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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 9, 2023 20:02:52 GMT
No worries. Wondered if you were there. It was a really good game and I didnt pick up the vibe you got a few days later. Seem to be signing a few new players too
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 10, 2023 23:45:02 GMT
Back over the old bridge again tonight - Lydney Town vs Worcester City Hellenic Prem.
Lydney have a nice set up - tidy ground and decent clubhouse and appear to be a club on the up. Visitors Worcester are rebuilding back up the pyramid after a disastrous finance induced slump. Traditionally a well supported non- league club and can boast an FA cup victory over Liverpool in the late 50’s.
They started the game really well with some slick passing football that threatened to take the home side apart. They took the lead after a quick through ball put their #10 through on goal and he was taken out just outside the box. Resultant free kick was hit with pure venom but straight at the home keeper who could only fumble it into his own net. Lead was increased after a mazy run from left winger Liam Lockett opened up some space and he curled a lovely shot onto angle of post and bar, ball was crossed back in from the right and met with a towering header from CF Dylan Hart. He then scored a third with an equally towering header from a corner just before half time. Worcester looked a class above the home side in the first 45 - in complete control of the game and the best all round performance from any team I’ve seen this year. They could have scored at least two more goals with a couple of goalmouth scrambles and another header onto the post.
Credit to Lydney as they made a game of it second half and pulled a goal back through a well taken header from a right wing cross and then had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside call. Hart completed a sensational hat trick though with a fierce finish into bottom left corner from wide on the right. Worcester look like they will return to Step 8 after this season. No idea how old they are but they have a couple of players who would be worth running the rule over - Lockett and Hart especially. Lucas Vaughan from our academy side played for Lydney - no idea if he is still with us?
£6 entrance fee, £1 for a cup of tea and £2.50 for curry sauce and chips.. much more enjoyable than saturday’s game and light years better in quality even though only 1 step higher. Game was played in the right spirit snd thought the ref did well even if he did give out a couple of soft yellows. He did have one moment to forget where he gave what he thought was a second yellow to a Worcester player and followed it with a red, but I liked the fact that he changed his mind when his error was pointed out to him. Some refs would have dogmatically stuck to their original decision. Attendance 227 including a good following from Worcester
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 14, 2023 17:00:37 GMT
Bradford Town vs Wincanton Town Toolstation Western League 1
Reasonable ground with pronounced sloping pitch on a lovely sunny afternoon. 6th vs 5th so promised to be an even match even though Bradford won the away game 5-1 earlier in the season. Wincanton had two oak trees in their line up - one up front and the other at centre half. Home side quickest out of the blocks and took an early lead from a ball out on the left which Wincanton put in their own net. They then got on top and equalised when defensive oak tree launched a massive throw into the box onto forward oak tree’s head. 1-1 at half time.
Visitors then got on top despite having a player sin binned and the forward oak tree scored a second after his initial shot was parried by home keeper and then completed his hat trick from a left wing cross after good play from their number 9 Toby Cole - arguably the best player on the pitch. Bradford looked well beaten at this stage but got a lifeline with a soft penalty when left winger Witcombe appeared to run into the keeper. Almost instantly they found an equaliser through their captain Sammy Jordan. The game then petered out and a 3-3 draw was a fair result and reflection of play.
Reasonable game in front of a crowd of 122. £6 entrance and £1 for hard copy programme, £2 for a pasty
Edit: Bradford also currently offer a really generous concession of free admission for Armed Forces personnel and NHS workers
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oldie
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Post by oldie on Oct 15, 2023 9:40:59 GMT
Rugby yesterday.
Cinderford RFC Vs Plymouth Albion.
English National League 1.
£15 entry, Guinness £4.50. Clubhouse Bar and pitch side bar!
Always a good standard in what is a part time version of football League 1.
Plymouth going well this season whilst Cinderford are in a rebuild phase after loosing some key players to higher up the pyramid.
The game turned into a bit of an arm wrestle which played to Cinderford's strength. The home pack were on top of their game with two push over tries. A brilliant moment when one of the Plymouth backs punched one of the Cinderford props in the back of the head. He didn't even flinch, just stared at the culprit. Ref waived play on and told him to stop being silly or he was off...end of incident.
Bright, sunny but cold, it's always cold up there.
Good game with Cinderford running out 20-12 winners.
Guesstimate the gate at around 400.
Retreated back to Newnham Social Club which was packed with people laughing at Wales losing to Argentina.
Staggered home to watch that epic game with Ireland v New Zealand.
A day where sport allowed me to forget the horror occuring in the Middle East.
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Post by eppinggas on Oct 16, 2023 14:07:43 GMT
Chadderton FC 3 Bury FC 2. North West Counties Premier League (Tier 9). Only 10 minutes up the road from where I was staying in Manchester. Chadderton is just west of Oldham, and is sort of the 'posh bit' of. Posh bit of Oldham = Oxymoron. Founded in 1947, they play in all red. Todays opponents - the famous Bury FC, formed in 1885 and twice winners of the FA Cup. See other thread on Bury for more background information. Sunshine and heavy localised downpours was the order of the day. Very autumnal. Bury is only 7-8 miles west of Chadderton so obviously a lot of away support. I reckon Away outnumbered Home support by about 10 to 1. A hopelessly slow bar made for a 20 minutes queue for an extortionately priced pint of San Miguel at £5:10. £5:10? In Chadderton! Bury took control early on and looked like the league leaders they are. Chadderton are 5th having been promoted the previous season. Bury 1-0 from a whipped in cross from their right and rifled in. HT 1-0. Bury started the 2nd half well and smacked a ball against the stanchion. Around 50 mins a Bury corner was nodded in unopposed. 2-0 and surely that was going to be it. Bury fans were celebrating. A bit premature. A bit cocky perchance? Chadderton got one back around the hour mark from a break and a good finish low to the keepers right. Quite end to end for much of the 2nd half, not many clear chances though. Nearly full time and a Chadderton attack wasn't dealt with. Ball chipped to the Bury keepers left hand post and nodded in. 2-2 and the Bury support were stunned into silence. Bury pushed for a winner deep into injury time. Go on, you know what happens next. Having thrown everything forward Bury lose possession on the half way line. The Bury keeper has wandered well outside his box. Oops. The ball is launched 40 yards over his head and into the net. Ecstasy from the Chadderton faithful. Bury supporters trouped off and a nasty bit of verbals between the two sets of fans. Another 3-4 minutes were played, but to no avail. Chadderton victorious. Entry: £10 (plus bizarre 75p booking fee - eh?). £2 programme. £5.10 pint of San Miguel (no local ales available). £5.10. In Chadderton FFS. Attendance: 1,279. Probably the biggest in tier 9 in the country? Watched the end of the hilarious Wales Argentina RWC game in a rubbish pub in Chadderton. No local ales available. Edit: Can't upload images. But I was there. Attachments:
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 18, 2023 15:49:37 GMT
Bromsgrove Sporting vs Mickleover Sports last night - Pitchero Southern League Central Prem
Sporting are the in spirit reincarnation of Bromsgrove Rovers who were an established National League side around the start of the century until they got into financial trouble. Mickleover are from near Derby and are the most northerly club in this league having been moved from the Northern Prem the season before last. They arrived in town on the back of an 11 match win streak - only 3 or 4 other non- league clubs also boast a 100% win record - with 40 yr old ex Lightning cheat Stuart Beavon up front.
Fascinating match between two vastly differing styles. Mickleover knocked the ball around the back, built patiently then tried to unpick the Sporting defence. Home side soaked all of this up then tried to hit them on the break. As a result the two sides cancelled each other out, chances were at a premium and the game was not much of a spectacle. Sporting took the lead on 65 mins from one such quick break then 5 mins later Mickleover got a penalty and equalised after one of their players was chopped down in the box. That was pretty much it and marked the end of Mickleover’s 100% record. Home side were the happier at the end and the result was a fair reflection of play. Ref was excellent and both sides to their credit made it an easy night for him.
Ground has 2 decent stands - one behind one goal and one on the side and two spartan open terraces. It would need much work if Sporting had ambitions ever to become a league club. Pitch also has a pronounced slope between the goals - reminiscent of old Huish Park. Entrance £12, £2 for a reasonable hard copy programme and £5 for a very tasty pork apple sauce and stuffing bap. Crowd 353
Surprise Rovers connection is that Sporting’s chairman is none other than Brian Seymour-Smith and their Director of Football is Paul Molesworth our ex chief scout. Not sure what either did for us whilst here but perhaps I am being uncharitable.
