Tuesday 12th April 2016 ko 18.15

Bristol Premier Combination Premier Division

MENDIP BROADWALK 2 (Hickery 23 Talbot 43)

HIGHRIDGE UNITED 1 (Hocking 51)

Att c150

Entry FREE

No Programme

Its fair to say that the Knowle district, in southern Bristol is reassuringly working class. I say reassuringly working-class, as despite the Premier League trying (and largely successfully) to price the game out of the reach of normal people, if you look to the working-class areas odds on you’ll find grass-roots football thriving.

The Filwood Sports Association Playing Fields proves the point rather neatly. This isn’t a place for aesthetes but if football is what you want you’re in the right place, as three games were taking place when I visited. The facility is at one end of what used to be the original Bristol Airport at Whitchurch, now a business park.

The railed off pitch in the centre is home to Broad Plain House FC (a Social Club in case you wondered) of the Somerset County League, while the newly railed pitch to the left is used by Mendip Broadwalk. The two clubs share the clubhouse/ changing room block at the entrance but there is a real quirk, at least in theory anyway!

Mendip are top of the league and have applied to the Step 7 Gloucestershire County League. Therefore next season you could visit Filwood and be able to watch two games in two counties simultaneously!

This massive local derby proved to be a good test of their title credentials. In front of a large crowd there was little or nothing between the two sides, but Mendip shaded the first half, and due in part to a goalkeeping howler were two-nil up at half time.

Perhaps it was predictable that Highridge would shade the second half and a long-range effort from Harry Hocking reduced the arrears early on. But despite the late pressure, Mendip held on reasonably comfortably, so dual county football looks a distinct possibility.