From “The Goals of Bingo Boot”
by Allan Ahlberg
The Devil sat in his chairman’s chair
And spoke in Bingo’s ear
‘I’ve pulled a few strings, I must confess,
To arrange your transfer here.
For we’ve got this little match, y’see
(And I’ve got this little bet)
Away to The Heavenly City
And we’ve never beaten them yet.”
.
The Heavenly City were quite a side
(With fans who could really sing)
Cherubs and seraphs in the squad
And angels on the wing
St Paul was a rock at centre half
St Elvis a rock ‘n’ roll
They had Mother Theresa to captain the team
And Almighty God in goal.
.
The kick-off time was three o’clock
At the city’s heavenly ground
The angels of the lord came down
And passed the ball around
The tackles started flying
Nero fouled a nun
And the ref booked Good King Wenceslas
For a trip on Attila The Hun.
.
.
.
Wednesday 3rd May 2017
Abacus Lighting Central Midlands League
Black Dragon North Division
Collingham 2
Tom Moore 3, 32,
AFC Bentley 2
Luke Farrar 21,
Brad Maddison 90+2,
Referee:- Zachary Parris Attendance:- 61
Admission:- £3.00 Programme:- £1.00
The last league match of the season for these two clubs, fourth and third respectively in their division. Indeed, Collingham were on a fine run of seven straight wins which included a 23-1 victory against Thorne Colliery! One place above them, AFC Bentley could not be caught by their rivals who really ought to have won this match. The hosts led 2-1 at the interval and squandered several mouth-watering opportunities in the second half, only for the visitors to equalise in the second minute of added time!
Monday 8th May 2017
The (Derbyshire) Summer League
Bill Redfern Cup 2nd Round
Rose & Crown 5
Dan Bould 7. 16, 56 (pen),
Steve Wright 47, 84,
Brassington 1
Joe Redford 31,
Referee:- Syd Atwal Attendance:- 36
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
This was our first foray into this season’s Summer league – indeed, it was John’s first dip of the toe into this alternative arena. The Rose & Crown pub in Boylestone, just over the road from the ground, sponsors the team (and serves excellent ale), but the evening was a chit billy with quite a cutting breeze. The hosts, who are the early season front runners in the league, ran out easy and deserved winners with a hat trick from Dan Bould.
Tuesday 9.th May 2017
Spartan South Midlands League Division 2
Pitstone & Ivinghoe 2
Loughton Manor 2
Referee:- Neil Howard Attendance:- 52
Admission:- OMGDS£1.00 (£3) Programme:- NONE
The new ground for the hosts (this is their first season there), is not as good as the old one (in my opinion!). There is little more than a changing room pavilion, although, there are training lights and a small room for tea and crisps! Poignantly, the bench dedicated to Ben Wesley, pre-dates the new ground. Ben, a former youth player for the club, died in a road accident in 2012, aged only 18. Tonight was a game of two halves. The visitors scored two goals before the interval and the hosts replied with two of their own after the break. The healthy visiting support frequently reminded the referee vociferously of his shortcomings!
Wednesday 10th May 2017
Staffordshire County League Premier Division
Silverdale Athletic 2
Abbey Hulton United 2
Referee:- Chris Jackson Attendance:- 58
Admission:- £2.00 Programme:- NONE
On a warm sunny evening, this arena had a beautiful, yet rugged, setting in the old Silverdale Colliery. The galleries run right underneath the pitch. The ground is adjacent to the extensive park built on the slag heaps from the coal mine. Tonight, champions Abbey Hulton United were the visitors. They will be playing North-West Counties League football next season. However, they have narrowly lost the last two fixtures and were a tad fortunate to escape with a point this evening. They took the lead in the first half, but were pegged back on the hour mark. They withstood heavy pressure from the hosts and broke away to score a second goal with four minutes remaining. Silverdale responded and deservedly equalised in the 90th minute.
