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:

Village v Town

ASFORDBY VILLAGE 0-3 GLENFIELD TOWN

Saturday 1st October 2011

Leicestershire Intermediate Cup 1st Round

Parish Hall Ground, Main Street, Asfordby

source: official website

Despite Oadby Town having a home game against Ibstock United I decided to give it a miss this afternoon and take in a game in a 1st round tie of one of the Leicestershire & Rutland county cups. The county FA run seven open age competitions for teams that play on Saturday's. They are in descending order of status: 1) Challenge Cup; 2) Senior Cup; 3) Intermediate Cup; 4) Shield; 5) Trophy and 6) Vase. There is also the Saturday Plate which is for reserve sides of the more senior non-league clubs in the county. 

The tie today is in the Intermediate Cup and is competed for by 1st teams in the Leicestershire Senior League (Division 1), Leicester & District League (Premier Division) and North Leicestershire League (Premier Division). Of the nine ties in the opening round, there were three that stood out as they met two criteria. One was that I had not seen the home team before or watched a game at their home ground and 2) the tie must be between two teams from a different league. 

The full 1st round draw:

1: Whitwick (NL) v Hathern (LSL)

2: Friar Lane & Epworth (LSL) v Lutterworth Town (LSL)

3: Genesis (NL) v Markfield (NL)

4: Barlestone St. Giles (LSL) v Magna '73 (L&D)

5: Melton Mowbray (LSL) v Asfordby Amateurs (LSL)

6: Allexton & New Parks (L&D) v Earl Shilton Albion (LSL)

7: Asfordby Village (NL) v Glenfield Town (L&D)

8: Sileby Saints (LSL) v Birstall Royal British Legion (L&D)

9: Birstall Old Boys (NL) v Shepshed Amateurs (NL)

In the end my three choices were Asfordby Village (obviously!!!), Whitwick and Sileby Saints.

Asfordby is a small village and civil parish in the Melton District of north Leicestershire. It lies 3 1/2 miles to the west of Melton Mowbray. The parish consists not only of Asfordby itself but also Asfordby Valley and Asfordby Hill. Combined they have a population around the 3,000 mark.

Asfordby was the site of a modern deep coal pit built between 1984 and 1993. It closed in 1997 due to numerous geological difficulties and the low price of coal at the time.

source: The Blue Bell - Everards official site

Before the game it had been arranged for myself to pick up Cheltenham based Colin Buchanan (who specifically came up to watch this cup tie!!!) from Narborough train station before heading off to the Blue Bell pub in Hoby for liquid refreshment and if time lunch. If not lunch would be after the game before Colin headed home to Cheltenhamshire. The plan changed, as on Friday evening Colin called and stated that he would not be coming due to catch too much sun during this exceptionally warm week. In the end I along with my wife, mum and her partner went up to Melton Mowbray to visit the East Midlands Food Fair before making our way to the afore mentioned pub and football. The Blue Bell is a pub that I have been to one a couple of occasions before and is a typical English country pub, helped by the fact that they serve good food and beer. Beer drinkers will like the fact that they serve four Everards beers (Tiger, Beacon, Original and Sunchaser), Adnams Bitter and a guest beer. A pint of Sunchaser went down very well before making the short drive back to Asfordby. 

Asfordby Village Football Club are one of two teams that represent the village itself. The other and more well known 'Amateurs play just outside the village on Hoby Road and compete in the Leicestershire Senior League, while Holwell Sports of the East Midlands Counties League play their home games in Asfordby Hill. The ground that Village call home is behind the parish hall which is located on the eastern end of the village on Main Street. There is as expected nothing at the venue with the pitch not railed or roped off and no dugouts - typical for this level of football. 

Asfordby Village were formed in 1993 and I have no idea about their first eight years of existence, but in 2001 they joined division two of the Leicester & District League (LDL). A 3rd place finish in the eleven team division secured promotion to division. Final placings of 8th, 4th and 12th were achieved before they switched to division 2 of the North Leicestershire League (NLL) in 2005. They were promoted to division 1 at the end of season having finished in the runners-up position behind divisional champions Radmoor. In 2009 they secured promotion to the premier division despite only finishing in 4th place in division 1. The two seasons in the premier division have seen Asfordby record 12th and 8th place finishes respectively. 

The game was to be honest the worst part of the day as it was pretty poor. The first half was a niggly, stop start affair that saw very little football being played. Glenfield appeared to be the better side right from the start and we did not have to wait long for the opening goal. It came on eight minutes when the ball was worked well down their right and following a low cross the ball was turned in with a first time shot. Just after the half hour mark and Glenfield got their second of the afternoon. A cross field ball was headed back across the goal and David Postlethwaite headed home from a couple of yards out. The best move of the afternoon also saw the best save of the afternoon as following an excellent move the Asfordby keeper got down well to his right to turn to ball round the post. The third and final goal of the afternoon came on the hour mark when the Glenfield #4 scored with an individual effort, having finished well into the corner following a run through the home midfield and defence. To be fair to Asfordby they always kept trying to get something from the game but in reality did not look like scoring. I can only recall efforts they had that were on target and both were in the second half. One was a header that was cleared off the line and the other was a long range effort that was straight at the keeper.


