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.

Loughborough double - part 1

Today there was only going to be one game in Loughborough in the form of Genesis FC, but on having had a butchers at some of the under-21 fixtures in the Midland Combination an easy Loughborough double stood out. The Under-21’s section of the Midland Combination was set up this season and the majority of the kick-offs are on Saturday mornings. I had not yet prior today seen a game in the under-21 competition but had heard mixed reports about the quality of football on offer. Surely it could not be worse than the watching the opening forty-five minutes of the Birmingham City - Leicester City game on television recently!!!!

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS 4–1 STAPENHILL

Saturday 29th October 2011
Midland Combination Under-21 section East / North Division

The Paddock, Loughborough University

With this game kicking off at 10.30am I left home at around 9.45 and took around half hour to get to Loughborough University. According to the information given on the Midland Combination ask for Cayley One changing rooms on arrival at the gatehouse. But on having a look at the campus map (http://maps.lboro.ac.uk/) on the University website and Google Maps it appears access to The Paddock can be gained from Spinney Hill Drive. This proved to be the case and there are a few parking spaces before the barrier that takes you onto the campus itself. There are no dugouts pitch side while the pitch was just roped off.

The University has 18 outdoor sports facilities on its campus in Loughborough, a number of which are or can be used for football. Along with The Paddock there is Brockington, Cayley One, four Holywell pitches and two artificial rubber crumb pitches.

The students have only played two games so far this season. A 1-0 loss at home to Loughborough Dynamo two weeks ago was followed up by a 2-1 win at Coventrians last Saturday. Opponents Stapenhill currently top the ten team table recording five wins from six outings so far.

League table (up to & including 22nd October):

		Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1	Stapenhill	6	5	0	1	16	13	15
2	Kettering Town	6	4	2	0	20	5	12
3	Rugby Town Juniors	8	4	1	3	26	21	13
4	Loughborough Dynamo	5	3	1	1	12	7	10
5	Bolehall Swifts	4	3	0	1	6	5	9
6	Woodbourne Sports	6	2	0	4	16	18	6
7	Loughborough Students	2	1	0	1	2	2	3
8	Coventrians	6	1	0	5	10	17	3
9	Austrey Rangers	6	1	0	5	10	21	3
10	Nuneaton Griff	3	0	0	3	3	12	0

The game was one of the better ones I have seen this season so far, with the Students playing some excellent football at times and ran out deserved winners against the league leaders. Stapenhill settled quicker but after the opening ten minutes there was only ever going to be one winner. The opening goal came on the quarter hour mark when Gabriel Ali crossed from the right and Will Poole finished at the far post.Ali was a constant threat and it was he who got the Students second goal. Just after the half hour he had the simplest of finishes from a couple of yards out. With five minutes left of the half Stapenhill halved the deficit against the run of play. Their #9 collected a cross field ball and having advanced to the goal finished well into the bottom corner. The second half primarily one way traffic, especially the opening fifteen minutes as the Students could have added a further four goals, but for a combination of good goalkeeping and a lack of composure in front of goal kept the score down. It was inevitable that a third goal would come and it was Will Poole that provided it - following a mix up between two Stapenhill defenders, the ball fell kindly to Poole who drilled a low shot into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. The final goal of the game came from right back Jamie Shield who headed the ball into an empty net following a save from the visiting keeper. 


To summarise - if this were a boxing match it would have been stopped long before the end as the scoreline flattered the visitors. I also feel that it will not be long before the Students dish out a proper hammering to a side. The game was played in the right way and spirit by both teams - not a yellow card in sight. A thoroughly enjoyable first game in the Under-21 section of the Midland Combination.

Admission / programme: none
Attendance: peaked at 20
Match rating: 7 out of 10


Websites / sources:

Loughborough Students football

Loughborough University

Midland Combination

Some photos taken during the 1st half can be viewed in the slideshow below:

Clements

CLEMENTS '83 4-2 YOUNG WARRIORS

Saturday 15th January 2011

Midland Combination Division 2

Sedgemere Sports & Social Club

Clements '83 Football Club were formed in 1983 by two brothers Keith and Barry Dutton and have literally been a family run club ever since. They first played Saturday football in 2008 when they were accepted into division 3 of the Midland Combination and achieved a seventh place finish in the thirteen team division. Last season they finished in the runners-up position and with it promotion to the second division. As things stand they have not had the best first half of the season as they find themselves in the bottom four. The club only moved to their current home in the summer, which is in the Yardley area of Birmingham after their previous landlords at the Mackadown Sports & Social Club in Kitts Green wanted too much rent. This appears to be a case of "biting your nose off to spite your face" as (I believe) no club now utilises the facilities at the Mackadown. The Sedgemere Sports & Social Club is a smart venue which is houses a fully railed off full sizes football pitch with hard standing on a couple of sides and a Goals soccer centre. For those unaware Goals centres are a series of small artificial pitches that are inside a cage. 

