Category Archives: S

Back of the 7″

01 Sunday Apr 2012

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Friday 30th March 2012 ko 7.30pm

Mid-Someset League Dimmock Green Cup Final

MEADOW RANGERS 0

FROME TOWN SPORTS 1 (Lock 29)

Att c130

Played at Shepton Mallet FC

Entry & Programme £2

The idea of this one was simple, in that it was on the way down to see my friends Mike and Christine in Dorset. I hardly need an excuse to watch a game, but at a new ground on the way? It would be rude not to!

The Somerset town of Shepton Mallet, is possibly best known as where Babycham is produced! The western suburbs are dominated by the Charlton railway viaduct and the former Anglo-Bavarian brewery building. The oldest working prison in the UK is to be found here. I knew none of this when I arrived, all I knew was that as a child cycling back from school, I’d stop at the local John Menzies to buy the latest 7″ single. On the back of the sleeve were the band’s tour dates, Wembley Arena, the Birmingham NEC and so on. One of the dates was always Shepton Mallet Showgrounds, but these days it never features on the tour schedules, I wonder why?

The town’s Western League team plays at Wells Road, West Mallet, but tonight the ground was being used for a local league’s cup final. The Mid-Somerset League feeds into the Somerset League, and then up into the Western League. The fixture pitched Midsomer Norton based Meadow Rangers top of the Premier Divison against Frome Town Sports, top of Division One. Frome’s connections with the town’s Southern League club were interesting. With Frome having no reserve team, this side wear Frome Town kit, and are very much under the senior team’s wing. The rules of the league state that a player cannot play more than 5 senior games in a season, so there can’t be much exchange of talent between the two sides.

What wasn’t clear from the moment they kicked off, was which side was in the top flight. I felt Frome at least tried to play football, but were being kicked all of the park by their opponents who were the wrong side of physical at best. In a frantic first half there were 2 punch-ups and another as the teams trooped off for half time. Meadow’s Jake Riddle’s stamp on Frome keeper Ryan Matthews damaged the young glovesman’s arm sufficiently for him to be able to take no further part, even in the presentation ceremony.

At that point at least we’d seen a goal, Adam Lock finishing well from 10 yards, but he was forced to take Matthews place in goal. It speaks volumes that he had virtually nothing to do, as Meadow kicked, elbowed and punched with Frome’s Ian Kennedy on the receiving end of most, rather than force home the obvious advantage. Unbelievably, referee Matt Drew took until 84 minutes to show anyone a card, and ridiculously the recipient was Kennedy himself, for an innocuous foul!

So, an uninspiring game, the correct side won, but the ground was the real star. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

They beat South Park! You…..!

05 Thursday Jan 2012

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Wednesday 4th January 2012 ko 7.45 pm

Combined Counties Premier Division

SOUTH PARK 0

MOLE VALLEY SCR 2 (Elgar 35 Holden 62)

Att 87

Entry £5

Programme £1

Badge £3

Tea 80p

Cheeseburger £2.60

South Park, are named after the district of Reigate in which they play, and I immediately pondered on the lack of another senior club in the Surrey Town. To all but a few, you could be almost anywhere! Within Reigate, there’s Reigate Hill FC who play in the Redhill and District League, and Reigate Priory who play a notch higher up in the Surrey Elite Intermediate League.  Not exactly high level fare for a bustling market town, possibly best known for being the setting for the Sherlock Holmes short story,” The Adventure of the Reigate Squire.” Continue reading →

Maggie’s Farm

29 Thursday Dec 2011

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Monday 27th December 2011 ko 3.00pm

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division

ST MARGARETSBURY 2 (Anstead 6 79)

STOTFOLD 2 (Aulsberry 51 Donnelly 89p)

Att 46

Entry £6

Programme £1.50

Tea £1

Bacon Roll £2

After the Kings Langley game it was straightforward to drive round a few exits of the M25 then onto the A10 through Cheshunt, towards Stanstead Abbotts. Or was I? The team used to be called Stanstead Abbotts, but changed names when they moved to the Recreation ground. I was told that despite the fact that the postal address is in Stanstead Abbotts, the ground itself is, in fact in adjacent St Margarets. The “Bury” bit refers to the fact that the ground lies in the former grounds of the Bury, or Manor House. The Manor house was the property of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, but reverted to the crown after her execution in 1536. Continue reading →

