Seasons greetings

Just a note to wish all the people out there who read and are (hopefully!!!) fans of "All Roads Lead Somewhere" a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Thanks go out there to you for taking an interest and I hope you like what you see and read. Any feedback whether it be good or if you think there is something I can improve on please don't hesitate to get in touch. This can be done via the e-mail address at the top of the page, by leaving a comment or via my personal e-mail address rambler77@btinternet.com

There will be no further updates until the new year due to family and work commitments, and with (weather permitting) January 1st being the date of my next game of football.
  
Yours

Rob Campion  

Butler Court FC

BUTLER COURT 1-3 WOODHOUSE IMPERIAL
Saturday 18th December 2010
North Leicestershire League Division 1
Radmoor Centre, Loughborough

The weather again is playing havoc with sporting fixtures across the country. Matches are postponed on mass all over the land and Leicestershire is no exception. At the time of writing I believe this is the only non-league game on in the county and only because of it being played on a 3G artificial surface. Despite very little snow the temperature never rose above freezing all day with it being for example around -4 degrees celcius @ 8am.

The club normally play at the one on the Loughborough University complex but on having phoned the Butler Court secretary Elizabeth Hudson, she stated the game had been switched to the pitch on the Radmoor Centre complex which is part of Loughborough College on the other side of Epinal Way.

To be honest I did not make any notes on the game but some photos taken during the 1st half can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/allroadsleadsomewhere/ButlerCourtFC

Admission / programme: none
Attendance: 12 (head count)
Match rating: 2 out of 5

Restless Natives

EVERTON 0–0 WIGAN ATHLETIC

Saturday 11th December 2010

FA Premier League

Goodison Park

Today sees me make a second visit to the city of Liverpool in the space of three weeks, and this time a visit to Everton Football Club. I had arranged to meet up with a good friend of mine (Colin Buchanan) who lives down in Cheltenham with the original plan of taking in a non-league game in Leicestershire, but he suggested a few weeks ago if I fancied a trip up north. The only requisite was that I picked him up from either Burton or Stafford train station and drive us up to Liverpool. He would pay for the ticket. It didn’t take me long, well a few seconds actually to think about the answer and it was agreed. Like I stated in the report on my previous visit to Liverpool I seldom visit any of the big clubs, but to visit two in a season is a rarity let alone two in the same city and within three weeks of each other!

Dixie Dean statue

One thing that you will notice is the lack of photographs in the report and this is that the club are very funny about pictures being taken inside the ground on match days. I had been warned about this so e-mailed the club and was told that if I had a “professional” looking camera with me I would not be allowed inside the ground, yet their neighbours across Stanley Park could not care less as I even had my digital slr camera in my hand and lenses in my rucksack as I went through the turnstile. People were taking pictures and video footage throughout the game and the stewards did not bat an eyelid. I am sure both football clubs have the same regulations but their interpretation and enforcing of them could not be more different.

The drive up to Liverpool was easy and uneventful with a first port of call being Burton-upon-Trent railway station to pick up Colin. One thing to mention about the station is that there is no short term parking bays on the small forecourt so if the train is delayed or (like me in this instance) you are early then finding somewhere to stop can be tricky. Lucky I found a side street a stone’s throw from the station itself to park up. The M6 behaved itself today and we arrived in the city in plenty of time and parked in Walton Hall Park which cost £4.50. This is located on the A580 and is only around a 10-15 minute walk to Goodison. With having plenty of time on our side before the game this allowed us to have a bite to eat (£1.80 for a tray of chips and large sausage roll) and a couple of drinks in the Royal Oak. Due to driving I settled on lager shandy which cost £2.60 a pint.

The football club have been around since 1898 when the St. Domingo’s cricket club formed a football section in order to keep fit during the winter months, though it was not until the following November that they changed their name to their current title. They played at various grounds in the city including Anfield before turning some wasteland (known as Mere Green Field) into Goodison Park in 1892. This was because the owner of Anfield, John Houlding doubled the rent after the championship win in 1891. The first league game at Goodison Park was on September 3rd 1892 against Nottingham Forest with the final score being 2-2. The current capacity of Goodison Park is 40,157 but the clubs record attendance was achieved a few years after the end of the Second World War when 78,299 people saw them play Liverpool in a Football League match on the 18th September 1948.

Bullens Stand

Park Stand

Main Stand

It is obvious when visiting Goodison Park to see why the club have been looking to move to a new ground now for a number of years. When walking down Walton Lane you can easily miss the turning (Gwladys Street) to the ground, with it not obvious for the uninitiated that there is a premier league football ground in the vicinity. It is hemmed in on all four sides by narrow streets and terraced housing. If I was in their shoes I would be looking at building a new ground in conjunction with their near neighbours and sharing the facility. It works abroad well enough and there are plenty of examples I could quote but it is something that we seem to be against as a football nation.

