You are here: Home > Uncategorized > April 2019

April 2019

Posted in Uncategorized | May 1st, 2019

It’s just a Saturday ritual my dear;
So have no fear
And let’s be clear,
I’m not gallivanting,
I’ve no bird in tow,
Think of it more
Like I’m off to a show;
I’ll be back before you know.

And yes the pub is also part
Of the ritual we must trek,
But please take heart
As I never really notice,
The barmaids so buxom
And breasts so pink;
I never ever touch them,
I just order the drink.

And when we lose,
I’m sorry if I swear;
It’s like when the junior stylist
Fucks up your lovely hair.
And that time I kicked the cat
I swear it was not meant,
But still you banished me that night
To the garden and the tent.

And you know I can’t go shopping,
We tried that once before;
Your brolly jab really hurt
When I tried to see the score;

And you know you can’t come with me,
Last time you caught the flu,
Your hands turned blue, your face to ice,
As the final whistle blew.

So help me with this ritual,
It’s generations old;
Just spare a thought for us poor souls
As we shiver in the cold.

Phil Miles (1957 – )

Tuesday 2nd April 2019
Northants Combination Division 1

Higham Town 1

Ben Aidulis 48,

Weldon United 2

Ian Blake 39,

Jamie Gilsenan 67,
Referee: Paul Martin. Attendance:- 23
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
The clocks have gone forward and the lower leagues can start their evening games without floodlights! However, 6.30pm was a touch too late and by 7.45pm when the referee called a halt to proceedings, only 65 minutes had been played! By then, the gloom and the hailstones made further play positively dangerous! Weldon are challenging for the championship, but they made heavy weather of this tussle against a side in the lower half of the table!

A rough translation of “Vi et Animo” would be “With Heart and Soul”

The match was replayed on 16th April and Higham Town won 3-2

Wednesday 3rd April 2019
Samba Nottinghamshire Senior League Division 1

Bestwood Miners Welfare 3

Gary Harris 28, 29,

Stefan Dalmedo 50,

Burton Joyce 2

Cameron Marsh 4,

Terry Geurbouy 90,
Referee:- David Southern. Attendance:- 29
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
This match was supposed to start at 6.00pm, but Nottingham was gridlocked as I found on my way over and the teams were still trickling in at 6.15pm. The Park Road Ground is shared with the cricket club and has a seated stand behind one goal and a strange high – but very small – covered standing area on the half way line behind the dugouts. The visitors in fourth place and with seven games in hand on the leading two in the division, were expected to win this match and took an early lead. It was the hosts, however who showed the greater determination and they thoroughly deserved their victory in a match reduced to 35 minutes each half. There were a fair few hoppers there, too!

Thursday 4th April 2019
Kershaw’s Cambridgeshire County League
Bambridge Cup

Melbourn 4

Don Gorman 5,Tom Bradley 43,

Kris Walters 56, 90,

Guilden Morden 3

Ryan Hagger 22, 73,

Jason Nash 69,
Referee:- Mark Wilson. Attendance:- 12
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
Down in deepest Cambridgeshire, hard by The Melbourn Science Park, at ‘The Moor’, Melbourn’s stout stalwarts eventually triumphed over a very resilient Guilden Morden team. There was a sharp shower before the match began but otherwise it stayed dry, but VERY cold. The hosts took an early lead, were pegged back but led once again by half time. Soon it was 3-1 and the game seemed beyond the visitors but back they came to draw level until they were finally beaten by a goal in the 90th minute (yes, the full ninety minutes were played). With Andy English.

Saturday 6th April 2019
Syenhams Wessex League Premier Division

Sholing 6

Dan Mason 42, 58, 90+2 (pen)

Lee Wort 44, 67,

Dan Miller 74,

Brockenhurst 2

Michael Amoah 45,

Ronan Moore 77 (pen),

Will Tickle s/o 74,
Referee:- Andy Dunn. Attendance:- 298
Admission:- FREE. Programme:- £1.50
Before the match, Sholing were presented with The Championship trophy which they have won with eight games still to play. The former VT Sports (Vosper Thorneycroft) we’re relegated from The Southern League at the end of last season and have made an immediate return. The first forty minutes of this match were lacklustre in the extreme with the hosts looking distinctly inferior to their struggling opponents. A burst of three goals in three minutes on the stroke of half-time gave Sholing a slight advantage, but in the second half, they moved into top gear – helped by a stupid dismissal for the visitors – and took the game – and the points convincingly!