Away centre half Ethan Mann was the one who caught the eye with some lovely passes out of defence but looked a bit one footed.
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 21, 2023 19:22:08 GMT
Pershore Town vs Shirebrook Town FAVase 1st Round
Level 9 Hellenic Prem vs Level 10 Northern Counties East L1. Home side started really well cutting open what looked like a really ropy defence but failing to take their chances. Visitors then started to get a grip in midfield and took the lead from a free kick on the left which found the head of an unmarked player about 2 yards out. Really poor goal to concede but this set the tone for what was to follow. A second equally poor goal was scored when away forward Joe Parkin walked the ball through a pathetic challenge from home keeper into an empty net.
More goals followed in the second half with a mix of comic defending and a couple of good goals from right winger Carlton Carty - the 4th being the pick of these. By the end Pershore were all over the shop and you would not have guessed which side was from the higher level. Neither side were a patch on any of the sides I have seen recently at this level. 5-0 to the visitors flattered Pershore come the finish and their defence in particular made Shirebrooks look watertight.
£7 to get in, £1 for hard copy programme and £4.50 for a portion of chips and a cup of tea. Attendance 162 including two coaches from Shirebrook.
Tenuous Rovers link - i wonder if unused home sub Alfie Bloomer is Bob Bloomer’s son? Also wonder if Shirebrook’s Joe Parkin is the son of Jon “The Beast” Parkin. He certainly had a similar physique
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Post by eppinggas on Oct 22, 2023 9:21:29 GMT
Potters Bar 1 Cray Wanderers 1. Isthmian Premier League (tier 7). Have wanted to tick off Potters Bar for some time. A dreadful weather forecast made me think about heading east to avoid the worst of the rain... but a £10 'special entry price' swayed me. Potters Bar were formed in 1950. Just north of the M25 and 2 junctions along from the Epping turn off, an easy stadium to find. A very small car park for a tier 7 side, so decided to stick the motor 1/4 mile away and walk across a park. Big banks of grey clouds to the south did not bode well. £5 for a San Miguel (cheaper then Chadderton!). A big gazebo in front of the decently stocked bar that looked like it would provide protection from the elements in an emergency. Potters Bar in purple shirts white shorts and Cray in yellow shirts and black shorts. Northampton / Watford. About 10 minutes in the rain started, there was plenty of cover. The rain became heavier and heavier as the half progressed. The referee was the same one as Waltham Abbey vs Hadley. Very strict, no back chat allowed and firm decisions made. And thankfully they were mostly correct this time. Everyone was under cover as the rain belted down. An even first half with both sides trying as best they could in difficult conditions. A quick dash to the Clubhouse for another San Miguel, though I nearly went for a cup of tea. It was getting that cold. Early in the second half a badly taken defensive Cray free kick saw large rain soaked divot taken from the ground. The ball fell to Potters Bar on the edge of the Cray box, it was squared and neatly dispatched low to the Cray keepers right. Heavier rain ensued and Potters Bar officials were talking openly about the game being called off. Potters Bar sat on their lead and invited Cray to attack. That wasn't very clever. Cray were in complete control and it was no surprise when they equalised. A through ball not dealt with, the PB keeper was rounded and the ball walked into an empty net. Cray continued to dominate and Potters Bar clung on. Cray unlucky not to get all three points. Both sides left in relegation trouble. The officials did very well in appalling conditions and both sides played in good spirit. A decent but very wet Saturday afternoon. Entry: £10. An 'e-programme' that I couldn't be bothered with. 2 pints of San Miguel £10. Attendance: 240. Not very many for this level. But it was wet. Attachments:
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Post by oldie on Oct 22, 2023 9:39:56 GMT
Oct 21st
Gloucester City Vs Alfreton
National League North.
My second visit this season.
Gloucester have gone through a tumultuous time since the end of last season where they made the playoffs.
Over the summer the previous backers and directors sold out, the manager and most of that squad left.
Cue a terrible start to this season under the Management of Tim Flowers.
He himself was sacked a month ago. I attended a game under his regime, it was dire and ended in a 0-3 defeat.
New manager, Mike Cook, comes on board.
To the game.
The first 15 minutes were threatening to be the same. Alfreton were no better, belying the fact that they were unbeaten in the last 6 games.