Everton Football Club were founder members of the football league in 1888 and finished in 8th place in the 12 team division. The club did not have to wait long for a first league title as they were crowned champions in 1891. A year later and they reached the FA Cup final for the 1st time but lost 1-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Fallowfield in Manchester. Before the turn of the century they again reached the FA Cup final but lost by the odd goal in five to Aston Villa at the old Crystal Palace in London. In the years leading up to the outbreak of the First World War the FA Cup was won for the 1st time (1-0 v Newcastle United in 1906) and a second league title in the 1914/15 season. One of the most successful periods in the clubs history came in the years between the two world wars when the league championship was won three times (1927/28, 1931/32 and 1938/39), the second division title (1930/31), FA Cup winners (1932/33) and the Charity Shield twice in 1928 and 1932. The end of hostilities saw the club go through a lean period and it was not until the 1960’s that their fortunes picked up again. Between 1962 and 1970 they won two further league titles in 1962/63 and 1969/70 (making it seven in total), the FA Cup once in the 1965/66 season when Sheffield Wednesday were beaten 3-2 in the final and two more victories in the Charity Shield (1963 and 1970). They then had to wait until 1984 for their next bout of success when they beat Watford in the FA Cup final. A fifth Charity Shield followed at the start of the 84/85 season and it ended with them being crowned league champions and their only success in European competition when Rapid Vienna were beaten 3-2 in the Cup-Winners Cup final. Further success again in the charity shield but they finished the 1985/86 as runners-up to Liverpool in both the league championship and FA Cup. A final league title was won in 1987 while the last success in the FA Cup came in 1995 when a Paul Rideout goal was enough to beat Manchester United.

More detailed information on the club can be found on their official website: EvertonFC

The game was hard going to watch from a football point of view and at times was a stop start turgid affair. Wigan set their stall out from the off and didn’t deviate from it at all. The plan was to let Everton come on to them and hit them on the counter attack. They also resulted in “delay” tactics with them taking as long as possible to take goal kicks, throw inns and free kicks. Goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi was particularly guilty of this. Everton did have their chances but a combination of creativity, poor finishing and bad luck prevented them. The first chance came in the opening minute when Antolin Alcaraz prevented Tim Cahill from getting on the end of a Phil Jagielka pass. Three headed chances came and went from Marouane Fellaini, Louis Saha (who was largely ineffective before being substituted early in the second half) and Jack Rodwell. The second period saw (at times) more urgency from the home side with Seamus Coleman in particular trying to get at the Wigan defence. Al Habsi produced the best save of the game when he punched away a Steven Pienaar thirty yard pile driver. Cahill then came close when the woodwork was struck with a header. As the game wore on you could sense the frustration from the home crowd and this did not improve when Victor Anichebe, who came on for Pienaar midway through the half was roundly booed and abused by the Everton fans. Wigan were so close in taking all three points as Ronnie Stam’s low shot was well saved by Tim Howard right at the death. As the final whistle went the only noise you could hear were boos coming from all parts of the ground. This pretty much summed up the feeling inside Goodison Park. On this evidence it is difficult to see anything but a season of struggle for both these teams.

One final note to add is that I have now seen three 0-0’s in the last five games I have attended with Colin. The other two have produced eleven and five goals respectively.

Admission: £30 (Gwladys Street Lower Tier)

Programme: £3

Attendance: 32,583 (Sunday Express newspaper)

Match rating: 1 ½ out of 5

Being grateful

FUTURE LEGENDS 4-0 ALVESTON RESERVES

Saturday 27th November

Midland Combination Division 3

Moat House Leisure Centre, Coventry

What a surprise...a change of plan, though this had nothing to do with my indecisiveness but the weather. If any readers from outside this overcrowded little island do not know then the picture below will give you a pretty good idea. This was the scene outside my house at around 7am this morning, though snow itself is not a problem but frozen pitches are. 

I'm sure some of you from North American or northern Europe are thinking that we are a bunch of softies / pansies etc but unfortunately we have a case of health and safety gone mad over here. Are frozen pitches worse than rock hard ones found at the start and end of the season? No need to answer as I was being sarcastic. In the end myself and Gary had a limited choice in the East Midlands but a game on a 3G (3rd generation artificial) pitch in Coventry some 25 miles away gave us the get of jail free card.

I can hardly tell you a thing about our host club today because quite simply I have no information on them. All I know is that they joined the Midland Combination (Division 3) in the summer and they are based at the Moat House Leisure Centre in the northern suburbs of Coventry. End of. Well not quite - they currently sit in ninth place in the fourteen team division with ten points from their nine league games played so far. Opponents Alveston sit two places and three points below them though they have played four games more.

