ENDERBY TOWN 2012 12-4 MAGNA '73 RANGERS Sunday 30th September 2012 Alliance Football League Arthur Moore Cup Group A Wimpey Park, Coleridge Drive, Enderby, Leicestershire
My first Sunday League game for a few weeks and I was not expecting what I saw. I chose this game for two reasons. Firstly, by chance I met Enderby Town's manager Wayne Woolley at a pre-season game at Royston Town who was watching his son Jake play for Histon. I said that I would come down to watch Enderby play a home game and kept my word. Secondly I thought this would be an interesting game between a division 1 side and an premier division team.
Enderby Town 2012 FC
Wimpey Park is as the photos show is a public park. There is no parking on site and the entrance is via a footpath on Coleridge Drive, with the players changing at the Enderby & District Social Club.
What we got was a display of attacking football from both sides that had to be seen to be believed, with my highest number of goals seen in a game being smashed to pieces. From the Enderby Town twitter feed (@enderbytown) the goals were shared between just three players - Sam Young hit a double hat-trick with George Young and Sam Miller getting hat-tricks of their own. Magna were not eight goals worse off with the home keeper making three top draw saves, but to put it simply Enderby were ruthless in front of goal.
Taking away the amount of goals scored it was a really enjoyable game of football. Both sides played the game in the right way and credit goes out to them. It is doubtful I will ever see a game like this again. Period.
The goals came as follows: 3: 0-1 - an own goal 4: 1-1 18: 2-1 24: 3-1 27: 3-2 34: 4-2 44: 5-2 Half time 47: 6-2 52: 6-3 - a penalty 65: 7-3 73: 8-3 76: 9-3 80: 10-3 88: 11-3 89: 12-3 90+ 2: 12-4 - an unstoppable free kick into the bottom corner. 60 photos of the game can be viewed in the slideshow below:
MOORGREEN 1-1 ASHLAND ROVERS Saturday 29th September 2012 Notts Senior League Division 2 Birnam Park, A610, Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
After my trip to York last week I was always going to stay relatively local today, but over the past week or so changed my mind several times. Plan A was a double involving Nuneaton Town Under-18's followed by Moreton Rangers, while Plan B was to head south east into Northamptonshire for a Junior Cup tie @ Stanwick Rovers. Then on Friday evening I changed plans again and decided to head to Corby Locos in the same competition for a tie against Northampton Harlequins, but around lunchtime Rob Hornby put a post on Facebook stating he was going to be at the above game. This swung my decision as firstly I knew where the ground was, and secondly Rob is always good for a tale or two if the game is crap!!!
This was the first season for Moorgreen as an open age side, with the club more associated with junior or youth football. They were accepted into division two of the Notts Senior League (NSL) and before today had picked up four points from their four league games. The victory came last week @ West Bridgford Reserves. Opponents Ashland Rovers who this season are based at The Summit Centre in Kirkby-in-Ashfield joined the NSL in the summer after switching from the Notts Amateur Alliance. They are unbeaten so far picking up eight points from four league matches. Last week they recorded a 3-1 victory over Selston Reserves.
The ground is very easy to find with it being located just off the A610 dual carriageway, heading north west from junction 26 of the M1 motorway. After passing IKEA on the right hand side take the next exit which is signposted sewage works, with the entrance to the ground on the right hand side.
The changing rooms are immediately in front of you with the pitch being set further back. The pitch is railed off on three sides and there are dugouts and a stand also. During the game the club had a tea bar in operation, with hot drinks costing 50p. Also on the site is a model racing club next to the changing rooms and a shooting club to the left of the pitch.
Rob was already there when I arrived, in fact he was there when I phoned him at 1pm having stopped off here on his way home from a two week holiday in Cornwall. He had arranged with the club to take a team photo in their new kit, and kindly allowed me to do the same.
