Stretton Eagles

STRETTON EAGLES 4-2 ARCHDALE ‘73

Saturday 16th October 2010

Midland Combination Division 1

Shobnall Leisure Centre

Would we see nine goals today? That is the question Gary and myself were asking before kick-off, as regular readers of All Roads Lead Somewhere will know we have seen this feat in the three previous games we have seen. In the end we achieved 2/3 of the “magic” number, more of which a bit later.

Stretton Eagles play in Burton-upon-Trent and their fixture today was chosen primarily due to the proximity of Burton to Leicester, and secondly we have both visited a number of grounds in the top two divisions of the Midland Combination over the years. An example being is that (more by accident than design) I myself have only one ground (Brocton FC’s Silkmore Lane) currently in use in the premier division to visit.

Stretton is a village on the northern outskirts of Burton in East Staffordshire and its name means Street Town due to it being on the Roman road of Rykilnd Street. The football club were formed in 2004 and were accepted into the top division of the Burton & District League. A 5th place finish was achieved in the 8 team division. The following season they finished runners-up to champions Barton United with only one point separating them and with it came promotion to division two of the Staffordshire County Senior League (SCL). They took to their surroundings like a duck on a pond and won the divisional title at the first attempt in some style. Only one game was lost in thirty league outings and they amassed 139 goals in the process. The 2007/08 season saw Stretton in division one and like the previous year they were divisional winners recording 62 points from 28 games played. Promotion to the premier division followed and they continued their rapid rise in achieving a 4th place finish. Last season saw the club crowned SCL champions and with what they hoped another promotion. An application to the premier division of the Midland Combination (MC) was made but the Shobnall Leisure Centre did not meet the ground grading requirements but were accepted into division one. This in effect is a sideways move with both the premier division of the SCL and division one of the MC at the same level of the non-league pyramid.



The Shobnall Leisure Centre is in Burton itself and is fairly easy to get to. If coming from the A38 (Derby) take the A5121 exit and go into Burton, going past the Pirelli Stadium (Burton Albion FC). At the island with the B5017 (Shobnall Road) turn right and the entrance to the leisure centre complex is on the right hand side. The village of Shobnall and the leisure centre is well signposted for good measure. The ground is a basic affair with the pitch being fully railed and two permanent dugouts on either side of the pitch. There is no hard standing, cover, floodlights or clubhouse pitch side, though at half time they were selling hot drinks next to the changing rooms. Admission to the game was £2 with a further £1 for a programme. The club were very welcoming and friendly and it is impressions like these that make watching the grass roots game all the more enjoyable.

"The Stretton Wags!!!" (Photo by Gary)



The game was not the most skilful I have seen this season but was enjoyable enough all the same with the home side recording a deserved victory, in fact the margin should have been a lot greater as they (and Archdale to a lesser extent) were guilty of missing a lot of chances with either the final ball or finishing itself letting them down. Stretton took the lead on seven minutes when a cross from the right was turned in from a few yards out. Ten minutes later and they doubled their lead when a through ball down the middle was hit first time into the corner of the net. It appeared to be a case of how many Stretton would score with the Archdale defence in disarray at times. A third for the home side came on 28 minutes when a quick free kick caught the visiting defence napping and the ball was slotted past the keeper for a simple but well worked goal. Six minutes from the end of the half the visitors got themselves back into the game when a cross was headed back across the Stretton keeper into the far corner. The second half saw Stretton dominate in terms of possession, territory and chances created but woeful crossing and finishing let them down. Around the hour mark Archdale hit them on the counter attack and brought it back to 3-2 when their number seven turned home a cross from the left hand side. Mid-way through the half and Stretton restored their two goal cushion when their number ten found himself unmarked in the box and hit a first time shot from twelve yards past the keeper into bottom corner. Both sides continued to look to add to the scoring but alas for us neutrals this came to nothing, and in the end Stretton ran out comfortable winners.

Further photos of the game can be found here: SEFC.

Admission: £2
Programme: £1
Attendance: 30 (head count)
Match rating: 3 / 5

Shirley Town

SHIRLEY TOWN 3-5 ARCHDALE '73

Midland Combination Division 1

Tilehouse Lane

Saturday 22nd August 2009

After the usual night shift I made a point of depriving myself of sleep to make the most of the good weather by getting up at 1pm. I had originally planned to go and watch the Clifton – Basford United match in the Notts Senior League but having already been to two games in Nottinghamshire this season I fancied a change of direction as it were. The Midland Combination is a league I have a lot of time for so I had a quick check of the fixtures and plumped for this fixture between unbeaten Shirley Town and Archdale ’73. Shirley Town play on a small ground on Tilehouse Lane with the entrance opposite Whitlock’s End train station. The journey took around an hour from Leicester with the sat nav taking me off the M42 at junction 4 to get to the ground, and I arrived there at around 2.35pm. No admission was charged or programme issued with the attendance varying between 15 and 20 throughout the game. The clubhouse is home to (I believe) an independent café which served an array of hot food which included chips and burgers. The ground is not floodlit and there is a small stand on the far side of the ground which I would guess seats maybe 20.

At the start of play newly promoted Shirley had won their opening three games scoring 16 goals in the process while their visitors from Worcester had obtained seven points from their opening four games, whom themselves had found the net eleven times. The first half was a half of two halves with the visitors dominating the early proceedings and they hit the post with only two minutes on the clock. Shirley looked disjointed and struggled to get into the game, which I later found out they had all of their first choice back four missing and therefore was understandable that they took time to understand each other. Archdale deservedly took the lead on 19 minutes through a header from a right hand cross after a corner was not cleared properly. A minute later it was 2-0 though I missed the goal due to making a note of the first goal! A further five minutes passed and it was 3-0 to Archdale when the ball was knocked home from a couple of yards from a corner. Just three minutes later and it was game on – Shirley were awarded a free kick and the ball was bundled in from six yards or so. This gave the home side some impetus and seemed to rattle the visitors who were in complete control at the time. Shirley deservedly got a second four minutes from time when with the best move of the match their number seven beat the keeper at his neat post when a powerful shot went in off the woodwork. The start of the second half was a bit disjointed with neither side taking control but it was the visitors who struck next through a penalty on 66 minutes. To give the home side credit they did not let their heads go down and scored a third on 70 minutes to make it 3-4 with a header from a left hand cross. Archdale killed the game off with a fifth three minutes from full time. With the traffic light on the M42 and M6 I was home by 5.40 and unfortunately had to be back in work for 10pm.

Overall an enjoyable afternoon out in the summer sunshine at a pleasant venue.