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That Goal

29 Saturday Oct 2011

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Saturday 29th October 2011

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 2 (Duberry 11 Leven 64)

PORT VALE 1 (Richards 61)

Att 8,027 (839 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3 (inc Oxford Mail)

Coffee £2.10

“12th Man” Badge £2

If this game doesn’t get still more people to come and watch Oxford United, then nothing will. A tip though, turn up early, as people were still queuing to get in as the game kicked off.

I have seldom seen a game so open, particularly in midfield helped by referee Mr Hayward, who despite some poor decisions, did at least try and let the game flow.

Oxford made just the one change from the Plymouth game, Continue reading →

Unpicked

27 Thursday Oct 2011

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Wednesday 26th October 2011 ko. 7.15pm

Portsmouth Senior Cup 2nd Round

LOCKS HEATH 0

MONEYFIELDS 5 (Brown 12 Gregory 40 64 66 Buttwell 83)

Att 42 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No programme

Tea 50p

A trip to Fareham to see a former Wessex League club who now play in the Hampshire Premier League, where lights are not needed. So, a slightly unnecessary cup game and and an early kick off to beat a curfew and, easy tickings!

So what’s there? Well there’s a clubhouse, and a seperate changing room block, but that belongs to the Sports and Social Club. That said, one window does give a pretty good view of the action when it rains. Which it did, and other than that window there is no cover. In fact what the football ground is, is simply a railed off pitch at one end of a cricket pitch in a pretty nondescript suburb. However there is one thing of note, and that’s the floodlights because they’re portable! Because of the cricket, the club can and do remove the lights out of season. I’ve not seen that before, although I do know of a club looking to install something similar.

The game was pretty much as the scoreline suggests and no, Wessex Premier Moneyfields didn’t put anything like a full first eleven out. They didn’t need to, as at no stage did Locks Heath look capable of mounting a serious challenge. And that dear reader is why the evening’s entertainment fell a little flat. There was nothing to inspire, although Lee West and former Wealdstone kitman Les Bull provided excellent company.

In the end we all got wet, the 3 of us collected a tick apiece but left feeling that we’d achieved nothing much more.

Salem’s Crucible

22 Saturday Oct 2011

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Saturday 22nd October 2011 ko 3.00pm

FA Vase 1st Round

COWES SPORTS 3 (Insley 52 57 Williams 87)

GILLINGHAM TOWN 0 Ben Salem sent off 24 (2nd booking-both dissent)

Att c120

Entry £5

Programme £1

Badge £3

Tea-in-a-mug 65p

Coffee-in-a-mug 70p

The idea for this one was Chris Berezai’s. He discovered that Red Funnel do a group off-peak discount on the Sea Cat from Southampton to Cowes. The “group” bit is as little as two, so a return ticket was just a shade over £15.00 for the both of us! What a bargain!

From the harbour it was a 10 minute walk up the hill to Reynolds Close, and Westwood Park. And what a ground it is, with the modern clubhouse, and best of all that stand. Built in the twenties in a weekend, by shipyard workers, yes it does have a number of pillars, but is an icon for a really friendly club. You really do forget you’re watching a club 6 promotions from the football league, they are so well organised and appointed. From Mick the mic on the PA through to the ladies working the tea bar, this was friendly club, who seemed genuinely pleased to host neutrals from Long Eaton and Oxford. Mind you Mick did initially pronounce the visitors’ name with a soft “G.” Its an easy mistake to make, but this is the Gillingham from Dorset, not Kent (Oxford United were playing there by the way), and he was quickly put right. Cowes, like their visitors are in 7th position in a step 6 league, so the match had the potential to test the relative strengths of the Wessex and Western leagues. Continue reading →

Milestones

20 Thursday Oct 2011

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Wednesday 19th October 2011

Lincolnshire Senior Trophy 1st Round

BLACKSTONES 4 (Barker 9 45 Holmes 67 Nelson 90p)

BOSTON TOWN 4 (Davies 45 Beck 48 Bull 65p James 78)

No Extra time, Boston won 5-3 on penalties

Att 80

Entry & Programme £5

There were few options for a new ground on this day, and I really wanted one, so I could clock up ground number 1200. A minor milestone, but one I will note.

Blackstones play at Lincoln Road, in Stamford, and started life as the works side of the Mirrlees Blackstone Engineering firm based in the ancient town.

http://www.enginemuseum.org/mrindex.html

The firm is long since closed, and the club was forced to take out a long mortgage to buy the ground, and stop it being lost to housing. Today the ground is a pretty, and well appointed place to visit, but the lack of turnstiles would make it difficult, but not impossible for it to stage Northern Premier League football. Most impressive is the bar area. Apart from being large, and spotless, its the huge televisions that you notice. This is a club that’s worked out the way to pay down the mortgage is to place yourselves right in the heart of the community. You can imagine yourself going for a pint on a non-match day.

The advantage of seeing two step 5 clubs (United Counties Premier) in a County Cup fixture is that you can more or less guarantee that’ll they’ll take the fixture seriously, and these two certainly did! For a long time it looked like Stones’ tricky left winger Danny Barker would be the difference, scoring from a tight angle then lobbing the keeper from a full 40 yards! But Boston regrouped after half time and 3-3 would have been fair, but the referee Mr Amess decided to give Boston a dodgy penalty, then compounded the error by evening things up by giving Blackstones an even more dubious one!

The rules of the competition state no extra time, just penalties, and I was glad of that with a 2 hour drive home. The important penalty miss was by Matt Cox, and Billy King converted Boston’s 5th penalty to send them through. It was a shame it had to be settled this way but a replay I suspect would have pleased noone.

Top Geel

17 Monday Oct 2011

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Saturday 15th Ocotber 2011 ko 8.00pm

Kompetitie 3e Nationale A

VERBROEDERING GEEL-MERHOUT 3 (Frederik 81 Lacroix 86 Riyani 90)

K.Sv, TEMSE 0 Stoclet sent off 72 (2md booking)

Att c1,800

Entry €12

Teamsheet FREE

Fricandel (Currywurst Hot Dog) €3.50

Now, there’s a Geel, and there’s a Meerhout, and they’re fairly close to each other. So with a team named after both, where’s the Stadion de Leneun? The answer is Geel, although the club offices are in Merhout.

Yes folks, this is the wonderful world of Belgian football, and to be honest I was beginning to get something of a complex about it. In March, Lierse refused to sell me a ticket for a night game like this, as a rule was in force that you couldn’t buy a ticket after 12pm, so when this one kicked off I was please to collect the Country Point!

This division, the third in Belgium is known also (in Flemish) as the Derde Klasse, and is split along regional lines, imaginatively known as A and B. Both are of equal status and to my untrained eye seem to be on roughly Flanders and Wallonia lines.

The ground is modern, well appointed and frankly a little bland. I won’t complain too much as the view was excellent, and my Fricandel at half time was delicious!

The game, well, oh dear. For 80 minutes it had nil nil written all over it. Neither side had a decent forward, and Tim Renier in the visitors’ goal was having an inspired evening. Then two things happened to change the pattern of play. Firstly Kenneth Stoclet got himself needlessly sent off, Temse were no longer able to stifle the game, and Geel-Meehout took full advantage, Thomas Frederik firing home at close range. Then, Michael Lacroix came on as a substitute, and had a point to prove. He found space that simply hadn’t been there scored within a minute of coming on. He then set up Mohammed Riyani, himself on for only a minute!

The last 10 minutes’ action saved the game as a spectacle, and gave Peter and I something to smile about on the short drive back to out overnight accomodation in Retie.

Brave New World

09 Sunday Oct 2011

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Sunday 9th October 2011 ko 10.30am (approx!)

Upper Thames Valley League Premier Division

KINGS ARMS WHEATLEY 3 (L. Cuff 27 Sackey 30 85)

BARTON UNITED 0

Att 18 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

This was another Peter Hack inspired choice and another of those Sunday League grounds that you can’t do on a Saturday. And this time he decided to come along!

The side plays on the main pitch at Wheatley RUFC just opposite the Wheatley Park Sports Centre, the other pitch was being used by King & Queen Wheatley giving me an excuse to return. The elevated position made it blustery but the view on a clear day would be spectacular.

I have connections with the Barton estate, having grown up on the Risinghurst estate, the other side of the A40 from it, and went to Bayswater School, on the Barton estate itself. I wondered while I was there why the local Saturday side, Headington Amateurs was never mentioned, but the Sunday side was. Nowadays its clear, the Sunday side had the locals, and represented the estate, and bluntly had a fairly fearsome reputation. Barton played Kings Arms in the final game of last season, a shoot out for the championship. The game was switched to Sutton Courtenay for security reasons, and a strong team of referees took the game. Barton lost, amongst much acrimony and alcohol, and so this game we approached with some interest, but trepidation.

We needn’t have worried as that Barton United it transpired have folded, this version is in fact Masons Arms from Headington Quarry, rebranded and moved to Barton Rec’. They’re a friendly enough much, no Stella or Strongbow to be found, but the edge has gone. No players remain from “Old” Barton, and frankly they looked flat.

Kings Arms never looked like be troubled and Referee Neil Evans had little or nothing to do. Three goals went in, each beautifully crafted, and Barton showed little or nothing, other than frustration.

I did find out that many of the “Old Barton” players went to Kidlington Royals. Perhaps I should check them out sometime.

Win a holiday in Jura

09 Sunday Oct 2011

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Saturday 8th October 2011 ko 6.30pm

Hellenic League Premier Division

KIDLINGTON 3 (Coyle 34 Curtin 47 73)

ARDLEY UNITED 4 (D Beckett 5p 84 Thorne 24 Bryan 43)

Att 158 (h/c)

Entry £5

Programme £1

Bacon Roll & Cheesy Chips £3.10

So, the final game of this mini-hop was at Yarnton Road, and unlike poor old Witney, this club are right at the heart of the local community. The facilities, are nowhere near as good as at Downs Road just two squat “Arena” stands, but the clubhosue does a roaring trade seven days a week, and that allows the football team to thrive. On this occasion they were bested by a resurgent Ardley United managed by former Oxford United and Banbury United legend Kevin Brock. Ardley have a strong ex Banbury United flavour, in fact at times I felt I was watching the Banbury side I enjoyed around 7 years ago when I’d moved to the town. It seems such a long time ago now….

One of the throng watching was Pete Hack. Pete reminds me of a bluesman, in that the restrictions put upon him has made him groundhop in a really interesting way. He runs the Whisky shop in Oxford’s historic Covered Market, which means he works every single Saturday afternoon. So he watches student football, the Sunday game, anything he can. A bluesman restricts himself to 3 chords, Pete’s restricted to non-Saturday afternoons. His hopping CV is, as a result, highly unusual and interesting. With the late kick off he was able to attend and brought a bit of a bonus. The Jura distillery have a competition to win a trip to the island, but Pete’s customers couldn’t be bothered to fill out the postcards to enter. So, at half time we had the sight of hoppers frantically filling in postcards, wondering whether there’s any football played on Jura! Anyone know?

That shouldn’t detract from the game which was excellent, and in my opinion the best two teams of the day. I always felt that Ardley were the better team, but the result was in doubt for the full 90 minutes, and that whether you’re a spectator, official, or groundhop organiser is all you’re looking for.

The “I was there” Game

02 Sunday Oct 2011

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Sunday 2nd October 2011 ko 10.30am

Oxfordshire FA Sam Waters Cup 1st Round

RED LION ISLIP 10 (Thorne 21 90 Wells 22 39 41 110 White 76 90 Webb 89 Johnson 98)

NORTHWAY BOYS & GIRLS 10 (Lawrence 20 54 68 72 Muze 48 Martin 49 77 R Hatt 65 Cox 105 Hibbins 114)

AET Northway won 3-1 on penalties

Att 12 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Programme NO

Wow, where do I start with this one? My attendance was a last minute affair, my mate Pete said he was going, he didn’t turn up and will probably regret his decision for a long time!

Islip is a pretty village around 5 miles north of Oxford, and its claim to fame is that its the birthplace of St Edward the Confessor. The ground is to be found on Church Lane, virtually in the shadow of the village’s decorated gothic church, the parish church of St Nicholas. Like many places in the area the village saw action in the civil war, the battle of Islip Bridge being fought in 1645. The bridge is still in use and adjacent Swan pub car park nearby was used for moor boats taking parliamentary troops into Oxford. The other pub that gives the local side its name, used to boast former Oxford United, Third Lanark, Manchester United, Wolves and Banbury United striker Hugh Curran as its publican.

With the unseasonally warm weather it was a pleasure to sit in the sun, and be entertained on Sunday. The Sam Waters Cup is for Sunday sides affiliated to the OFA, which with the demise of  the Morrells Oxford Sunday League is almost an entirely Upper Thames Valley League affair. Islip play in Divsion 3 of the UTVL with Northway a division down in 3A.

But the game…. exactly as the scoreline would suggest. The opener was a quite wonderful effort, Marvin Martin’s pinpoint cross from the left found Dan Lawrence whose first time volley whistled past Franklin in the home goal.

But then Islip found a outlet, midfielder Adam Wells. No great movement, but a shot like an angry mule. Three shots, three goals, and while the second, the  keeper Partlett will want to forget, the third, a free kick nothing on earth was going to stop. So, at half time 4-1, and the Islip win looked assured. But Northway reorganised and significantly in midfield Justice Muze and Martin swapped places, and the former found real space out on the left. Wells was man-marked, and the game turned. Goal after goal went in as the sides worked out the only form of defence was attack and Lawrence duly collected the second hat trick of the game, and with two minutes left Northway found themselves 8-6 up. The finish? Not a bit of it, as Islip found it within themselves to notch twice in injury time to force extra time.

Sitting here typing I still have no idea how the sides managed to keep the pace going for another 30 minutes. Johnson’s thumping header at a corner was answered by full back Cox tapping in at the back post. Wells’ free kick, so powerful it dislodged the net from its moorings looked like the winner, but no side deserved to lose this. Neither side begrudged Northway’s equaliser, Carl Hibbins bundling in with 6 minutes left.

So to penalties, and would you believe the first two were missed! Wells thumped home his, but his proved be the only successful conversion for Islip. Make no mistake, I’ll make sure I’ll see both of these sides again. What a game!