weekend 28/29th March

Three more football games and a game of basketball were attended during the last weekend of the month. Firstly I picked up a friend of mine at Nuneaton station at midday and I ticked off the two JDW outlets in the town, the Felix Holt and the William White and had lunch in the latter. To be honest they were two of the scruffiest and shabbiest JDW's that I have been in. Anyway this gave us enough time for us to get to our game of football that afternoon. 

Dunlop 0-0 Coundon Court Old Boys

Coventry Alliance Premier Division

Dunlop Sports & Social Club, Burnaby Street, Coventry

It took us no more than half an hour to get to Coventry and the Dunlop Sports & Social Club is located in the northern suburbs of the city, making it very easy to reach from junction 3 of the M6 motorway. This was my first game in the Coventry Alliance this season and as it turned out my first 0-0 score of the season as well. 

The Sports & Social Club is a tidy affair with it being home to two bowling greens, two full size rugby pitches, one half size and one full size football pitch and a cricket pitch as well. There is a large social club on site with parking on the access road. There is nothing pitch side at the football pitch, though there is a bit of hard standing along the far side. 

The game had a 0-0 feel about it early on with both sides struggling to adapt to the blustery wind that blew across the pitch for the whole ninety minutes. To be fair to the teams it wasn't a bad game as they tried their best and they did create a few chances though neither goal keeper was really tested.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 25

With the game finishing around 4pm this gave us plenty of time to get home before heading out again. 

36 photos taken mainly during the first half can be viewed in the slideshow below:

Leicester Riders 106-86 Plymouth Raiders

British Basketball League

Sir David Wallace Arena, Loughborough University

The tickets had been booked seven weeks in advance for what would be my sixth and final regular season game of the 2014/15 campaign. Also coming along for their first ever basketball game would be my friend Colin, my dad Paul and my brother Gary and his three boys - William, Oliver and Harry. 

The Riders are one of the best basketball teams in the country and while they are waiting for a new arena to be built in Leicester itself, they are playing their home games at Loughborough University. 

Both teams got out of the blocks quickly and very few shots were missed in a high scoring first quarter with the Riders up 31-23. The second saw only six points less being scored as the Riders increased their lead by three points to ten at the half 56-46. The third saw Plymouth cut into the lead and at one point had it down to just a single point. The Riders rallied to lead 76-69 at the end of the third. The final ten minutes were pretty much a formality as the hosts hit another thirty points and conceded just seventeen to win the game by a twenty point margin.

Tyler Bernadini was awarded the MVP with twenty six points and six rebounds. Neil Watson who leads the BBL in assists added another fourteen to his total and averages over ten a game.  

Admission: £11

Programme: £2

Sunday 29th March

With having very little on I offered to take Colin back home to Cheltenham, though this act of kindness was so I could take in two more games of football. I did however forget that the clocks went forward and it meant an early start from Leicester. As expected the traffic was very light all the way down and the journey took less than ninety minutes. Having dropped Colin at a nearby supermarket I headed south to the village of Frocester, and arrived with a couple of minutes before the 10.30am kick off.

Frocester United 3-3 AFC Cheltenham

Gloucester & District Sunday League Division 1

St. Peter's Field, Peter's Road, Frocester, Gloucestershire

On a nice day this would have been a lovely setting to watch a game of football with the sports ground being located immediately behind the parish church. Instead the game was played in strong winds and at times driving rain. Luckily there were a line of trees at the far end which gave me some shelter and saved me from a soaking.

The game wasn't too bad considering the conditions. Frocester sit in mid-table with nothing really to play while their visitors are chasing promotion. Frocester took the lead on ten minutes with a controversial goal. The lead lasted around twenty minutes before a goal keeping error gifted the visitors an equaliser on thirty one minutes. Just five minutes had lapsed before the home #10 drilled a low shot past the AFC keeper to restore his sides lead. They could not hold on to it as with a minute remaining in the half the visitors drew level for a second time. Just after the hour mark and Cheltenham took the lead for the first time during the game, and going into the final stages the looked to have all three points, but a minute into stoppage time Frocester were awarded a free kick. This resulting kick caused confusion in the AFC defence and the ball was headed in by the AFC #5 past his own keeper which have the home side a point.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 4

After the game enough time was had to allow me to get something to eat before my second game of the day.

Tredworth Tigers 2-3 Slimbridge Reserves

Stroud Charity Cup Section B Semi Final

The Spa, Spa Road, Gloucester

The Spa is located in the centre of Gloucester and is also home to a local cricket club. There is a small car park and a two storey building which houses the changing rooms and bar. Both of these two teams, like all teams that compete in the various sections of the Stroud Charity Cup are Saturday clubs, and both compete in division 2 of the Stroud & District League with just one place seperating them in the league table. 

