Four Into Three

12 Monday Jun 2017

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Saturday 20th May 2017 ko 15.30

South Wales FA Playoff for South Wales Alliance

VALE UNITED 4 (Tominey 35 63p 86 Gregory 71)

LLANHARRY 2 (TJ Jones 18 Davies 86)

Att 116 at Pentre Park

Free entry

With the merger of the South Wales Senior and Amateur Leagues to form the South Wales Alliance a kink in the ladder in the Welsh footballing pyramid was ironed out. However in doing so another partial blockage was created, for clubs wishing to seek promotion to the Alliance. The South Wales FA’s solution to it is nothing if not ingenious though.  Continue reading →

The Hidden Gem

09 Friday Jun 2017

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Sunday 14th May 2017 ko 15.00

North Devon League- Senior Division

COMBE MARTIN 3 (Taylor 6 Z Humphries 25 32)

STRATTON UNITED 0

Att 24

Free Entry

There are no end of hoppers who simply wouldn’t have discovered this little gem. Why I hear you ask? The North Devon’s second tier nominally slots in at the 9th step of non-league and so many hoppers’ radars won’t register below Step 6. Their loss…… Continue reading →

The 100th Final

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

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Saturday 13th May 2017 ko 19.00

North Berkshire Cup Final

BERINSFIELD 2 (D Murphy 23 78)

SAXTON ROVERS 1 (Bloomfield 57)

Att c500

at Abingdon United FC

Entry £4

Programme 50p

I could have got involved in a few leagues over the years, let’s face it the North Berkshire League isn’t the only league I help organise hops for. But I found, and continue to find something incredibly endearing about this off-pyramid village competition. Yes, I still hear a few hoppers’ comments about “Fields” but what’s more important, an “Arena”stand or values like friendship and camaraderie?  Continue reading →

The Bucket List

06 Tuesday Jun 2017

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Tuesday 9th May 2017 ko 18.30

Coventry Alliance Premier Division

PEUGEOT MILLPOOL 3 (Nesden 36 70 Kalu 68)

STOCKTON 3 (Grudzinski 45 R Cole 53 56)

Att 16 @ Henley College, Coventry

70 minute game

In recent years the FA Fulltime site has made the Coventry Alliance far more accessible to the occasional spectator, having all the information at your fingertips is a boon to the groundhopper. But with any low-level game you do have to build in the possibility of last-minute changes, and this game was a case in point.  Continue reading →

Decider

01 Thursday Jun 2017

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Sunday 7th May 2017 ko 12.00

Championship

BRISTOL CITY 0

BIRMINGHAM CITY 1 (Adams 16)

Att 24,404

Entry £16

Programme £3

This one had been pencilled in for some time, as it was my girlfriend Robyn’s team’s last home game of the season, and when the tickets were artfully discounted, the chance to explore the new Lansdowne stand too. Robyn and I had watched the reverse fixture back in November, Birmingham won 1-0 and we departed thinking that Bristol City would probably need to win the final game to guarantee safety. Little did we know… Continue reading →

The Short Goodbye

31 Wednesday May 2017

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Thursday 4th May 2017 ko 19.00

Premier League 2-Division 1

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 (Edwards 88)

LEICESTER CITY 4 (Barnes 22 79 Gordon 76 87)

Att 2,226

Entry £5

Programme FREE

Tottenham High Road will never quite be the same will it? I’ll leave others to debate whether Spurs’ new stadium is a new ground or a rebuild, save for to comment that the new stadium overlaps pretty much the entirety of the old North Stand. Because this evening was about plenty of things, but not pedantry.  Continue reading →

Finals Part 2

30 Tuesday May 2017

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Saturday 29th April 2017 ko 19.00

North Berkshire League Charity Shield

BERINSFIELD 5 (Rawlings 9 54  Lee 44 Palmer 75 Ingram 90p)

SAXTON ROVERS 3 (Haines 30 Parry 40 Cox 78)

Att 204 at Milton United FC

Entry & Programme £3

If you want value from your cup finals then the North Berkshire League seldom lets you down. Three quid, 8 goals, and your programme thrown in too! And just to make it even better, the ability to go to another game first, and a massive local derby to finish off your day! Continue reading →

Finals Part 1

29 Monday May 2017

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Wednesday 26th April 2017 ko 19.30

Oxfordshire FA Intermediate Cup Final

OXFORD CITY NOMADS 4 (Landers 80 90 115p Martei 99)

BERINSFIELD 2 (Palmer 53 Hinkin 60) Palmer sent off 70 (2nd booking) Hinkin sent off 105 (2nd booking)

Att c200 at Kidlington FC

It is a quirk that either of these sides play in this competition. If Berinsfield were to transfer from the North Berkshire League to the Oxfordshire Senior League then they’d appear in the Senior Cup, and if what is in effect Oxford City’s 3rd XI weren’t playing in a the Hellenic’s rebadged former reserve section, they’d be in the Junior Cup.  Continue reading →

Belief

25 Thursday May 2017

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Sunday 23rd April 2017 ko 16.30

Oxfordshire FA Women’s Cup Final

OXFORD CITY LADIES 2 (Avery 9 McCabe 83)

BENSON LIONESSES 0

Att c100 at Ardley United FC

Entry & Programme £4

As competitions go, I suspect this one needs a rethink as Oxford City Ladies have won this one 12 times in 16 years! Now that’s no criticism of Oxford City, you can only beat what’s in front of you, and I’d note that Oxford United’s women’s team were notable by their absence from this competition. It didn’t help when Lionesses’ manager Jon Radcliffe was told to “Enjoy your day” with no one giving his side the slightest of chances. That unintentional slight certainly galvanised Jon and his team, not that they ever needed the motivation, and I certainly know why! Continue reading →

Perspectives

24 Wednesday May 2017

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Saturday 22nd April 2017 ko 15.00

Northern Premier League-Premier Division

SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1 (Burey 8)

STAFFORD RANGERS 1 (L Reid 78)

Att 302

Entry £9

Programme £2

Teamsheet 20p

I remain half amused, half annoyed at Premier League fans when they complain “Their” club has only finished fifth. You call that a bad season? Try speaking to the likes of Leyton Orient, or for that matter Skelmersdale United.  Continue reading →