January 2023

The Foxes weren’t at the races tonight. In the early exchanges, Fulham were sharper and more incisive and scored through Mitrovic after 17 minutes. Thereafter, Leicester huffed and puffed, but never really looked liked scoring. A disappointing result.

Saturday 7th January 2023

United Counties League Division 1

Hucknall Town 3

Harrowby United 2

Referee: Wayne Mason.                                              Attendance: 392

Admission: OMGDS £4.00 (£6).                             Programme: £2.00

This was the first official, competitive match on Hucknall’s idiosyncratic, new ground. There was cover behind one goal, adjacent to a containerised hospitality box and cover and seats down the near side, although acces was eccentrically controlled! Despite their relative League placements (Hucknall were in the play-off places and Harrowby flirting with relegation), this was a pretty even contest. The visitors led at the interval, conceded three goals in a home purple patch in the second half and scored the final goal three minutes from the end. There was a visitation of hoppers including John Main, John McClure, Craig Dabbs and Chris Berezai!

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Photograph courtesy of John Main

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Photograph courtesy of John Main

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Photograph courtesy of John Main

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Monday 23rd January 2023

Northern Premier League Midland Division

Coleshill Town 0

Corby Town 0

Referee: Alan Cox.                                 Official Attendance: 148

Admission: OMGDS £8.00 (£10).     Programme: £2.00

Coleshill sits at the junction of The M6, The M42 and The M6 Toll. Its ground, with a 3G pitch is also home to Chelmsley Town of The Midland League. Tonight’s clash pitched together two teams just outside the play-off spots and separated only by goal difference. In a dour match, neither side was able to put their stamp on the encounter, though I suspect that the visitors went home more happy with their point than the hosts! With sons, Jim and Mike and grandsons, Freddie, Sonny and Kingsley.Gary Miller and John Main also there.

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Belgium 2023

Jon Crane, Mark Sumner and Jim and me travelled to Brussels on the 13.01 Eurostar on Friday 27th January for a weekend of Belgian football. Train from Brussels to Liege, a pretty dirty city with a coal mining history and a pretty bog standard stadium. Jon had hired an apartment for the overnight stay. I am not a fan of Belgian food but I had one of the giant hot dogs (€7.50) before the match outside the stadium on a very cold evening. To get to the stadium from our apartment, we had to cross The River Meuse. The following morning, Saturday, we got a bus to the train station and entrained for Heist-op-den-Bergen. I had booked the accommodation for this evening, but unfortunately it was near five miles outside the town and there were very few taxis available. It cost us €60 to go there and back just to drop our bags off before catching the bus to Westerlo.

Friday 27th January 2023

Jupiler League Erste Klasse A

Standard Liege 3

William Balikwisha 30, Philip Zinckernagel 35, Stipe Perica 59,

KAS Eupen 1

Regan Charles-Cook 11,

Referee: Nathan Verboomen.             Attendance: 16,623

Admission: €23.00.                             Programme: free teamsheet

The Stade Maurice Dufrasne is a pretty impressive arena, so I was surprised to find that it held a mere 30,000 spectators. Three tiers behind each goal and two ties along each side, all steeply banked, with plenty of food outlets, but no programmes, although free teamsheets were available if you asked nicely! The game was very open, with highly placed Liège going a goal down early on, but pulling back to lead 2-1 at the interval, adding a third, midway during the second preiod. Eupen fought well, but it was Liège who deservedly took the spoils. With Son, Jim and Jonny Crane and Mark Sumner.

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From left: Jim, Jon and Mark

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Saturday 28th January 2023

Jupiler League Erste Klasse A

KVC Westerlo 2

Kyan Vaesen 23, 56,

KV Mechelen 0

Referee: Brent Staessens.                            Attendance: 8,035

Admission: €20.                                           Programme: free teamsheet

Such a small town seems unlikely to support a top League side, but there was a healthy attendance for this encounter, probably one of the highest of the season. The ground was out in the country and the faithful crowded in, mostly by car. Mechelen brought a strong cachet of support, but, in an entertaining game, it was the hosts, with a goal in each half, who deservedly took the spoils. With son, Jim and Jonny Crane and Mark Sumner. It was a chit billy, so I bought a Westerlo hat! After the match we caught the bus back to Heist-op-den-Berg, had a drink in a bar, and sauntered down to the ground.