Chances

29 Thursday Dec 2011

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Monday 26th December 2011 ko 3.00pm

Isthmian League Division One North

SOHAM TOWN RANGERS 3 (Cotton 7p 21 Carter 53)

AFC SUDBURY 1 (Henshaw 64)

Att 221

Entry £7

Programme £1.50

Tea 70p

Cheeseburger £2.50

Chips £1.10

The small Cambridgeshire town of Soham seems to have been touched by tragedy more than most. As if the 2002 murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were not bad enough, in 1944 the town narrowly escaped destruction. A fire developed on the lead wagon of a heavy ammunition train travelling slowly through the town. The town was saved by the bravery of four  staff, Benjamin Gimbert (Driver), James Nightall (Fireman), Frank Bridges (Signalman) and Herbert Clarke (Guard), who uncoupled the rest of the train and drove the engine and lead wagon clear of the town, where it exploded, killing Jim Nightall and Frank Bridges but causing no further deaths. Ben Gimbert survived and spent seven weeks in hospital. Although small in comparison to what would have happened if the entire train had blown up, the explosion caused substantial property damage. Gimbert and Nightall were both awarded the George Cross (Nightall posthumously).

Despite all this Soham is a thriving market town and its club has done well to graduate from the Eastern Counties League. Julius Martin Lane now reflects that elevation, with covered terracing on the 3 accessible sides, the fourth a victim of the ground graders. It appears to be just too open! All this cover has slightly restricted the view from the main stand, a bench-seated affair, with doors at the side for access at the side. All very welcome on a cold, windy day.

The part of the ground the club are probably most proud of is the clubhouse. Both large and comfortable, it easily coped with a bumper Boxing Day crowd. I found it handy to buy my food from the burger bar nearby and quietly sit and read my programme.

The club was established in 1947 by a merger of Soham Town and Soham Rangers.Town were formed in 1920, won the Cambridgeshire Junior Cup in 1932–33, and played in the Cambridgeshire League during the 1930s, earning promotion to the Premier Division in 1938. Rangers were formed in 1919 and reached the top division of the Cambridgeshire League in 1926, the same year in which they won the Junior Cup. The merged club entered the Eastern Counties League in 1963,  won the 2007-2008 title and were promoted to the Southern League, Midland Division. For this season they were switched sideways to the Isthmian part of the pyramid.

As befits a local derby the action was fairly frantic. Soham took the lead from the penalty spot, after Andy Furnell ran strongly into the Sudbury penalty area. He seemed bound to score but Sudbury keeper Danny Gay managed to block his shot, but  a further block by defender Steve Adams was adjudged to have been handball. He was booked and Daniel Cotton stepped forward to fire the spot-kick low into the bottom left hand corner.

Soham doubled their lead on 21 minutes, and again Cotton’s hard work paid off. His neat one-two put him clean through and he beat former Southend keeper Gay easily. All quite surprising given the relative League positions of the clubs. You expected the visitors to make a better fist of things in the second half, but on 51 minutes the game was put out of reach when Gay spilled a Cotton free-kick and Scott Carter was on hand to force the ball home through a melee of players.

Sudbury gained some consolation when Michael Shinn’s 64th minute free-kick defeated the Soham Town Rangers defence and Ryan Henshaw was on hand to reduce the deficit. However despite all Sudbury’s huffing and puffing the final score was a fair reflection on the game.

These mist covered mountains………….

23 Friday Dec 2011

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Monday 18th July 2011

at Big Lake Soccer Complex, Moriyama-Shi,  Shiga Prefecture.

