Category Archives: A

The Swedish Connection

15 Monday Oct 2012

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Sunday 14th October 2012 ko 10.30am

Upper Thames Valley League Division 3

ABBA ATHLETIC 1 (Harwood 78)

FC HAGBOURNE 3 (Moon 19 Lawson 73 Wallsworth)

Att 12 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

It was about time I did another Sunday League ground, and ABBA Athletic now play at Sunderland Drive Playing Field, in Bicester rather than at Kirtlington where I saw their Banbury & Lord Jersey side around 18 months ago. ABBA remain very much the baby of Tony Bagnall, one of the few stalwarts of local football to gain national recognition, being awarded an MBE 2 years ago. But why the name, I hear you ask? The club was originally formed as a revival of another Bicester club, Southwold but when the club was registered it was discovered that there were still unpaid fines due from the old Southwold club. Rather than face that liability the officials opted to choose another name who what to choose? It just so happened that “Money Money Money” by ABBA was playing on the radio at the time…… I’m just pleased Brian Hyland’s most famous hit wasn’t on the radio then!

ABBA, were set up and remain a real force for good. Half of all funds raised goes to charity, and Tony’s benevolent influence means the game is played for the right reasons, fun and fitness. To a backdrop of gliders taking off from Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester the two sides played an entertaining game, on a slippery surface. I can certainly report just how slippery, as I went flying when returning a ball!

There really wasn’t much between the two sides, besides slightly better finishing from the visitors. Jon Moon blasted home for the opener, before an exchange of goals from Andrew Lawson for Hagbourne and Wayne Harwood for ABBA maintained the one goal difference. A point would have been fair but Thomas Wallsworth stole in at the back post to give the game a slightly unrealistic margin of victory. Of course the real winners here are the legion of young people under Mr Bagnall’s guidance. Long may that continue.

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Far to go

08 Saturday Sep 2012

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Saturday 1st September 2012 ko 3.00pm

Gwent County League Division 3

ABERGAVENNY THURSDAYS 7 (Davies 19 36 Purvis 22 Wallace 43 Hopkins 51 Surtees 75 86) Ford sent off 89 (dangerous play)

PONTYPOOL 1 (Hatherall 87)

Att 28 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

So, when you’ve finished a gruelling 11 game tour of Welsh lower league football what do you do next? That’s right, do more of the same thing! There was also the bonus of the game being at the other end of my street! Yes, you have read that correctly, I live in Oxford, and at the end of my street is the A40. If you follow it for the small matter of 90 or so miles, you reach Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, just 6 miles over the border with England. Continue reading →

The Bells of Aberdovey

02 Sunday Sep 2012

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Sunday 26th August 2012 ko 3.00pm

Mid-Wales League Division One

ABERDYFI 6 (Holt 43p 77p 90 L Rickard 46 Smith 89 B Richards 90)

BONT 5 (Marsh 18 Thomas 21 Hughes 28p 78 Lee 31)

Att 324

Entry/Programme Hop Ticket

Badge £3

From Bryncrug it didn’t take long to reach the seaside town of Aberdyfi, or Aberdovey if you’d prefer the Anglicised version. This pretty town is the southern-most point of Gwynedd and the Snowdonia National Park, and the hills at the edge of town act as a reminder of the mountains to the north and east.

The village is the subject of the folk song, “The Bells of Aberdovey,” and refers to the legend of a submerged former kingdom of Lowland Hundred beneath Cardigan Bay, and its bells which, it is said, can be heard ringing beneath the water.

