have seen a few, but this was the first time I had seen a keeper dismissed and, in this case, it was as good as a dismissal because with under 10 minutes to go, the keeper was not going to get chance to re-join play. Consequently, Chinnor were down to 10 men and had an outfield player in goal for the final 7 minutes plus stoppage time.
Into injury time, with Chinnor trying to push up for an equaliser, they made the mistake of leaving Marcello Guilherme unmarked inside the box and substitute punished them by sliding home the fifth goal from close range. 5-3

FT Woodstock Town 5 Chinnor 3. A good game for a neutral to enjoy. Plenty of incident, eight goals, quite a few comments flying backwards and forwards between locals and rival players and a few contentious refereeing decisions to fuel the unrest. Quality entertainment with no entry fee. You really can't knock it. No games for wother side over Christmas but they will both, hopefully, resume on January 8th, both with away games. Woodstock at second-bottom Long Crendon Reserves and Chinnor back in Oxfordshire to face Heyford Athletic, who are just above both Chinnor and Woodstock in fifth spot.
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all at both Woodstock Town and Chinnor FC.

Woodstock Town: Gareth Walker, Trinder, Parsons, Mays(c), Dawson, Cavalcante, Medeiros, Kilburn, Powell, Carlisle, Morton. Subs: Basham, Horwood, George Walker, Guilherme


Ground Number: 296
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A


Picture
Trinder's 2nd free-kick goes over the bar
0 Comments

It's A Sunday Thing (Dec 19)

17/12/2021

0 Comments

 
The last weekend before Christmas and, once again, we don't have a full complement of teams playing on Sunday. In fact, this weekend, we have just the one team in action. Caversham United are not in action and Jovial Monk also have a free week after their opponents, Rudi's FC, pulled out of the league. So, it's all on the ladies this weekend.

Caversham United Women
The Lady Goats are back in Berks/Bucks action this weekend as they make the trip to Buckinghamshire to take on Division 3 North side Aylesbury United in the Quarter-Final. The Ducks have got to this round without actually kicking a ball, having received a home walkover in both previous rounds against Beaconsfield and Newport Pagnell Town. League-wise they are just below mid-table having won three of their nine games so far. One thing that is certainly not in short supply at their games is goals. So far, in the league, there have been 60 goals scored in 9 matches. Unfortunately for United, they have conceded 41 of that 60. Caversham's progress in this cup has also been full of goals. They began with a 13-0 demolition of Wraysbury, following it up with a 7-1 win at Holyport. They'll be looking for a response to last weekend's 2-1 home league defeat to local rivals Tilehurst Panthers. Top cup scorer Tiff Newland will also be looking to add to her tally of 6 goals in the tournament so far.

Aylesbury United Ladies v Caversham United Women
KO 13:00. Fairfield Leys, HP17 8QQ.
0 Comments

Step Six Sanitised

16/12/2021

0 Comments

 
PictureElectronic scoreboard
Once again this week I had swapped my usual Tuesday evening night out for Wednesday. There were fewer games to choose from but also meant I had a 3G pitch on my list, with far less chance of the weather causing a last minute change of plan. So, Worcester Raiders at The Sixways Stadium it was. To be honest, this was something of a pilgrimage for me. As a kid, growing up in the West Midlands, my Dad was an upholsterer for a Bilston based company that had the contract for all Banks's establishments. During school holidays I would often accompany him and his workmates to jobs, helping to tidy up and carry materials around. One such day they were making the short journey down the M5 to Worcester Rugby Club. At that time there was no stadium, just the club and rugby pitch (possibly multiple rugby pitches. It was close to half a century ago, my memory isn't that good). I do remember that I spent a good part of that day kicking a ball around the pitch and trying a few conversion kicks (probably unsuccessfully). I've been past the the motorway junction many times in the intervening years and have seen the ground grow into the stadium complex that exists these days. However, I have never been back there to watch a game. Until this Wednesday.

