October 2023

October Poem

The month of carnival of all the year,
When Nature lets the wild earth go its way,
And spend whole seasons on a single day.
The spring-time holds her white and purple dear;
October, lavish, flaunts them far and near;
The summer charily her reds doth lay
Like jewels on her costliest array;
October, scornful, burns them on a bier.
The winter hoards his pearls of frost in sign
Of kingdom: whiter pearls than winter knew,
Oar empress wore, in Egypt’s ancient line,
October, feasting ‘neath her dome of blue,
Drinks at a single draught, slow filtered through
Sunshiny air, as in a tingling wine!

by Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885). She was a poet, a novelist and an activist who campaigned on behalf of native Americans. Her “Calendar of Sonnets”, offered a sonnet for every month of the year, accompanied by illustrations.

 Francis Lee (29th April 1944 – 2nd October 2023)

When I were a lad, I were a big supporter of Bolton Wanderers. They got relegated from th’ old First Division around 1964 and, that season, Franny Lee were Bolton Wanderers’ top scorer. It were also round about then that they had these two wingers. “Tiny” Taylor on the left wing and Franny Lee on the right wing.

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I think I first saw him play in an FA Cup 3rd Round replay against non-league Bath City at Burnden Park on 6th January 1964 . There were a big crowd that night (26,500) and Franny scored a penalty in Bolton Wanderers 3-0 victory.

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Wednesday 4th October 2023

EFL Championship

Leicester City 3

Kiernan Dewsbury Hall 60, 90,, Kelechi Iheanaco 76, 

Preston North End 0

Referee: Darren England.                             Attendance: 30,380

Admission: OMGDS £32.50 (£40).
Programme: £3.50

After a torrid yawn of a first half, the hosts woke up and smote three past a very defensive and lacklustre North End side, to take The Foxes back to the summit of the EFL Championship.

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Saturday 7th October 2023

LeicestershireSenior League Premier Division

Burbage & Huncote 9 

Tom Mason 11,22, Cameron Atkinson 32, 64, 65, 70, Liam Pescott 41, 51, 81,

Barrow Town 3

Tramaine Byron 17, Dean Hopewell 28, Joe Smith 57,

Referee: Martyn Jarvis.                                             Attendance: 35

Admission: F.O.C.                                                      Programme: NONE

A warm Indian Summer’s afternoon at well equipped Huncote Sports Club which has a cricket pitch and two football pitches, one railed and with substantial dugouts – and a large bar and refreshment area and equally large changing rooms. The visitors used to grace The United Counties League and The Midland League, but are now languishing in the lower reaches of the LSL Premier Division. There were six goals in each half. The first half was the more evenly balanced, with the hosts taking a 4-2 lead, but after the break, they ran in five more to one in reply to claim a stunning and deserved victory.

Wednesday 11th October 2023

United Counties League Premier Division South

GNG Oadby Town 2

Lamar Parkes 48, Tyrel Francis 90+6

Lutterworth Town 5

Benjamin Adomako 3, Nick Reeves 17 (pen), 47 (pen), Ben Bradshaw 36 (pen), Luke Wilson 65,

Referee: Adam Crosby-Smith. Attendance: 68

Admission: OMGDS £3.00 (£6). Programme: £2.00

A new seated stand has appeared at Narborough Road since my last visit, and seeing as Oadby Town no longer really exist – even their ground has apparently been taken over by Leicester Tigers – I think the time has come for GNG to revert to their original status. Tonight they were well beaten by a side struggling and fourth from bottom in the league. Three unanswered first half strikes, including two penalties, were followed by a third penalty immediately after the restart. The visitors added a fifth before the hosts redeemed some pride with the final goal deep into added time at the end of the match.

Saturday 14th October 2023

Northants Combination Premier Division

Heyford Athletic 0

Corby Strip Mills 4

Oak Mapson, 23, Bradley Marshall 48, Liam Brown 66, Louis Martin 71,

Referee: Nathan Japp.                                           Attendance: 16

Admission: F.O.C.                                                  Programme: NONE

A decided chill in the air in the Northamptonshire village of Nether Heyford and a fine repast at The Sun hostelry before repairing to the Heyford Playing fields (football, cricket, tennis, bowls, netball/basketball) for the afternoon match. There was a large club house with bar and refreshments and a railed field with hardstanding down most of one side, but precious little else, apart from a tiny covered area at the far end of the clubhouse. The match was fairly even until half-time when the visitors led by a single goal, but after the break, they ran riot, scoring three but missing many more gilt edged chances!

