​My average round-trip journey watching non-league football this season has been 86 miles, and that includes a lot of pre-season friendlies in the local area. So, after watching my U11 girls record another away win in the morning, it was very nice to be able to walk to my chosen afternoon entertainment. I even had time to do a little shopping with the family before strolling across Bicester to the KEA Cub on Ashdene Road, home of Oxfordshire Senior League Division One leaders Bicester Hallions. A visit to Ashdene Road was long overdue so the visit of second-placed Eynsham was just too good an opportunity to miss.

The Background
Of course, the season is still very much in its infancy but a match between the two top teams in a division, at any time, is always worth watching. Hallions were going into the game unbeaten in the opening five games, having won four and drawn one. Eynsham, one point behind their hosts, had won four and lost one. Interestingly, the dropped points for both sides had come against the same side, Ashton Folly. Hallions drew 3-3 with them in the second game of the season. Eynsham, incredibly went down 8-1 to them on the opening day. Their record since that defeat reads four wins, scored 20, conceded 3. It's a funny old game. Of course, Hallions are in the first season in the Oxfordshire Senior League, having moved over from the Banbury & District Lord Jersey League last season. Consequently, there are no previous meetings between the sides.​

​The Game
I am always very reticent to comment on referee's performance for a number of reasons. The game can't function without referees and it's a very difficult job that most of us, if we were honest, would not want to do. However, there were a few challenges early on in this game that the referee, in my opinion, should have penalised, maybe even produced a yellow card. When he let them go, he lost control of the game to an extent. Hallions, who have a few players who have been around the non-league scene for a number of years, knew exactly how to take advantage of this. I don't mean that in a bad way, but they know how to manage a game. That became apparent more and more as the game wore on.

​The first real attempt on goal by either team came in the 9th minute when a good though ball set Dan Smith on his way. His low shot was saved well by the Eynsham goalkeeper, Connor Townsend. However, the respite was short-lived for the away side when shortly afterwards they concede a penalty for handball after the keeper had once again saved well from Smith. Jamie Mundy stepped up and put the spot-kick away to make it 1-0.

The home side continued to pile on the pressure. Townsend was called into action several times and when he did get neaten an Eynsham defender popped up to clear Blossom's header from the line. The game was getting increasingly tetchy, with a number of free-kicks. This is where the home side's game management really came into play. They welcomed the scrap, whereas Eynsham players were letting themselves get drawn in to a battle that they really were not going to win. Hallions just had way too much nous for them. 17 minutes in, Hallions doubled their lead with a superb goal. A free-kick on the right was played in to the edge of the box, Mundy collected it, swivelled and fired a spectacular effort over the keeper, dipping in under the bar. 2-0.

The referee was called into some less ordinary action when one of his linesman drew attention to abuse that was being directed at him by a spectator, who was standing pretty much on the touchline himself. After warning that he could be forced to abandon the game, the spectator eventually retreated and the game was allowed to continue.

Just less than ten minutes before the end of the half Hallions contrived to make the game more difficult for themselves. Lewis Bland launched himself into a tackle on Eynsham's left-winger. It was an awful challenge and, whilst I am convinced there was no real malice involved, it was late, over the top of the ball and reckless. The referee, quite rightly, pulled out a straight red card. However, just to make it even more difficult, whilst the Eynsham player was being treated, Matt Jenkins earned a ten-minute sin bin for comments made to the same linesman who had earlier been the target of the spectator abuse.

However, even with only nine players on the pitch, Hallions saw out the remainder of the half quite comfortably.

HT Bicester Hallions 2 Eynsham 0. Certainly nothing dull about the game. A penalty, a red card, a sin bin and the referee warning a spectator about his behaviour. On the pitch, Hallions showed why they were unbeaten, by bossing the game even when playing with fewer men for the final ten minutes of the half.

​As you would expect, with Hallions still down to nine, Eynsham started the second period on the front foot, looking to take advantage and get themselves back into the game. For a few minutes they did push the home ide backwards but again, Hallions manged the game so well. Leaving the lively Piers McGlynn up top, they massed ranks behind him and restricted Eynsham to a few half chances until they Jenkins was allowed back on.

Even then Eynsham, with a man advantage, should have been moving the ball around, using their numerical advantage to make the home side chase the ball around the pitch. For whatever reason, they didn't manage to do this. Maybe a lot of it was down to the work rate of Hallions who closed the ball down very quickly in all areas. They also had the speed and tenacity of McGlynn as the perfect out ball if they needed it.

There was no way that the second half was going to have as much incident as the first. Eynsham huffed and puffed but Hallions, comfortable with a two goal lead, were happy to keep taking the sting out of the game before hitting Eynsham with speedy breaks. It was one of these, in the 77th minute, that led to the third goal of the game when a ball was floated into the box for Mundy to loop the perfect header over the keeper, making it 3-0 and claiming his  hat-trick.

That was it as far as the action went. Eynsham had no way back from three down and Hallions were content to stick to 3-0 and take the three points.

FT Bicester Hallions 3 Eynsham 0. A comprehensive and comfortable victory for Hallions. Even with 10 men they controlled the game. The result leaves Hallions three points clear of Middleton Cheney, who won 2-1 at Woodstock, at the top of the table. Next week Hallions take on fifth-place Chalgrove Cavaliers at Ashdene Road. Eynsham drop to fourth below Adderbury Park Reserves, who they face at home next week.

Att: 40ish
Ground Number: 248
Entrance: £0.00
Programme: N/A

​Another FA Vase weekend. So, after watching my girls storm to their third victory this season, and seeing my daughter get one the the goals (proud coach moment), a quick change and I was back on the road. Once again I was heading West towards Gloucestershire, this time for the all Hellenic League clash between Premier League Longlevens and Division One East leaders Wokingham & Emmbrook.

The Ground
Longlevens is a suburb of Gloucester, just to the North-East of the city centre. The club, although headquartered in Longlevens, play their home games on a leased facility on the other side of the A417 at Sawmills End. The ground is part of a campus which also includes an Ibis Hotel. There is limited parking at the football ground, but ample space on street or on the hotel car park (you should check any restrictions before parking here though). The ground has a covered seating area on the Saw Mills End side of the pitch with the dugouts on the opposite side. The Ibis hotel backs one of the goals with an office building behind the other. The clubhouse is not on site, being at the club's headquarters. However, there is a refreshments bar on site which caters for all supporters needs. The club is renowned for playing Northern Soul over their tannoy (does anyone still call it a tannoy?) before games, a fact borne out by a poster proclaiming exactly that as you enter the ground. I've never been a big fan myself but during my younger years I had a few friends who would regularly make trips up to Wigan. They would have loved the sounds that greeted supporters as they entered the ground. It's a nice touch and gives the club a great bit of character.
In keeping with the current climate there was track & trace in place via the NHS app or manually at the entrance. There were also hand sanitiser stations around the ground and plenty of notices asking supporters to maintain social distancing. All in all, a very safe environment.​

​The Background
For both clubs this season is their sixth venture into the FA Vase. Levens just about edge it in terms of progress made with a Second Round appearance last season where they went out 3-2 at Falmouth Town. Sumas have made the First Round on two occasions, the last being in 2015-16 when they went out 3-1 at Hartley Wintney. Last August BotP was at Wokingham's Lowther Road ground to witness The Town's Team return to FA competition action back in Wokingham, when they won 2-1 against a Step 5 side in Chipping Sodbury Town (Satsumas Vase Homecoming Bears Fruit).
Levens and Sumas have not met previously in the FA Vase or FA Cup, however they have previously played in the same division for one season, 2015-16. Levens did the double over Sumas, who went on to be relegated, that season, winning 1-0 away and 3-2 back at Sawmills in a game that saw Sumas reduced to 10 men.
Both sides have begun the new season in good form. Levens are fifth in the Hellenic Premier League and unbeaten after two wins and three draws. They progressed in the Vase after knocking out another Step 6 side, Hellenic Division One West Tytherington Rocks, on penalties. Sumas, also unbeaten with five wins and a draw, sit proudly top of Division One East. They also saw off a Division One West side, Cheltenham Saracens, in the previous round, winning 3-0 at Lowther Road.