PictureGive me a W
​The Ground
To say that Sixways has changed since the 70s is an understatement. The site bears no resemblance to the old rugby ground that I remember. For a start, there is a now a large, four-sided, stadium in place of the old 3rd team rugby pitch. There is a very large car park (partially taken up with a Christmas fairground at the moment) and a David Lloyd gym opposite the main stand. The stadium was originally reconstructed for the Worcester Warriors Rugby Club which plays in the top flight of English club rugby. As such it has close to a 12,000 capacity, electronic scoreboards, restaurants, bars, fan zones and an indoor training centre. Raiders moved into the stadium last year after Warriors' co-owners became majority owners of the football club. Previously they were ground-sharing with Worcester City at Claines Lane.
For the purpose of football it seems that only the largest stand, the East Stand, is open to the paying public. Entry to the ground is only through ticket, which needs to be purchased at the ticket office window under the East Stand. There is a bar at the top of the stand, open on match days.
It's quite an impressive stadium, very impressive for a Step 6 football team. The floodlights, which are in the shape of a W, can be controlled to create a sort of light show, used to good effect when the teams emerge and when Raiders score. The South Stand has the letters WRFC outlined by the seat colours. Presumably this was originally for Worcester Rugby Football Club but works equally as well for Worcester Raiders Football Club.
Being 3G the pitch is, of course, perfectly flat. Interestingly, there are no dugouts as such. Some chairs had been provided for the visitors with the Raiders substitutes and staff sitting in the seats behind the coaches technical area. I couldn't find fault with Sixways as a stadium. It's modern and clean, has easy access and plenty of parking. However, as the blog title suggests, it takes a little getting used to at this level. I actually enjoy standing at the side of a muddy pitch watching football. This felt a little too clan and today for my particular taste. having said that, you have to admire what they are doing at Sixways and, with the team currently top of the league, who knows where it will take them? After all, the rugby club were playing in the sixth tier 30 years ago.

Picture
WRFC. Rugby, Raiders or both
The Background
This is the first season that these two teams have been in the same division and, with no evidence that they have met in any FA competitions, the meeting between them on the opening day appears to be the only other time they have faced each other. That game saw Raiders win 3-1 at Wildsmith Meadow, despite having Jaber Ahmed sent off.
The game set the tome for both team's seasons to a certain extent. Raiders have gone from strength to strength losing just four out of eighteen before this game and sitting atop the Hellenic Division One table. Newent came into the game with four wins from their nineteen games but had won two and drawn one of their last four league outings, including a 4-1 demolition of high-flying FC Stratford who were, at that time, top of the league. They also recently progressed in the Gloucestershire FA Trophy with a 3-0 defeat of Western League rivals Tytherington Rocks, a game that BotP watched last week (Cooper Has Rocks Over A Barrel)
​
PictureRaiders early corner
​The Game
In a very lively opening few minutes it was the visitors who created the first real chance of the game when after just 2 minutes, star striker Jordan Cooper was set free on the left of the box. His cross-shot beat Young but went wide of the far post. Very much a warning shot across the boughs of Raiders. They responded accordingly and, two minutes later, came close themselves when Richard Smith put a header narrowly over Goode's bar. Two minutes after that the home side came even closer when, following a left-wing corner, all sorts of chaos ensued in the Newent six-yard box, with the ball seemingly scrambled off the line a couple of times before The Daffs finally managed to clear completely. The melee left home striker Connor Deards in a heap behind the goal and, after some treatment, he was replaced.
The relief for Newent was short-lived however. Just before the 10 minute mark the home side took the lead with a very well crafted goal. Captain Logan Stoddart, who was to have a very mixed evening, produced a superb, raking cross-field pass from just about the halfway line, finding Kai Mahon. The former Cheltenham Saracens player chested the ball down, cut inside and fired past Goode to make it 1-0. On the face of it a simple goal, one long ball, two more touches and a shot. However, there was a great deal of skill in both the pass from Stoddart and the initial take and control from Mahon.
Raiders were now on top. Their combination play, mixing some short passing moves with the occasional long ball down either flank, was making life difficult for Newent. After 20 minutes the home side's efforts paid off again and it was more individual skill that created the goal. Isaac Cooper somehow managed to twist and turn his way free in the centre of the penalty area before rounding Goode and sliding the ball into the net. 2-0.
In all honesty there were few Newent chances in the first half although they did manage to stretch Ryan Young just past the half-hour mark. Once again it was Jordan Cooper with the effort, turning sharply on the edge of the box and firing in a good shot that Young had to dive to his right in order to palm away.

HT Worcester Raiders 2 Newent Town 0. A good half from the home side who took control for most of the 45 minutes. Their pressing from the front, attacking play and range of passing has caused a lot of problems for The Daffs.