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Monday 16th October 2023

MMP Central Wales League South

Knighton Town 2

Callum Stead 43, Declan Beddoes 64,

Aberystwyth University 1

Adam Carey 88,

Referee: Christopher Corfield.                          Attendance: 95

Admission: £3.00.                                              Programme: NONE

A quaint ground, with an air of genteel decline and a pitch that looked as if it had hosted a herd of cows earlier in the day! Despite all that, there was a friendly welcome a bar and catering hut that did a roaring trade and a cracker of a game with no time wasting, no feigning of injuries and no need for the physio and his wet sponge. The hosts led at the interval, doubled their lead just after the hour mark and the visitors consolation came with three minutes to go. Plenty of ‘hoppers’ there and a really enjoyable evening!

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Saturday 21st October 2023

Isuzu FA Vase 1st round

Hamworthy Recreation 4

George Deem 12 (pen), Chris Long 28, 43, 56,

Bovey Tracey 0

Referee: Lewis Ward.                                                Official Attendance: 82

Admission: OMGDS £3.00 (£6).                            Programme: included

Strange place, the BJM Stadium, wonderful clubhouse facilities (there was even a wedding reception going on all afternoon), we enjoyed a pre-match meal and could have watched the game from an outside balcony! However, access to the ground was haphazard – you could easily avoid paying an entrance fee – the ground itself was very open. There was a fifty seater stand on the far side but the only other cover was a small roofed terrace down the near side. The ground is shared with a cricket club. Hamworthy Recreation are enjoying an unbeaten season in the league and are comfortably top with twelve wins and a draw this season. Their only reverse came in the Wessex League Cup when they lost on penalties to more highly placed Moneyfields after a 1-1 draw. As for this match, no contest! The hosts led 3-0 at the interval, took their foot off the pedal after the break, but still ran out 4-0 winners to progress to the FA Vase 2nd Round. With John Main.

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Tuesday 24th October 2023

Vanarama National League South

St Albans City 3

Abby Akanbi 13, 79, Dylan Fage 18,

Slough Town 2

San Bayliss 60, Josh Jackman 74,

Referee: Michael Robertson-Tant.                             Attendance: 1,138

Admission: OMGDS £9.00 (£16.50).                       Programme: £3

Six years since my last visit to Clarence Park, but a first visit for son, Mike and grandson Freddie. Lovely old fashioned ground, with cover on all four sides, but the new-ish plastic dugouts just add to the restricted vision most of the way along the side of the main stand. Good match! Slough’s shambles of a defence let in two early goals, but after the interval, they came back strongly and had equalised with a scant fifteen minutes remaining, only for the defence to let them down again and, rather fortuitously, the hosts held on for victory!

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The view from the main stand was fairly badly obstructed. The ‘dug-outs” should have been below ground level

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Grand Dad and Grand Son – Eddie & Freddie

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Wednesday 25th October2023

EFL Championship

Stoke City 1

Wesley 80,

Leeds United 0

Referee: Paul Tierney.                                 Attendance: 25,871

Admission: OMGDS £20.00 (£30).        Programme: £3

A first visit to the Britannia Stadium for grandson, Freddie and he was mildly impressed with the ground, where before the match all sorts of tricks were played with the floodlights and other coloured lighting. The match itself, was enthralling. Two competent sides generally cancelling each other out, but the hosts had more ambition in attack whilst the visitors had clearly come for a share of the spoils and they were undone, ten minutes from the end by a flashing header from a rare corner kick. The goal and the result sent the home faithful into raptures at the end! Things might have been a little different had Patrick Bamford not missed a 75th minute penalty!

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ITALY 2023

This year it was the turn of my eldest son, Jim (and his friend Jonny Crane) along with grand sons Sonny and Kingsley to make the trip to Italy. We all flew out of Luton Airport on the 06.30 flight and landed safely at Milan Malpensa at 09.40 CET. Straight to Milano Central on the Malpensa Express and met up with Maggie (my sister), briefly, before entraining once again for Genoa. We stayed overnight in Genoa in an airbnb in the San Giorgios area of the city and returned by train the following morning to Milan.

Friday 27th October 2023

Italy Serie A

Genoa CFC 1

Albert Gudmunsson 35,

US Salernitana 0

Referee: Davide Massa.                               Attendance c30,000

Admission: €60.00.                                    Programme: NONE

Genoa Cricket and Football Club, the oldest club in Italy, originally founded as the English cricket team abroad, hence, the cross of England on the club logo. Neither of these two teams are enjoying successful seasons, with but two wins between them from their combined total of eighteen matches – both wins to the hosts, who made it a third victory, albeit a trifle fortunately, this evening, having scored in the 35th minute, they had to withstand a savage second half onslaught from the visitors. Excellent atmosphere with much coloured smoke, flag waving and continuous noise! Great evening!