The game was not too bad though the first half was somewhat sterile with the home side scoring twice in the space of five minutes on (I believe) the fifteenth and twentieth minutes. The first was a header from Shahid Ahmed with the second from Suleimon Leluu. The game livened up a lot after the interval with both sides having chances to increase the scoring. The visitors were unlucky not to get on the score sheet as the Future Legends keeper made three top class saves during the half while other chances went wide of the uprights. Legends scored two more goals but they also could have had numerous more. Richard Roantree got both goals number three and four - the third with around fifteen minutes from time when he made a run into the Alveston penalty area and finished well past the keeper. His second and Legends fourth came on the 82nd minute when he turned home a free kick from several yards out. How the home side failed to add to the scoring is something that they will wonder themselves as the frame of the goal was struck four times during the second period.

Overall I'm just glad to get a game in at a new venue, something that will be increasingly difficult if the cold weather persists.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 24 (head count)

Match rating: 3 out of 5

Further photos of the game taken during the first half can be found here: FLFC

Liverpool double

Saturday 20th November 2010

An offer of a ticket to watch Liverpool against West Ham United from my mum was too good an opportunity to turn down. My mum’s other half (Dave) is a Liverpool fan who made his first visit along with my mum to Anfield a couple of weeks ago for Liverpool’s Europa League tie with Napoli. They were outside the stadium the following day and managed to get tickets for this game for Dave and myself. I seldom do any of the ‘92’ mainly due to cost of tickets, parking and everything else that goes with the so called big clubs now days. My original plan for today was to take in a game in north Derbyshire in the Central Midlands League – let me think of a second...Dronfield or Liverpool. A bit of a no brainer really considering I had never been to Anfield to watch a game before, with my only previous visit was a tour of the stadium some twenty years ago with my dad. About ten days ago I found out that this game was kicking off at 5.30pm for the benefit of ESPN viewers and all the armchair football fans out there, and this got me thinking...would there be a non-league game we could get to beforehand that is within a short distance from Anfield that kicked off around 2pm? After an enquiry about this on Tony’s Non-League forum a response came up with Waterloo Dock FC (current Liverpool Premier League champions) who play their home games less than a mile away at The Dockers Club on Townsend Lane in the Clubmoor area of the city. Sorted then with only the weather able to put a spanner in the works!!!

The journey up to Liverpool took around 2 ½ hours with the M6 being its usual self – i.e.: stop start between Stoke and Warrington. The plan was to go to Anfield first and stop briefly which would allow me to take a few photos in daylight, but even with four hours to kick-off this proved almost impossible. All I managed was one of the statue of legendary manager Bill Shankly. It was then a case of finding somewhere to park but as anyone who has been to this part of Liverpool there are an abundance of residents parking schemes in operation. We were told we could park behind a Texaco petrol station for £13 – seriously. I don’t think so as we didn’t want to be robbed legally!!! In the end we made the rather easy decision to head straight to Waterloo Dock FC. The club were charging (a lot more respectable) £5 to park, but when enquiring if we would get a discount as we were watching the Dock first we were allowed to park for free.

Game 1

WATERLOO DOCK 2–1 OLD XAVERIANS

Liverpool County Premier League (Premier Division)

The Dockers Club

The club have been one of (if not) the most successful non-league clubs in Liverpool since their formation in 1963. Originally joining the Liverpool Business Houses League they won both the division two (1966/67) and one (1967/68) titles before winning the league championship itself in 1969/70. In 1970 they made the step up to the Liverpool County Combination (LCC) and won the division two title at the first attempt. For their remaining time in the LCC until it merged with the I-Zingari League in 2006 to become the Liverpool County Premier League (LPL), Dock won the league championship on twelve occasions and in the last twelve years of the LCC they never finished below 3rd place. They became founder members of the LPL like already stated in 2006 and have dominated the league since winning all four league championships to date. This season they again sit at the top of the table recording eight victories from twelve league game played, currently having a three point lead over Aigburth Peoples Hall. Last Saturday they recorded a 5-2 victory over South Sefton Borough in the 3rd round of the Liverpool County FA Challenge Cup. Opponents Old Xaverians currently sit in sixth place in the LPL some nine points behind ‘Dock.

The Dockers Club is located on Edinburgh Park and is split from the rest of the club by a wall that separates it from the rest of the park. There are three pitches, all of which were in use this afternoon with the pitch Dock use nearest the club itself. The pitch was railed off on two sides, roped on another and nothing behind the goal nearest the wall. There is no hard standing, cover or floodlights. The game itself was not bad and very competitive throughout. Old Xavs seemed more up for it during the first half and certainly gave as good as they got against the league leaders. Dock showed only glimpses of their quality and it was the visitors who took the lead. Around the 35 minute mark a rasping shot from outside the area crashed against the corner of the upright which came back into play, and the ball was put back in the middle for a simple side footed finish from Anthony Conroy. The lead lasted only four minutes when a long ball was flicked on and the Dock’s number 10 finished well past the keeper. There was though a strong case for offside against one or possibly both of the Dock players involved in the goal. The second half was a lot more open with both sides pressing forward at every opportunity. The home side had more of the chances with them coming close on a number of occasions. Not to be outdone Old Xavs forced the home keeper into a smart save. The winner came with sixteen minutes from time when a long ball was layed off for the number 10 to smash the ball home from twenty yards or so out.