It took around an hour to make the journey westwards with Gary picking me up around 12.15pm, and this included a detour to Nuneaton railway station to pick up Pete and Alan who had travelled down from Liverpool.  

It was an entertaining game played on a heavy pitch after the rain that we have had in the past week in the Midlands. Young Warriors played the better football but often lacked an end product, while the home side were a little bit more physical which certainly during the first half appeared to unsettle the visitors. Before the opening goal came around the half hour mark both sides had chances. Clements saw several shots cleared off the line in a goalmouth scramble and at the other end the home keeper produced a smart save to keep the score goalless. When it did come it was for the hosts as Danny Charlton got on the end of a through ball and, having held off a challenge slotted the ball past the Warriors keeper. Seven minutes later and they doubled their advantage when the ball came to Andy Sutherland on the edge of the penalty area who hit a first time shot into the net. Numerous chances came and went with Clements' Dean Sherrington heading wide from a free kick and then having a shot well saved in the last five minutes of the first half. The second half was pretty much dominated by the visitors and they deservedly pulled a goal back on 56 minutes. A long ball up field was latched onto by Melusi Mazwi who kept his composure and rounded the keeper to score into an empty net. Warriors kept up the pressure and with around eight minutes remaining a quick free kick caught out the Clements defence and Stewart Mparutsa finished from eight yards out. With the visitors from Coventry appearing more likely to take all three points the game entered injury time at the end of the match. Clements caught the Warriors on the counter attack and snatched the victory when Danny Charlton got his second of the game as he slotted the ball into the corner of the net after evading the challenge of a couple of defenders. There was still time for another goal when Rob Morgan converted a penalty a few minutes later, this resulted in the referee blowing his whistle for full time.

Further photos taken during the 1st half can be found here: CFC

Admission: none

Programme: 50p

Badge: £2

Tea / Coffee: £1

Match rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

Being grateful

FUTURE LEGENDS 4-0 ALVESTON RESERVES

Saturday 27th November

Midland Combination Division 3

Moat House Leisure Centre, Coventry

What a surprise...a change of plan, though this had nothing to do with my indecisiveness but the weather. If any readers from outside this overcrowded little island do not know then the picture below will give you a pretty good idea. This was the scene outside my house at around 7am this morning, though snow itself is not a problem but frozen pitches are. 

I'm sure some of you from North American or northern Europe are thinking that we are a bunch of softies / pansies etc but unfortunately we have a case of health and safety gone mad over here. Are frozen pitches worse than rock hard ones found at the start and end of the season? No need to answer as I was being sarcastic. In the end myself and Gary had a limited choice in the East Midlands but a game on a 3G (3rd generation artificial) pitch in Coventry some 25 miles away gave us the get of jail free card.

I can hardly tell you a thing about our host club today because quite simply I have no information on them. All I know is that they joined the Midland Combination (Division 3) in the summer and they are based at the Moat House Leisure Centre in the northern suburbs of Coventry. End of. Well not quite - they currently sit in ninth place in the fourteen team division with ten points from their nine league games played so far. Opponents Alveston sit two places and three points below them though they have played four games more.

The game was not too bad though the first half was somewhat sterile with the home side scoring twice in the space of five minutes on (I believe) the fifteenth and twentieth minutes. The first was a header from Shahid Ahmed with the second from Suleimon Leluu. The game livened up a lot after the interval with both sides having chances to increase the scoring. The visitors were unlucky not to get on the score sheet as the Future Legends keeper made three top class saves during the half while other chances went wide of the uprights. Legends scored two more goals but they also could have had numerous more. Richard Roantree got both goals number three and four - the third with around fifteen minutes from time when he made a run into the Alveston penalty area and finished well past the keeper. His second and Legends fourth came on the 82nd minute when he turned home a free kick from several yards out. How the home side failed to add to the scoring is something that they will wonder themselves as the frame of the goal was struck four times during the second period.

