Spratton

SPRATTON 2-4 JAMES KING BLISWORTH
Saturday 31st December 2011
Northants Combination Division 1
Smith Street, NN6 8HW

After a two week break from watching football for Christmas I am in Northamptonshire for my final game of 2011. With Oadby Town not playing until Monday, good friend Kevin Zupp agreed to come with me and I picked him up from his house in Kibworth at lunch time for the forty minute drive south. The drive was very straightforward taking the A6 to Market Harborough before heading onto the A508 to Northampton. We turned off the A508 at Brixworth and headed westwards to Spratton itself,  with Smith Street being on the northern edge of the village. 

Spratton is a small village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire and according to the 2001 census had a population of 1,099 inhabitants. It is located on the A5199 (previously A50) that runs between Leicester (25 miles to the north) and Northampton (7 1/2 miles to the south).

If going by their club badge Spratton Football Club were formed in 1890. There is very little information on the club on the internet, and the only details that I have come across are on the archive section of the Northants Combination website. Their records go back as far as the 1953/54 season and Spratton finished in 5th position in the premier division. It is only from 1973 (apart from the 1990/91 season) that they have a full set of league tables. Apart from three seasons between 1988 and 1991 the club have spent the past thirty eight years in either the premier division or division. The club have been crowned premier division champions on two occassions in 1984/85 and 1986/87.

Last ten years in the Northants Combination:

SEASON	COMPETITION	PL	WON	DRW	LST	FOR	AGA	PTS	POS
2001/02	NHC-1	26	8	7	11	48	56	31	8TH
2002/03	NHC-1	26	7	9	10	42	45	30	8TH
2003/04	NHC-1	26	12	7	7	47	48	43	5TH
2004/05	NHC-1	28	11	6	11	46	46	39	7TH
2005/06	NHC-1	28	12	5	11	58	63	41	6TH
2006/07	NHC-1	28	7	7	14	46	63	28	13TH
2007/08	NHC-1	26	6	2	18	43	69	20	12TH
2008/09	NHC-1	24	7	1	16	37	75	22	12TH
2009/10	NHC-1	24	5	3	16	33	66	20*	12TH
2010/11	NHC-1	22	6	4	12	25	55	22	10TH

When arriving at the venue we found it to be typical for this level with no pitch side facilities but there is a social club on site which appeared to be well used by the local community. On one of the walls there was a few of old team photos with a couple catching my eye in particular. The first was from 1957 when they had silverware on show for winning both the Northants Combination Division 1 title and cup competitions. The second was from the 1929/30 season with the headline "Mid-Northamptonshire Village League winners". It is a shame that information like this is not preserved in either the print form or online. 

On the day the game pitched bottom of the table Spratton against high flying James King Blisworth who lie second in the table. It was played in dry but very blustery conditions with the location being very exposed to the elements. It was one of the most competitive games that either of us had seen with no quarter given from either side. Spratton took the lead within a couple of minutes when a mistake in the visiting defence allowed Adam Lett to poke the ball past the keeper into an empty net. On the half hour mark and they made it 2-0 when Joe Savage took advantage of some indecision in the Blisworth goal and finished from a couple of yards out. Right at the end of the half Blisworth got a goal back from the penalty spot. Chris Cully was fouled, got up and put his side back into the game. The Spratton keeper was very close to turning it round the post but despite getting a hand to it could not turn it round the post. To be honest Spratton should have been three up as their #9 blasted the ball over from eight yards out in what was probably the best chance of the half for either side. After an excellent save from the Blisworth keeper in the opening ten minutes of the half, the visitors took control and scored three goals in the space of fifteen minutes which ultimately resulted in the victory. Firstly a corner was knocked back across goal to allow Steve Hearly draw the teams level just before the hour mark. Blisworth's third goal came on the seventy minute mark when following a corner a Jay Vieira (?) shot from the edge of the area took a couple of deflections before finding the net, and just two minutes later it became 2-4 when a back pass sold the Spratton keeper short which was read by the Blisworth #14 who rounded the stranded keeper and finished into an empty net. The visitors saw out the final fifteen minutes or so to give them a victory in their quest for promotion to the premier division.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: peaked at 23

Entertainment rating: 6 out of 10

A final note should go to the people behind the scenes at Spratton Football Club itself. They made us both feel welcome right from the start and even allowed me to charge up my camera battery for half an hour, as when we arrived I found it dead as a dodo. Fortunately I managed to get some shots off before it died once again. These can be found on the slideshow below:    

  

Ferrari FC

FERRARI 2-4 WHITWICK UNITED

Saturday 17th December 2011

North Leicestershire League Cobbin Trophy 3rd Round

Towles Playing Field, Burton on the Wolds

The original plan was to head down to Cheltenham to catch up with a mate of mine Colin Buchanan and watch a game within an hour’s drive of his house, but Cheltenham Town were handed a plum FA Cup 3^rd Round tie @ Tottenham Hotspur on January 7^th and we have arranged to meet up then. Now it was a case of seeing if any fixtures caught my attention in either the Leicester & District League or North Leicestershire League. To be fair there were numerous ones that did and it was a case of deciding which one to go for.

