Kingsway crowned

Broughton Astley 0-5 Kingsway Rangers

Leicester & District League Division 1

Saturday 28th March

Frolesworth Road Recreation Ground

The Leicester & District League is a league that I would take an educated guess at does not feature on the radar of many, if any groundhoppers. The clubs vary from having their own grounds to using school or park pitches with admission or programmes non existant. Today’s game saw Broughton Astley who lie second bottom take on unbeaten division leaders Kingsway Rangers who have only dropped two points all season - a draw away @ Queniborough.

Broughton Astley is a large village nine miles south of Leicester and six miles east of Hinckley located between the B4114 and A426. The population is believed to be around the 10,000 mark which comprises of three historic settlements – Broughton Astley itself, Primethorpe and Sutton-in-Elms.

Broughton play at the Frolesworth Road Recreation Ground which also houses a childrens play area, skate park and a cricket pitch. The pitch looked like it had seen better days and in need of a good roll. This along with a swirling wind made conditions difficult. As I found out during the second half Kingsway needed to win today to be crowned division 1 champions. The game started (as expected) with the visitors making the early running and created a few chances in the first five minutes which forced the home keeper to produce comfortable saves. As the half wore on the game became scrappy with few chances being created, though just before half time the visitors had a goal disallowed for offside. The second half saw Kingsway break the deadlock on 52 minutes with a shot from the edge of the area. The second then followed two minutes later when the number 9 scored from the penalty spot, and pretty much straight from kick-off the number 6 went through the visiting defence to slot home number 3. The scoring was not finished as the number 9 scored with a header from eight yards on the hour mark. Four goals in an eight minute spell ended the game as a contest and it was then a question of when Kingsway would score next. The answer came with ten minutes left when (I think) the number 11 scored with a cracking shot from outside the area.

Attendance: around 15 but varied throughout the game

Distance / driving time: 10 miles / 25 minutes

Why?

Thoresby Colliery Welfare 0-1 Westella & Willerby

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Saturday 21st March 2009

Thoresby Colliery Sports Ground, Edwinstowe

I know it is getting on for a week after the event but this is the first time since the game that I have had time to put down some notes on the game.

I wasn't planning to go to a game but having rose at around 12.30pm after finishing another wonderful night shift at Asda I decided to take in a game. Also with it being a nice day weather wise helped make the decision easier. The next question was where? My preference was a non-floodlit club so I had a look on the internet and made the decision to head up into Robin Hood country and more specifically the town of Edwinstowe which is where Thoresby Colliery Welfare play their home games. I also had the wife and dog in tow and as events later unfolded was glad of the company.

Without any hick-ups it should take around 1 hour 10 minutes to make the 48 mile journey. Typically as I didn't leave myself much leeway I got held up on the A46 and made it at the ground just as kick-off was about to commence. Admission was £2 each, though thankfully they did not charge for the dog and £1 for a programme - they had actually sold out of programmes but at half time I spoke to Rob Hornby who is on the committee for the Central Midlands League and he authorised in allowing me to have the league's copy. Thanks Rob much appreciated.

The ground is a large open sports ground that also houses a cricket pitch. The football pitch is fully railed off with what looks like some cover on the far side. As the wife doesn't like football she took advantage of the openness to take the dog for a walk during the game. Now to the game...

This is where the heading will make sense. The game in all truth was deadful. The visitors from Hull scored after two minutes and...that was about it. Poor football from both teams and I think it was a case that Westella knew they didn't have to be at their best and / or exert themselves too much to win the game and this is how the game panned out. Thoresby tried to play some football but didn't have the quality to threaten the visiting defence. The only other chance of note that springs to mind was in the second half when the visitors rattled the post with a shot that deserved a goal. But alas it was not to be and I was glad when the final whistle went.

Definately one of those cases where you wonder...why did I bother?

On the plus side, like most if not all clubs in the Central Midlands League that I have visited over the years, Thoresby are a well run and friendly club to visit.

Advantage Houghton

Desford 1-3 Houghton Rangers

Saturday 28th February 2009

Leicester & District League Premier Division

Sport in Desford

With having completed the Leicestershire Senior League I am now taking more of an interest in it's three feeder leagues, with the District League being one of them. The other two are the Leicester City League and North Leicestershire League. At present I am yet to attend a game in the latter two but I'm sure over the next year or two this will change.

This clash today saw a battle of the top 2 with the visitors from Houghton-on-the-Hill, a village 6 miles east of Leicester leading the hosts Desford by one point but having played a game more. Desford play at "Sport in Desford" on Peckleton Lane, a ground that I saw former Leicestershire Senior League side HM Desford Sports play Ravenstone a few years ago. Desford is very easy to get to from home taking only around 10 minutes to get there, the majority of which is down the A47 in the Hinckley direction.

The first half was an even affair in terms of possession and chances but it was the visitors who struck first on five minutes when a cross from Andy Almond was headed home by their number 8. It took a while for Desford to get into the game but they equalised on 34 minutes through a right footed volley from Rocky Greenwood, which came only a minute after a Paddy Smith header was well saved by the home keeper. Smith then again went close when a shot from the edge of the area hit the outside of the post. The second half was a different story with the visitors playing the better football and creating the better chances and deservedly took the lead on 67 minutes. Andy Almond was left unmarked in the penalty area and headed home a free kick past the keeper. Almond got his second with ten minutes remaining when he tapped home from a couple of yards out to put the game beyond doubt.

