On a weekend where the weather beat a number of clubs, Wycombe's Shannon Read lit up Division One South with a hat-trick.
In the Premier League, Ascot stayed unbeaten and top of the league, closely followed by Bournemouth Sports, who also won again. Kidlington continue to show the way in Division One North, but clubs are massing behind them and have games in hand. In the South, leaders Stoneham were held to a draw by improving Woking.

​Ascot United 1-0 Warminster Town
A single Sarah Leonard goal four minutes before half-time was enough to secure a fifth league win of the season for Ascot, who remain unbeaten and now have a five point lead at the top of the table. For Warminster it was a fifth defeat that sees them remain second from bottom. However, they'll take some solace in being the first team this season to prevent Ascot from scoring more than once in a home league game. Read about the game on the Ascot United website.

Eastleigh 0-2 Bournemouth Sports
Hollie Shaw scored early in the first half and last in the second to secure three points for Sports and keep them on the trail of Ascot. Bournemouth stay in second spot trailing the leaders by five points but they do have a game in hand. Eastleigh remain firmly entrenched in mid-table after being leap-frogged by Oxford City at the weekend.

Oxford City 4-0 Badshot Lea
City hit the Baggies with a devastating four goal first half salvo. Emily Harris  the Hoops a goal up inside the first minute. Then top scorer Ellie White made it two after 22 minutes, rapidly followed by Harris's second a minute later. On the stroke of half-time Anna Cook made it four, putting the game well out of reach for Badshot Lea. The Baggies stay bottom, two points adrift of Warminster with a game in hand. However, by all accounts, this was a much improved performance from Badshot Lea who missed two penalties.

Woodley United P-P Wycombe Wanderers

​Beaconsfield Town 2-4 Kidlington
Kidlington maintained their lead at the top of the table with their fourth win on the bounce.
The Rams remain third from bottom, three points clear of Caversham and Eversley but having played two more than both of the teams below them. Courtney Sumner added two more goals to her collection, one from the spot. Emily Keal add a goal to her POTM award, with the other goal coming from an OG. Both Beaconsfield goals came in a frantic 5 minute spell that saw first Erin Dennis and then Elle Scott score before Ciara Moore was shown a red card.

Chesham United Development 4-1 Eversley & California
United top scorer Katie West was on the mark twice early on in this game, shooting Chesham into a two goal lead within 8 minutes. Eversley got a goal back before the break but further strikes from Emma Nolan, on 55 minutes and Chloe Timms three minutes later made the points safe. Chesham move up to fourth spot whilst Eversley remain second from bottom and without a point yet this season.

Long Crendon 5-2 Abingdon United Development
Long Crendon got back to winning ways after two successive home league reversals. Goals from Eleanor Lovelock, Michelle Baily, Brooke Burns, Charlotte Cairns and Finlay Leonard were enough to secure three points. Abingdon striker Mimi Hodges hit a brace for United but it wasn't enough on the day. On the back of the result, Crendon moved back into third spot, nine points off the top with three games in hand.

Milton United P-P Ascot United Reserves

Wycombe Wanderers u23 3-2 Penn & Tylers Green
It was the Shannon Read show at Burnham on Sunday. The Chairgirls hot-shot hot two first half goals to put the home side well in control at the break. However, Liberty Dieppe and Henna Hussain put the visitors back on level terms, only for Read to complete her hat-trick in the 92nd minute, keeping Wanderers hot on the heels of leaders Kidlington.

​Bournemouth Sports Res. 3-2 Abbey Rangers
A rollercoaster of a game at Chapel Gate. Samantha Gubb put Sports one up within the first quarter hour only for Carla Hobbs to level it up after 18 minutes. Four minutes before the break Lauren Timbrell had the visitors leading. However, ten minutes into the second period, Emma Acott equalised laying the groundwork for Stacey Lewis to win it three minutes before the end.

Fleet Town P-P AFC Portchester

Havant & Waterlooville P-P Eastleigh Reserves

Rushmoor P-P Selsey Development

Woking 1-1 AFC Stoneham
In a tight game Stoneham took a 1-0 lead into half-time. However, Helen Ogle equalised for The Cards five minutes into the second period. The game could have gone either way but a last minute penalty, awarded for handball, looked as if it may have tipped towards Woking. However, Ogle's penalty was saved and the score remained level. Read the match report on the Woking FC web site and check out the match action courtesy of James Prickett Photos.

​Premier
Badshot Lea v Ascot United
A classic bottom versus top clash. The Baggies are on a very difficult run of form, having lost their last six league games. Ascot have yet to lose in the league. Having said that, the Yellawomen have only played one away league match so far, a 1-0 win at Eastleigh. The sides have already met this season, a 5-2 United win at the Racecourse Ground in September.
Operatix Community Ground, Westfield Lane, Wrecclesham GU10 4PF

Bournemouth Sports v Oxford City
This could well be the Premier League clash of the day. Sports are still unbeaten in the league this season. City have not lost in four, winning three of them including two consecutive 4-0 victories. Oxford are the league's top scorers and have Ellie White and Emily Harris as the top to scorers in the league with 23 between them. Bournemouth have the meanest defence, having only conceded three so far.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.

Woodley United v Winchester City Flyers
Both of these teams had a week off last week. Woodley's game with Wycombe fell foul of the weather whilst it was Warminster's turn to be the odd team out. Woodley slipped to fourth after Oxford won to go above them. City remain in seventh spot. United lost their last home league outing, 2-1 to Oxford City. They'll be aware that both of Winchester's two victories this season have come on the road, 1-0 at Eastleigh and 2-1 at Warminster.
UofR Bulmershe Pavilion, Woodlands Avenue, Woodley, Reading, Berks RG5 3HE

Wycombe Wanderers v Eastleigh
These two are separated by just a point in sixth and fifth respectively. However, Wanderers do have two game sin hand after their game at Woodley was called off at the weekend. Eastleigh, meanwhile, we going down 2-0 at home to in-form Bournemouth Sports. The Spitfires won 1-0 at the 18178 Stadium last season, courtesy of a late Danielle O'Leary goal.
18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

Division One North
Ascot United Reserves v Beaconsfield Town
Ascot's game at Milton on Sunday was postponed leaving them still in eighth spot. Beaconsfield, meanwhile, were toppled 4-2 at home by league leaders Kidlington. Only a point separates the teams, although The Rams have played a game more. Ascot are yet to win at home, Beaconsfield are yet to take a point on the road, although they've only played one away from Holloways Park.
Ascot United Racecourse Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Eversley & California v Long Crendon
Long Crendon got back to winning ways at the weekend with a resounding 5-2 defeat of Abingdon United Development. Eversley lost their fourth league game on the bounce when they went down 4-1 at Chesham. Last season Eversley drew at Long Crendon, sharing six goals. The game at Fox Lane was won 1-0 by Long Crendon, a goal from Emma Leith being the difference.
Eversley Sports Association, Fox Lane, Eversley RG27 0NS

Kidlington v Caversham United
The Greens made it four league wins on the bounce at the weekend when they won 4-2 at Beaconsfield.. That winning run actually started at Caversham back in early October when two from Courtney Sumner and goals from Sara Pinna and Abi Haynes saw Kidlington win 4-2. Due to injury problems and the odd team break, Caversham have not played since this game.
Exeter Park, Crown Road, Kidlington OX5 1AB

Milton United v Wycombe Wanderers u23
United have not played a league game since October 1st and this game will only be their fourth of the season. Wanderers come into the game on the back of five league wins on the run, including last weekend's last gasp 3-2 defeat of Penn & Tylers Green. Shannon Read's hat-trick t the weekend pushed her to joint top of the scoring charts with ten in here seven games.
Milton Heights, Potash Lane, Milton, Abingdon OX14 4XB

Penn & Tylers Green v Abingdon United Development
Both of these teams suffered defeat at the weekend. Abingdon were beaten 5-2 at Long Crendon whilst Penn lost a five goal thriller to an added time Wycombe winner. This game sees two of the division's top scorers go head to head. Abingdon's Mimi Hodges has 10 in seven games and is level at the top of the chart with Shannon Read. Henna Hussain, however, has a better percentage rate than both with eight goals in just five outings.
French School Meadow, Elm Road, Penn HP10 8LG

Division One South
AFC Portchester v Havant & Waterlooville
Third versus second as Portchy defend their 100% season record. Their game at Fleet was called off on Sunday but Stoneham's draw at Woking means they are still only four points off top spot with three games in hand. The Hawk's game at home to Eastleigh was also postponed, so they remain second there points off the leaders having played the same number of games.
Venue: AFC Portchester Womens

Abbey Rangers v AFC Stoneham
After letting a 2-1 half-time lead dissolve to lose 3-2 at Bournemouth Sports Reserves on Sunday, Abbey face the tough task of matching up to the division's leaders and top scorers this weekend. The Purps have already scored 30 goals in their seven league games this season and, in Chloe Melton (14), have the league's runaway top scorer in their ranks. This the second meeting this season. Stoneham won 5-1 back in September. After going in level at half-time, The Purps hit four without reply in the second period.
Addlestone Moor, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2QH

Bournemouth Sports Reserves v Rushmoor
Sports consolidated fourth spot on Sunday when they came from 2-1 down to beat Abbey Rangers 3-2. Stacey Lewis grabbing the decisiove goal on 87 minutes. Rushmoor haven't managed a win since beating Flett 4-0 in September.  Earlier that month these sides met at Rushmoor in an extraordinary game that saw Sports lead 4-0 at the break before Rushmoor came back at them. The game ended 4-6 to Sports despite only being 3-4 after 90 minutes.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.

Woking v Fleet Town
Woking are the division's form team at the moment. On a run of three wins and a draw in all competitions, they held high-flying Stoneham to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. This has seen them climb from ninth on zero points to fifth on seven pint, in the space of 30 days. Fleet are still winless this season. After drawing the first game, they've gone on to lose five league game son the bounce, which includes defeat on all there away games.
Eastwood Leisure Centre, ​Albert Drive, Sheerwater, Woking GU22 5RF

After deciding to give Tuesday evening a miss, I didn't expect to get to a game this midweek. However, a cancelled meeting gave me  chance to get to a game on Wednesday, so long as it was within an hour of home. As luck would have it, there were a couple of choices, including the chance to go to a ground I had not visited before. Decision made. I would head off up the A43 and A5 to check out the United Counties Premier South game between Rugby Borough and Racing Club Warwick.
I had seen both of these sides play before, but never visited Kilsby Lane. In fact, I first saw Warwick back in 2014, a 2-1 home win over Nuneaton Griff. There years later, I was back at the Racers to see them go down 3-0 at home to Bromsgrove Sporting (Racing Greens). My first encounter with Rugby Borough was much more recent, a very entertaining encounter with Moulton last August (Moulton Rock).

​The Ground
When you turn into the complex off Kilsby Lane, through the large Rugby Borough emblazoned gates, you pass down a fairly long service road before turning left towards the large car park. Only one word can describe the vista that greets you. Impressive. The whole place is a hive of activity. Training taking place on the myriad of small-sided pitches with both boy's and girl's teams being put through their paces by coaches, as far as the eye can see. In the centre of it all the floodlights of the main pitch, adjacent to a large clubhouse and backed by the Rugby Gymnastics club building. It's clear to see that money has been spent on creating a sporting community hub for the people of Rugby and, judging by the number of cars, kids and parents, it is certainly working.
The main pitch is accessed via a turnstile just to the is if the clubhouse building. To your right, as you enter, is the Alan Young Stand, a covered seating area situated between the corner flag and the goal. There's another small stand on the opposite side of the playing area, between the halfway line and the gymnastics club. The dugouts are also on this side of the pitch.
To your left is the entrance to the large clubhouse and a patio area that looks out over the pitch. There's a club history mural on the wall in the clubhouse and the entire ground is liberally sprinkled with Rugby Borough logos. It's a superb sports facility that the town should be proud of.
Of course,there's always a but. I say this every time I visit a 3G facility. I completely undertsand the need to have artificial pitches It makes absolute perfect sense financially. However, they are a no from me when it comes to football. Training, yes. Matches, no. They just take something away from the game in my opinion.

​The Background
When I decided on this game, I did a little research into the teams, especially the home team and their ground. It has to be said that the Rugby Borough website, as is the case with their ground, is top notch. Nicely laid out with plenty of information, especially around the history of the club.
Borough's journey in the non-league pyramid so far has been a case of one success after another. They joined the Leicestershire Senior League in 2017, winning Division One at the first attempt. The following season they won the Premier League. There followed two abandoned seasons but Borough were at it again in 2021/22, winning the Premier League again and gaining promotion to the Spartan South Midlands league. They finished third in Division One, once again gaining a promotion, this time changing leagues and joining the United Counties structure, Premier Division South. Somewhat unsurprisingly, their meteoric rise had to plateau at some point and life in Step 5 has proven to be more of a challenge to them. Sitting 13th at the start of play today, they have amassed 15 points from 13 games, all of which have been secured at Kilsby Lane. They have, however, won three of their last six outings.
Warwick have had a good start, winning 10 of their 14 games and sitting nicely in 4th spot at the start of play. Interestingly, they have been prolific scorers on the road, averaging three per game. They have managed to win four of their last six games. A win tonight would see The Racers jump into top spot in the table.

​The Game
Another plus point for Rugby Borough is that they post the teams on a whiteboard before kick-off. I wish all clubs would do this.
Kicking towards the car park end, Warwick in their all white change kit, started the brighter. Only six minutes into the game they broke down the right flank and when the ball was fizzed across the six-yard box, there was top scorer Luke Shearer, flying in to seemingly open the scoring. However, he put his effort over the top and Borough lived to fight another day.
Undeterred, Warwick continued to have the lion's share of possession but couldn't find a way past a resolute Rugby defence.
We were past the halfway mark in the first period before the home side mustered their first opportunity of any real note when Justin Marsden was played in on goal but, turning on the ball, he fired well over. A warning for Warwick, however.
Straight up the other end, Warwick went close when Ethan Flaig was caught dallying out on the right side. Louie Monaghan robbed him of the ball and drove into the box only to see his shot well blocked by Jake Bull in the home goal.
Just before the half-hour mark, Rugby clocked up their first strike on target when Halim Halim  tried his luck from the edge of the box. Bradley Catlow got down well to save. Then, shortly afterwards, Warwick broke through the middle allowing Chris Jones to get a shot off from the edge of the box, straight into the body of Bull.
After that brief spell of action at both ends, things calmed down a little. Gerard McGahey put a long range effort over for Rugby on 40 minutes, before the game burst into a flurry of activity before the break. With 44 minutes on the clock a Rugby free-kick from the right was delivered dangerously into the six-yard area where Ethan Flaig was a matter of inches from getting a decisive head to the ball. Warwick immediately went up the other end where Chris Jones was allowed to get a strike away which beat Bull but came back off the foot of the post. We were into added time but the first half action wasn't over. Rugby still had time to go close themselves when a cross from the left evaded everyone and seemed to come back off the far post before being cleared.

HT Rugby Borough 0 Racing Club Warwick 0. Warwick had the lion's share of possession and should have gone ahead early on. After that, neither side threatened too much until the closing five minutes, when both went very close.

​On what was becoming a very chilly evening, the good-sized crowd was keen to get inside for a welcome warming break before the second half began. I noticed very quickly after the restart that Shay Purley had made an appearance. You can hear his name called around almost every ground in the country these days.
However, even the appearance of Shay could not help muster any significant opportunities for wither team in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half. It was the 64th minute minute before James Hancocks, on as a substitute for The Racers, sent a speculative volley just wide of the mark. It was a good effort that appeared to aprk a period of pressure from the visitors. A minute later Monaghan tirned sharply oin the box and sent a volley thudding into Bull's midriff. A good atop fro the keeper. Warwick were almost camped in th Rugby half at this point, but stil couldn't find that final, finishing touch. They also had to be aware of their hosts on the break. One such raid led to a free-kick on the edge of the Warwick box which Lockley fired just over the bar, although Catlow clearly had it well covered. that was in the 75th minute and, depsite both sides putting in a lot of hard work, there were still no goals to be found in the closing quarter hour.

FT Rugby Borough 0 Racing Club Warwick 0. A hard-earned and deserved point for the home side. Warwick huffed and puffed but Rugby defended stoutly and made a few chances themsleves. Teh big chance that Warwick squandered early could, possibly, have made a massive difference had it go ne in. We'll never know.
On Saturday Rugby face a tricky looking trip to Aylestone Park, who have only lost once at home. Warwick are back at home in a tasty-looking match-up with second placed St Neots Town.

Rugby Borough: Bull, Draper, Young, Baker, Flaig, Glasscoe, Creaney, McGahey(c), Lockley, Marsden, Halim. Subs: Rea, Johnson, Steele, Barnett, Cooke
Racing Club Warwick: Catlow, Dlionga, Carsley, Andrews, Barnett, Templeton(c), Quinn, Hazell, Monaghan, Shearer, Jones. Subs: Hancocks, Parsons, Ashmore, Ebbutt, Hamp


Ground Number: 385
Att: 168
Entrance: £7.00
Programme: N/A

Whilst Wycombe, Oxford City Bournemouth Sports and Winchester City went out of the FA Cup, there was history being made for some Southern Region sides. Premier League Woodley and Division One South high-flyers AFC Portchester both made it through to Round One for the first time ever, whilst AFC Stoneham made it to the First Round for the third season on the bounce.

​AFC Portchester 2-0 Pucklechurch Sports
The dynamic duo of Charmaine True and Eilidh Currie were at it again, making it 18 goals between them so far this season. True put Portchy a goal up after just 11 minutes. Currie's thunderous strike from the edge of the box made it 2-0 against a tough Pucklechurch side who pushed Portchester all the way. Portchy now face a trip up to Kent where they meet London & South East Division One high-flyers Bromley. Read the match report on the AFC Portchester web site and check out the great photos from Lindsey Hyde.

Dartford 8-1 Wycombe Wanderers
The Chairgirls were undone by a blistering second half performance from London & South East high-flyers Dartford. Leading 1-0 at the break through an early Emily Vaughan goal, the Kent side fired in seven more second-half goals. Shauni Griffiths hit a hat-trick, Charli Torry a brace, with Paris Smith and Gabby Howell also getting in on the act. On the plus side for Wycombe, Ammara Qureshi, stepping up from the u23 squad, hit her first senior goal. The Darts welcome last season's @srwfl Premier Champions Abingdon United to Princes Park in the 1st Round.

Ebbsfleet United 5-0 Oxford City
City couldn't cope with the firepower of a strong Ebbsfleet side who were three up before the break. Logan O'Shea opened the scoring, Lisa Fulgence made it two and , two minutes in added time, Madison Woodgate put United in total control. Lydia Wills then made it 4-0 on 70 minutes, before Amelia Woodgate rounded off the scoring two minutes later. Ebbsfleet now travel to Chesham United in the First Round.

Ilminster Town 2-1 Winchester City Flyers
After being goalless at the break, Flyers took the lead in this game through Annie Northwood. Shannon White then saved a penalty before Sarah Stuckey equalised for Ilminster just past the hour. Eight minutes later it the turnaround was complete as Jodi Cornwall headed what turned out to be the winner. Ilminster make the journey to Devon after drawing Plymouth Argyle in the Round One.

Keynsham Town 1-0 Bournemouth Sports
A brave effort from Sports. They held National League outfit Keynsham to 0-0 at the break before going out to the only goal of the game in the second half. This was Bournemouth's first defeat in any competition this season. Keynsham's reward is a trip to Plymouth to face Marine Academy in the First Round.

Royal Wootton Bassett Town 0-1 AFC Stoneham
Goalless at the break, The Purps finally overcame their South West Region opposition with a Rebecca Moody goal. A long journey is now on the cards for Stoneham as they make the trip to deepest, darkest Cornwall for their First Round tie with South West Regional Western Division side, Sticker.

Woodley United 1-1 (p3-1) Aylesford
Aylesford led after 20 minutes through Beth Hulme, but Sarah Lawrence scored a screamer to equalise four minutes later. A tight game ended that way and went to a penalty shootout. Both teams missed their first spot-kick but Woodley edged in front by scoring their second, which Aylesford missed. Then both teams scored and missed before Michelle Quinn struck the decisive kick to make history.
What a draw for the First Round! Woodley take on National League side Oxford United who's General Manager is one Gemma Sims, Woodley United stalwart. 
Andy Wicks was. once again, on hand to capture some great action shots. You can also red the match report on the Woodley United web site.

​Badshot Lea 0-3 Warminster Town
Louise Hiett had Town a goal to the good at the break. Warminster secured their first win of the season with second half goals from Mia Blazey and Maddy Brown. The result saw Town leapfrog The Baggies, leaving them rock bottom after their fifth consecutive league defeat.

Eastleigh 0-1 Ascot United
A Sarah Leonard strike two minutes after half-time was enough for Ascot to maintain their unbeaten start to the season and put them three points ahead of Woodley. Eastleigh remain in third spot, four points behind the leaders having played an extra game.

​Ascot United Reserves P-P Wycombe Wanderers u23

Beaconsfield Town 1-4 Abingdon United Development
Iva Georgievska put the visitor ahead after 20 minutes, but just before the half-hour Grainne McNally had the Rams back on  level terms. Ten minutes after the break Mimi Hodges hit her eighth goal of the season to put Abingdon back in front. Two goals in two minutes from Georgia Taylor and Nina Maitlis secured the points for United.

Caversham United P-P Chesham United Development

Long Crendon 1-2 Kidlington
Long Crendon kept league top scorer Courtney Sumner quiet but in doing so opened up the floor to Abi Haynes, who duly notched twice to give Kidlington a 2-0 lead. Brooke Burns pulled a goal back just on the stroke of half-time but it was not enough to prevent the home side falling to a second consecutive 2-1 home league defeat. Kidlington, meanwhile, march on. Now six points clear of Wycombe who do have two games in hand.

Milton United P-P Penn & Tylers Green

​Abbey Rangers 5-2 Rushmoor
Rangers scored three in the opening fourteen minutes through Mehgan McGarvey and a Lauren Timbrell double. Carla Hobbs added another after 33 minutes before Emma Mutch pulled one back for Rushmoor. Ten minutes after the break, Lisa Smith came off the bench to add a fifth for Abbey. Mutch grabbed a consolation for Rushmoor in the 75th minute.

Fleet Town P-P Bournemouth Sports Reserves

Woking 4-1 Havant & Waterlooville
The recent Woking revival continued apace as they put four goals past a Hawks side who were looking to go back to the top of the table. Charlotte Keenan put Woking in front after 22 minutes but they were pegged back by Katie Bundy with seven to go before the break. Kaitlin Howard very quickly made it 2-1 to Woking before half-time. Amy Jenkins then saved a penalty to give her side the platform to win it through goals from Helen Ogle and a second from Howard. Read the match report on the Woking web site.

