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:

Queni

QUENIBOROUGH 5-0 THURNBY UNITED

Saturday 26th February 2011

Leicester & District League Division 1

Rearsby Road

With heading off to Germany next Saturday with Gary I wanted to have a cheap day today, and cheap for me nowdays means attending a game in which a) there would be no admission charge and b) it would not cost me much in terms of fuel to get to and from the game. Queni' was suggested (along with several others) by another friend of mine Kevin Zupp, who could not attend Lutterworth Athletic's game in the Leicestershire Senior League @ Stapenhill and thus we agreed to meet up. This would be the first time since May 1st when we attended the encounter between Ringstead Rangers and Welford Victoria.

Queniborough is a village located between Leicester and Melton Mowbray, just to the north of Syston and has a population of around 2,000 inhabitants. Leicester is 7 miles to the south west with Melton around 10 miles to the north east. The oldest part of the village on Main Street dates back around 500 years, with the majority of properties built between the 16th and 19th centuries. The village is home to two pubs (The Horse & Groom and Britannia Inn), a branch of the Royal British Legion, primary school and St. Mary's Parish Church.

To get to Queni' from my home in the Braunstone area of Leicester is straight forward due to the A46 Western Bypass, as this road covers about 75% of my route. The 12 1/2 mile journey takes around 20 minutes.

Their ground is located on the northern edge of the village and is (like you would expect) a basic affair, but it is more than enough for their needs. The pitch is railed off along the two touchlines and partially behind each goal.

Queni' were formed in 1921 and are one of the longest established amateur clubs in the midlands. They currently play in the Leicester & District League (LDL) but have previously been members of the Leicester Mutual League and North Leicestershire League. They have won a number of honours over the years at in both league and county cup competitions, some of which is listed below: (most recent first)

1996/97 Leicester & District League Division 2 winners

1978/79 Twinning Cup winners

1977/78 Twinning Cup winners

1975/76 Leicestershire County FA Medals 'B' competition winners

        Mutual League Division 2 winners

1973/74 Leicestershire County FA Medals 'A' competition winners

1972/73 Mutual League Division 4 winners

1959/60 Mutual League Division 6 winners

This season Queni' find themselves in mid-table in the thirteen team division with nineteen points from their fourteen league games, recording five wins in the process. Last time out they lost 2-1 @ Birstall Social a week ago. Opponents Thurnby United come from the Thurnby Lodge area of Leicester, and whose ground is on Thurncourt Road just round the corner from East Midlands Counties League side Thurnby Nirvana. They are currently top of the division with an unbeaten record from thirteen league games and sit eleven points clear of second place Glen Villa. Their last match was two weeks ago and they recorded a 3-0 home win against Burbage Old Boys.

The pitch seemed in good condition on arrival with the only centre spot showing visable sign of water. By kick off the rain had passed away eastwards and the game was played mainly in bright and breezy conditions. I was told that they very rarely have games called off here. The outcome of the game was one that on the basis of league positions you would not have predicted. Thurnby lost their unbeaten record in emphatic style as Queni' deserved their victory and probably should have won by a greater margin. The opening exchanges of the half were fairly even though neither team troubled the opposing keeper. The opening goal came around the 20 minute mark through Michael Lock, who hit a first time shot from the edge of the penalty area. From this point onwards Queniborough were always in control and added a second goal on 34 minutes. A diagonal pass into the penalty area found Warren Smith who drilled the ball home from close range. The early part of the second half saw Thurnby put a bit of pressure on the home side, but two goals in the space of two minutes midway through the half saw the game end as a contest. Firstly Lock got his second of the game with another long range effort, and secondly a cross from the right was flicked on and this allowed Ash Hastings to score with a first time shot from twelve yards out. It did appear during the final quarter of the game that Thurnby were playing with a 2-4-4 formation and their defending at times was what can only be described as "schoolboy". How Queni only added one further goal is another matter, but the one they did score came from Chris Shaw five minutes from time.

Admission / programme: none
Attendance: around 20 (head count)
Match rating: 2 1/2 out of 5

A slideshow of all the better photos can be viewed below:

Magpies

THURLASTON MAGPIES 2-3 KINGSWAY CELTIC

Saturday 5th February 2011

Leicester & District League Division 2

Thurlaston Sports Ground

In the week leading up to today I could not decided whether I would bother going to a game today, with one of the reasons being the weather forecast. It stated that there would be heavy rain to go along with the strong winds already in place, but in the end the rain did not materialise and at around 11am this morning I made the decision to go somewhere. Like a lot recently I wanted (and had) to stay local due to meeting up with my brother in the evening so made the short drive to the village of Thurlaston for a 2pm kick-off.