PictureDefending the South stand
​The second period did not start in the manner that the home side would have wanted. Five minutes in Newent attacked down the left wing. Nippy winger Jake Bevan got to a bouncing ball just ahead of Worcester's captain Logan Stoddart. Bevan headed the ball past the defender just as he was trying to clear his lines. The result was that it was actually Bevan who took the brunt of the defender's attempted clearance and, as he had already been booked, the referee had no alternative than to issue a second yellow and a red. Stoddart was clearly not happy, throwing his shin pads down the tunnel as he trudged off. You could still hear his loud, angry, shouts after he had disappeared towards the changing rooms.
Despite the man advantage and, not surprisingly, having a lot more possession than in the first half, Newent still struggled to create clear opportunities. Their best efforts seemed to come down the right flank where they managed to whip in a few crosses. One of these was met by a glancing Jordan Cooper header but the ball drifted wide of the far post without Young having to make a stop.
Raiders reorganised their ranks well at the back and seemed quite happy to protect their two goal lead whilst launching the occasional raid forward. When they did break, they looked dangerous. Goode had to still be on his guard and was called into action when stand-in skipper Joe Billingham tested him from range.

Raiders are a good footballing side but also have an edge to them. Mahan, who got the first goal, picked up a yellow in the second half and could count himself lucky that he hadn't already had one for an offence in the first half. That said, the way that Raiders set themselves up after going down to 10 was admirable. In fact, towards the end of the game, it was Raiders who looked the more likely to add to their tally with both Smith and Simmonds calling Goode into action. The Newent keeper, however, was in no mood to have his goal breached again, producing two very good blocks.

FT Worcester Raiders 2 Newent Town 0. Raiders did the damage in the first half and, despite being down to 10 men for the majority of the second, managed the game effectively to gain the three points. No game for Raiders on Saturday but they host Moreton Rangers at Sixways next Wednesday evening. Newent, meanwhile, host Clanfield 85 on Saturday, their last game of 2021.


Worcester Raiders: Young, L.Stoddart(c), White, Carey, J.Stoddart, Stratford, Cooper, Billingham, Smith, Deards, Mahan. Subs: Thompson, Ahmed, Yates, Simmonds, Mountjoy
Newent Town: Goode(c), Guinane, Griffiths, Brown, Barry, Woodward, Nutting, Davies, Cooper, Weir, Bevan. Subs: Coakley, Pemberton, Evans


Ground Number: 295
Att: 
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: £1.00

Picture
Ticket & Programme
0 Comments

A Sunday In Swindon - Paying the Price

14/12/2021

0 Comments

 
Jovial Monk's boss Shaun Smith and myself had plenty in common this weekend. Some of the problems faced by a Sunday league Coach/Manager and girl's Saturday league team are remarkably similar. It's not the football that causes the sleepless nights, early mornings, and last minute changes of plan. It's the players. Whether it's injury, oversleeping or just plain throwing toys out of the pram, it's always the coach that is left to sort out the mess.

I had a private message on Twitter at 7:50 Sunday morning that plainly outlined the joys of Sunday league. No referee, so Shaun was set to take up the whistle. No regular centre-backs available, top striker out injured. These are the sort of things that many don't see. Don't forget, this is more than two and a half hours before kick-off on a Sunday morning, but the coach is already up and trying to sort out the details of the game.

The good news, as it happened, Shaun did not have to referee the game. The bad news was, that was the highlight of the day. Monk had a total of eleven players unavailable for one reason or another. One player wanted to be subbed off after 15 minutes and the only recognised defender also had to be replaced in the first half. During that time, Monk switched off at the back twice and conceded two goals, the only two chances Borough made.

HT Gorsehill Borough 2 Jovial Monk 0

The second half was an improvement with Monk starting to look a bit more like themselves. However, they couldn't find the net and, as Shaun said, they could have been playing until next Sunday and not scored.

FT Gorsehill Borough 2 Jovial Monk 0. Another thing that we had in common. My team lost 2-0 as well.

Borough jump to second in the table, two points behind AFC Stratton. Monk are now 5 points off the top, down in fifth place. Next weekend they face sixth placed Mario's FC who are level on points with Monk. This could be a pivotal game. A win puts either team back in contention at the top. A defeat would leave quite a gap to the leaders, although two of the teams above, Gorsehill and DPR, go face to face. A draw would be little use to either team.
0 Comments

