Completing the UCL

OLNEY TOWN 3-2 OADBY TOWN
Saturday 4th May 2013
United Counties League Division 1
East Street, Olney, Buckinghamshire

As the title of the post says, visiting Olney Town Football Club's East Street ground will mean that I have seen a game of football at every one of the current 39 grounds in the United Counties League (UCL). 

The full list in chronological order is as follows:

1) 24/08/97 The Dovecote
Shepshed Dynamo v Wisbech Town (2-2) Southern League Midland Division

2) 17/01/98 Wigston Road
Oadby Town v Tooting & Mitcham United (2-2 aet) FA Vase 4th Round

3) 07/02/98 Lincoln Road
Mirrlees Blackstone v Desborough Town (1-1) United Counties League Premier Division

4) 18/04/98 Waterworks Field
Desborough Town v Long Buckby (1-3) United Counties League Premier Division

5) 23/01/99 Farley Way
Quorn v Oadby Town (1-4) Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division

6) 16/02/99 Abbey Lawn
Bourne Town v Spalding United (0-5) United Counties League Premier Division

7) 23/03/99 Kingsthorpe Mill
Northampton Spencer v Ford Sports Daventry (1-1) United Counties League Premier Division

8) 05/04/99 Compton Park
Cogenhoe United v Wellingborough Town (2-0) United Counties League Premier Division

9) 05/04/99 Kiln Park
Raunds Town v Baldock Town (1-1) Southern League Southern Division

10) 29/09/99 Bird's Close
Bugbrooke St. Michaels 1-2 Ford Sports Daventry (1-2) United Counties League Premier Division

11) 27/12/99 Sergeant's Lawn
Rothwell Corinthians v Cottingham (0-6) United Counties League Division 1

12) 24/04/00 Fernie Fields
Northampton Vanaid v Wellingborough Whitworths (2-2) United Counties League Division 1

13) 01/05/00 The Hillgrounds
Kempston Rovers v Bourne Town (3-0) United Counties League Premier Division

14) 14/10/00 Sir Halley Stewart Field
Spalding United v Wisbech Town (1-1) Southern League Eastern Division

15) 19/05/01 Dickens Road
Harrowby United v Northampton O.N. Chenecks (3-4) United Counties League Division 1

16) 17/09/02 Recreation Ground
Stewarts & Lloyds Corby v Holbeach United (2-0) United Counties League Premier Division

17) 23/07/03 Station Road
Long Buckby v Cottingham (1-3) Pre-season Friendly

18) 20/12/03 Leading Drove
Yaxley v Raunds Town (6-3) United Counties League Premier Division

19) 08/05/04 Outgang Road
Deeping Rangers v Northampton Spencer (2-5) United Counties League Premier Division

20) 26/03/05 London Road
Wellingborough Whitworths v Irchester United (1-0) United Counties League Division 1

21) 24/09/05 Carters Park
Holbeach United v Newport Pagnell Town (Aban) United Counties League Premier Division

22) 08/10/05 Billing Road Sports Ground
Northampton O.N. Chenecks v Irchester United (2-1) United Counties League Division 1

23) 08/10/05 Jubilee Park
Huntingdon Town v Rothwell Corinthians (3-1) United Counties League Division 1

24) 24/12/05 Alfred Street
Irchester United v Blisworth (0-0) United Counties League Division 1

25) 26/12/05 The Hollow
Potton United v Stotfold (1-0) United Counties League Premier Division

26) 17/04/06 Chestnut Avenue
Peterborough Northern Star v Sleaford Town (1-2) United Counties League Division 1

27) 07/10/06 Weston Park
Wootton Blue Cross v Stotfold (5-0) United Counties League Premier Division

28) 04/11/06 Chancery Lane
Thrapston Town v Daventry Town (2-2) United Counties League Division 1

29) 27/03/07 The Dog & Duck Ground
Wellingborough Town 2004 v St. Neots Town (1-0) United Counties League Premier Division

30) 21/04/07 Latimer Park
Burton Park Wanderers v Olney Town (1-1) United Counties League Division 1

31) 05/05/07 Hayden Road
Rushden Rangers v Moulton (4-3) Northants Combination Premier Division

32) 10/11/07 Willen Road
Newport Pagnell Town v Yaxley (2-0) United Counties League Premier Division

33) 15/03/08 Westwood Road
St. Ives Town v Stotfold (0-1) United Counties League Premier Division