Moorgreen FC
The game was played in bright sunshine for the most part, but there was also a biting wind that made conditions tricky at times for these amateur players. It was not the best game I have seen and generally a scrappy affair. Ashland settled quicker and looked the better side and came as no surprise when they took the lead on seventeen minutes. A corner was only half cleared and Mark Canon hit a sweet half volley from twenty five yards that flew past the Moorgreen keeper. There was plenty of effort from both sides but chances were at a premium. The equaliser came with eleven minutes remaining as Matthew Clowes chipped the ball over the oncoming Ashland keeper. In the final few minutes Mark Canon was sent off for violent conduct. A decision that bemused not only Rob and myself but also Mark himself. We saw a push from Mark on a Moorgreen player and thought yellow card here, but were not expecting a red.
Overall a very pleasant afternoon at a very friendly club. Rob did inform me that the ground was used by Priory (Eastwood) FC before they folded in the mid-90's, and that Moorgreen have been awarded a grant to make improvements.
YORK CITY 0-0 CHELTENHAM TOWN Saturday 22nd September 2012 Football League 2 Bootham Crescent, York
Before the season began and the fixtures released this was one away fixture for Cheltenham Town that was the number one priority. Why you may ask do you want to visit York City FC for a Cheltenham game, when you could visit it any time? The answer is simply that, (regular readers will be able to answer this) I have a good friend who supports Cheltenham and this gives us an excuse to meet up. Also York are planning to leave their home on Bootham Crescent to a new venture adjacent to the Monks Cross Retail Park. Details of which can be found here: new stadium
Getting to York itself involved a 117 mile drive each way or getting the train. With the fuel costs as it is and the fact I would be going on my own the costs were very similar, but in the end I opted for the latter and booked the tickets six weeks ago. It cost £43 return going first class - with it being only £9 dearer this would be money well spent as I would be on the train for around 2 hours 20 minutes. Also my journey each way would be direct which is very rare, as nearly all of the journeys to York from Leicester involve changing trains in either Derby and / or Sheffield.
York is a walled city and has a population of 202,400 inhabitants. It is one of England's most historic cities and has plenty of attractions that show off its heritage. It was founded by the Romans in 71AD under the name of Eboracum, and became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior, and of the Kingdoms of Northumbria and Jorvik. In the Middle Ages York became a major wool trading centre.
York Minster
York Tap
The city has excellent transport links whether it be via road or rail. The A64 links York to both the A1(M) and M1 motorways which are around 10 miles (16 km) away, while it has been a major railway centre since the first line arrived in 1839. The nearest airport, Leeds / Bradford is thirty one miles away.
To go into detail the city's tourist attractions here would take too much time, but instead I there are some links to five of them:
York Minster - the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe.
The club were first founded in 1908 as an amateur side and joined the Northern League (NL). Two seasons were spent in the NL, finishing in 11th and 12th place respectively, before they joined the Yorkshire Combination. In 1912 they turned professional and joined the Midland League (ML). Only three seasons were spent in the ML due to the start of the First World War and the club subsequently folded in 1917.
The club reformed in 1922 joining the Midland League in the process. A highest place finish of 6th place was achieved in their seven seasons before they were elected to the Football League (FL). Most of their time in the FL was spent in the lower divisions, though they did spend two years in division two in the mid-1970's. In 2004 the club were relegated to the Football Conference, the top tier of the non-league game. Their stay out of the FL lasted eight years as in 2012 they were promoted back to the FL via the play-offs.
The form book suggests this will be a close game with only two points seperating the two teams in the League 2 table. York are without a win in three and suffered a 3-1 reverse @ Burton Albion in midweek. Cheltenham come into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory at home to Oxford United on Tuesday night, but prior to this had picked up just one point from their three previous league games. Cheltenham are also unbeaten in their three league away games so far.
On this information my prediction is an away win by a score of 2-1. The bookies make York favourites to come out on top, and as at 10pm on Friday night bet365.com have it as follows:
York to win: 11/8; draw: 23/10; Cheltenham to win: 19/10.
Well if goes to show what I know about football!!!!