Overall not a bad game on a pitch that appeared (from the sidelines) to be difficult to play good football on. Dock on the balance of play, mainly in the second half deserved their victory but they certainly were made to work hard for it. One thing that I have not seen before at non-league level is that the referee and his two assistants were miked up, which (obviously) allowed better communication between the three of them.

Admission / programme: none
Attendance: between 50 and 60
Match rating (in relation to level): 3*

More photos can be found at WDFC

Game 2

LIVERPOOL 3-0 WEST HAM UNITED

FA Premier League

Anfield

The walk to Anfield was very straight forward and took around fifteen minutes and we arrived with around an hour before kick-off. As you can imagine the pace was buzzing with the game being a sell out. The tickets we had were in the corner of the upper tier of the Anfield Road stand with the West Ham fans being to the right of us. Anfield is a very intimate stadium with the stands being very close to the pitch. It doesn’t take long to make you realise that you are in one of the great temples of world football. One thing to note is that there was no issue regarding cameras and taking pictures before and during the game, unlike at Burton Albion (the last ground in the 92 that I visited) who do not allow photography from fans to be taken during the game. Let’s hope that the other lot over the other side of Stanley Park are just the same in three weeks time.

What is there to be said about Liverpool Football Club that could do it justice on a ground hopping blog? I don’t know but I shall have a go anyhow.

With a club with such an illustrious history as Liverpool I could probably write about 5,000 words on the subject but all I shall do is give a (relatively!!!!) brief history in a timeline format, while a detailed version can be found on the official website: HISTORY

1892    Founded and joined the Lancashire League

1892/93 Lancashire League champions

        Promoted to the Football League Division 2

1893/94 Football League Division 2 winners

        Promoted to division 1

1894/95 relegated back to division 2

1895/96 Division 2 winners, promoted to division 1

1900/01 Football League champions

1904/05 Division 2 winners, promoted to division 1

1905/06 Football League champions

1921/22 Football League champions

1922/23 Football League champions

1946/47 Football League champions (5th time)

1961/62 Division 2 winners (4th time), promoted to division 1

1963/64 Football League champions

1964/65 FA Cup winners

1965/66 Football League champions

1972/73 Football League champions

        UEFA Cup winners

1973/74 FA Cup winners

1975/76 Football League champions

        UEFA Cup winners

1976/77 Football League champions (10th time)

        European Cup winners

1977/78 European Cup winners

        European Super Cup winners

1978/79 Football League champions

1979/80 Football League champions

1980/81 European Cup winners

        League Cup winners

1981/82 Football League champions

        League Cup winners

1982/83 Football League champions

        League Cup winners

1983/84 Football League champions (15th time)

        European Cup winners

        League Cup winners

1985/86 Football League champions

        FA Cup winners

        Screen Sport Super Cup winners

1987/88 Football League champions

1988/89 FA Cup winners
1989/90 Football League champions (18th time)

1991/92 FA Cup winners (5th time)

1994/95 League Cup winners (5th time)

2000/01 FA Cup winners

        UEFA Cup winners

        League Cup winners

2001/02 European Super Cup winners

2002/03 League Cup winners

2004/05 European Cup winners (5th time)

2005/06 FA Cup winners

        European Super Cup winners

Since the formation of the FA Premier League in 1992 the club have not been crowned league champions and (I’m sure with a lot of pain) seen arch rivals Manchester United equal their number of domestic title wins. This season the club have had a disappointing start and last Saturday lost 2-0 @ Stoke City. This is nothing compared to opponents West Ham United who under manager Avram Grant find themselves propping up the Premier League table.

I have seen a few one sided games this season and this was no exception. Liverpool went at West Ham from the off with David Ngog forcing Rob Green to make a save inside the first minute. Maxi Rodriguez and Fernando Torres also came close before inevitable happened. A Raul Meireles corner was controlled by Glenn Johnson who then drilled a shot past green for the opening goal on 18 minutes. The home fans did not have to wait long for the second when Danny Gabbidon handballed in the box on 27 minutes. This then allowed Dirk Kuyt to send Green the wrong way to put Liverpool two up. It was then a case of how many Liverpool would then score and it was not surprise that they added a third before half time. It came on 37 minutes as Green produced a fine save from Torres, only for the ball to fall to Paul Konchesky who crossed for Rodriguez who glanced a header past the keeper. Game over. The performance of the Hammers (in relation to the level they play at) was one of the most inept I have seen in a very long time – they offered nothing, not even pride. It wasn’t until forty five minutes that they won their first corner of the match! The second half was not as one sided, probably due to the fact the Liverpool players knew that had the game won. Despite this they still had chances to increase the margin of victory with Rob Green producing a couple of fine saves from Torres and Poulsen.