With the teams still to play each other at Houghton there could yet be another twist in the race for promotion to the Leicestershire Senior League.

website:

www.desfordfc.co.uk

A casual affair

Wolverhampton Casuals 1-2 Shawbury United

Tuesday 24th February 2009

West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division

Brinsford Lane

After much deliberation for what was to be my first midweek games since early December I decided to make a first venture (for this season) into the West Midlands (Regional) League. Wolverhampton Casuals were to be my destination, which for some reason had been on my hit list as it were for a few years now. The WMRL is not a league I venture into very often having only seen five previous games in the league over the years, only two of which still ply their trade. The clubs being Pelsall Villa and Warstones Wanderers.

The journey across the Midlands saw me leave home in south-west Leicester at around 6pm for the sixty odd mile drive west, mostly along motorways (M69, M6 and M54). As a percentage of travel I can’t recall spending as much time on the motorway network to get to a ground as this one. For me it was a case of joining the M69 where it meets the M1, travel its entire length to the M6, then take the M54 exit and finally leave the motorways at junction 2 of the 54. When leaving the M54 you turn right (or left if coming from the Telford direction) onto the A449 and the ground is about 400 yards on the right hand side. With the A449 being a dual carriageway you have to go to the first island and go back on yourself before turning into Brinsford Lane. The ground is in the Coven Heath area and has a rural feel about it. The only cover is a bench seated stand which runs along half the length of the clubhouse side of the ground. I was welcomed at the entrance to the ground and was charged £3 and a further £1 for a 20 page programme.

The game itself was very enjoyable with some good football being played on an excellent surface for this time of year. The visitors from Shropshire started brightly and were awarded a couple of corners in the first few minutes, only for the home side to break and were awarded a penalty, The penalty was saved and the rebound struck the post. Not to be deterred the home side took the lead on 16 minutes when Aaron Broomfield headed home following a right wing cross. No further goals ensued in the remainder of the half but the game was a fascinating contest – the pace and movement of the home side versus the more physical presence of the visitors. The second half was much the same as the first with both teams creating chances, but the home side seemed disrupted by the injury of their number 10 (the best player on the night) and a couple of other substitutions and it was no surprise to see Shawbury equalise with only two minutes remaining through Chris Henry. This was not the end of the drama as the visitors stole all three points with another goal from the previously mentioned Henry who headed home in the first minute of injury time. As a neutral who had to feel sorry for the Casuals who deserved something from an entertaining game. It is just a shame that only twenty people were in attendance - maybe had something to do with a certain Champions League match on the tv.

A review so far...

With a bit of time to kill on a nondescript Tuesday lunchtime I started looking back at my previous posts this season and noticed a particular post entitled "The New Season" dating August 10th. In it I state some clubs that I would like to visit during the course of the season. Well with the season now six months old I thought i'd look and see if any of my plans materialised.

Tipton Town - did not materialise due to missing the fixture with Oadby Town
Sleaford Town - hopeful still, though will have to be on a Tuesday night
Eynesbury Rovers - no plans now
Boston Town - see above
Olney Town - dependant on a midweek fixture
Rushden & Higham United - will leave till next season now
Shirebrook Town - visited in October
Castle Vale - would have gone if played midweek on Tuesdays
Continental Star - you never know. Will visit in April if anytime
Loughborough University - saw county cup with Oadby Town in November
Meir KA - doubtful now
Uppingham Town - only if they have a midweek game at end of season
Bolsover Town - folded. Missed chance.
Pinxton - still hopeful
Nettleham - again only if they have a midweek game on a Tuesday night.
Romulus - still plan to visit.
Malvern Town - probably will not bother now.

Also visited all Leicestershire Senior Clubs needed excluding the reserves of Friar Lane & Epworth and do not plan to visit them. As far as I am concerned I have completed the LSL now. For this season anyhow.

The 14 new clubs (and 11 new grounds) that I have visited this season have been spread across 7 different leagues. The breakdown being:

Central Midlands League: Bulwell Town and Parkhouse
Hellenic League: Witney United
Leicester & District League: Glenfield Town and Kingsway Rangers
Leicestershire Senior League: Ashby Ivanhoe, Evington*, FC Dynamo*
Midland Combination: Loughborough University*
Northern Counties East League: Shirebrook Town
Spartan South Midlands League: Aylesbury Vale, Buckingham Athletic, Langford and New Bradwell St Peter

Also seen Oadby Town once at home and Leicester City twice. Also have tickets for the Leicester - Cheltenham game on March 7th.

The plans for the rest of the season are to visiti a few more local clubs that ply their trade in the three feeder leagues for the Leicestershire Senior League. These include:

County Hall, Desford and Soar Media.

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)

Tipton Town v Oadby Town

Much to my annoyance I never actually got to this game despite it being the one fixture that I wanted to attend above all others this season. I had everything planned - no overtime and finish work at 6am, home by 6.15, bed by 6.30. So far so good. Then a major problem occured - could I settle and get some sleep? Could I bolloks!!!! By about 1pm which was the planned time to get out of bed I had had about 2 hours sleep and thought it would be unsafe for me to drive anywhere, let alone 60 odd miles to Tipton. So unfortunately I ended up going back to bed and getting up around 5.30pm.

Hopefully I will get to this fixture next season! If Oadby don't get relegated that is.

By the way the final score was Tipton Town 2-0 Oadby Town. I had predicted beforehand that it would be 4-0 to Tipton, which you can see that I have such high expectations for Oadby this season!!!!!!!!

If I can get some sleep then I will be attending games on the next three Saturday's. Anyway going to get tickets for the Leicester - Swindon game on the 14th February today or tomorrow - special offer at £10 each.