My mum's other half Dave Todd agreed to come and watch this pre-Christmas cup tie a few miles east of Loughborough and, having picked him up from Thurmaston made the short drive to Burton. When arriving in the village we drove past the playing fields to make sure there were no problems, and with the players putting the nets up we made then headed to the Greyhound Inn in the centre of the village for pre-match liquid refreshment. This was a pub that neither of of us had ever been to before and we were impressed with it. It is part of the Everards chain and had several real ales on tap as well as the usual non-descript lagers. A pint of Sleigh Bell went down very well.

Ferrari FC were formed in 2007 and joined the North Leicestershire League (NLL) the same year. They are a Shepshed based club and originally played at Hind Leys School, but due to an increase in match fees moved out to Burton two seasons ago.  The club's record since joining the NLL is as follows:

SEASON	COMPETITION	PL	W	D	L	F	A	PTS	POS
2007/08	N LEIC-4	22	12	1	9	56	57	37	5TH
2008/09	N LEIC-4	22	13	4	5	68	53	43	3RD
2009/10	N LEIC-3	22	10	2	10	59	69	32	6TH
2010/11	N LEIC-3	20	7	1	12	49	59	22	8TH

The reason this fixture was chosen was due to two reasons. Firstly the 1.30pm kick-off, and secondly yours truly had seen games at Greenhill and Belton Villa in the previous two rounds of this competition and enjoyed them both. This fixture pitted division 3 Ferrari (who went into this game with a 100% league records) against division 1 Whitwick United who sit in a mid-table position. Despite it being the 3rd round the two teams had only played one match between them in the competition so far. Round 1 saw Ferrari have a walkover against Coalville Colliers and Whitwick had a bye. In round 2 Ferrari produced the upset of the round winning 3-2 @ premier division side Sileby Victoria while Whitwick had a walkover against Asfordby Village.

The game was one that saw the visitors have the better of the proceedings for the majority of the game and created more chances in 90 minutes of football than you will see in several other games combined. If they had had their shooting boots on or had a bit more composure they could have hit double figures. To be fair to the home side they stuck at it and took the lead on 25 minutes. A free kick was missed by the home defence and John Bowles  finished into the corner of the goal from twelve yards out. Two goals in the final couple of minutes of the half saw the game turn in the visitors favour. A break down the left saw a perfectly waited low cross to the far post which allowed Graham Hutchinson to beat the Ferrari keeper at his near post. In stoppage time at the end of the half Hutchinson crossed from the right and Jamie Holmes headed in at the far post. The second half was a similar affair to the first with the visitors looking the better side. Again though it was the home side that scored first and levelled up the proceedings. Matt Griffin with the finish following a well worked move and cross from the left. Whitwick only had to wait three minutes to restore their lead as Hutchinson got his second of the afternoon with a twenty five lob over the keeper. Chances kept coming and with seven minutes remaining of the ninety Hutchinson completed his hat-trick. The referee played about ten minutes of stoppage time due to a nasty injury. One of the Ferrari players was on the ground when an stray boot from Hutchinson caught him between his nose and left eye. From my point of view it appeared innocuous with the home players not making an issue of it. Even in stoppage time more chances were wasted by Whitwick.

To sum up - another enjoyable game in this competition that was played on a heavy pitch in dull and at times during the first half wet conditions.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 6

Entertainment rating: 8 out of 10

A slideshow of some photos taken during the game can be viewed below:

 

RTJFC

RUGBY TOWN JUNIORS 0–5 LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS

Saturday 10^th December 2011

Midland Combination Under-21 section; East / North Division

Kilsby Lane

The first part of a “double” today, as having been impressed with the Students when I saw them beat Stapenhill 4-1 in October, decided to take in their away fixture at Rugby Town Juniors. The following paragraph on the club is taken from their official website:

“RTJFC has been running for 12 years and currently has approximately 700 members (children under 18 years old). Its general “ Football for All” message means that any one of any ability can play football. In addition it has close working links with and encourages community groups and schools to participate in and enjoy the game of football. The club’s volunteers play a vital role, offering services such as organised structured coaching and running after school clubs. RTJFC members play in approximately 47 teams in five different leagues.”