Roade Works

13/12/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
After presiding over a second defeat in 2 weeks for my girls in the morning and with wife and daughter opting for a shopping trip, I decided it would be good to take myself off to a game on Saturday. A little time to mull over how to get the girls back to winning ways and to take in a new ground. it's always good to get to games a bit further down the pyramid on Saturdays, teams who don't/can't play midweek games. After flicking through @footballtrav, I could see there were a number of options within easy reach of home but the one that stuck out for me was the visit of third-placed Moulton FC to league leaders Roade Fc in the Northants Combination. Only just over 30 minutes from home and a 2pm kick off, meaning that I would be home nice and early. Perfect, so long as it was on. The rain had started to come down quite hard as I left home and I was really hoping that it would let up by the time I had made the trip over the A43 to Northamptonshire. As it happened, it didn't quite knock off completely, but there was never any risk of the game being postponed.
​The Ground
Upon reaching the reasonably sized car park at Roade's Hyde Road ground, my first impression was that it was way above and beyond most Step 7 venues. Further inspection proved me to be absolutely correct. The facilities at Roade FC are, not to put too fine a point on it, superb for a club playing at this level. There is a recently renovated clubhouse and bar which also shows matches on large screens. Pitch side there is also the Halfway Line snack bar which serves hot and cold drinks and snacks. The club also provides football from under 6 level through to adult and is a Wildcats Centre (something close to my heart as a former Wildcats and now girl's league coach). The club appears to be an extremely well run and professional outfit, from the logoed signage to the majority of club officials wearing clubwear.

Picture
Pick a dugout
The pitch, which is mostly surrounded by white pole fencing, itself slopes slightly upwards from the car park end, but it's not a massive slope. There are three dugouts at Roade, two on the far side of the pitch and one on the clubhouse side. This dugout is used by the home team, with one on the far side being designated for the away team. the other dugout seems to double as a little bit of cover for any spectators. There are no stands as such, but the majority of the home support gathered around the snack bar which does have cover over a small patio area.
I'll be honest, I loved the feel of the place. The club, I believe, want to be an integral part of the community and, to me, it felt as though they were achieving this rather well. For any groundhoppers out there who have not been to Roade, I heartily recommend it (although try to pick a day with better weather than Saturday).
​
PictureThe home dugout
 ​The Background
This game pitted together the runaway league leaders, Roade, with one of the chasing pack, third placed Moulton. I guess it was also something of a local derby with Moulton only having to travel just over 11 miles. 
The home side had a ten point gap at the top of the table having only lost twice in fifteen games, the most recent being a 2-1 home defeat to third-placed Blisworth a month ago. Moulton, despite being 11 points shy of their hosts, came into the game having also only having suffered two defeats all season and having three games in hand of Roade. Tellingly, however, one of those two defeats had come just over a month ago when Roade had beaten them 4-0 on their own patch.

The Game
Apologies for the lack of names, especially on the Moulton side. I didn't manage to get a look at the team sheets. More than happy to re-edit the blog and apply names if/when I get them.
Roade started the game well but it was the visitors from who opened the scoring on 6 minutes, with their first effort on goal. Their number 3 (or possibly number 2. My eyesight is not what it was) curling a beautiful left-footed effort around the home keeper from just outside the box. 0-1
​It took Roade a few minutes to recover from going behind but, with only 11 minutes on the clock they levelled the game. A near post cross from the right was contested by the visitor's goalkeeper and a Roade striker. Both missed it but following in behind, to stop and nod the ball over the line, was Roade's number 9. 1-1.
The game had opened now with both sides looking to get their noses in front. The game was also getting quite feisty. A combination of the conditions and the competitive nature of both teams, leading to some crunching tackles. Fair play to both teams though, it never looked like it would get out of hand.
Roade, kicking down the slight slope, were certainly getting more of the ball then their visitors, but neither side could muster another goal. That is until the 34th minute when Roade completed the turnaround. Moulton's keeper was down well to parry an effort from Number 10 but Number 9 was once again Johnny on the spot to snap up the rebound. 2-1

HT Roade 2 Moulton 1. Cracking first half with all the ingredients for a proper game of football. The home side are just about on top but this could still go either way.

PictureSecond half Moulton free-kick
Roade were back out early for the second half but it was probably Moulton who looked slightly livelier in the first few minutes, looking to get back on level terms as early as possible. To be fair to them, they tried to take the game to their hosts for the majority of the half but were constantly thwarted by a stoic and well organised home defence that had the superb aerial command of Jake Hogben at the heart of it. I don't think the Roade defender lost a single header in the entire game. It's not that often I single out individuals but I was very impressed with Hogben's defensive performance. 
Just as we approached the hour mark Roade gave themselves some breathing space. A corner form the left was swung towards the back post where their Number 10 planted a practically unchallenged header back past the goalkeeper. 3-1
Ten minutes later the same player almost repeated the trick but this time could only watch as his header came back off the bar. However, in the 88th minute with Moulton sending as many forward as they could, Roade caught their opponents short at the back. Number 7 played in Number 10 who calmly slotted home his second and Roade's fourth goal. 4-1

FT Roade 4 Moulton 1. From a neutral's perspective, a great game to watch and certainly nowhere near as one-sided as the score line might suggest. Two good teams who were fully committed for the full 90 minutes.
Looking at the fixture list as it stands, Roade now don't have a scheduled game until, the first weekend of January when they travel to Corby Pegasus. Meanwhile, Moulton make the journey to mid-table Woodford United next Saturday.
As you may have gathered I loved my first trip to Roade. A proper football ground, clearly a well run club and a thoroughly entertaining game between two good sides. I didn't manage to work out how to stop my girl's team shipping goals, but we have a few weeks before our next game so I'm sure something will come to me.
Merry Christmas to all at Roade FC and Moulton FC, best wishes for the New Year and the remainder of the season.

Roade: Abrams(c), Faulkner, Healey, Hogben, Joyce, Lewis, McDonald, Mcadoo, Roberts, Seaton, Torto. Subs: Healey, Kirby, 

Ground Number: 294
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

Picture
0 Comments

It's A Sunday Thing (Dec 12)

10/12/2021

0 Comments

 
Fingers crossed the weather holds out for all teams playing on Sunday .

Jovial Monk
Monk return to the fold with a trip into the Cotswolds as they face third-placed Gorsehill Borough who play in the lovely town of Lechlade. This is a rearranged game after the original match in October was postponed. Borough have not played a league game since a 9-1 demolition of Rudi's on November 14th. The Division 2 table is still quite tight. However, AFC Stratton have now established a 3 point gap over Casuals at the top, so both sides will be looking for three points to stay in contention. Borough have only played two home league games so far, winning one and losing one. Monk, on the other hand, are taking an unbeaten away record with them.
Gorsehill Borough v Jovial Monk
KO 10:30.Lechlade Memorial Hall & Pavilion, GL7 3AY


Caversham United
The Goats face a very difficult looking away game at second placed Westwood Wanderers, who have only dropped five points in their ten games so far. The task is made even more ominous because it is only two weeks since Wanderers won 8-1 at Mapeldurham in the reverse fixture. Caversham are looking to put an end to a winless run that stretches back to a 4-3 win at Loxwood in October. Westwood are, unfortunately for Caversham, on a very decent run having won their last four games with an aggregate of 26-3. Still, every good run has to come to an end sometime.
Westwood Wanderers v Caversham United
KO 10:30. Linear Park, RG31 7AW

Caversham United Women
After seeing their daunting trip to league-leaders Badshot Lea postponed, the Goat Women instead welcome second-placed Tilehurst Panthers who have lost just twice this season in eight games. Their last defeat came against the league leaders (3-0) since when they have won three on the bounce, two in the league and a cup win at Charlbury. United bring a good run of form into the game, winning their last three in all competitions. They also have the knowledge of a early season defeat of Tilehurst on their own patch, Rosie Page-Smith, Holly Swan and Freya Jenkins scoring in a 3-2 win.
KO 14:00. Mapeldurham Playing Fields, RG4 7ER.

This weekend we also give a special shout out to The Glassgirls, Stourbridge FC Ladies. They take on Sheffield united Women in the FA Cup on Sunday. The match with be played at the home of Stourbridge FC (War Memorial Ground, Stourbridge, DY8 4HN). ko 1pm.
0 Comments

Cooper Has Rocks Over A Barrel

9/12/2021

1 Comment

 
PictureEntrance
​After Tuesday evening's potential games were completely wiped out by Storm Barra, I was down to three potential visits for Wednesday. Number one on my list was Newent Town v Tytherington Rocks in the Gloucestershire FA Challenge Trophy. I must admit, I was doubtful that it would go ahead. Worcester City's game, not a million miles away was called off, so I had the possibility of Lichfield City v Wolverhampton Casuals, on Lichfield's artificial surface, as insurance.
However, a few tweets from the club pointed to the game being definitely on. So, I headed off on the 90 minute drive through the Cotswolds hoping that a sudden downpour wouldn't put paid to the game whilst I was in transit (it wouldn't be the first time that it has happened). So, when I approached the ground after driving through some fairly heavy rain on the way, I was very relieved to see floodlights glaring and cars already in the car park.