​Premier League
Ascot United v Warminster Town
Town secured their first win of the season on Sunday when they defeated Badshot Lea 3-0 at Wrecclesham. If they want to build on that result they have to get past leaders Ascot who continued their unbeaten start at the weekend, winning 1-0 at Eastleigh.
Racecourse Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Eastleigh v Bournemouth Sports
Sports lost for the first time in any competition at the weekend but will be looking to extend an unbeaten league start to five games this Sunday. They start the game a place and a point adrift of their hosts who have played two more games. Last season these sides met in Bournemouth's first and last games. In the first game, at Chapel Gate, Sports won 3-1. The reverse fixture ended 1-1 with Eastleigh leading 1-0 until Sarah Kelsall saw red on 89 minutes and Hollie Shaw equalised fur minutes into added time.
Oasis Academy Mayfield, Ashley Crescent, Southampton SO19 9NA

Oxford City v Badshot Lea
The Baggies slumped to the bottom of the table following their fifth consecutive league defeat on Sunday. They are now two points adrift of Warminster but do have a game in hand. City's FA Cup exit on Sunday was their first defeat in five outings and they will be keen to get back on track. Badshot Lea are yet to take a point on the road this season. City are yet to win a league game at home.
Marsh Lane, Marston, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX3 0NQ

Woodley United v Wycombe Wanderers
Contrasting FA Cup results for these two over the weekend. Whilst Woodley were making club history with a penalty shoot-out win over Pucklechurch, Wycombe were going down 8-1 at London & South East Premier high-flyers Dartford. However, the Chairgirls have been in blistering league form and will be keen to resume where they left off. Woodley also won their last league game after losing for the first time at home to Oxford City three weeks back.
UofR Bulmershe Pavilion, Woodlands Avenue, Woodley, Reading, Berks RG5 3HE

Division One North
Beaconsfield Town v Kidlington
On a run of three consecutive league wins, Kidlington sit atop the league table. They have payed more than anyone else, but points in the bag are what counts. Beaconsfield will have to deal with two of the league's top scorers in Courtney Sumner and Abi Haynes, with 14 goals between them. The Rams lost 4-1 to Abingdon at the weekend, their third defeat in a row. They have their own hot shot in Grainne McNally who has scored seven times in five outings this season.
Holloways Park, Windsor Road, Beaconsfield HP9 2SE

Chesham United Development v Eversley & California
After three wins on the bounce, Chesham's progressed was temporarily halted last weekend when their game with Caversham was postponed due to The Goats' continuing injury crisis. Eversley sit second from bottom but have only played three games so far. Four of their last five games have been postponed. The one they did play ended in a 5-0 defeat to Wycombe. With no points and only two goals to their name, The Boars will want to kickstart their season as soon as possible.
Chiltern Hills Academy, Chartridge Road, Chesham HP52 2RG

Long Crendon v Abingdon United Development
Four home defeats on the spin for Long Crendon. Admittedly two were against higher-tanked cup opponents but their two 2-1 league defeats against Wycombe and Kidlington have seen them slip to fifth spot. Abingdon got back to winning ways at the weekend, beating Beaconsfield 4-1, a result that lifted them to third spot, eight behind the leaders but with two games in hand.
Long Crendon Recreation Ground, Chearsley Road, Long Crendon HP18 9BS

Milton United v Ascot United Reserves
After having two postponed games and a home walkover in the County Cup, Milton will be hoping to finally get back into action. They've currently only played three league games this season, winning two and losing one. Ascot, meanwhile, sit a place and two points below their hosts, having played two more games. They also saw their last game called off after a run of three league defeats in a row.
Milton Heights, Potash Lane, Milton, Abingdon OX14 4XB

Wycombe Wanderers u23 v Penn & Tylers Green
Two of the sides who can catch the leaders with their games in hand. Wanderers are six points adrift of Kidlington with two games in the bag. Penn are nine points behind the leaders but have a colossal five games in their favour. Penn faced Wycombe's Premier League team in the  County Cup last weekend, eventually losing 2-1 after taking the lead. Wanderers have not played since their 2-1 win at Long Crendon which temporarily put them top three weeks ago.
18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

Division One South
Bournemouth Sports Reserves v Abbey Rangers
Abbey have won two of their last three league outings, lifting them away from the foot of the table. Sports have seen their last two games postponed but lost last time out at Stoneham. These two have already met at Addlestone Moor earlier in the season. Abbey raced into a two goal lead within 11 minutes. Sports pulled one back before the break and that acted as a platform for them to go to win with three more goals inside 12 second half minutes.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.

Fleet Town v AFC Portchester
After making history in the FA Cup at the weekend, Portchy take their 100% league record to Fleet, facing a Town side who are yet to win in the league. Fleet's problem is scoring goals. Only four have been racked up in seven games in all competitions. No such problem for Portchester, who have scored 27 in the same number of games, 17 of which have come from Eilidh Currie and Charmaine True.
Crookham Road, Fleet GU51 5FA

Havant & Waterlooville P-P Eastleigh Reserves

Rushmoor v Selsey Development
Only a point separates these two in mid-table. However Selsey have the advantage of that single point and two games in hand on their opponents. They are old foes and met twice in the league last season, with Rushmoor taking the honours on both occasions. Louise Ekins, Lisa Cooper and Gemma Bennett trumped goals from Olivia Peters and Rebecca Johnson to give Rushmoor a 3-2 home victory. Laura Quin-Low and Rozie Slack helped them to a 2-0 win at Selsey.
Southwood Pavilion, Grasmere Road, Farnborough GU14 0LE

Woking v AFC Stoneham
Two more sides who are familiar opponents. Last season honours were even as Stoneham won 1-0 at home through a Sophie Lee strike. It finished 3-2 at Eastwood, Kaitlin Howard with a brace and Rebecca Tiney for Woking. Susani Lucas and Madison Payne replied for The Purps.
Eastwood Leisure Centre, Albert Drive, Sheerwater, Woking GU22 5RF

This weekend a family visit to Devon presented an unexpected opportunity to get to a game many miles away from home. In some ways it could be said that the timing of the visit was slightly out because the two most local teams, Newton Abbot Spurs and Bovey Tracey had their local derby in midweek, a few days before the planned visit. That game ended 3-2 to Bovey Tracey and moved them to within two points of their hosts in the table. To make matters worse, Newton Abbot had no game at the weekend and Bovey Tracey were away at Hamworthy in the FA Vase. Still, all was not lost. The South Devon League came to the rescue and threw up a few local games to choose from. Two particularly caught my eye, leaders Ilsington Villa at home to Buckfastleigh Rangers and the all Athletic clash between Kingsteignton and Waldon. It was a tricky choice, especially as I had no previous knowledge of the teams or even this league. In the end, logistics won the day. Kingsteignton worked out much better for my wife to drop me off, so that's was decision made.

​The Ground
Situated on the Southern edge of Kingsteignton and just North of Newton Abbot Racecourse, Athletic's Broadpark ground sits just off Broadway Road. Access to the ground is through gates that lead into a small car park, there's a small hut to the right of the gates where a member of the club collects entrance fees. When I arrived they had not yet opened the hut up but noticing that they gentleman had arrived I walked back over to pay my entry. Every little counts as the saying goes.
There's not much parking space at the ground but there are a few streets nearby where on-street parking is available. Note that Broadway Road itself is very narrow and has no pavement in places, as I found on my walk up from the racecourse.
The first thing that meets the eye when entering Broadpark is that it has a the look and feel of a ground a couple of steps above the club's current status, effectively Step 8 (level 12). The only thing that gives it away is the lack of hard-standing around the perimeter. This is testament to the hard work and dedication of the club's volunteers, of which there appeared to be quite a few judging by the number of club jackets and polo shirts on show. There was a definite community feel about the club.

​To the left of the car park, directly behind the goal, is the clubhouse block, which also houses the changing areas. There is a snack bar, reached by a couple of steps, which has double doors that open to give a vista of the pitch. Either side of the steps to the snack bar there are wooden benches set on two terraces that act as as a seated spectator area. On the right hand side of the pitch, as seen from the car park, is the main stand which provides covered seating for spectators. The dugouts are either side of this stand. Both sides of the playing surface are quite tightly hemmed in by trees and houses beyond. This is particularly close to the pitch on the left-hand side, as we saw during the game with a number of match balls disappearing into neighbouring gardens. Beyond the far goal is a floodlit training area, also enclosed by trees.
This is a delightful and very friendly ground. If you get a chance to visit, you really should.

​The Background
At the start of play these sides were fifth and fourth respectively. Waldon held sway in the table by a single point, having taken nine from the fifteen available so far. Both had played the same number of games, five.
Kingsteignton came into the game defending an unbeaten home record of played two, won one, drawn one. They are unbeaten in any competition since the opening day when they went down 6-2 at Morley Rangers. Top scorer Alex Harding (3) scored in the last league outing, a 2-1 defeat of Chudleigh Athletic at Broadpark.
Waldon have lost twice in the league this season, 4-0 at Beesands, who they then beat in the cup, and 2-1 at home to Elburton Villa 2nds. Kingsteignton are on the hunt for a third successive league title after winning Division One in 2021-22 and then, last season, taking the Premier League title. Previously they had been founder members of the Devon League, South West Division but, after two Covid-affected and abandoned seasons, they moved back to the South Devon League. Waldon finished in eighth spot last season after also being promoted along with Kingsteignton in 2021-22. This came on the back of them spending a season in the South West Peninsula League and then the Devon League before dropping back into the South Devon setup.

​The Game
A big thank you to match official Dave Corderoy for sharing the team sheets with me before kick-off.
Kicking down the slope, away from the clubhouse, Waldon in their pale blue shirts and maroon shorts, got off to a much brighter start than their hosts. However, despite that , it was The Rams who managed to get off the first strike in anger when, after seven minutes, Chris Barnett curled an effort just past Joe Whitehead's left-hand upright.
It was also the home side who forced the first corner of the game after 11 minutes, and this proved to be a decisive point. The corner, from the Rams right, was drilled low across the six-yard box where it was met by a diving header from Thomas Reeves. 1-0. Somewhat against the run of play up to that point but, as it turned out, indicative of the way the game was to go.
Barnett, who struck the first shot in anger, was instrumental in the second Rams goal too. Breaking up the left, the number 9 beat his marker and drove towards the byline before putting in a dangerous ball towards the near post where it broke free for Reeves to poke home for his second. 2-0
Halfway through the half and the home side led 2-0 after two strikes on target. Waldon were still having more possession but consistently failed to do any damage once into the final third. Central midfielder Louie Roberts looked to be the visitor's driving force and it was the number 6 who broke down the left flank on 21 minutes before shooting across the face of goal. The shot didn't unduly worry Daniel Tecza in the home goal but it was the closest the visitors had managed so far. The effort seemed to give them a little more impetus however and, four minutes later, Sam Knapman had an on target shot turned away for a corner.

The half continued in the same vein. Waldon moved the ball around well in their own half with Louie looking to get on the ball at every opportunity. However, they remained toothless in the Kingsteignton penalty area. The Rams, for their part, remained comfortable with their two goal lead, despite urging from the bench that it was 'still 0-0'. 

HT Kingsteignton Athletic 2 Waldon Athletic 0. A fascinating game from a neutral's perspective. As the home lino had commented to me, it wasn't a 2-0 game. In fact the visitors had managed considerably more possession than their hosts. The big difference came inside the opposition penalty areas. Kingsteignton had been ruthless, Waldon had barely made the home keeper get his knees dirty.

​Just as in the first half, Waldon came out all guns blazing at the start of the second but, just as in the opening of the game, they could not profit from their possession and, what's worse for them, they were again punished. Seven minutes into the second period a long throw from the right flank caused some confusion in the Waldon area. When the visitor's defence could not clear the ball Matthew Williams stepped in to tuck a left-foot shot inside the post. 3-0.
Three goals up the home side could relax a little, which is exactly what they did. Having said that, Waldon were not about to give up the ghost. Roberts was still buzzing arum in midfield and following the introduction of Lewis Eaton at half-time, they also brought on Jacob Brown. The combination of Roberts and Brown, who added some height and trickiness up front, certainly gave Waldon a little more spark. They really needed to turn their possession into something more if they wanted to get back into the game. Roberts flicked a header just wide on 55 minutes, but that was as close as they came. On 71 minutes they almost fell further behind when a long ball caught out the defence allowing Ryan Tovalgliari to get in behind them, only to be thwarted by a good stop from Whitehead. 
If Waldon held any feint hopes of getting back into the game they were finally completely quashed on 77 minutes when, once again, they failed to clear their lines and Reeves took full advantage, volleying home the loose ball to grab his hat-trick and make it 4-0.
As often happens, with the game already gone, Waldon had two of their better opportunities late on. There were seven minutes left on the clock when Ashley Grimes (no, not that one), climbed well to get a header on target. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was straight into the midriff of Tecza. Four minutes later the same Waldon striker cut in from the right and drove a low shot that did beat Tecza, but also went wide of the post.

FT Kingsteignton Athletic 4 Waldon Athletic 0. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in the Devon sunshine. The final result did not reflect the balance of play but it did do justice to the ruthless finishing of the home team. Three of the four goals came as a result of Waldon not clearing their lines and home players jumping on the opportunity to punish them. The result lifts Kingsteignton up to fourth place and drops Waldon down to sixth. Waldon are not in action next Saturday but Kingsteignton have the opportunity to close the gap on the top three as they travel to bottom side Brixham 2nds. Then on November 4th both sides are in County Cup action. Kingsteignton travel to Devon League leaders University of Exeter. Meanwhile Waldon entertain North Devon Premier League outfit Braunton.
Just for the record the other match that I could have gone to sounds like it was also a cracker with Ilsington coming back from 5-2 down at half-time to win 6-5. Maybe next time I am visiting I came take in one of their games?

Kingsteignton Athletic: Tecza, Long, Williams, Tovagliara, Barnett, Weeks, Harding, Leech, Reeves, Jones, Judkins. Subs: Bristow, Grant, Thomas
Waldon Athletic: Whitehead, Rad, Arnold, Moxham(c), Wayne, Summerfield, Robert, Grimes, Head, KNapman, Skinner. Subs: Brown, Eaton

Ground Number: 384
Att: 
Entrance: £1.00
Programme: N/A

​This Tuesday it was time to take in a new ground. Henley Town had been on my to-do list for quite some time. I would have visited a few years ago but the game I had earmarked got postponed due to the weather. Their ground, although picturesque, is not too far from the Thames and can be prone to waterlogging. In fact both Saturday and Sunday games last weekend had been called off, so I wasn't sure until the last minute that this evening's game would go ahead. Thankfully, it did and I could make the short trip down the M40 in plenty of time for kick-off

The Ground
Situated on the South-Eastern side of the town, Henley's Triangle Ground is something of a gem, which the local club has played at since 1974. Access, via Mill Lane, takes you past the ground before you get to the reasonably-sized, Mill Lane Car Park. As the pitch sits in something of a hollow, Mill Lane passes just above it and for evening games this means you get tempting glimpses of the bright green oasis through the darkness of the surrounding trees.
The entrance to the ground is just off the car park and brings you into the corner of the stadium. To the right, behind the car park end goal, there is a covered standing structure. Along the Mill Lane side of the pitch there is also a covered seating stand as well as the clubhouse and players & officials facilities. There is a white plastic fencing around the perimeter of the pitch, with the dugouts on the opposite side to the main stand.
If you've not been, pay The Triangle a visit. It's well worth it.

The Background
Tuesday evening's game was an Oxfordshire Senior Cup First Round match-up. Home side Henley Town, now playing their trade in the Thames Valley Premier League have spent the majority of their past in the Hellenic and Chiltern Leagues. However, after dropping out of the Hellenic structure in 2018, they restarted in Thames Valley Division Three, achieving three promotions in five seasons. The red Kites, as they are known, have in fact won the Senior Cup on no fewer than five occasions, the first time in 1904 and the latest just after WWII, in 1947. Their opponents, from the outskirts of Oxford, can't claim that level of achievement in the competition and were not even formed when Henley last won the trophy, having been founded in 1967. They can, however, boast a name given to them because of the popular TV show of the time, The Saint, and can lay claim to very famous former players, Gary Parker and Martin Keown.
There's no league history between the sides as far as I could see. They may well have met in this competition or other local cups.
This season neither are setting their respective leagues alight as yet. Marson sit tenth of fourteen in the Oxfordshire Senior League. They've won twice in the league so far, both of which were at home. Top scorer is Sam Pledger with five goals in four appearances.
Henley are slightly better off, eighth of fourteen. They've won their last two league games but these were the first three-pointers since August. Charlie Douglas leads the way in the scoring stakes with seven in six games.​​

​The Game
A very lively first 10 minutes of the game saw the visitors make the more assured start, with the majority of play being in the Henley half, although there were no real clear cut chances created until the 11th minute. In what was to become a theme of the game, Liam Burt broke down the left flank, took on his marker and flashed a great ball across the face of Perry Howard's goal. This time no-one managed to get on the end of it, but it was a warning to the hosts. Burt's pace was going to be a problem for them throughout the game.
We were approaching the halfway point in the first period before Henley began to get a foothold into the game. Although, like their visitors, they couldn't muster a chance clear enough to worry Haydon Harris in the Marston goal.
With 24 minutes on the clock, Burt switched his angle of attack into a more central position. he drove towards the home penalty area before slipping a good ball through for Jibreel Meddah who was about to pull the trigger when a superb covering tackle from Alex Walmsley dispossessed him. Excellent defending from the Kite's centre-half.
A minute later, Burt was at it again, back on the left side he sent in another tempting cross that Meddah managed to get something on this time. Somehow the striker couldn't quite generate enough pace to beat Howard, who made a good save with his legs. A huge let off for Town.
As Marston continued to press for a goal a cross from the right flank towards the back post was met by Burt, but his header went just wide of the mark. Henley did muster some resistance. With eight minutes remaining before the break, captain Luke Mulvaney tried his luck form the edge of the box but put the strike over the bar. A few minutes later the same player, leading by example, managed to get a low effort on target only to see the ball go straight into the body of Harris.

HT Henley Town 0 Marston Saints 0. Saints definitely on top in terms of possession and chances created. They really should have taken a one or even two goal lead into the break. The question was, would they live to regret it?

​The second half began as a mirror image of the first, Burt breaking down the left flank and driving a ball across the goal which was close to being finished by Meddah again. Just a matter of inches from the opening goal but Saints did not have to ait much longer. A minute later Meddah turned provider, slipping a lovely ball between defenders into the path of Liam Burt, bursting through from midfield. There were offside shouts from the home defence but no flag (I was almost exactly in line and to me he was just about off, but it was very, very tight). Burt ignored the calls and calmly slotted the ball past Howard. 0-1.
So many times a goal will give the scoring team a boost and visibly deflate their opponents. This goal, however, seemed to have the opposite effect. Henley picked up noticeably after going a goal down. I don't think Marston's levels dropped but they were pushed back more by a home team determined to get back on level terms. Bertie Gingell put a free-kick just wide of the goal on 65 minutes, as Henley looked more dangerous than in the previous hour or so. However, despite seeing way more of the ball now, the home side could not find a way to punish the Saints defence and they still had to be very wary of heir visitor's pace, especially on the left flank.
With eight minutes to go Burt once again flew down the left flank and put a lovely low cross into the danger area where substitute George Anthony was a fraction of an inch from making it two. A few minutes later Burt again put the home defence into panic mode breaking form the halfway line this time and getting in a shot that the defence did well to smother.
With a couple to go and Henley throwing everything at Saints Markland Tidswell struck a good free-kcik from the edge of the box which Saints stopper Harris did well to get his body behind. 
The Marston keeper was about to play a big part in the remainder of the game. With a minute of normal time remaining he produced an excellent flying save to tip a goal bound effort around the post. Then, from the resulting corner, Harris came up with an even better display of agility to tip a close range effort over.
There minutes of added time was signalled. Time in which The Red Kites continued to push Marston back, but all to no avail.

FT Henley Town 0 Marston Saints 1. Saints progress to the next round after a hard-earned victory. A good peformance form the visitors who probably should have put the game to bed before the late onslaught from their hosts. I don't normally pick out individuals but, it has to be said that Saints 11 made all the difference thsi eveving. A constant threat to Henley, countless balls flashed across the box, pace, trickery and he scored the only goal.

Henley Town: Howard, Palmer, Field, York, Walmsley, L.Mulvaney(c), Moorcroft, Gingell, Douglas, Thompson, Patel. Subs: Classen, Tidswell, Csajka, Chaplin, Keys
Marston Saints: Harris, Fawke, Bruton, Gilbert, Awadh, Muddle, Mohamed, Pledger, J.Richardson, Burt. Subs: Anthony, Hatt, Brewster

Ground Number: 383
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

Hannah Bennett grabbed herself a hat-trick for Bournemouth Sports. However, it was the weekend of the brace, with 12 players hitting the net twice. May Hamblin, Sarah Lawrence (Woodley), Emily Harris, Ellie White (Oxford City), Liane Folkenstern, Becky Miles (Bournemouth Sports), Katie West (Chesham Utd Dev.), Courtney Sumner (Kidlington), Charmaine True, Eilidh Currie & Elinor Williams (AFC Portchester) & Susani Lucas (AFC Stoneham) all scored twice for their clubs.

Badshot Lea 1-2 Eastleigh in the Community
Nicola Moore for The Baggies and Catherine Browning for Eastleigh made it one apiece at the break. However, an 80th minute Amber O'Reilly goal gave the Spitfires all three points, lifting them to third in the table. It was Badshot Lea's fourth league defeat on the bounce, leaving them a point above bottom side Warminster Town.

Warminster Town 0-5 Woodley United
Woodley scored twice in the first half and three times after the break to blow away Warminster, leaving them rock bottom. May Hamblin and Sarah Lawrence both scored twice with Michelle Quinn also getting in on the act. The result leaves Woodley level on points and goal difference with leaders Ascot United. Only goals scored separates the sides, although Ascot have played a game fewer.

Winchester City Flyers 0-4 Oxford City
The Hoops stunned their hosts with a first half salvo, scoring four times in fifteen minutes to put the game to bed before the break. Emily Harris opened the scoring on  19 minutes, adding her second two minutes later. Then top scorer Ellie White got in on the act, notching in the 24th and 35th minute. That's 12 in 7 games for White and 8 in the same number of games for Harris. Between them they have scored 20 of Oxford's 24 goals in all competitions.

County Cup
Ascot United 1-4 Reading
Amelia Kimble scored in the first half for Ascot and the Yellawomen held their higher-ranked opponents to 1-1 at the break after Reading equalised with the last kick of the half. However, Reading showed their pedigree in the second half, scoring three more times without reply despite a great effort from the home side. Read the full match report on the Ascot United website.

Bournemouth Sports 10-0 Fleet Town
A convincing and numerically symmetrical performance from Sports who scored five in each half to see off their lower-ranked opposition. Hannah Bennett hit a first half hat-trick after Liane Folkenstern and Becky Miles had given Bournemouth a two goal lead within five minutes. Millie Shaw, Miles again, Rosie Eden, Emma Davis and finally, a second from Folkenstern, completed double figures for the home side.

Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Penn & Tylers Green
Rebecca Stopforth gave Division One North side Penn the lead against their Premier League opposition. The Chairgirls fought back with an Honor Cantrell goal from an Armstrong cross. Then, with almost the last kick of the game, Maddie Armstrong stabbed home from a free-kick to won it for Wanderers.

Chesham United Development 3-1 Ascot United Reserves
Emma Nolan gave Chesham a first half lead which was then added to by yet another double strike from Katie West, taking her total to eight for the season. Louise Pullen pulled a goal back with fifteen minutes remaining, but it was not enough to save the day for Ascot.

Eversley & California P-P Beaconsfield Town

Kidlington 3-1 Abingdon United Development
These two sides served up a superb advert for the league. Courtney Sumner pounced twice to give the Greens a two goal advantage. However, Iva Georgievska immediately got a goal back for Abingdon who then proceeded to dominate before Abi Haynes hit them with a third just before half-time. Kidlington then survived a lot of United pressure to hang on for the points. You can read the full match blog on the Base of the Pyramid site (Sunday Best). Photographer Steve Surman (link to follow) was also present to capture the action.

County Cup
Long Crendon 0-6 (0-1) Milton Keynes Dons SET
Dons narrowly led through an Annaliese Jacovides goal at the break. However, they made the divisional difference pay in the second period with five more goals from Zoe Creaney, Lily Dolling, Lucy Wood and two unfortunate own goals.

Milton United Ladies P-P Caversham United

​AFC Portchester 7-1 Abbey Rangers
Eilidh Currie and Charmaine True put Portchy two up at the break. Quickly afterwards this became five as True and Currie both hit their second goals with Elinor Williams joining in. Carla Hobbs pulled a goal back for Rangers before Williams again and Sara Hinton completed the scoring. Read the match report on the Portchester web site and check out some great photos from Lindsey Hyde Photography.

Bournemouth Sports Reserves P-P Selsey Development

Havant & Waterlooville 2-3 AFC Stoneham
Stoneham jumped to the top of the table by edging past former leaders Havant & Waterlooville in a five goal thriller. Susani Lucas gave The Purps a narrow lead at the break. Chloe Dark equalised for the Hawks just after the hour and then, three minutes later, the turnaround looked complete when Emma-Jane May made it 2-1. However, despite keeping league top scorer Chloe Melton quiet, Havant could not prevent Leah Webster and then Lucas, with her second, giving all three points to Stoneham. Check out the excellent action shots from Dave Haines Photos.

County Cup Fixtures
Rushmoor Community P-P Moneyfields

Woking 2-0 Epsom & Ewell
The Cards saw off their South East Counties Surrey Premier opposition, avenging their development team's heavy defeat by the same time last week. Trudy Bryan-Kerr had Woking a goal up at the break before Efrosyni Theocharous gave them some breathing room seven minutes into the second period.

FA Women's Cup

AFC Portchester v Pucklechurch Sports
Portchy continued their 100% start to the season with a 7-1 defeat of Abbey Rangers the weekend. That made it five league games a two FA Cup matches with 25 scored and only 5 conceded, so far this season. That's the scale of the task facing South West Region Premier side Pucklechurch. They currently sit 4th in their league, only two points off top place with a game in hand. They are also on an excellent run of form, unbeaten since the opening day of the season, a run of four wins and a draw. Tickets for this game can be purchased here
The OnSite Group Stadium, Portchester, PO16 9DP

Dartford v Wycombe Wanderers
The Chairgirls face a tough test as they make the journey around the M25 and not just with the traffic. Dartford are sitting pretty on top of their league, four points clear with a game in hand over second placed Fulham. The Darts had a 100% record in league and cup this season, until they drew 1-1 with Ebbsfleet on Tuesday evening. They progressed to this round with a 2-0 win over fellow London & South East side Ashford United. Wycombe are on a run of four wins including a superb 1-0 win at Ascot United to progress this far in the cup.
Princes Park Grassbanks, Dartford, DA1 1RT

Ebbsfleet United v Oxford City
United slipped to fourth in the London & South East Premier at the weekend after their game was postponed. They jumped back up to third on Tuesday with a draw against leaders Dartford. They are nine points adrift of Dartford but do have a couple of games in hand. They have also only lost once this season, a 4-2 reversal at Fulham. Oxford are themselves on a great run of three straight wins and four without defeat. They put nine past Slough in the last round, six of which were scored by Ellie White, who now has 12 for the season.
Stonebridge Road, Gravesend, DA11 9GN

Ilminster Town v Winchester City Flyers
Flyers make the trip to Somerset to take on an Ilminster side who are flying this season. Top of the South West Region Western Division, they have a 100% record in all competitions and have not conceded in their last three games. Flyers had themselves been on a good run of form until they fell foul of Oxford City's high-scoring forwards last weekend, losing 4-0. They progressed to this stage with a resounding 6-2 win at Shanklin in the last round.
Archie Gooch Pavilion, Ilminster, TA19 9FE

Keynsham Town v Bournemouth Sports
Sports, who have yet to be beaten in any competition this season, face a tough test to that record as they take a trip West to face National League Division 1 South-West opposition in Keynsham Town. Currently fourth in the table, Keynsham have only lost once at home and have scored twenty goals in four games there. Bournemouth progressed to this stage with an 8-0 win at Warminster Town in the previous round.
The AJN Stadium, Keynsham, BS31 2BE

Royal Wootton Bassett Town v AFC Stoneham
Division One South leaders AFC Stoneham take a little break from the league to take on South West Region Eastern Division side Royal Wootton Bassett Town, who currently sit third in their league. The Purps beat Rushmoor 8-0 to get here and had a superb 3-2 win at Havant & Waterlooville at the weekend. Wootton Bassett had a Sunday off after their game with Weymouth was postponed.
Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, Royal Woottton Bassett, SN4 8DS

Woodley United v Aylesford
Like Oxford City and Wycombe, Woodley face up to a London & South East Premier League side. Aylesford haven't started all that well and currently sit in 10th spot, one place above the drop zone. However they did see off Croydon 5-1 in the previous round. Woodley have lost just once since their return to the premier League and saw off Buckingham United by an 8-0 score line in the previous round.
UofR Bulmershe Pavilion, Woodlands Avenue, RG5 3HE

Premier League
Badshot Lea v Warminster Town
A meeting between the bottom two in the Premier League with just one win between the two of them so far. Interestingly, all of The Baggies points have come at home and all of Warminster's have come on the road. The Baggies will be desperate to break a streak of five consecutive defeats. Warminster have lost their last three in all competitions after a brief upturn in September where they drew two games on the bounce.
Operatix Community Ground, Wrecclesham GU10 4PF

Eastleigh v Ascot United
It's been something of a rollercoaster in the league for Eastleigh so far. Two wins were followed by two defeats and then another win last time out. That result lifted them to within a point of Ascot having played a game more than the leaders. United's draw with Bournemouth Sports two weeks ago was the first time they had dropped points in the league this season. This fixture last season ended in a 1-0 win for Eastleigh courtesy of a first-half Catherine Browning strike.
Oasis Academy Mayfield, Southampton SO19 9NA

Division One North
Ascot United Reserves v Wycombe Wanderers u23
With no game last weekend, Wanderers lost top spot to Kidlington but do have a game in hand on the Greens. They take a run of four consecutive victories into this game, a run that has seen them score 20 times and only concede 4. Ascot have not won since their 3-1 defeat of Kidlington back in September. They've lost their last two by a 3-1 score line after being a goal down at the break on both occasions.
Ascot United Racecourse Ground, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Beaconsfield Town v Abingdon United Development
The Rams didn't play at the weekend after their game with Eversley & California was postponed. United lost 3-1 at Kidlington in a highly entertaining game at Exeter Park. There have been twenty-three goals scored in Beaconsfield's three home games so far. Although she didn't get on the scoreboard at the weekend, United's Mimi Hodges is still in the top 5 scorers, with seven goals in five games.
Holloways Park, Windsor Road, Beaconsfield HP9 2SE

Caversham United v Chesham United Development
The Goats will be hoping that their injury nightmare has eased enough for them to get this game on. They've yet to take a point this season after four straight league defeats in which they have conceded far too many goals. Chesham, meanwhile, are on something of a roll. They've won their last three matches and scored 11 goals in the process. Their one concern may be that they have also conceded six. Still, if you score more than the opposition, you win.
Mapledurham Recreation Ground, Reading RG4 7LD

Long Crendon v Kidlington
The battle of the greens. Long Crendon will want to put their cup exit and first league defeat of the season behind them as they look to climb back up the table. Kidlington went top at the weekend but have played more than anyone else, so continuing their run is of great importance. The sides only met once last season after this fixture was awarded as a home walkover to Crendon. The game at Exeter Park earlier in the season ended 0-0.
Long Crendon Recreation Ground, Long Crendon HP18 9BS

Milton United v Penn & Tylers Green
Penn take their 100% record to The Heights to face a Milton side who will be fresh after not playing since October 1st. Last season these teams produced two absolute belters that both ended all square. 2-2 in this fixture, where Penn took the lead twice only to be pegged back on both occasions. The return fixture at Penn swung backwards and forwards with both sides leading at some point during the game.
Milton Heights, Abingdon OX14 4XB

Division One South
Abbey Rangers v Rushmoor
Two sides looking for a result to restart their respective seasons after both lost their last league outing. Abbey's 7-1 defeat to Portchester came on the back of their first win, a 2-1 defeat of Fleet Town. Rushmoor lots their last league match 3-0 at home to Havant & Waterloovile, after also defeating Fleet the week before. Last season in this fixture, Rangers were triumphant. A 2-1 victory was secured with two Lauren Timbrell goals trumping Rushmoor's Mary Kinsella effort.
Addlestone Moor, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2QH

Fleet Town v Bournemouth Sports Reserves
When Sport slost 5-0 to AFC Stoneham last time out, it was therir first reversal since the opening day of the season. After their game with Selsey Dev. was postponed at the wekeend, they'll be looking to get back on track against second from bottom Fleet this Sunday. Fleet are still without a piint since the opening day draw at home to Eastleigh Reserves. They lost heavily to Bournemouth's first team at the wekeend but their last two league defeats have only been by a single goal.
Fleet Town, Crookham Road, Fleet GU51 5FA

Woking v Havant & Waterlooville
The Cards go into this one on the back of two victories, 7-0 at Selsey Dev. in their last league outing and a very good 2-0 defeat of Epsom & Ewell in the FA Cup last Sunday. The Hawks were knocked off the top after their first defeat of the season saw them go down 3-2 at home to AFC Stoneham, who took over at the top. Woking are yet to take a point at home, although they've only played one. Havant are yet to taste defeat on the road.
Eastwood Leisure Centre, Albert Drive, Sheerwater, Woking GU22 5RF

Kidlington and Abingdon United Development serve up a Sunday afternoon treat.

There were a number of Southern Region games to choose from this Sunday. However, the need to stay fairly local combined with the postponement of Milton's game with Caversham, made my decision a little easier. Tempted as I was by the chance to check out a new location, Chesham Dev's Chiltern Academy, the lure of two of the division's current hot shots was too much. Abingdon United Development's Mimi Hodges and Kidlington's Courtney Sumner had already scored thirteen between this season and, with Kidlington's ground being less than 30 minutes drive, it was a bit of a no-brainer as my American colleagues would say.