It was hard to make an opinion on how good Liverpool were due to fact that their opponents were so poor. West Ham will need to improve vastly and quickly if they do not want to be playing Championship football next season.

At the end of the game we made our way back to the Dockers Club for a drink before setting off on the journey back down to Leicester. It was a long but enjoyable day out for my first experience of watching football in the city of Liverpool. As things would have it I am back here on December 11th for the Everton – Wigan game.

Admission: £41 (ticket was an early Christmas present from my mother)

Programme: £3

Attendance: 43,024

Match rating (relative to level): 3*

A few more photos can be found here: LFC

Late change of plan

AYLESTONE LOUNGE 2-6 KINGSWAY CELTIC

Saturday 13th November 2010

Leicester & District League Division 2

Braunstone Park, Leicester (Pitch 2)

more photos of the game can be found on my picasa web album here: ALFC

Like the headline states I had to change my plans at very short notice with this encounter not even on my radar as a potential game this afternoon. The original plan was GNG v Burbage Old Boys in round 2 of the Leicester & District League Cup, but on arriving at Belvoir Drive, home of former Leicestershire Senior League side Leicester YMCA I found the place deserted. I then found out that the game had been switched to Burbage and it did not give me enough time to get to Houghton for their match in the same competition. In the end I went home and walked down to Braunstone Park with no idea if any of the three sides (Birstall Social, Aylestone Lounge and Braders) that use the pitches were at home, let alone who they would be playing. In the end there were two games on - Birstall Social v Kibworth Town and the one I watched. There are four full size pitches on Braunstone Park that are fully railed and they are all adjacent to Cort Cresent which runs along one side of it.

Both sides are new to the Leicester & District League this season with Aylestone transferring from the Leicester City League in the summer. Looking at the tables before they get updated this evening Aylestone occupied ninth place recording three wins and four defeats in their seven league games played, while Kingsway sit in second place recording six victories from their seven league games and are only behind division leaders Allexton & New Parks on goal difference.

This was my first game ever in division two of the District League though I have watched a game at a lower level in the North Leicestershire League this season. The game was not a bad one and was a fairly even encounter. The visitors started the brightest with Tom Mansfield coming close on a couple of occasions in the opening ten minutes. The home side took time to get going and gave the divisional high flyers something to think about, though it was Kingsway who took the lead on the twenty minute mark when Ben Bayliss scrambled the ball home from a couple of yards out. The lead did not last long as Aylestone were level within three minutes - Jimmy South heading home from a right wing cross. Ten minutes before the end of the half and Kingsway made it 1-2 when Bayliss hit an unstoppable shot from a narrow angle into the back of the net. Captain Alex "Bongo" Mackness made it 1-3 a seven minutes later when he headed home a corner to give the visitors some breathing space. Despite not kicking off at the start of the second period Aylestone were almost back in the game straight away but the ball went just wide of the Kingsway goal. This was to prove costly as on 54 minutes Bayliss got his third of the afternoon when he hit a powerful shot past the motionless Aylestone keeper. Four minutes later and Bayliss got his fourth and Kingsway's fifth when he went on a run, beat of couple of defenders and gave the keeper no chance again with an excellent finish. Aylestone did not let their heads drop and got a goal back just after the hour mark when a well worked move resulted in Jim Baker putting the ball underneath the Kingsway keeper. A minute later he was so close to getting his second but a rasping free kick smashed the bar and bounced away to safety. The final goal of the afternoon came with seventy-two minutes on the clock when Tom Mansfield scored with a shot from the edge of the area. The final fifteen minutes or so saw both sides have further chances but neither could find the back of the net.

Overall not a bad afternoon on a sunny November afternoon which was also spent talking to the players and management of Kingsway. It was also the first time I had tried out my new camera and I am pleased with the results - now I just need a lens with a better zoom. Click on the link at the top of the report for around 50 photos.

Attendance: a handful

Match rating: 3 out of 5

Double 'C'

Saturday 6th November 2010

I think at the end of it, this was plan D for the four of us (myself, Gary + Pete and Alan from Liverpool) with youth teams at Eastleigh and Cirencester going by the wayside due to the games not being played on the respective clubs’ main stadium. Before anyone comments about Cardiff City’s Under-18’s they actually play on a stadium over the road from the main Cardiff City Stadium used by the football club (City) and rugby team (Blues).

