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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Tag Archives: Gloucestershire Northern Senior League

Harry Hill

16 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by laurencereade in H

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Chris Berezai, Football, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, groundhopping, GroundhopUK, harrow hill, hellenic league, Slimbridge

With the football season over prematurely due to the Coronavirus Pandemic I’m in the unusual position of actually having this blog up to date! So to keep the content coming, and for something to do, I’ll do some old grounds and games where there’s a story to tell.

Sunday 27th August 2006 ko 11.00

Hellenic League- Premier Division

HARROW HILL 0

SLIMBRIDGE 1 (C Cole)

Att 268

Entry £4

Programme £1

As (hopefully) the UK slowly emerges from lockdown I’ve started to think about how football will restart. I don’t include the monstrosity that is the beautiful game played behind closed doors with cardboard cut-out crowds and piped in noise. I’ll leave that to the hellish future it deserves. One thing that is clear is that the bigger the potential crowd a league can generally attract the longer it’ll take to get the crowds back, so let’s extrapolate a little. Continue reading →

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Bucolic

09 Monday May 2016

Posted by laurencereade in B

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Aldsworth Road, Bibury, Division 2, gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, Longford, Stuart Pearce

Wednesday 27th April 2016 ko 18.30

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 2

BIBURY AFC 7 (Rockley 6 Reynolds 21 68 McSherry 30 Deacon 76 O’Neill 80 Montgomery 90)

LONGFORD 0

Att 31

If you want a pretty English village to visit just head just over the border from Oxfordshire into Gloucestershire and pay Bibury a visit. It sits on the burbling River Coln, with the Arlington Mill at its centre. Don’t take my word though, William Morris described Bibury as “The most beautiful village in England” Continue reading →

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The Long Road Back

04 Sunday May 2014

Posted by laurencereade in N

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

County League, Gloucestershire County League, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division, Longford, Newent, Newent Town, Newtown AFC, North Gloucestershire League, Wildsmith Meadow

Thursday 1st May 2014 ko 18.30

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two

NEWENT TOWN 4 (Bayliss 7 12 Gibbs 69 74)

LONGFORD AFC 1 (Edwards 16)

Att 31

Entry FREE

No Programme (the club issue for “Big” games)

Tea £1

Around 15 years ago, I was being given a lift to watch an Intertoto Cup game at Newtown AFC, and our driver had decided to avoid the motorways and take the scenic route, just clipping the top of the Forest of Dean. We passed a sign for Newent and he commented that the town’s club used to be in the Gloucestershire County League, but had disappeared off of his radar. I was new to groundhopping, and took a stupidly snobby attitude to the perceived quality of football on show. The simple fact was that I was in no position to judge, and when I saw this fixture on the club’s website, I felt I owed them a visit. It may have taken me far too long, but it was a good choice on my part, the football was excellent.

Continue reading →

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Formaldehyde

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by laurencereade in C

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artist damien hirst, Chalford, Chalford Sports and Social Club, Damien Hirst, flood, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, Hardwicke, Hellenic hop, Lydney Town, Rob Hine, Sam Hill, Sam Mitcher, Stroud Charity Cup

Tuesday 4th September 2012 ko 6.30pm

Stroud & District Charity Cup- Section A

CHALFORD 0

HARDWICKE 3 (Mitcher 44og Hine 48 Hill 60)

80 minute game

Att 17 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

Another one of those hard to reach in time games, near to Stroud! This time I found myself about 4 miles east of the town, or to be more exact 4 miles east and a few hundred metres ABOVE Stroud! You leave the A419 from Cirencester just before Brimscombe and travel along narrow winding streets, climbing all the time. The villages seen to have been built exclusively of Cotswold stone, and there’s a feeling that time has been forgotten here. Given the idyllic nature of the place its hardly surprising that the area has history of arts and crafts. The settling of displaced Flemish Huguenot weavers in the 17th and 18th centuries brought quality silk and woollen cloth manufacturing to the valley, and today artist Damien Hirst has a studio in the village. During the Second World War boxer Henry Cooper was evacuated here.

At the top of the hill lies the Sports and Social Club, and with Chalford playing in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of facilities. How wrong I was, as there’s a stand bisecting the dugouts, and a large social club. On a warm night the cover wasn’t needed and it was simply a case of relaxing and watching two decent teams.

The Stroud Charity Cup is split into several sections, according to the playing status. Section A is for GNSL or equivalent status, but there are 5 other sections, leading to 5 different trophies.

I should also point out that the away team are the Hardwicke of Hellenic hop infamy. For those who weren’t there, they were the away team at a groundhop game at Lydney Town in 2008 . The pitch was flooded, but was mopped to enough for the referee to allow the game to start. The water soon returned and the correct decision was eventually made to abandon the game. That was well after a foul-mouthed tirade from the Hardwicke manager at groundhoppers in general, that was utterly uncalled for, and left a sour taste in the mouths of all present. Hardwicke won the division that season but when unable to take promotion due to ground grading issues, the manager and team departed, and the club dropped into the Stroud & District League. They’re now back in the GNSL, but here’s Peter Leavis’ footage of that game!

It became clear immediately that the Hardwicke of today are an incredibly friendly bunch, and were happy enough to answer the questions I asked, I for one will make a point of visiting them is the future.

Chalford were very second best on this occasion, and once Sam Mitcher turned a low cross from the left past his own keeper, Hardwicke didn’t look back. Rob Hine slammed in the second direct from a corner, and Sam Hill’s beautifully directed lob-header rounded off the scoring.

All in all a highly satisfying evening out. Next time I’m in the area I will get there earlier and photograph the village, and visit some of the galleries. Its a place worth more time than the 2 hours I spent there.




