The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee
(From “The Destruction of Sennacherib” by Lord Byron 1815)
Monday 3rd October 2016
Evo-Stik Southern League Challenge Cup 1st Round
Cambridge City 1
Tunde Adewunmi 83,
Histon 1
Cameron Watson 28,
Referee:- Christopher Reeson Attendance:- 145
No extra time was played
Histon won 4-1 on penalties
Cambridge are still playing at St Ives’ Westwood Road ground and look likely to be there next season, too. A little old lady in the High Court is holding up planning permission for their new stadium out at Sawston. Both City and Histon have started this season nervously and both sit in the lower reaches of The Southern League Premier Division. Histon made all the running in the first half but could only stamp one goal on their undoubted authority. In the second half, they conceded late on, the game went straight to penalties and Cambridge missed all of their first three – and with that went the match!
Wednesday 5th October 2016
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Premier Division
Corby Town 1 Stourbridge 2
Referee:- Steven Abbott (Sutton-in-Ashfield)
Attendance:- 462 Admission:- OMGDS £8 (£12)
Programme:- £2.50 Hotdog:- £2.20
Son, Michael and grandson, Freddie (aged six), came with me to Steel Park for this lacklustre performance by the hosts. The healthy attendance did little to inspire the players on the pitch and with no score at half-time, the game was in danger of descending into a yawn. Immediately after the break, The Steelmen took the lead with an exquisitely taken free-kick on the edge of the area (see photo below). Stourbridge, who had looked the more composed throughout, struck back with two goals in three minutes just after the hour mark and deservedly took the spoils.
Corby Town’s goal at tonight’s game!
Dad and son – Mike and Freddie at Corby Town
Tuesday 11th October 2016
Chromasport & Trophies United Counties
League Cup 1st Round
Cogenhoe 2 Oakham United 1
Referee:- Joshua Crofts Attendance:- 35
Admission:- £6.00 Programme:- £1.00
It was a cold night on the far side of Northampton for this League Cup tie which pitted Premier against First Division opposition. In an entertainingly cagey encounter, Cogenhoe (pronounced “Cook-no” – hence the nickname “The Cooks”), found themselves deservedly adrift shortly after half-time as Oakham bossed the match. However, two late goals saw them saw them safely into the next round in front of a disappointingly small gathering.
Saturday 15th October 2016
Ryman Isthmian League Division 1 North
Tilbury 1 Bowers & Pitsea 1
Referee:- R. Head Attendance:- 91
Admission:- OMGDS £6 (£9) programme:– Incl.
Tilbury is deep in London’s dockland and the cranes silently rear over the stadium like some giant Martian spaceships. The ground is neat and quirky with a couple of interesting seated stands. As for the game, it was a local derby between two sides with aspirations on promotion, but, sadly, all the action was packed into the first twelve minutes. Thereafter an attritional war of possession was fought until both sides had slogged to a standstill. A point apiece was a fair return, but it wasn’t pretty.
John Main and Chris Berezai at Tilbury
Monday 17th October 2016
Evo-Stik Southern League Premier division
Hitchin Town 1 Cambridge City 0
Referee:- D. Skinner Attendance:- 294
Admission:- OMGDS £6 (£10) Programme:- £2
“The moon was a ghostly galleon, tossed upon stormy seas”, well, not really, it was quite a mild night, but I couldn’t resist the quote from “The Highway Man” by Alfred Noyes! Anyway, these two sides from opposite ends of the table pawed each other like toothless tigers for ninety minutes and then, in the fourth minute of added time, the hosts scored to the delight of the home support, but to the consternation of the away team, who surely deserved a point from the contest, but were denied at the death!
Wednesday 19th october 2016
Hallmark Securities North-West Counties League
1st Division
Eccleshall 0 Whitchurch Alport 5
Referee:- Mr R. Goodwin-Davey Attendance:- 83
Admission:- OMGDS £3 (£5) Programme:- £1
“The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, and his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold”, except that these cohorts were in red as Alport, second in the table, relentlessly battered the home defence. It was nothing less than a miracle that the hosts, second from bottom in the table, lasted for thirty five minutes before the first goal went in. Excellent keeping from the home custodian and the frame of the goal kept the score down to reasonable proportions, but the gulf between the sides was seismic. Lovely little ground in the middle of nowhere and friendly and helpful officials. John Main and I enjoyed our visit!
Saturday 22nd October 2016
Barclays Premiership
Liverpool 2 West Bromwich Albion 1
Referee:- Neil Swarbrick Attendance:- 53,218
My grandson, Freddie’s, first awesome visit to Anfield. Is it really thirty years since I took his dad for a first visit to Anfied? It seems hard to believe (26th April 1986 Liverpool 5 Birmingham City 0 att.:- 42,021). I think he enjoyed his day – despite the appalling traffic congestion in both directions! He was home just before midnight!
Freddie Arthur McGeown on his first visit to Anfield
Dad, Michael and Freddie outside Anfield
Wednesday 26th October 2016
EFL Cup 4th Round
West Ham United 2 Chelsea 1
Referee:- Craig Pawson Attendance:- 45,957
Admission:- £30.00 Programme:- £3.50
Not a game I would normally attend, but needs must in order to keep my membership of the ’92 Club’. Crowded and overpriced. Good luck to them, I shan’t need to visit again.
Quite a good match, though, as large numbers of reserves battled it out with each other. West Ham had a 2-0 lead shortly after half-time, but Chelsea, reinforced by Eden Hazard and Diego Costa began to look threatening, but all they could manage was an added time consolation.
Sunday 30th October 2016
Mayo League – Superleague Division
Castlebar Celtic 4 Iorris Aonthaithe 2
Referee:- Martin Regan Attendance:- 56
Admission:- €5.00 Programme:- NONE
This was my third visit to a Mayo League match and Celtic Park is by far the best stadium that I have seen in this league (although, I was told that Westport played their first match in a brand new and expensive stadium last weekend!). I was made to feel very welcome with cups of tea and doughnuts and team sheets were available (this season, the league have increased the number of players who can be substituted from three to five). As far as the hosts were concerned, this was the last match of the league season and mattered little, except in terms of pride. For the visitors, relegation loomed. This was a match that they had to win. Level on points with Ballyheane, one of those two teams would be relegated. The visitors opened as if their lives depended upon the outcome.They scored first, in the ninth minute and when that goal was equalised two minutes later, they retook the lead within a minute and held on for twenty more minutes. The hosts gradually began to take control in a frenetic match played at a good pace. They equalised in the twenty-fifth minute and took the lead on the half-hour mark and never looked like relinquishing their control, scoring a final knock-out goal in the 89th minute. Ballyheane, meanwhile, won their match and it was curtains for Erris (the English version of their name is Erris United).The weather was fine and I had a thoroughly enjoyable visit and I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Mayo!
Other matches in October:-
Saturday 1st October 2016
Bedfordshire League Division 1
Henlow 3 Ickleford 3 Attendance:- 128
Bedfordshire League Division 11
Kempston Hammers 2 Wixams 0 Attendance:- 93
Bedfordshire League Division 111
Wootton Village 2 White Eagles 2 Attendance:- 131
Tuesday 4th October 2016
Chromasport & Trophies United Counties League Premier Division
Desborough Town 3 Kirby Muxloe 2 Attendance:- 80
Friday 7th October 2016
Western League Division 1
Bishop Sutton 0 Keynsham Town 1 Attendance:- 247
Saturday 8th October 2016
Western League Division 1
Cheddar 2 Portishead Town 1 Attendance:- 222
Western League Premier Division
Wells City 2 Cadbury Heath 5 Attendance:- 219
Western League Division 1
Westbury United 0 Malmesbury Victoria 1 Attendance:- 233
Western League Division 1
Calne Town 3 Corsham Town 2 Attendance:- 257
Sunday 9th October 2016
Western League Division 1
Chard Town 2 Bishops Lydeard 3 Attendance:- 240
Western League Premier Division
Street 4 Chipping Sodbury Town 2 Attendance:- 291
Monday 10th October 2016
Northants Senior Youth League East
Desborough Town 8 Corby Town 1 Attendance:- 47
Wednesday 12th October 2016
Perpetua Press Hellenic Floodlit Cup 2nd Round
Hook Norton 3 Clanfield 85 2 aet Attendance:- 36
Tuesday 18th October 2016
European Champions League Group G
Leicester City 1 FC Copenhagen 0 Attendance:- 31,037
Thursday 20th October 2016
FA Youth Cup 3rd Qualifying Round
Ely City 1 Bedworth United 2 Attendance:- 151
Monday 24th October 2016
Northants Senior Youth League East
Desborough Town 6 S&L Corby 3 Attendance:- 48
Tuesday 25th October 2016
Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West
Swindon Supermarine 0 Hereford 3 Attendance:- 823
Friday 28th October 2016
League of Ireland Premier Division
Dundalk 4 Galway United 1 Attendance:- 3,641
Saturday 29th October 2016
Danske Banke Irish Premiership
Cliftonville 3 Glenavon 0 Attendance:- c1,000
Monday 31st October
Northants Senior Youth League Cup 1st Round
Desborough Town 4 ON Chenecks 1 Attendance:- 45
This season:-
Matches:- 97 New Grounds:- 52
Total:-
Matches:- 3,543 New Grounds:- 1,280