34) 15/09/09 Eslaforde Park
Sleaford Town v Matlock Town (1-2) FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Replay

35) 23/10/10 Tattershall Road
Boston Town v St. Neots Town (0-5) United Counties League Premier Division

36) 12/02/11 Bowden's Park
Harborough Town v Bourne Town (2-1) United Counties League Division 1

37) 08/12/12 Alfred Hall Memorial Ground
Eynesbury Rovers v Oadby Town (0-1) United Counties League Division 1

38) 06/04/13 The Irish Centre
Buckingham Town v Oadby Town (0-3) United Counties League Division 1 

About Olney Town FC
The club were formed in 1903 and until they joined the United Counties League (UCL) in 1964, they fluctuated between the North Bucks League and the South East Northants League (which became known as the Rushden & District League). Since joining the UCL the club have spent the majority of their time in division 1, with their ground preventing them from making progress.

The ground is located on East Street to the north of the town centre and is, in a nutshell a recreation ground. The club have floodlights installed and there is a small stand and a clubhouse on site, but the pitch itself is only roped off.

The town itself
I found the town to be very pleasant place and one in which would have liked to have spent more time looking round. It has a population of around 6,000 inhabitants and is in north-east Buckinghamshire, close to the borders with Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. 

More information on the town can be viewed on the wikipedia page: Olney

I went down to Olney with my dad who picked me up around noon and we headed south on the M1 to junction 14. From there it was a short drive north along the A509 to Olney itself. After managing to find a parking space very close to the market place, we went into the Bull Inn for some lunch and a pint. Before heading to the ground we had a brief look around the town, particularly the area around the church.

The game
It was one in which Oadby started off like a team in third place and were on the offensive right from the start. After creating a few chances, Jake Duffy opened the scoring after putting the ball past the oncoming keeper. A minute or two later and it became two nil through Levi Ramsey. The second half was a different story altogether as Oadby played like a team in the bottom three - in fact it was the worst forty five minutes that I have seen them play this season. With mid-table Olney only having pride to play for, they turned this game on its head and deservedly came away with all three points.

Admission: by donation - gave £3.50
Programme: £1.50 - vastly overpriced
Attendance: 63 (head count)

With new teams reportedly joining the UCL for next season it looks like my completing of the league will be shortlived.

37 ground and match photos can be viewed in the slideshow below:


18 photos taken of the town itself can be viewed in the following slideshow:

Buck-T

BUCKINGHAM TOWN 0-3 OADBY TOWN

Saturday 6th April 2013

United Counties League Division 1

The Irish Centre, Manor Fields, Bletchley, Milton Keynes

After a very busy Easter weekend in which in the space of four days, I watched seven games of football, a game of basketball plus viewing the new Danny Boyle film, Trance a sense of normality beckons today. Only one game of football and a choice of one in my eyes. This was one of three away days with Oadby Town that I had pencilled in before I the fixtures were released. It was originally due to be played back in November but had to be postponed due to heavy rain, and in the end that day I saw Corby Town beat Hayes & Yeading United in a thrilling FA Trophy tie.

The club

The following information is taken from the Wikipedia page:

The club were established in 1883 and initially played in local leagues. They won the Aylesbury & District League in 1902–03 and 1936–37 and the North Bucks League in 1924–25, 1928–29, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1948–49 and 1949–50. They were founder members of the Hellenic League in 1953, but left after only four seasons. They then joined the South Midlands League, in which they played until joining the United Counties League in 1974. They were Premier Division champions and Knockout Cup winners in 1983–84, and the following season they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first (and to date only) time in their history, losing 2–0 at home to Orient. In 1985–86 they won the Premier Division again and were promoted to the Midland Division of the Southern League. They won the Southern Division in 1990–91, but were not promoted as their ground failed to meet the standards required. They remained members of the Southern League until finishing bottom of the Southern Division in 1996–97 season, when they were relegated back to the Premier Division of the UCL. They were relegated to Division One at the end of the 2006–07 season.

They were evicted from their traditional Ford Meadow home at the end of the 2010/11 season and played at the Winslow Centre, Winslow in 2011/12. This season they are again playing “home” games away from Buckingham, with the Irish Centre in Bletchley their current base. 

The ground

The Irish Centre is part of the larger Manor Fields sports complex that is also home to Bletchley Rugby Club and Bletchley Town Cricket Club. The football pitch is completely seperate from the rest of the complex and is a bit of a ramshackle affair. On the near side there is remnants of a large stand, while opposite there is a seated stand and the dugouts. 