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The author transcribing teams from the teamsheet prior to the match

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From left: Eddie, Mark and Jim

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From left: Mark and Eddie

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Jimbo, stuffing his face!

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The Westerlo mascot

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Mark Sumner

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Saturday 28th January 2023

Erste Nationale

KSK Heist 1

Nicholas Orye 67,

RFC De Liège 1

Jesse Mputu 45,

Referee: Ruben Calluy. Attendance: c750

Admission (seated) €20 (€15). Free teamsheet.

Quite why this match was categorised as high risk, with a substantial police escort for the 350 or so visiting supporters, was something of a mystery. We were initially barred from entering because we didn’t have tickets for this all ticket match, but were eventually given clearance and by the end of the match we had been invited into the supporters club and plied with drink and, late in the evening were given a lift back to our hotel by the club physio. It was another good match in a stadium, capacity 10,000, which was virtually empty! The visitors scored first on the stroke of half time and the hosts equalised just after the hour mark in the second period. After that, in a feisty encounter, either side could have grabbed the victory, but, on a very cold evening, a draw was the fair result. With son, Jim, Jon Crane and Mark Sumner.

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Jim (sitting) and Mark Sumner

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The B&B Hullebrug was probably the best accommodation of the weekend, but it was awkwardly situated and it was a lift from the proprietor’s brother-in-law, the next morning that enabled us to catch the train fromHeist-Op-Den-Berg, the following morning, for the train back to Brussels.

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Sunday 29th January 2023

Jupiler League Erste Klasse A

RSC Anderlecht 0

Royal Antwerp FC 0

Referee: Eric Lambrechts.                        Attendance: 18,000

Admission: €45.00.                                   Free Teamsheet.

Lotto Park, the mauve home of RSC Anderlecht is well hidden in plain sight. Indeed if the mauve daubed home fans had not been there sipping Jupiler, you could have been forgiven for overlooking the stadium. This was a pretty poor advertisement for Belgian football, the visitors in 3rd place easily fending off the eleventh placed hosts. The only highlight of the first half was a sonic boom which severely tested my eardrums and emitted a black cloud of smoke. In the second half, there was a melee around the hour mark which resulted in a sending off for Antwerp and two yellow cards and the hosts, too, had a player dismissed fifteen minutes from the end, but goalscoring opportunities where at a premium and the result clear, well before the final whistle! With son, Jim, Jon Crane and Mark Sumner.

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A very grumpy looking author and Jon Crane on the right at The Anderlecht match

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Sunday 29th January 2023

Jupiler League Erste Klasse A

KRC Genk 4

Paul Onouachu 7 (pen), 60, Mike Tresor 14, Joseph Paintsil 64,

RFC Seraing 0

Referee: Wesli de Cremer.                            Attendance: 13,267

Admission: €24.00.                                       Free Teamsheet.

On a very cold evening, top of the table, Genk, demolished bottom club Seraing quite comfortably and should probably have scored more than the four they harvested. The ground is fully seated, holds around 20,000 spectators and was barely half full this evening. The locals blamed the late kick-off at 9.00pm CET, live television and the visitors were hardly a top attraction. Nonetheless a couple of their players, one, who rejoices in the name: Junior Marconi Sambu Mansoni, was a quick and tricky winger, the other, Mustapha Mbow was a sound central defender. The home mascot was a coal miner! With son, Jim, Jon Crane and Mark Sumner. The hotel we stayed in, is run by a former Belgium goalkeeping international, Ronnie Gaspercic!

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From left: Jim, Jon and Mark

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From left: Mark and Jim

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From left: Eddie and son, Jim

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From left: Mark, Eddie and Jon

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from left: Jim and Jon

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We were staying at the Hotel De Venne, and, on the following morning, the other three had to shower in my room because there was no hot water in their room. The manager discounted the cost of their room and we all four shared the cost of my room! Then it was a taxi down to Genk railway station for the train to Brussels Midi and a transfer to the Eurostar hub for the 12.56 to London (ten minutes late leaving). At St Pancras … we dispersed and I caught the 14.45 East Midlands Train to Corby, where Charlotte collected me after an exhausting weekend!

Other Matches:

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