In the end it was a comfortable win for the visitors but if they are to progress to the latter stages of this competition they will have to play a lot better than this.


Admission / programme: none
Attendance: 13 (head count)
Match rating: 1 1/2 out of 5


41 photos taken at the game can be viewed below:

sources:

Asfordby - wikipedia page

North Leicestershire League: official - full time

Leicester & District League: full time

In print...

Following the Greenhill - Victoria game a couple of weeks ago I e-mailed the Syston Town News to see if they would be interested in any of the photos I took during the game. The reason being was that Victoria play their home games at the Wreake Valley Community Centre in Syston itself. A positive response from the editor Fiona Henry came about who also asked it I could write a brief match report as well. No problem and below is the article and photo that is used in the latest edition of this monthly publication. The Syston Town News is available from the post office in Syston and has no purchase price.


This is the first time that I have had any of my work printed in any form of newspaper / publication. A couple of match reports have been in the odd non-league club programme, but other than this nothing. 

Playing badly and winning

BARROW TOWN 1-2 (aet) OADBY TOWN

Tuesday 27th September 2011

Leicestershire Senior Cup 1st Round

Riverside Park, Barrow-upon-Soar

A week off from work fortunately coincided with a midweek fixture for Oadby Town and pitted probably the two best teams in the competition against each other in a 1st round tie. This is Oadby's first venture in the Leicestershire Senior Cup since the 1998/99 season began like it did then @ Barrow Town. The final was reached before losing to Birstall United on penalty kicks. It began last night with a narrow 2-1 victory against an under strength side, which to be honest was a poor performance from an Oadby point of view. It is doubtful whether they can or will play as badly as this all season. 

Barrow started the brightest and created a couple of good chances in the opening ten minutes but the efforts, both from Naby Beny Doumbouya went side and blocked. Oadby then settled and opening the scoring on 19 minutes. James Miller flicked the ball to Michael Reeves who turned in the penalty area and finished coolly into the corner of the net. It took until 27 minutes for Oadby's first corner of the game but Craig Jacobs headed over. Just after the half hour mark captain Jon Stevenson outpaced the Barrow defence but his shot went wide of the post, and just two minutes later Reeves shot was saved by the Barrow keeper. Meanwhile Doumbouya continued to cause problems for Oadby and had further chances  to level things up, but the efforts all failed to trouble Danny Hanley in the Oadby goal. With the half coming to an end a latch ditch tackle from Steve Fenton prevented an equalising goal, and in the last seconds Stevenson should have put the game to bed but having been put clean through curled his shot wide of the upright. 

The second half was primarily a scrappy affair with Oadby offering very little and Barrow looking the most likely to get the next goal. Chances came and went until the 90th minute as Connor Hardy headed home a right wing cross for a deserved equaliser. This woke Oadby up and they should have won the game in injury time. Firstly an excellent cross from Jack Lane was headed over by substitute Kelvin Philips and then Lane himself curled a shot wide.

The first period of extra time saw Oadby step up a gear and took the game to their hosts. Firstly Matt Piper dragged a tame effort wide and Stevenson failed to connect to a Philips cross properly which saw the ball go wide. The winner came on 114 minutes when Piper saw the Barrow keeper off his line and lobbed him from 25 yards out. The ball hit the bar and bounced in off keepers head. The second period of extra time saw Oadby content to sit on their lead which in my opinion is a dangerous game to play at any level. Fortunately the game petered out  and Barrow could not find another equaliser that would take the game to penalty kicks.

Admission: £4

Programme: with admission

Attendance: 64 (head count)

Match rating: 1 1/2 out of 5

Senior Cup 1st Round - other ties

Anstey Nomads 2-1 Bardon Hill

Aylestone Park 2-1 Birstall United

Ellistown 2-1 Dunton & Broughton Rangers

Harborough Town 4-1 Desford

Highfield Rangers 2-5 St. Andrews

Medbourne 4-5 Sileby Town

Oakham United 1-2 Ashby Ivanhoe

Ratby Sports 4-4 Saffron Dynamo
after extra time. Ratby won 4-3 on penalty kicks

Thurmaston Town 3-1 Holwell Sports

Thurnby Nirvana 2-1 Blaby & Whetstone Athletic

Uppingham Town 1-2 Cottesmore Amateurs 

Food Hygiene at local clubs

Following a post on Kempster's Non-League forum about food hygiene I decided to look at the Food Standards Agency ratings for local football clubs. Basically the scale is 0-5 with 5 being the best. What I have found so far is:


