Tuesday 1st May 2019 ko 18.45

Midland League Division 3

COVENTRY PLUMBING 1  (Gardner 2)

CONTINENTAL STAR 3 (Smith 25p 33 84)

Att 42

Entry £2

Programme £1

It would appear that Westwood Heath Road in Coventry is something of a footballing hotbed. There’s the ground formerly known variously as Kirby Corner, and the David Sinclair Sports Ground, and was home to both Coventry Sporting and more recently Coventry Amateurs. Just a few hundred yards down the road is the University Sports Ground, that apart from being the first ever entry in this blog, was home to the now defunct Coventry Spartans, themselves a splinter from Coventry Amateurs.

That Coventry Sporting shouldn’t be confused with the Coventry Sporting that played Southern League football from 1983-89 before folding. Their ground stood roughly where the main Coventry University building now lies, just off one end of Westwood Heath Road- see what I mean about a footballing hotbed!?

The old Amateurs Ground was bought by Kev Kingham well known in the area through his connections with the likes of Massey Ferguson, Nuneation Griff and Studley. A club was formed in 2017 using the Coventry Plumbing name, the business of fellow director Geoff Harris. The club entered and won Division 3 of the Coventry Alliance before entering the Midland League for this season.

They ended up finishing fourth, amid rumours of an imminent move to Rouncil Lane the vacant former home of Kenilworth Town KH. That would explain the high percentage of groundhoppers in the crowd, or was that due to a programme being on sale?

In the end Handsworth-based Continental Star won this mainly due to the excellent Anthony Smith who was ahead of everyone else on the pitch even before you took his hat trick into account. Star finished as runners-up, a promotion spot, but as I type that elevation has been put into doubt as the ground they’re currently using, The Hub in Perry Barr has failed ground grading.

It was an entertaining if feisty game, and all credit to referee Andrew Chesshire-Ramon whose common sense after a bout of handbags just before half time was a breath of fresh air.

I suspect that if I was to come back to the Midlands in a couple of years’ time there’s a fair chance one or both of these clubs will have moved grounds, such is the nature of football (not least Coventry City now exiled at Birmingham City) in these parts. Of course as a groundhopper half the fun is catching it all while you can!