Monday 8th April 2019

And now for something a little different! My eldest grandson, Freddie wanted to come on a walk. A gentle walk from Gretton Village Hall down to Kirby Hall in increasingly warm weather. Onwards, past the roofless hall and up to Fort Knox, the extremely secure unit which seems to be a state secret and back via the farm and the fields – and the road works in the village – to return to the village hall! 5.55 miles and five stiles with Alison Merrick, Marion Cardy and, of course, grandson, Freddie!

Tuesday 9th April 2019
Kershaws Cambridgeshire County League Senior B

Bluntisham Rangers 1

Connor Beaumont 78,

AFC Barley Mow 6

Martin Cooper (og)35,

Jake Shepherd 61,

Josh Turner 64,

Jack Cleghorn 66,

Salvatore Merola 80, 83
Referee:- Richard Hart. Attendance:- 70
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- FREE
These two clubs are probably best in the division and, for an hour there was barely a cigarette paper between them. The visitors lead by a goal to nil at the interval, but then added three more goals in quick succession just after the hour mark and a further two in the final ten minutes. In reply, the hosts could muster but one strike barely ten minutes from time. An excellent and informative programme was produced by Peter Miles – one of nine hoppers that I recognised at the game – and there was a pretty healthy turn out for this top of the table clash with the visiting support providing loud wind instrument encouragement reminiscent of a flatulent bull! With Graeme Askham and John Main.

Wednesday 10th April 2019
Sky-Bet EFL Championship

Rotherham United 1

Will Vaulks 36 (pen),

Aston Villa 2

Jonathan Kodjia 48 (pen),

Jack Grealish 51,

Tyrone Mings s/o 34,
Referee:- A. Madley. Attendance:- 10,668 (2,588)
Admission:- hospitality. Programme:- included (£3.00)
A match with plenty of fire in its belly! Villa had a Tammy Abraham penalty saved twelve minutes in and lost Tyrone Mings to a second bookable offence when he handled in the area nine minutes from the interval. Captain Will Vaulks stepped forward to give the Millers a half-time advantage. The ten men of Villa pressed hard and successfully in the second half. Jack Grealish was influential in their second goal and substitute Jonathan Kodjia was successful from the spot for the equaliser on 48 minutes. Good match – six bookings and a dismissal and three penalties – and a very acceptable hospitality package! With son Mike and grandson, Freddie!

Grand Dad and grandson prepare for the match!

Thursday 11th April 2019
Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division

Heyford Athletic 2

Callum Lloyd 5,

Matt Gardner 7,

Marston Saints 0
Referee:- Keith Godfrey. Attendance:- 44
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
Lovely evening though it soon got quite cold. The Bell just down the road is an excellent hostelry for both drink and food. The club have a pretty new facility for changing rooms and a bar. Two goals in the first seven minutes settled this match between fourth and fifth place. On the hour mark, the visitors had a man dismissed for deliberate handball in the area. The resultant penalty rebounded off a post and was cleared to safety. Eight or nine hoppers in attendance! With John Main.

Saturday 13th April 2019
Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League
Premier Division

Redhill 2

Azeez Elegusiu 6,

Jesse Sentamu 42,

CB Hounslow United 3

Gavin Bamford 23,

Luke Dunn 69,

Barry McWilliam 74 (pen),
Referee:- David Lanuni. Official Attendance:- 64
Admission:- OMGDS £4.00 (£8). Programme:- £1.00
Matches this season:- 203. New grounds:- 88
Compared to some of the stadia in The Co-Co this season, this ground was a veritable palace – well, apart from the actual pitch, which was shocking, heavily coated in sand and very bumpy! Relegation threatened Hounslow pulled off a great comeback victory after going 1-2 down just before the interval. With John Main.

Tuesday 16th April 2019
Kershaws Cambridgeshire County League Division 1B

Houghton & Wyton 3

Bozo Saso 14,

Jordan Brockett 26,

Trafford Hudson 87,

Fenstanton 2

Ben Hall 13,

Luke Males 67,
Referee:- Richard Hart. Attendance:- 34
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
Houghton and a Wyton boast a Marina and an RAF base as well as a holiday home site. Tonight’s match was played on the edge of the picturesque village and the hosts almost let their opponents get away with a point! One way traffic for the first fifteen minutes but then, against the run of play, the visitors struck to take the lead. Normal service was resumed by half-time when a rampant home side led by 2-1, but really should have been in front by a country mile. The onslaught continued in the second half, but back came Fenstanton with a surprise equalising goal! The hosts continued to press, but it took until two minutes from time for them to squeeze over the line. Good match! Dedicated to Les Bull, who loved this league!

