Lullaby for a Referee’s Baby
The pitch is cold and dark
The night is dark and deep
The players have all gone to bed
So sleep, baby, sleep.
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The whistle’s on the shelf
The boots are in a heap
The kit is in the laundry bag
So sleep, baby, sleep.
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The house is warm and dark
The stairs are dark and steep
And Daddy’s here beside your cot
To send you off … to sleep.
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Allan Ahlberg (1937 – )
Saturday 1st December 2018
Abacus Lighting Central Midlands League
Black Dragon South Division
Hilton Harriers 1
Karl Chadfield 31,
Mickleover RBL 1
Shaun Smith 77 (pen),
Referee:- James Thornhill. Attendance:- 45
Admission:- £3.00. Programme:- included
My 50th new ground of the season was at The Mease Pavilion, Hilton, just off the A50 north of Burton-upon-Trent. This is their second season in The CML and the ground is very basic. No floodlights and no cover, just a railed off field with the rails painted in club colours. There is a sizeable club house with basic refreshments and a large car park liberally pockmarked with rain filled potholes! The match was a close affair which either side could have won, but a draw was probably the fair result! With Graeme Askham and NO CHIPS on the way – there wasn’t enough time!.
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Sunday 2nd December 2018
SSE Women’s FA Cup 2nd Round
Loughborough Foxes 3
Charlotte Broad 17,
Becky Knight 94, 103,
Gillingham Ladies 1 aet
Alice Bussey 66,
Referee:- Thomas Bingley. Attendance:- 56
Admission:- £2.50. Programme:- NONE – free team sheet
Loughborough University’s fine stadium at Holywell hosted this Women’s FA Cup encounter. The match started late, because the away team were held up on the M1 – as were we! The Foxes were clearly the better side but at ninety minutes, the score was 1-1. Two goals in extra time saw the hosts deservedly into the next round. With Graeme Askham and grandson, Freddie.
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Young Freddie’s 102nd game!
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Tuesday 4th December 2018
Future Lions United Counties League Premier Division
Desborough Town 1
Daniel White 8,
Wellingborough Town 1
Troy Johnston 26,
Shaun Wilkes s/o 74
Troy Johnston s/o 82
Referee:- Matthew Lake. Attendance:- 72
Admission:- £5.00. Programme:- £1.00
A first visit of the season to one of my favourite grounds and a match delayed when the floodlights had a temperamental switch on, taking nearly fifteen minutes to warm up to full power! There was a minute’s silence in memory of John Weekes, the chairman of the league, who died at the weekend and who had been twenty-nine years serving on The UCL Committee. An entertaining game seemed to be drifting the way of the visitors, but two second half dismissals saw them clinging on at the end!
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At the right of the picture you can see the water tower which gives the ground its name!
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Saturday 8th December 2018
Spartan South Midlands League Division 2
Berkhamsted Raiders 2
Luke Bartlett 5,
Ryan McMahon 15 (pen),
The 61 FC (Luton) 1
Yvesilin Eugene 87 (pen),
Referee:- Warren Northcott. Attendance:- 19
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
There was a pub in the town – The Crown, a Wetherspoons – where Graeme and I had a passable lunch. It was a busy pre-Christmas shopping Saturday. A swirling wind and occasional sharp showers on a cold afternoon were not ideal conditions for flowing football. The Raiders play in a 3G cage at the rear of Ashlyns School. There was, at least, the saving grace of a 100 seater stand along one side which kept the worst of the weather out. The hosts should have wrapped this game up well before half time with the wind in their favour. Their 2-0 lead lasted until ten minutes from the end when a penalty to the visitors made for a nervy finish!
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Tuesday 11th December 2018
Eco-Stik Southern League Premier Division Central
Banbury United 0
Stourbridge 0
Referee:- Ryan Williams. Attendance:- 313
Admission:- OMGDS £7.00 (£10) Programme:- £2.00
My first 0-0 for 66 matches as the hosts drew 0-0 at home in consecutive matches. High flying Stourbridge looked the stronger of the two sides, but The Puritans remained resolute and the draw was a fair result in a keenly fought contest. With eldest son, Jim.
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Saturday 15th December 2018
Eco-Stik Southern League Division 1 South
Barnstaple Town 0
Cirencester Town 5
Alan Griffin 4, 28,
Ben Whitehead 56,
Tommy Ouldridge 81,
Will Christopher 86,
Referee:- Lewis Sandoe. Attendance:- 55
Admission:- OMGDS £5.00 (£8) Programme:- £2.00
We couldn’t believe that the game was on after the heavy rain and spray on the M5 – and the wind, but the ground took all that the elements could throw at it and played pretty well! There was a warm welcome and team sheets were made available, whilst just behind the far goal, a rugby match had already started and there were probably 500 or so in attendance! Barnstaple are bottom of their division and it is easy to see why, they were toothless in attack and porous in defence and the result was a fair reflection of the match! With Graeme Askham, John Main and Jack Warner.
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Above is the stand of the rugby club next door where a huge crown were supporting the muddied coats in their closely contested fight against Brighton
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Tuesday 18th December 2018
Future Lions United Counties League Division 1
Northampton Sileby Rangers 1
Leon Lobjoit 17,
Rushden & Higham Utd 3
Nat Gosnal-Tyler 4,
Jory Mann 41 (pen),
Dylan Wilson 57,
Referee:- James Kavanagh. Attendance:- 46
Admission:- £6.00. Programme:- £1.00
On a filthy night in Northampton, the playing area at Fernie Fields was like a billiard table, there were even groundsmen out at half time, tending to the pitch. The visitors are on a recent good run and they surprised fifth placed Sileby with their pace and skill. They won comfortably despite having a man sent off for dangerous play after 70 minutes.
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Saturday 22nd December 2018
Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division South
Blackfield & Langley 1
Lerone Plummer 50,
Yate Town 2
Michael Bryant 37,
Nick Peare 90,
Referee:- Tristan Greaves. Attendance:- 106
Admission:- OMGDS £5.00 (£8). Programme:- £1.00
“Gang Warily” is the eccentric nomenclature of the host’s ground, hidden between a Community Centre and the vast Fawley Oil Refinery in Southampton. The ground is not much to write home about – a stand seating maybe 200 and a very small covered standing area on the opposite side of the pitch. There was a warm welcome and complimentary programmes and team sheets, but the hosts, sitting pretty at the top of the League did not do themselves justice and second placed Yate Town deservedly reduced the differential to one point!
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The vast Fawley Oil Refinery in the background.
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Boxing Day 26th December 2018
Total Motion Midland League Division 3
Central Ajax 6
Matt Layton 15, 49,
Craig Robins 32,
Jordan Lewis 69,
Lewis Fathers 76,
Alex Andrews 79,
Leamington Hibernian 2
David Jones 73,
Matthew Wright 84,
Referee:- Jack Stenson. Attendance:- 27
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
They may be in the lowest division of The Midland League. They may play on a roped off pitch next to the M40, but they treated John Main and me right royally! We were served with bacon butties and coffee and team sheets were sorted out – all free of charge, just like the entrance! Ajax are highly placed in the division, but Hibernian are not only struggling, but, as one of their players put it, they’d had too much Christmas Pud yesterday! The hosts deserved their emphatic victory!!!
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Boxing Day Wednesday 26th December 2018
Total Motion Midland League Premier Division
Wolverhampton SC 3
Kieron Clarke 16 (pen),
Taylor Allen 45+1,
Kyle Burke 47,
Westfields 4
Aidan Thomas 4,
Ben Hayes 18,
Keanu Cooper 60,
Olli Price 86,
Referee:- James Scerri. Attendance:- 42
Admission:- £6.00 Programme:- £1.50
The backdrop of the clubhouse behind the goal resembles the frontage of a Lancashire Cotton Mill and the surrounds of the pitch have been ripped up due to a major sewage leak. The hosts are propping up the Division, whilst the visitors are in second place. An away goal three minutes into the game pointed to an easy victory, but the hosts were good value and at half time the score was 2-2. Three minutes into the second half, the hosts scored a third, but then had a player dismissed. Thereafter, it was a desperate rearguard action, but the visitors eventually struggled over the line, the winner coming four minutes from time!
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Friday 28th December 2018
Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Potton 1
Danny Webb 62,
Biggleswade United 2
Tony Williams 10,
Sam Holmes 51,
Referee:- Harry Tarrant. Attendance:- 318
Admission:- £6.00. Programme:- £1.00
There was a sizeable crowd there even at 7.00pm when I arrived and the team lists were already posted just inside the club house. These two close rivals were meeting for the first time in this league – since Potton were transferred from The United Counties League at the beginning of this season. Only a point separated them in fourth and fifth place, but the visitors have four games in hand and, to be fair, they deserved their success, despite a spirited fight back by the hosts in the second half. The attendance of 318 was the second highest in the league this season, beaten only by the 323 who were at the Biggleswade United v Biggleswade match on Boxing Day!
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Saturday 29th December 2018
Sky-Bet EFL League 1
Rochdale 0
Bradford City 4
Nathaniel Knight-Percival 24,
Anthony O’Connor 48,
Eoin Doyle 61 (pen),
George Miller 89,
Referee:- Andy Woolmer. Attendance:- 5,673
Admission:- OMGDS £16.00 (£22). Programme:- £3.00
Almost fifty years since my last visit to Spotland (10th May 1969 Football League Division IV Rochdale 3 Southend United 0 Attendance:- 9,095) and I didn’t recognise any of it!!! Went by train from Rugby with Graeme Askham, my son Jim and grand sons, Sonny and Kingsley. In a surprisingly good match, the visitors dominated throughout, despite their perilous relegation threatened position in the league. They were faster, fitter and more skilful than their opponents and thoroughly deserved their emphatic victory. Spot of bother shortly after half time when a small group of home fans exchanged smoke bombs with the huge away contingent!
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Son, Jim with Graeme Askham and, in front, grandsons, Kingsley and Sonny.
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There must have been around 3,000 Bradford City fans filling this stand!
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Other Matches
Monday 3rd December 2018
Coventry Charity Cup Quarter Final
Rugby Borough 3 Coventry Plumbing 0 Attendance:- 59
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Wednesday 12th December 2018
National League U-19 Alliance Group G
Rugby Borough 4 Rugby Town 2 Attendance:- 41
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Thursday 20th December 2018
Premier League 2 International Cup Group F
Derby County U23 1 Manchester United U23 1 Attendance:- 426
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Friday 21st December 2018
Future Lions United Counties League Division 1
Lutterworth Athletic 4 Long Buckby 1 Attendance:- 72
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