The day itself

It started by picking up fellow Oadby Town supporters Owen Jones and Teri-Leigh White near to Braunstone Police Station around 11.30am, before heading south on the M1 to Milton Keynes. Lunch and some liquid refreshment was had at one of the four JD Wetherspoon outlets in the city, which was simply called Wetherspoons. Two halves were had, firstly Brewer's Passion by the Caledonian Brewery and secondly Tasmanian Wolf from the Wolf Brewery in Norfolk before making the short walk to the nearby Secklow Hundred for another drink. It must be said that Brewer's Passion is one of the nicest beers I have had in a very long time - very drinkable on a nice sunny day. 

From which we made the ten minute drive to the ground , arriving with about twenty minutes before kick-off. I was met at the ground by friend and Belper based groundhopper Neil Laughlin, who I had seen back in November 2009 for a Leicestershire Senior League game @ Melton Mowbray FC.

The game

It was a tale of two halves with Oadby dominating the proceedings in the opening forty five minutes and in truth be told should have been more than two goals up. New signing Levi Porter had a chance in the opening couple of minutes, but his header from an Ollie Brown-Hill cross was tame and the Buckingham keeper was able to make the save. The opening goal came from penalty spot which Jon Stevenson converted after Che Adams was brought down in the area. It was only a matter of time before Oadby increased their lead, and this came from Porter who slide the ball under the keeper. The second half was a completely different story with the home side belying their lowly position in the league table and looked like a side challenging for promotion. They caused Oadby all sorts of problems and created some excellent chances. The killer third goal came against the run of play late on in the game and was scored by Stevenson.

Overall

An enjoyable day out in Buckinghamshire for what was only my seventh game in the county ever, and my first for around four and a half years. After the game my travelling companions and I had a drink in the nearby Chequers Inn in Fenny Stratford before heading north back to Leicester.

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

Oadby cross out Wootton

OADBY TOWN 4-1 WOOTTON BLUE CROSS
Saturday 8th September 2012
United Counties League Division 1
Wigston Road, Oadby, Leicestershire

Another glorious sunny day with temperatures hitting twenty-five degrees Celsius, or seventy seven Fahrenheit in old money. I made my way to Oadby Town FC for a league match against Bedfordshire side Wootton Blue Cross. For anyone unaware where Wootton is, it is a few miles south west of Bedford. 

Oadby went into this game as firm favourites to take the three points, sitting in third place in the UCL Division 1 table recording two wins out of two. They have also reached the final of the Battle of Britain Charity Cup, a competition that they have won three times in the past. Wootton meanwhile have only picked up one point from their three league outings - a draw against AFC Rushden & Diamonds. 

The first twenty minutes or so saw both sides struggle to find any rhythm with Oadby seemingly having "heavy legs". Things were not helped as Ollie Brownhill replaced the injured Jon Stevenson, and they got even worse for the home side on twenty three minutes as Grant Williams drilled a shot passed Warren Butlin to give the visitors the lead. This probably gave Oadby the kick up the back side they needed, but on thirty four minutes they had another enforced substitution, this time Joss Cobb picking up an injury and was replaced by Mason Hurst. The final ten minutes of the half saw Oadby put a lot of pressure on the Wootton defence, but they held out and went in at half time one up.

The second half saw football's equivalent of the Alamo as Oadby lay siege on the Wootton goal. They created plenty of chances and played some cracking football to boot. Just after the hour mark the Oadby management team made their third and final substitution of the afternoon as Elliott Wright replaced Jim Dodds. A couple of minutes later and Oadby's pressure finally told with Che Adam equalising. Excellent work from Michael Reeve saw him lay the ball back to Adam, whose 1st time shot went past the flat footed Chris Woodward.Just five minutes later and the home side took the lead. Following a free kick there was a goal mouth scramble that saw Sam Benjamin prod the ball home from a few yards out. The goals came coming and it was Michael Reeve who got in on the act - his shot on the turn found the back of the net via the post. The fourth and final goal of the afternoon for Oadby came just twelve minutes after their first and they saved the best till last. Jake Duffy who was always a danger on the right side of midfield, chipped Woodward from ten yards out. The margin of victory should have been greater as Mason Hurst was brought down for a penalty, only for Duffy to have his spot kick saved by Woodward. 

Oadby played well for an hour in this game and deservedly kept their 100% record in tact at this early stage of the 2012/13 season. If they can play like this for ninety minutes then very few (if any) teams in this division would be able to live with them. 