Then Gloucester got hold of the midfield. Aofe Santos (remember him?) Got into the game and was creating chances from the right wing. After a bit of a scramble Gloucester went one up. Another Santos cross and the centre forward should have scored. In the closing moments of the half Gloucester hit the post.
2nd half Alfreton were more expansive and the home goalie pulled off a flying save to keep them out.
But Alfreton's defence looked ropey and Gloucester started to hit them on the break. Santos again featured and a great pass split the defence and the centre forward ran onto it and completed a neat finish. Very late on Gloucester midfielder runs from the half way line and scores a very nice solo goal.
Lots of happy faces in the crowd.
£10 (concession) £5 Hoffmeister, £6 deluxe(🤔) burger.
Crowd: 840.
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 22, 2023 18:16:21 GMT
Looks like an entirely different side from when I was there last season. Perhaps such a turnover in playing staff is not that unusual at this level but it does seem as if the Tigers are boom and bust.
I wish them well but suspect they are at their nadir in ghe footballing hierarchy
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Post by oldie on Oct 22, 2023 18:44:45 GMT
Looks like an entirely different side from when I was there last season. Perhaps such a turnover in playing staff is not that unusual at this level but it does seem as if the Tigers are boom and bust. I wish them well but suspect they are at their nadir in ghe footballing hierarchy Yes perhaps. Preaching sustainability the new owners have turned the playing squad into part timers. This naturally restricts recruitment. I think they will view staying up as a success this season. |
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 24, 2023 23:16:58 GMT
Gloucestershire County Cup Bishops Cleeve vs Yate Town tonight.
On paper an even match up with both teams in Southern League D1 South but the reality was somewhat different. Yate made a terrible start conceding early on to a long range strike and their evening went downhill from there. Some utterly kamikazi defending and they were 4-0 down at half time. They did manage to get one back after a shot from one of our recent academy players Jaheim Allen (no idea if he is still with us) came back off the post and was tucked away but more comic defending saw the Mitres score two more, Yate added a second and then more defensive capitulation produced a final tally of 8-2 to the home side who could have scored well into double figures
Cleeve looked a yard sharper all over the park aside from Allen who is really quick. Other Rovers connections: Yate manager is Darren Mullings and his assistant Paul Tovey and they also have our academy U18 player of last year Will Larvin on loan but no permission to play tonight(thankfully spared this horror show)
Bishops Cleeve ground is new with plastic pitch and reminded me of Cirencester’s albeit clubhouse is behind the goal rather than on the side.
£5 entrance, no programme and an eye watering £2.50 for a coffee from the excellent catering outlet. A much better experience all round than watching us struggle to compete against the footballing giants from Stevenage. Guessing attendance was 100 tops
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Oct 28, 2023 20:41:12 GMT
Swindle Supermarine vs Basingstoke Town FA Trophy today
Both sides in Southern League Prem South though at different ends of the table visitors 7th as opposed to home side rock bottom. Supermarine’s Webbswood ground is neat and surrounded by trees with an inflatable version of the millennium dome behind one of the goals.
The home side played some attractive football at times but must have run over about 16 black cats on the way to the game. First shot the visitors had was fired into the arse of one of their players and span off in the other direction totally wrong footing home keeper. Next attack a weak cross in from the right was juggled and then dropped like a wet bar of soap and adjudged by lino to have crossed the line much to home side’s annoyance. They continued to take the game to their opponents and looked to have got back into the match with a powerful header which was at least two yards over the line but ref allowed play to continue. To rub salt into the wound Basingstoke went straight down the other end and scored a third which put the game to bed. They saw out the remaining 30 minutes with relative ease. Final score of 3-0 definitely flattered them. Was glad to be in the cosy little stand for the second half when it rained stair rods for half an hour
Liked the look of home side’s Liban Ibrahim going forward (strangely subbed on the hour mark and his sub was also subbed about 15 mins later) and striker Levi Irving also has something about him having scored freely for Cirencester in the league below last season.
£12 entrance, £2.50 for a decent hard copy programme, £3.50 for an excellent steak pie and £1.50 for a tea. Attendance 251
Tenuous Rovers link - wonder if Sam Turl is the son of ex Gas board member and now chair of Solihull Moors. A ground and club I would go back to.
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Post by eppinggas on Oct 29, 2023 9:40:22 GMT
Sporting Bengal 0 Frenford 3. Essex Senior League, tier 9. A tube journey rather than a drive to Mile End. A couple of beers in the Wentworth Arms and on to Mile End Stadium. The football entrance was badly sign posted and we had to double back and walk around the pitch to the far side of the stadium. A perfectly good view as we walked and it was pretty obvious that you could watch the game for free. Hell no. £5 entrance and £1.50 for an 8 page programme. Very luckily had £15 in cash on me. They had had a break-in and the card reader, kitchen equipment and even tea & coffee had been stolen. Welcome to the East End. One big stand facing east that holds nearly 500. A very sparse crowd. The skyscrapers of Canary Wharf loom large to the south and The City is to the west. A running track around the pitch. Unsurprisingly Sporting Bengal were formed by the Bangladeshi community in 1996. Famous ex-Manager - Unwar Uddin (there's usually a connection to the Gas somewhere!). They were promoted to the ESL last season and were 3rd in the table before their game with Frenford (one from bottom). Sporting Bengal in dark blue fading to light blue shirts and shirts, Frenford in Stevenage kit. Sporting Bengal (SP) No.8 looked good on the ball, but was alone in that. Frenford comfortably the better side and unlucky not to go in ahead at HT. No bar at the ground (hence decision to go to the Wentworth Arms pre-game). We agreed that Frenford would probably win 2 or 3 nil. Which they then did. First goal - Frenford worked it down the SP left (SP LB had a bit of a mare all game) and a simple cross was knocked in. 1-0. Around the hour mark a Frenford shot from just outside the box smacked into an SP arm - absolutely no way he could have got his arm out of the way. The Premiership award these - surely not in the ESL? Yup. Penalty. 2-0. Sporting Bengal pushed forward, but rarely threatened the Frenford goal. Very late on Frenford broke, 3 on 2, ball slipped into the inside left channel and thumped low to the keepers left. 3-0. Final whistle. Felt about right. Entrance: £5. Progamme £1.50. Refreshments unavailable due to thieving Cockneys. Attendance: 30. Oh dear. Another very low crowd in the East End. Looks like Clubs are a lot better supported as you head out to the towns and villages of leafy Essex. Attachments:
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Nov 1, 2023 0:29:44 GMT
Wiltshire Premier Shield 1st round - Corsham Town vs Westbury United. Hellenic Prem frontrunners vs mid-table Southern League D1 South.
Full blooded derby which was high on effort and endeavour and short on quality. Chances were at a premium and Westbury took the lead with the only one of note in the first half when a long ball forward caught out the Corsham back line, their keeper makes a good save from initial shot but another Westbury player is on hand to smack home the rebound. They had the better of the first half.
Corsham made a few changes in second half which improved them and they gradually took control. Unlucky not to score when a fine strike from about 30 yards out hit the post and they deservedly equalised shortly after when a ball fell kindly for their number 7 who finished well.
1-1 at full time so the tie was settled by a penalty shoot out. Both sides converted their first 3, Westbury keeper made two good saves from pens 4 and 5 and sandwiched in between was a successful 4th for the visitors.
Bit harsh for either side to lose. £8 to get in £1 for a reasonable hard copy programme £4.50 for a ham and tomato roll and a tea. Guessing attendance was about 125
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Post by eppinggas on Nov 4, 2023 0:19:39 GMT
Wiltshire Premier Shield 1st round - Corsham Town vs Westbury United. Hellenic Prem frontrunners vs mid-table Southern League D1 South. Full blooded derby which was high on effort and endeavour and short on quality. Chances were at a premium and Westbury took the lead with the only one of note in the first half when a long ball forward caught out the Corsham back line, their keeper makes a good save from initial shot but another Westbury player is on hand to smack home the rebound. They had the better of the first half. Corsham made a few changes in second half which improved them and they gradually took control. Unlucky not to score when a fine strike from about 30 yards