The Penrhos Field is on the main road in town, and is close to the railway station. There’s not much in the way of facilities, just the one viewable side, and a couple of bus shelters for cover. What makes the place is the hilly backdrop with its pastel-coloured houses complete with one resident watching the game through binoculars! Continue reading →

The Death of Reality

16 Thursday Aug 2012

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Saturday 11th August 2012 ko 3.00pm

FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round

ARUNDEL 1 (Walker 36)

EPSOM & EWELL 2 (Ayling 30 75)

Att c100

Entry £5

Programme 50p

I’m writing about this one 5 days after the event which isn’t necessarily a bad thing  as I can try to place my trip to Mill Road in some sort of context. I’d seen photos of the ground with the castle in the background and had wanted to visit for years it seemed a straightforward plan to head via Eastleigh and still have plenty of time to wend my way along the A27 and visit the cornucopia of second-hand bookshops before the game. As ever, life didn’t work out that way, the A34 and M3 were choked by Olympic travellers Continue reading →

Fore!

12 Sunday Aug 2012

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Tuesday 7th August 2012 ko 6.20pm

Midland Combination Division Two

ALCESTER TOWN 5 (Gifford 17 52 86 Blackwood 67 Styler 69)

BARNT GREEN SPARTAK 0

Att 45 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Programme £1

Tea 50p

Sometimes my choice of a game is really straightforward. Alcester, near Stratford-upon-Avon is only 30 miles from work, and an early non-floodlit kick off meant I’d get to Stratford Road in perfect time.

The town, on the Warwickshire side of the border with Worcestershire was an important settlement based around a Benedictine monastry. The town lost influence after the dissolution of the monastries in 1536 and nowadays is a pretty market town, the Tudor buildings still very much in evidence. Sadly the ground is set out of the town easily found on the way in from Stratford, in contrast with their old home at Conway Fields. That was little more than a public park though so to progress a move was virtually inevitable, especially with the club winning last season’s Stratford Alliance.

The ground is certainly interesting Continue reading →

Nurture

22 Sunday Jul 2012

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Tuesday 17th July 2012 ko 7.45pm

Pre-season Friendly

HIGHFIELD RANGERS 2 (Oshungere 47 Bond 90)

BORROWASH VICTORIA 5 (Newton 7 9p 24 Thompson 16 Banks 75)

Att 25 (h/c)

At 3G pitch, New College Leicester, Glenfield Road.

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

Sometimes you have to accept the less than ideal to get a new ground to tick off, or in this case a new pitch. When Lee and I drove up the M69 to Leicester, I wondered why Derbyshire based Borrowash would want to travel this far for a friendly, and travelling back afterwards I was none the wiser!

The only reason I can think of its the facility. It’s well appointed, with a spacious clubhouse and changing room block, and other than our game Leicester Storm were playing on a far pitch, trooping to and from the block. Annoyingly the tea bar wasn’t open this evening. After handing over a large envelope of chinese takeaway menus to a fellow hopper who collects them, for some reason I felt peckish!

The 3G pitch is brand new too, and apart from the occasional wire above our heads breaking the flight of the ball, it played beautifully. Beyond the 3G is the pitch used by Allexton & New Parks, newly promoted into the Leicestershire Senior League. A brick-built set of dugouts have appeared since my last visit, but I noticed how bumpy the pitch looked. That will need some attention before thew season starts.

So, the game; nominally at least LSL versus East Midlands Counties League, so one step on the footballing pyramid. Some interesting people too, the friendly Borrowash committee, and it was fun chatting to Mark Wilson their manager. As far as I know I don’t need Police checking to obtain the line-ups. For the hosts the problem wasn’t a CRB check, it was that they didn’t know who many of their players were! But when you’re a club that discovered the likes of Emile Heskey, and have Dion Dublin’s brother Clem as your manager, you let them get on with it!

That lack of knowledge cost Highfield the game, as they conceded 4 goals in 25 minutes, with Shane Newton collecting the easiest hat-trick he’ll ever notch. It didn’t help that Highfield lost their keeper Ben Davies to a knee injury picked up during the scpring of the 3rd goal. It looked nasty, but he seemed determined to turn-up for the night shift at work. ” They’ll sack me if I don’t!” Daniel Magalhaes took over his position, but the damage was irrepairable.

The second half was a poor spectacle, as the rate of substutions increased. Levi Oshungere mugged Victoria for some consolation. The lead was restored by substitute Steve Banks before Tim Bond rounded off the entertainment with Highfield’s second.

Not one to remember with any great fondness, but a useful run-out for both sides. I for one won’t read too much into the result.

Whatever Happened to Magnus Eriksson?

30 Wednesday May 2012

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Sunday 20th May 2012 ko 15.00

Allsvenskan

ÅTVIDABERGS FF 3 (Prodell 33 Eriksson 38p Zhubi 54)

KALMAR FF 0

Att 4,932

Entry 210 sek

Programme 20sek

Badge 30sek

Pennant 70sek

After an overnight stay in Jönköping we drove around 120 miles north-west to Linköping, passing Lake Vättern, which is as beautiful as it is huge (738 sq mi). From there it was a short distance south to Åtvidaberg, a town founded on medieval copper mining and latterly the production of mechanical calculators! A child’s climbing frame based on one is to be found just off the town square. Continue reading →

The Neds and the Pie Stand

14 Monday May 2012

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Saturday 12th May 2012 ko 3pm

Scottish Football League Division Two Playoff Semi Final Second Leg

ALBION ROVERS 2 (Gemmell 62 Chaplin 89)

ELGIN CITY 0

Agg 2-1

Att 827

Entry £12

Programme £2

So, picture the scene. Its 1882 and there are two sides in the North Lanarkshire town of Coatbridge who want to merge. One called Albion the other called Rovers. Now you’d have thought the new side would have had “Coatbridge” in the name? Clearly not!

The town, 10 miles east of Glasgow comes with a rough, tough reputation. No Rangers shirts on show here, this is a former industrial town, built on Irish Catholic immigration in the 19th century. Continue reading →

Powerwalking

07 Monday May 2012

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Monday 7th May 2012 ko 2.30pm

North Berkshire League Charity Cup Final

ARDINGTON & LOCKINGE 0 James sent off 70 violent conduct

BERINSFIELD 2 (Ingram 40 Saunders 74)

Att 195 (h/c)

@Abingdon United FC

Entry and (8 page) Programme £3

It’s only about a mile from Abington Town to United, so I was in plenty of time for this one. In the car park I found a salutary reminder of the fact that no-one remembers a loser, a discarded runners up memento from the previous day’s Upper Thames Valley League Alan Alder Memorial Trophy.

If Abingdon Town has the cover, then United have both the clubhouse and the pitch. With only two areas of cover and a crowd over double that of my morning game, it was fortunate that the rain ceased, and the crowd could make use of all of the surround.

As is always the case, the committee was there en masse; why can’t other leagues do that for their blue riband events, and I witnessed the high levels of administrative efficiency as they made sure each player’s name did correspond to the number they were wearing.

And while all this was happening one person cut a nervous figure. Whilst Berinsfield’s AJ Stockford oozed confidence, club secretary Jackie Cullen paced nervously. Before the game, she kept busy putting up red and black balloons, during it she powerwalked round and round the pitch. So many finals, so many miles covered.

The game saw Berinsfield take on another Division 2 outfit more than capable of scoring goals. Ardington & Lockinge may be better known for racehorses, but they’re making their way back up the NBFL after spell away from the league. They made the brighter start too, Jonny James’ cross-cum-shot took a slight deflection and hit the bar. Berinsfield hit back as David Murphy fired  just over the bar after his intial effort was blocked by Ardington keeper Andrew Burt.

And as the half wore on Berinsfield worked out what would work for them. Captain Mark Ingram got an iron grip in midfield, and he fed AJ Stockford on the right who regularly outpaced his marker Ian Marshall. However, it was a different combination that created the opener. Brian Rawlings’ glorious cushioned lob bisected the Ardington defence and Ingram headed in, running through for a goal that would grace any stadium.

After the break Berinsfield made a fast start with Chris Murphy’s low drive grazed a post before the normally prolific David Murphy beat the offsite-trap to toe-poke the ball towards the goal. Burt somehow stretched behind to claw the ball away  then smother the loose ball just as Stockford was about to pounce. All the while Jackie paced…..

Although Berinsfield were very much in the ascendancy at 1-0 anything could have happened. The pivotal moment cam on 70 minutes when Jonny James chased a through ball, hugging the right touchline. He received close attention from Mark Ingram who shepherded him over the line none too gently. James’ reaction was to swing a punch at him. That missed, but it was not lost on either referee John Barlow, or linesman Adam Dewar, and James quickly was dismissed.

Luke Saunders replaced an exhausted Stockford and within 5 minutes he got Berinsfield’s winner. Again it was Rawlings who was the provider, his cross taking a slight deflection before finding Saunders who prodded the ball past a beaten Burt. The same combination saw Saunders’ bullet header hit the crossbar, before Burt saved brilliantly as Shane Harris followed up.

So the third trophy of the season, and as the final whistle went, the fans cheered, the players hugged, and Jackie finally stopped walking. She’ll have to go through it all again though, its the League Cup final. Same time same place, would you bet against Berinsfield making it 4?

Muddy Waters

07 Monday May 2012

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Monday 7th May 2012 ko 11.00am

Oxon Senior League Presidents Cup Final

MARSTON SAINTS 1 (Payne 75p)

RIVERSIDE 2 (Green 25 87) Green missed penalty 87 Harris sent off 73 (spitting)

Att 83 (h/c)

Entry & (4 page) Programme £3

@Abingdon Town FC

The Culham Road home of Abingdon Town is one of the County’s best grounds, in fact with Oxford United back in the League, I’d have thought it was the best non-league ground in Oxfordshire. The only problem is that in football terms, you’re in Berkshire, pesky pre-1974 boundaries still apply! There’s so much to like with cover on 3 sides, and 2 areas of seating. The clubhouse doubles up as a nightclub, and the offices as a campervan business, judging by the sheer volume of them parked up.

The ground does have issues though, and its clear that the ground is beginning to reflect the clubs lowly status these days in the Hellenic League. Turnstiles have been removed and some of the roofs are leaking. Not good on an appalling wet morning, on a riverside pitch, notorious for its propensity to flood.

The game saw two Oxford based sides go head to head. Marston Saints play at Boults Lane, in Old Marston. That’s just a stone’s throw from Oxford City’s Court Place Farm ground, and the John Radcliffe Hospital. Riverside are new to the OSL this year and are yet another reincarnation of Headington Quarry, using the Margaret Road ground that the now defunct Quarry Nomads called home. Their kit even had a “Quarry” badge on it!

The game was extremely one sided. Riverside dominated throughout, and should have won this far more easily than they did. They spurned an early penalty, given for handball, but continued the press until Ben Green atoned for his poor spot kick by being at the right end of a goalmouth scramble to open the scoring. This pattern continued through the rest of the first half and well into the second, with Riverside asking all the questions and Saints keeper Dave Newbold keeping them out.

All that changed with around 15 minutes left. Riverside keeper Chris Harris, bizarrely sporting a woolly hat dashed out to collect a ball but had to challenge an onrushing Ben Green. Green caught him, but play continued briefly only to be stopped as the linesman was frantically flagging. There was a brief conflab, then referee David Stanley dismissed Harris for spitting. Harris later claimed he shouted, “And spit came out.” Unsavoury to put it mildly. Riverside captain Arron Armstrong went in goal, but was unable to stop Tom Payne’s penalty.

For a brief time it looked like Marston could steal an unlikely and undeserved victory. Armstrong saved well down to his right, but the crisis was soon dealt with and normal service resumed. Green collected his second, as Marston quickly ran out of ideas in the mud. There was a little tension as a lot of injury time was played, due to the dismissal, but as the trophy was presented, I felt most sorry for the two sides arriving for the afternoon final, the pitch was a mess.