​The Game
Bright sunshine greeted the teams as they made their way out onto the pitch, Levens in the home kit of red & black stripes, Sumas in a change from their orange kit, wearing an all dark blue outfit.
Early exchanges suggested that this was going to be a tightly contested game, despite there being a division between the sides. In fact it was the away side who seemed to settle into the game the better, exerting some pressure on the home defence with a couple of corners and free-kicks played into the area, none of which unduly unsettled Winman in the Levens goal. 
We were around 20 minutes into the game when the hosts had their first meaningful effort at goal but this was held well by Woodward. There was a not a great deal to choose between the teams but Sumas still, in my opinion, held a slight edge in terms of how dangerous they looked when going forward. This was aided by a succession of 50/50 decisions that seemed to go in their favour, which clearly had the home side and their bench somewhat frustrated. Unfortunately, and as so often happens, the more they contested decisions the more likely those decisions were to go against them.
Even though the away side had held sway, they could easily have gone in a goal down at the break when, after clearing a Levens attack, Dan Collier tried to pass back to his keeper without seeing that a Levens attacker was still comig out of the box. Luckily Sean Woodward was very quick off his line to make the save with his feet. Definitely a let off for Sumas and the best chance of the half for either team.

HT Longlevens 0 Wokingham & Emmbrook 0. A close encounter but Sumas probably edged it. All to play for in the second half.

​Having spent the first half with the sun in my eyes, I switched to the opposite side for the second half. The wind seemed to have intensified during half time too and was now gusting across the pitch at times, seemingly in the faces of the Wokingham defence.
The second period seemed to be a lot more end to end generally, with fewer free kicks, and overall very evenly balanced for much of the time. Levens started quite well, forcing an early free-kick which was headed wide, Wokingham responded with a couple of raids themselves, Josh Harris coming close and captain Liam Eagle heading one over from a corner. It was entertaining stuff for a neutral and, presumably, nail-biting for supporters of the two teams.
Maybe the home coaches had been of the same opinion as me about complaining to the referee because their players definitely didn't seem to be getting on the official's back in the second period. In fact, it was Sumas who were up in arms, twice appealing for penalties and twice being turned down. Both appeals were at the same end of the pitch that I was standing at and, I have to say, both would have been harsh on Levens if they had been given but you can understand the appeals.

​With 78 minutes on the clock and the possibility of penalties looming, the home side finally broke the deadlock. A long ball downfield turned the Sumas defence. Eagle looked to have the situation under control, shielding the ball for his keeper to collect, but when Woodward seemed to slip as he came out towards the ball, the defender and keeper collided leaving Brad Martin to roll the ball into an empty net. There were claims of a push on the defender (it was at the opposite end of the ground, so I couldn't see what happened) but they were waved away by the referee. 1-0

Sumas immediately pressed for the equaliser which, in turn, left them more exposed at the back. The game became more and more end to end, Collier went close for Sumas with a real rasper from long range, but they were looking a lot more vulnerable every time Levens got the ball back now. The nail was hammered into the coffin in the 88th minute when Will Emery, who had raided up the right flank tirelessly all game, drove into the box, fended off a couple of challenges and slipped the ball under Woodward to make it 2-0.

FT Longlevens 2 Wokingham & Emmbrook 0. Levens progress to the next round but it has to be said that the score-line was a little bit harsh on the Sumas. Despite playing in a division below their hosts, they more than matched them. In the end it was a defensive slip-up and a great piece of tenacity that swung the game. For Sumas, next up is a Challenge Cup game at home to Chinnor on Tuesday evening. Longlevens have to wait until next Saturday before making the trip to Hereford to visit Westfields in the league

A final note from me in the light of all of the recent controversy surrounding the £15 pay per view charge on some Premier League games. I spent many, many years following West Brom home and away. At the time I couldn't conceive not watching them play at every opportunity. However, once they reached the Premier League I felt my enthusiasm and enjoyment of the games begin to wane. I began watching non-league, especially my local team from childhood Stourbridge, and it rejuvenated my love for football. Yesterday, I watched a great game, played by two committed sides who genuinely wanted to play (not for money, but because they love the game), I was out in the fresh air and it cost me just £5 to get in, with a further £1 for a cup of tea. Why on earth would I pay £15 to sit on my sofa watching a game with no fans and no atmosphere when I could be out and about watching real football? It's a no from me. I'll always want The Baggies to win and I when they don't it still puts a downer on my day, but as for live football, it's non-league all the way for me now.

​Best of luck to both teams for the remainder of this season and a big thank you to the Severn Sport commentary team who shared the teams sheets with me before kick-off.

Longlevens: Winman, Emery, Barnett, Kavanagh, Long, Emmett, T.Callinan, O'Connor(c), ames, Martin, Johns. Subs: G. Callinan, Haswell, Lovegrove, Johnstone, Williams

Wokingham & Emmbrook: Woodward, O'Connell, Day, Cummukey, L.Eagle(c), C.Eagle, Harris, Collier, Scope, White, Bateman. Subs: Carter, Rushforth, Badshah, Eggleston

Att: 67
Ground Number: 247
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: Online only

Planning for midweek matches is getting more difficult these days. What with late postponements due to Covid-19 positive tests and this endless stream of storms that we seem to get these days (since we started naming them), I find that I need to have 4 or 5 possible games on my list. That was the case this week. I was already mindful of possible waterlogged pitches but was all set to head off to Cheltenham Saracens when I saw the tweet saying their game had been called off. No fault of theirs, or opponents Hereford Lads Club. A positive Covid-19 test in the Hereford ranks meant that they had to postpone. Still, all protocols were followed and best wishes to the player concerned. Hope he is back in action soon.
Not to worry though. Second on my list of possible games (and only second because it was slightly further to travel and I wasn't sure what time I would be free from work commitments) was Stonehouse Town v Hereford Pegasus. This was something of an occasion for the home side as it would be their first ever home game under their new floodlights.

​The Ground
Stonehouse play at Oldends Lane, to the North of the town, and have done since 1949 when the ground was opened by then England captain Billy Wright. There is an ample car park adjacent to the ground with a short cut through to the single turnstile that takes you into the corner of the stadium. Note that the clubhouse and toilets are outside the main stadium. A wristband system was in place to monitor who had already paid. Track and trace via the NHS app or manual collection was in place, as was a temperature check via a gun. Oldends Lane has two stands, a covered terrace behind the goal at The Lane End and the Mike 'Spike' Smith Stand which provides covered seating. Along side the Mike Smith stand at the Lane End there is also a raised walkway which gives a good view of the pitch. On the opposite side of the stand there is a snack bar. The dugouts are on the opposite side of the pitch. At the moment only two sides, the Lane End and the Mike Smith Stand side, are open to spectators. However, I believe that plans are in place to add hard-standing around the entire perimeter.

​The Background
Last season was Stonehouse's first at this level, having risen up through the ranks of the Gloucestershire County League. In the 2018-19 season they finished in third place behind Lebeq United (now of the Western League) and Frampton United (who remain in the County League), despite losing their last three league games. This was enough for them to gain promotion into the Hellenic League. Before the early end of last season they had made a decent start to life at Step 6 and were more than holding their own after a fairly shaky start where they lost three of their opening four games. Interestingly, their one early win came in this corresponding fixture when they thumped 10-man Pegasus 5-0.
Hereford Pegasus, known as Pegasus Juniors until 2019, returned to the Hellenic League last season after eight years playing in the West Midlands (Regional) Premier League. They are no strangers to this league though, having spent almost 30 years plying their trade in the Hellenic structure, mostly in the Premier League. They were sitting in second spot when the season abruptly stopped last year, having only suffered three more defeats after their drubbing at Stonehouse.

It became clear well before kick-off that the opening of the new floodlights had created quite a bit of local interest. Add to that what seemed to be a fair contingent from Hereford and a bumper crowd was definitely on the cards. This was clearly something that the club had anticipated, planned for and in a very good position to deal. There were three club officials on the gate at all times, plus one more actually manning the turnstile, dealing with track & trace, temperature checking and re-admissions through the main gate for the clubhouse and toilets. All, without exception, were welcoming, chatty and efficient. A very impressive setup of which the club should be extremely proud.

​​The Game
We were less than three minutes into the game when we had the first major incident. A strong 50-50 challenge in the centre of the pitch left Stonehouse's number 10 (sorry no name, didn't have a team sheet) down and in some obvious distress. It's important to say that there didn't seem to be any malice in the tackle. It was just two very committed players going for the ball. The game was stopped for a few minutes before the player was helped off the pitch by two teammates (thankfully not on a stretcher). I believe that he was taken straight off to hospital and would like to wish him a swift recovery.

Maybe it was the early injury playing on their minds or maybe Pegasus were just more up fo rhte game but, whatever the case, the first 10 minutes was played almost exclusively in the Stonehouse half of the pitch, even if their goalkeeper was not unduly tested. However they, and a lot of people in the crowd (me included) were taken completely by surprise when Stonehouse took the lead on 11 minutes with their first attack, Tim Williams slotting past Jason Davis to make it 1-0.

​The goal did little to alter the run of play. Pegasus were still dominating possession and playing some nice football until they got to the edge of the home penalty area, where it all seemed to dry up for them.  Stonehouse, when they did win the ball back, were mainly restricted to hitting hopeful balls into spaces between the Pegasus defenders. Unfortunately for them, they were being pushed back so far that no-one could get forward in time to pressure the defence. The consequence being that Hereford could re-group and launch another foray into the Magpies half.
Just past the half-hour mark though their persistence finally paid off, albeit in slightly controversial circumstances. The home team and much of the crowd were up in arms as the assistant seemed to miss a foul on one of their players in the build up to the Pegasus equaliser. Play was allowed to continue with the ball eventually being played through for Kieran Slatter to apply a tremendous finish into the top corner of Pedrick's net. 1-1. To make matters worse for the home side, there also appeared to be a suspicion of offside when the ball was slipped through to Slatter. Having said that, on the balance of play it was no more than The Redmen deserved.

With the away side back on level terms it looked as if it would just be a matter of time before they went in front, especially as the pattern of the game showed no sign of changing. However, just on the stroke of half-time Stonehouse launched a rare attack down their left side. Dan Gittings picked the ball up, drifted inside his man and let rip from outside the box to put his team back in front again. 2-1. A quality strike from the Town midfielder.

HT Stonehouse Town 2 Hereford Pegasus 1. On the balance of play I doubt either manager could believe the half-time score. However, goals are what count and the home side had converted their limited possession into two of them whereas Pegasus had kept the ball for long period without finding that killer final pass.

As with the first half, it didn't take long for the second half to give us an incident. This time, however, it was a goal. An equaliser for Pegasus with absolutely no hint of controversy surrounding it. Once again it was left-back Slatter on the scoresheet with a superb strike from well outside the box which gave the keeper no chance at all. 2-2.

Although Pegasus were still seeing more of the ball than their hosts, the second-half was noticeably more balanced than the first, especially with the pace of Chris Earle finally giving Town an out ball. Two or three times the winger threatened down the left, with one effort in particular only just clearing Davies's bar, with the keeper beaten.
I have to say, as a neutral, it was an enjoyable game. Pegasus were still playing the ball around very nicely and neatly, looking quite dangerous but still lacking that cutting edge. Stonehouse continued to dig in but definitely looked to pose a little more threat in the final third than they did in the first 45 minutes.
​

Then, as we entered the final five minutes, more controversy and a winning goal. Pegasus won a corner on their left, which Moreira swung in under the home bar. A number of players, including the goalkeeper, challenged for the ball which somehow ended up in the back of the net. 2-3 (o.g). Pegasus players turned away to celebrate their late winner whilst the Stonehouse players and bench were completely incensed, claiming a foul on their goalkeeper. All of this happened at the opposite end of the pitch to where I was standing unfortunately, so it was impossible for me to see what had actually gone off. Judging by the vociferous protestations from the home team, there must have been some contact. The referee, however, disagreed and the goal stood. Will Pedrick, Stonehouse's keeper, took his protests a little too far and was sin-binned in the aftermath of the goal, leaving The Magpies to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game.

FT Stonehouse Town 2 Hereford Pegasus 3. Two of the Pegasus goals had more than a little hint of controversy around them but overall even the most die-hard Stonehouse fan couldn't really argue with the result. Pegasus were the better team for the majority of the game. Stonehouse did improve in the latter stages of the second-half, but spent a fair bit of the game defending in their own half. On the plus side, the floodlights looked splendid.
On Saturday Pegasus are back in league action with a local derby at home to Wellington. Stonehouse need to pick themselves up in readiness to welcome Premier League outfit Royal Wootton Bassett Town to Oldends Lane.

Stonehouse Town: Pedrick, Basana, Thwaite, King, Bird, J. Williams, Kibble(c), Gittings, Buckland, T. Williams, Earle. Subs: Moyo, Ratcliffe, Love, Lowe
Hereford Pegasus: Davies, Summers, Slatter, Panniers, Burgess, Worthing(c), Langford, Peters, Taylor, Clarke, Moreira. Subs: Cox, Lear, Payne

Att: 175
Ground Number: 246
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: Free to first 150

Tuesday evening, a chance to go to a new ground and see two teams I had never watched before. My chosen game was the Hellenic Division East match between Penn & Tylers Green and Chalvey Sports. Although I had not seen either of these teams play before, Sports have featured in one of the Programme Notes articles on this site. What Did You Call Me (Part 3) was the third in a series about the more unusual nicknames in non-league football. Chalvey, The Stabmonks, certainly have one of these. Check out the article for the full story.
​
​The Ground
Penn & Tylers Green play their home games at French School Meadows, a name apparently dating back to the days of the French Revolution, when a school catering for orphans of the revolution was set up in the village. The school is long gone but the name remains as does a further reference to the school in the club's colours. Their blue & white striped shirts are a nod to the uniform worn by the French children, which was blue with a white feather in their hats.
The club has spent a couple of seasons ground-sharing with the likes of Beaconsfield and Amersham because of planning problems with their floodlights, but the rather smart looking, telescopic pylons, which were finally unveiled and used for the first time two weeks ago, are now fully functional. The ground, I have to say, looked in top notch condition all round.
The football ground is actually part of a village sports complex, which also hosts cricket and tennis. It is accessed via a small service road between Penn and Tylers Green villages. The service road is quite easy to miss in the dark. if approaching from the Tylers Green, Hazelmere and Wycombe direction, and you reach the Red Lion pub, you've just missed it (just as I did). The clubhouse serves all of the sports complex and is not part of the football ground, although it is only a very short walk away. There is a small car park next to the clubhouse and an overflow car park between the clubhouse and the football pitch. One small warning. This overflow car park gets busy and you may have to wait a little while to get out after the game if you find yourself blocked in. The entrance to the football pitch is through a gate off the car park with a small hut that acts as ticket office and snack bar. All of the ground facilities are on the clubhouse/car park side of the pitch. A small covered stand, straddling half way, is bounded by the dugouts, one on either side.

​The Background
Following the postponement of their game at home to Aldermaston last midweek, this match was only the second league outing for Penn & Tylers Green. They won their opening game 2-0 at home to Abingdon Town, this was followed by a brilliant 1-0 victory over local rivals Burnham in the FA Vase, and a 4-0 trouncing of Watlington Town in the Challenge Cup. All in all, a good start to the season, three wins and no goals conceded. Chalvey came into tonight's game having already played three times in the league. They opened with a 3-1 home defeat to Wallingford Town, then went down 4-1 at Wokingham & Emmbrook. Following an FA Vase exit, 5-1 at Step 5 North Greenford United, Sports then got off the mark in the league with a resound 4-2 win at Woodley United. They then followed this success up with a 4-0 Challenge Cup demolition of Stokenchurch.
Last season the sides only met once, at Arbour Park, where Sports had two players sent off in a 5-0 defeat. The previous season saw the clubs clash four times, Sports doing the double in the league, 4-0 at home and 3-2 away. In the two Subsidiary Cup meetings honours were even, Chalvey winning 5-3 at home and losing 3-2 in the away tie.

​The Game
It was Chalvey who almost got off to the perfect start. The game was only two minutes old when the ball was played diagonally into the home penalty area and planted firmly past Watson into the net. However, the assistant's flag cut short the celebrations and the goal was chalked off for offside. However, I was in line with the players when the ball was played and, although one Chalvey player was offside, the finishing touch was applied by a player who, in my opinion, was onside when it was played. It was a tight decision but I believe something of a let off for the home side.

Despite the early scare it was the home team who seemed to settle into a rhythm better. Both sides were not averse to getting the ball forward quickly. I wouldn't call it a long ball because that brings aimless hoofing to mind, and neither ide was doing any of that. It was more a direct approach to to game, getting the ball to the strikers at the earliest opportunity. Having said that, Penn were also more than happy to work the ball forward with some snappy passing moves. Chalvey, with their two big lads up front, were more inclined to play it longer. Interestingly though, despite the Chalvey strikers having a a couple of inches height advantage on the Penn back-line, it was the two Penn centre-halves who seemed to be winning most of the aerial battles.
​​Penn had a couple of long range efforts that Giacobbe did well to get behind, especially one absolute rasping effort from George Dawson-Clark that was not only hit with great power but also seemed to be moving all over the place.
It was not all one way traffic however. In fact, despite the lack of goals, it was a very entertaining half of football.
We even had another Chalvey goal flagged for offside before the break, although this one was far more clear cut.

HT Penn & Tylers Green 0 Chalvey Sports 0. Both sides seemed keen to get the ball forward quickly but the home who side who appeared to have the more inventive play, mixing up long balls with some passing moves. Chalvey threatened when they attacked and, against the general play, had the ball in the net twice.

Both sides stayed out on the pitch at half-time, something we are seeing much more of in these times of restrictions and social distancing. The added benefit to the supporters is that the second period often kicks off a minute or two ahead of schedule. I do think it's going to be difficult for the players when the weather gets worse though. I noticed that Penn had erected a gazebo type structure just behind their bench which at least could provide a little shelter during the break.

When the second period got under way it was clear that Penn considered themselves unlucky to not be in front at the break and they immediately set about getting the goal that their extra possession probably deserved. Their early dominance of the ball in the second 45 minutes proved to be a pattern for the rest of the half. Penn attacking, Chalvey defending resolutely but still looking as if they could cause an issue on the break if Penn let their guard down.

Time and time again waves of blue and white pushed the Chalvey defence to almost breaking point but through either stout defending or some wayward finishing, the breakthrough could not be found. Captain Dean Allen, who it has to be said ran the Chalvey defence ragged most of the game, came closest in the 72nd minute, beating the keeper but seeing his effort come back off the far post to safety.

When the referee finally blew for full-time there were stark contrasts in the response of the players, which reflected the way the game had gone. The Penn players looked somewhat dejected, not entirely sure how they had failed to win the game. the Chalvey players and bench were elated. They had been pushed back for the majority of the game, had ridden their luck at times, but overall had defended excellently.

FT Penn & Tylers Green 0 Chalvey Sports 0. The spoils somehow remained shared. Chalvey will take heart in the resolute manner that they defended and may even feel aggrieved about the first disallowed goal. However, that aside, even they would not be able to say they deserved any more than a point from the game. Penn can take heart from the fact that they have now gone 360 minutes in all competitions without conceding a goal.

Penn & Tylers Green: Watson, Barley, Burrows, Cox, Green, Cooper, Dawson-Clark, Lines, Allen(c), Shaw, Gardner. Subs: Prestridge, Hancock, Tripp, Gray, Cannings

Chalvey Sports: Giacobbe, Wall, Sandy, Creighton, Jeffrey(c), Cannon, Shingleston, Joseph, Mannion, Morgan, Harper. Subs: Marney, Cripps, Coomber, Brophy, Keadell

Att: 57
Ground Number: 245
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: Online only

Making the 93 mile trip North to Shifnal on Tuesday evening, I was browsing through Spotify and came across a track I hadn't heard for a many a year, Mirror in the Bathroom by The Beat. Why is that significant you may ask. Well, keep reading and all will be revealed.
My chosen FA Cup game this midweek was Shifnal Town taking on Alvechurch in a game that, due to Covid restrictions, was all ticket and sold out. Living so far away and not being able to say for certain that I could make the game until Monday, I am very grateful to Shifnal Twitter man, programme designer, and photographer James Baylis for getting a space put aside for me.

​The Ground
Shifnal play their home games at The Acoustafoam Stadium, situated on the North-Eastern edge of the town. There is a small amount of parking at the ground but on this evening this was not open to the public. Instead parking was available at neighbouring Idsal School. It did cost £2 to park but all of the proceeds, I am told, go to the school.
​Access to the stadium is through a gate in the South-Eastern corner of the ground, where you can find the programme seller and immediately to your left a snack bar. First impressions of the ground is that it is well above the standard of an average Step 6 club.

​On the far side is a reasonably sized stand with covered seating. Opposite, on the car park side of the ground is where the majority of facilities can be found. The clubhouse, which straddles the halfway line, is raised above the level of the pitch. Either side of the clubhouse the club has placed wooden bench tables along the raised bank. These not only encourage social distancing but also provide a great view of the pitch. The stadium is very well kept, with everything painted yellow and blue. This confused me until I spoke to James at half-time, who cleared it up for me.

​Traditionally Shifnal play in red & white stripes, although this season they do have a yellow & blue hooped shirt for cup matches (which they were using this evening). Fair enough, but surely overkill to paint your stadium in these colours just for cup matches? Not so, I was told. The stadium, and the cup kit, are designed around the colours of Chairman Pete Bradley's company, Acoustafoam (hence also the stadium name). Mystery solved.
It's actually hard to find anything wrong with the entire setup at Shifnal. The ground has plenty of character, the volunteers (certainly the ones I met) are friendly and helpful and the matchday programme (a souvenir edition for this match) was, in keeping with everything else, of a very high standard. Any ground-hopper out there reading this, if you haven't paid Shifnal a visit I would encourage you to do so.

​The Background
One of the things that attracted me to this game was the fact that the sides are three divisions apart with home advantage to the lower ranked team. No disrespect to Alvechurch but everyone loves the possibility of a cup upset, right? To add to the mix, even though the sides are currently three divisions apart, that would almost certainly have not been the case if Covid-19 had not curtailed last season. When the abandonment happened Alvechurch were looking doomed to relegation and Shifnal were nailed on for promotion. This would have meant that they could have started 20-21 just one Step apart.

​Despite the proximity of the clubs, there is no previous record of meetings in FA cup, trophy or vase competitions. However, they have played in the same league on some occasions, the most recent being The Midland Alliance in the 2009-10 season. Both league meetings on that occasion were won by Alvechurch, 4-3 at Lye Meadow and 4-0 at Phoenix Park, as Shifnal's ground was then known. All of the previous meetings between the clubs are actually covered very nicely in the matchday programme. At the end of the 2009-10 season Shifnal switched to the West Midlands (Regional) Premier League where, with the exception of one season in Division 1, they have stayed. Church remained in the Alliance, becoming one of the founder members of the Midland League in 2014. Since then they have earned two promotions and now find themselves in the Southern Premier Central.
Shifnal have never made it out of FA Cup qualifying, although they did come close in 1982-83, going down 4-1 at Boston United in the 4th Qualifying Round. They've picked up this season where they left off last, winning their first league game 5-1 at Smethwick Rangers and turfing both Chelmsley Town and AFC Bridgnorth out of the FA Cup.
Alvechurch lost their opening league 5-1 at Hitchin Town. However, as far as the FA Cup goes, they far outweigh their hosts. Their best run came in the 1973-74 season when they reached the Third Round. In qualifying they completed a hat-trick of local derby wins, beating Halesowen Town, Bromsgrove Sporting and Stourbridge before eventually succumbing 4-2 away at Bradford City in Round 3. Church were also involved in one the marathon cup ties that occasionally occurred before limits were placed on the number of replays. In the 1971-72 season they drew 2-2 at home to Oxford City. The second replay was also drawn, 1-1. There followed 4 more ties, one at St Andrews, two at Oxford United's Manor Ground, and one at Villa Park, the final one of which saw Church triumph 1-0 only to lose at Aldershot in the following round.

​The Game
There was a real buzz around the stadium when the players came onto the pitch. Shifnal in their cup kit of yellow and blue hoops with blue shorts and socks, Alvechurch in their change kit of all green. You could feel the expectation of the home crowd, although there were a fair few Church supporters in the 320 capacity too.
As with all games of this significance, there was an initial period of feeling each other out. After his hat-trick in the previous round, Brad Sharman was clearly someone who Alvechurch needed to keep an eye on. Alvechurch, with Ian Long back at the helm after his spell at Stourbridge, also had a number of players back from the Glassboys, who followed Long there but have since returned. It was one of these returning players, Kieran Cook, who fired in the opening few salvos, breaking from midfield, causing the defence all sorts of problems and forcing the first save of the match from Jake James.
As the game settled into its rhythm, it was the Step 3 side who began to take some control, knocking the ball around quickly in midfield but without unduly worrying James in the home goal. However, when Shifnal did get the ball, they were looking lively, getting it forward to Montague and Hill quickly and accurately.
It was, however, the away side who finally made the breakthrough on 20 minutes when Jacob Wakeling, a former West Brom academy player, was quickest to react under the shadow of the giant West Brom flag behind the school end goal, stabbing the ball home to make it 0-1. It was Wakeling who had been fouled for the free-kick that led to the goal, a challenge that saw Dan Lloyd pick up a yellow card for the home side.

The goal was a blow to Shifnal but heads certainly did not drop. In fact, within 2 minutes of going behind they could easily have been level when Tom Hill was sent clean through only to be denied by a very good block from Jono Brown.
It was another former Stourbridge player who almost had the final say of the half for the visitors, centre-half and captain Jamie Willets heading narrowly wide as the half drew to  close.

HT Shifnal Town 0 Alvechurch 1. Church showed their higher division pedigree at times and, in all fairness, controlled the game for large periods. However, Shifnal created chances and certainly couldn't be written off.

​Having tracked down James at half-time to thank him for getting my ticket, we spent a good few minutes chatting about football and life in general. It turns out that we have a connection from the past. James knew someone who I worked alongside during my time with the local newspaper the Express & Star (and it's sister paper the Shropshire Star, which covered the Shifnal area) back in the early to mid-eighties. It's a small world.

James headed off to prepare for what I am sure he hoped was photographs of at least two second-half goals for Shifnal. I took up a position alongside the main stand and after five minutes or so was beginning to think that James knew something that I didn't. Shifnal looked like they really meant business in the second-half. They were clearly determined to either pull the goal back or, at the least, go down fighting.
Just past the hour mark they came close to grabbing the elusive equaliser when Hill got his head to a right-wing corner only to see his effort go narrowly over the bar. The tide had certainly turned. Shifnal looked quicker to the ball, sharper in the tackle and full of ideas. They had Alvechurch on the ropes, although still had to show some caution against being hit on the break.

That was until a piece of individual class finally swayed the tie completely in favour of the Step 3 side and again it was Wakeling who was the difference. The striker held off a challenge from his marker and deftly slipped the ball past James to deliver the killer blow. 0-2. It was harsh on Shifnal who, until that goal went in, were really starting to build a head of steam and looked highly likely to get an equaliser at some point. It was also disappointing to the neutrals in the crowd as it effectively ended the match as a contest. However, you have to hand it to Alvechurch who had been under the cosh but managed to soak up the pressure and still have enough in the tank to go up the other end and win it.

Shifnal still gave it a shot, piling everyone forward in an attempt to get back into the game but, in all fairness, the second goal was always going to be enough. Alvechurch, boosted by the two goal cushion began to look more dangerous on the break, almost demonstrated to perfection when Kieran Cook latched onto a ball in his own half, outstripped everyone only for his low drive to hit the side-netting.

There was to be no miraculous comeback and no 'cupset' for Shifnal.

FT Shifnal Town 0 Alvechurch 2. A valiant effort from the home side, especially in the second half. Ultimately, they were undone by a classic piece of poaching and determination from a Church's Jacob Wakeling. For Alvechurch next up is a home league game with Royston Town on Saturday where they will be hoping to get some points on the board. Shifnal travel to Cradley Town in the league looking to retain their 100% record.
So, did anyone get the significance of both the blog title and the reference to Mirror in the Bathroom in the introduction? The answer being Wakeling. Birmingham-based ska band The Beat are fronted by Dave Wakeling and both goals for Alvechurch were scored by Jacob Wakeling. I wonder if they are related? Alvechurch is not a million miles from Birmingham.

Shifnal Town: James, Uppal, Pinnock(c), Cunningham, Lloyd, Smith, Franco, Sharman, Hill, Montague, Wedderburn. Subs: Jones, Perks, Craner, McCarthy, Howarth, Webb, Holdcroft

Alvechurch: Brown, Hill, Suane, Birch, Hull, Willets(c), Bellis, Monteiro, Wakeling, Townsend, Cook. Subs: Cassidy, Daley, Lloyd, Brown-Hill, Botfield, McFarlane, Marselia

Att: 320
Ground Number: 244
Entrance: £8.00
Programme: £2.00 (Souvenir Issue)

The start of the FA Vase. A date that is marked on my calendar as soon as the fixtures are released. The Vase is, without doubt, my favourite FA competition. Don't get me wrong, I still love the FA Cup and the Trophy certainly has it's moments but the Vase, for me, still carries the magic that the FA Cup used to hold when I was a child. Cup matches have a magical quality to them and I find that the early rounds of the Vase have a particular buzz. After all, this is an opportunity for a small community club to play at Wembley.
So, after a very pleasing away win for my Under 11 girl's team in the morning, I headed South-West into Wiltshire for an FA Vase between two Wessex Premier League sides Amesbury Town and Lymington Town, neither of which I had seen play before.
Amesbury, of course, is famous for being the closest town to Stonehenge and for being the oldest continuously occupied settlement in Great Britain. Archeologists believe that people have lived in the Amesbury area since around 8820 BC.

​The Ground
Amesbury's Bonnymead Park is situated on the outskirts of the town, just off the road to Stonehenge, encompassed by a large meander of the River Avon. As well as the football pitch, cricket is also played on the park and there is a sizeable children's playground.
There is ample parking either in the car park adjacent to the play area or closer to the football pitch on the edge of the cricket field. When approaching from the car park, the pitch is lengthways on to you. Perched upon a small back to the left is the clubhouse and changing areas. There's also a small patio area in front of the clubhouse which gives a good view across the pitch. On the far side of the ground there is a covered seating area, The Parker Bullen Solicitors Stand, with the dugouts on either side of the stand. Additional distanced seating had been added to the side of each dugout for substitutes to sit on. This brings me to the Covid-19 distancing in place at the ground. From the track & trace signing at the entrance, through the one-way system and restricted numbers in the clubhouse (enforced politely by a committee member), marking on the pitchside barrier every 2 metres and signage around the ground. It was all excellently done by the club which created a very safe environment for the players and spectators. Add to that the fact the ground is very neat, clean, tidy and in a lovely setting and you have all the ingredients of a very pleasurable afternoon out. The club needs to be commended on this.

​The Background
Since promotion back into the Wessex Premier League in 2019, it is fair to say that Amesbury have struggled to establish themselves back in the top flight. They were well adrift at the bottom last year but were saved by the abandonment. This season has also not started too well for them having their opening league games at Shaftesbury (2-1) and Alresford (3-0). They also went out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, losing 4-0 at Badshot Lea. However, this game would be their first of the season at home in any competition. As far as the FA Vase goes, the club has reached Round Two twice in their history, going out 6-0 at Chippenham Town in 1996-97 and 5-2 at home to Corsham Town in the 2006-07 campaign.
Lymington came into the game having already played 5 competitive games in all competitions. In the league they won their opening game 2-1 at AFC Stoneham. In the FA Cup they saw off Brockenhurst in opening preliminary game before losing out on penalties to Farnborough. A 1-0 victory against Alton saw them progress in the Russell Coates Cup whilst they went down 4-3 to Baffins Milton Rovers in the League Cup. In the FA Vase, The Linnets had their best runs in consecutive seasons just over a decade ago. In the 2006-7 season they reached Round Three before going out 1-0 at home to Truro City. The following year they went one round further before falling to Crowborough Athletic, 4-1 at home. The sides met once in the league last season, a 3-0 home win for Lymington.

​The Game
After some initial jostling for position, the away side took the lead as early as the 7th minute. A delightful little through ball from Nathan Hurst set Craig McAllister free on goal and his deft finish past Jordan Tewksbury made it 0-1.

The goal was a blow to the confidence of the home side and should have acted as incentive for Lymington to push on and make the game safe. However, despite some promising moves down their right flank, with Ryan Fuller and Rian Drake combining well, the expected onslaught never happened. For their part, Amesbury tried to get themselves back in the game. Osamu Allman's pace down their left flank caused some problems for The Linnets but either the crosses delivered di not fond their mark or the solid looking central defensive pairing for Lymington mopped the ball up. The first half never really sparked into life the way that the early goal had promised. 

HT Amesbury Town 0 Lymington Town 1. Amesbury struggled to find any creativity in the final third. Maybe the early loss of striker David Parry didn't help. Lymington look strong in defence but, despite being in front, there were still some disagreements going on in their defence. With only a goal in it, anything could happen in the second half.

​The second 45 minutes started very much in the same vein as the first half. Lymington looked to be the more composed and creative side, but still failed to threaten the home goal. Amesbury, now playing into a wind that had picked up from nowhere, were struggling to even get into the final third of the pitch. Adam Holloway, who had come on for the injured Parry, buzzed around and made a nuisance of himself, but Ross Casey did not have occasion to even get his gloves dirty in the first 25 minutes of the second period.

With 73 minutes on the clock Lymington finally made their possession count when Sam House, out on the far left of the penalty area, curled a beauty around Tewksbury into the far corner. 0-2. At last, going two down seemed to wake up Amesbury, who for a short while seemed to have a little more about them. Casey was finally called into action, producing a flying stop to prevent a long range effort finding the net. However, any thoughts of any kid of revival were extinguished with 7 minutes remaining. Another assist for Hurst who this time set up Conrad Churchill to make no mistake. 0-3.

FT Amesbury Town 0 Lymington Town 3. A comfortable victory for the away side. They probably should have put the game to bed way before they did but, in truth, the result was never really in that much doubt after Lymington went ahead. Amesbury now look to Saturday's home league encounter with Brockenhurst, with a view to kick-starting their season. Lymington travel to Tadley in the league then have three more league games, including the local derby with Brockenhurst, before they welcome Hamble Club to the Sports Ground in the next round of the FA Vase. 
Good luck to both teams for the rest of the season.

Amesbury Town: Tewksbury, Croucher, Allman, Young, Pearson, Pickett, Greenway, Morris(c), Parry, Hannam, O.Holloway, Boothe. Subs: McCrea, A.Holloway, Newbold, Taylor
Lymington Town: Casey, Fuller, L.Churchill, Hurst, Stanley, Stephenson(c), Drake, Falco, McAllister, Flynn, House. Subs: , Carkeet, White, C.Churchill, Pearce

Att: 80
Ground Number: 243
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: £1.00

​The temperature gauge on my car still read 25 degrees as I set off for my Tuesday evening non-league game. My game choice this week was a relatively short trip into the heart of the Cotswolds for the Hellenic Division One West clash between Bourton Rovers and Cheltenham Saracens. Bourton Rovers are based in the picturesque village of Bourton-on-the-Water, the Venice of the Cotswolds. Since moving to Oxfordshire in 2010, it has been a fairly frequent place to visit with my family. In fact, our first ever day out after my daughter was born was to Birdland in Bourton. Those days of carrying around all sorts of baby paraphernalia have long gone so today, instead of milk, bottles, nappies, change of clothes etc, I was travelling light with just my phone for company.

The Ground
Bourton's Rissington Road ground is tucked away on the South-Eastern edge of the village behind the cricket club. It has been home to the club since their foundation in 1894. There is no parking actually in the ground itself (apart from players and officials). However, parking is available on the cricket club grounds as well as a fairly large car park on the opposirte side of Rissington Road. Access to ground for spectators is via the cricket field, through a gate. A very pleasant and helpful lady took my money while I signed the track and trace form. She also pointed me towards the club house where they helpfully display the teams on a whiteboard. All of the facilities are in the club house directly behind the Rissington end goal. Currently there are no covered stands at the ground but there are foundations already dug and concreted for a new stand on the far side of the playing area, opposite the dug outs on the cricket club side. Three sides of the pitch are backed by trees and shrubbery, adding to the rural feel. On a warm Summer's evening like today, with the sun just setting, it's a very pleasant place to watch football.

​The Background
Bourton only gained promotion to Step 6 in 2019 and consequently have yet to play a full season at this level. Oddly in the two previous seasons to their promotion they finished top and second, missing out on promotion in 2017 because of ground grading issues. They then gained promotion with their worst league position in three years when they came fifth. Saracens have a much shorter history, founded in 1964, but entered the Hellenic League structure in 1986 and have played in the Premier League (Step 5) for six season spread over two stints. Consequentially the sides have only met once before in league action. This was a 3-1 home win for Cheltenham last season.
Before last season was abruptly cut short the two sides were at opposite ends of the table. Whilst Bourton had won just 3 of their 23 games and were hovering just above the bottom of the table, Saracens were going strong with 13 wins from 18 games, they sat in fifth spot but with games in hand that could have seen them rise as high as third. 
This season Saracens have again started well in the league, beating Wellington 2-1 at home in their opening game. This game was to be the first league outing of the season for Rovers.

The Game
Within the first few minutes of the game it became apparent that Saracens were that little bit sharper than their opponents. Maybe it was because they had already got competitive football under their belts this season, or maybe they were just more up for it on the night? Either way, they were first to the ball on most occasions, winning back any loose balls very quickly.
That said, the opening encounters were certainly not all one way. Bourton showed that they could play the ball around too, certainly until they got into the final third there the bigger, stronger Cheltenham defenders held firm. Early on, Rovers did look as if they may pose a threat down their right,especially with the overlapping pace of Keegan Bowes, but this route was fairly quickly closed down by the Saracens backline.

Saracens took the lead after 23 minutes, and what a goal it was!
Iain Sercombe was set free down the right flank but there didn't seem to be any immediate danger until the Saracens winder unleashed an unstoppable cross-shot from all of 35 yards which Simon Flower could only watch as it flew past him into the far corner of his net. 0-1

Saracens continued to look the more threatening of the teams, despite losing their captain with a shoulder injury, without adding to their tally. This was until the closing minutes of the half when the home side seemed to find another gear for a short time, Connor Teague and Jack Morton both making a nuisance of themselves and finally giving the Saracens keeper something to do. However, they couldn't find a way to grab an equaliser before the break.

HT Bourton Rovers 0 Cheltenham Saracens 1. Both sides putting in a fair bit of effort on a warm evening. However, Saracens looked to be that little bit sharper in mind and body all across the pitch and deserved to be in front at the break.

. ​Cheltenham chose to stay on the pitch for their half-time break whereas Bourton retreated to their changing room. When they emeregd, the home side looked to be somewhat rejuvenated too, winning one or two 50-50 tackles and looking to match Saracens' sharpness.
However, their better start to the second half was dramatically halted just six minutes in, and it all started with them attacking the Saracens goal. A collision between two players left both down with the home player holding his head. The game continued though and Saracens broke down their right flank amidst call from the home side for the referee to halt the game for a head injury. The ball was delivered into the home penalty area where Paul Holmes rose highest to plant the ball past Flower and make it 0-2. A somewhat controversial goal that certainly annoyed the home side and support. I'm pleased to say that both players involved in the incident were soon up and able to play on, but should the game have been stopped before the goal was scored?

Conceding the goal certainly seemed to fire up the home side. They were showing far more endeavour than in the first half, getting close on a number of occasions but still not able to find a way past the Saracens keeper. Their efforts did, however, make the game much more of a spectacle for the neutrals in the crowd. If they had managed to get one goal back, things could have changed around dramatically. However, in the end it was Saracens who grabbed the next goal. With just under 10 minutes to go the ball was played into the home penalty area forcing Bowes into a rash challenge which left the referee with no option but to award a penalty. Iain Sercombe stepped up and made no mistake from the spot. 0-3
Three minutes later the icing was applied to the cake and Sercombe was laying claim to the match ball after a shot was spilled by Flower leaving the big Saracens number 11 with a simple task of slotting the ball into an empty net. 0-4.

FT Bourton Rovers 0 Cheltenham Saracens 4. Rovers upped their game in the second-half but, in actuality, the result never looked in any doubt.  Rovers face a trip to bottom side Cirencester Town Dev. on Saturday whilst Saracens have a tricky looking FA Vase tie at Division One East pace-setters Wokingham & Emmbrook.

Bourton Rovers: Flower, Bowes, Smith, Galpin, Mills, Trott, Robotham, Way(c), Morton, Teague, Boote. Subs: Steele, Oakey, Larmer, Morse, Herbert

Att: 80
Ground Number: 242
Entrance: £4.00
Programme: Online

Is it a city or is it a town? On Tuesday evening I made the journey down to Surrey and the town of Guildford. I was on my way to watch their town's team, Guildford City. So, why the confusion? Guildford is still a town but was granted a diocese in 1927 which led to the construction of Guildford Cathedral. This is normally a sure sign that City status is going to be granted. However, despite many applications, Guildford remains a town to this day even though their representative football club retains the City moniker (although they have played under several names over the years including United and AFC Guildford). Using the name City for a team based in a town is not the only mystery surrounding the club. The origin of their nickname, The Sweeney, is not mentioned in the club website history page (well worth a read though). In fact, when the club was formed they were known as The Pinks. However, a little digging revealed a forum article dating back to 2008:
"It was at Banstead a few weeks ago that it hit us – City play in the same colours as a barber’s pole. Matt suggested we be called ‘The Sweeney Todds’ and I suggested why not just ‘The Sweeney’. Hence the nickname was born."

​
For me personally, the town of Guildford means one thing. The Stranglers. The band was formed in the town in 1974 and were originally known as The Guildford Stranglers, although none of the band were from the town. In my opinion one of the best live bands I have ever seen and certainly the band I have seen the most over the years. The death of keyboard player Dave Greenfield in May was a massive blow not only to the band but the the world of music in general.

The Ground
So, where do The Sweeney play their games these days? Well, since the rebirth of the club in 1996, they have been resident at The Spectrum Leisure Centre just to the North-East of the town centre, adjacent to the A3. The football ground is part of a complex that also provides athletics to the local area with the pitch being surrounded by an athletics track.
Being part of the leisure complex, there is ample parking available, all within a very short walk of the turnstile. This is situated just off the car park, which is raised well above the level of the playing area. I had already purchased my ticket online, so it was just a case of showing it to the man on the gate and I was in. There is a winding path that takes you down to the level of the pitch. The majority of the facilities, concrete terracing, bar, tea hut, toilets, players and officials areas, are all on the leisure centre side of the ground, to your left as you enter. Of course, in these times, the first thing you come across is the track & trace register which can be done either with an app or through the manual method of writing your name and phone number on a form.
I said the majority of facilities on are the leisure centre side. This is true and the stepped concrete gives a very good view of the pitch. There is however a small covered standing area on the opposite side of the ground, the A3 side, accessed via the same path that brings you in from the turnstile. The view is not so good from that side, hampered by the dugouts which are situated either side of the halfway line. On the plus side, you do feel closer to the action, even with the athletics track between the stand and the pitch.

The Background
This was Guildford's first home league game of the season. Both The Sweeney and opponents Abbey Rangers, had taken a point in their opening fixtures, Guildford with a 1-1 draw at CB Hounslow United and Rangers with the same score at hole to Colliers Wood United. The sides have been in the same division since Abbey were promoted at the end of 2015/16. Since then they have met 7 times (only once last season because of the abandonment of the season). Spoils have been shared, three wins each with only last season's 0-0 draw breaking the sequence. There have also been plenty of goals in the fixture, aside from last season, with a total of 27 scored, 15 for Rangers and 12 for City. Abbey have clocked up the biggest win, a 5-0 thumping two season's ago but Guildford have the best away win in the series, 4-2 in the first meeting at The Moor.
Although this was my first trip to The Spectrum, I have seen both of these teams play before, both around this time last year and both of them won. Abbey beating Walthamstow in a history making Cup tie and Guildford spoiling Ascot's new ground opening night with a superb 3-0 win at Thee Racecourse Ground.

​The Game
The sides were greeted onto the pitch by the rather excellent stadium announcer, who had already read out the teams and continued to keep the crown informed throughout the game. Guildford were in their traditional red and white stripes with black short. Abbey, in a change from their normal black and white kit, were playing in yellow shirts with dark grey stripes and white shorts.
After the usual, initial exchanges in the first five minutes, where the teams tested each other out a little, the game started to settle into a pattern with Abbey beginning to get a grip on the match, especially in the midfield third. having said that, there was plenty of endeavour from both sides with the game being played at an extremely high tempo. Both sides were very keen to get on with play and, with ball boys employing a multi-ball system, there was very little time for anyone to take a breather.
Despite Abbey keeper Billy Bishop having to make the best save of the opening encounters, it was his team who went ahead in the 12th minute. A free-kick midway inside the City half out towards the right flank was delivered deep into the home penalty area. Abbey centre-half Jordan Stepney, who was hanging around towards the far post, did exceptionally well to get his head to the ball and direct it back across the six-yard area. Following a bit a scramble the ball found its way to Tom Neale who blasted it beyond Zack Basey to make it 0-1.

Following the goal, the game followed the same sort of pattern. Abbey looked to be the sharper of the two sides but Guildford still posed a threat when they attacked with pace. In fact it was once again Bishop in the Rangers goal who was called upon to keep the scores level.
From a neutral standpoint, the most noticeable aspect of the game was the speed at which Abbey hunted down and regained possession in midfield whenever they lost the ball. They never gave the City players any time to settle on the ball. This led to a number of challenges and decisions that clearly upset passionate Sweeney coach Chris Balchin, who was not shy in making his grievance heard by the official. So much so, in fact, that the referee had to have a word with at one point.

HT Guildford City 0 Abbey Rangers 1. Noticeable how quick Abbey are to win the ball back. Much sharper when out of possession. Guildford look to have a threat when going forward but are a yard off the pace in the middle

​Abbey had definitely had the better of the first period and you could almost hear the echos of the Sweeney coaching staff reiterating that something better change in the second half as the players came back out onto the field. 
The second half, however, did not start with the relentless pace shown in the first. This may have been down to the extra effort that the home side were putting in but also because a few niggly tackles were preventing unbroken passages of play, which suited Abbey more as they tried to protect their lead, although things never threatened to turn ugly.

Midway though the half we were informed that the crowd of 211 was a Combined Counties League record for Guildford. The seems to be a trend across the country now that non-league is back. The game I attended last week, at Roman Glass St George also attracted a much larger than average attendance. It will be interesting to see if crowds remain higher than normal after the resumption of the Premier League next week.

As with the first half, there was no lack of endeavour from either team. Guildford certainly pressed harder than in the first half but, in all actuality, Abbey never really looked too stretched on any occasion.
As we entered into the final 15 minutes of the game the assembled crowd, regardless of their allegiance were treated to an absolute peach of a goal and, as peaches go this was right up there as pick of the crop. An Abbey attack down the right seemed to be heading nowhere until the ball was pulled back into midfield, it was then rolled out to the left where Josh Ano took over. He had enough time to take one touch to set himself up, he unleashed an unstoppable effort across and over the keeper into he far corner. You'll go a long way before you see a better strike of a football. 0-2. The goal was effectively the final blow for Guildford. They pressed in the last 10 minutes but there were to be no more heroes this evening on either side. The referee drew a close to proceedings and to a well deserved Rangers win.

FT Guildford City 0 Abbey Rangers 2. A disappointing start to their home league campaign for the Sweeney but to be fair to them, Abbey Rangers looked like a very good team and will surely be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. Sometimes you have to take defeat on the chin and move on. Guildford will do that with an FA Cup tie at Staines Town to look forward to. Abbey too have an FA Cup game on the horizon, a very tasty looking local derby at Chertsey Town.

Guildford City: Basey, Oragi, Nzelo, Lewington, Woodhouse(c), Beale, Coppinger, Higgins, Smith, Ocansey, Smith-Joseph. Subs: Williams, Burton, Everard, Stanislaus, Saraiva

Abbey Rangers: Bishop, Ano, Kirby, Stepney, Kedze, Robertson, McKillip, Rowley, Fraser, Gallagher, Neale. Subs: White, June, Benincasa, Watts, Kersley

Att: 211
Ground Number: 241
Entrance: £8.00
Programme: £2.00

 If it's goals you are looking for then I suggest you look no further than the Oxfordshire Senior League Division One this season. The opening day of the season on Saturday saw no fewer than 40 goals across the six games played. Interestingly, the two top scorers, Ashton Folly who racked up 8 against Eynsham with six different goal scorers, and Bicester Hallions who scored 7 at Horspath including a Ryan Brooks hat-trick, are both new to the division. That's certainly one way of announcing yourselves.
Both sides came from the Banbury District 7 Lord Jersey League, Hallions in a straight switch and Folly as champions of Division 1. Next Saturday, the 12th, sees Hallions make the short journey to Hethe to take on Folly in what could be a real test for both defences.

Not too far behind the top too were Kirtlington who smashed in six goals at Adderbury Park Reserves, Alex Metcalfe grabbing a hat-trick for Kirty. Top of the individual scoring charts however is Bicester Town Colts striker Josh Patrick who got all five in his side's 5-1 demolition of Kidlington A. There were also six goals to cheer down at Chalgrove where the Cavaliers and Middleton Cheney shared the spoils with a 3-3 draw, the home side coming back from 3-1 down and playing with ten men for the second half.
The only game which didn't stretch the counting skills of the supporters was newly-promoted Oxford Irish Athletic's 2-1 win at Woodstock Town Development but even that game reportedly had its fair share of incident, with the home side hitting the woodwork on a number of occasions.

Full list of results from Saturday:

It's not often you get to stand next to and chat to the chairman of a club whilst watching them play. However, that's exactly what happened on Saturday afternoon when I went to see Bure Park FC play their first ever game in the Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division.
All is not exactly as glamorous or unusual as it first may sound though. I also coach Bure Park's under 11 girls team and club Chairman, Ben Hillier, is also a coach. In fact, the previous evening you could have found both at the same training facility working with the girls and Wildcats squads.
Still, being able to say you watched a game with the club Chairman sounds pretty swanky. In actuality we were standing in the goalmouth of the pitch that my girls team had played on that very morning. However, the less said about the morning's result, the better. Suffice to say, we came second.

Bure Park's Senior team play their games at Pingle Field which also boasts three 7*7 pitches, 2 5*5 pitches and another 11*11 pitch as well as a fairly large pavilion and a decent size car park. All in all, it's a great football facility for the club and the town. The pitches are situated just off Pingle Drive which many visitors to Bicester will know as the road that leads to Bicester Village Shopping Outlet. In fact, Pingle Field is opposite the shopping centre, so you could always pick up a Boss suit or some Jimmy Choo shoes before or after a game if you are that way inclined.
The pitch the men's team play on is adjacent to Bicester's Oxford Road stadium, just separated by some trees and the back of the main stand at Oxford Road. The stadium was, for many, many years, home to the now defunct Bicester Town. This season, however, it is home to Bicester Town Colts who also play in the Oxfordshire Senior League, in Division One. In fact, this season, the town can boats three sides in the Oxfordshire Senior League system, Bure Park in the Premier, Bicester Town Colts and Bicester Hallions in Division One. It's great to see grassroots football thriving in the town. 

The Background
Bure Park FC were formed during the Summer of 2020 when Bicester United merged into the existing Bure Park Juniors structure. Bicester United were already playing in the Premier Division and Bure Park retained that position, hence this game being their first in the league, although their previous incarnation as Bicester United had gained promotion to the Premier League by winning Division One in 2018. I could probably write an entire blog just about the various names of teams in Bicester and the relationship between those teams, but that's for another time.

So, although there has not been any previous meetings between Bure Park and Saturday's opponent Yarnton, there was some historic results to go through with Bicester United. Last season the sides met twice, once in the league and once in the President's Cup, in both games United were the home side. United won the league encounter 2-0 with Yarnton taking the cup game 2-1. The previous season, United's first in the Premier, there was a 2-2 draw at Yarnton and a 2-0 victory for the away team back in Bicester.
Yarnton won promotion to the Premier League in 2016. The club also spent most of the 1990s playing at Step 6 level in the Hellenic League system.

The Game
Yarnton, in all blue, began the game kicking down the slight slope towards the Bicester Village End with Bure PArk in the change kit of red & white stripes kicking up towards the cemetery end. As stated before, the pitch is adjacent to the Oxford Road ground, so close in fact that the shouts from the Bicester Town Colts v Kidlington game could be easily heard on the Bure Park sidelines. If Colts were to gain promotion next season could see a local derby geographically closer than any other (excluding teams who play at the same stadium, such as the Milan clubs), even the Dundee teams are further apart.

The first half seemed to pass very quickly even though we did not get a goal. Play was, in the most part, fairly even although Bure Park just about edged in terms of chances created despite looking a little hesitant in the last third at times. Ryan Collins had the best opportunity for the home side but was denied by a good save from the Yarnton keeper, who looked very sharp off his line on a couple of occasions. All in all being all square at half-time was a very fair reflection of the game.

HT Bure Park 0 Yarnton 0. No goals but some good football from both sides at times and certainly not a bore draw.

​Into the second half and the home side appeared far more positive kicking down the slope. In fact, we were only around 5 minutes into the second period when they made the initial breakthrough, Rowan Chappell being set free down the left flank before driving into the box and guiding a precise finish into the far corner. 1-0
Less than five minutes later the lead was doubled. Yarnton appeared to have cleared the initial danger from a Bure Park attack, so much so that I had already glanced down at my phone when the ball found its way to Tom Bosher. As I looked back up the ball was flying into the net from all of 25 yards out. 2-0 and clearly a great strike, even if I didn't see it.
The second half certainly had ore incident than the first and Yarnton almost immediately went up the other end and scored. What's the old adage about being most vulnerable straight after scoring? However, we only had to wait until just past hour mark before Yarnton did get themselves back into the game. Bure Park were caught napping at the back as a lovely cross was delivered from the right-hand side to find Joshua Redfearn pretty much unmarked inside the home penalty area. One superbly struck volley later and the ball was nestled in the back of the Bure Park net. Lovely technique for the finish. 2-1. We then had a little bit of shenanigans in the back of the net as Yarnton tried to get hold of the ball but were thwarted by the home keeper.
Yarnton had their tails up now and Bure Park needed to steady the ship but two minutes after conceding they were almost caught out again, and it was almost a carbon copy. Another cross from the right was again met by Redfearn but just when it seemed he must equalise, Bure Park keeper Rob Lacey threw himself across his line to make a superb, game changing save.
If that effort had gone in, it could well have swung the game in Yarnton's favour. Two goals in two minutes would have given them a huge surge in confidence. As it turned out, however, the scare provided the wake up call that Bure Park needed and within 4 minutes they effectively made the game safe when Jack Hornett provided a good finish to make it 3-1.

There were still 20 minutes on the clock but the home side now looked a little more comfortable despite Yarnton having a good go and creating a couple of decent chances. The only blot on the Bure Park landscape was the second yellow picked up by first goalscorer Chappell. No one on the sidelines saw what prompted the referee to make the decision but there weren't too many complaints from the player so presumably it was warranted. Still, even with 10 men, the home defence held firm and saw the game out.

FT Bure Park 3 Yarnton 1. A great start for Bure Park gaining three points in their first league game under their new guise.
Chairman Ben was a happy man. Bicester was a happy town.
​All three local sides were victorious, Colts winning 5-1 and Hallions 7-1 away at Horspath. Depsite their large scoreline Hallions do not head the Division One table, that honour goes to Ashton Folly who beat Eynsham 8-1. Hallions and Folly meet next Saturday. meanwhile, Bure Park face a tough challenge at Freeland whilst Yarnton host Charlton United.


Att: 
Ground Number: 240
Entrance: £0.00
Programme: N/A