The club play their home games on Kilsby Lane which is on the south-east side of Rugby. My route is a very simple one taking me down the M1 (junction 21) to junction 18, then along the A428 towards Rugby itself. After approximately 2 ½ miles it was a left turn onto the B4038 Kilsby Lane for just 100 yards before turning right at the ground entrance.  The 24 mile journey took around 35 minutes to make. There are numerous pitches at Kilsby Lane which are set on different levels, with the main pitch and clubhouse / changing room block set at the bottom. The main pitch is fully railed off, dugouts, floodlights and hard standing on one side. There was a tea bar in operation before and for the majority of the game which was most welcome in the cold but sunny weather.

As it stands in this inaugural season of the Under-21 competition Rugby lie third in the table with nineteen points from their eleven league games, sitting six points behind league leaders Loughborough Dynamo. The Students currently sit one place and one point further behind but have only played seven league games so far. Rugby’s last game was three weeks ago (due to last Saturday’s fixture @ Kettering Town postponed) when they suffered a 4-1 defeat at Loughborough Dynamo, while the Students put Woodbourne Sports to the sword in a 6-2 victory at The Paddock.

When arriving at the ground I was informed by Peter Simmons (president of Loughborough Students Football) that the game would kick-off thirty minutes late due to the overnight frost. The game saw two good sides contest an enjoyable first half with good football played and an even number of chances created. The second period saw a more one sided affair and the Students struck five times to move up to second in the East / North division table. Gabriel Ali scored the opener on 49 minutes but as I was on the phone at the time to Kevin Zupp @ Oadby Town FC I missed it and could not tell you anything about it!!!! The second goal came just seven minute later when a swinging volley from Jordan Cocksedge just crossed the goal line. Rugby's best chance came came a couple of minutes later but a volley was well saved by White in the Students goal. The hosts discipline was starting to let them down as they began to argue with the referee. Two of their players were booked for dissent another for persistent fouling. Three goals in the last ten minutes put a more one sided slant on the scoreline. Firstly substitute Worthington got in on the act by hitting a first time shot past the Rugby keeper on 81 minutes. Two minutes later and Humphries finished off a flowing move with a superb strike from the edge of the area. With the game about up it became 5-0. A clever flick from Ali put Worthington away down the left, who then crossed for the unmarked ? to head home from a few yards out.


Admission / programme: none
Attendance: 12 (h/c)
Coffee: £1
Sausage Bap: £2.30


Overall another enjoyable game in this inaugural season of the under-21 competition.

Websites:

Rugby Town Juniors

Loughborough Football

Midland Combination

A slideshow of some photos taken can be viewed below:

After this I should have watched Oadby Town take on Bardon Hill in the East Midlands Counties League at 3pm, but at 12.30 I received a phone call from Kev Zupp @ Oadby who informed me that the game had been postponed. A rash and premature decision as the pitch was playable once the frost had thawed. In the end I went back to Oadby and had a beer in their clubhouse before getting home at 3.30pm.

Stalemate in the Vase

OADBY TOWN 1–1 (aet) TIPTON TOWN

Saturday 3^rd December 2011

FA Vase 3^rd Round

Greene King Park

Another home game for Oadby Town this afternoon, this time against former adversaries in the Midland Football Alliance Tipton Town in the 3^rd round (last 64) of the FA Vase.  This is the first time since the 2004/05 season that Oadby have reached this stage of the competition.  A controversial 1-0 defeat @ Stourbridge ended the hopes of glory then. This time around Oadby have moved quietly into the third round with three one goal victories. First up was Huntingdon Town who were dispatched 3-2 here @ GKP. This was followed up by a trip to Leicestershire Senior League outfit Lutterworth Athletic who were beaten 2-1 and last but not least, just two weeks ago local rivals St. Andrews arrived at GKP and a superb effort from Jon Stevenson was the difference between the two sides. Tipton Town started out in the 1^st round and have had two home ties so far. Fellow MFA side Highgate United were beaten by the odd goal in three and Bardon Hill were on the wrong end of a 5-1 score line in the previous round. With Bardon Hill exiting the competition Oadby are the last Leicestershire club standing. Both clubs had midweek matches to overcome with Oadby putting St. Andrews to the sword once again with a resounding 4-1 success in the 2^nd round of the Leicestershire Senior Cup. Tipton meanwhile were in MFA action and came away from Stratford Town with a 1-1 draw.

I finally got round to watching Oadby @ Tipton Town last season and despite taking the lead were on the wrong end of a 6-1 thrashing. How things have changed? Despite Oadby being relegated the side now is unrecognisable from the one last season and the feel good factor (both on and off the field) is now well and truly back at GKP. 

An intriguing cup tie that ebbed and flowed at times, with neither side able to exert any superiority in the 1st half. Oadby took the lead in the 45th minute when Jermaine Gordon scrambled the ball home from a yard out.