The day started with Gary picking up yours truly at 6.30am for firstly the short drive to Nuneaton railway station to pick up the afore mentioned Pete and Alan. We then made our way across the M6 and M42 to Bromsgrove for what is now becoming the customary breakfast at the Pit Stop Cafe on the A38. We arrived in Cardiff in good time and despite a detour around the city going past the Sophia Gardens cricket ground and Millennium Stadium, we arrived at the Cardiff International Stadium around an hour before kick-off. This gave us time to have a wander over the road to McDonalds for a coffee and have a look in the club shop shared by both City and the Blues. A retail park is also adjacent to both stadiums which includes Asda amongst other large outlets. The Cardiff International Stadium is in a nutshell a multisport stadium which is home to the Cardiff City FC youth teams, Cardiff Grange Harlequins FC and Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club. All the facilities are on one side with a large seated stand housing the changing rooms, offices etc.

Game 1

Cardiff City Under-18’s 2-1 Coventry City Under-18’s
FA Premier Academy League Group B

Cardiff International Sports Stadium

This was to be my first youth team game for a number of years and first not involving a side representing Oadby Town. No admission was charged or programme / team sheet issued. The game was fairly entertaining which despite the result I thought the visitors from Coventry were the better side on the whole. Cardiff took the lead inside the first ten minutes from a penalty kick with Coventry deservedly equalising before the end of the half. The second period saw the home side score the only goal, though despite creating a number of chances Coventry could not find a deserved equaliser.

Admission / team sheet: none

Attendance: around the 50 mark

The only annoyance was that the referee kicked off the game late which did not give us enough time to make our first choice second game in the Welsh Valleys. A decision was made to head across the River Severn to Wiltshire for a 3pm kick-off in the Southern League at Chippenham. The journey primarily across the M4 took around an hour and we arrived with around twenty minutes to kick-off.

Game 2

Chippenham Town 2-2 Windsor & Eton

Southern League Premier Division

Hardenhuish Park

Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire located a few miles south of the M4 motorway (which runs across the country from west London to south west Wales) between Bath (13 miles to the west) and Swindon (20 miles east). The ground is located to the west of the town centre on the A420 Bristol Road and is a compact affair.

The club were formed in 1873 and joined the Western League (WL) in 1904. Just two seasons were spent in the WL finishing in 9th and 8th position respectively before they resigned and joined the more local Wiltshire League. Two league titles quickly followed in 1908 and 1909. In 1930 they re-joined the WL and won their first league championship in 1952. In 1964 they made a return to the Wiltshire League for four seasons before making the step up again, this time to the Hellenic League. Five seasons were spent in the Hellenic League and they recorded three 5th place finishes before returning again to the WL in 1973. The Western League title was won for a second time in 1981 and they spent another twenty years in the WL before a runners-up spot secured promoted to the western division of the Southern League. Chippenham found their new surroundings to their liking and another runners-up finish allowed them to take their place in the premier division. The club have been ever present in the premier division ever since, recording a 3rd place finish last season.

A narrow drive leads you up to the entrance with programmes being sold before you enter the ground. You enter the ground in one corner with the catering hut immediately in front of you on the left, followed by the main stand and club shop. There is further cover on the opposite stand and another covered stand behind the near goal. Finally behind the far goal are two or three steps of uncovered terracing. To be honest there is very little room at the ground and it did have a cramped feel about it. The club shop is a little gold mine with plenty of old programmes, badges and Chippenham Town merchandise for sale.

The game started with the home side doing all the running and they won a penalty after around 15 minutes but the resulting kick was put horribly wide. A few minutes later and the home side had the ball in the W & E net only for the referee to disallow the goal. The visitors gradually got into the game and started to create chances of their own with David Pearce looking particularly dangerous. Six minutes from the end of the half W & E took the lead when Michael Chennels made up a couple of yards on a Chippenham defender, rounded keeper Chris Snoddy and rolled the ball into an empty net. Ten minutes into the second half and the home got a deserved equaliser when a free kick was put back into the box first time and this allowed Marvin Brown to bring the ball down and slot the ball underneath Delroy Preddie. Almost immediately W & E re-took the lead when Chennels got his second when he turned in a cross at the far post. Both sides continued to push forward with the visitors looking for a killer third goal and Chippenham for another equaliser. Adam Bernard should have given the visitors a two goal cushion but headed over from a few yards out when it seemed easier to score. This proved costly as with just twelve minutes left Alan Griffin smashed the ball home from a narrow angle to make the game all square for a second time. Bernard missed his second sitter of the game when he put the ball over from a few yards out, and like the first miss it seemed a lot easier to score than what he actually did. This was his final fling as he was substituted shortly after!!! The game saw no further drama and it ended in a 2-2 draw which in my neutral unbiased opinion was a fair result.