Overall I'm just glad to get a game in at a new venue, something that will be increasingly difficult if the cold weather persists.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 24 (head count)

Match rating: 3 out of 5

Further photos of the game taken during the first half can be found here: FLFC

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

Lichfield City

LICHFIELD CITY 6-0 KENILWORTH TOWN KH
Midland Combination Division 2
Saturday 23rd January 2010
Brownsfield Park

My original plan was to take in a Leicester & District League (LDL) fixture between Houghton Rangers and Kingsway Rangers, but with all the postponements of late the LDL made some changes to the fixture list and as such Kingsway are @ Magna `73 in a 1st v 3rd encounter. I had already made a visit to Magna’s ground in Countesthorpe a couple of years ago so was now on the lookout for another fixture that fell within my preferred criteria of up to sixty miles away or within an hours’ drive.

A few fixtures caught my attention in the Notts Senior League and Northamptonshire Combination so it was a case of waiting to see what was on due to the weather. In the end I decided to head west and in particular the cathedral city of Lichfield in south Staffordshire. It takes around an hour to get to Lichfield from my home in Leicester and is very easy to get to. My route took me down the A47 towards Hinckley, then across the A5 before turning onto the A38 and then into the town itself.

Lichfield’s population is just over 30,000 and its most well known landmark is the cathedral. The three spires are considered unique amongst medieval cathedral and are often referred to as “Ladies of the Vale”.

The football club were formed in the 1970’s as Beacon Rangers, then changing its name a few years later to Beacon Park – the name of the ground which the club played on. In June 2006 the club changed its name again, this time to the current title. Up until 2008 the club played in the Burton & District League finishing runners-up in their last season before joining division 3 of the Midland Combination. Last season saw City finish in 5th place and with it promotion to division 2. This season they have made a steady start and at the start of play occupy 5th placed with 22 points obtained from their opening 13 games. Opponents Kenilworth Town KH lead the division by seven points from Knowle Reserves with eleven wins from their opening 14 games. The club play their home games at Brownsfield Park which is just off Eastern Avenue on the edge of the town. The pitch at Brownsfield Park is fully railed off with dugouts but there is no hard standing or cover. A decent social club is on the site which has a variety of Lichfield City merchandise for sale alongside hot and cold drinks and hot food in the form of Pukka Pies. No admission was charged but the club issued a sixteen page programme which was sold for £1.

The game itself saw City hit the ground running with three goals in the first fourteen minutes to shock the leaders, this along with hitting the woodwork as well. The remainder of the half and the majority of the rest of the game was an even affair in terms of possession with neither keeper making any save of note. The game was held up for around twenty five minutes around the half hour mark when the visiting keeper suffered a suspected broken hip. As Kenilworth had no substitute keeper an outfield player went in goal and like previously stated was not troubled by the home side. City’s fourth goal with fifteen minutes to play was somewhat fortuitous as the stand-in keeper fumbled a corner and the ball was bundled home. The fifth was added just a minute later when the visitors were awarded a free kick on the edge of the penalty area which was taken by the keeper, but it went straight to a City player who put the ball back over his head and into the net from 35-40 yards out. The last goal came right at the end of the game but I could not tell you anything about it due to being in the clubhouse visiting the mens room.

Overall an enjoyable visit to a friendly club who on this showing should be a good bet for promotion to division 1.

Attendance: 50-60

Google maps driving time / distance: 1hr 3 / 36.5 miles

Websites:

http://www.lichfieldcityfc.co.uk/

http://www.visitlichfield.co.uk/

http://www.lichfield.gov.uk/

Smethayes

AFC SMETHWICK 1-3 HEATH HAYES

Saturday 31st October 2009

Midland Combination Les James Challenge Cup 2nd Round

Holly Lane Sports & Social Club, Birmingham

After 18 months of working every Friday and Saturday nights, and being restricted to the distance I can travel for games on Saturday afternoons I am now free to go where I want. Knowing me though I will still never travel that far as my usual requisite is that a club must be within 60 miles or no more than an hours drive away from home. Having drawn up a shortlist of games to go and I watch I decided on a 1.30pm kick-off between AFC Smethwick and Heath Hayes in the Midland Combination’s Les James Challenge Cup.