Wednesday 17th April 2019
North Bucks & District League Premier Division

Hanslope 3

Dan McKenzie 49,

Neil Walton 72,

Tom Marvin 90,

Olney 2

Alex Email 64, 77,
Referee:- Tony Hawkins. Attendance:- 39
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
Far away in deepest Northamptonshire in the shadow of Hanslope Parish Church with its majestic flying buttresses, these two teams – neither of whom come from Buckinghamshire, either north or any other point on the compass – fought out a tense relegation battle. No score at the interval but five second half strikes as the sides traded blows and, crucially, a ninetieth minute winning goal from the hosts, sent poor Olney down.

________________________________________________________________________

The Hellenic League “Hop”

Thursday 18th April 2019
Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 West

Almondsbury 3

Lewis Sheppard 45,

Daniel Lane 85,

Alex Bisp 88,

Malmesbury Victoria 2

Gareth Jones 6,

Joe Tranter 77,
Referee:- Martin Tudor. Attendance:- 195
Admission:- £6.00. Programme:- £1.00
Perched at the noisy junction of M4 and M5, The Field, home of Almondsbury is a fairly bleak venue with one seated stand for around fifty souls and an even smaller covered standing area. The hosts eventually defeated their exalted rivals and in the process denied them any chance of winning the title!

Friday 19th April 2019 12.00noon
Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division

Longlevens 2

Jonty Welch 60,

Jay Malshanskyi 62,

Reading City 1

Ousman Darboe 14,
Referee:- Tom Green (Oxford). Attendance:- 331
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
In the shadow of a fairly new looking Ibis Hotel and in glorious weather, these two sides played out a pretty close encounter. The visitors – who include “Ibis” amongst their previous nomenclature – were top dogs in the first half, but two goals in two minutes around the hour mark dragged the game around in favour of the hosts.

Friday 19th April 2019 3.30pm
Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division

Lydney Town 2

Lewis Thompson62,

Lewis Halford 87,
Windsor 0
Referee:- Craig Jinks (Gloucester). Attendance:- 337
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
Some serious improvements have been made to this ground since my last visit! The stadium is now enclosed with stands and seats for about 100 spectators. There are floodlights and a good club house, too. Today, they defeated Windsor fairly comfortably, but it took an hour for the first goal to arrive and then Matt Stockhill, for the visitors, missed an absolute sitter from inside the six yard box and at the death, the visiting keeper attempted a dribble in his area and had the ball taken off him and poked into the net!

Friday 19th April 2019 7.00pm
Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 West

Newent Town 0

Cheltenham Saracens 1

Matt Barnard 55,
Referee:- Darren Hill (Wantage). Attendance:- 369
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
I’ve passed the sign to Newent on The M50 countless times over the past sixty years or so. Tonight, I actually went there! There was evidence of recent major development, a new stand and floodlights and hard standing on two sides. Even the railway embankment behind the new stand had been flattened. The best crowd of the day saw possibly the worst match of the day as the highly placed visitors eventually overcame the stubborn resistance of the hosts with a single goal just before the hour mark.

Saturday 20th April 2019
Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division

Launton Sports 0

Middleton Cheney 3

Ross Atkins 7,

Elliot Gunter 60,

Josh Markham 64,
Referee:- Tom Martin. Attendance:- 28
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
A railed off pitch and a good sized club house – and the gorgeous weather helped – this was expected to be an easy game for mid-table Launton against their relegation threatened rivals. The hosts got a shock in the seventh minute when a long range shot from the half way line sailed over the custodian and into the net. Things didn’t get any better for the hosts as the visitors helped themselves to two further goals and thoroughly deserved their victory. Sad to say, not one of the visiting side had a number to correspond with his name on the referee’s team sheet!!

Saturday 20th April 2019 5.00pm
Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 2 East

Long Crendon 0

Yateley United 0
Referee:- John Mowatt. Attendance:- 269
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
Champions elect, Long Crendon were given a hard time of it by their plucky and determined rivals. The reverse fixture had resulted in a 5-1 defeat for Crendon early in the season and they have not lost since! They spurned several good chances and really ought to have taken the points, but full credit to Yateley – stubborn to the end! Must mention the cakes! They were lovely!

Sunday 21st April 2019 11.00am
Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 2 West

Bourton Rovers 3

Steve Nurse 19,

Sam Tyack 75,

Danny Way 90+5,

Headington Amateurs 1

Ben Curtis 84,
Referee:- Paul Herbert. Attendance:- 278
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
The beautiful, hot and sunny weather brought the crowds out in Bourton-on-the-Water. The car parks were bursting at the seams! There was a good turn out at Lamberts Field, home of The Rovers, too. The locals had worked hard to be welcoming – they even awarded me a prize in the raffle – but the match itself was no classic despite a couple of peach goals – one from each side – and the hosts comfortably took the spoils!