All Saints Church

Thurlaston is a small village between Leicester and Hinckley located 1 ½ miles off the A47, which according to the 2001 census had a population of 745. It is home to two sports clubs which are at either end of the village. The Huncote Sports & Social Club is on the Enderby side while the Thurlaston Sports Club is on the Earl Shilton side. To get to the sports club enter the village from the A47 and turn right at the t-junction. Just after the Elephant & Castle pub turn right (sign posted Earl Shilton) onto Church Lane and this leads onto Earl Shilton Lane. The ground is outside the village boundary on the left hand side and is also home to the football teams’ junior sides and Thurlaston Cricket Club. The main football pitch is railed off on two sides, roped off on the cricket side with no access behind the far goal.

I am not sure when Thurlaston Magpies were formed but in 2005 they transferred from the Hinckley & District Sunday League to division two of the Leicester & District League. The five years spent in the District League have all been in this division and they have never finished above 5th place.

At the start of play the Magpies occupy sixth spot with six wins from their ten games play so far while opponents Kingsway sit at the top of the table with nine wins from eleven league encounters. What we got in terms of a game was one that was very competitive in which both teams struggled with the wind, and neither side could take advantage of when having it at their backs. It was also a niggly encounter especially in the second half though to be honest there did not seem to be any reason for this. The game was also marred by having to listen to the Thurlaston players and management argue amongst themselves which got tiresome after a while. Kingsway remain top of the table after this victory, though on another day the hosts would have got at least a share of the spoils as they had at least as much possession and created as many chances. The opening goal came around the 12th minute mark for the visitors when Stuart Iddisha scored with a tap in from a yard out following excellent work on the left from Ben Bayliss. Their lead lasted only two minutes as Charlie Singh took advantage of the wind and scored with a 40 yard free kick. No further scoring ensued during the remainder of the half and when the referee blew his whistle I took advantage of the break to escape from the wind and grab a coffee from the clubhouse. A few minutes after the restart things took a turn for the worse for the Magpies as their keeper suffered an injury which meant he was replaced in goal by an outfield player. Coupled with the wind at their backs Kingsway quickly showed why they are top of the table and scored two goals in the space of five minutes of each other. Iddisha got his second on 55 minutes when he kept his composure and finished from about six yards out, and Teejay Smith headed home a corner at the far post on the hour mark to give Kingsway some breathing space. Thurlaston were not done though and got a goal back just five minutes later through Brad Dexter to set up (what was hoped) an interesting final quarter. Alas we did not have a grandstand finish and the visitors held on for victory.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 12 (with some watching the game from their cars)

Match rating: 1 ½ / 5

Coffee: 50p

A few more photos can be found here: TMFC



GNG

GURU NANAK GURDWARA (GNG) 2-1 FC KIRKLAND
Saturday 22nd January 2011
Leicester & District League Premier Division
YMCA Sports Ground, Leicester

This is my second attempt at seeing GNG this season having originally tried in November when I turned up for their League Cup tie against Burbage Old Boys, only to find that the game had been switched to Burbage. In the end that day I went home and strolled down to Braunstone Park and took in the division 2 encounter between Aylestone Lounge and Kingsway Celtic. To be honest the only reason I am watching them today is that on the Thursday evening before the game I noticed that, for some reason the game is kicking off at 1pm. This also (if I so wished) made it possible to take in a 3pm kick-off as well with St. Andrews, Aylestone Park and Oadby Town all within striking distance.

The records I have for GNG only go back to 1997 when they were members of the Leicester City League (LCL) and competed in the premier division. They won the LCL title in the 2000/01 season winning ten of their fourteen league games, before transferring to division one of the Leicester & District League (LDL) in the summer of 2002. Two seasons were spent in division one before a third place finish in 2004 secured promotion to the LDL's top flight. Just two years were spent in the premier division before they were relegated back to division 1 on 2006. A further four years were spent in division 1, the last securing the division 1 title ahead of (now defunct) runners-up Topps United. This season GNG have made an impressive start to life in the premier division and find themselves at the start of place in second place. They are only three points behind leaders Birstall RBL having played two games less. This season saw the club move from their previous home, the County Scouts HQ in Blaby to the YMCA Sports Ground in Leicester. This ground was home to former LDL and Leicestershire Senior League side Leicester YMCA. The pitch is part of a large sports ground which houses numerous football pitches. The main one is fully railed off and has a stand and dugouts on the far side. There are also floodlights though whether they actually work is another matter.

Opponents Kirkland FC are currently based in Syston which is a small town six miles north of Leicester, and currently play their home games on Memorial Park along with fellow LDL side Midland Syston St. Peters. Like their hosts they were also promoted to the premier division in the summer after finishing the season in third place. This season they sit in mid-table with ten points from seven games played. 

The game started some twelve minutes late which put paid to my plans of going to another game, though to be honest I would have given it a miss anyhow due to spending two hours in a cold biting wind. It was a fairly even first half with very few clear cut chances with neither keeper being tested of note. GNG played some nice football which was not unlike Young Warriors last week but at times it had no substance. Kirkland matched them with a more workman like performance and created a couple of half chances themselves. As the half wore on GNG looked more of a threat in front of goal with Gurjeet Shergill going close with a curling shot. The second half was of a similar pattern and vein and it was around the hour mark when the hosts took the lead. Shergill was fouled in the box and then stepped up and converted the resulting spot kick. The decision to award the penalty from my vantage point seemed on the harsh side but the only opinion that counts is the referees. Ten minutes later and Kirkland were level with a penalty of their own which was converted by Richard Ekins. With the game in the balance going into the last ten minutes Shergill slotted the ball underneath the keeper, this despite the attention of two Kirkland defenders for what turned out to be the winning goal.

To sum up: not a bad game played on a heavy pitch in blustery conditions.

Further photos taken during the game can be found here: GNGFC

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: peaked at 10

Match rating: 2 1/2 out of 5

Late change of plan

AYLESTONE LOUNGE 2-6 KINGSWAY CELTIC

Saturday 13th November 2010

Leicester & District League Division 2

Braunstone Park, Leicester (Pitch 2)

more photos of the game can be found on my picasa web album here: ALFC

Like the headline states I had to change my plans at very short notice with this encounter not even on my radar as a potential game this afternoon. The original plan was GNG v Burbage Old Boys in round 2 of the Leicester & District League Cup, but on arriving at Belvoir Drive, home of former Leicestershire Senior League side Leicester YMCA I found the place deserted. I then found out that the game had been switched to Burbage and it did not give me enough time to get to Houghton for their match in the same competition. In the end I went home and walked down to Braunstone Park with no idea if any of the three sides (Birstall Social, Aylestone Lounge and Braders) that use the pitches were at home, let alone who they would be playing. In the end there were two games on - Birstall Social v Kibworth Town and the one I watched. There are four full size pitches on Braunstone Park that are fully railed and they are all adjacent to Cort Cresent which runs along one side of it.

Both sides are new to the Leicester & District League this season with Aylestone transferring from the Leicester City League in the summer. Looking at the tables before they get updated this evening Aylestone occupied ninth place recording three wins and four defeats in their seven league games played, while Kingsway sit in second place recording six victories from their seven league games and are only behind division leaders Allexton & New Parks on goal difference.

This was my first game ever in division two of the District League though I have watched a game at a lower level in the North Leicestershire League this season. The game was not a bad one and was a fairly even encounter. The visitors started the brightest with Tom Mansfield coming close on a couple of occasions in the opening ten minutes. The home side took time to get going and gave the divisional high flyers something to think about, though it was Kingsway who took the lead on the twenty minute mark when Ben Bayliss scrambled the ball home from a couple of yards out. The lead did not last long as Aylestone were level within three minutes - Jimmy South heading home from a right wing cross. Ten minutes before the end of the half and Kingsway made it 1-2 when Bayliss hit an unstoppable shot from a narrow angle into the back of the net. Captain Alex "Bongo" Mackness made it 1-3 a seven minutes later when he headed home a corner to give the visitors some breathing space. Despite not kicking off at the start of the second period Aylestone were almost back in the game straight away but the ball went just wide of the Kingsway goal. This was to prove costly as on 54 minutes Bayliss got his third of the afternoon when he hit a powerful shot past the motionless Aylestone keeper. Four minutes later and Bayliss got his fourth and Kingsway's fifth when he went on a run, beat of couple of defenders and gave the keeper no chance again with an excellent finish. Aylestone did not let their heads drop and got a goal back just after the hour mark when a well worked move resulted in Jim Baker putting the ball underneath the Kingsway keeper. A minute later he was so close to getting his second but a rasping free kick smashed the bar and bounced away to safety. The final goal of the afternoon came with seventy-two minutes on the clock when Tom Mansfield scored with a shot from the edge of the area. The final fifteen minutes or so saw both sides have further chances but neither could find the back of the net.

Overall not a bad afternoon on a sunny November afternoon which was also spent talking to the players and management of Kingsway. It was also the first time I had tried out my new camera and I am pleased with the results - now I just need a lens with a better zoom. Click on the link at the top of the report for around 50 photos.

Attendance: a handful

Match rating: 3 out of 5