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Football under water

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by laurencereade in B

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

August Bank Holiday, Ben Acock, Bourton, Connor Teague, Dragan Modic, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, Josh Catling, Mark Nicholls, on the water, Reg Davis, Rich Parsons, Rissington Road, Rovers, Windrush

Wednesday 22nd August 2012 ko 6.30pm

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Reg Davis Cup 2nd Round

BOURTON ROVERS 4 (Catling 18 Teague 24 60p Acock 39 )

RAMBLERS 5 (Parsons 6 12 63p Modic 70 Nicholls 83)

Att 27 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

Tea 70p

For a small boy growing up in Oxford over 30 years ago, a school trip to the Cotswold village of Bourton-on-the-water was an annual treat. Whether the trip was to Birdland, or to the model village, the sun always seemed to shine, and as I drove in via Stow I couldn’t understand why everything seemed so much taller. It took a few seconds to work it out, it’s because on every other occasion I’d visited, I’d been sat on a coach!

The ground is notoriously difficult to find Continue reading →

Competition in other places

17 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by laurencereade in T

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Dan Lees, Forest Green Rovers, gloucestershire county, Gloucestershire County League, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, Longlevens, Matt Spring, Nailsworth, nympsfield, Nympsfield Road, Ryan Dunn, Shortwood United, Taverners

Wednesday 15th August 2012 ko 6.30pm

Gloucestershire County League

TAVERNERS 3 (Spring 50 58 Lees 70)

LONGLEVENS 1 (Dunn 51)

Att 20 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Programme £1

Tea-in-a-mug 70p

I knew this one was going to be tight, from a 5 o’clock start a few miles north of Banbury, a 6.30 kick off just south of Stroud was a big stretch. I used every short-cut I knew, it does help having worked in Cirencester, and lived in Banbury! I made it to Nympsfield Road was seconds to spare. Continue reading →

Phoenix from the Flames. Twice.

29 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by laurencereade in M

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Football, Gary Barnett, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, groundhopping, London Road, mark lawrenson, Moreton Rangers, Newport AFC County, Soudley, welsh football

Saturday 28th January 2012 ko 2.00pm

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two

MORETON RANGERS 3 (Wallace 10 31 61)

SOUDLEY 0 Adams missed penalty 73

Att 19 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

Tea/Coffee 60p

Kitkat 60p

The pretty Gloucestershire town lies in the heart of the Cotswolds, and is in fact very close to being in any one of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, or Oxfordshire. For me it represented an interesting ground to visit, on a day when I needed to be back in Oxford early.

The London Road ground has hosted a far higher level of football than the nominal step 9 it does now. Moreton Town staged Hellenic Premier football until the club were bankrupted mid-way through the 1994/95 season amid accusations that player-manager Mark Lawrenson was being paid £300 a week, on a ground owned by the National Playing Fields Association. That last fact points to a big issue for the former club, and one for the future of any club using the ground, in that NPFA rules prohibit charging for entry.

The current club was founded as an under-8’s team in 1997, and since the Moreton Town name was unavailable due to monies owed, the suffix Rangers was adopted. In 2004 adult football once again came to London Road, with a team being entered in the second division of the Cheltenham League. In 2009 the club were 20 points clear in the division one when disaster struck. An arson attack left the changing rooms gutted, and to gain entry to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League, the club had to get something built, and quickly. Amazingly the club and local residents raised £72,000 and the impressive block was built.

There is a little piece of Welsh football history too. The ground was used for the first (1988/89) season of the reformed Newport AFC (now renamed County)  as a means of avoiding the FAW’s attempts to get the new club to enter the Welsh pyramid.

The history is there for all to see when you enter. The remains of the old changing room block are still there and the floodlights look functional, until you’re told that the junction box went up in the blaze. Some benches have been constructed in the stand and a tea urn is placed at the back. The hot drinks and chocolate were most welcome on a chilly winter’s day.

These days the side is managed is managed by former Oxford United, Fulham, Huddersfield, and Leyton Orient player Gary Barnett. Barnett’s managerial career includes a spell as Jan Molby’s assistant at Kidderminster. As player-manager of Barry Town he won the League of Wales 5 times, and led the club into Europe 3 times, including an appearance in the UEFA Cup First Round Proper, losing to Aberdeen. These days, he runs a fitness business, and manages for fun. Molby incidentally, was due to appear at a fund-raiser for the club that evening.

The fixture looked on paper like a tough mid-table battle. On grass it was a mismatch as soon as a quickly taken corner was squared to Dougie Wallace who fired into the top left hand corner. The Soudley manager thought his full back should have headed clear, I thought few players have a telescopic neck. It set a tone for the entire game, constant Moreton pressure, and very few ideas from the visitors. Wallace got his second just after the half-hour, blasting home from just inside the box. It was clear that Wallace had it well within his capabilities to complete his hat trick, and he did so in style, holding off his marker and spinning round to shoot home. Soudley had just the one notable attack in the second half, their attacker being hauled down just inside the box. It summed up their afternoon neatly that Robert Adams’ penalty was turned round the box by McAteer for a corner. It was to be the only one they were to force all afternoon.

You wonder how far this Moreton incarnation can progress. There are plans to resurrect the floodlights and convert part of the stand to a clubhouse. The club see the future as being in the Gloucestershire County League, two promotions from here, but there are no ambitions to go any further, the difficulties in taking a gate being cited. Certainly the ownership by the NPFA has left Rangers with a ground far better than their current needs, and with a real sense of history. I hope they’ve seen the back of the bad luck that’s bedevilled football in this part of the world.

New and old changing rooms




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