Tuesday 28th July 2015 ko 18.30

West Dean Charity League, Senior Section Group 1

WESTBURY UNITED 1 (Jeffries 45)

MITCHELDEAN 1 (Jones 31)

Att 25

Entry FREE

Programme NO

Is there such a thing as a quasi-friendly? If there is then the West Dean Charity League would be it. It serves for the most part in lieu of pre-season friendlies for clubs in the North Gloucestershire League with the competition divided into Senior, Intermediate, and Junior sections according to the clubs’ league status. The big change for this season is that the competition is being covered on the FA’s Fulltime website.

Hopefully that makes it clear that this Westbury United isn’t the club in the Western League! This is Westbury-on-Severn and if you’ve ever travelled on the A48 between Gloucester and Lydney you’ve passed the Westbury Playing Fields.

Its a typical pretty-as-a-picture village playing field with the parish church casting a laconic eye over the houses nearby. Its a unusual edifice, the spire is separate from the main body of the church, the original nave having burned down.

Without meaning to, I ended up watching the holders Mitcheldean start their defence of the trophy but on a warm night it took time for both sides to fire into life. Westbury’s opener was quickly equalised, and the mini-league format of the competition meant that both sides could content themselves with draw. Sometimes it pays to keep your powder dry.