The Way Through the Woods
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They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago,
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath
And the thin anemones
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods
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by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
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Saturday 7th December 2024
Eastern Counties League Division 1 North
Needham Market U23 1
Seth Chambers 3,
FC Parson Drove 3
Corey Kingston 31, 45, 87,
Referee: Jarrod Dobing. Official Attendance: 45
Admission: Concession: £5.00 (£7). Programme: on line
The wind and the rain increased in ferocity as the afternoon wore on. The National League North match on the adjacent (grass) pitch fell to the weather, but, on the 3G, the match went ahead. The hosts, with but one victory in twenty one league outings this season, went ahead after only three minutes, but were behind at the interval and, despite a spirited second half performance, were killed off by a third goal from the visitors three minutes from the final whistle!
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Tuesday 10th December 2024
Isthmian League Division 1 North
Cambridge City 0
Brentwood Town 1
Mekhi McKenzie 51,
Referee: Oliver Morris-Sanders. Attendance: 322
Admission: OAP £5.00 (£10). Programme: £3.00
Impressive new arena, but a great deal still to be done. Plenty of refreshment facilities, but only a portakabin wherein to enjoy them. Cover on all four sides and an impressive 500 seater stand. Sadly, the team couldn’t match the facilities and subsided to a single goal defeat which which was more emphatic than the scoreline suggests. With John Main, Dave Wooding and Martin Hollands.
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Friday 13th December 2024
Northern League Division 2
Washington FC 0
Ryton & Crawcrook Albion 5
Matthew Hayton 20, Fergus Lynch 22, Glenn Caygill 24, Louis Calvert 45 (pen), 57 (pen),
Referee: Lewis Chirnside. Attendance: 93
Admission: OAP £3.00 (£5). Programme: NONE
A comfortable club house festively decked out, but the rest of the ground was fairly basic. A substantial plastic rail surrounded the pitch with hardstanding all round. A small 50 seat stand and an even smaller covered terrace were the only other furniture. Bottom of the table and eight points adrift, Washington were plucky in defence, but well placed Albion scored four first half goals and rounded off with a fifth on the hour mark to complete a comprehensive rout.
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Saturday14th December 2024
Northern League Division 1. kick-off 12 noon
West Allotment Celtic 0
Easington Colliery 5
Thomas Hunter 2, Christopher Trewick 28, Bradley Hird 54 (pen), James Fairley 90+2 (pen), Reece Kenney 90+7,
Referee: Ben Whitfield. Attendance: 104
Admission: OAP £4.00 (£7). Programme: £2.50
West Allotment Celtic have a ground containing hard standing on three sides a metal fence around the pitch and two fifty seater stands down one side and a covered terrace behind one goal, with additional catering facilities outside the ground. It was a cold midday kick off and the hosts were never at the races. A goal down inside two minutes and two down by the interval, they conceded three second half strikes interrupted by a medical emergency when the father of one of the players collapsed and had to be hospitalised.
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Saturday 14th December 2014
Northern League Division 2 kick-off: 3.00pm
Prudhoe Youth Club 0
Jarrow 0
Referee: A Duffy. Attendance: 82
Admission: OAP £3.00 (£6). Programme: FREE
Kimberley Park is an old fashioned stadium at the bottom of the hill below the town of Prudhoe and with a pronounced slope from goal to goal. There is hard standing all round and covered seating for around one hundred souls and further standing cover. The matchday programme comes free with entry which is a bonus for an OMGDS like me! No goals, today. Second in the table, Jarrow had the better of the encounter, but were unable to break down a determined home defence. With John Main.
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Monday 16th December 2024
Premier League 2
Leicester City U21 1
Harvey Godsmark-Ford 89,
Everton U21 1
Omari Benjamin 83,
Referee: Adam Bancroft. Attendance: 249
Admission: OAP £3.00 (£5). Free teamsheet
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Tuesday 17th December 2024
United Counties League Premier Division North
Bourne Town 4
Zak Munton 46,Will Bird (pen) 63, Zac Allen 84, Tom Siddons (pen) 87,
Newark & Sherwood 0
Referee: Istvan Modd. Attendance: 226
Admission: OAP £5.00 (£6). Programme: on line
It is five years since my last visit – at a time when the FA were demoting them to Division 1 because the ground wasn’t enclosed. Last season they were Division 1 champions and this season, they sit in second place, four points behind leaders, Eastwood CFC, but with two games in hand. The first half was pretty turgid, with the best of very few chances going to the visitors. A goal one minute into the second period changed the tenor of the game and the hosts added three more (two of them penalties) to run out convincing winners.
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Thursday 19th December 2024
Friendly
Leicester City U21 2
Olympique de Marseille B 0
Referee: Andy Humphries. Attendance: 189
Admission: OAP £3.00 (£5). Programme: NONE
A 6.00pm start for this friendly match on a very cold evening and not a match that will live long in the memory. With John Main.
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Saturday 21st December 2024
Spartan South Midlands League Division 2
Padbury Village 4
Milon Keynes Irish Reserves 2
Referee: Ron James. Attendance: 35
Admission: F.O.C. Programme: NONE
Padbury is a small hamlet on the road from Buckingham to Aylesbury, with a population of just over 800. This was the last ground I needed to complete the SSML and for such a small place, it had a neat, well set out playing area with hard standing on two sides and a clubhouse serving drinks and chocolate. The hosts are struggling, having lost eleven of their opening fourteen games. This was their second league victory and it was well deserved. Four goals were shared during a wet and windy opening twenty minutes and the hosts scored a third just before the interval. They dominated the second half, playing up the slope, but with the wind in their favour. However they were only able to add a single strike to their total. With John Main.
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Boxing Day Thursday 26th December 2024
Jewson Western League Division 1
Avonmouth 2
Charlie Aldom 37, Josh Pearce 69,
Shirehampton 2
Ben Adam 63, Ciaran Greening 90,
Referee: Joseph Drew. Official Attendance: 528
Admission: OAP F.O.C. (£6) Programme: £2.00
In the shadow of The M5 motorway, this was a thud and blunder local derby on a heavy pitch in misty murky conditions. Both teams are recent additions to The Western League and their grounds are barely a mile apart. The King George V Recreation Ground has had quite a lot of improvements, including state of the art floodlights but have yet to start building on a required stand. Hard standing on two sides, coffee for £1, pastie/pie £2 and pensioners allowed in free! This was a mid=table clash with the visitors slightly better placed and with games in hand. The hosts led twice, but were pegged back for a second time in the ninetieth minute. A draw was a fair result! With John Main.
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Saturday 28th December 2024
Southern League Premier Division Central
Harborough Town 4
Ben Stephens 9, Luis Rose 55, Connor Kennedy 86, Joel Carta 89,
Leiston 0
Referee: Dario Mathewson. Attendance: 404
Admission: OAP £6.00 (£10). Programme: £2.00
A murky, dank day at The Harborough Community Stadium. Since last season, they have opened up a whole length of the ground with covered terracing along most of that side. Leiston were the better placed of the two teams with the hosts a bare three points off the dreaded trapdoor, but it was they who started the more positively and they went ahead after only ten minutes. Leiston huffed and puffed, but tired in the second period, when the hosts struck three more times, two of them in the last five minutes. With son, Jim and grand sons, Sonny and Kingsley.
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Monday 30th December 2024
Northern Premier League Midlands Division 1
Anstey Nomads 2
Jordan Annable 71, Kyle Tomlin 88,
Quorn 3
Cain Noble 19, Luca Alonzi 57, Silvio Bello 90+7,
Referee: Gareth Davis. Official Attendance: 569
Admission: OAP £6.00 (£10). Programme: on line
On a chilly evening in Leicestershire, a healthy turnout (including not a few ‘hoppers’) enjoyed an entertaining local ‘derby’ where the visitors, who are runaway leaders of the division, were made to work very hard for their victory. They led 1-0 at the interval and doubled their lead around the hour mark, but back came Nomads with two late goals, the second in the 88th minute, only for Quorn to snatch a winner in the seventh minute of added time. With John Main, Dave Woodings, Tony Morehead and good to see Magret Hanke and Jens-Uwe Hanssen over from Germany for a short visit.
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Photograph courtesy of Magret Hanke. The grumpy old man with a beef burger behind the goal at Anstey Nomads.
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Teamsheet for Quorn
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Teamsheet for Anstey Nomads
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