Why do you love football
by Candy Simpson
.
Why do you love football?
What do you see in it?
Why not watch another sport
Like Rugby, Golf, or Cricket?
.
Well let me answer that my friend
And put your mind at rest
I love the beautiful game
Because it’s simply the best
.
No other sport is as exciting
No other comes anywhere near
Football can create passion
And lots of atmosphere
.
It is loved all around the world
Most children kick a football
Rich kids, and poor kids
small kids, and some very tall
.
A good football match is a joy to watch
That’s why thousands go to every game
When you get goals and lots of action
All the fans are so glad that they came
.
So yes my friend I do love football
It’s by far the number one sport for me
So while you’re watching Golf and Cricket
I’ll be watching Match of the Day, or Man U F.C.
.
.
.
Saturday 2nd September 2017
Vanarama National League South
Whitehawk 2
Connor Tighe 65,
Liam Gordon 85,
Poole Town 2
Warren Bentley 26,
Jez Bedford 34,
Referee:- Matty Buonassissi Attendance:- 298
Admission:- OMGDS £7 (£12) Programme:- £2.00
On a blazing hot day Phil Evans and I feasted al fresco at a beachside hostelry in Rottingdean before adjourning to The TerraPura Ground, home of Whitehawk, the currently embattled and winless members of National League South. In the first half they looked a sad side and were given a sharp lesson by the visitors who took a two goal lead into the interval. I don’t know what went into the half-time cuppa,or what was said by newly appointed Dan Harding, but they were a team transformed in the second half. It was a pity that they took so long to get going. In added time and having already cancelled out the visitors two first half strikes, Lucas Rodrigues had a glorious chance to snatch the victory, but his effort was turned away by the Poole custodian. On this form, a first league win could well be in the offing!
Monday 4th September 2017
Emirates FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Replay
Hitchin Town 1
Callum Donnelly 32,
Haringey Borough 1 aet
Christopher Benjamin 21,
Referee:- Elliott Swallow Attendance:- 201
Admission:- OMGDS £6 (£10) Programme:- NONE
It was very pleasant to make my acquaintance once again with the wooden terracing of Hitchin Town’s Top Field. Sadly, they were not able to produce a programme as the first match had only been played on Saturday! The game started out looking like a home banker, but gradually, the visitors began to show their poise and it was no surprise when they took a 21st minute lead. The hosts equalised ten minutes later and for the next hour and a half, it was pretty boring stuff! Eventually, in the penalty shoot-out, the hosts missed the first two whilst Haringey scored theirs. The Canaries scored the third and fourth but missed the fifth and that condemned them to a defeat by 3-2 on penalties to their lower league rivals!
Tuesday 5th September 2017
Midland League Premier Division
Loughborough University 0
Quorn 1
George Lynam 26 (og),
Referee:- Ben Watkiss Attendance:- 109
Admission:- OMGDS £2 (£5) Programme:- £1.00
Always a pleasure to meet up with the students in their opulent stadium, but this evening matched two sides – each with one point from six games – propping up the league table and at times and in passages of play, it was easy to see why! In the end, the visitors deserved their victory, achieved with the assistance of an own goal after twenty-six minutes.
Wednesday 6th September 2017
Thurlow-Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division
Godmanchester Rovers 1
Tom Spark 32,
Ben Yeomans s/o 90+1
Newmarket Town 2
Austin Diaper 17,
Steve Spriggs 71,
Referee:- Martin Gospel Attendance:- 155
Admission:- £6.00 Programme:- £1.00
Hadn’t been to Bearcroft Lane for a while and the first thing that greeted me was the substantial housing estate which now lies next door. Indeed, the ground, I noticed, is called The David Wilson Homes Ground!!! I well remember Goddy when they first burst upon the Eastern League scene and what a shoddy and very basic arena they had. Much has changed, including a lovely new clubhouse opened by John Major in 2012. The match wasn’t anything to write home about, The Jockeys were the stronger side, but Goddy, managed by Ollie Drake, who last season took Hardwick to The Kershaws Premier title, will improve given time and a little more luck!