Some photos can be viewed in the slideshow below:

A pummeling for Potton

OADBY TOWN 8-0 POTTON UNITED
Saturday 18th August 2012
United Counties League Division 1
Wigston Road, Oadby

Leading up to today I was being very indecisive (no sarcastic comments needed!!!) about where to go to get my footy fix. Do I put my groundhopping hat on or do I put my Oadby Town hat on?

Well it went the way of Oadby Town for their opening game in the United Counties League after they transferred from the East Midlands Counties League. Prior to the main even I took in a game in the Football League Youth Alliance between the under-18's of Burton Albion and Bradford City. This kicked off at 11am at the Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College in Woodhouse and ended 0-0, with an attendance of 40.

Probably like a lot of the country Leicestershire was bathed in glorious sunshine and I arrived at the ground at around 1.45pm. Admission was £5 and a further £1 for a programme and it was a case of heading to the clubhouse for a pint.

Over the summer Oadby have undergone changes on both the playing and management side with Clem Dublin joining from St. Andrews as joint 1st team manager alongside Lee Harriman. Having not seen Oadby during their pre-season games I only recognised about half of the team, and these included a some of them who played for Clem last season at St. Andrews.  Examples being goalkeeper Warren Butlin and Kris Stevenson, the latter of which I remember seeing play for Kingsway Rangers in the Leicester & District League a few years ago.

The game started off fairly evenly with some robust challenges from the visitors that resulted in numerous free kicks for the hosts. Oadby then took control of the game from the quarter hour mark and from then on it was primarily one way traffic. The opening goal came on twenty two minutes when Sam Benjamin headed from from twelve yards out. Eight minutes later and Tom Williams doubled the home sides advantage as he stabbed home a corner from just inside the penalty area. The third goal followed straight after as Jon Stevenson got the first of a brace and made it 3-0. As the first half went into the latter stages midfielder Jake Duffy got in on the act with two goals on 41 and 45 minutes respectively make it 5-0 at half time.

The second half was only four minutes old when Stevenson got his second beating the Potton keeper with a shot from outside the penalty area. A raft of substitutions followed from both sides and the game became a little disjointed, but Oadby had time to add two further goals. Firstly Duffy completed his hat-trick on seventy-three minutes and substitute Ben Harris completed the scoring with eight minutes left. 

Oadby could and should have won by a greater margin but some good goal keeping helped keep the score down.  

It is difficult to read much into this result regarding predictions for the season as Potton were one of the weaker sides in the United Counties League last season, but the 8-0 scoreline was the biggest victory I have seen them personally achieve since I first watched them in 1998.

Admission: £5
Programme: £1
Attendance: 91

A slideshow of forty photos taken during the first half can be viewed in the slideshow below:

Oadby v Gedling MW

OADBY TOWN 1-2 GEDLING MINERS WELFARE
Saturday 24th March 2012
East Midlands Counties League
Greene King Park


No report today but photos of the game can be viewed below:

Oadby v Ampthill

OADBY TOWN 2-1 AMPTHILL TOWN
Saturday 21st January 2012
FA Vase 4th Round
Greene King Park

After what feels like a long time since I saw Oadby in action this is to be the first of two consecutive  Saturday home games for the Poachers. The last time I was down here for a games was on December 3rd when they hosted Tipton Town in the last round of this competition. A combination of the following has seen me miss all home games since - a postponement (10th Dec); midweek matches and two weeks ago I was down in London for the Spurs - Cheltenham FA Cup tie.

This tie pits two sides that compete at Step 6 of the non-league pyramid, with Ampthill playing their football in division 1 of the Spartan South Midlands League. Like Oadby they are having a good season as well and currently sit in second place in their division and have won their last four matches. Also like Oadby they have only lost two out of their twenty five league games played and currently sit in second place though are eleven points behind leaders London Colney. Oadby meanwhile are on a decent run of form themselves having only lost once in the last twelve matches in all competitions, which was against Barwell recently in the Leicestershire Challenge Cup.

On paper this should be a cracking cup tie between two in form sides. 