The Ground
It's been 18 months since my last visit to Exeter Park. To be honest, not a lot has changed. Although I did discover that you can park at Exeter Hall and walk through to the park from the car park there. The only other significant change was that the teams had chosen to use the pavilion side of the pitch for their benches. Last time I was there, they both used the opposite side.
Although the temperature had dropped significantly this weekend, there were glorious blue skies and sunshine over Kidlington on Sunday afternoon. So much so, that I had to switch to the shady side of the pitch to watch the game, avoiding the sun being directly in my eyes. Of course, this meant spending close to 2 hours standing around in very chilly conditions but, as it turned out, it was well worth it.

​The Background
At the start of play Kidlington sat in second place in Division One North, only behind Wycombe Wanderers u23s on goal difference and, with The Chairgirls not playing, The Greens just needed to get something out of the game to take over at the top. Abingdon sat five points and three places below their hosts.
In recent weeks Kidlington's form had been up and down. A superb 2-1 at Milton United was followed by defeat at home to Penn & Tylers Green. last week, however, they returned to winning ways with a 4-2 win at Caversham United. Abingdon didn't play last Sunday after their game with Eversley & California was postponed. 

T​he Game
It was clear from kick-off that both of these teams were  up for this game. Inside two minutes Mimi Hodges demonstrated her strength when she used her pace to burst through from halfway before cutting in from the right and firing a shot towards the near post that Emily Murphy needed to stop. Six minutes after that, Courtney Sumner showed her skills, turning her marker out on the right before delivering a lovely cross that United keeper Alana Chester did well to deal with. Sadly, a minute after that, with both top strikers looking lively, Hodges was forced off with a bit of a knock. As it happened, it was precautionary and she did return later on, but the change in personnel did seem to take a little bit of the sting out of Abingdon for a while.

Kidlington took full advantage of Abingdon's re-shuffle. On 13 minutes Kiera Isaac's neat footwork drew a foul on the edge of the box. The free-kick, taken by Abi Haynes, was on target but not sufficiently wide of Chester to stretch her. Three minutes later, however, the home side did take the lead. Cloe Woodward got down the right flank and delivered a deep cross that may well have been dipping in under the bar before Chester managed to get something on it. Unfortunately for the United stopper, she only managed to palm the ball up into the air, and that was meat and drink to Courtney Sumner, lurking at the far post to head the ball over the line. 1-0.

Kidlington were now dominating play. Woodward, freed from defensive duties, was pushing up on the right and delivering some excellent crosses. Three minutes after the goal she put in an inch-perfect delivery onto the head of Sumner but this time the striker couldn't direct her effort under the bar. Just past the halfway mark in the first period, Sumner again tested Chester, this time with a low drive the the keeper had to go full length to her left to push away. the ball fell into the path of Abi Haynes but some good defensive cover got in a block on her shot. The United defence was being stretched at this point and it was no real surprise when Kidlington doubled their lead on 28 minutes. Once again it came from the right but this time it was Haynes delivering a corner into the mix where Sumner planted a strong header past the keeper and a player on the line. 2-0

The home side looked to be cruising at this point but Abingdon were having none of it. Within two minutes of going two down they forced a corner on the left and, when it was swung in, Iva Georgievska beat everyone to the ball, heading home powerfully at the near post. 2-1. The goal transformed the game. The pendulum had completely swung the other way and Abingdon took control, pushing Kidlington back in search of an equaliser. Hodges came back on and Kidlington were suddenly on the back foot. Abingdon saw a 39th minute header cleared off the line before Hodges saw her clever left-footed curler well fielded by Murphy, who had anticipated the shot well.
However, the first-half had one last twist. A minute into added time Kidlington lofted a long ball towards the Abingdon penalty area. Sumner won the flick on, delivering the ball behind the United defence and into the path of Abi Haynes, who had timed her run top perfection. The striker beat Chester to the ball, stabbing it past her into the net. 3-1

HT Kidlington 3 Abingdon United Development 1. A superb game of football which, over the 45 minutes, swung both ways. Kidlington looked to be in complete control with a two goal lead. However, Abingdon hit back swiftly and then took control of the game, only for Kidlington to hit them with a late sucker punch. Absolutely brilliant entertainment.

​It was testament to the first-half entertainment that the half-time break felt longer than the entire first period. When we did get back under way, Kidlington generated the first effort on target. Claire Chewings striking a right foot effort straight at Chester. Back at the other end, Emily Murphy had to be quick off her line to beat Georgievska to a through ball, the Kidlington stopper getting a knock to the calf for her troubles. Thankfully she was soon back on her feet. In time, in fact, to have to come off her line to thwart Georgievska again. This time it was the Abingdon player who came off the worse, falling awkwardly after the players collided. There was no malice in the challenge, just two players making genuine attempts to get to the ball. Murphy immediately checked to see if the Abingdon player was ok and, mercifully she too was back on her feet after some treatment.
Just before the hour mark Sumner had a hat-trick attempt cleared off the line before Georgievska tested Murphy again with a good strike. Good positioning from the home stopper making the save look easier than it may have been. Just past the hour Georgievska was again in the thick of the action, delivering a perfect through ball for substitute Ruby Herring to run onto. The winger's shot went wide, but it was a warning that Kidlington needed to heed. Six minutes later a very similar ball found Herring again. This time, with Murphy rushing off her line, Herring got there first and struck the ball goalward, only to find a Greens defender blocking her path. Great defending from Kidlington.

Twenty minutes remained and Abingdon were still probing for a way back into the game. Hodges went on a great run, breaking several challenges before delivering a ball across the face of goal that eluded Murphy. Georgia Taylor, coming in from the opposite flank got to the ball but somehow put her effort over the bar from close range. Unfortunate for the United winger who, up to that point, had made a good contribution since coming on in the first half. If that one had gone in, it may well have been a very different final quarter of the game. As it was, Abingdon certainly didn't throw in the towel. They threw all they had at Kidlington. Amelie Sadler put an effort onto the roof of the Kidlington net with three minutes to, but that was as close as they got to getting a goal back.

FT Kidlington 3 Abingdon United Development 1. What a great advert for the Southern region Women's Football League. Two quite evenly matched teams who went for it throughout the entire game. There was some lovely football on display, plenty of crunching tackles and 100% determination across the pitch.
The result sees Kidlington take over at the top of the division, three points clear of Wycombe who now have a game in hand. They are also six points clear of Penn and Long Crendon, who have four and three games in hand respectively.
Coming up next week, Abingdon are on the road again looing to break their winless away run as they take on ninth placed Beaconsfield Town at Holloways Park.  Kidlington are also travelling, as they head off the Chearsley Road and a clash with fourth-placed Long Crendon.

Kidlington: Murphy(c), Clayton, Pinna, Rodway, Woodward, Chewings, I.Thacker, O.Thacker, Isaac, Haynes, Sumner. Subs: O'Sullivan, Keal, Owen
Abingdon United Development: Chester, Pearce, Lewington, Ward, Dellar, Gilmore, Phillips, Sadler, Hodges, Georgievska, Maitlis. Subs: Herring, Taylor, Slaveykova, Harries, White

Ground Number: Re-visit
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

​This past weekend saw the top two in the Premier League go head to head at The Racecourse Ground. Both Ascot and Bournemouth went into the game unbeaten, and that is exactly how it stayed, after they fought out a 2-2 draw, with Ascot coming back from two down at the break. Elsewhere, Wycombe's u23 team ended Long Crendon's 100% record in the North, whilst in the South, Abbey Rangers broke their duck by beating Fleet Town.

​Ascot United 2-2 Bournemouth Sports
Goals from Becky Miles and Rosie Eden put second place Sports on course for top spot after just 16 minutes. They held the lead until just after the hour mark when Sarah Leonard pulled one back. The Yellawomen completed their comeback in the 74th minute when Amelia Kimble equalised. So, it's as you were at the top of the table, although United did lose their 100% start to the season. 
​Read the match report on the Ascot United website.

Warminster Town 1-2 Winchester City Flyers
Town led by a goal to nil at the break through Mia Blazey's third of the season, but Flyers hit back through two Shayne Prasad goals in the second period. The result leaves Warminster on the bottom of the table, a point behind Badshot Lea and now four points adrift of Winchester, who sit in sixth.

Woodley United 1-2 Oxford City
All square at the break. Sarah Lawrence gave Woodley the lead on 40 minutes but that was quickly cancelled out by Ellie White, back on target after her incredible exploits last weekend. Just after the hour mark Bethany Chapman struck what proved to be the winning goal for City, their first in the league.

Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 Badshot Lea
Bobby Lynch's goal on the hour mark was enough to separate these two teams. Wycombe's third win on the bounce in all competitions, all without conceding a goal. The result, combined with Woodley's defeat to Oxford City, lifts The Chairgirls up to third place, two points adrift of the leaders Ascot United.

Beaconsfield Town 2-4 Chesham United Development
A first-half Katie West hat-trick helped Chesham overcome local rivals Beaconsfield at Holloways Park. The United hot shot put her team in front on 20 minutes. This was cancelled out by Grainne McNally with ten minutes of the half remaining. However, West hit two more before the break to make it 3-1. Emma Hester pulled one back on the hour but when Emma Nolan made it 4-2 with less than 20 minutes to go, it was game over. 

Caversham United 2-4 Kidlington
The Goats fell to their fourth straight league defeat which sees them remain rooted to the bottom of the table, despite goals from  Freya Jenkins and Caitlin Levy. Kidlington just had too much fire power. Top scorer Courtney Sumner hit a brace with Sara Pinner and Abigail Haynes adding to the total.

Eversley & California P-P Abingdon United Development

Long Crendon 1-2 Wycombe Wanderers u23
Crendon pretty much dominated the first half of this game. Nicole Jacobs gave them an early lead from the spot and it looked as if they may run away with it at that point. Wycombe responded with a triple change and a re-shuffle of formation which made a little difference. However, Crendon still should have been well in front by the break. As it as they were made to rue their missed chances when two goals within a few second half minutes from Ammara Qureshi and Shannon Read gave Wanderers the points. The BotP match blog can be read here - A Classic Smash And Grab?

Penn & Tylers Green 3-1 Ascot United Reserves
Penn made it three from three in the league with goals from Felicity Gates, Ellie Ludgate-Williams and Henna Hussain, her seventh of the season. Mya Bowler got a goal back for Ascot with 20 minutes to go, but it was not enough to prevent a second league defeat on the bounce.

​AFC Stoneham 5-0 Bournemouth Sports Reserves
A brace each from Mia Caitlin Delaney and Mia Flood, plus the now obligatory Chloe Melton goal gave The Purps a comfortable 5-0 victory over Bournemouth Sports Reserves. Stoneham sit in second place, a point adrift of Havant and three ahead of Portchester, who have two games in hand. Sports remain in fourth spot, still within touch of the leading pack.

Abbey Rangers 2-1 Fleet Town
After a goalless first half, Abbey took the lead after an hour through Carla Hobbs. Shortly afterwards Jessica Tripp was on-hand to double the lead. Fleet didn't give up the ghost and pulled a goal back through Teyla Poulter. They pushed for an equaliser but it was not forthcoming. The excellent Wandering Tractor describes the action on his blog site.

Eastleigh Reserves P-P AFC Portchester

Rushmoor 0-3 Havant & Waterlooville
The Hawks kept their place at the top of the table after a 3-0 win at Rushmoor. Emma-Jane May gave them a half-time lead with a goal scored on 26 minutes. Jodie Burchell made it two seven minutes into the second half and Rosie Willis wrapped it all up just past the hour mark.

Selsey Development 0-7 Woking
What a way to get your first win of the season. The Cards saw off Selsey Development with a seven goal haul. Sheena Nichol grabbed a hat-trick, Helen Ogle hit two with Charlotte Keenan and Trudy Bryan-Kerr also on the mark. Nichol's three goals were spread over 97 mnutes. Her first coming in the first minute, quickly followed by her second. She completed her hat-trick in the 98th minute.

​Premier - League & County Cup
League Fixtures

Badshot Lea v Eastleigh in the Community
Two sides looking to end runs of defeat this weekend. Eastleigh, who didn't play last weekend, are on a run of three straight reversals. Badshot Lea, after winning their opening game, have now lost the last four in all competitions. Something has to give this Sunday. On the plus side for The Baggies, their one win came at home and this is only their second game at Wrecclesham, meaning they are defending a 100% home record.
Operatix Community Ground, Westfield Lane, Wrecclesham GU10 4PF

Warminster Town v Woodley United
With the top three all in County Cup action, Woodley have the opportunity to not only put last week's defeat behind them but to go level on points with the leaders should they get three points at bottom side Warminster. Since their opening day defeat at Bournemouth, Warminster's league reversals have both been by a single goal, their other two games were drawn. 
Weymouth Street, Warminster BA12 9NS

Winchester City Flyers v Oxford City
City are on a roll of three without defeat in all competitions, two in the league. They followed up their 9-0 demolition of Slough in the FA Cup with a superb 2-1 win at Woodley on Sunday. However, Flyers are on a similar run. Two big cup wins and a come from behind victory at Warminster on Saturday. This game also sees the top three leading scorers in the league going head to head. Ellie White and Emily Harris have 16 between them this season for Oxford City. Annie Northwood has nine for Winchester.
Winklebury Football Complex, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke, Hants RG23 8BF

County Cup Fixtures
Ascot United v Reading
Ascot may have lost their 100% record at the weekend but they are still top of the table and will be looking forward to pitting their wits against much higher ranked opposition, although despite the fixture stating Reading Firsts, it is unlikely to feature their Championship squad, who are scheduled to play Sunderland on Sunday.
Racecourse Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Bournemouth Sports v Fleet Town
A tough ask for Fleet Town, currently second from bottom of Division One South and without a win in all competitions this season. A trip to unbeaten Premier league side Bournemouth Sports would probably not have been top of their list of preferred fixtures. Having said that, it's a free hit for them. They have nothing to lose and so, can relax and play their football.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.

Wycombe Wanderers v Penn & Tylers Green
A very tasty looking local derby. Penn have a 100% league record in Division One North whilst Wycombe are on a run of five without defeat and three straight wins in all competitions. They've also not conceded in their last three matches. However, Penn's Henna Hussain has already notched seven times in four games this season.
Burnham FC, 18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

Division One North - League & County Cup
League Fixtures
Chesham United Development v Ascot United Reserves
Chesham's 4-2 win at Beaconsfield last weekend was their second on the bounce and the second successive time they had scored four times in a game. This is a marked improvement on their opening three matches, where they were beaten on each occasion. Ascot go into the game one place and two points worse off, but have played a game fewer.
Chiltern Hills Academy, Chartridge Road, Chesham HP52 2RG

Eversley & California P-P Beaconsfield Town

Kidlington v Abingdon United Development
The Greens won at Caversham on Sunday and, in so doing, moved into second place. They are level on points with Wycombe but well behind on goal difference. Abingdon's game at Eversley was postponed meaning they didn't get chance to get back into the swing of things after going down 4-3 at Chesham two weeks ago. Two prolific goal scorers go head to head. Courtney Sumner, for Kidlington, has six goals so far. Abingdon's Mimi Hodges has gone one better in fewer games.
Exeter Park, Crown Road, Kidlington OX5 1AB

County Cup Fixtures
Long Crendon v Milton Keynes Dons SET
Crendon created chance after chance in the first half of their top two clash with Wycombe on Sunday. However, they only converted one and ended up losing the game 2-1. They'll need to make sure they have their shooting boots on this weekend as MK Dons SET. The Dons side put 17 past Penn & Tylers Green in last season's competition, so Crendon will know they are in for a tough test.
Long Crendon Recreation Ground, 9 Chearsley Road, Long Crendon HP18 9BS

Milton United Ladies v Caversham United
An all Division One North clash at The Heights. Milton did not play at the weekend but two weeks ago got back into winning ways when they beat Beaconsfield 4-2, after losing two on the bounce. Caversham went down 4-2 at home to Kidlington on Sunday and are yet to win in any competition so far.
Milton Heights, Potash Lane, Milton, Abingdon OX14 4XB

Division One South - League & County Cup
League Fixtures
AFC Portchester v Abbey Rangers
Whilst Portchy's game at Eastleigh was postponed at the weekend, Abbey finally got their first three pointer of the season when they beat Fleet Town 2-1 at The Moor. Portchester are still defending a 100% record in the league and, indeed, in all competitions. 
Venue: AFC Portchester Womens

Bournemouth Sports Reserves v Selsey Development
Selsey were unbeaten until Sunday but they lost that record in spectacular fashion, crashing 7-0 at home to Woking. Sports also lost heavily as they conceded five unanswered at AFC Stoneham. With both sides hovering just below the top three, a win is important for both to keep them in touch with the promotion chase.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.

Havant & Waterlooville v AFC Stoneham
Top versus second with a point separating the teams. The Hawks are defending their unbeaten record and a 100% record at home. A fascinating match-up between the tightest defence (Havant, 3 conceded in 5 games) taking on the most prolific forwards line (Stoneham have scored 26 times in 5 games). Home advantage could be key here. Nine of Stoneham's ten conceded goals have come on the road.
Westleigh Park, Havant PO9 5TH

County Cup Fixtures
Rushmoor Community v Moneyfields
A tough draw for Rushmoor as they welcome National League Division One South West side Moneyfields to town. The Moneys have lost just once in the league this season so far and have clocked up no less than 38 goals in their five league outings. True, 16 of those were against a Selsey side who have been shipping bucket-loads, but this is still a handsome total. In context, they scored eight against third-top Keynsham last weekend.
Southwood Pavilion, Grasmere Road, Farnborough GU14 0LE

Woking v Epsom & Ewell
Epsom & Ewell sit top of the South East Counties Surrey Premier Division having won five of their six league games this season. This after they lost their opening game 4-1 at Leatherhead. Since them they have scored 29 and conceded 2 in five games. Last weekend they took on Woking's Development team in the league and beat them 8-0. The Cards first team will no doubt be looking to avenge that defeat.
Eastwood Leisure Centre, ​Albert Drive, Sheerwater, Woking GU22 5RF

ON Chenecks and Long Buckby managed to compress the majority of the action into the last few minutes of this game. There had been precious few noteworthy incidents until what looked to be a harsh red card for Ashley Ogden in the 79th minute sparked a breathless end to the match.
It had been almost nine years since I last visited Billing Road. On that occasion it had been totally unplanned. I had intended to go to Rothwell Corinthians but the weather put paid to that, so a last minute dash down the road at least gave me the opportunity of some football. This time things were different. I had decided well in advance that I was going to check out the unbeaten Spartan South Midlands pace-setters. I also saw that Northamptonshire Football Podcast (@NPTNFootball) was also going to be at the game. It was great to meet the NPTN guys before the match too. If you haven't checked out their Podcast, I suggest you do so. Especially the next edition which, I understand, will feature a discussion with a member of the ON Chenecks coaching staff. In light of what happened in this evening's game (you'll have to read the blog to find out), it will be well worth a listen.

The Ground
Chenecks have played at the Old Northamptonians Sports Ground on Billing Road since 1960 when the Chenecks FC became ON Chenecks, becoming the football arm of the sports association. The football ground is part of a large sports complex that hosts rugby, cricket and football. There's a good-sized car park just off Billing Road in front of the two-storey main clubhouse building. The ground floor of this building houses the changing facilities whilst the top floor is the club bar which has a balcony from which there is a good view of the football pitch, which sits at the front of the sports ground, adjacent to Billing Road.

​Access into the football ground is through a single turnstile off the car park which brings you into the ground behind one of the goals. To your right, the Billing Road side, there are two stands which sit either side of the halfway line. The one nearest the car park end is a covered seating stand. The second one is mainly for standing spectators, although there are a couple of wooden benches as well. The dugouts are directly in front of these stands. At the car park end there is a snack bar and, just to the left of the football pitch, the main clubhouse which, as I said, commands a view over the pitch. The other sides of the pitch are open to cricket, rugby and a second football pitch, although both are, of course, fenced off. Spectator access is allowed on all four sides of the ground. Of course, if you so wish, you could sit on the clubhouse balcony with a pint and stil enjoy the match.

​The Programme
The programme, priced at one pound, has a glossy cover and is mainly black & white inside, although there are splashes of colour on the advert pages. The club has come up with a great idea to enable them to keep producing a programme whilst reducing their costs. They print a programme for each month, containing the information related to all home games for that month. For instance this edition, for October, covers home games with Rushden & Higham United, tonight's opponents Long Buckby, and next week's visitors Rothwell Corinthians. There's a brief history of the month's opponents as well as all of the usual tables and statistics you would expect. I've seen clubs issue programmes to cover a midweek and Saturday game before but never this idea of one programme per month. It seems like a very good compromise, and this one is certainly good value for money.

The Background
Chens came into the game in second place and one of only two unbeaten teams in the division, the other being table-toppers Wellingborough Whitworth. Chens sat three points behind The Flourmen with a game in hand and a better goal difference. Therefore, they knew that a win this evening would see them take over at the top.
Long Bucky sat in mid-table, 10th place. At the start of play they were nine pint adrift of their hosts and had played three more games. The sides had already met at Station Road back in August. Chens won that encounter 5-1 with goals from Lewis Irwin (2), Tom Caton, Tyrun Primus and Paul Johnston. Ethan Richardson replied for The Bucks.

​The Game
With Long Buckby kicking towards the car park end in the first half, into the face of a gusty wind, the game got off to a sluggish start. It wasn't until the 12th minute that a genuine sniff at goal appeared for either side. When it did, it was a half-chance and fell to the hosts. A right-wing corner dropped invitingly to Ryan Coxhill but his shot, and the subsequent follow-up, were well blocked by the Bucks defence. However, three minutes later the home side did take the lead. Goalkeeper Bradley Lashley launched a huge, wind-assisted, kick which flew almost to the edge of the Buckby penalty area. Lewis Irwin was onto it in a flash, controlling the dropping ball perfectly before executing a precision lob on the run over the advancing John Meadows. A superb piece of skill and finish from the Chens striker. 1-0
That moment of equisite skill form Irwin was vry much the highlight of a very scrappy opening. Neither side seemed to be able to keep hold of the ball. Chens were happy to try to replicate their goal by puming the ball long. Long Buckby were also looking to play a more direct style. Both sides frequently turned over possession and neither were helped by a gusty wind.
Just past the half-hour mark Chens engineered another half-chance from a right-wing corner. Once again Coxhill got a trike away but, again, it was blocked well. A few minutes after that, Irwin latched onto a  ball through the heart of the visitor's defence but was thwarted by a good block from Meadows, who was quick to react. Buckby would have been very aggrieved if it had gone in because the striker looked a good yard or so offside when the original through-ball was played. Almost immediately afterwards, Buckby put together their best move of the match so far, a sweeping raid up the left. Two perfect passes including a delightful through ball that split the home defence, so Jai Newell in on goal. His shot from the edge of the area was well saved by Lashley, low to his right.
As the half drew to a close, chances at both ends were becoming a little more frequent. Jamie Mitchell, lurking on the edge of the box, volleyed wide from a half-cleared corner and then, on the stroke of half-time, Buckby launched a raid up their right. A low cross found Jack Hilton but his first time effort was once again turned away by Lashley.