Tredworth hit the ground running and opened the scoring inside sixty seconds, and by twenty four minutes were two up. They thought they had scored a third before half time but this was ruled out by the referee. The tie was turned on its ahead in the second half as the visitors scored three goals in the space of ten minutes - 50, 51 and 60. They should have put the game to bed in the latter stages but missed a couple of sitters. Tredworth should have made them pay as they were awarded a penalty kick in stoppage time, but the resulting kick was well saved by the Slimbridge keeper. 

With games being played on Sundays I will be heading south to watch more games in this competition in the not to distant future.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: around 30

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

local re-completion

Saturday 21st March 2015

OAKHAM UNITED 2-3 THORNEY

Peterborough & District League Premier Divisin

Rutland County College, Main Road, Barleythorpe, Rutland

Last season I managed for the first time to visit the last remaining grounds down to level 12 (step 8) in Leicestershire & Rutland. From then on one of my modest aims regarding my football watching is to keep on top of this. At the start of the 2014/15 season three new completely new venues began being in use - two in Leicester and the one visited today. The other two in question were GNG's new ground on Braunstone Lane East in Leicester, The Riverside Football Ground, and the other the home of Thurnby Nirvana's youth and reserve teams, Hamilton Park on the north east side of the city. The first was visited before Christmas and the latter in early February.

I wasn't originally planning to go to a game this weekend as I was scheduled in to work both the Friday and Saturday nights, but having booked the last few days holiday up I took the Saturday as an unpaid day off, but this was due to having a function in the evening and not the football!!!

After having a few hours sleep after work Saturday morning I left my home just after midday and firstly headed to Oadby Town FC to pick up my travelling companion Kev Zupp. The traffic was very light heading east and we arrived at the ground around half an hour before the scheduled 2pm kick-off. The ground is very easy to find with it being signposted off the main road through the small village of Barleythorpe. The village is located no more than a mile north of Oakham station. 

The ground which is located within the grounds of Rutland County College is currently a work in progress. Floodlights, wooden dugouts and a small wooden stand are all in place, while some hard standing and perimeter railing are partially done. The club have also been awarded a grant to erect fencing and enclose the ground in properly. This will allow them to charge an admission should they are successful in getting promotion to the United Counties League. 

Oakham United are a club that I have seen play at two previous venues. Firstly the Vale of Catmose College in Oakham itself, and the second when the hired the 3G pitch at Uppingham Community College last February due to their own pitch being unplayable. This season saw them move into their new facility in the neighbouring village of Barleythorpe which is located a mile north west of the town. On the field of play Oakham sit top of the Peterborough & District League Premier Division amassing fifty-eight points from their twenty five games played so far. They currently are a point ahead of their nearest challengers, Coates Athletic but have played two games less. Opponents Thorney were promoted to the Premier Division in the Summer and at present find themselves in mid-table.

The game was entertaining for the neutral and saw the visitors put a dent in Oakham's promotion charge. After a cagey start from both teams Thorney took the lead, but going into the final stages of the first half Oakham had deservedly equalised. Between the two goals the referee missed an off the ball incident which should have resulted in the Oakham #2 being shown a red card. With a few minutes remaining of the half the Oakham #5 got in front of a Thorney player in the penalty area and shielded the ball back to his keeper. The referee then awarded a penalty kick to the visitors and showed a red card to the Oakham player. This was in my opinion very harsh, and despite his frustrations the player was politely asking why but the referee refused to answer. Anyhow the penalty kick was converted and the visitors went in front at the half time interval 2-1 up.

The second half saw Oakham deservedly equalise and despite a man disadvantage looked likely winners for a good part. It was the visitors who ended up taking the three points as they hit Oakham on the counter attack late on in the game.

Overall Oakham are a welcoming club and it we (myself and Kev) had a chat with their secretary and chairman before the game. Also at the game were a couple of ground hoppers from Crewe and one of them like myself posts on the Non-League Matter forum under the tag of rivington. 

Admission: none

Programme: none

Attendance: 29 (h/c)

Social Media / websites:

Peterborough & District League - twitter - FA Full Time site

Oakham United - twitter

Thorney - twitter

Ground / game stats:

40th new ground / venue visited this season

48th game of football this season

162nd ground / venue visited in Leicestershire & Rutland

917th game of football watched

34 photos of the ground and game can be viewed in the slideshow below:

4 games, 3 counties, 3 days

With having booked the weekend off from work I arranged to visit a friend of mine, Colin Buchanan who lives in Cheltenham. We normally try to meet up a few times a year with each of us heading north or south alternatively. After having a few hours sleep on Friday morning I left Leicester around 2pm to make the eighty mile journey, stopping off in Stow on the Wold on route for a coffee. I was also reminded to avoid using my normal route into Cheltenham with it being the final day of the Gold Cup festival. I timed it well as I arrived at Colin's house about five minutes before he arrived home from work. This gave us enough time to head to game one of the weekend in the neighbouring county of Wiltshire.

Calne Town 2-1 Corsham Town

Western League Division 1

Bremhill View, Calne, SN11 9EE

After finding a takeaway in the town we arrived at the ground around half an hour before the 7.45pm kick off. The social club was outside the ground and we didn't venture inside, but instead paid the admission and went into the ground itself. The stand, tea hut and changing rooms are all on the far side of the ground and it was one that I liked. I had also brought with me my new camera and lens and it would be the first time that I had tested them under floodlights. Unfortunately Colne's are not the best and there were several bulbs out, thus making it quite dark in places and it made taking photographs very difficult. During the game I also had the pleasure of chatting to Corsham Town's photographer John Cuthbertson. 

The game itself was a typical local derby that was played at a very fast pace, and was an enjoyable one for the neutrals. A report on the game can be found on Calne's website @ http://www.calnetownfc.com/

Admission: £5

Programme: £1

Badge: £3.50

Attendance: 156

For our game on Saturday we had originally agreed on Minehead, but I re-checked some fixtures midweek and found that Lyme Regis had a home game, and we then changed our plans and headed to the south coast some hundred and ten miles away. We left Cheltenham around 8.30am and made a stop in Taunton for some breakfast and I ticked off the two JD Wetherspoon outlets in the town, The Perkin Warbeck and The Coal Orchard in the process. With time on our side we had another pit-stop, this time in Chard and I ticked my third JDW of the day, The Cerdic. The sun then came out as we left Chard and we arrived at the small coastal resort of Lyme Regis at approximately 12.30pm. A couple of hours were spent having a walk and having something to eat before going to the ground. 

Lyme Regis 4-1 Exeter University 5ths

Devon & Exeter League Division 3

The Davy Fort, Charmouth Road, Lyme Regis, DT7 3DU

The ground is one that had been on my "to do" list for a few years now as I had been on holiday in the area a couple of times, and both times Lyme did not have a home fixture. It (the ground) is located in the eastern part of the town on the Charmouth Road and parking is at a premium. Fortunately there is a public car park next door for any overspill. Space at the ground is at a premium with it feeling hemmed in. The wooded clubhouse and changing rooms are located behind the near goal and there is an overhang providing a bit of cover. The pitch is railed off on along the right hand touchline only, though the club have plans to increase this behind both goals. Also there are a few pub style benches along the right hand side between the clubhouse and dugouts. 

The game was really enjoyable with some good football played by both sides. The Uni were on top for pretty much all of the first half but only had one goal to show for their efforts and that came from the penalty spot. In my opinion the Lyme keeper was very fortunate to only be shown a yellow card for the infringement. Against the run of play late on in the half Lyme undeservedly equalised. The second half was a totally different game altogether as the home side dominated proceedings from start to finish and deservedly scoring three goals, one of which was from the penalty spot which resulted in the Uni's number 4 being sent off.

Admission: by donation - gave £2

Programme: 12 page issue given away free

Badge: £3 - sold out but another batch on order

Tea / coffee: 60p

Attendance: between 65 and 75 pitch side with more in the social club

After leaving the coast we made good time heading back north, stopping for petrol and a drink in Bridgwater en route and got back to Cheltenham around 8pm.

Sunday morning saw us go our separate ways as I had two more games planned before I went home. I only chose them as I knew someone from Stourbridge who would be going to both of them. First up was a half hour drive to the village of Chedworth.

Chedworth Cavaliers 2-0 Hucclecote

Gloucester & District Sunday League Division 2

Chedworth Vilage Hall, Chedworth, Gloucestershire, GL54 4NQ

This is a one pitch venue that is located on the western edge of the village and if it was a nice sunny day, it would have been a very pleasant morning. Instead the weather was overcast and there was a biting cold wind for good measure. The game wasn't the best and had an end of season feel about it. Chedworth are going for promotion while Hucclecote sit at the bottom of the table. Two goals in the opening fifteen minutes ended this as a contest and that pretty much sums the proceedings up.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 11

Afterwards we and another hopper from Stroud headed to the northern edge of Gloucester for our second game of the day, going our separate ways for food before meeting up again.