Oadby's lead did not last long as Tipton equalised within five minutes of the restart. Nathan Waite finishing off a good move down the right hand side. The games main talking point came with 12 minutes remaining as Oadby sub James Miller was shown a straight red card. Despite going down to ten men Oadby looked the better side for the remainder of the 90 and had three chances win in the dying moments. Matt Moore had a shot saved, Matt Piper's chip from a tight angle failed to find the target and a Steve Fenton shot that was heading for the top corner was superbly saved by the Tipton keeper in the 4th minute of stoppage time.

Extra time and Oadby played the better football but Gordon had a shot saved and Jon Stevenson volleyed over. Tipton had their chances but the majority of their efforts were off target and Elliot Shilliam was the quieter of the two keepers.

Attendance: 167

Match rating: 7 out of 10

Replay Wednesday night and the tie I'm sure will have a few more twists and turns.

One sour note was that there was some racist chanting by the few Tipton fans that came across, referring to Leicester as Paki Land.

Websites:

Oadby Town: official – facebook – forum

Tipton Town:: official

Stadium Journey magazine

A new US based magazine has been published on stadiums and is based around the website Stadium Journey which gives fans reviews of stadiums and game day experiences. The website was set up a couple of years ago by Paul Swaney who is based is Ann Arbor, Michigan and the following paragraph is taken from the site itself:


"Stadium Journey is a web venture with the goal to become a world-class community resource for sports fans, built around optimizing the experience of attending live sporting events. We provide tips and information through reviews of pro and college sports stadiums. We also rely on fans to provide tips and information about their favorite home stadium, or a first time impression. By sharing our knowledge, we can make every trip to the ballpark, stadium, or arena the very best it can be. Enjoy the journey!"


Paul and his team are looking for more people to write reviews of stadiums from all over the world. If anyone is interested contributing to this excellent web resource then Paul can be contacted on paul@stadiumjourney.com.


Issue 1 of the magazine is out now and costs $9.49 for a printed copy. Postage to the UK is in my opinion a very reasonable $2.49 and it took around two weeks to arrive. This opening issue concentrates on the American College Football scene and in particular the South East Conference.


Personally I found the magazine to be an interesting take on stadiums that in all honesty I will never visit. Setting up a new magazine is never easy and credit to Paul for having balls to try it.

OT v Ellistown

OADBY TOWN 1-0 ELLISTOWN

Saturday 26th November 2011

East Midlands Counties League

Greene King Park

Following four consecutive Saturday's watching other clubs in the East Midlands I am back at GKP for the second in a run of four Saturday home games for the Poachers. After last weeks tough victory against local rival St. Andrews in the FA Vase, Oadby are back in league duty against Ellistown. After Monday's 3rd round draw in the Vase, Tipton Town will be the visitors next Saturday while Bardon Hill come to town the week after. Also pencilled in is another home match against St. Andrews, this time in the 2nd round of the Leicestershire Senior League which will be played this coming Tuesday on the 29th November.


At the start of play Oadby currently find themselves in 5th place in the EMCL but have games in hand over all of the other teams above them. Ellistown meanwhile sit third from bottom but spirits were lifted last week with a 3-1 victory over Nottingham side Radford.

The game was one that Oadby struggled to get going in during the early exchanges and Ellistown belied their lowly position and took the game to their high flying hosts. Both keepers were called into action during the 1st period with Oadby keeper Elliot Shilliam producing three excellent saves from the Ellistown forward line. Matt Piper was the dangerman for Oadby and was a reliable outlet on the left hand side of midfield. Chances side Jon Stevenson had a volley saved at the near post and drilled a shot wide, Michael Reeve dragged a shot wide and Jake Duffy had his chip tipped over. The second half saw Oadby come out with a lot more purpose and vigor and played the game higher up the field, putting pressure on the visitors right from the off. Substitute Callum Ross who came on for Reeve caused numerous problems for the Ellistown defence during the half and had some good chances. It was a case of if not when Oadby would score the opening goal and it duly came eight minutes into the half. A Ross effort was cleared off the line for a corner, and from the resulting kick captain Joe Latham headed home from five yards out at the far post. Despite the game opening up Ellistown caused few problems in the second half for Oadby but they themselves could not find the crucial second goal to kill off their plucky visitors. Towards the end of the game Emit Wann had a shot tipped over and further efforts (created by Piper) from Stevenson and Ross went wide or were blocked.  


Admission: Free for yours truly 
Programme: £1
Attendance: 138 (official)


The win keeps Oadby in touch with games in hand in what is proving to be a very competitive league. In form Anstey Nomads had the result of the day when they record a 3-2 victory @ leaders Heanor Town. 

Hard fought derby in the Vase

OADBY TOWN 1-0 ST. ANDREWS
Saturday 19th November 2011
FA Vase 2nd Round
Greene King Park

After a five week break I am back at GKP for what on paper should be a cracking tie in the FA Vase. Both teams currently sit in the top six in the East Midlands Counties League (EMCL), and they played each other at the end of August with Oadby running out 3-1 winners.

Since I was last here Oadby have had mixed fortunes in three competitions - two wins (v Radford 1-0 and Radcliffe Olympic 5-1) and one defeat (v 2-0 @ Borrowash Victoria) in the EMCL, a 2-1 victory at Lutterworth Athletic in the last round of the Vase and finally a 3-2 defeat at home to Holbrook Sports in the ECML Cup 2nd Round. 

On a personal note before the draw was made I was hoping for an away tie at a ground that I had not previously visited. The options were limited to five due to visiting quite a number of grounds in the Midlands over the years. They five were Bloxwich United AFC, Brocton, Ellesmere Rangers, Norton United and Wisbech Town. Alas it was not to be and this is as good as tie as any. Hopefully with Leicester City not playing until tomorrow this tie might catch the attention of some of their fans looking for their Saturday football fix. Looking at the Vase draw at the start of play there is only one other Leicestershire side still involved in the competition, and they are Bardon Hill who have a tough away tie at Midland Alliance side Tipton Town. One other tie did catch my attention and that was Leverstock Green v Enfield 1893. Why you may ask? Well these two teams played in the 1st round of last years competition and Leverstock won a nine goal thriller with the winning goal coming in the last minute. It was a game that yours truly attended and was the best game I saw last season. Click on the Leverstock Green link on the right hand side of the page for more details.

Since I was last down here Oadby have set up their club shop which is located adjacent to the entrance on the clubhouse side of the ground. They currently have a small range of merchandise for sale which include badges (£3), mugs (£5) and key rings (£2.50) plus several boxes of old programmes. 

The game was like the heading says a hard fought victory for their hosts against their local rivals. Clear cut chances were at a premium but the visitors should have opened the scoring early on, but their #9 shot straight at Oadby keeper Elliot Shilliam's legs. Oadby then felt they should have had a penalty when Michael Reeve went down but the referee waved away their calls. The only goal of the game was came midway through the half and was to be honest the only real bright spark in the game. Jon Stevenson connected sweetly on the volley and it flew past Warren Butlin in the Andrews goal. Matt Piper nearly doubled Oadby's advantage but his free kick was saved by Butlin. At the other end the afore mentioned St. Andrews number 9 headed a corner wide. Just before half time the floodlights went out and the start of the second half was delayed ten minutes while the problem was rectified. Only five of the six sets came back to life but the referee was happy for the game to go on, despite a second of the pitch being in darkness. The second half was again similar to the first with few clear cut chances being created by either side. There were two that fell to Oadby that I can recall - the first from Matt Piper who turned his marker inside out, cut inside but his shot was saved at his near post by Butlin. The second came in stoppage time but having created space for himself in the penalty area Michael Reeve dragged his shot wide. 


Joy and relief at the final whistle and now all eyes will be on the draw for the 3rd round on Monday. These two sides will be sick of the sight of each other shortly as they were paired together in the 2nd round of the Leicestershire Senior Cup, which will be played @ Oadby on Tuesday 29th November with a 7.30pm kick-off.

Admission: Free for me 

Programme: £1

Attendance: 158 (official) - nearer 250

Match rating: 4 out of 10


A final note is that the game was attended by members of the Oadby Owls Under-9's who were mascots for the day. 

Gretton

GRETTON 2-9 WELFORD VICTORIA
Saturday 12th November 2011
Northants Combination Premier Division
Kirby Road, Gretton

Northants Combination logo

After last weeks plan B scenario thankfully there are no problems for today's trip to Northamptonshire. According to Google maps my journey from the Braunstone area of Leicestershire should take me through Leicester city centre along the A47 and out towards Uppingham, before heading south. Knowing what a ball ache the inner ring road around Leicester city centre can be I decided to avoid this route altogether and head towards Oadby before taking the A6 to Market Harborough, then heading to Corby and finally north to Gretton. This took around fifty minutes to make the 30 mile journey. When heading between Corby and Gretton I noticed this huge structure ahead of me on the right and while trying to figure what it was I missed the turning for Gretton. After turning around I had a different view and realised it was sections of grandstand seating at the Rockingham Motor Speedway. When heading away from Gretton after the game towards Corby you get a scale of the size of it as it dominates the skyline like nothing I have seen before.

St. James' Church tower

Gretton is a village in north Northamptonshire close to the border with Rutland and according to the 2001 census had a population of 1,240 inhabitants. It is located pretty much equi-distance (approx 5 miles) from both Corby and Uppingham. The village is noted for having the tallest church tower and second oldest running pub (The Hatton Arms) in Northamptonshire. It is also one of the few remaining villages to retain it's stocks and whipping post which can be found on the village green. The last recorded use was in 1858 when a villager was put in the stocks for six hours after failing to pay a fine for drunkenness.

