Tuesday 17th July 2012 ko 7.45pm

Pre-season Friendly

HIGHFIELD RANGERS 2 (Oshungere 47 Bond 90)

BORROWASH VICTORIA 5 (Newton 7 9p 24 Thompson 16 Banks 75)

Att 25 (h/c)

At 3G pitch, New College Leicester, Glenfield Road.

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

Sometimes you have to accept the less than ideal to get a new ground to tick off, or in this case a new pitch. When Lee and I drove up the M69 to Leicester, I wondered why Derbyshire based Borrowash would want to travel this far for a friendly, and travelling back afterwards I was none the wiser!

The only reason I can think of its the facility. It’s well appointed, with a spacious clubhouse and changing room block, and other than our game Leicester Storm were playing on a far pitch, trooping to and from the block. Annoyingly the tea bar wasn’t open this evening. After handing over a large envelope of chinese takeaway menus to a fellow hopper who collects them, for some reason I felt peckish!

The 3G pitch is brand new too, and apart from the occasional wire above our heads breaking the flight of the ball, it played beautifully. Beyond the 3G is the pitch used by Allexton & New Parks, newly promoted into the Leicestershire Senior League. A brick-built set of dugouts have appeared since my last visit, but I noticed how bumpy the pitch looked. That will need some attention before thew season starts.

So, the game; nominally at least LSL versus East Midlands Counties League, so one step on the footballing pyramid. Some interesting people too, the friendly Borrowash committee, and it was fun chatting to Mark Wilson their manager. As far as I know I don’t need Police checking to obtain the line-ups. For the hosts the problem wasn’t a CRB check, it was that they didn’t know who many of their players were! But when you’re a club that discovered the likes of Emile Heskey, and have Dion Dublin’s brother Clem as your manager, you let them get on with it!

That lack of knowledge cost Highfield the game, as they conceded 4 goals in 25 minutes, with Shane Newton collecting the easiest hat-trick he’ll ever notch. It didn’t help that Highfield lost their keeper Ben Davies to a knee injury picked up during the scpring of the 3rd goal. It looked nasty, but he seemed determined to turn-up for the night shift at work. ” They’ll sack me if I don’t!” Daniel Magalhaes took over his position, but the damage was irrepairable.

The second half was a poor spectacle, as the rate of substutions increased. Levi Oshungere mugged Victoria for some consolation. The lead was restored by substitute Steve Banks before Tim Bond rounded off the entertainment with Highfield’s second.

Not one to remember with any great fondness, but a useful run-out for both sides. I for one won’t read too much into the result.