The ground is located in the northern part of the city and is surrounded by housing. It was opened in 1932 and currently has a capacity of 7,872, though a record attendance of 28,123 was recorded in 1938 for an FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town. It is easy to see why they would like to relocated to a new stadium as their revenue streams are very much limited to match days only, and they would be also restricted as to any development of the current site.
the match day programme
Before I write about the day itself and the game a useless fact for you - this will be the eight time I have seen Cheltenham play away from the home. The first four (Notts County, Northampton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester) all resulted in defeats and not a goal to show for it. The fifth, at Burton Albion looked liked going the same way at half time as they were two down. An amazing turn around that saw the game end 5-6. Next up was a trip to Spurs for an FA Cup tie which was a 3-0 loss, and finally back in February I saw Cheltenham dismantle Dagenham & Redbridge 5-0
The day started early as, firstly with a five minute walk to catch the Arriva 51 service into Leicester at 7am. This would get me into the city in plenty of time to get to station for the 0750 East Midlands Trains service that would take me direct to York. In fact I would be catching the only direct train between Leicester and York and vise-versa today, as the train would be sitting at York station until the departure back at 1755.
Arrival in York was at the scheduled time of 1015 and Colin met me some fifteen minutes later. The first port of call was one of the two JD Weatherspoon outlets, The Punchbowl for some breakfast. We then had a walk round the city for a couple of hours taking in the sights before visiting the second of the afore mentioned chain of pubs, The Postern Gate for some liquid refreshment. York obviously gets a lot of tourists but it was even busier today as there was a food and drink festival on in the city. It was then a case of heading in the general direction of the ground, diverting here and there to have a look at more of the city. We arrived at the ground with around an hour to kick-off. The away fans are housed on an open terrace and part of the Popular Stand to the left. This is all seated and runs the whole length of the pitch. Opposite is the main stand which is the largest of the stands at the ground, but only runs for about 2/3 of the pitch length. Opposite the away terrace is the David Longhurst Stand which is fully covered , and like the other two covered stands has a number of supporting pillars restricting the sightlines somewhat.
We decided to eat at the ground which in my opinion was not a wise decision. I paid £3.30 for a hot dog and regretted it. It was one of those that you heat up in boiling water and was tastleless - for the price you should expect and get something more edible. My advice is to eat in one of the many food outlets in the city centre before arriving at the ground.
The game was not the best advert for professional football. Cheltenham resulted in a hoof it up to the big man up front approach and got very little success from it. When they did the ball down and pass it around they looked a decent side, but alas this was not often. York played the better football with Michael Coulson looking dangerous on the right hand side of midfield. Defences though were on top of clear cut chances were at a premium. York were the better side in the second half causing the visiting defence problems, but everything was dealt with. The closest Cheltenham came to making the breakthough was with around fifteen minutes left. Substitute Kaid Mohamed's shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced onto the line before being cleared. No need for the goalline technology debate on this one!!!
A hard fought point for both sides with the visitors no doubt being the more happier. If either side is to make a push for promotion come the end of the season they will have to play better than this.
A walk of around fifteen to twenty minutes back to the station followed. I had some time on my side, while Colin was catching a train to Harrogate to spend the evening with family before heading back to Cheltenham on the Sunday morning. With this time to kill I made my way to the York Tap - a real ale house that is inside the station. It has over thirty beers on offer and it was difficult to choose. In the end I went for the Bernard Dark at 5.1% and very nice it was too. Just a shame I did not have any more time to try some more of the beers on offer. A must visit for any beer lovers.
There were delays of around fifteen minutes caused by signalling problems in the Sheffield area, but this did not impede me in getting my bus back to Braunstone, and I was home just before 9pm.
A long but enjoyable day out in a fabulous city - just a shame that the football served did not match up.
Admission: £16
Programme: £3 - 52 pages A5 size. Very good effort - 4/5
Attendance: 3,477 (196 away)
A slideshow of twelve photos of the ground can be viewed below:
More photos of York itself can be viewed in another slideshow:
STRATFORD TOWN 1-3 ECCLESHALL Saturday 15th September 2012 FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round The DCS Stadium, Knights Lane, Tiddington, Warwickshire
Another Saturday and another case of having too much choice of where to go. Firstly it was a case of deciding which direction to head - north or south? I narrowed it down to head south west, firstly stopping off in Coventry for an under-18's match in the FA Premier Academy League between Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday @ the Alan Higgs Centre on Allard Way. Then more indecision - no sarcastic comments please!!! of where to go for the second game. My original choice was to stay in Coventry for a very rare venture into the Coventry Alliance for a game between Triumph Athletic and Highway Coundon Court, but on doing some further research I noticed that Stratford Town were at home in the FA Vase. Stratford moved to their current ground a couple of years ago and thought it was about time I paid a visit.