The earliest information I can find on Gretton Football Club only goes back to 1999 when they were accepted into division 1 of the Northants Combination. They won the division at the first attempt and also added the Division 1 Cup as well, beating Kettering Nomads 2-0 in the final. Promotion to the premier division was achieved but their stay in the league's top flight only lasted two seasons before they were relegated back to division 1. Four seasons were spent in division 1, the last of which in the 2005/06 season saw them finish bottom of the fifteen team division and relegation to division 2. Two seasons ago they won promotion back to division 1 by finishing in second place, six points behind winners Corby Danesholme Vikings. They did add the Division 2 Cup title by beating Burton United 1-0 in the final which was played at Harborough Town FC. A second successive promotion was achieved last season despite finishing in 3rd place, some twenty-seven points behind divisional winners Ringstead Rangers. Runners-up Corby Morton Vikings were not  promoted, reasons which I am unaware of. This season in their first back in the premier division for ten years Gretton have had mixed fortunes. They currently sit in tenth place recording two wins from their eight league games. Last time out they lost 2-1 at home to local rivals Weldon United witnessed by an excellent crowd of 100. Welford meanwhile are in their second season in the Premier Division having won the 2009/10 division 1 title. This season they remain unbeaten in their seven league games, recording four wins and three draws. Their last outing saw them beat Corby Khalsa 2-1 at Newlands Road.

Before I write about the match itself I ought to mention than in the three times I have seen Welford play (twice last season and once the season before), their opponents have had a man sent off.


The recreation ground is situation on Kirby Road on the southern edge of Gretton and is your typical village rec affair that is common in the Northants Combination. The football club share the facilities with the cricket club and on site is a clubhouse and changing room block. At half time the club served hot drinks for 50p each. The football pitch was roped off on all four sides while a small pair of dugouts were located on the far side. There is a small corrugated stand also on the far side but to be honest it is neither use nor ornament as it is situated behind the dugouts and would not offer a view of the action at all!!!


To be honest I am not sure where to start on this one. A game in which the Welford forward line of Craig Cassidy and Seb Seward ran the home defence ragged and on the day were a different class.


It started oh so good for Gretton as the took the game to their unbeaten opponents. They deservedly opened the scoring on eleven minutes as a free kick was headed over their number 8. Welford equalised five minutes later when Welford had a free kick of their own. It was spilled by the Gretton keeper and Craig Cassidy followed in a finished from a couple of yards out. Gretton continued to push forward at every oppportunity and their goalscorer was played onside by the visiting defence but his shot was sell saved by Welford keeper. Welford took the lead on nineteen minutes when the Gretton captain was caught in possession by Cassidy in centre field who then ran unopposed towards the goal, rounded the keeper and finished with aplomb. Gretton continued to cause Welford problems but were nearly caught out on the counter attack. A quick break upfield saw Seb Seward have his shot well saved. Welford's third of the afternoon came just before the half hour mark as Matt Wootton headed home a corner at the far post. Five minutes before the interval and it should have been 1-4. A free kick on the right found a diving Matt Wootton at the far post and finished superbly. The home linesman incorrectly ruled out the goal for offside - a decision which incensed the Welford bench and players as Wootton timed his run perfectly as he came  from behind a defender. Justice was done somewhat as Welford turned the screw even tighter with two further goals in the last minute of the half. The first saw another mistake by the Gretton defence and Seward was unapposed as he slotted the ball past the keeper. The second (and Welford's fifth) was from the penalty spot - Iggy Mesias stepped up and finished confidently. 


Half time: 1-5


After the problems Seward and Cassidy caused the Gretton defence in the first half they sat deeper to reduce the space between themselves and their keeper. Obviously a action causes a reaction and this resulted in the Welford midfield having a lot more time and space. Two goals in the space of four minutes before the hour mark saw Welford increase their lead to 1-7. A free kick fell kindly to Seward who stabbed the ball home from six yards out despite the Gretton keeper getting a hand to it.  Cassidy's hat trick and Welford's seventh was similar to their sixth with the only real difference was that it came from a corner. Gretton never gave up and were rewarded with a consolation goal midway through the half as the ball across from the right was turned in by a defender. Welford's six goal cushion was restored on seventy four minutes when Cassidy got his fourth of the afternoon, heading in a cross over the oncoming keeper. Welford continued to create chances with Wootton drilling a shot across the face of the goal. With four minutes remaining and Welford were awarded another penalty as Seward was brought down. Cassidy stepped up but his shot to the right was saved by the keeper. A minute later and Seward completed his hat-trick. It started with a excellent one touch football on the right and ended with Seward getting the ball in the penalty area, cutting inside and finishing well for the final goal of the afternoon.        