Admission: £8

Programme: £2

Team sheet: free

Badge: £3

Hot Dog: £1.50 – a complete rip off.

Attendance: 369 (official)

Match rating: 3 ½ / 5

Boston Town

BOSTON TOWN 0-5 ST NEOTS TOWN

Saturday 23rd October 2010

United Counties League Premier Division

Tattershall Road

Today was one of those days where I could not make up mind in the context of what direction to head in and who to go and watch. I had been looking at the weather forecast from the start of the week but as each day went by, so the forecast for each particular part of the country I was looking at changed. Come Friday evening and I had to finalise a decision in order to let my dad know where we were going and at what time to meet up, whether it be at his house or mine with us both living on different sides of Leicester. The decision was made to head east and specifically Boston Town FC of the United Counties League.

The United Counties League (UCL) is a league that I am quite familiar with, having visited majority of the clubs and grounds in both divisions over the past ten or twelve years or so. I think there are now only five grounds I have not visited in the league and they are in no particular order Kings Lynn Town, St Neots Town, Eynesbury Rovers, Olney Town and Harborough Town. The league currently sits and steps 5 and 6 of the non-league pyramid and covers an area stretching from Sleaford in the north to Newport Pagnell in the south.

A brief history of the club in a time line format is outlined below, with some of the information taken from the clubs official website: BTFC

1964    Formed and joined the Lincolnshire League

1964/65 Lincolnshire League champions

1965    Joined the Central Alliance

1965/66 Central Alliance champions

        Lincolnshire Senior ‘B’ Cup winners

1966/67 Joined the Eastern Counties League

1968    Joined the Midland Counties League

1973/74 Lincolnshire Senior ‘A’ Cup winners

1974/75 Midland Counties League champions

1976/77 Midland Counties League Cup winners

1978/79 Midland Counties League champions

1979/80 Lincolnshire Senior ‘A’ Cup winners

1980/81 Midland Counties League champions (3rd time)

        Lincolnshire Senior ‘A’ Cup winners

1981/82 Lincolnshire Senior ‘A’ Cup winners

1982    Founder members of the Northern Counties East League

1987    Joined the Central Midlands League

1988/89 Central Midlands League champions

        Lincolnshire Senior ‘A’ Cup winners

1989/90 Lincolnshire Senior ‘A’ Cup winners

1991    Joined the United Counties League

1994    changed name to Boston Town

1994/95 United Counties League champions

2000/01 United Counties League champions

2003/04 United Counties League Cup winners

2006/07 United Counties League Cup winners

2008/09 Lincolnshire Senior Trophy winners

St Botolph's Church

Boston itself is a town and port located in eastern Lincolnshire with according to the 2001 census had a population of just over 35,000 inhabitants. It’s most recognisable landmark is the tower of St. Botolph’s Church which is more commonly known as the “Boston Stump”. The town is situated in a very rural part of the country with this part of Lincolnshire being very flat. The popular holiday resort of Skegness is 22 miles to the north east with Grimsby being some 48 miles to north along the A16. Grantham and Spalding are some 31 and 15 miles to the west and south respectively. Our journey from Leicester took us across the A47 before heading north on the A43 to Stamford. From Stamford we joined the A16 which took us into Boston itself going via Market Deeping and Spalding. The journey took was just over 66 miles and took around 1 hour 45 minutes. We arrived in Boston around 1.15pm and went into the town to have a bite to eat and have a look at “The Stump”. The Britannia Inn was chosen which is located between the church and the market square. A good choice indeed with a pint of Bateman’s Autumn Fall ale going down a treat with a ham, egg and chip lunch.

The ground is a mix of the old and the new. The turnstile, clubhouse, changing rooms and catering hut are all behind the near goal as you enter the ground. There is a covered stand that runs along the majority of the near side, a section of both seated and standing accommodation behind the far goal with further seating along the right hand touchline. There are also improvements going on along this side of the ground with some of it cordoned off from spectators.

Going into the game Boston find themselves in 7th place recording seven victories from their eleven league games. Meanwhile opponents St Neots sit top of the table with an unbeaten record from thirteen matches, and currently have a three point cushion from Kings Lynn Town though having played a game more. The game was over as a contest after the first forty five minutes with the visitors stunning their hosts with five goals. The opener came on seven minutes when a cross from Junior Konadu was headed home emphatically by Dan Jacob. Just nine minutes when by when the Saints added a second through an own goal. The confidence from a team sitting at the top of the table was all too apparent as they knocked the ball around with ease and you felt it was a matter of time before further goals were added. This came around the half hour mark when a cross from the right was spilled by the Boston keeper James Doughty only for the ball the fall at the feet of Konadu who had a simple finish from six yards out. Shane Tolley who had come close on several occasions beforehand got his deserved goal when he guided home a cross into the corner of the net. The scoring was complete just before the end of the half when a well worked move was finished off by former Aston Villa striker Stefan Moore. I did feel though despite their superiority the score was harsh on Boston as they always looked to get at the visitors but were not as clinical in the final third of the pitch. The second half was a more disjointed affair with Doughty in the end keeping the score down as he made three excellent saves, one of them being from a header by Tolley. The following is taken from the report from the Boston Town website:

“As the teeming rain of the first half subsided, the home fans contented themselves with having drawn the second half 0-0 as well as aiming a few barbs at St Neots' star striker Stefan Moore along the lines of "You're not worth £1,500 a week.”

