Michael Owen
Michael Owen, Michael Owen
Runs so fast his boots are glowing.
Kicks the ball for all his worth
Now it’s orbiting the earth.
Roger Stevens (1970 – )
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Tuesday 27th October 2015
Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division k.o.:- 7.45pm
Longlevens 4
Brad Martin 2,
Ed Smyllie 17,
Ellis Sausman 65,
Shaun O’Connor 76,
Ardley United 1
Chris Jackson 52,
Referee:- Joshua Rudd Attendance:- 62
Admission:- OMGDS £3 (£5) Programme:- included
Longlevens have not been long in The Hellenic, having graduated from The Gloucestershire County League, but they have earned their place among the elite of the top division and this evening, one of the league’s more successful teams of recent years were given a real going over!!!
In fact, Ardley have recently changed managers and the new man has been left with a bunch of youngsters who are willing enough, but not wily enough to succeed at this level.
Longlevens’ ground in Gloucester is somewhat basic with a small covered area down one side with one row of perhaps twenty or thirty seats and standing room behind them. You can pay at the gate, but equally well, you can watch through the wire mesh from the car park of the local Ibis Hotel – not tonight, though, it was POURING down!
Wednesday 28th October 2015
East Midlands Counties League
Barrow Town 2
Louis Neckles 29,
Jake Limbert 61,
Holwell Sports 2
Graham Wells 48,
Matt Lowe 84,
Referee:- Craig Hammond Attendance:- 40
Admission:- £5 Programme:- included
The mist drifted in off the River Soar at Riverside Park, this evening, and hung like a shroud over one half of the ground.
On a brighter note, Julian Joachim graced the ranks of the opposition and will be kicking himself for a chance where he rounded the goalkeeper but saw his shot cleared off the line by a defender.
These two teams are desperately in need of points and struggling at the wrong end of the table, but a draw was a fair result, although either side could have snatched victory!
Saturday 31st October 2015
Vanarama National North
Gloucester City 1
Joshua Cooke 65,
Corby Town 0
Referee:- Richard Hume Attendance:- 312
Admission:- OMGDS:- £6 (£12) Programme:- £2
Gloucester City are (temporarily) playing at Whaddon Road, home of Nationwide Premier, Cheltenham Town. This must be their second or third season at Cheltenham, but progress is being made on their home ground and they do hope to return, although no date has been fixed, yet!
Corby Town are going through a particularly sticky patch at present, and, as ever, when such things happen, none of the luck was going for them! They did enough to secure a point from this game, but a Joshua Cooke strike just after the hour mark, denied them any reward from the afternoon’s contest!
Tuesday 3rd November 2015
FA Trophy 1st Qualifying Round Replay
Banbury United 0
Hungerford Town 3
Matt Day 36,
Mark Draycott 41,
Mike Jones 89,Referee:- Daniel Middleton (Heanor) Attendance:- 170
Admission:- OMGDS £6 (£10) Programme:- £2
The real mystery is how did Banbury get away with a draw at Hungerford? The locals explained it all by saying that four influential players were injured in that match! They were not even on the same galaxy as Hungerford this evening.
Banbury’s Spencer Stadium adjoins the railway station and between the two, there is a car park which can become quite treacherous in bad weather. It had rained all day and the car park was a mass of puddles unseen in the dark and one wrong foot …………!
The rain eased off, the goals came at effective intervals and the visitors cruised to victory. My first visit since The Puritans lost Southern League Premier Division status.
Wednesday 4th November 2015
FA Vase 1st Round Replay
Uttoxeter Town 3
Doug Price 21 (pen),
Lee Bagley 37,
Tommy Smith 79,
Loughborough University 2
Andrew Bridge 61, 67,
Referee:- Simon Lane Attendance:- 230
This was my second visit to Uttoxeter Town and there was a pretty large attendance for this Vase replay against higher league opposition.
Three of the above formed the only cover behind the near goal. They looked like dug-outs, but in fact they were a kind of mini-stand with room for about three people!
The support for the home side was ebullient, noisy, raucous and, occasionally – as above – very smokey! Smoke bombs were set off after every home goal and the young Turks of Uttoxeter thoroughly enjoyed their evening out and the victory!
The old man at The Uttoxeter snack bar, courtesy of Jack Warner!
Thursday 5th November 2015
FA Youth Cup 1st Round
Biggleswade Town 6
George Riley 54 (pen)
Keinan Davis 56, 59, 85,
Lee Northfield 79,
Matthew Moore 89,
Enfield Town 1
Lewis Wilson 57,
Referee:- Thomas Hancock Official Attendance:- 90
Admission:- £3 Programme- £1
This was my first visit to Langford Road in nearly four years, but the Meccano stadium was largely the same. Lovely welcome from the officials, programmes available and team sheets were free of charge. Trouble on The A1 meant that the visitors arrived late (as did Les Bull and Frank from Pinner) and the game commenced at 8.00pm. Biggleswade are a talented side and ran rings round their opponents but tended to over-elaborate. At half time it was still 0-0 and only because of some good goalkeeping by the visitors and some woeful finishing by the hosts! In the second half the floodgates opened and The Waders ran riot. The final score was a fair reflection of the difference between the two teams. Biggleswade are at home two weeks today in The FA Youth Cup 2nd Round! I think I may just make sure I’m there!
Friday 6th November 2015
Thurlow-Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division
Thetford Town 3
Ollie Standley 34,
Bruno Tavares 40,
Ian Fancett 60,
Walsham-le-Willows 2
Charlie Webb 18, 35,
Ryan Foster s/o 42
Referee:- Dean Appleby Attendance:- 183
Admission:- £6 Programme:- £1
Torrential rain bucketed down all the way from Northants to Norfolk, so much so that I rang the club en-route to make sure the match was on! The precipitation had substantially subsided by the time I got there, but the pitch was pretty slippery! This was only my second visit to Munford Road, and nine years since my first! The ground is essentially three sided but the vast majority of the spectators congregate cosily in the large seated stand along the near side. This was the hosts second league victory of the season and lifts them off the foot of the table and equal on points with tonight’s visitors. ‘Twas a good game with the hosts coming from behind twice before the visitors had a man sent off and the only goal of the second half was the home winner!
Saturday 7th November 2015
Ryman Isthmian League Premier division
Wingate & Finchley 4
Rob Laney 10, 38,
Lee Barney 30, 32,
Farnborough 3
Tommy Wright 8, 23,
Garry McDonald 90+2,
Referee:- Paul Johnson Attendance:- 138
Admission:- OMGDS £5 (£10) Programme:- £2
The weather this morning and before the game was a continuation of last evening’s torrential precipitation. I got myself a nice cheap (£10 return) rail deal from Peterborough to New Southgate and walked the one and a half miles from there to the ground. Needless to say, I got wet, but I needed this ground to complete The Isthmian Premier and when I got there, all the information I needed was willingly proffered. Strange ground with a fine main stand and covered areas behind one goal and along the side opposite to the main stand, but, in many parts of the ground, the space to stand in between pitch fence and the edge of the ground was less than a metre in width! The Blues made heavy weather of this one, falling behind twice in the first half to a Farnborough side in the relegation area and some seven points from safety. By the end of the half, they had a two goal advantage and the rain stopped, their opponents had a man sent off for two bookable offences and it looked plain sailing, but they couldn’t score and in the second minute of added time, the visitors pulled the deficit back to one goal, and so it ended.
This season:- Matches:- 101 New Grounds:- 59
Total:- Matches:- 3,308 New grounds:- 1,157