Gretton: 11, 66 (og)
Welford: 16 Cassidy; 19 Cassidy; 28 Wootton; 44 Seward; 45 Mesias (pen); 55 Seward; 59 Cassidy; 74 Cassidy; 88 Seward


Admission / programme: none
Attendance: 20 
Match rating: 4 out of 5


To sum up - an enjoyable afternoon in Northamptonshire in which I spent time talking to the Welford bench and was also good to put a face to the name of Andy "Pedro" Smith. I also hope to take in one or two of Welford's away fixures in the new year - hopefully they will not clash with Oadby's home games. They are a good bunch of lads and you can tell they enjoy playing for the club and each other and good luck to them in their quest of the league title. 

Websites:
Gretton FC
Welford Victoria
Northants Combination
Gretton page on Wikipedia

Some photos taken of the ground and game can be viewed below:

Plan B

BELTON VILLA 1-2 GENESIS

Saturday 5th November 2011

North Leicestershire League Cobbin Trophy 2nd Round

Recreation Ground, Church Street, Belton

Like the heading says this was Plan B today due to my first choice being postponed. I had originally planned to watch the Castle Donington - Butler Court tie in the same competition, but on arrival at Spittal Park (home of CDFC) I thought it strange that there were no nets up or players warming up. When I enquired I was told it was postponed due to some players being involved in a road traffic accident on route to the game. Hopefully nothing serious has happened and everyone is ok. I was aware of other ties in the competition, and on having a quick look at the road atlas found out that Belton Villa were the nearest to Castle Donington. Fortunately I arrived at Spittal Park early and this gave me enough time to get to Belton and I arrived at the recreation ground in Belton with a couple of minutes to kick-off. The recreation ground in Belton is like the name suggests a basic affair. The football club share it with the cricket club and it is located on the southern edge of the village on Church Street, with open countryside to the south and houses to the north.

If anyone is unaware the North Leicestershire League's (NLL) Cobbin Trophy is for 1st teams only and this tie pitched second division Belton against premier division Genesis. I am not sure when Belton were founded or when they joined the NLL as my records for the NLL only go back as far as 1997. The previous two seasons were spent in division 1 but having finished in 10th place in the 11 team division they were relegated to division 2. This season they currently find themselves in seventh place recording two wins from their seven league games played. Last time out they drew 1-1 at home to Markfield Reserves. Opponents Genesis currently sit top of the premier division with an unbeaten record - further details on them can be viewed in the previous post.

Belton itself is a small village located a few miles north west of Shepshed and is sandwiched between the A453, A512 and M1 motorway. 

On paper this game should have been a complete mismatch but on the day we had an intriguing and interesting cup tie. Genesis, as expected started the brightest and made the early inroads but were limited to long range efforts. As the half wore on the home side grew in confidence, got into the game more and at times more than matched their opponents in the middle of the park. The opening goal came with five minutes remaining of the half and what a goal it was. Jorge Jimenez who was always a threat throughout the game controlled the ball on his chest some 25 or 30 yards out and hit a swerving volley that flew into the top corner. A goal right out of the top drawer that would grace any level of football. Genesis started the second half in the ascendancy and on 55 minutes doubled their advantage. A corner was won on the left and despite calls for handball it was stabbed home from a few yards out. Belton did not let their heads drop and midway through the half got a goal that their effort deserved. I did not have a good view of it but it appeared their #9's shot took a deflection before it looped over Wiggins in the Genesis goal. This gave the visitors a kick up the backside and within two minutes they nearly made it 1-3, only for the Belton keeper pulling off an excellent save at his near post. Genesis continued to make the most of the running but with seven minutes remaining Belton were awarded a free kick. It split the Genesis defence but the shot was well saved by the advancing Wiggins. In the end Genesis closed the game out and advance to round 3.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 7

Match rating: 7 out of 10

Some photos taken during the game can be viewed in the slideshow below:

Loughborough double - part 2

GENESIS 1-1 HOUGHTON RANGERS

(after extra time; Genesis won 9-8 on penalty kicks)
Saturday 29th October 2011
Leicestershire Intermediate Cup 2^nd Round

Lodge Farm, Oakley Drive, Loughborough

The drive from the University to Oakley Drive is less than a mile but with having some time to kill between the games I went and had some lunch before arriving at the venue about ten minutes before kick off. The venue is basic with three pitches and a wooden changing room block on site. Genesis use the back pitch with Loughborough United the front one. The third one which could be described as the "top" pitch with it being set above the other was not in use. Also at home today was Loughborough United Reserves Saturday Vase 2nd round match with Knighton EFC. There is nothing to distinguish each pitch from one another as none of them had dugouts or were railed or roped off. 