Thursday 11th May 2017
Kershaws Cambridgeshire County League
Foster Challenge Cup Semi-final
Meldreth 2
Great Chisill 3
(after extra time FT:- 2-2)
Referee:- Peter Howard Attendance:- 30
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
Good pint in “The British Queen” down the road and there was a bar in the extensive facilities at Meldreth’s Eternit Sports Ground. Brian Buck, Peter Miles and Keith Slater were all there and the match was played on a very warm and pleasant evening. The visitors are some two divisions higher than Meldreth – indeed it will be three divisions, next season, as they have just won promotion. By the interval they had secured a two goal advantage and the result looked beyond doubt. Fifteen minutes into the second half, the hosts deservedly drew level. Thereafter however, chances to both sides were few and far between. With the light fading, the referee chose to allow twenty minutes of extra time and it was in the final of those twenty minutes after squandering several lucrative opportunities, that Great Chisill eventually overcame their plucky opponents, who surely had merited a penalty shoot-out.
Peter Miles (left), Keith Slater and Brian Buck on the right!
Friday 12th May 2017
Northants Combination Division 4 K.O. Cup Final
Corby Raven 1
Jamie Irvine 89,
Stanwick Rovers 1
Bill Gates 70,
No Extra Time. Stanwick Rovers won 5-4 on penalties.
Referee:- Tom Stapleton Attendance:- 145
Admission:- £5.00 programme:- included
Wellingborough Whitworth’s ground forms the long leg of The “T” with Wellingborough Town’s ground (see photo below). This evening, they hosted a Northants Combination cup final. It was not a classic and, frankly, no surprise when the scores remained level at full time. There was no extra time and after Ravens missed with their first penalty, all the other penalties were scored and Stanwick Rovers took the cup by the slenderest of margins!
Behind the goal you can see the stand at Wellingborough Town’s ground!
The Flour Mill after which the side is named!
Monday 15th May 2017
(Derbyshire) Summer League
Mayfield 0
Brassington 6
Joe Redford 14, 25, 37, 40,
Will Duke 48 (og),
James Slater 54,
Referee:- John Ford (Sen) Attendance:- 33
Last week, it was the visitors who were on the end of a thrashing, but this week they were dishing it out to a poor Mayfield side who huffed and puffed to little effect! It was my first visit to the compact and neat home of Mayfield and with me came the rain which grew increasingly incessant! The visitors had a star in their ranks – young Ben Cartwright plays for Chesterfield’s youth team and has recently been watched by Leicester City, so we were told. He didn’t score, but he did manage to find his name in the referee’s notebook! John Main, Graeme Askham and I drove up to the match and it was good to see Peter Ford there, too – fourteen games in a row, now with four or more goals in each of them for Peter!!
Graeme watches cocooned from the weather!
Wednesday 17th May 2017
FA Women’s Super League Spring Series
Birmingham City Ladies 2
Ellen White 39, 45,
Bristol City Women 0
Referee:- Sarah Garratt Attendance:- 419
Admission:- OMGDS £5 (£8) Programme:- £2.50
The heavy rain that had pounded down all day relented as this match at Solihull Moors FC commenced this evening. Birmingham City, fresh from their cup final appearance last weekend, bombarded the Bristol goal but their only reward was a two goal burst from Ellen White, just before half-time, that won the game and the points. It was a good match on an excellent playing surface.
Sunday 21st May 2017
Non-League Finals Day at Wembley
Buildbase FA Vase Final
Cleethorpes Town 0
South Shields 4
Carl Finnigan 43,
Dillon Morse 80,
David Foley 86, 89,
Referee:- Darren England
Buildbase FA Trophy Final
Macclesfield Town 2
Rhys Browne 13,
Oliver Norburn 45+2
York City 3
Jon Parkin 8,
Vadaine Oliver 22,
Aidan Connolly 86,
Referee:- Paul Tierney
Attendance:- 38,224 Admission:- OMGDS £10 (£25)
Programme:- £5 Hot dog:- £7.50 Pint of Real Ale:- £4.95
Great day out and a real bargain! The first match was a fairly pedestrian victory for a far superior South Shields team (who also brought the most support of all the teams on the day). The second match was much more entertaining with four goals being shared in the first half and a lone second half effort for The Minstermen claiming the victory after they had been under sustained pressure for much of the half.
