Thursday 30th April 2015 ko 18.30

Spartan South Midlands League4 Division Two

WILLEN 0

TRING CORINTHIANS 3 (Brumwell 5 87 Wheeler-King 29)

Att 16

Entry FREE

No programme

I admit it, I’m biased against Milton Keynes. That may or may not have a lot to do with an unhappy 2-year stint working at a major bank there in the midst of the banking crisis. I hated driving there in the morning, and heading back home each evening (via a football ground of course) was a blessed release.

But even to my jaundiced mind, the city does have its good points. The theatre proved to be very good for my mother when she became wheel-chair bound, and there’s also the multi-cuisine eat-as-much-as-you-like restaurant, handy for the trips to either the football or the cinema. But it’s all those roundabouts, the grid system, the roads marked “H” and “V” that wrankle, and despite the numerous times I’ve visited, I still haven’t got used to the place.

For those not au fait with how Milton Keynes works, the city is divided up into districts, although Willen is unusual in that it existed as a small village and was swallowed up by the New City in 1967. The district is well-known for being home to the Willen Lakes, a popular pace for joggers and bird watchers. There’s even a Peace Pagoda there!

Willen Pavilion sits at the edge of all this, but the extended car park to service the lakes is handy. Most of Milton Keynes’ districts do have a sportsfield at their centre, but Willen’s is one of the better ones. There’s cricket, and the pitch does have the prime place in front of the pavilion but the football pitch is well-maintained, and allt eh club has to do to barrier it is to thread a rope through the permanent wooden posts.

It’s a fine facility, and one that could be improved should the club be in a position to elevate themselves above Step 7 but therein lies Willen’s problem. They joined the league for the 2013-14 season from Sunday football, finished rock bottom then, and will finish second from bottom this time round. This game summed up their season neatly, being well-beaten by the side third-bottom at kick-off. Confidence looked low, and if Corinthians hadn’t been profligate in front of goal, the loss could have easily become a drubbing. Conceding 97 goals in 27 games tells its own story.

It’s a real shame, as they’re a friendly bunch, but you do wonder how long they can continue to play at this level when the losses are this frequent.