Despite watching a poor game in the last round of this competition, this did not deter me in any shape or form to stop me watching a game in the next round. The draw was finally released to the public just three weeks before the game itself – good planning and organisation from the County FA!!!! There are 16 ties in the second round with Genesis thrashing fellow North Leicestershire League side Markfield 8-2 in the 1^st round while District Leaguers Houghton received a bye. I did state in the report on the 1^st round tie between Asfordby and Glenfield that the competition was competed for by teams in only three divisions. Well I was almost right as there are two teams from other leagues – Ketton who play in division 1 of the Peterborough & District League and Witherley United who play in division 2 of the Coventry Alliance.

Houghton keeper Jimmy Greasley saving in the shoot out.

One thing that attracted me to this tie was that both sides are top of their respective leagues and are also unbeaten. Genesis have recorded seven wins from their eight league outings and last week beat Birstall Old Boys 5-1 @ Lodge Farm. Houghton meanwhile have five wins from their six league games and least week beat Mounsorrel Amateurs 3-2 at the Weir Lane ground.

Who are Genesis FC?

Taken from their official website and written by Jez Cromie:

“Genesis FC started in a pub in Loughborough by five guys who used to play football together in the Christian Union team at Uni. The five of us Si Brown, Adrian Holland, Stu Arnold, Steve Straker and myself Jez Crombie had stayed around in Loughborough to live and work. We were reminiscing at some of our glory days when someone suggested the idea of starting our own club. After much amusement the idea gained momentum and became a serious possibility. So in May 2002 we decided to go for it. We had a squad of five but that wasn’t going to stop us. Over the coming months many different mates joined us and we had a squad of 15 for our opening game in the North Leicestershire League Division 2.

The name Genesis was chosen as Si Brown was a huge Phil Collins fan, not really. We knew we wanted to set up a club that was a bit different to your average club. Some  of the guys were Christians and we wanted the club to reflect some of the Christian values in the way it was run and the way we played our football. So Genesis was chosen as it reflected our Christian influence and also because in the bible Genesis is known as the book of the Beginnings, and it was the beginning of Genesis F.C.”

Their playing since joining the NLL is as follows:

SEASON	COMPETITION	PL	W	D	L	F	A	PTS	POS
2002/03	N LEIC-2	18	10	2	6	64	38	32	4TH
2003/04	N LEIC-2	20	12	5	3	56	35	41	2ND
2004/05	N LEIC-1	18	10	2	6	59	37	32	3RD
2005/06	N LEIC-1	20	15	2	3	63	27	47	1ST
2006/07	N LEIC-P	22	5	3	14	39	61	18	10TH
2007/08	N LEIC-P	22	8	6	8	58	55	30	6TH
2008/09	N LEIC-P	18	6	4	8	43	44	22	7TH
2009/10	N LEIC-P	26	18	2	6	73	48	56	4TH
2010/11	N LEIC-P	26	16	4	6	80	41	52	2ND

On arriving at the venue the weather turned and the glorious sunshine from the morning game had turned into rain - thankfully it did abate during the game and also thankfully I managed to shelter from the rain under some trees. This was a game that could have gone either way - two inform teams producing an open, entertaining game or two inform teams cancelling each other out. Unfortunately it was the latter of the two that I witnessed. The first half was especially turgid with neither side seemingly up for it. Or it could have been the case that both sides were affraid to lose. The hosts only effort were a couple from long range that did not trouble Jimmy Greasley in the Houghton goal. 

The second half started as the first ended though as it wore on the game became more open. Genesis had three good chances midway through the second period in the space of five minutes, but two went wide and the other saved by Greasley. Houghton then stepped up a gear themselves but could not break the deadlock and the game went into extra time. Not something I was looking forward to following the previous ninety minutes!!! 

The first period of extra time was the most entertaining of the game. Genesis took the lead midway through it when their #6 was found unmarked in the penalty area and he side footed it past Greasley. The lead lasted just two minutes as Andy Almond headed home the equaliser following an excellent cross from the left. Almond should have give Houghton the lead on 114 minutes but somehow put the ball over from a couple of yards out when it was easier to score. The final fifteen minutes saw neither keeper tested and it invariably the game would be decided by kicks from the penalty spot. Both sides missed two from their first five kicks and on it went until it got round to the keepers having to take one. As always in penalty shoot outs there is a hero and a fall guy. Unfortunately for Houghton Greasley had his kick saved by the Genesis keeper and the game ended some two and three quarter hours after it had started!

Penalty shoot out sequence:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
GEN	O	O	X	X	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
HOU	O	X	X	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	X

Admission / programme: none
Attendance: 9
Match rating: 2 out of 10

Websites / sources:

Official Genesis FC

North Leicestershire League


Thirty photos taken during the game can be viewed in the slideshow below: