Sileby Town FC

SILEBY TOWN 0-1 BLABY & WHETSTONE ATHLETIC RESERVES

Saturday 10th October 2015

Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division

Sileby Sports Club, Southfield Avenue, Sileby, Leicestershire

As is often the case now days my choice of football game is dictated by my work shift patterns, and after having nearly three weeks off it was a case of back to normal. With not getting home from work around 6.30am I managed to get a few hours sleep before rising around midday. I also needed to be back early as I had a family function on in Leicester city centre to celebrate my sister-in-law's fiftieth birthday. With nothing really standing out I decided it was a good as time as ever to visit Sileby Town FC's new ground. Also it would mean that I have again watched a game of football at every venue currently in use in the Leicestershire Senior League (LSL). My first would have been during the 1997/98 season when I saw then members Oadby Town play an FA Vase tie against Tooting & Mitcham United, while of the current members it would have been Highfield Rangers v Kirby Muxloe in August 1998. 

Sileby Town left their previous home in the Summer to move into their new ground in time for the start of the 2015/16 season. It is located off Seagrave Road on the northern edge of the town / village and is next to a new housing estate that is being built. A fully tarmaced car park is in front of a building that houses the changing rooms, toilets and clubhouse. The clubhouse is of a decent size and there is a fully working kitchen and licensed bar. At present the pitch the pretty much fully railed on all four sides with dugouts located on the far side. There is no hard standing around the pitch or floodlights in place, though having spoken to a friendly club official he informed me that club are about to start the planning application for lights. 

Sileby are currently the longest serving member club of the LSL having joined in 1953 and have been in continuous membership ever since. They (Sileby) are defending champions and at the start of play were unbeaten from their opening eight league games, sitting six points behind leaders Birstall United. Their visitors this afternoon had recorded three wins from their opening six games and were in the lower half of the league table. 

A decent crowd showed up and they witnessed a tight game between two evenly matched teams. Sileby should have scored inside the opening minutes, but gradually Blaby began to cause their hosts problems. The game as is the case in this country no matter what the level was played at a fair pace, and was going back and forth. Neither side though were capable of really testing the opposing goal keeper and it was no surprise that they went in at half time all square. The only goal of the afternoon came in the opening couple of minutes of the restart when Ryan Shilton headed home a corner from six yards out. Both sides had their chances, though like the first half few were clear cut and generally both keepers had relatively quiet afternoons on that front. As the game wore on Sileby had more of the possession as they went in search of an equaliser, with Blaby utilising the pace of their left midfielder to hit Sileby on the counter attack.

Overall not a bad game, though with the ground in its current state I am glad I visited it when it was a mild afternoon. With the LSL now complete again my next target locally is to finish the top divisions of the Leicester & District League and North Leicestershire League respectively. 

Admission: Free

Programme: do not issue

Attendance: around 100

57 photos of the ground and game can be viewed on my zenfolio photo site @ http://rambler77.zenfolio.com/p342896078

Where are the home fans?

Evington 1-2 Sileby Town

Leicestershire Senior League Division 1

Saturday 31st January

Dorset Avenue

The original plan this afternoon was (if being up in time) was to attend the Queniborough - Kingsway Rangers fixture in division 1 of the Leicester & District League, but on having a check on the internet I noticed this fixture and instantly changed plans. Also with it being a shorter journey and a 3pm kick-off gave me more time to sort myself out before leaving home.

Despite visiting every current ground in the Leicestershire Senior League I still needed to watch today's hosts Evington to complete it in terms of clubs, exluding the reserves of Friar Lane & Epworth. Evington groundshare at Premier Division club Aylestone Park Old Boys - a venue that I last visited in the autumn of 1998 when Oadby Town recorded a 6-0 victory. This is Evington's 1st season in the LSL having being crowned Leicester City League champions last season, they follow the last two champions FC Braunstone Victoria (now folded) and FC Khalsa into the LSL. Last season (I believe) they played on Victoria Park which is a large open space on the south east side of Leicester city centre heading in the Oadby direction from the railway station. Sileby Town meanwhile are one of (if not the) longest current serving side in the LSL having joined the 1953.

At the start of play Sileby were currently seven points clear at the top losing only two leagues so far this season, both to Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves, while Evington have found the going tough and had recorded only two wins and find themselves in the bottom three.

This was a game that Sileby should have won comfortably ended up being a lot closer than it should have, and were thankful for a last minute winner, scored direct from a corner by substitute Worthington. It was the hosts that should have scored first when the ball found it's was to the edge of the penalty area from a corner, only for the ball to sail high over the bar. Sileby gradually took control of the game and looked dangerous when they got the ball down in windy conditions. Unfortunately for the visiting supporters they must have misplaced their shooting boots as it wasn't until the 44 minute that they opened the scoring. It was through a misunderstanding between the home keeper and one or two of his defenders that allowed Nick Harvey to roll the ball into an empty net.

The second half saw the visitors come out of the blocks quicker but after being awarded a dubious free kick on the edge of the area, Evington's captain and left back hit an unstoppable shot into the left hand side of the goal. This gave them some confidence but it was Sileby that always looked more likely to score, and on more than one occasion should have, but all their chances went wide. I can only recall the home keeper making one save in the whole of the second half. Then in stoppage time at the end of the game they scored the afore mentioned dramatic winner.

Final score: 1-2
Attendance: 15 (14 from Sileby and me)