5
Anstey Nomads, Barrow Town, Greenhill Youth Centre, Holwell Sports, Kirby Muxloe,  Mountsorrel Amateurs (as Mountsorrel Castle Cricket Club), Quorn, Ratby Sports, Shepshed Dynamo, Thurmaston Town (as Elizabeth Park Sports & Community Centre), Witherley United


4
Asfordby Amateurs, Barlestone St. Giles, Castle Donington, Caterpillar, Rothley Imperial (as Rothley Sports & Social Club), Stapenhill


3
Bardon Hill (as Bardon Hill Sports & Social Club), Blaby & Whetstone Athletic (as Blaby & Whetstone Boys Club), Heather St. Johns, Ibstock United (as Ibstock Miners Welfare Club), Loughborough Dynamo, Oadby Town


2
Earl Shilton Albion (as Stoneycroft Sports & Social Club)


1
Birstall United, Newhall United, Sileby Town


Awaiting Inspection
Narborough & Littlethorpe


Exempt
Huncote Sports & Social Club


No records found or not applicable
Ashby Ivanhoe, Aylestone Park, Barwell, Belgrave, Castle Donington Town, Coalville Town, Cottesmore Amateurs, Desford, Dunton & Broughton Rangers, Ellistown, Friar Lane & Epworth, Harborough Town, Hathern, Highfield Rangers, Hinckley United, Lutterworth Athletic, Lutterworth Town, Melton Mowbray, Saffron Dynamo, St. Andrews, Sileby Saints, Thringstone Miners Welfare, Thurlaston Magpies, Thurnby Nirvana

Hunting the Vase

OADBY TOWN 3-2 HUNTINGDON TOWN

Saturday 24th September 2011

FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round

Greene King Park

A briefer report than normal today as I am back at Greene King part for the second time this season to see Oadby Town. This is their first and hopefully not last game in this seasons FA Vase.  Opponents Huntingdon make the 49 mile trip across from Cambridgeshire for the first ever meeting between the two sides. This is a competition that holds fond memories for Oadby as they reached the semi-finals in 2003, having beaten holders Whitley Bay in the north-east in a tense 5th round tie before succumbing to eventual winners Brigg Town. To be honest their record since then has been pretty dire!!!! Let's hope today is the catalyst  for a long run in the competition.

Despite losing to Quorn in a replayed FA Cup tie they still remain unbeaten in the league with five wins from six games. In fact they remain the only unbeaten side in the East Midlands Counties League this season. Opponents Huntingdon compete in division 1 of the United Counties League which sits at the same level of the pyramid as the EMCL, and have four points from their three league games.

Pre-match prediction: I have generally been known to be incorrect at this but my head is saying Oadby should have too much firepower and win this either 2-0 or 3-1.

Oadby progressed to the first round proper of the FA Vase with a well fought and deserved victory in an entertaining game against their Cambridgeshire opponents. Both sides in the first half were evenly matched for the most post with chances missed at either end. For the hosts Jon Stevenson put the ball over when through on goal and hit a superb curling free kick that rattled the cross bar with the Huntingdon keeper well beaten, and skipper Joe Latham who was later to get on the score sheet had an effort cleared off the line. The opening goal of the game came on 39 minutes when Michael Reeves scored at the second attempt to give Oadby the lead. Just three minutes into the second half and it was all square as Oadby failed to clear, and the ball was headed home from a couple of yards out. Inside ten minutes and Oadby were back in front when Stevenson fed Reeves with a lovely through ball, who then rounded the keeper and finished with aplomb. Despite having a reasonable amount of possession Huntingdon failed to test the Oadby keeper. Oadby themselves always looked dangerous on the break with Stevenson in particular being denied by an excellent save. The crucial third goal for Oadby came with just six minutes remaining when Latham headed in a corner. With the game seemingly won Huntingdon got a second goal deep into injury time before the referee finally blew his whistle with some five extra minutes played.

The reward for the victory is a trip to Leicestershire Senior League side Lutterworth Athletic in the 1st round in four weeks time. Athletic themselves knocked out Anstey Nomads 3-1.

Admission: £5

Programme: £1

Attendance: ???

Match rating: 3 1/2 out of 5


My next visit to Oadby will be in two weeks time on October 8th for their EMCL encounter with Nottingham side Radford.


28 photos taken during the game can be viewed below:

Not football related but...

With a bit of time to kill I just thought I would share an insight into the musical taste of The Rambler. Below are a few videos by three of my favourite bands. Enjoy!!!!


1) 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite
2) Hinder - What Ya Gonna Do
3) Levellers - Before the End