Stratford-upon-Avon, or Stratford for short is a market town and civil parish in Warwickshire. It lies on the River Avon and is located twenty-two miles south east of Birmingham and eight miles south west of Warwick. The estimated population is around 25,500.
The town is a popular tourist destination due to it being the birthplace of playwright and poet William Shakespeare, and receives around three million visitors a year from around the world. It grew up as a market town in medieval times with the original charters granted in 1196.
Stratford used to play on Masons Road in the town itself, a venue I visited back in August 1999 when Oadby Town played their first away fixture in the Midland Football Alliance. On a Tuesday evening the hosts recorded a 6-2 victory, though Oadby would have the last laugh come the season end as they finished the campaign as champions some ten points ahead of Stratford. Their present ground is currently called The DCS Stadium and is on the south-western edge of Tiddington. To avoid going through Stratford itself, I decided to turn off the A46 at the island with the M40 and head onto the A429. This took me to Wellesbourne, from which I turned right at the island with the airfield onto B4086 towards Tiddington. Knights Lane is a left hand turn in the middle of the village and you go past both the NFU Mutual Sports Ground and Alveston C of E Primary School before reaching the ground entrance.
The ground is only a few years old and is also home to Birmingham City Ladies FC who compete in the Women's Super League. All the buildings and facilities are on the north side of the ground - clubhouse (of which access is from outside the ground), club shop, catering hut, board room, changing rooms and stand. The stand is set back slightly from the pitch and gives and excellent view of the proceedings on the pitch, helped as it was designed and built to house the changing rooms underneath. The club displayed the team line-ups on a white board positioned next to the club shop, and the tannoy announcements were clear and concise.
Stratford went into this game as firm favourites, firstly playing a level higher than their opponents from Staffordshire and also went into the game top of the Midland Alliance. An unbeaten start after eight games saw them six points ahead of Boldmere St. Michaels. The start Eccleshall have had is a complete opposite, gaining just point from their seven league games.
As the score suggests Eccleshall turned the form book on its head to record a deserved victory. Stratford struggled to get any rhythm going and looked devoid of any ideas. The visitors broke the deadlock on twenty-five minutes as Daniel Jones turned in a cross. Six minutes later and it became 0-2 as Jones got his second of the afternoon, lobbing the ball over the oncoming Brendan Hazlett.
Half time came and it was time for some grub. I had been told the tea bar was top draw by fellow groundhopper Chris Bedford on Facebook, and with these high expectations in mind I was not disappointed. It cost me £4.20 for a tray of chips, hot dog and a coffee. The second half was spent sitting in the stand after taking photos from various points around the ground during the first period.
The second half saw Stratford try to break a resolute Eccleshall defence down, but could not find a way through. You know it is not going to be your day when a) your main striker misses a sitter and b) a certain own goal crashes against the bar. Chances came and went with Stuart Plant dealing with everything that came his way. With eleven minutes remaining it was game over as the visitors caught Stratford on the counter attack. Dale Roberts drilling the ball past Hazlett. When the home side finally got on the score sheet it was a case of "too little too late", as Anthony Robinson slid the ball through the legs off Stuart Plant with just four minutes remaining.
Admission: £6
Programme: £1
Attendance: 136
An enjoyable day out played in glorious sunshine. It was also good to meet up again with Stevenage based Bob Davies who was at this game with his wife. I hope they enjoy the rest of their holiday in this part of the country.
A slideshow of fifty odd photos of the ground and game can be viewed in the slideshow below:
With it being another glorious sunny day and the wife at work this morning, I took advantage of this to take in another game in the Alliance Football League. The game I ended up at was not my first choice, as I had originally planned to watch GT v Star & Garter on Western Park in Leicester. I found out on Sunday morning that the game had been postponed, so was on the look out for another fixture. There were other games being played on Western Park but none appealed to me, so decided to make another trip to Desford for a division three match between Superfly and Wigston United.