Friday 8th September 2017
Chromasport & Trophies United Counties League Division 1
Thrapston Town 3
Cory James 25, 44,
Chris Hope 87,
Burton Park Wanderers 4
Michael Byrne 17,
Stuart McMichael 45+2
Paul Caswell 73, 78,
Referee:- Paul Gregory Attendance:- 135
Admission:- £5.00 Programme:- NONE – free teamsheet
This was Thrapston’s first home game of the season after five consecutive away fixtures. Cricket had taken precedence! However, it wasn’t a winning home match. Honours even at the interval when the sides shared four first half goals, but thereafter, Wanderers pulled away and it was only a consolation three minutes from time that brought a little respectability to the scoreline for the hosts!
I liked the motto on the crest which said: “Oppido Servire”, which, if my dog Latin is correct, means: “To serve the Town”!
The home side photo call before the match. I’m glad they weren’t wearing that abominable colouring for the match!
The cricket season is in full swing and Thrapston Town played the first five games of their season away from home to accommodate the cricket!
Saturday 9th September 2017
Buildbase FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round
Skegness Town 3
Daniel Stevens 34,
Jordan Smith 41,
Luke Rayner-Mistry 65,
Sleaford Town 0
Referee:- Jack Forder (Lincoln) Attendance:- c150
Admission:- £4.00 Programme:- £1.00
Skegness Town is part of a whole new complex on the edge of the town which includes Rugby as well as three football pitches.
The Vertigo Stadium is named after a local Scaffolding group
The reserves were playing on an adjacent pitch behind the far goal and the only difference between the two pitches was the absence of covered standing or seating on the second pitch. Poor old Sleaford. They are having a terrible season. The last time I saw them, they lost 6-0 at Holbeach United. I don’t think that they have won since, and, today, against a side two steps below them in the pyramid, they were turned over with ease by a team with more skill and determination. I hope it gets better for them, but on this showing……. it is not very likely!
Monday September 11th 2017
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Division 1 South
Romulus 2
Jordan Francis 6,
Romario Martin 61,
Cameron Lee s/o 10,
Lee Brown s/o 69,
Kidsgrove Athletic 4
Rhys Thompson 27,
Anthony Malbon 29 (pen),
John Beaumont 63,
Kyle Diskin, 75,
Referee:- James King Attendance:- 102
Admission:- OMGDS £5 (£7) Programme:- £2.00
Romulus share with Sutton Coldfield Town and there have been changes at Coles Lane since my last visit some five years ago. A new seated stand named after a former president of the club who died in May has been erected where the covered walkway used to be on the side opposite the main stand. A tiny stand, pinched, no doubt, from Edgbaston’s T20 players adorns a corner behind one goal.
Sadly, the changes did not extend to the team, recently relegated from the Premier division of The Evo-Stik NPL. It didn’t help that they had TWO players sent off for what appeared to be violent conduct. Despite being down to nine men, they chivvied and harried and were worth their two goals. But the visitors were too good for them and ran out comfortable winners. The referee was, sadly, over officious!
Friday 15th September 2017
Hallmark Security North West Counties League Premier Division
Squires Gate 1
Dean Ing 27,
Widnes 2
Christopher Lomax 52,
Thomas Mitchell 65,
Referee:- Chris Porter Attendance:- 100
Admission:- £6.00 Programme:- £2.00
When I were nobbut a small lad and following the mighty Chorley in The Lancashire Combination, (this would be the period from the late fifties to the mid-sixties) Squires Gate was a field on the way from Preston to Blackpool and even Chorley Reserves wouldn’t have deigned to muddy their boots on such lowly turf!
Nowadays, the ground is fully enclosed with covered seating and standing all around the arena. The club house is warm and welcoming and even the car parking is well managed!
Sadly, the team languish at the foot of the Premier Division of The North West Counties League, without a win to their name all season and one or two pretty heavy defeats. Tonight, they played well and actually led at half-time, only to fall to two second half strikes from the visitors.
They deserve better and there were one or two instances during this evening’s game which suggested that the green shoots of recovery may be thrusting their way through.