Entry FREE

Programme for 2nd Game FREE (produced by the fans)

Drinks machines a plenty

12.30pm

Shiga Syakaijin League Divsion One

FC ZE ZE 5 (14 52 54 56 75)

FC KOGA 0

Att 2 (h/c)

@ Pitch A

2.30pm

Kansai League Divsion One

TOJITSU SHIGA 0

BANDITONCE KAKOGAWA 1 (14)

Att 66 (h/c)

@ Pitch B

So my last day in Japan, and the second with pouring rain! The first was the first. Now, this was possibly the first games I’ve ever done where I didn’t don’t quite know where exactly I was! Shiga prefecture, that’s easy, and the complex name was easy…. Well Peter drove on the freeway past Kyoto and north, but other than a Big Lake and mountains I was drawing a blank! Eventually with a lot of searching I found it, just copy this into Google Earth 滋賀県守山市服部町2439番地.  That’s the address in Japanese, and that should show you as to be near the small town of Sazukawacho

What was unusual was the shrine in one corner, but other than that a fairly standard complex, no cover but a main astro pitch with a terrace strangely called Pitch B, another astro pitch with a tiny viewing area, Pitch A, and a grass pitch that was regrowing. What was noticable was the clouds drifting on and off the mountains.

I started at pitch A and watched a Shiga Prefectoral game, which was easily the worst of the holiday. While its bad enough that FC Koga turned up with just the 9 players, but FC Ze Ze (named after a railway station in Otsu, the capital of Shiga) were far more to blame for simply thinking the goals would be scored by default. By the time they worked that one out the spectacle had been ruined. In the game’s favour was the high level of adminstration, as an obviously experienced referee took time to coach his trainee assistants.

Far more watchable was the second game on the main pitch and the bonus of a A4 sheet programme. Tojitsu have ambitions of the J-League, but the ground isn’t up to JFL standards, as there’s only one viewable side, but more pressing is the team. They’re honest, and hard working, but Banditonce had far too much and should have won by more. The ageing but still potent midfielder scored a fine goal before departing on the hour, and that was all that was needed.

So I departed my last ground tired sunburned, but utterly elated. 11 good ticks, and 12 games, and plenty of stories to bore you all with! A massive thanks once again to Peter, a life altering experience and one I’ll never be able to repay.

One final point, Peter found something on the FC Koga website, Its the last picture…

Moving Mountains

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Sunday 17th July 2011

At the Sakai Soccer National Training Centre, Osaka

9.30am

Osaka Syakaijin League Division 1

HIGASHI OSAKA 3 (8 33 59)

HOKOKU 2 (18 67)     

Att 15 (h/c)

On Pitch S12

League Brochure FREE  

  

11.30am

Osaka Syakaijin League Division 2B

BAGGINA OSAKA 0

HERMANO OSAKA 1 (31)

70 minute game

Att 16 (h/c)

on Pitch S13  

                         

3.15 pm

Kansai Joshi (Ladies) League

TAZKARAZUKO EL BAILE 1 (80)

KYOTO SHIKO 1 (57)

80 minute game

Att 34 (h/c)

On Pitch S10  

  

No programmes at any game

Drinks from a multitude of vending machines

Food available from the clubhouse 

  

So, you live in a city where building land is at a premium, so what do you do? That’s right you blow up a mountain, create some space, and dump the rubble in the sea. That dumped rubble island you call Sakai, build a bridge to it, and build a football complex.

And that dear reader is the Sakai Soccer National Training Centre in Osaka. The bald statistics do take some fathoming. 14 full size football pitches (5 grass, 9 4G), with a 3,032 seater mini stadium for pitch S1. 8 Futsal fields with 3 under cover with air conditioning. A cycling course, walking course, Sport square, 4 locker room buildings, and a Clubhouse. Oh, and its free to get in and the whole lot is powered by solar panels! Its little wonder that the mission statement is “Where no dream is too big!”

So it was genuinely a case of turn up and pick a game you fancied.

In Osaka once you drop down beneath J1, J2 and the JFL you get two divisions of the Kansai League, and below that you’re watching the Osaka Prefectoral, or Syakaijin Leagues. This league has a top division and below that several Division 2s as the league regionalises still further.

It was watching these games I became aware of the Japanese levels of administrative efficiency. Not only did all games have 3 officials, but a designated scorer too. Before the game she would ensure team sheets were handed in and all relevant statistics were properly recorded. Afterwards the paperwork was handed to a runner for despatch to the offices in the middle, and presumably then on on the internet!

The Kansai Ladies League was a nice league to watch with that side of the game doing so well in Japan. And with the whole safety issue being, well not an issue, the Ladies game will go from strength to strength.