AFC Smethwick were formed in 2007 as GSA & Smethwick Town and joining the Midland Combination Division 3 the same year, changing their name to AFC Internazionale in the summer of 2008 before a further change of name to their current title during the 2008/09 season. Heath Hayes meanwhile have been around since 1965 when they broke away from the Heath Hayes Co-op Youth Club to form their own team called Heath Hayes United. The club joined the West Midlands (Regional) League in 1996 and spent ten seasons in the league before boundary changes saw them switch to the Midland Combination.

AFC Smethwick currently play at the Holly Lane Sports & Social Club in the Erdington area of Birmingham which is between the M6 and Sutton Coldfield. There are three pitches, one used by the local gaelic football club and the main one used by the hosts is enclosed from the others by metal fencing. The pitch is fully railed off with two areas of cover – one behind the near goal and a larger one on the far side of the pitch. To be honest it had a feel of “seen better days” about it. Catering was in the form of a mobile snack bar situated near the entrance to the complex with a coffee costing 80p.

The two teams are separated by two divisions with Smethwick in the second division while Heath Hayes are in the Premier. This showed in the opening exchanges with the visitors going two up inside eight minutes and it seemed a case of how many. Mid-way through the half and it could have been at least four or five to the good, but as often is the case it was the underdogs that got a goal back on 26 minutes to give them some self belief. From my point of view it turned the game into a scrappy affair and the remainder of the game is largely forgettable. The visitors put to bed any hopes of Smethwick had of taking the game into extra time with a third goal on ninety minutes. The second half was made bearable by chatting with a fellow neutral in the form of a Malcolm Holt from Telford.

Attendance: 15 (of which ten would be neutrals).

Admission: none
Programme: 50p – sold out but I got given one by the afore mentioned Malcolm Holt.

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.

Finally

Continental Star 2-2 Meir K.A.

Saturday 4th April

Midland Combination Premier Division

Oldbury Leisure Centre

Visting the ground and club has been on my agenda for some time, took long in fact. When I heard recently that they were demolishing the leisure centre and football ground for housing in the autumn this became a priority as it were. The Oldbury Leisure Centre and it's football ground to be fair is a bit of an eyesore, though why it could not have been rebuilt and / or modernised is another matter - the way I see it is that two football clubs will have to find new homes for next season and another sporting facility will be lost. The other club in question by the way is Oldbury Athletic. I overheard a conversation at home time regarding next season and 'Star are hopefully going to be groundsharing at Rushall Olympic while 'Athletic will be moving a mile up the road at West Midlands League outfit Tividale. Obviously both of the these have yet to be confirmed, especially as Tividale currently have a tennant in the form of Midland Football Alliance (MFA) side Oldbury United who were ejected from their home ground at the start of last season after a dispute with the social club. The ground was home to former Southern League and MFA side Sandwell Borough and a sign for former MFA sponsor Interlink Express is still on an outer wall. Getting to the leisure centre is very easy with it being a mile or so from junction 2 of the M5. After exiting the motorway take the A4123 towards Dudley, then turn left into Newbury Lane (5th on left) with the leisure centre on the right after 50 yards or so.

Entrance is via the leisure centre itself and admission was £3 with a further £1 for a pretty poor programme - this I managed to obtain at half time after asking one of their officials. The pitch is surrounded by what could be a running track though with all the moss etc it is difficult to decifer and as such spectators are further away from the pitchside than normal. The only cover is also a seated stand on the left hand side with the dugouts on the opposite side. Refreshments were available at half time in one of the offices.

The opponents for Star today are Potteries side Meir K.A. and languish second bottom in the table, while Star themselves are not having the best of seasons. For the record the K.A. stands for Kings Arms. The home side start brightly and play some nice football at times with a poor final ball and finishing letting them down. One way traffic it isn't and at time Meir bely their lowly position to create chances of their own. Despite this the half remains goalless. The visitors shock their hosts with two well taken goals in the space of four minutes before the hour mark - will this be a fourth consecutive away win without the hosts scoring? Star but this theory to bed when they were awarded a penalty which was duly dispatched, the time of which eludes me as I forgot to take my note book. Doh! With the 90 minutes up a Star shot hit the underside of the bar and the rebound tapped home for a dramatic equaliser. A fair result in the end though not without a tinge of sympathy for the visitors.

Overall an enjoyable game with the second half a lot better than the first watched by 17 people (Midland Combination website), though how many actually paid is another matter. I don't normally visit the same ground twice in a season but I'm think of watching fellow tennant Oldbury Athletic on Tuesday 14th April for their top of the table clash with Southam United.

Game 528

Pilkington XXX 2-1 Bolehall Swifts

Midland Combination Premier Division

Saturday 23rd February 2008

Triplex Sports Ground

Unlike previous games this was no change of plan. Ian McDonald (programme editor and webmaster) had organised a couple of groundhopper's days - this being the second and I thought I would take up the offer. I was planning to visit Pilkington but more than likely next season so this gave me further incentive to visit. I had arranged to go with my mum's partner but my mother and wife decided to come along as well. We left Leicester around midday and headed down the M69 and M6 into Birmingham city centre. The idea being to have some lunch before going to the game. Unfortunately all the pubs were packed due to the Birmingham City - Arsenal game being on the tv and we ended up eating in the glamorous surroundings of a Subway restaurant!!! We arrived at the ground about 5 minutes before kick-off - note if you have not yet visited there is no on site parking, and with the voucher it cost £10 for admission and programme x2 plus a badge. Bargain! The ground was originally used by the works' team from Triplex Safety Glass. Since 1984 there has been a few previous clubs using the ground - Triplex, Richmond Swifts / Kings Norton Town. The Triplex Sports Ground also houses a lawn bowls club while the football pitch has a 100 (approx) seated stand which also contains a small section of covered standing on the far touchline next to the dugouts with three rows of terracing behind both goals. There isn't a clubhouse as such but the building is a private members club, though the club uses one of the rooms at half time to serve refreshments.







Now to the game itself...it was literally a game of two halves. The home side dominated the first and the visitors the second. Pilkington at times were a joy to watch - they got the ball down, didn't result to long ball tactics and played some really good football. The first chance of note came in the 6th minute when the post was struck from 20 yards by one of the home forwards - excellent effort that deserved a goal. The home side struck on the 23rd minute when Paul O'Brien scored as he slotted the ball past the keeper in a one on one situation following a well worked move between himself and the no. 10. Seven minutes later it was 2-0 following a throw in midway inside Bolehall's half the ball was worked into the penalty area and no. 6 Matt Hill hit a low angled shot from 15 yards that went into the bottom right (keeper's side) hand corner. No further goals were added in the first half. Bolehall had a reasonable amount of possession and never gave up but lacked anything up front. The second half was a complete role reversal and Bolehall hit back within five minutes of the restart with Hussain Turgut scoring from 20 yards. A few minutes later Pilkington had an excellent chance to restore their two goal lead but the visiting keeper thwarted the home side no. 8 on another one on one situation. My gut reaction was that could prove costly but despite having most of the possession and chances they could not find a way through and force and equaliser.
Final score: 2-1 (attendance 41 - Midland Combination website)
An enjoyable game, nice ground, excellent hospitality and well worth a visit. Top marks.

Game 508

COTON GREEN 3-0 THIMBLEMILL R.E.C.

Saturday 11th August 2007
Midland Combination Division 1
New Mill Lane, Tamworth

My general rule of thumb is that I will at present take in games within an hours drive of my home and this one fitted the bill nicely. Coton Green also play in a division in which I had watched 11 of the 17 current teams and having been promoted in the summer another good reason I thought.

The location of the ground is in the Fazeley area of Tamworth a couple of minutes from the old A5 - very easy to get to, while the ground itself has a rural feel about it. There are no floodlights or cover but according to the programme there are plans to add the latter.

No admission was charged and from a head count I would say 20 people were in attendance, though a 12 programme was for sale for £1 in the club house - they were not advertised and I only found them by accident when looking for the toilets as I saw them on a table. The game itself was not one to remember. Coton Green scored two goals midway through the first half (20 and 27 minutes when they took advantage of mistakes by the visitors. Either side of that saw few chances created in a game which considering the heat was played at quick pace. The second half saw Thimblemill press a lot more and certainly hd the better chances but could not force a telling shot on the home goal. The home team's third came on, I think 70 minutes when they hit the visitors on the counter and 'a player' scored with a lob over the keeper from a narrow angle.

Next up is probably Teversal's F.A. Cup tie at home to Coventry Sphinx on Saturday 18th.