Saturday 16th September 2016
Emirates FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round
Warrington Town 1
Gerard Kinsella 68,
Hyde United 1
Karl Jones 90+1
Referee:- Elliott Swallow Attendance:- 429
Admission:- £10.00 Programme:- £2.00
Warrington Town are enjoying a highly successful opening to this season’s campaign and would have expected to give their lower division opponents the brush off in this cup-tie. They huffed and puffed and managed to score midway through the second half and seemed to rest on their laurels. Hyde never gave up, and their equaliser in the 91st minute was no more than they deserved!
Warrington Town have quite a neat yet impressive stadium with a bar accessible outside the ground and another inside.
Monday 18th September 2017
Hallmark Security North West Counties League Division 1
Stockport Town 6
Daryll Grant 41,
Aaron Dwyer 48,66
Jamie Hinchcliffe 64,
Ben Halfacre 69, 77,
New Mills 1
Nathan Neequaye 73
Referee:- Zac Parris Attendance:- 201
Admission:- £5.00 Programme:- £2.00
The rain poured down all evening onto Stockport Town’s 3G surface. Not many seasons ago, I knew them as Woodley Sports, but they have since changed their name. The ground is part of a sports complex and there are good catering facilities (including a bar) and a covered stand for, perhaps, 250 spectators.
However good the score looks, this was never a rout. New Mills always seemed to be in it, but whereas the hosts had the Midas touch, with every chance seeming to go in, the visitors had no luck at all with the chances that fell their way!
There was a good turn-out for this near derby match!
Tuesday 19th September 2017
Hallmark Security North West Counties League Premier Division
Bootle 3
Liam Loughlin 19,
Ryan Cox 34, 82,
Irlam 3
Macauley Harewood 49,
Jordan Icely 58,
Isaac Illidge 68,
Referee:- Richard Aspinall Attendance:- 117
Admissi0n:- £5.00 Programme:- £1.00
I didn’t realise that it was Bootle who nearly replaced Liverpool as the city’s second club back in the 1890s when both clubs were vying for a place in the recently formed Football League.
A chequered history followed for Bootle FC, including a period of being defunct. Now they are back and enjoying a successful season in the top division of The North-West Counties League.
It looked comfortable at half-time with the hosts holding a 2-0 advantage, but three goals in a twenty minute spell midway through the second half, gave Irlam the lead and only a late equaliser spared the home blushes.
It was a splendid game!
“Look to the past, the present and the future”
The raised decking along one side of the pitch gave an excellent view of proceedings!
Tuesday 26th September 2017
Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 East
Hayes & Yeading United 2
Manny Duku 15, 34,
Moneyfields 2
Steve Hutchins 56,
Brett Poate 61,
Referee:- Craig Green Attendance:- 145
Admission:- OMGDS £6 (£10) Programme:- £2.00
The towering stand was the stand out feature of the new ground, built approximately on the old Yeading ground (the remains of a covered area behind one goal from the original edifice). There was little else of mention at the ground and even the stand itself was only in partial use for lack of sufficient stewarding.
For all that, this was a marvellous game, with unbeaten leaders, Moneyfields, given a real run for their money and the outstanding player on the pitch, the home number 11, Rohdell Gordon, giving an absolute master class which provided his side with two goals before the interval. In the second half, the visitors restored parity within fifteen minutes, but thereafter neither side was able to make the breakthrough.
Yes, there really was a fox nonchalantly watching us as we parked the car!
Other Games:-
Thursday 7th September 2017
FA Youth Cup Preliminary Round
AFC Rushden & Diamonds 12 (twelve) Rushden & Higham Town 0
attendance:- 131
Tuesday 12th September 2017
Chromasport &Trophies United Counties League Cup 1st Round
Thrapston Town 1 Desborough Town 4
Attendance:- 55
Wednesday 13th September 2017
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Division 1 South
Corby Town 2 Peterborough Sports 2
Attendance:- 336
Friday 22nd September 2017
Premier League 2 Division 1
Leicester City U23 2 Chelsea U23 0
Attendance:- 755
Monday 25th September 2017
Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division
Hitchin Town 2 St Ives Town 2
Attendance:- 325
