Game 520

Newport Pagnell Town 2-0 Yaxley

United Counties League Premier Division

Saturday 10th November 2007

Willen Road Sports Ground

Newport Pagnell was chosen for two reasons 1) due to them being on my "hit list" for a few years now 2) the nearest UCL club that I hadn't visited.

Willen Road is easy to find just five minutes from junction 14 of the M1 and about an hours drive from my home in south west Leicester. The clubhouse is outside the entrance to the pitch which contains a bar and toilets - there was no hot food available today, just cups of tea which being a coffee drinker left me having to buy either an alcoholic or soft drink. There were also ham and cheese cobs available at £1.40 from the bar. The ground entrance is nearest the clubhouse on the right hand side and cost £4 plus £1 for an average programme. There is hard standing all around the pitch with two seated stands either side of the pitch - one of these was only erected during the summer and is of the modern metal variety that a springing up and down the country.

The game itself...

Newport started the strongest and scored with a well worked move after only 3 minutes and had the better of the exchanges and chances for the majority of the first half. Yaxley came into it for the last 5 or 10 minutes or so which also saw the home side reduced to 10 men for what I believe, retaliation. The second half saw Yaxley come out with more purpose but clear cut chances were few and far between. Newport seemed to be happy to try and play on the counter attack and it was they who scored a decisive second goal 10 minutes from time to secure a victory they deserved.

The only disapointment I felt was that the attendance was a paltry 54 (head count). With the MK Dons away from home @ Crewe in the FA Cup the people of Newport it seems have no desire for their football club. A real shame. Nice friendly club run by nice friendly people and I hope they get the support they deserve in the future.

Game 515

SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN 1-3 RADCLIFFE BOROUGH

F.A. Trophy Preliminary Round

Central Ground

Saturday 6th October 2007

Over two weeks since the game so I will make this brief...
£5 admission / £1.50 programme

A relatively even game despite the scoreline. Sutton, I recall had the better of the early exchanges though Radcliffe hit them on the break after 10 minutes or so for the opening goal and added a second before the end of the first half.


Sutton came out flying in the second and got a goal back within five minutes. Sutton dominated possession and territory but could not break the visitors down who themselves scored a third towards the end of the game.

Campion F.C. pics

A few pics from Campion v Golcar United - 22nd September 2007.

The blogger himself

Game 514 (Campions @ Campion)

CAMPION 3-1 GOLCAR UNITED

Manningham Mills Sports Ground, Bradford

Saturday 22nd September 2007

West Riding County Amateur League Premier Division

The primary reason for travelling up to Bradford for a West Riding League match, and this one in particular is that Campion is my surname and was curious about the club – the name itself is not that common and a football club named after one made the curiosity grow especially as I have recently being looking at my family tree. The Campion line that have researched back to the 18th century originate from Rushden in Northamptonshire. I had also managed to get my dad to come along for the jaunt up the M1. The second and final reason is that I studied in Bradford between 1995 and 1997 and I have not been up there for seven or eight years or so and I wanted to have a look at the college and area that I lived. It not surprisingly brought back memories for me and to see the college halls of residence as a building site was not what I expected. While driving around I will admit that I did feel a touch of emotion.

As we had time on our side before the 2:30 kick-off we went to Saltaire to have some lunch and a beer and found a pub on the banks of the River Aire. Saltaire is a village which was purpose built by Victorian Sir Titus Salt for workers at his woollen mills.

We found the Manningham Mills Sports Ground fairly easily with the aid of a sat nav and arrived at around 2:15. Campion share the ground with Manningham Mills Cricket Club though the two pitches do not overlap and the football pitch is railed off all the way round with a small stand running approximately half way along the far side. The ground does boast a new building that backs onto Scotchman Road which houses changing rooms and bar. The club do not take a gate or issue a programme which was not unexpected and around 30 people were in attendance for the game.

The first half was, I thought very entertaining with good football being played by both teams which would grace a higher level. Campion nearly got off to the perfect start when the visiting keeper pulled off a superb save after only two minutes. It took the home side 25 minutes to score and well worth the wait it was as Durkin finished off a fine move with a low shot into the bottom corner from the left hand side of the penalty area. Both sides created chances and tried to play football instead of the route one option and Golcar were level before the half ended when their number six scored with an angled drive.