So the games; typical of the genre. With the pitches superb, what you got was good passing play, but with very little “Nous” for want of a better word. Its clear that the coaching is excellent, with facilities to match, and you wonder just how far the Japanese game can go when experience can be added into the melting pot.

A word about the shortened games. When its 90% humidity and 35 degrees Celsius, who can blame them?

Run VT

10 Thursday Nov 2011

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Wednesday 9th November 2011 Ko 7.45pm

Southern League Cup 1st Round

SHOLING 2 (Wort 40 53)

WIMBORNE TOWN 3 (Kemble 18 Cream 59 Wignall 88)

Att 94

Entry £8

Programme £2

Badge £3.50

Tea £1

Cheeseburger £3

Cheesy Chips £2

Sholing FC were known as VT FC until July 2010, and the ground is to be found in Old Notley, just outside Southampton city limits. VT refers to Vosper Thorneycroft, the shipbuilding and engineering firm, this was their works team. With the restyled VT Group now swallowed up by the Babcock Group in March 2010, the works link was lost and the club chose to name themselves after the district in eastern Southampton nearby. Interestingly the ground is still known as the VT Sports ground, and within its confines is the Vosper Thornycroft Pigeon Club. My mate May, not noted for her devotion to football, commented before I set out that Sholing sounds Continue reading →

…Like hot cakes!

25 Sunday Sep 2011

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Saturday 24th September 2011 ko 4.30pm

North Berkshire League Division 2

SUTTON COURTENAY 4 (Foster 14 Oram 15 Pitson 64 Druce 71)

BERINSFIELD 1 (Stockford 80)

Att 182

Entry by Programme £3

Badge £3

Tea 50p

Homemade Cake 50p

Cheeseburger £2

By the third game I’d relaxed, it was obvious the crowds were going to be of an acceptable level, and the club I knew from a visit late last season were both keen and ready to host a hop game. I was relieved we’d hired a mini-coach as I’m not sure whether we’d have got a full sized vehicle down the Old Wallingford Road!

Once again a barbeque was in full swing, but the act of genius was in the clubhouse, where home made cake was on sale for 50p a slice! I had two pieces! Someone can bake in this corner of Oxfordshire. Again the teamsheet was pinned up in good time, but I still managed to watch the opening few minutes some distance from the pitch! I’d caught up with Jackie Cullen secretary of visitors Berinsfield, and a wonderful advert for the club who have overcome major problems in the past, to win both the League cup and division 4 last season, their first back in the NBFL.

I’d fully expected Berinsfield to win this one easily, but when Courtenay can boast players of the calibre of Luke Bennett (ex Oxford United) perhaps I should have known better. In a high quality game, Courtenay ran out worthy winners, but as organiser I was also pleased the large numbers of the NBFL committee present. One quietly told me he didn’t think I’d get this many people to the games, and how pleased he was to be proved wrong. Comments like that are appreciated!

Epicentre

25 Sunday Sep 2011

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Saturday 24th September 2011 ko 10.30am

North Berkshire League Division 2

STEVENTON 3 (Margetts 7 McArdle 18 Cooper 69)

MARCHAM 2 (Northcott 15 Banks 33)

Att 190

Entry by Programme £3

Badge £3

Tea and Bacon Roll £2.50

The North Berkshire League hop had been over a year in the making, and as organiser its never easy bringing a league and its clubs up to speed on what to expect and how to go about making the most of the day. The league were, and are a pleasure to deal with, but you never know…. until the coach drove past Steventon Green for the pick up at Didcot station , and there was the barbeque fired up, the pitch roped off and the the hoppers already tucking in.

I’d picked Steventon because of the league rule that all grounds have to be within 20 miles of Steventon Green, so why not start at the centre of things!

Raffle tickets were sold, the programmes sold out, and people enjoyed a cracking game, in the autumnal sun. Neither side seemed capable of defending which believe me hoppers love!  I’ve never met a hopper would didn’t like goals!!!

I did hear a lovely comment from one visitor when we announced the attendance, ” I bet that’s double what they normally get!” Little did they know, when I first visited Steventon FC, the attendance was 7!

I climbed back aboard the bus, knowing things were all going to work out nicely. Thanks guys!