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Saturday 28th October 2023

Italy Serie B

Feralpisalo 0

AC Reggiana 3

Janis Antiste 7, Luca Cigarini 44(pen), Edoardo Pieragnolo 55,

Referee: Antonio Rapuano.                                    Attendance: c1,750

Admission: OMGDS €10.00 (€15).                      Programme:NONE

Faded glory, genteel poverty, what once must have been a magnificent stadium looks tired and forlorn, great chunks of the running track have disappeared and who knows what happened to Piacenza, a strong member of Serie A in the 1990s but now plying their trade in Serie D after bankruptcy in 2012 and re-formation in 2019. In the meantime, newly promoted Feralpisalo are finding life tough in Serie B, currently occupying a relegation spot. Today, they were well beaten by a side also in the lower echelons of the league. The weather was so mild that many of the visiting faithful declined to wear anything above the waist! VAR was used to determine the penalty that led to the second goal.

We were very much indebted to an Italian friend of my sister Maggie (who lives in Milan). Mario Spizzico lives in Piacenza and he was very generous in driving us from the railway station to the stadium AND returning at the end of the match, to take us back to the station in time to catch a very tight connection back to Milan Rogoredo.

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Saturday 28th October 2023 k.o.: 6.30pm CET

Italy Serie C Girone A

AS Giana Erminio 1

Maguette Fall 54,

SSD Pro Sesto 1

Nicolo Bruschi 32,

Referee: Luigi Catanoso.                                 Attendance: c 2,000

Admission: €5.00.                                            Programme: NONE

Another lovely ground that has seen better days, and, despite the paucity of the attendance, we had to queue for half an hour, overseen by a strong carabinieri presence, for the privilege of purchasing a 5 euro ticket, but only after each of our passports had been scrutinised and the details entered on the computer. Once inside the stadium we were met with a three metre high metal fence and viewing high up in the stand was obligatory. This was the third tier of Italian football, but I doubt if any half decent Conference North or South team would have had much trouble in disposing of either side. A goal to the visitors before the break and an equaliser early in the second period, this match had 1-1 stamped all over it! The nearest Metro station was Gorgonzola, home of the cheese, I believe, and that took us back to Milano Centrale.

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Eldest son, Jim with my grandsons, Kingsley, left and Sonny, right.

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On the platform at Gorgonzola Metro and only seventeen stops from Milano Central!

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Sunday 29th October 2023

Italy Serie A

AC Monza 1

Andrea Colpani 27,

Udinese 1

Lorenzo Lucca 66,

Referee:- Alessandro Prontera. Attendance: c10,000

Admission: €30.00. Programme: NONE

A quite impressive ground, but with cover only down one side, the rest of the spectators were open to the elements like Feyenoord in the old days or La Romareda at Real Zaragoza. However, it is a relatively small stadium, accommodating only around 18,500 spectators. Today, it was barely half full. The hosts were the more impressive in the early stages and took the lead after 27 minutes, but Udinese were never out of it and had chances before their 66th minute equaliser. The draw was a fair result.

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Back on Monza Station after a two mile walk from the stadium, grandsons, Sonny, left and Kingsley, right, display their newly acquired Monza scarves.

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Tuesday 31st October 2023

Abacus Lighting g Central Midlands Alliance

Black Dragon North Division

Dearne & District 7

Glapwell 1

Referee:- Richard Trinder.                                 Attendance: 164

Admission: OMGDS £1.00 (£3).                      Programme: NONE

The Dearne Miners Welfare park in Goldthorpe, near Barnsley, is a work in progress. There is hard standing down one side and being constructed behind one goal. There are floodlights, of course and plans to build changing rooms behind the opposite goal. At present, the club house and bar are outside the ground, although alcohol and pies and peas are available inside the ground. They are an ambitious club and unbeaten in the league this season and with ambitions to gain promotion to The Northern Counties East League. At a recent match against second placed Doncaster City, which they won 1-0, there was an attendance of over 700. On a pretty miserable evening, the hosts scored seven, but the visiting keeper played a blinder and kept the score line down. Several hoppers were there and the Alliance president, Eddie Pearce, very optimistic about the future of the league and it’s ambitions.

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