The second half started with the visitors having the majority of possession and creating the better chances, but were hit with a sucker punch on the hour mark when Chimba Manondo created space for himself to score from about 12 yards giving the keeper no chance. This seemed to knock the stuffing out of Golcar and gave Campion a second wind, with which they duly took advantage of but scoring a third with twenty minutes left through Noble. No further scoring ensued but both teams never stopped trying to score in what was an open game from start to finish.

Credit to both teams.

Final Score: 3-1

Game 513

F.C. KHALSA 3-3 F.C. BRAUNSTONE VICTORIA

Judgemeadow Community College, Leicester

Leicestershire Senior League Division 1

Saturday 8th September 2007

The previous two winners of the Leicester City League meet for the first time this season at Judgemeadow Community College in the Evington area of the city. This game was brought forward to a 2pm kick-off which I did not know about and turned up just after Braunstone scored their second goal from Stu Wheeler on the 40 minute mark. This was followed up within a couple of minutes for another goal for Braunstone from right midfielder Kyle Robinson.

Half Time: 0-3

The second half was completely the other way with Khalsa dominating the game completely and scored three goals of their own, two of which were from former Oadby Town midfielder Sean Philips who I have been told is on £100 per week - stupid money at this level. It does make you wonder where the money is coming from as Khalsa do not take a gate, issue programmes or have any refreshements available for visiting spectators. Even if they did take a gate they would not get much as I counted only about 25 people standing round the pitch.

Final Score: 3-3 (Attendance: 25 - counted)

Game 512

F.C. BRAUNSTONE VICTORIA 0-3 LUTTERWORTH ATHLETIC

Braunstone Park, Leicester

Saturday 1st September 2007

Leicestershire Senior League Division 1

My first viewing of my local Senior League side F.C. Braunstone Victoria this season for their 3rd league match of the season against Lutterworth Athletic. Braunstone Vics play on the Cort Crescent side of Braunstone Park in Leicester and is next to the road. No admission is charged nor programme issued though if they did I would be surprised if many or any of the locals would come and watch. Depending on when a head count was taken it varied between 50 and 60 people watching at some point during the game.

Braunstone are currently in their second season in the Senior League and Lutterworth their third. The two games last season both ended in draws with a 4-4 scoreline in this fixture last season played in gale like conditions. Prior to this game Braunstone had won one and lost one while Lutterworth had started the season with a 100% record.

The game was an even affair throughout with the finishing being the difference. Lutterworth took their chances, Braunstone didn't. End of story. The first half hour was an even affair with both teams having similar amounts of possession and the visitors took the lead on 32 minutes when "a player" scored with a header from maybe six yards out. The remainder of the first half saw Braunstone play some of their best football but couldn't find a way to equalise and probably didn't want the half time whistle to blow.

Half Time: 0-1

The second half started with the home side looking like they were still on their interval and Lutterworth created a few chances and looked a yard quicker at times. They duly scored their second goal on the hour mark from a tap in which came from a left wing cross. Braunstone woke up again midway through the second half and played the better of the fooball for the remiander of the game with Darren Jepson having three chances, two of which were long range efforts saved by the visiting keeper. The first of these three chances should have put the Vics back in the game but his effort was brilliantly blocked by a Lutterworth defender. The third goal came right at the death when a mistake by the home keeper allowed Lutterworth to score a third and make the scoreline somewhat flattering.

Final Score: 0-3

Game 511

ALSAGER TOWN 5-1 SPALDING UNITED

Saturday 25th August 2007

Northern Premier League Division 1 South

The Town Ground

This was not a planned visit by any stretch. I had planned to visit either Rossington Main or Welbeck Welfare but signs on the M1 saying "Junction 25-27 Long Delays" made me think whether it was worth the risk as I hate (like a lot of people) being stuck in traffic. Fortunately Donnington services were in the vicinity and from there I made a couple of calls to clubs in the Potteries area - Alsager being one of them and with the help of a Sat Nav arrived at the ground with about 15 minutes to kick-off.