Trident 3-0 The Village

Stroud Charity Cup Section D Semi Final

Plock Court Playing Fields, Plock Court, Gloucester, GL2 9DW

The Stroud Charity Cup has about six sections to it and they are competed for by Saturday sides, but a lot of the games are played on Sundays. The two teams in action are members of the Stroud & District League with Trident top of division five and The Village top of division 6. Plock Court is about an uninspiring venue as you can get - a vast expanse of open space. consisting of numerous football pitches. The pitch that this game was played on was typically the furthest away from the car park!!!

The game was another decent one with the home side creating plenty of chances but had only converted one of them by half time. Two more chances were taken in the second half and they ran out deserved winners to book their place in the final. 

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 12

Social media / websites:
Calne Town - twitter - official website
Corsham Town - twitter - official website
Western League - twitter - official website

Lyme Regis - twitter - official website
Exeter University - twitter - official website
Devon & Exeter League - twitter - official website - fa full time site

Gloucester & District Sunday League - football.mitoo site

Trident - twitter
Stroud & District League - official website - fa full time site
Stroud Charity Cup - official website

Keyworth break down the Brickies wall

Saturday 28th February 2015
Kirton Brickworks 1-7 Keyworth United
Notts Senior League Senior Division
Station Road, Kirton, Nottinghamshire, NG22 9LG

Outside of my home county of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire is the county that I have visited most for football and at the start of play I had watched the sport and fifty nine different locations within its boundary. In East Midlands non-league football circles Kirton Brickworks had been attracting attention for the performances on the pitch, though not for the right reasons as they have been on the receiving end of some heavy defeats. This was not my reason for me choosing to visit them today - it was just a case of why not.

I got up in plenty of time after my night shift and made the 52 1/2 mile journey in around an hour. There is an ample sized car park close to the social club and when I arrived Rob Hornby and a few other ground hoppers were already there, with some coming a lot further than I had. In fact hoppers made up around two thirds of the thirteen in attendance. The club did not charge an admission but an eight page programme was on sale for 50p. Also the club had refreshments available for spectators with a coffee also costing 50p. The ground as expected was basic with in being inside the grounds of the Hanson Brickworks. The pitch is railed off on three sides of the ground and there is a little bit of hard standing in from of the social club. 

At the start of play the hosts were, and in fact still are bottom of the table with just two league wins all season. Both of these came in consecutive weeks in late November - Beeston AFC were beaten 2-1 at home on the 22nd and then they won 3-2 at PMG Cavaliers a week later. The visitors from Keyworth had recorded seven league wins this season and sat in tenth place in the sixteen team division. 

team sheet thanks to @NLgyles

The game took just ten minutes for the opening goal when an Ian Marley shot was deflected past James Fuller in the Kirton goal. Two further goals followed in the next five minutes - Jack Smith slotted the ball past Fuller and then came the goal of the game and a goal of the season contender - left midfielder Callum Barratt hit an unstoppable volley into the top left hand corner of Fuller's goal from the edge of the area. At this stage we could have been looking at a cricket score and Keyworth certainly had their chances to increase their lead further. Right at the end of the half the hosts got a goal back from Daniel Bircumshaw - a goal I missed as I had gone into the social club to get a coffee. The visitors added four more goals in the second half. Gregg Whatnall converting a penalty kick on fifty two minutes, though the awarding of it annoyed the Kirton manager. Jack Smith got his second of the game on sixty five minutes before substitute Jurgen Charlesworth added Keyworth's sixth of afternoon on seventy one minutes with his first touch. The final goal of the afternoon came with fifteen minutes left when Luke Burrell got the ball ahead of Smith who was looking for his hat-trick.

Credit must be given to Kirton who despite some demoralising defeats continue to put a side out every week. It cannot be easy for them and hopefully they can re-group next season. After the game I took a detour into the northern suburbs of Nottingham to tick off two JD Wetherspoon pubs - The Samuel Hall in Sherwood and The Woodthorpe Top in Mapperley. The former is located on the A60 Mansfield Road and there is a free car park a few hundred yards away on Winchester Street. The latter is located on the junction of Plains Road (B684) and Woodthorpe Drive and there is a handful of parking spaces outside of the establishment which is restricted to thirty minutes. 

Websites / social media:

Notts Senior League - twitter - FA Full Time site

Kirton Brickworks - twitter

Keyworth United - facebook - official website

39 photos of the ground and game can be viewed in the slideshow below:

Map showing the locations of the sixty grounds that I have visited in Nottinghamshire: