Park Life

COSBY UNITED 1-7 KINGSWAY RANGERS

Saturday 28th November 2009

Leicester & District League Premier Division

Victory Park

Cosby is a village in the south of Leicestershire in the Blaby district with a population in 2001 of 3,489. Academic wise the village is home to a nursery and primary school while the parish church goes by the name of Saint Michael and All Angels. Sporting wise Cosby has a rugby, cricket and three football teams; Cosby United, Cosby United reserves and Cosby Victory, the latter being United's third team and play in the Leicester City League with the reserves like the 1st team play in the Leicester & District League. All the sports clubs play their home games on Victory Park which unsurprisingly is on Park Road.  

I don't have a lot of information regarding the history of United but they joined the second division of the Leicestershire Senior League in 1951 finishing in 5th place in the 15 team division. Eleven seasons were spent in the division before a runners-up spot in 1962 secured promotion to division 1. A highest finish of 11th was achieved before relegation back to division 2 just four years later, though another runners-up spot in 1971 secured promotion again to division 1. Their stay in the top division lasted just two seasons before relegation back to division 2. United spent just five more years in the Senior League before they resigned in 1978. I don't have any further records for the club between then and 1996. From which they have been ever present in the Premier Division of the Leicester & District League finishing runners-up in 1997 and being crowned champions in 2006. This season they currently sit in 8th place in the 13 team division securing ten points from their opening nine games. Kingsway who were promoted in the summer as champions of division 1 have made an impressive (though expected) start to the season losing only once in the opening seven games, currently in 2nd place three points behind leaders Magna '73 having played two games less.

This is to be my second viewing of Kingsway this season having previously seen them @ Mountsorrel where they recorded a 5-1 victory. It also turns out that a new colleague from work plays for Cosby at centre half and goes by the name of Glenn Walker.

Victory Park was easy enough to find. If heading from Leicester take the B4114 towards Narborough, cross the railway line and then take the first right into Littlethorpe. Stay on the road until you reach a mini-island in Cosby itself. The park is on your right but the car park is round the corner next to the village library. The park contains two football, one rugby and a cricket pitch. The cricket one though overlaps the nearest football pitch which is the one used by United today. For the first time in a District League game I've seen the pitch was not fully or partally roped off. Also at home on the 2nd pitch was Cosby Victory's game in the Leicester City League against Aylestone United 2009.

This turned out to be a comfortable victory for the visitors from Braunstone Town with a first half hat-trick from striker Robbie Ryan giving them an advantage they never relinquished. Prior to the first goal on 14 minutes it was an even affair with both sides having an even amount of possession, but a long ball was knocked down into the path of Ryan who side footed home from six yards. Two minutes later and the previously mentioned Glenn Walker was done for pace on the right hand side, the ball finding Ryan who side footed home again from eight yards out. His and Kingsway's third came on 25 minutes when he rounded the home keeper to put the ball into an empty net. Despite going three down Cosby never let their heads drop and played some football of their own to try and get a way back into the game but thus failed to do so. It did feel though that the visitors took the foot off the gas for the latter period of the half. The second half was barely a minute gone when Robbie Ryan got his fourth when he hit a shot from just inside the penalty area across the keeper into the far corner. Further goals came on 55, 62 and 75 minutes for the visitors before the home side got a deserved consolation with five minutes left when their number ten hit a shot across the keeper into the top corner.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 12 (approximate head count)