The ground is a strange affair as it is situated behind a cul-de-sac in a housing estate. There is no parking at the ground so the only option is to park on the street and walk along a track between the houses in the corner of the cul-de-sac. The layout is such is that it appears to be on three levels - the clubhouse, changing rooms, turnstiles and catering hut is on the upper level, below of which is a small carpark for officials and players and below further is the pitch. On the far side which is where the dugouts are located is a small covered standing area which probably runs maybe half the length of the pitch and on the other side is two covered seated stands which take up probably two-thirds the length of the pitch.

It cost £6 admission and £1.50 for an all-glossy programme which I thought was expensive - not enough reading material to warrant the price. The game itself was pretty good with both teams trying to play the ball on the ground instead of hoofing it into the heavens though the homesters looked the more sharper in the first 15 mins and deservedly took the lead on 17 minutes through Dave Whittaker and two minutes later were two up when Danny George deflected a free kick into his own net. On 26 minutes Spalding were awarded a penalty but this was saved by the home keeper and within two or three minutes were made to pay as Chris Budrys put Alsager 3-0 up. Alsager didn't set on their laurels and went looking for further goals but not no avail.

Half Time: 3-0

The majority of the second half action came with the first 25 minutes when Alsager scored two goals in two minutes to increase their lead to 5-0. Peter Heler got the fourth on 50 minutes and Chris Budrys scored his second on 51 minutes. Spalding then played some better football, maybe because of Alsager taking their foot off the gas and got a consolation goal on 65 minutes Benger. To make things worse for the visitors they had two men sent off within a minute of each other - the first a straight red card for I believe an elbow and the second was for a second yellow card. This ruined the game as Alsager didn't play with the same impetus prior to the dismissals and at time it looked like Spalding would be the one to add further goals to the game.

Final Score: 5-1 (Attendance 76 - Non-League paper)

Game 510

NEWARK TOWN 0-2 THORESBY COLLIERY WELFARE

Station Road, Collingham
Central Midlands League Premier Division
Tuesday 21st August 2007

I don't do many midweek games but when I saw this fixture I thought that it would be ideal as it is close enough to visit within the time constraints that I had. Newark Town had also been on my hit list since the joined the Central Midlands League a few years ago.

Newark play at the now defunct Collingham F.C.'s ground on Station Road in Collingham which is about four miles north of Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire and is typical of grounds you find at this level. There are floodlights and a small stand on the clubhouse side of the ground which would hold maybe 30 people dry. It was £2 admission which included a 24 page programme and not a bad effort it was too.

The first half was played in a constant drizzle and brisk wind which didn't help proceedings but the game itself was played at 100mph (which seems to be the norm these days), with both teams at times resorting to the long ball tactic which suited them neither. There were not many attempts on goal to note and the first twenty five minutes had nil nil written all over it. Then came the saving grace when the visitors took the lead through a volley from their number 11 - no idea who as no line-ups were announced. This was probably just about deserved. The rest of the half saw both teams huff and puff wihout causing any problems and the half ended 1-0 to Thoresby.

No food was available at the ground so I went and found the local chippy which was located next to the health centre two minutes drive from the ground - £1.50 for sausage and chips which if I might add were very tasty.

The second half was thankfully played at a slower pace and the game was better for it. Newark had an excellent spell of posession for 10 or 15 minutes at the start of the half but could not find goal that they deserved. Thoresby soaked up the pressure and scored again on 63 minutes from their number 9 through an almight scramble. The home keeper looked to have got the ball under control but somehow it came free for the afore mentioned player to tap the ball home. The last quarter saw the home side of the majority of posession with the visitors trying to catch them on the counter attack which nearly worked when their number 10 hit the bar with a lovely curling shot.

Overall a better second half and the scoreline was in the end probably a fair reflection of the game and chances created.

Final Score: 0-2 (attendance 25 - counted)

Game 509

TEVERSAL 2-2 COVENTRY SPHINX

Caernarvon Street, Teversal

F.A. Cup Extra Preliminary Round

Saturday 18th August 2007

One word that sums up the day - rain! I'm sure the seasons have got mixed up because this is definately not weather for August - more like November.