Sunday 21st April 2019 2.15pm
Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 2 West

Moreton Rangers 0

Adderbury Park 1

Josh Northam 65,
Referee:- Max Thompson. Attendance:- 384
Admission:- £2.00. Programme:- £1.00
This was supposed to be the host’s celebration of winning the championship, then along came the visitors and pooped on the party – at the ground where Newport County re-formed after going bust in the late eighties and being refused a groundshare in Wales because they were part of the English pyramid. The biggest crowd of the hop so far were treated to an eminently forgettable football experience, although the hosts made the most of their commercial opportunities!!

Sunday 21st April 2019 6.00pm
Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division

Brimscombe & Thrupp 4

Sam Blackie 6,

Kyle Pitts 55,

James Campbell 73,

Jack Smith 90,

Abingdon United 0
Referee:- Tom Kelly. Attendance:- 403
Admission :- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
The Meadow is one of the iconic grounds in non-League football, steeply banked on two sides with seating and cover against the wintry elements, but today’s weather gave the ground added lustre! This match hinged largely on the 54th minute dismissal of the influential visiting skipper. Up to that moment, Abingdon we’re competing despite being a goal adrift. In the last half hour they shipped a further three goals and the hosts returned to the summit of the league, dependent upon the result of Wantage final match tomorrow!

Monday 22nd April 2019 11.00am
Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division

Bishops Cleeve 5

Jack Watts 29, 57,

Harrison Iddles 48,

Jacob David 59,

Kacey Johnstone 82,

Shrivenham 1

Tom Ballard 65,
Referee:- Kieran Dolphin. Attendance:- 231
Admission:- £7.00. Programme:- £1.00
Bishops Cleeve’s new build at Kayte Lane is beginning to look a little bit tired at age seventeen (or thereabouts). Today, the fourth placed hosts battered their fifth placed opponents with a second half onslaught that should have yielded more goals but for some appalling misses by the home strikers!

Monday 22nd April 2019 2.15pm
Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division

Tuffley Rovers 3

Adam Bloomfield 19, 28,

Kieran Alder 72,

Fairford Town 0
Referee:- Thomas Staten. Attendance:- 221
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
Quirky little ground, much improved since my last visit with the addition of a substantial seated stand behind the near goal and a covered standing area at the same end. The hosts are struggling a bit this season, fourth from the foot of the table, but they gave a good account of themselves today, as they brushed poor Fairford aside in an emphatic 3-0 victory. Good to see my son, James, there with my grandsons, Sonny and Kingsley!

Grandsons Sonny and Kingsley!!!

Monday 22nd April 2019 6.00pm
Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 West

Thornbury Town 2

Harry Brock 52,

Marcus Wormwell 90+8

Newent Town 2

Jacob Nutting 24,

Sanchez Grange 37,
Referee:- Craig Jinks. Attendance:- 295
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
Mundy Park is little more than a field with a fence around it, but it does have floodlights and a tiny Meccano stand with seating for around fifty souls, squeezed into the corner behind one goal. Newent were pinned in their own half for much of the first half, but they broke away twice and scored each time!. The second half was an enthralling war of attrition as the hosts determinedly fought to get back into the match. They pulled one goal back but had to wait until the eighth minute of added time at the end of the match before finally crashing in the equaliser! There was no time to restart the match!!!

_______________________________________________________________________

Wednesday 24th April 2019
Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division

Letchworth GC Eagles 4

Sam Nicholls 10,

Scott Piggott 61,

James Endacott 86,

Kain Brown 87,

Ware Sports 0
Referee:- Jordan Gibson. Attendance:- 36
Admission:- £3.00. Programme:- £1.00
This little gem of a ground is hidden behind the Herts FA County ground in Letchworth. Floodlights and a sixty seater stand, hard standing and even a very acceptable programme, this venue would compete very well with many of the grounds we visited last weekend in The Hellenic League. There will, however, be no promotion – the suits at The FA deemed that they hadn’t put appropriate railings in – so after taking not only the victory and the points, but also the championship from tonight’s match, they will not gain promotion to The Spartan League!

Saturday 27th April 2019
Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League
Premier Division

Cobham 2

Chris Davis 2,

Nathan West 60,

Abbey Rangers 2

Bradley Thomas 44 (pen),

Ben Kersley 71,

Bradley Thomas s/o 90+3
Referee:- Nigel Owen. Attendance:- 68
Admission:- OMGDS £3.00 (£5) Programme:- FREE
Down in deepest Surrey, the chips tasted good in The ‘Blue Fish’ and Cobham’s very basic – but adequate – arena hosted their last game of the season. Ambitious -cgi – plans were posted for a new clubhouse at the ground, but planning permission is still required. High flying Abbey Rangers were held to a draw and there were six bookings and a sending off by a somewhat officious referee! With Graeme Askham and John Main!