Friday 26th May 2017
The Gayford Carrott Memorial Invitational Trophy Cup Final
The Leicester & Charnwood Sunday Football League
Shepshed United 2
Charlie Dunkin 64,
River Hardy 70,
Birstall Stamford A 5
Liam Derry 15, 29, 65, 68,
Aiden Black 38,
Referee:- Richard Robertson Attendance:- 143
Admission:- £3.00 Programme:- incl.
I think they must have been holding cup finals at Holmes Park in Whetstone, Leicester, for nearly every day in May! This was one of the last ones and the Gayford Carrott Trophy is named after a chairman of the Leicestershire League who sadly succumbed to cancer in 2015. Birstall were the dominant team and had nonchalantly gained a three goal advantage before Shepshed got their names on the score sheet. There were four goals shared in the last twenty-five minutes, but Birstall decisively clinched the match and the trophy!
Saturday 27th May 2017
TWR Shipowners Charity Cup FINAL
Richmond Town 2
Martin Butterworth 48,
Wayne Greoziak 67,
Cleator Moor Celtic 4
Luke Close 6,
Callum Birdsall 53, 88,
Josh Charlton 90,
Referee:- James Westgate Attendance:- 359
Admission:- £2.00 Programme:- £1.00
We’ll forget the appalling traffic on the journey up to North Yorkshire, Earl’s Orchard was a dream of a ground in the vast shadow of Richmond Castle. There is no chance of development, no matter how ambitious Richmond Town are, no floodlights or stands would be allowed. Today, they entertained close rivals Cleator Moor Celtic, who bossed the first half, before a torrential downpour with hailstones and lightning, extended the half-time to nearly forty minutes. When play resumed, the hosts were more determined and managed an early equaliser. With three minutes to go, the sides were locked at 2-2 but two goals from the visitors right at the death, saw them claim the victory and the trophy – quite deservedly!
Blanked out by the heavy rain, the castle walls are barely visible!
Tuesday 30th May 2017
(Ashbourne) Summer League
Wheel Madrid 3
Tom Trevors 21,
Dan Hodgkinson 31,
Tom Hodgkinson 46,
Kirk Langley 2
Max 68, 84,
Referee:- Culi Sidhu Attendance:- 31
Wheel Madrid hail from The Wheel Inn, in Ashbourne and play their home matches on Ashbourne Recreational Park (sharing with Ashbourne OB). This year, rugby has been added to the list of sports played there, but Ashbourne Town are still playing at Rocester and the site of Ashbourne Town’s new ground is still pretty derelict! Kirk Langley, who are not enjoying the most successful of seasons, looked the more likely early on, but the hosts struck twice in the first half and added a third in the second, before the visitors re-awoke their early match zeal and plundered a couple of goals late on, but it was too little, too late!
Notice the large sand covered furrow in the foreground!
Other matches:-
Monday 1st May 2017
Northants Senior Youth League East
Rothwell Corinthians 3 Desborough Town 4 Attendance:- 59
Tuesday 16th May 2017
Coventry Alliance Premier Division
Folly Lane 5 Jaguar/Daimler 5 Attendance:- 16
Friday 19th May 2017
Everards Alliance League EW Foster Cup Final
Blaby United 6 FC Tumar 0 Attendance:- 319
Tuesday 23rd May 2017
Leicestershire & Rutland FA Challenge Cup Final
Barwell 3 Coalville Town 1 Attendance:- 592
Wednesday 31st May 2017
FA Women’s Super League Spring Series
Birmingham City Ladies 0 Yeovil Town Ladies 0 Attendance:- 625
Matches:-
This Season:- Matches:- 243 New Grounds:- 114
TOTAL:- Matches:- 3,690 New Grounds:- 1,341