Teversal's ground is situated in the Teversal Grange site in the village west of Mansfield, and is a tidy compact affair. You enter the ground behind one of the goals with the majority of the cover to left hand side in the form of both a seated stand and standing area. There are also two small bus shelter type structures behind the far goal. The club house is small and contains a bar (which was showing Sky) and a kitchen area which served hot food and drinks which is on the right hand side. A portakabin houses the board room and is located next to the club house.

It cost £4 to get in with £1 for a programme (though they were sold out when I got there - a club official offered to get one re-printed for me and forward it in the post) and badges were on sale at the game for £2.50.

The game itself was an even match throughout with the visitors causing problems early on for the home side. Teversal gradually got more and more into the game and took the lead through an Andy Woodcock header on 32 minutes. Few clear cut chances were create by either side with defences dominating.
Half Time: 1-0
The second half started with Teversal having the better of the proceedings and increased their lead further on 57 minute when Dean Short scored - how I don't know as I was ordering a burger at the time. Coventry hit back inside two minutes when Craig Martin scored from a penalty kick - I missed the offence happening as I was waiting for the afore mentioned burger! This goal seemed to galvanise the visitors and they found another gear and equalised on 74 minutes through Wayne Pulford. A couple of good saves from the home keeper followed and the home woodwork was also struck but further goals never materialised.
Final Score: 2-2 (Attendance: 104 - from Midland Alliance website)

Game 508

COTON GREEN 3-0 THIMBLEMILL R.E.C.

Saturday 11th August 2007
Midland Combination Division 1
New Mill Lane, Tamworth

My general rule of thumb is that I will at present take in games within an hours drive of my home and this one fitted the bill nicely. Coton Green also play in a division in which I had watched 11 of the 17 current teams and having been promoted in the summer another good reason I thought.

The location of the ground is in the Fazeley area of Tamworth a couple of minutes from the old A5 - very easy to get to, while the ground itself has a rural feel about it. There are no floodlights or cover but according to the programme there are plans to add the latter.

No admission was charged and from a head count I would say 20 people were in attendance, though a 12 programme was for sale for £1 in the club house - they were not advertised and I only found them by accident when looking for the toilets as I saw them on a table. The game itself was not one to remember. Coton Green scored two goals midway through the first half (20 and 27 minutes when they took advantage of mistakes by the visitors. Either side of that saw few chances created in a game which considering the heat was played at quick pace. The second half saw Thimblemill press a lot more and certainly hd the better chances but could not force a telling shot on the home goal. The home team's third came on, I think 70 minutes when they hit the visitors on the counter and 'a player' scored with a lob over the keeper from a narrow angle.

Next up is probably Teversal's F.A. Cup tie at home to Coventry Sphinx on Saturday 18th.

GAME 507

Rimini 2 v 1 Mantova

Stadio Romeo Neri

Italian Serie B

Sunday 10th June 2007

Rimini is a beach resort on Italy’s Adriatic coast – no ifs no buts. It doesn’t pretend to be anything it is not. The majority of the hotels and the beach are separated from the rest of the town by the railway line, some of whom are within walking distance of the station. The only reason we (the wife and I) ended up in Rimini was because it being a “cheap flight with Ryanair and let’s find out about the place afterwards” type of holiday. Rimini does have an “old town”, some of which is pedestrianised and is worth a couple of hours. One major plus point of Rimini is that it is a good base to explore the surrounding area with an excellent bus (which is cheap by British prices – 70p for a half hour journey) and train network. San Marino is only forty five minutes away by bus and Bologna only ninety minutes by train. Bus tickets generally have to be bought in advance from the ticket office near the railway station or in designated outlets (mostly newsagents or tobacconists) across the city.