out hit the post and they deservedly equalised shortly after when a ball fell kindly for their number 7 who finished well. 1-1 at full time so the tie was settled by a penalty shoot out. Both sides converted their first 3, Westbury keeper made two good saves from pens 4 and 5 and sandwiched in between was a successful 4th for the visitors. Bit harsh for either side to lose. £8 to get in £1 for a reasonable hard copy programme £4.50 for a ham and tomato roll and a tea. Guessing attendance was about 125 £8 for a Wiltshire Cup game? Sounds a bit toppy. Saw Larkhall Athletic vs Corsham (early FA Cup round) and thought the latter were a poor advert for the game. Anyway (weather permitting) heading to Haringey Borough vs Dulwich Hamlet. £10 for tier 7. UTG. UNVEU. |
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Nov 4, 2023 19:06:05 GMT
Wiltshire Premier Shield 1st round - Corsham Town vs Westbury United. Hellenic Prem frontrunners vs mid-table Southern League D1 South. Full blooded derby which was high on effort and endeavour and short on quality. Chances were at a premium and Westbury took the lead with the only one of note in the first half when a long ball forward caught out the Corsham back line, their keeper makes a good save from initial shot but another Westbury player is on hand to smack home the rebound. They had the better of the first half. Corsham made a few changes in second half which improved them and they gradually took control. Unlucky not to score when a fine strike from about 30 yards out hit the post and they deservedly equalised shortly after when a ball fell kindly for their number 7 who finished well. 1-1 at full time so the tie was settled by a penalty shoot out. Both sides converted their first 3, Westbury keeper made two good saves from pens 4 and 5 and sandwiched in between was a successful 4th for the visitors. Bit harsh for either side to lose. £8 to get in £1 for a reasonable hard copy programme £4.50 for a ham and tomato roll and a tea. Guessing attendance was about 125 £8 for a Wiltshire Cup game? Sounds a bit toppy. Saw Larkhall Athletic vs Corsham (early FA Cup round) and thought the latter were a poor advert for the game. Anyway (weather permitting) heading to Haringey Borough vs Dulwich Hamlet. £10 for tier 7. UTG. UNVEU. Yeah a little bit steep but it was an ok game. Didn’t think Corsham were very good tbh but then Westbury were no better. Full blooded game but the right side of fair. Another ground ticked off but unlikely to go back there |
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Nov 4, 2023 19:32:41 GMT
Vanarama South today, Chippenham Town vs Eastbourne Borough. Both sides lower mid table and in need of the points with two contrasting styles in what turned out to be an entertaining game.
Home team were content to play out from the back usually relying on keeper Will Henry whose passing was generally good and build patiently. Borough on the other hand relied on quick breaks and the pace of their front line. They took the lead in this manner with a long ball down the left and s good finish from their CF. Chippenham equalised shortly before half time from a really well struck free kick from about 30 yards out.
Same pattern continued after the break but the difference was that home left winger Tyreke Johnson started to run at Borough’s right back. Where he looked impregnable with the ball in the air his achilles heel of a lack of pace was ruthlessly exposed. Firstly Johnson tricked his way around him and was taken out in the box and resultant pen was despatched by top scorer McClure, then a crossfield ball from the left found an unmarked Town player free, simple ball into the pocket and decent finish by the free kick scorer. Borough pulled one back with a shot from the edge of the box that went through a few bodies. Chippenham sub wasted a glorious chance to put the game to bed when put clean through, rounded the keeper and tamely rolled the ball towards the empty goal. It was such a weak finish that a Borough defender was able to get back and clear off the line. Faced with an identical situation a few minutes later the same player made no mistake and walloped the ball home. Final score Chippenham 4 - Eastbourne 2 which felt just about right.
£11 entrance (concession) and £3 for a decent programme. Everything seemed to be a £ or so more expensive there than other games I’ve been to recently so did not bother with refreshments. Att 508.
