Getting one over on God!!!

PETERBOROUGH ROVERS POST OFFICE 2-4 WITTERING

Saturday 25th January 2014

Peterborough & District League Intermediate Shield 2nd Round

Fulbridge Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire (access via Tennyson Road)

With what seems like an eternity of low pressure weather systems crossing the Atlantic Ocean, it is case of trying to figure out where the weather is to be best, what time during the day it will rain and what games are going to be postponed due to waterlogged and / or flooded pitches. Thankfully the East Midlands has not been as badly hit as in some parts of the country, and those particularly in Somerset. Despite this there has been an awful lot of rain recently and to be honest I am grateful and thankful that prior to today, I have managed to watch four games of football in 2014. Leading up to the weekend I was keeping an close eye on the weather forecast and come the day before, decided that heading east to Peterborough would be the best bet. I managed to find a 1pm kick-off which, if the forecast was correct would mean we (my Dad and I) would not encounter the rain until we were on our way home back to Leicester. 

I picked up dad at around 11.30am and we then headed east along the A47 for around forty miles. This was to be our first game in the Peterborough League since February last year when we paid a visit to Whittlesey United. The ground was very easy to find, located about 1/4 mile south of exit 19 of the A47, and with arriving about half an hour early before the scheduled kick-off went in search of a local pub. This we managed to do which was a few minutes drive away, though I didn't pay any attention to the name of it. 

The venue is a very basic set up and is literally a public park with a football pitch marked out. There are changing rooms and a small car park but no facilities for spectators, pitch side or off the field. The car park is accessed between houses on Tennyson Road, though with it being tight decided to park on the road itself. 

As expected their was no admission charge or programme issued which is the norm in the PDFL. The game pitted two teams doing very well in their respective divisions - Rovers currently second in division 2 and Wittering top of division 3. The game started off in blistering fashion with the visitors opening the scoring after only a few minutes, but by the quarter hour mark were 2-1 behind. Come the end of the first forty five minutes Wittering had drawn level. The second half was not as enjoyable as the first - Wittering re-took the lead early on and were fairly comfortable after that, with the home side not looking capable of getting back on level terms. In the final throws of the game, with the wind picking up and the clouds darkening Wittering broke and made it 2-4 to confirm their place in round 3.

About ten miles east of Peterborough was when we encountered the forecasted rain. This along with some impressive strikes of lightning around the Uppingham area and a few damaged trees lying in the road made for an interesting drive home. 

Websites / social media:
Peterborough & District League - FA Full Time Site - twitter
Stamford & Rutland Sports Network - official site - twitter

Maps
Grounds visited in Cambridgeshire - currently 22
New grounds visited this season - currently 30

37 photos of the game can be found in the slideshow below:

first games of 2014

After a four week break from watching football due to work, the weather and a case of c.b.a, this weekend saw me watch two games of football and taking photographs at one of them.

First up was a game on Friday night (10th January) in Peterborough:

Peterborough Sports 3-5 Peterborough Northern Star Reserves

Northamptonshire FA Junior Cup Quarter Final

@ Peterborough Sports & Leisure Club, Lincoln Road, Peterborough

Admission: £3 including programme

My interest in this game was primarily the ground. Peterborough Sports FC joined the United Counties League (UCL) from the Peterborough & District League last season, and their home venue at the start of the season was one of only two that I had not seen a game of football at in the UCL. The other ground was the Elgoods Fenland Arena, home of Wisbech Town FC and I visited them for a pre-season game at the end of July. 

After a few hours sleep after finishing work that morning I made the trip east to Peterborough and met friend and fellow Oadby Town (and Ipswich Town) supporter Owen Jones at the ground. The ground is easily missed with it being down a track between buildings, though it opens up with an ample sized car park to the left and the decent sized social club and ground entrance to the right. A pre-match pint of Deuchars IPA cost £2.70 was had before paying the £3 admission fee. A good ground turned up for this local derby and witnessed a cracking game of football. Four goals were equally shared in the first forty five minutes before yours truly went to collect his winning raffle prize, which was a bottle of white wine. The second forty five minutes was equally as entertaining as the first. Sports led 3-2 after the visiting keeper put the ball into his own net, but Northern Star reserves turned the tie around with three goals of their own.

An enjoyable evening out, and after dropping Owen off at his abode I was back home at 11pm.

I was being my usual indecisive self for my game on the Saturday (11th January) and add several options in mind. Then came a u-turn as a posting on twitter caught my attention - the Kegworth Imperial - Whitwick game was to be played away from their normal home venue in the village. After getting confirmation of the address my decision was made.

Kegworth Imperial 6-1 Whitwick

North Leicestershire League Premier Division

@ Moor Lane, Normanton on Soar, Nottinghamshire

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: not many

Normanton on Soar is a small village a few miles north of Loughborough, though literally just over the border in Nottinghamshire and took me around half an hour to get to from my home in Braunstone. The ground is home to the Imps' junior set up and is located on the northern edge of the village about a hundred yards from the A6006. There is a small car park, clubhouse and external toilets but as expected nothing pitch side.

Despite the pitch being very heavy it was perfectly playable and a pretty decent ninety minutes of football followed. Kegworth scored first when, after an accidental collision between one of their players and the Whitwick keeper, they played on and put the ball in the back of the net. I heard the referee say to one of the visiting players that no foul had been committed so let play go on. A minute later and Whitwick were awarded a penalty but the resulting kick was skewed wide. The visiting then had the better of things for the remainder of the first half. They were denied by a cracking save from the Kegworth keeper, but deservedly equalised before the end of the first forty five minutes. The second half was less than a minute old when Kegworth re-took the lead, and then proceeded to add a further four more goals to run out convincing if slightly flattering winners. 

50 photos of the game can be viewed in the slideshow below: