QUORN 0-0 OADBY TOWN
Saturday 3rd September 2011
FA Cup Preliminary Round
Farley Way Stadium
Today sees me head to Quorn FC for the first time since 16th August 2005 when I watched Oadby Town record a 2-0 victory in a Midland Alliance encounter. I had not originally planned this fixture but intended to watch a North Leicestershire League match between Castle Donington and ATI Garryson. Following on from Oadby's emphatic victory over Northampton Spencer in the last round two weeks ago I changed my plans very quickly.
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| club logo (source: official website) |
The formation of Quorn Football Club can be traced back to 1924 when a group of lads from the village Wesleyan Chapel formed a football team. In 1937 under the name of Quorn Methodists they joined the Leicestershire Senior League (LSL) and finished in 6th place in their debut season. A year later they recorded the first of three Leicestershire Senior Cup victories. After the end of World War 2 hostilities the LSL division 2 title was won in the 1949/50 season and a year later became LSL champions for the 1st time - a feat that would not be repeated for fifty years. In the 1951/52 and 1953/54 seasons they won a second and third Leicestershire Senior Cup crowns. During the summer of 1952 they changed their name to the current title, dropping the "Methodists" suffix. From 1954 until the present day honours were very few and far between - in fact you could say they were as rare as rocking horse shit!!!! Two LSL division 1 titles were won in 1987/88 and 1995/96 - both of which saw Quorn remain unbeaten during the two league campaigns. The first full season after the turn of the century saw Quorn claim their second LSL title and with it secured promotion to the Midland Alliance. Six seasons were spent in the Alliance before a 3rd place finish secured promotion to the Northern Premier League Division 1 South. The club have finished no higher than 12th place in the four seasons spent in the NPL-1S. The 2010/11 season finished on a high when they beat favourites Hinckley United 5-4 in the final of the "Westerby" Leicestershire Challenge Cup @ the Walkers Stadium for the first and only time. This season the club have struggled on the field and find themselves bottom of the table after six matches. Manager Dougie Keast resigned last Saturday following a 5-0 reverse at home to Grantham Town.
Quorn itself is a village in Leicestershire (population in 2001: 4,961), located a couple of miles south of Loughborough and nine miles north of Leicester. The village is probably best associated with fox hunting and the Quorn Hunt is probably the UK's most well known. The hunt was founded in 1696 but moved to Quorn in 1753 by the second master Hugo Meynell. Between 1973 and 1904 hounds were kennelled at Quorndon Hall, but now are housed at Kirby Bellars near Melton Mowbray.
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| Quorn Parish Church (photo by Thomas Willson) |
The ground, Farley Way Stadium is located on the northern edge of the village just of the main A6 dual carriageway. The entrance to the ground is behind the near goal which houses a three or four step covered terrace that runs along the whole length. Along the far side is a shallow 320 seater stand that straddles the half way line. The changing rooms and clubhouse are housed in one large building along the near side of the ground. One thing final note about the ground is the quality of the pitch - every time I have attended a game here it has always been in immaculate condition. Credit to the ground staff.
Well to be honest there is not much to say about the game in a positive note. It was a hard fought but drab encounter. Neither side could take the game by the scruff of the neck and they will have to replay on Tuesday night (6th September) to see who will host Loughborough University in the next round. Looking back some twelve hours after the game has ended Quorn probably created a greater number of chances but James Flinders in the Oadby goal was never seriously troubled. The few chances that Oadby created should have won them the game - firstly Quorn goalkeeper Matt Nurse pulled off a superb save from Matt Piper at his near post and then with just two minutes remaining a Michael Reeve effort was cleared off the line.
Admission: £7
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 155
Match rating: 1 out of 5
Websites:
35 photos taken of the ground and game can be viewed below:
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