Measham Imps

MEASHAM IMPERIAL 2-4 LONG CLAWSON

Saturday 18th September 2010

North Leicestershire League Cobbin Trophy 1st Round

Measham Leisure Centre

Another Saturday and another change of plan!!! Originally it was to be Winsford United in the FA Vase but a change in circumstances meant Gary and I ended up at the 1.30pm kick-off between two division three sides of the North Leicestershire League (NLL). This was to be the lowest level of football both of us had ever seen with it being the twelfth level of the English non-league pyramid. The football club play behind the leisure centre in the village which is just off the main road that runs parallel to the A42.

Measham is a village in north-west Leicestershire and lies within the boundaries of the National Forest. It's name means homestead on the River Mease. The village is located roughly 3 1/2 miles south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 5 1/2 miles south of Swadlincote and 14 1/2 miles north of Nuneaton.

I'm not sure when the current Measham Imperial were formed but believe it was in 2005 as Measham Welfare, joining division three of the NLL. In their debut season they finished last in the ten team division recording only three league victories. At the end of the season they changed the name to their current title and have remained in division three ever since finishing in 8th, 6th, 9th and 10th place respectively. There has been teams from Measham in the past playing football at Leicestershire Senior League (LSL) level within the county. Firstly Measham Town competed in the competition between 1921 and 1927 a recorded a best finish of 5th place in the 1923/24 season. Secondly Measham Imperial, and (I pressume) are a different club to the present one joined the LSL in 1935, winning the 1948/49 division two title, and were LSL champions in 1953. The club then (again confirmation needed) changed their name to Measham Social Welfare and recorded two runners-up finishes in 1962 and 1963 before resigning from the LSL in 1975.

Prior to today Measham had played two league games so far winning one and losing one while opponents Long Clawson had only played one game which ended in a 2-0 defeat. The game in all told was not a bad one with the second half considerably better than the first. As expected the standard was not brilliant but one thing at this level you cannot knock is the commitment from the players. Long Clawson nearly scored straight from kick-off when Stephen Abbot forced a save out of the Measham keeper. The first half was a fairly even affair and it was the home side that opened the scoring on twenty-eight minutes, when a smart through pass was controlled by Jason Squire and he slotted the ball past the keeper. Two goals in the space of just minutes turned the game in the visitors favour, firstly a free kick on thirty-eight minutes caused confusion in the home defence and the ball was smashed home from six yards out from Abbot, and secondly from the penalty spot when Abbot sent the Measham keeper the wrong way for his second of the game. The first period of the second half saw both sides guilty of missed chances and would be unfair of me to single out any particular individual!!! Long Clawson gave themselves a two goal cushion on 63 minutes when a cross was headed home past the outstretched keeper from Matt Church. Two minutes later and the home side got back into the game when a corner was headed home from Carl Collen to make it 2-3. The final goal of the game came with ten minutes remaining when a shot from Long Clawson's Alex Fairbrother took a deflection that beat the keeper at the near post.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 12 (head count)

More photos of the game can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/allroadsleadsomewhere/MeashamImperialFC

*** - Goalscorers taken from the North Leicestershire League's weekly report page.