Tag Archives: Jake Thompson

Curiosity

22 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in C, K, T

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Saturday 21st July 2012 ko 3pm

Pre-Season Friendly

KETTERING NOMADS 3 (Ingham 20p Langley 64 Payne 82)

THRAPSTON TOWN 7 (Gilsenan 7 Thompson 51 74 89 Arnold 73 Petranyuk 80 84)

Att 16 (h/c)

Played at Victory Field, Catworth, Cambs

Entry FREE

Nothing for Sale

Another in a my series of grounds you can’t normally do on a Saturday, this pitch, is only used for Sunday football. The village is only just over the border from Northamptonshire, used to be in Huntingdonshire, and is now in Cambridgeshire. I noticed that this is roughly where the land begins to level out, as you head towards East Anglia.

There’s a well-appointed clubhouse, and a rather laconic game of mixed doubles was taking place on the tennis court. Underneath the mulberry trees the groundsman silently observed the afternoon’s entertainment.

The game pitted Northants Combination Division One Nomads against United Counties League Division One Thrapston, a gap of two promotions. Of course I’d seen Thrapston a week or so earlier so when manager Paul Lenaghan spotted me, clipboard in hand, he laughed, ” Couldn’t you find some decent football to watch?” That of course is selling his embryonic side short, as they’re a good watch, and on the evidence of this fixture the side’s shaping up nicely.

If last time they made a slow start, then found their feet later, then this was the exact opposite. Jamie Gilsenan’s goal was scant reward for 15 minutes of utter domination, and they were denied what even the Nomads bench admitted was a clear penalty. But as the half wore up the concentration began to wilt, and a silly penalty allowed Nomads back into the game. The rest of the half was relatively even, in fact what swung the tie back in Thrapston’s favour was the introduction of Jake Thompson at half time.

The bald facts state that Thompson notched a superbly taken hat-trick, but he brought better play from those around him, particularly Taras Petranyuk. 5 goals between them speaks volumes, and whilst some of that success can be attributed to a tiring opposition, that opposition did still manage to score twice during that time!

All in all a hugely enjoyable afternoon out, and (say it quietly) the sun shone!

Clouds Unfold

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in T

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Tuesday 10th July 2012 ko 7.00pm

Pre-season Friendly

THRAPSTON TOWN 3 (Middleton 22 Cummins 23 Gilsenan 50) Marshall sent off 79 (foul language)

WHITTLESEY BLUE STAR 1 (Hibbins 7) Morrell sent off 78 (violent conduct)

Att 12 (h/c)

Played at Titchmarsh Playing Field, Northants

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

With Thrapston’s ground unavailable due to cricket, this fixture was moved around a mile and a half to the pretty village of Titchmarsh. Its population is a mere 500 or so, and is the birthplace of the former Poet Laureate John Dryden (1631-1700). The village is dominated by the parish church of St Mary, which seems far too large for the size of the village. There’s nothing too unusual about that, England’s pleasant pastures supplied enough itinerant labour in the past to make a church like this thrive.

In ancient times those feet toiled the lands where the playing field now stands. There’s two pitches, one raised above the other, and both are used in the Rushden and District Sunday League. There’s a smart Pavillion too, built in 2008 and when the rain came, a few of the hoppers used its entrance for shelter during the second half. The agrarian feel still is there with the fields still in evidence on two sides of the pitch. In, one two horses rather disdainfully ignored the action.

The game saw United Counties Division One outfit Thrapston take on Blue Star, newly promoted to the top flight of the Peterborough and District League, one division below their hosts. Intriguingly the fixture was being refereed by Bruce Stevens, a qualified official, but also the husband of the home secretary. It didn’t matter to either side, even with what happened later. Yes there were multiple substitutions, Thrapston virtually changed teams at half time, but this was a good competitive fixture to watch upon the clouded hills.

The opening few minutes saw the mental fight conclusively won by the visitors. Paul Hibbins fired home after 7 minutes, but as the half wore on, the clouds unfolded and the rain fell, Thrapston gained the ascendancy. Jordan Middleton soon equalised from a free kick, and a defensive slip saw Luke Cummins fire home a minute later. When Jamie Gilsenan made it 3 it looked like an entertaining, if routine win against lower level opposition. What made it interesting was what happened with just over 10 minutes left.

It is, of course an unwritten rule of pre-season friendlies that no-one gets booked, or sent off, but in this instance Mr Stevens had no choice, the arrows of desire had taken over completely. Clearly, Blue Star’s Jamie Morrell was the victim of a rough challenge from Lewis Harman. Harman deserved his booking and possibly worse, but when a player (Morrell) kicks out at his tormentor, what option does the Ref have, whoever their spouse is? It got dafter a minute later as Scott Marshall’s backchat to Mr Stevens produced another dismissal, but if you will swear at an official, what do you expect?

It all seemed out of keeping with the resy of the game, and the beautiful surroundings. A satanic finish which produced a furrow to the countenance divine, in England’s green and pleasant lands.

Outvoted

05 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in W

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Saturday 5th May 2012 ko 11.30am

North Berkshire League Division 4 East

WESTMINSTER 1 (Silence 50)

HARWELL INTERNATIONAL RESERVES 3 (Smith 37 44 Thompson 45)

Att 3 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

If ever there was a club name that gives absolutely no clue as to where they play is Westminster! For the record, I spent this morning in the Botley district of Oxford, a few hundred yards from the A34. The club takes its name from its home pitch, in the grounds of Westminster College. So how did the college get the name? It was they who started in Westminster, London in 1851 and originally specialised in the training of teachers for Methodist schools. The site was severely damaged by an incendiary bomb during the blitz of early World War II, and the buildings were never repaired. They were demolished in the 1960s and the headquarters of the television station Channel 4 now stand on the site.

In 1951, Westminster College moved to a purpose-built campus in Oxford, which is noted for its fusion of Oxford quads with a “New England” style of architecture, evident particularly in the large and distinctive chapel. In 2000, financial pressures prompted the Methodist Church to cease operations and deal was struck to lease the site to Oxford Brookes University, and the college buildings became the Westminster Institute of Education, a school of Oxford Brookes University, thus continuing the use of the Westminster name.

The football club have nothing to do with Westminster College, being a group of friends who post-university wanted to carry on playing together. They played their first two seasons in the Oxford City League before transferring across, for this season. They’ll finish comfortably mid-table, while their visitors are champions, played 18 won 18.

It was cold and windy as the referee Harry Moore admitted to be that is always cold here. The ground is uphill from the A34, and it may well be the last time Harry officiates here. The NBFL’s very own Justin Bieber look-alike has justifiably been promoted and as a result will be plying his trade in the Hellenic next season. If his fine performance here was anything to go by he’ll go far.

The game went, predictably by the form book. Stuart Smith tapped in twice neatly before Jake Thompson pounced on a defensive error, to give International an unassailable lead.

The second half was noticeably less exciting than the first. Westminster gained a consolation as a weak parry from International keeper Chris Marks, allowed Dean Silence to prod home. It wasn’t the start of anything, and it never looked that way. The game meandered pleasingly enough, Harry had nothing much to concern himself with, and the International bench told me a tale of how their former club linesmen kept winning lineman of the year by consistantly giving offside decisions AGAINST his own side, knowing that the opposition always gave him his marks!

So, one game left for International, can they make it 20 from 20?