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.