Rimini Calcio’s stadium, the Romeo Neri (Black Romeo) has a capacity of under 10,000 and was approximately thirty minutes walk from our hotel. The stadium itself has an athletics track around the pitch, with the main stand being covered in the middle and have two uncovered sections before the curves, one of which held the visiting Mantovan fans, the curves are both uncovered as well as the “distini” stand which is opposite the main stand. Metal fences surround the pitch to stop spectators getting onto the pitch also to stop the rival fans getting to each other, of which we were among those nearest the away fan section. Tickets had to be bought in advance from the stadium at a small ticket office which was not easy to find and for the pleasure (?) of sitting on a uncovered concrete stand in 30 degree heat cost £14 for myself and £9 for the wife. I don’t know whether it is common place in Italian football for women to be charged less at games but it certainly made things a bit cheaper than I was expecting. No programmes were issued at the game but two free A4 sized magazines were available at news stands across the city a couple of days before the game, and one of them certainly had a programme type feel about it with comments from the president, manager etc, team photo in the middle, player profile and league table and results on the back page. No information on the opposition was featured though; even though I can’t read a word of Italian I will class it as a souvenir of the game. I didn’t see a club shop, probably because I wasn’t looking and went straight to the correct part of the ground. I found one shop selling a small selection of Rimini souvenirs about 20 yards from our hotel on the corner of Viale Vespucci and Via Cormons – pennants, flags, pin bages etc. A record shop in a small shopping centre underneath one of the hotels on Viale Vespucci had baseball caps (£10.50), dvd’s, and clothing including replica shirts (£42) for sale.




The game saw Rimini in 5th place playing Mantova (6th) with only goal difference separating them fighting for a play-off place. Rimini started the game quickly and should have scored within a couple of minutes when the visiting keeper saved well from an angled shot. As the half progressed Mantova gradually got into the game without forcing the home keeper to make a serious save. The game had a nil nil feel about it when with a couple of minutes to go to the end of the first half Jeda scored with a header to send the home crowd wild, and the taunting began. Mantova came out of the blocks fighting in the second half and missed a couple of good opportunities. Rimini then took control of the game and were awarded a penalty on 56 minutes. Jeda had his kick saved by the visiting keeper but followed up with the rebound to make it 2-0. Cue more hysteria from the home fans! Rimini then sat on their lead getting deeper and deeper allowing Mantova to come on to them, whom themselves had two penalty claims which were turned away by the referee. With fifteen minutes to play they did when the home defence was caught asleep and Godeas scored with a tap in from a couple of yards to make it 2-1. A nervy final last fifteen minutes ensued with both sides creating half chances but not forcing either keeper to make a save of note. The referee finally blew his whistle some after adding some eight minutes of stoppage time.

An enjoyable experience of my first taste of Italian football, though having the metal barriers around the pitch is something that I found strange at first, the more the game went on the more they went unnoticed and unfortunately I they are probably there for a good reason even though I encountered no or sign of trouble at all.

Game 506

Kirby Muxloe 3-1 Blaby & Whetstone Athletic

Tuesday 22nd May 2007

Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division

Ratby Lane

No admission was charged or programme issued for this rearranged end of season game. Kirby needed to win to finish the season in 2nd place ahead of Barrow Town.

The first half was a pretty even affair with the game being played at a very quick pace - typical of football at this level, saw Kirby take the lead after 35 minutes through a penalty for handball and was followed up by a second goal a few minutes later. The second half was Blaby explode into action when they were awarded a penalty of their own within 30 seconds of the re-start when the home left back was sent off for pulling back the Blaby right midfielder, from which they scored to bring it back to 2-1. Blaby then took charge for the next 15 minutes or so but despite having a couple of excellent chances could not draw level. Kirby then got back control of the game and scored a third with 15 minutes left when the Blaby captain gifted the ball to the home striker on the edge of the 18 yard box who slotted the ball past the visiting keeper.

Overall an enjoyable and competitve game to end the season.

Attendance: 100 (approx)

Ratby

RATBY SPORTS 1 v 1 IBSTOCK UNITED

12th May 2007

Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division

Desford Lane

A revisit sees me at Desford Lane as I have a family function in the neighbouring village of Groby. A £2.50 admission was charged though no programme was issued. The Ratby Sports club contains several football pitches and a cricket pitch which is located in the centre of the village. Ratby itself is approx. 4 miles west of Leicester close to the M1 motorway. The facilities at the ground are basic with a small stand and floodlights with an unfinished clubhouse and changing rooms to boot.

The game itself was pretty uneventful with Ratby taking a first half lead from a penalty kick in which the referee was the only one to spot the offence. On the balance of play Ratby deserved their lead as their out fought and battled their opponents. Ibstock began the second half with more purpose after a bollocking at half time and despite not many chances being created (by either team) they equalised late on. A fair result to end the season for these two teams.