Both sides also have similar records in this seasons FA Vase so far with them both starting out at the second qualifying round and also they have had one tie that went to a replay. The record for both teams is as follows:

Oadby Town

2nd Qualifying: Huntingdon Town (H) Won 3-2

1st round: Lutterworth Athletic (A) Won 2-1

2nd round: St. Andrews (H) Won 1-0

3rd round: Tipton Town (H) Drew 1-1 aet

replay: Tipton Town (A) Won 2-1 

Ampthill Town

2nd Qualifying: Barkingside (A) Drew 1-1 aet

replay: Barkingside (H) Won 1-0

1st round: Basildon United (A) Won 4-0

2nd round: Haringey & Waltham Development (H) Won 3-2

3rd round: Lancing (A) Won 3-1

The club shop

Oadby progressed to the last 16 of the FA Vase with a victory that should have been more comfortable that it was. After a bout of sparing Oadby settled down and  took the lead on eleven minutes. A Matt Moore shot from twenty five yards out took a slight deflection on its way into the top corner.  The hosts doubled their advantage ten minutes later when Matt Piper converted a Steve Fenton cross to put some daylight between the two sides. A few minutes at it should have been three nil but Piper failed to connect with a cross from the right flank. Ampthill's ploy was to play long balls down the channels and these on the main were dealt with comfortably by Joe Latham and Declan Towers. The visitors best chance of the opening period came around the twenty six minute when a Jake Duffy cleared an effort off the line.   Oadby themselves had an effort cleared off the line and then Matt Moore was unable to beat Tom Kennard in the Ampthill goal. 


The second half saw Oadby take their foot off the gas and allowed the visitors  to come into the game more, though their efforts were on the whole easily dealt with by Oadby keeper Elliot Shilliam. Oadby had three notable chances to put their supporters at ease with both Moore and Jermaine Gordon being a whisker away from converting crosses from Piper, while a Latham header was tipped over by Kennard. With six minutes remaining Ampthill got a lifeline as Chris Lester scrambled the ball home via the post from a couple of yards out. A nervy finish for the home supporters but in the end Oadby deservedly progressed to the next round and as the final whistle blew a chorus of "we're all going to Wembley" rang out.


Admission: £5 / £3 concessions
Programme: £1
Attendance: 417


Other 4th Round Results
Whitley Bay 5-0 South Park
Tunbridge Wells 0-1 St. Ives Town
Willand Rovers 1-3 Staveley Miners Welfare
Shortwood United 1-0 Enfield 1893
Newcastle Benfield 1-2 Herne Bay
Bournemouth 2-1 Royston Town
Old Woodstock Town 0-2 Bethnal Green United
Newport Pagnell Town 2-3 Ashington
Norton United 1-2 Peterborough Northern Star
Wisbech Town 2-2 Dunston UTS (after extra time)
Bitton 1-3 West Auckland Town
Tividale 7-1 Binfield
Gresley 1-1 Three Bridges (after extra time)
Billingham Synthonia 0-0 Runcorn Town (after extra time)
Reading Town 2-3 Larkhall Athletic

Stalemate in the Vase

OADBY TOWN 1–1 (aet) TIPTON TOWN

Saturday 3^rd December 2011

FA Vase 3^rd Round

Greene King Park

Another home game for Oadby Town this afternoon, this time against former adversaries in the Midland Football Alliance Tipton Town in the 3^rd round (last 64) of the FA Vase.  This is the first time since the 2004/05 season that Oadby have reached this stage of the competition.  A controversial 1-0 defeat @ Stourbridge ended the hopes of glory then. This time around Oadby have moved quietly into the third round with three one goal victories. First up was Huntingdon Town who were dispatched 3-2 here @ GKP. This was followed up by a trip to Leicestershire Senior League outfit Lutterworth Athletic who were beaten 2-1 and last but not least, just two weeks ago local rivals St. Andrews arrived at GKP and a superb effort from Jon Stevenson was the difference between the two sides. Tipton Town started out in the 1^st round and have had two home ties so far. Fellow MFA side Highgate United were beaten by the odd goal in three and Bardon Hill were on the wrong end of a 5-1 score line in the previous round. With Bardon Hill exiting the competition Oadby are the last Leicestershire club standing. Both clubs had midweek matches to overcome with Oadby putting St. Andrews to the sword once again with a resounding 4-1 success in the 2^nd round of the Leicestershire Senior Cup. Tipton meanwhile were in MFA action and came away from Stratford Town with a 1-1 draw.

I finally got round to watching Oadby @ Tipton Town last season and despite taking the lead were on the wrong end of a 6-1 thrashing. How things have changed? Despite Oadby being relegated the side now is unrecognisable from the one last season and the feel good factor (both on and off the field) is now well and truly back at GKP. 