The Bosworth Academy is located on the eastern side of the village on the B582 Leicester Lane, with the playing fields located on the right hand (western) side of the complex. The pitch Superfly use is furthest away from the car park, and as expected was not railed or roped off. There were also two other games going on this morning with them being under-7's and under-9's.
Both teams had started the season last Sunday and both teams lost their opening fixture. Superfly went down 3-0 @ The Gate Hangs Well while United lost 4-1 @ St. Marks.
The game was pretty evenly matched with neither side being able to get a foot hold of the proceedings. As the half went into the last third Superfly took the lead following a corner, though whether the ball got a touch on the way through or it went in unaided is unclear. I did get some photos of it and even then it is difficult to decide. Anyway the hosts went in at half time one up. According to the Alliance website the goal has been credited to Liam Green.
The second half was a scrappy affair with very little in the way of entertainment. Two goals in the final six minutes from Jay Heighton and James White gave Superfly their first victory of the season. Not the best game and not the worst either but still not as bad as the Olympic Quarter Final down in Cardiff!!!!
OADBY TOWN 4-1 WOOTTON BLUE CROSS Saturday 8th September 2012 United Counties League Division 1 Wigston Road, Oadby, Leicestershire
Another glorious sunny day with temperatures hitting twenty-five degrees Celsius, or seventy seven Fahrenheit in old money. I made my way to Oadby Town FC for a league match against Bedfordshire side Wootton Blue Cross. For anyone unaware where Wootton is, it is a few miles south west of Bedford.
Oadby went into this game as firm favourites to take the three points, sitting in third place in the UCL Division 1 table recording two wins out of two. They have also reached the final of the Battle of Britain Charity Cup, a competition that they have won three times in the past. Wootton meanwhile have only picked up one point from their three league outings - a draw against AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
The first twenty minutes or so saw both sides struggle to find any rhythm with Oadby seemingly having "heavy legs". Things were not helped as Ollie Brownhill replaced the injured Jon Stevenson, and they got even worse for the home side on twenty three minutes as Grant Williams drilled a shot passed Warren Butlin to give the visitors the lead. This probably gave Oadby the kick up the back side they needed, but on thirty four minutes they had another enforced substitution, this time Joss Cobb picking up an injury and was replaced by Mason Hurst. The final ten minutes of the half saw Oadby put a lot of pressure on the Wootton defence, but they held out and went in at half time one up.
The second half saw football's equivalent of the Alamo as Oadby lay siege on the Wootton goal. They created plenty of chances and played some cracking football to boot. Just after the hour mark the Oadby management team made their third and final substitution of the afternoon as Elliott Wright replaced Jim Dodds. A couple of minutes later and Oadby's pressure finally told with Che Adam equalising. Excellent work from Michael Reeve saw him lay the ball back to Adam, whose 1st time shot went past the flat footed Chris Woodward.Just five minutes later and the home side took the lead. Following a free kick there was a goal mouth scramble that saw Sam Benjamin prod the ball home from a few yards out. The goals came coming and it was Michael Reeve who got in on the act - his shot on the turn found the back of the net via the post. The fourth and final goal of the afternoon for Oadby came just twelve minutes after their first and they saved the best till last. Jake Duffy who was always a danger on the right side of midfield, chipped Woodward from ten yards out. The margin of victory should have been greater as Mason Hurst was brought down for a penalty, only for Duffy to have his spot kick saved by Woodward.
Oadby played well for an hour in this game and deservedly kept their 100% record in tact at this early stage of the 2012/13 season. If they can play like this for ninety minutes then very few (if any) teams in this division would be able to live with them.
DESFORD ATHLETIC 7-4 COUNTESTHORPE ATHLETIC 2012 Friday 7th September 2012 Alliance Football League Division 4 Kirkby Road, Desford, Leicestershire
A glorious day weather wise convinced me to make a fifteen minute drive to Desford, this for a Sunday League match being played on a Friday evening.
The two teams involved today are newly formed with Countesthorpe stepping up from youth football. Both teams started their season last Sunday and both lost their respective match. Countesthorpe lost 5-3 against CSKA Carnabys on the artificial surface at Rawlins Community College in Quorn, while Desford were thumped 5-1 at home to Oadby Owls Mens.