HT ON Chenecks 1 Long Buckby 0. Not the best half of football. There was more goalmouth action in the final 10 minutes than in the previous 35. A disjointed game with neither side able to find any real rhythm.

​Three minutes into the second period, Chens went route one again. Lashley's long ball downfield was won in the air by Irwin, who directed the ball into the path of Matteo Rinaldi only for a great piece of defending to result in his shot being blocked.
With the wind now in their favour, The Bucks were being tempted into letting fly from distance but consistently failing to worry Lashley. The second period was as scrappy as the first and once again became a case of long balls being mopped up and sent back the other way.
There were 71 minutes on the clock before the next decent opportunity transpired. It was once again Irwin who provided it, cutting in from the left and letting fly only for Meadows to equal his effort, getting himself right behind the shot and stopping it with some comfort.
There were 11 minutes left of normal time when, with most of the 68 in the crowd expecting the game to fizzle out at 1-0, it instead sprang into like. It began with a 50-50 challenge in midfield, a seemingly innocuous coming together which left the Buckby player on the floor and sparked complaints from a few team-mates. The referee stopped the game and, after a brief consultation with his assistant, issued a red card to Chens substitute Ashley Ogden. Unless I completely missed something, it was a harsh decision. Ogden clearly got the ball. Yes, it was  strong challenge, but both players flew into it. Maybe he caught the Bucks player after the ball, but it was certainly ball first.
Despite being a player light it was Chens who almost put the game to bed two minutes after the sending-off. Irwin bundled his way through the Bucks defence only to find Meadows once again equal to his shot. 
With five minutes of normal time remaining and the visitors pushing for the equaliser it was another substitute, Kielan Thackeray, who almost levelled it up when his thumping shot crashed back off Lashley's right-hand post.
Apparently the referee had indicated there would to be 9 minutes of added time. Six minutes into this the score was still 1-0, but then that all changed. A left-wing Buckby corner was headed across the goalmouth and, in the melee that followed, was smashed home by Simon Barby. 1-1, and cue celebrations from the Buckby players and bench. 
However, their joy was very short-lived. Almost from kick-off the ball was launched into the Buckby penalty area by Ijah Augustine, where Irwin, a defender and keeper Meadows all jumped for the ball. Irwin got the telling touch and the ball dropped perfectly for substitute Tyrun Primus to roll the ball into an empty net. 2-1 and even bigger celebrations from the home side. Somewhere along the way Chens manager Dave White clearly did something the referee didn't like too much and was also given his marching orders. The referee waited for him to walk all the way around the perimter of the pitch and out through the turnstile before restarting the game, only to blow the final whistle shortly afterwards. Then bad feeling between both benches and players spilled over a little after the final whistle, although as I had already headed off the car park, I only caught a glimpse as I passed the pitch on the way out.

FT ON Chenecks 2 Long Buckby 1. Five league wins on the bounce for ON Chenecks now. This was no classic by any means, but that won't bother them at all. The result sees Chenecks hit top spot ahead on Whitworth on goal difference. On Saturday Chens visit eigthth placed Cranfield United. Long Buckby do not play again until a week on Saturday, when by a s trange coincidence they also play Cranfield.

ON Chenecks: Lashley, Augustine, Moyo, Davis(c), Caton, Andrews, Coxhill, Motchell, Irwin, Kelly, Rinaldi. Subs: Uka, Johnston, Primus, Hines, Ogden 
Long Buckby: Meadows, Mitchell, King, Stone, Thompson, Corbett, Newell, Barby, Hilton, James, Whiteside(c). Subs: Fagbemi, Thackeray, Howe, Calver, Emery

Ground Number: Re-visit
Att: 68
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: £1.00

​They say that Sunday should be a day or rest. Maybe for some, but when the top two in the Southern Region Division 1 North are going head to head, there's no time for resting. An early start was called for so that I could prepare vegetables for dinner, walk the dog, drive up to the West Midlands, trim the Rhododendron bushes at the back of my Mum's garden, walk the dog again, drive back to Bicester, drop the dog off, and finally make the 30 minute journey over to Long Crendon in time to get the team sheets and be ready for a 2pm kick off. Then it was back home to time to cook dinner in readiness for my wife and daughter's return from a day trip to Chessington.
The last time I was at Long Crendon Recreation Ground was almost exactly a year ago, on the 9th of October when I saw Long Crendon and Caversham United battle out one of the most entertaining goalless draws I've ever seen (Greens And Goats Goalless). It's safe to say that the ground has not changed at all in the intervening 364 days. Therefore, I am not going to stick to the normal match blog convention of describing the ground. You could always read last year's blog. Better still, get down to the ground, watch Long Crendon Ladies play and see for yourself.

​The Background
At the start of play the top of the Division 1 North table showed three teams on nine points. Wycombe led the way on goals scored. They sat one place above hosts Long Crendon who in turn were above Kidlington on goal difference. The big difference being that both Wycombe and Kidlington had played five games whereas Long Crendon had played only three. In fact, Long Crendon were defending a 100% record so far having beaten Chesham United Development, Eversley & California and Ascot United Reserves. Wycombe's under 23 team, new to the league this season, started with two consecutive 5-2 defeats, at Abingdon and Beaconsfield. However, they turned it around with an 8-2 win at Caversham and followed that up with two further victories, scoring five goals on both occasions. The second of these, a 5-0 win at Eversley & California, saw them hit the top of the table last weekend.

​In Shannon Read and Amara Qureshi, Wycombe had two on form strikers. Although Michelle Bailey, for Long Crendon, was also continuing her form from last season and was averaging just over a goal a game. Interestingly, both Qureshi and Bailey started today's fixture on the bench.
For the second game running I have to give thanks to the match referee. Thanks to Kevin Saw for sharing the team sheets with me prior to kick off, and taking the time to have a chat about football in general.
​The Game
Long Crendon set about the game with plenty of purpose. Inside the first minute Ellie Lovelock got the first strike on target off. It was never troubling Emma Dean, but nevertheless was a signal of intent from the home side. They continued to take the game to their visitors and, after only six minutes were awarded a penalty for a foul just inside the box. There were no complaints from the Wycombe team as Crendon captain Nicole Jacobs took the responsibility from the spot, slotting home coolly. 1-0.
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Not that it was needed, but the goal seemed to inspire Crendon even more. They had Wycombe penned inside their own half for much of the opening fifteen minutes, although, they didn't manage to unduly trouble Dean in this time. Wycombe's response was to make three changes (remember rolling changes are available in league games) and to make a slight formation change with Ammara Qureshi coming in on the right-wing. The change sparked some life into the Chairgirls and, sixteen minutes in, Crendon goalkeeper Amy Whale had to be quick off her line to stifle a long ball. This was just the first of many interventions from Whale coming out of her box to act as a sweeper/keeper. Clearly a fan of Manuel Neuer.
Although Wycombe had, at last, got out of their own half, they came close to going two down on 19 minutes when a ball into the box caused some confusing between defence and goalkeeper. The indecision allowed Amber Cattell to sneak in on the left, sliding a ball across the face of the goal that Ellie Lovelock was inches away from getting her tow to before Wanderers hacked it clear. The Crendon front there of Cattell, Lovelock and Megan Brockwell, were causing a lot of problems for the Wycombe defence at this point. However, Wycombe did now have the out ball down the flank for the pace of Qureshi.
Crendon had already showed that they were not afraid to take a shot whwn the opportunity presented itself, even from well outsode the box. Just before the half-hour mark Megan Brockwell demonstrated this by bursting down the right flank before unleashing a cross-shot that beat Dean but also went wide of the far post.
It was the 36th minute before Wycombe demonstrated where they could be really dangerous. Daisy Thompson got down the right side, put a cross in from Shannon Read who controlled the ball well before shooting just over on the turn. A few minutes alter Wycombe captain Jessie Poulter displayed some nifty footwork to engineer enough space to get a shot off. It was well blocked be a defender but was a sign that Wycombe could cause problems for Crendon given the opportunity.

HT Long Crendon 1 Wycombe Wanderers 0. Although the word dominate would be a little too much, Long Crendon certainly had more than their fair share of possession and chances. Enough to suggest that they may well feel a one goal lead wasn't as much as they should have had. Wycombe started to look a little more dangerous toward the end of the half and, while it is still only 1-0, the game is very much in the balance.

​The second half began with the sort of sparring that you often see in the first 10 minutes of a game. It was almost as if the teams were testing each other out, probing for weaknesses. One thing that was for certain, Wycombe were much livelier than in the first period. This was borne out in the 55th minute when Qureshi flashed a shot across the face of the home goal. The flag was already up, but it was a definite signal of intention from the visitors, who suddenly looked a different team.
a smidge past the hour mark Wycombe were on level terms. A moment of indecision at the back for Crendon allowed the nippy Ammara Qureshi to sneak in, round Whale and slip the ball into an empty net. 1-1.
Long Crendon responded to the equaliser very well, Ellie Lovelock unleashing an effort, almost straight from the restart, that Dean did well to get behind. However, in the very next minute Wycombe were awarded a free-kick some 40 yards out on the left-wing.  Amaya Navarro sent over a delightful ball, bypassing the home defence perfectly into the path of Shannon Read who finished with a first time stab past Amy Whale. 1-2. What a turnaround from Wycombe.
Two goals in just over two minutes was enough to rock any team but Long Crendon, to their credit, visibly rolled up their sleeves and set about trying to put things right. Sarah Harrison clipped the Wycombe bar with a free-kick on 68 minutes but, try as they might, Crendon could not find a way through. In the 84th minute Emma Brockwell combined well down the left before firing over and the ball, once again, was spending a lot of time in the Wycombe half.
That being said Wycombe, and specifically Qureshi, weren't just going to sit back and defend. With three minutes to go the flying winger unleashed a superb free-kick that beat Whale all ends up before crashing back off the post. There was still time for Emma Dean to pick up a knock after bravely challenging for a ball into the six yard box,  and for Emma Brockwell to come close with a speculative effort from  outside the box. Ultimately, it was not Long Crendon's day and Wycombe held out to claim a superb away win.

FT Long Crendon 1 Wycombe Wanderers 2. At half-time not many people would have put a bet on a Wycombe win. However, credit to the visitors. They soaked up a lot of pressure in the first half then hit Long Crendon with a quickfire double before defending brilliantly to secure the points. The reason I added the question mark to the blog title is that, although Long Crendon had the lion's share of possession, Wycombe were clever in the way that they made the most of fewer chances. Yes, they could have been three or four down at the break but they weren't, the were still well in the game. So, was it smash and grab or was it excellent game management? Either way, it was fun to watch as a neutral.
You can catch both of these teams in County Cup action next week. Wycombe host Penn & Tylers Green in an all Division One North match-up. Meanwhile, Long Crendon face a tough challenge as MK Dons SET come to the Rec.

Long Crendon: Whale, Jacobs(c), Regan, M.Brockwell, Finlayson, Lovelock, Harrison, E.Brockwell, Cattell, Leith, Dougall. Subs: Bailey, Cairns, Davies, Bush, Woodward
Wycombe Wanderers u23: Dean, Musgrove, Cadore, West, Misselbrook, Condra, Fuller, Poulter(c), Read, Parkin, Thompson. Subs: Qureshi, Winter, Navarro, Mitchell

Ground Number: Re-visit
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Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A