An intriguing cup tie that ebbed and flowed at times, with neither side able to exert any superiority in the 1st half. Oadby took the lead in the 45th minute when Jermaine Gordon scrambled the ball home from a yard out.

Oadby's lead did not last long as Tipton equalised within five minutes of the restart. Nathan Waite finishing off a good move down the right hand side. The games main talking point came with 12 minutes remaining as Oadby sub James Miller was shown a straight red card. Despite going down to ten men Oadby looked the better side for the remainder of the 90 and had three chances win in the dying moments. Matt Moore had a shot saved, Matt Piper's chip from a tight angle failed to find the target and a Steve Fenton shot that was heading for the top corner was superbly saved by the Tipton keeper in the 4th minute of stoppage time.

Extra time and Oadby played the better football but Gordon had a shot saved and Jon Stevenson volleyed over. Tipton had their chances but the majority of their efforts were off target and Elliot Shilliam was the quieter of the two keepers.

Attendance: 167

Match rating: 7 out of 10

Replay Wednesday night and the tie I'm sure will have a few more twists and turns.

One sour note was that there was some racist chanting by the few Tipton fans that came across, referring to Leicester as Paki Land.

Websites:

Oadby Town: official – facebook – forum

Tipton Town:: official

OT v Ellistown

OADBY TOWN 1-0 ELLISTOWN

Saturday 26th November 2011

East Midlands Counties League

Greene King Park

Following four consecutive Saturday's watching other clubs in the East Midlands I am back at GKP for the second in a run of four Saturday home games for the Poachers. After last weeks tough victory against local rival St. Andrews in the FA Vase, Oadby are back in league duty against Ellistown. After Monday's 3rd round draw in the Vase, Tipton Town will be the visitors next Saturday while Bardon Hill come to town the week after. Also pencilled in is another home match against St. Andrews, this time in the 2nd round of the Leicestershire Senior League which will be played this coming Tuesday on the 29th November.


At the start of play Oadby currently find themselves in 5th place in the EMCL but have games in hand over all of the other teams above them. Ellistown meanwhile sit third from bottom but spirits were lifted last week with a 3-1 victory over Nottingham side Radford.

The game was one that Oadby struggled to get going in during the early exchanges and Ellistown belied their lowly position and took the game to their high flying hosts. Both keepers were called into action during the 1st period with Oadby keeper Elliot Shilliam producing three excellent saves from the Ellistown forward line. Matt Piper was the dangerman for Oadby and was a reliable outlet on the left hand side of midfield. Chances side Jon Stevenson had a volley saved at the near post and drilled a shot wide, Michael Reeve dragged a shot wide and Jake Duffy had his chip tipped over. The second half saw Oadby come out with a lot more purpose and vigor and played the game higher up the field, putting pressure on the visitors right from the off. Substitute Callum Ross who came on for Reeve caused numerous problems for the Ellistown defence during the half and had some good chances. It was a case of if not when Oadby would score the opening goal and it duly came eight minutes into the half. A Ross effort was cleared off the line for a corner, and from the resulting kick captain Joe Latham headed home from five yards out at the far post. Despite the game opening up Ellistown caused few problems in the second half for Oadby but they themselves could not find the crucial second goal to kill off their plucky visitors. Towards the end of the game Emit Wann had a shot tipped over and further efforts (created by Piper) from Stevenson and Ross went wide or were blocked.  


Admission: Free for yours truly 
Programme: £1
Attendance: 138 (official)


The win keeps Oadby in touch with games in hand in what is proving to be a very competitive league. In form Anstey Nomads had the result of the day when they record a 3-2 victory @ leaders Heanor Town. 

Hard fought derby in the Vase

OADBY TOWN 1-0 ST. ANDREWS
Saturday 19th November 2011
FA Vase 2nd Round
Greene King Park

After a five week break I am back at GKP for what on paper should be a cracking tie in the FA Vase. Both teams currently sit in the top six in the East Midlands Counties League (EMCL), and they played each other at the end of August with Oadby running out 3-1 winners.

Since I was last here Oadby have had mixed fortunes in three competitions - two wins (v Radford 1-0 and Radcliffe Olympic 5-1) and one defeat (v 2-0 @ Borrowash Victoria) in the EMCL, a 2-1 victory at Lutterworth Athletic in the last round of the Vase and finally a 3-2 defeat at home to Holbrook Sports in the ECML Cup 2nd Round. 

