Saturday 25th November 2023 ko 14:00

Somerset County League Division 2

CUTTERS FRIDAY 1 (Thorn 90+6)

WELTON ROVERS RESERVES 1 (Benjamin 82)

Att 14

Free Entry

You’ve probably spotted the running theme. With family in Bristol, I tend to tick off another ground in the area whenever I’m visiting. And that is how I became interested in what you could call the Stockwood treble. It evokes the now impossible Lenton Lane treble, in Nottingham of Bilborough Pelican, Dunkirk and Greenwood Meadows. Sadly, both Meadows and Pelican are defunct, but there’s now the Stockwood treble for groundhoppers to attack.

Many will have ticked off Bristol Telephones in the Western League, and will have spotted Somerset Leaguers Stockwood Wanderers next door. But tucked behind Telephones’ far stand is Cutters Friday, and if you’re prepared to mix your ball sports, there’s also Bristol Telephones RUFC. They formed a backdrop to a couple of the photos here.

Like me, you’ll soon ask where the name came from? The club was formed out of the Glasscutters Arms in Hengrove, and originally played on a Friday- then half-day closing day in this part of Bristol. The club thought it made them sound a little like Sheffield Wednesday, so picked a badge that looks like Sheffield United’s!

Do take a moment to enjoy the next fixture board on your way in, and the first thing you’ll pick up on that while yes, you can see the roof of Telephones’ stand that once saw service at The Conigre former home to Melksham Town, and a game at Stockwood Wanderers through the trees in the corner, the ground does hold its own identity. It was a pleasure to spend a few minutes in the clubhouse meeting the clubmen. Sometimes you can get the best feel for a club by quietly observing the social side.

The game very nearly turned into something of a cliche! For most of the game the hosts had little in the way of a “Cutting Edge” and were looked to have paid the price when Welton’s seconds scored via Jed Benjamin from a well-worked free kick. But sometimes inspiration takes strange forms but seeing your goalkeeper sin-binned is a new one for me.

But in the final minute of stoppage time the ball was floated towards the visitors’ box, and there was Joe Thorn to stab home with his side’s only shot on target. But despite that I couldn’t begrudge Cutters that point, it had been that much fun being in their company for a couple of hours. I made my my back to my family in Whitchurch completely satisfied with my afternoon. And by means of a bonus, Stockwood Green FC play just half a mile away.