Boris’s son Tom came on for last 20 and put a lovely ball through for the 4th goal. Other Gas connections - surprised to discover Tommy Widdrington managed Borough between 2012 and 2017 and Mark McGhee was their interim manager at the end of 2018/19. Luckily for them it seems that he wasn’t there long enough to turn them into a dead scottish club
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Post by eppinggas on Nov 5, 2023 9:49:18 GMT
I'm a glory hunter - next up White Hart Lane. Haringey Borough 1 Dulwich Hamlet 1 (Isthmian League Premier Division, tier 7). Bit of a pain to get to as it's a slog through traffic and the ground isn't near a tube or train station. I drove. A decent car park, £1 an hour. You can't really complain in 'sort of' central London. £10 entry, but no sign of a programme, paper based or 'e'. Just checked on-line and there is a very good 34 page programme on their website. A very long queue for the bar which I couldn't be bothered with. One biggish stand and three pitch level terraces (only one covered) around a 4G pitch. Dulwich are one of the 'hipster' football clubs and they had brought around 100-120 supporters from sarf of the river. Haringey can trace their roots back to Tufnell Park FC formed in 1907. Via the usual complex history of East End Clubs they finally arrived at Haringey Borough after a merger with Edmonton in 1973. They play in yellow shirts, blue shorts and were up against Dulwich Hamlet who took to the pitch in very fetching navy blue and pink stripes. Dulwich were formed in 1893 and were relegated from National League South last season. An even first half played in good spirit with both defences on top. Plenty of noise from both home and away support - I would say the loudest in my foray around the lower leagues. One nasty incident when a Dulwich player clattered into the metal fence that runs very close to the playing surface. Head bandaged up, he made it back on after 5 minutes. Not really any goal mouth action and I skillfully edged my way to the bar to jump in at the HT whistle. Which sadly about 100 people also did. After queuing for 10 minutes and no where near the bar, I gave up again. How dumb are Haringey? Just sell bloody cans out the fridge if there's a lot of punters there. Anyway, back for the second half. Dulwich were playing the better football and their quick No. 10 got round the Haringey right back, made it to the bi-line and rifled in a cross that was turned in at the far post. This prompted Haringey into life and they started to push Dulwich back. A not very dangerous ball dribbled along the ground and into the Dulwich box, which the keeper somehow fumbled and gifted the equalizer. A couple of yellow cards for Haringey defenders as they hacked down Dulwich players in good attacking positions. It wasn't a dirty game though and credit to players and officials. Haringey probably edged it, but a draw was a fair result. Entrance: £10. £3 to park. No paper programme. The worst bar service I have ever seen at a football match. And I have been to a fair few. Attendance: 691. It sounded like there was more. Maybe there was another 200 queuing at the bar and they weren't counted. (Just checked the table and Haringey are rock bottom of the League, Dulwich 15th. Surprised to see them both struggling). Attachments:
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Post by eppinggas on Nov 12, 2023 9:41:40 GMT
Hadley 2 Kings Langley 1. Southern League Division 1 Central (tier 8). The trips are getting longer as I tick off local Clubs in tiers 6-9 (Tier 10 is a bit pants apart from Clapton Community FC). 3 Junctions along the M25, down the A1, first left at the r/about and you arrives at leafy and very posh Hadley (just east of Borehamwood). Stadium is on Brickfield Lane and they are known as "the Bricks".Kings Langley (formed in 1886) is just north of Watford, so a bit of a local derby. KL were relegated last season and sit 8th in the table with Hadley struggling down in 17th. KL white shirts black shorts, Hadley red shirts white shorts. A quick scan of the programme showed ex-Gas Jermaine (Renee) Howe playing for KL - I'd previously seen him playing for Bedford. Parking was OK. Very decent Clubhouse, no draught beer though. A 20 yard walk to the ground. Bloody cold. 3 pairs of socks, about 7 layers, including thermals. Wreath laying at 3pm with a very good bugler. KL started the brighter with Renee Howe up front and... err... possibly a few pounds heavier than when he was at Rovers 12 years ago. Anyway, he managed to turn the Hadley defence and get into the box and was hauled down. Penalty. Howe took it. Stuttered in his run up, keeper flung himself to the left, Howe rolled it to his right. Goal. No. Indirect free-kick for Hadley. Infringement? KL didn't argue too much. Howe then went off with a suspected broken rib. Apparently his missus is expecting next week "that's all I need" he said. You're closer to the action in grass roots football... KL kept the pressure on and deservedly took the lead from a defensive cock-up. 1-0. Hadley big No.9 Isaac Stones was having a decent game. Best move of the game saw him split the defence and put the ball on a plate for the Hadley equalizer. 1-1 HT - and straight to the bar and 10 minutes in the warm. Second half was getting more physical. Nasty Hadley tackle saw a KL player fly into the fence. Luckily the metal mesh and not the metal post otherwise it could have been serious. Hadly player rightly booked. KL on top. A rare Hadley attack saw a forward barge into a KL defender and the referee awarded a FK to Hadley, Eh? From the FK Hadley bundled it into the KL net. KL couldn't find a way back into it and it ended 2-1. Decent home support and quite vocal. Hadley a bit lucky to end up with 3 points. Entrance: £10. £2 for a 20 page programme. 2 cans of Tribute £8. Attendance: 164 Bloody cold. Attachments:
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