The venue on Kirkby Road is basically the village recreation ground. A play area is on the left with the changing rooms, decorated with a mural set further back. As expected there is nothing pitch side, though if anyone fancies a seat they can perch on one of the large stones that behind the near goal.
The game started with the visitors dominating and looking most likely to open the scoring, but against the run of play Desford won a corner on sixteen minutes which was headed home. Eight minutes later and it became 2-0 when the ball was tapped home from a couple of yards out at the far post. Three minutes later and the hosts made it 3-0 with a flick over the oncoming keeper, before the final goal of the half coming on thirty seven minutes. A through ball was finished with aplomb into the bottom corner to make it 4-0. On the balance of play the score was harsh on a young Countesthorpe side, with it being naivety at the back and a lack of communication being their downfall.
The changing rooms suitably decorated
The second half was only five minutes old when Desford went 5-0 up - a ball over the top was drilled across the keeper into the bottom corner. Poor defending three minutes later from a corner was punished and the hosts were six goals to the good. Counteshorpe got some reward for their effort around the hour mark when they made it 6-1, as their (I think) #2 drove into the penalty area and flashed a shot past the Desford keeper. The hosts' six goal cushion was restored with twenty minutes left to play as a long throw was not dealt with, which resulted in a first time shot finding the corner of the goal. The final fifteen minutes saw Countesthorpe restore some pride and gave the game a more fairer reflection. They notched up three goals on 75, 83 and 87 minutes, the first was a free kick that was prodded home, the second from the penalty spot, and the third was again from a free kick ended with a tap in.
I did wonder what the standard would be like, with it being the fifth tier of the Alliance League and the lowest standard (on paper at least) of Sunday League football that I have watched, but it wasn't that bad. Both sides had some good players with the pitch not helping causing some untimely bobbles etc.
Anyway fifty photos of the game can be viewed in the slideshow below:
THORPE ASTLEY 9-2 BLABY FOXES Sunday 2nd September 2012 Hinckley Sunday League Division 2 Holmfield Park, Wardens Walk, Leicester Forest East
I had no plans to go to a game this morning after witnessing two high scoring games in the previous two days, firstly a 4-3 victory for Thurmaston WMP 2009 over FC Hoskins on Friday, and secondly a 4-4 draw between Whitwick United and Markfield on Saturday. It was a very late decision that saw me make the fifteen minute walk to Holmfield Park in Leicester Forest East.
I have been on the park numerous times over the past four years as it somewhere we (the wife and I) go and walk our dog Millie, but this would be the first time I would have watched a game of football on it.
Until last season I wasn't even aware there was a team that played on the park, but I noticed that Thorpe Astley reached one of the county cup finals, so naturally decided to find out where they play their home games. I did wonder why the club ply their trade in the Hinckley Sunday League (HSL), but looking at the location of the teams in the league it does make sense, as from Leicester Forest East it takes only around fifteen minutes to get to Hinckley, shorter than for example Oadby which is on a good day twenty five minutes away.
I believe the club were formed in 2010 and they joined division four of the HSL. Come the end of the season and they were crowned divisional champions finishing one point ahead of Thurlaston Magpies (Sunday) Reserves. Promotion to division three followed and the 2011/12 season some the secure promotion for a second consecutive season. This time they finished in the runners-up position seven points behind champions Sportsman and thirteen ahead of Anchor Inn.
The scoreline was harsh on the visitors from Blaby, who were not helped by not having their regular goalkeeper in the team. Even though Thorpe Astley were the better side, I would say the margin of victory would have been maybe two instead of seven. The home side were also helped in no small part to that of Danny Maynard who netted six of their goals.
The goals came at regular intervals during the game with the times being:
TA: 9, 15, 26, 30, 36, 54, 55, 66 and 84
BF: 24 and 61
I wish I had got into watching Sunday League football years ago as I have enjoyed the games I have seen, with six last season and three already this season. O.K. the majority of the games are played on recreation grounds with no facilities for spectators, but to be honest who cares. It is about watching the football that matters.
Anyway some photos taken at the game can be viewed in the slideshow below: note Thorpe Astley are in the white shirts.