On a personal note before the draw was made I was hoping for an away tie at a ground that I had not previously visited. The options were limited to five due to visiting quite a number of grounds in the Midlands over the years. They five were Bloxwich United AFC, Brocton, Ellesmere Rangers, Norton United and Wisbech Town. Alas it was not to be and this is as good as tie as any. Hopefully with Leicester City not playing until tomorrow this tie might catch the attention of some of their fans looking for their Saturday football fix. Looking at the Vase draw at the start of play there is only one other Leicestershire side still involved in the competition, and they are Bardon Hill who have a tough away tie at Midland Alliance side Tipton Town. One other tie did catch my attention and that was Leverstock Green v Enfield 1893. Why you may ask? Well these two teams played in the 1st round of last years competition and Leverstock won a nine goal thriller with the winning goal coming in the last minute. It was a game that yours truly attended and was the best game I saw last season. Click on the Leverstock Green link on the right hand side of the page for more details.

Since I was last down here Oadby have set up their club shop which is located adjacent to the entrance on the clubhouse side of the ground. They currently have a small range of merchandise for sale which include badges (£3), mugs (£5) and key rings (£2.50) plus several boxes of old programmes. 

The game was like the heading says a hard fought victory for their hosts against their local rivals. Clear cut chances were at a premium but the visitors should have opened the scoring early on, but their #9 shot straight at Oadby keeper Elliot Shilliam's legs. Oadby then felt they should have had a penalty when Michael Reeve went down but the referee waved away their calls. The only goal of the game was came midway through the half and was to be honest the only real bright spark in the game. Jon Stevenson connected sweetly on the volley and it flew past Warren Butlin in the Andrews goal. Matt Piper nearly doubled Oadby's advantage but his free kick was saved by Butlin. At the other end the afore mentioned St. Andrews number 9 headed a corner wide. Just before half time the floodlights went out and the start of the second half was delayed ten minutes while the problem was rectified. Only five of the six sets came back to life but the referee was happy for the game to go on, despite a second of the pitch being in darkness. The second half was again similar to the first with few clear cut chances being created by either side. There were two that fell to Oadby that I can recall - the first from Matt Piper who turned his marker inside out, cut inside but his shot was saved at his near post by Butlin. The second came in stoppage time but having created space for himself in the penalty area Michael Reeve dragged his shot wide. 


Joy and relief at the final whistle and now all eyes will be on the draw for the 3rd round on Monday. These two sides will be sick of the sight of each other shortly as they were paired together in the 2nd round of the Leicestershire Senior Cup, which will be played @ Oadby on Tuesday 29th November with a 7.30pm kick-off.

Admission: Free for me 

Programme: £1

Attendance: 158 (official) - nearer 250

Match rating: 4 out of 10


A final note is that the game was attended by members of the Oadby Owls Under-9's who were mascots for the day. 

Oadby v Heanor

OADBY TOWN 1-2 HEANOR TOWN
Saturday 15th October 2011
East Midlands Counties League
Greene King Park

Again yours truly is down at Oadby for the second consecutive Saturday for this top of the table clash against the free scoring league leaders from Derbyshire. Oadby come into the game unbeaten from their eight games played, while Heanor have won eight on the bounce having lost their opening game. Last Saturday Oadby recorded their biggest league victory of the season when they put five past Graham Street Prims here at Greene King Park. Heanor meanwhile were putting eight past Gedling Miners Welfare and in midweek scored seven against Ellistown. This game was originally scheduled for the last game of the season but had been rearranged due to Barrow Town still being involved in the FA Cup. 

Top 4 at the start of play:
                   Pl W D L For Aga Pts
1. Heanor Town......9 8 0 1  45  17  24
2. Blackwell MW....11 7 1 3  22  17  22
3. St. Andrews.....10 7 0 3  28  12  21
4. OADBY TOWN.......8 6 2 0  24   6  20

To put simply Heanor deservedly took the three points on the balance of play, and at times especially during the first half showed why they are top of the table and without doubt will be the team to beat this season. Oadby in the second half made a game of it and caused Heanor a number of problems - why couldn't they have played like that during the opening forty five minutes? If they had this game could have had a different outcome.

Like stated Heanor were quick out of the blocks and had Oadby on the back foot right from the start. They are a big, quick side that play the game at pace. A succession of corners resulted in the opening goal as it came from a Nico Degirolamo header on 14 minutes. The corner from which the goal came about apparently should have not been awarded but in fact a goal kick should have been given. To be honest yours truly was at the other end of the ground. Heanor continued to cause Oadby all sorts of problems and it was no surprise that they doubled their lead around the half hour mark. The ball was fed to Jake Vernon who smashed the ball past Oadby keeper Danny Hanley to make it 0-2. The whistle to end the half came as a relief to the home supporters and would hopefully give the Oadby the chance to regroup and make a game of it in the second half.

The second half was a more even affair with Steve Fenton forcing Heanor keeper Mark Frost save low at his near post in the opening minutes. Oadby made two early substitutions which saw their two debutants Callum Ross and Jermaine Gordon replaced by Danny Wilson and Andy Tiday. Former Leicester City and Sunderland midfielder Matt Piper got into the game more and had two efforts on goal - the first was deflected for a corner and the second went wide of Frost's upright. Hanley was also kept busy at other end making two or three good saves during the second half as the game ebbed and flowed. With around twenty minutes left Oadby got a way back into the game with the help of the referee as he awarded a penalty for handball. Jon Stevenson stepped up and made it 1-2. Michael Reeves had a couple of close efforts as Oadby pushed for an equaliser. They then should have been awarded another penalty for handball which seemed more clear cut that the first but the referee waved away Oadby's protests. 

In the end it was a fair result, mainly due to the first half performance from Heanor. The referee meanwhile had a shocker and I believe a report / complaint will be going in about him. Oadby do not have to wait long to put this defeat behind them as Nottingham side Radford visit Greene King Park on Tuesday night and make the short trip to Lutterworth Athletic in the FA Vase on Saturday.

The final note goes to the "Oadby Choir" who stand behind the clubhouse goal. They were vocal throughout as per usual and in the second half, instead of the usual "you're shit aaahhh" chants to the opposition keeper it was a case of "your shit baaaaa".

Attendance: 211
Match rating: 3 1/2 out of 5


25 photos taken during game can be viewed below:



Websites:


East Midlands Counties League
Oadby Town
Heanor Town

Prims o'clock

OADBY TOWN 5-0 GRAHAM STREET PRIMS
Saturday 8th October 2011
East Midlands Counties League
Greene King Park

Following on from a disappointing 1-1 draw last Saturday against Ibstock United, Oadby are at home again for the third successive Saturday. For good measure Oadby will be at home again next Saturday as well in a rearranged game against high flying Heanor Town. This is due to Barrow Town still being involved in the FA Cup following their excellent 4-1 win at Northern Premier League side Mickleover Sports last Saturday.

Oadby still remain unbeaten in their 2011/12 league campaign with five wins and two draws from their opening seven games, with both draws coming against Ibstock United. Prims currently occupy 14th place with two wins coming from their ten games played so far. The two teams played each other just three weeks ago with Oadby recording a 3-1 victory at the Prims Asterdale Sports Centre ground in Borrowash.

Oadby warmed up for their top of the table clash against Heanor Town next Saturday with a comfortable victory. Prims started the brightest which was helped with Oadby giving away a few silly and needless free kicks. Only one was in striking range but Matt Freeman put in a few yards over the Oadby goal. Oadby eventually settled and a Jon Stevenson volley was deflected over. From the resulting corner the opening goal game as Harley Hollinshead turned the ball into his own net. Oadby's best spell of the half came either side of the half hour mark, as firstly following excellent work from Stevenson on the right his low cross was put agonisingly wide of the left upright. Then on 31 minutes Stevenson received the ball, ran at the Prims defence and finished well into the far corner. Just six minutes later and it was game over as Oadby scored their third of the afternoon. Steve Fenton played a ball over the Prims defence for Michael Reeves whose touch took it away from keeper Chris Dodlsey and he finished from a yard or two out. 

Jon Stevenson (far right) scoring Oadby's second goal.

HT: 3-0


The second half was a non event as a contest as Oadby did not have to get out of second gear. The home fans did not have to wait long for the fourth goal as it came within six minutes of the restart. Whether he meant it or not but Fenton hit a free kick that went into the top corner despite Dodsley getting a hand to it. It was then a case of how many but a combination of a): good goalkeeping from Dodsley who saved well from Stevenson and Piper and b): appearing to want to walk the ball into the net at time kept the score down. Oadby's 5th and final goal of the afternoon came with three minutes left, when Matt Piper crossed 1st time and found debutant Ash Palfreyman unmarked in the penalty area and he finished well into the bottom corner.
    

Attendance: 110

Match rating: 3 out of 5


A slideshow of photos taken before and during the game can be viewed below: