Saturday 25th July 2026 ko 14:30

United Counties League Premier South

COTON GREEN 3 (Evans 24 Letford 35 80)

O’Connor sent off 66 (2nd booking)

DAVENTRY TOWN 1 (Jackson 57)

Att 333

Entry £8

Programme £2

There were a few issues with this season’s UCL Hop. The main one was administrative, we had the coach and accomodation ready to go, but FA allocations, and appeals to those allocations made getting the fixtures for the event late- very late to be truthful. On a personal level I knew it would add up to an all-revisit weekend, I completed the league last season. You can still find plenty to enjoy over and above the social side of things, some of the grounds we visited I hadn’t visited in years and have changed quite a bit, and Coton Green was a case in point.

We’d started the hop the previous day at Moulton FC and had the morning at Ashby Ivanhoe before a trip to Fazeley. I’d watched Coton Green beat Newhall United 4-2 back in April 2010 in the Midland Combination, but one arrival at the Henderson Memorial Ground 16 years later I didn’t recognise the place! Perhaps these photos form back then show why?

Shooting forward 16 years and a change of kit from red to green, Coton Green were one of the few clubs on this hop who understood that simply doing what they do normally will not suffice. You are dealing with a crowd of 300 at lunchtime, so erecting a gazebo outside the clubhouse was smart thinking as was producing chicken curry. Trust me, the endless burgers and chips does get rather tedious. Their hosting really was first class, which was remarkable given that they’d never seen a hop game before- having moved upwards and laterally having won the Midland League’s first division last season.

I’ll always have a soft spot for Daventry Town, our paths do seem to cross a lot! They looked good on last year’s hop but looked second best to a well-drilled Coton Green side, including after the loss of Louie O’Connor just after the hour mark. As for Coton Green, I’m sure they’ll look at this as a highly successful day- both on and off the pitch. Well done to them.