Admission: £5

Programme: £1

Match rating: 2 ½ / 5

Stretton Eagles

STRETTON EAGLES 4-2 ARCHDALE ‘73

Saturday 16th October 2010

Midland Combination Division 1

Shobnall Leisure Centre

Would we see nine goals today? That is the question Gary and myself were asking before kick-off, as regular readers of All Roads Lead Somewhere will know we have seen this feat in the three previous games we have seen. In the end we achieved 2/3 of the “magic” number, more of which a bit later.

Stretton Eagles play in Burton-upon-Trent and their fixture today was chosen primarily due to the proximity of Burton to Leicester, and secondly we have both visited a number of grounds in the top two divisions of the Midland Combination over the years. An example being is that (more by accident than design) I myself have only one ground (Brocton FC’s Silkmore Lane) currently in use in the premier division to visit.

Stretton is a village on the northern outskirts of Burton in East Staffordshire and its name means Street Town due to it being on the Roman road of Rykilnd Street. The football club were formed in 2004 and were accepted into the top division of the Burton & District League. A 5th place finish was achieved in the 8 team division. The following season they finished runners-up to champions Barton United with only one point separating them and with it came promotion to division two of the Staffordshire County Senior League (SCL). They took to their surroundings like a duck on a pond and won the divisional title at the first attempt in some style. Only one game was lost in thirty league outings and they amassed 139 goals in the process. The 2007/08 season saw Stretton in division one and like the previous year they were divisional winners recording 62 points from 28 games played. Promotion to the premier division followed and they continued their rapid rise in achieving a 4th place finish. Last season saw the club crowned SCL champions and with what they hoped another promotion. An application to the premier division of the Midland Combination (MC) was made but the Shobnall Leisure Centre did not meet the ground grading requirements but were accepted into division one. This in effect is a sideways move with both the premier division of the SCL and division one of the MC at the same level of the non-league pyramid.



The Shobnall Leisure Centre is in Burton itself and is fairly easy to get to. If coming from the A38 (Derby) take the A5121 exit and go into Burton, going past the Pirelli Stadium (Burton Albion FC). At the island with the B5017 (Shobnall Road) turn right and the entrance to the leisure centre complex is on the right hand side. The village of Shobnall and the leisure centre is well signposted for good measure. The ground is a basic affair with the pitch being fully railed and two permanent dugouts on either side of the pitch. There is no hard standing, cover, floodlights or clubhouse pitch side, though at half time they were selling hot drinks next to the changing rooms. Admission to the game was £2 with a further £1 for a programme. The club were very welcoming and friendly and it is impressions like these that make watching the grass roots game all the more enjoyable.

"The Stretton Wags!!!" (Photo by Gary)



The game was not the most skilful I have seen this season but was enjoyable enough all the same with the home side recording a deserved victory, in fact the margin should have been a lot greater as they (and Archdale to a lesser extent) were guilty of missing a lot of chances with either the final ball or finishing itself letting them down. Stretton took the lead on seven minutes when a cross from the right was turned in from a few yards out. Ten minutes later and they doubled their lead when a through ball down the middle was hit first time into the corner of the net. It appeared to be a case of how many Stretton would score with the Archdale defence in disarray at times. A third for the home side came on 28 minutes when a quick free kick caught the visiting defence napping and the ball was slotted past the keeper for a simple but well worked goal. Six minutes from the end of the half the visitors got themselves back into the game when a cross was headed back across the Stretton keeper into the far corner. The second half saw Stretton dominate in terms of possession, territory and chances created but woeful crossing and finishing let them down. Around the hour mark Archdale hit them on the counter attack and brought it back to 3-2 when their number seven turned home a cross from the left hand side. Mid-way through the half and Stretton restored their two goal cushion when their number ten found himself unmarked in the box and hit a first time shot from twelve yards past the keeper into bottom corner. Both sides continued to look to add to the scoring but alas for us neutrals this came to nothing, and in the end Stretton ran out comfortable winners.

Further photos of the game can be found here: SEFC.

Admission: £2
Programme: £1
Attendance: 30 (head count)
Match rating: 3 / 5