PictureMain stand
​The Ground
Newent's Wildsmith Meadow Ground is situated about half a mile East of the market town. One thing to note for first time visitors is that the SatNav will take you to Hooks Lane, which runs directly behind one of the goals. However, the car park and ground entrance is actually off the main B4215 road that takes you into Newent. The ground is set back from and slightly raised from the road. There is a good sized car park for spectators in front of the ground, with separate parking for players and officials behind the club house. The gated entrance takes you into the ground behind the club house end goal and this is where all of the facilities are located. The club house opens out onto a patio area directly behind the goal, protected by a net (as is the goal at the opposite, Hooks Lane, end). Dug outs are on the left hand side, as you look from the club house. There is a single spectator stand situated on the opposite side which is where the majority of spectators seem to gather. However, on this evening, with a very cold wind blowing, I found that the dugout side of the pitch, bounded by a tall fence, actually provided much more protection from the weather.

PictureOut come the teams
​The Background
As always when I research a game, I look into the the towns as well as the football teams, especially any famous local residents. Newent certainly does not disappoint in this area, Vicky Holland (World Triathlon champion 2018), Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin (the town has a gold post box for their 2012 Olympic efforts) are amongst the people listed. However, the one that caught my eye, as someone who has always had a big interest in music, was Joe Meek, 'The Telstar man', who was born in the town and has a blue plaque in Market Square. I hadn't realised just how many top hits of the early 60s were down to Meek and, I certainly didn't know about the tragic and premature end to his life (he killed his landlady and then shot himself at the age of 37). However, this is a football blog not a music history blog, so back to the footy.
Despite this being a cup game and the clubs now playing in different league structures since The Rocks moved to the Western League in the Summer, there is a bit of league history between the clubs. In fact, they met once last season a 4-2 win for Newent at Wildsmith Meadow. recent previous meetings also show that The Daffs very much have the upper hand against Tytherington. They met twice in the 2019-20 season, Newent won 2-0 at Tytherington but went down 3-2 at home. The season before that, the sides met four times with Newent winning on all four occasion with an aggregate score of 17-2. All of which pointed to a difficult night for the visitors.
This season in the league, both sides are below halfway in their respective division. Newent sit 13th in Division 1 of the Hellenic League with 16 points from their 19 games. Tytherington, in Division 1 of the Western League, are 15th with 25 points from 22 games. They had already played a game in the Gloucestershire FA Challenge Trophy, beating Bristol Telephones on penalties to earn tonight's trip to Newent.

PictureRocks defend a 1st half corner
​The Game
Apologies for lack of Rocks player names. Will add if/when I get them.
​The teams entered the field to the tune of Faithless' Insomnia. Then within a few minutes, Tytherington had deployed a towel so that their number 16 could launch a long throw into the home box. It was like being back at The Hawthorns.
The visitors were well on top from the first whistle, penning Newent back inside their own half. After just 4 minutes Rocks' number 10 got the ball out on the right and drove towards the box and the by-line. His low, driven cross seemed to be turned against the bar by one of the home defenders, coming down on the line and bouncing to safety. There were loud claims that it had crossed the line from the Rocks players but the assistant on the far side kept his flag down. As I was the other side of the ground and towards the other end it is impossible for me to say if it went in or not, although I did hear a couple of people talking in the second half who seemed convinced that it was over the line (and they were, I think, home supporters).
Just three minutes later Number 10 was at it again, showing that he had enough pace to beat his defender with ease, he once again put in a great low cross. This time Number 9 put the shot wide from 10 yards, when he really should have scored. Rocks could easily have been two up in the opening seven minutes and were very much on top.
This pattern continued with Newent seemingly unable to get out of their own half. Rocks engineered at least one more good opportunity before 20 minutes had passed, but still could not find the net. They would come to rue this fact.
Newent did start to get their act together and looked to have an out ball onto their left flank but were consistently caught offside, allowing Rocks to push them back into their own half. Newent were however starting to prevent Rocks from creating as many chances. Then, with just about 30 minutes on the clock and as so often happens in these situations, Newent caught Rocks with a sucker punch. It was a goal of some simplicity, a ball straight through the centre of the visitor's defence found Jordan Cooper running free. He rounded the advancing goalkeeper and stroked the ball into the net. 1-0.
The goal changed the game considerably. Newent were now on the front foot and only four minutes later they doubled their lead. Again it was Cooper, put in on the right-hand side of the box he finished low and hard to the near post with his weaker right foot. 2-0. What a strange game! After seeming to be incapable of even getting out of their own half for 20 minutes The Daffs found themselves two goals to the good 14 minutes later.
Rocks were rocked but not down by any means. As half-time approached they came very close to getting a goal back when Number 3 saw his header cleared of the Newent line. Good covering from the defender.

HT Newent Town 2 Tytherington Rocks 0. As a neutral the score at the break seemed very harsh on the visitors who had dominated play for half of the first 45 minutes. However, you have to take your chances when you are on top. They didn't and were made to pay the price.

PictureSecond half header goes narrowly over
​Newent were out early for the second half and were immediately up for the game again, clearing not wanting a repeat to the start of the first half when they looked well off the pace. Within a couple of minutes of the restart a Cooper free-kick forced the Tytherington keeper to make a good save at full stretch to his left and never really looked as if they were about to allow their visitors to get back into the game.
As a neutral the game needed a goal for Tytherington, but their threat seemed to have waned from the first half and Newent's defence, even after centre-half Fin Brown was taken off early in the second period, was not under anywhere near as much pressure as in the first half.
Five minutes past the hour mark, Newent sealed their progress to the next round. Once again it was Jordan Cooper, grabbing his hat-trick with the goal of the game. After Rocks lost the ball in the centre of the field, it was threaded through to Jordan, running diagonally right to left across the box, his superb left foot drive flew past the keeper into the far top corner. 3-0
From this point onwards the game was effectively over, and both sides knew it. Tytherington never gave up trying to get a goal back but their opportunities were in the first half and they didn't seem to be able to match the intensity of the early pressure. Newent were content with 3-0 and rightly so. They seemed much more concerned to keep a clean sheet than to add to their score.

FT Newent Town 3 Tytherington Rocks 0. After a rocky start, the home side took control of the game, especially in the second period. The third goal after 65 minutes effectively ended the match as a contest.
This was the second time I had seen Newent play, but the first visit to their home ground. The other game was almost 2 years ago at Moreton Rangers, a game they also won (Daffs Bloom).
​

Newent Town: Goode(c), Guinane, Griffiths, Barry, Brown, Davies, Hawkins, Lloyd, Cooper, Weir, Bevan. Suns: Woodward, Pemberton, Coakley, Allard

Ground Number: 293
Att: 
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: N/A

1 Comment

Drama At The Home Of Drama

5/12/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
This Saturday I was back on the road, heading up to the home of English drama, Stratford, for an Hellenic Division 1 clash between FC Stratford and Clanfield 85. However, even the bard himself could not have come up with a storyline to match the finish to this game

The Ground
FC Stratford, originally known as Stratford town 'A', were only formed back in 2007. They changed their name to FC Stratford for the 2010-11 season whilst still playing at Stratford Town's ground in Knights lane. At the end of last season, following the league re-structures, they were promoted from Step 7 (Midland League Division 2) into the Hellenic League Division 1 Step 6) and moved home to The Home Guard Club in the village of Tiddington on the North-Eastern side of Stratford-Upon-Avon, not too far away from their previous home. There is a reasonable sized car park just off Main Street which is just a very short walk to the the ground entrance which is through a portable turnstile system, placed across the entrance driveway, which can be taken down later. I've never seen one of these before, it's possibly even unique in non-league (I guess someone may tell me differently). There is a fairly large two storey clubhouse to the right of the pitch as you enter. This houses all of the facilities, bar, snack bar, toilets and changing areas for players and officials. The pitch itself is surrounded by an asphalt road or running track. The dugouts are on the same side as the club house and, as yet, there are no covered spectator areas aside from the clubhouse and the patio in front of the clubhouse.

Picture
The Home Guard Club
The Background
The teams were coming into the game in third and fourth places respectively, although it came on the back of a fairly torrid period for Stratford which had see their Manager Danny Janes, his assistant Tom Milward and a few players all leave the club in the last couple of weeks. Despite all of this, the club were still in a good position, just three points behind leaders Worcester Raiders going into this game and having won 4-2 at Stonehouse Town last time out. Clanny's run of three league games without defeat had come to an end last Saturday when they went down 2-1 against Worcester Raiders at The Sixways Stadium. The clubs had already met once this season, an early September league fixture at Radcot Road that saw Stratford beat their hosts 2-0 with goals from Tom Daccus and Dean Poulson. This, as far as I can see, is the only previous meeting between the teams.

PictureFC Stratford corner
​The Game
Clanfield were very quick out of the blocks on a blustery afternoon. They were immediately on the front foot, penning Stratford inside their own half. They got their reward for their efforts as early as the 3rd minute when Craig Connor struck a rasping drive from just outside the penalty area, arrowing the ball beyond the reach of Louis Sone into the far corner. 0-1
Maybe the goal was required to wake the home side up because within seven minutes they were back on level terms when a low cross from the left-wing was turned in at the near post by Jensen Gaye. 1-1.
There was plenty of endeavour from both sides in the ensuing 15 minutes or so. Maybe the high work rate was down to the biting cold wind that was gusting across the pitch, something I can attest to because I certainly chose the wrong day to forget my gloves. Tweeting had to be kept to a minimum.
Just before the half hour mark the home side got their noses in front. This time the danger came from the opposite flank when Robbie Sone produced some good wing play on the right before putting across a nice cross that was gratefully despatched by Tom Daccus. 2-1
Once again, both sides continued to push for goals in what was a very evenly balanced game. Stratford had the goal advantage now but were far from comfortable with Clanfield causing plenty of problems, particularly down the left through Jack Belenger and the overlapping full-back runs of Josh Grant. However, neither side could muster another goal in the first half and we all headed off the get a bit of warmth back in our bones before the second period.

HT FC Stratford 2 Clanfield 1. A great start from the away side, deservedly taking the lead. Credit to Stratford for fighting back. Overall a pretty even half. The game could go either way.

PictureDeclan Sheppard scores from the spot
​As they did in the first half, Clanfield were first to hit their stride after the break. With only 5 minutes gone they won a penalty for which the home side could have no complaints. Declan Sheppard stepped up and made no mistake. 2-2. The goal signalled a concerted effort from the visitors to press on and win the game. They were noticeably more urgent to keep the game flowing than Stratford were, even employing one of their player, who had recently been subbed off, to run around the pitch collecting any stray balls in an effort to keep the game moving. Despite their efforts, Clanfield were finding it difficult to muster clear cut chances and still had to be wary of Stratford who, despite being pushed back for thr majority of the half, posed a real threat when they did get a chance to break, with Dan Adkins in central midfield invariably leading the charge.
However, no goals transpired for either side and, as we approached the final minute of normal time, a lot of the supporters on the clubhouse side were looking forward getting back into the bar or their cars for some much needed warmth. Little did any of us know that so much action was going to be packed into so few minutes.
It all started in the 90th minute. Clanfield had been pushing for a winner when Stratford managed to break up an attack and launch a rare foray of their own. The ball was played in from the right wing and met by the head of Robbie Sone. It looked destined for the top corner but somehow Luke Haley got a fingertip to it, diverting the ball against the bar and away to safety. Two minutes later that save looked to have been even more important when Clanfield launched another attack of their own. Louis Sone was forced into an excellent save, parrying a vicious strike from the right. The keeper was unfortunate to see the ball fall into the path of Clanny substitute Callum Crook, who rifled the rebound back past him to set off wild scenes amongst the players and staff of Clanfield. 2-3
As it happens though, this celebration was much ado about nothing as Stratford went straight back down the other end and forced a very late equaliser through Tom Daccus. 3-3. I'll be honest, the goal came so quickly that I was still trying to Tweet what I thought had been a Clanfield winner, with my frozen fingers, and only looked up in time to see the ball hit the net. Suh drama, so late on. There was barely time for a restart before the referee brought proceedings to an end.

FT FC Stratford 3 Clanfield 3. A decent game all round but an amazing last few minutes. Two very evenly matched teams who provided great entertainment in quite testing conditions.
Next weekend Stratford travel to 11th placed Shortwood United. Clanfield face a tough trip to Studley who leapfrogged them this weekend on the back of a 7-1 demolition of Moreton Rangers. 
Best of luck to both sides for the remainder of the season.

FC Startford: L.Sone, B.Cox, Wilkes, N.Cox, Robbins(c), Smith, Poulson, Adkins, Gaye, Daccus, Sone. Subs: Dunn, Kilbride, Holton
Clanfield 85: Haley, Weller, Grant, Shepperd, Gibbens(c), Pirie, Wyatt, Connor, Seacole, Fullerton, Bellenger. Subs: Tinsley, Crook, Marcucci, Mulvany, Blakeley

Ground Number: 292
Att: 34
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: N/A

Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    October 2012

    Categories

    All
    FA Cup
    Football
    Hellenic League
    Northern League
    Southern League

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly