Category Archives: A

Precursor

21 Sunday Sep 2014

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Friday 19th September 2014 ko 19.30

North Berkshire League Division One

ABINGDON TOWN 3 (Barroso 28 Lightfoot 83 Sutton 90og)

SAXTON ROVERS 0

Att 192

Entry & Programme £4

The North Berkshire League has held 3 annual groundhops, but for this year’s event I was handed a couple of dilemnas that weren’t of my own making. Firstly, I’ve spent each of the last 3 years bemoaning the lack of floodlights in the league, so I ought to have been pleased when Abingdon Town dropped into the league. That was due to a landlord charging a rent the club could ill-afford when they’d been flooded for 3 months at a time for each of the last 2 years. The trouble was that the club had been on a Hellenic hop back in the day, which normally would mean that they wouldn’t get another game. However I wanted to help the club and chairman Tom Larman, so we decided to stage the game as a Friday night precursor to the main event. The other problem though, had the potential to be altogether more serious. Continue reading →

The Frogmill

14 Sunday Sep 2014

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Tuesday 9th September 2014 ko 18.15

Cheltenham League Division Two

ANDOVERSFORD 5 (R Cleal 41 57 Frewin 61 77 84)

PRESTBURY ROVERS 0

Att 16

Entry FREE

Programme NO

I suspect if you live to the east of Cheltenham, as I do, Andoversford is where you turn off of the A40 to head down to the Air Balloon Pub, then on towards Gloucester and the M5. Apart from passing the Marco Pierre White-owned Frogmill Inn, you do tend to by-pass the pretty village, which really is quintessentially Cotswolds in character. Continue reading →

The Bigger Picture

27 Sunday Jul 2014

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Thursday 24th July 2014 ko 19.30

Pre-Season Friendly

ABINGDON TOWN 1 (Lightwood 75)

OXFORD UNITED XI 10 (O’Dowda 16 Long 27 52 56 Roberts 32 45 Bevans 35 Culley 64 Hawtin 87)

Att c350

Entry & Programme £5

So Oxford United’s development squad ran up 10 goals against a North Berkshire League outfit, and genuinely that isn’t the story at all. In Oxfordshire few clubs have fallen as rapidly and as far as Town in recent years. I remember seeing Town playing in the Isthmian League Division One (then just 2 promotions from the Football League) but now find themselves, in theory, seven promotions from their guests’ status. But where did it all go wrong?

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What we did on our holidays

27 Sunday Jul 2014

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Wednesday 23rd July 2014 ko

Pre-Season Friendly

AEK-BOCO 2 (Kitson 41 72)

CADBURY HEATH 2 (Tongue 10 Huxley 44)

Att 78

Entry FREE

No Programme

My appearance at this was purely based to London-based Mark Wilkins. We were watching Coventry United the previous day, and I asked Mark where he was going the next day. He replied, and once I’d established they were a team from Hanham in Bristol, and not a Nigerian Islamic terrorist group I decided to join him. Continue reading →

Two-and-a-half Percent

13 Sunday Jul 2014

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Sunday 6th July 2014 ko 16.00

League of Ireland Premier Division

ATHLONE TOWN 0

DERRY CITY 1 (P McEleney 20)

Att 354

Entry €15

Programme €3

Badge €3

NB. The Irish tour’s cost of £285 included entry into all the 3 games, and programmes, all transport, all excursions, and 3 nights bed and breakfast at Dublin City University

The relaxed nature of the weekend was neatly summed up by its final day. A leisurely breakfast was followed by a trip west to Athlone for a boat trip on the Shannon. It turned out to be a mecca for the birdwatchers, and for the boat a chance to meet two residents of its birthplace Southend-on-sea! Even the RNLI badge was still attached!

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Arrivals & Departures

07 Saturday Jun 2014

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Saturday 22nd May 2010 ko 12.00

Welsh League Division Three

ABERTILLERY BLUEBIRDS 4 (L Lewis 17 Davies 32og Goodenough 64 80)

GARW SBGC 0

Att 126

Entry & Programme £2

So another of my “Greatest hits,” and sadly this is one Valleys ground you can’t see a game at anymore. Bluebirds have just vacated Cwm-nant-y-groes in favour of a 3G pitch at the local leisure centre. The club finished bottom of Division 3 this season, so I would imagine they’ll return to the Gwent County League. The ground isn’t actually in the town, rather than small village outside of Six Bells, and perhaps that’s why the move is so popular with both club and council. The club get a more practical ground, suitable for their needs, and the council save on the costs of maintaining Cwm-nant-y-groes. But of course, sometimes there’s more to it than mere practicalities. Continue reading →

Escarpment

18 Friday Apr 2014

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Tuesday 15th April 2014 k0 18.30

Spartan South Midlands League Division Two

ASTON CLINTON 3 (Roberts 2 57 68)

MURSLEY UNITED 1 (Hutchinson 72)

Att 12

Entry FREE

Programme NO (Old copy FREE)

The trick when you visit this Buckinghamshire village is to travel to Wendover, then along to the village via RAF Halton. The road takes you along the edge of the limestone escarpment on the very edge of the Chiltern Hills, and there’s a layby with a spectacular view of the topography to the west out towards Aylesbury, including Aston Clinton Park, the football club’s current home. The car manufacturer Aston Martin takes its first name from the village combining it with that of its co-founder Lionel Martin, Martin raced specials at Aston Hill nearby.

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Sunday Morning Coming Down

13 Sunday Apr 2014

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Sunday 6th April 2014 ko 10.30

B-Klasse Mainz-Bingen West

FC AKSU-DIYAR MAINZ 9 (Kisala 15 33 40 62 79 Cesario 58 77 Ghamkor 64 Onuc 90)

SG 1898 PARTENHEIM 2 (Matischek 79 Jung 87)

Att 14 at Pitch 3 Bezirkssportenlage, Mainz-Mombach

Entry FREE

Programme NO

A few years ago a groundhopping snob on an internet forum decried watching German Kreisliga football. Apart from the maxim of not inflicting ill-thought-out opinions on others, our little keyboard warrior would have had a fit on what I watched here. Normally speaking Kreisliga is the local league, in less built-up areas the lowest rung of the pyramid, and in more urban area the Kreisklasse tucks in beneath that. Like any national organisation there will always be quirks and in Mainz there is no Kreisliga, the A to D Klassen in effect does that job for them. Of course what you miss when you become a status-snob is some hugely enjoyable visits, but then ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?

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Attitude In Adversity

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

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I heard the sad news today that the Appleton Stars have folded, despite completing their North Berkshire League Division 5 programme. I always enjoyed their company, and admired their wonderful attitude despite taking a beating most Saturdays. I was pleased we were able to feature them on the North Berkshire League Hop, away at Uffington United, and it was a real shame that I was unable to give them a game as hosts as they’d left the Sportsfield, to groundshare at Hanney.

They never did have much luck. About a month ago Phil Annets, the league’s press officer, sent me a message that the Stars had just earned their first point in three years against Crowmarsh Gifford Reserves. On the Monday after, Crowmarsh’s reserves withdrew from the league, and Appleton’s point was expunged. There was Briony their manager who could find something positive to say even in moments of massive adversity, and Paul Nuckley their goalkeeper who never lost his sense of humour despite the deluge of goals that went past him.

I was fortunate to visit the Stars back in 2010, so please enjoy my text from then, and please remember a gallant little club that is no more. They stood for values far above mere sport, such as sportsmanship, friendship, and never ever giving up. I’ll miss them.

13th November 2010 ko 13.30

North Berkshire League Division 5

APPLETON STARS 1 (King 40)

BAMPTON TOWN RESERVES 7 (Reed 7 15 Oyston 13 54 Madden 27 Paintin 76 90)

Att 1

Entry FREE

Prog No

It can’t be easy being Appleton. A ground next door to the local sewage works with all the smells to match, and a playing record that takes some examination. They were reformed a few years ago as a youth side, but the players got too old. They entered the North Berkshire League last season, and were placed in Division 4 so at least they had some first teams to play against. They finished the season with the following record P20 W0 D0 L20 F13 A204 Pts 0, so were relegated into the basement Division 5 with reserves, A and even B sides. Their playing record this season?

P7 W0 D0 L7 F7 A47 Pts 0, so things are not improving and if you eliminate the two league officials and the clubs’ management, the attendance was me so the well to do village doesn’t care either.

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Expectations

11 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Saturday 8th March 2014 ko 10.30

Ceredigion League Division One

ABERPORTH 3 (Griffiths 67 Glover 84og Smith 97)

CRANNOG 2 (R Roberts 11 S Jones 28)

Att 166

Entry £3

Programme £1

Badge £1

Each time our coach crosses the border from Carmarthenshire to Ceredigion I get the feeling that something interesting is going to happen. Perhaps that’s just the anticipation of another game at another new ground, but on this particular Saturday my sense of expectancy was heightened. In this part of West Wales things happen differently, you are in Welsh Wales after all, and the pace of life is more relaxed. Understanding that culture is important and that helped us to help 5 clubs put on what was a hop that showcased themselves and their beautiful part of the world. I loved it, and I hope all those who attended did too. Continue reading →