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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Tag Archives: Thame United

3rd Time Unlucky

13 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by laurencereade in T

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Aiden Hawtin, ASM Stadium, Jonathan Henly, Max Crocombe, Meadow View Park, oxford united., Oxon Senior Cup, Scott Davies, Thame United

Tuesday 12th February 2014 ko 19.45

Oxfordshire Senior Cup Quarter-Final

THAME UNITED 0 Lynch sent off 24 (serious foul play)

OXFORD UNITED 2 (Hawtin 20 71)

Att 171

Entry £5

Programme £1

My football season really isn’t complete without a trip to Thame United, they’re a decent bunch, and I wish we’d managed to pay the ASM Stadium a visit before the Hellenic hops finished, but league politics put paid to that idea. Still, I’ve managed to visit for local cup finals, and of course Thame United home games! I remember Chinnor borrowing the ground for last year’s quarter-final against Oxford United in this competition. It was cold then, and well, some things don’t change! Continue reading →

51.746997 -0.974188

Murphy’s Law

09 Thursday May 2013

Posted by laurencereade in B

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Berinsfield, Chris Murphy, David Murphy, Dec Sheppard, Mark Ingram, North Leigh, Oxon Intermediate Cup Final, Thame United

Wednesday 8th May 2013 ko 19.45

Oxon Intermediate Cup Final

NORTH LEIGH RESERVES 1 (Sheppard 69)

BERINSFIELD 2 (C Murphy 29 D Murphy 80)

Att 70 at Meadow View Park, Thame (Thame United FC)

Entry £3

Programme 50p

I normally avoid anything “Organised” by the Oxfordshire Football Association, the presentation is usually lousy, but it would be remiss of me not to watch Berinsfield FC at least once this season!

In truth it was an interesting fixture with once of the strongest sides in the North Berkshire League taking on a side, nominally at least, a notch higher in the footballing pyramid, two thirds of the way down the Hellenic League Division One West.

The OFA didn’t let me down, they charged £1 more than the advertised entry cost, and the programme was laughably bad even for 50p. They somehow contrived to lose the Berinsfield pen pics, and like in the Senior Cup Final issue eschewed the idea of putting a history of the competition in. I would have thought that would be the FIRST thing to include, but what would I know?

As ever the NBFL committee was notable by their presence with media officer Phil Annets regaling us with tales of comedian Duncan Norvelle. Meanwhile Berinsfield secretary Jackie Cullen was typically nervous, although for this game she at least decided not to commence her usual long-distance power-walking stint around the pitch! Later on she did pick me up on one of my little quirks, and I do feel it may have helped Berinsfield along the way.

This game had been postponed due to a fixture backlog, and it was obvious that the Thame United pitch was not ideal for the passing game. There was also a contrast in ages too, Berinsfield were far the more experienced, only Josh Dutton-Black for North Leigh having any significant first team experience. And early on it told, before Berinsfield made the pressure tell as Chris Murphy’s lob opened the scoring from Mason Curtis cross.

The second half was North Leigh take a much stronger hold on the game. They equalised when Declan Sheppard managed to wriggle free to fire past Toby Coffey in the Berinsfield goal. It was at that point that Jackie spotted my quirk. As a photographer I always seem to be stood behind the wrong goal when a side scores so I was despatched forthwith!

So there I stood, in splendid isolation, behind Toby Coffey’s goal, and the ruse worked, as David Murphy intercepted a poor pass, and blasted a stunning 25 yard shot past Kane Lewis in the North Leigh goal. It was a goal to grace any of the world’s great stadia, and one I will never forget.

My new vantage point was handy for the last few minutes as North Leigh pushed forward, and with just seconds left came the second piece of sublime skill, this time linked with total commitment. The ball fell kindly to North Leigh’s Jacob Hughes, and his scuffed shot was enough to beat Toby Coffey, but as the ball trickled towards the line, about 6 inches out, there was Mark Ingram chasing back. He slid in desperately, but despite his momentum being towards the goal, he managed to get a toe underneath the ball and hook it clear. It was an amazing moment, in many ways as exceptional as David Murphy’s goal, and afterwards his manager Stephen Masterson summed it up.

“That’s what these lads have been like for the last 3 years, commitment mate….. They’d die for me and the shirt.”

The final whistle saw the celebrations that are very much Berinsfield’s forte, I took a few more photos then headed for home. I know the kind of club they are, and the groundhopping fraternity will get to know them too, come September.

Mark Ingram’s concentration is off-putting to Kane Harris, the North Leigh keeper
Jackie will kill me for this.



 

 

Planet Earth

05 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by laurencereade in T

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

ASM Stadium, Cameron Lagan, David Lynn, Duran Martin, Harry Palmer, Max Crocombe, oxford united., soccer, Thame United, tyrone marsh

Thursday 2nd August 2012 ko 7.30pm

Pre-Season Friendly

THAME UNTED 2 (West 34 Lagan 88)

OXFORD UNITED 1 (Marsh 25)

Att 105 (h/c)

Entry £5

No Programme (‘e’s on holiday!)

Tea £1

With Thame United now happily esconced back home, at the ASM Stadium, friendlies between Oxford United the club are becoming quite frequent. You can see why, the pitch is excellent, the club welcoming, and the facilities very good. A bugbear is the main stand, with the seats set a fair distance from the pitch. The idea of this is that, as the club progresses up the pyramid the seating block can be replaced with a larger one.

One thing that comes across to all visiting, is just how keen the club is to escape the confines of the Hellenic League. It was made abundantly clear that there is no love lost between the managements of club and league. That, I suspect is a story that will run and run.

There was the usual vexed question of which Oxford United we would be watching. OUFC had made it crystal clear on their website, the youth team plus first year professionals Tyrone Marsh and Max Crocombe. Nevertheless the signage outside stating “Oxford United” made me slightly uneasy.

Still the hundred or so got a decent game for their money. A solid tackle from Duran Martin in midfield released left back David Lynn. His parallel pass found Tyrone Marsh who showed why he was awarded a contract by slotting home neatly across Lee Farrar is the Thame goal. The lead didn’t last long, as Nick Rhodes pass found Dan West. He thumped a 20 yard drive that OUFC keeper Harry Palmer got a palm to but was unable to stop going in.

The 2nd half saw Crocombe replace Palmer, and as the substitutions mounted the game lost its way. The OUFC press area contented themselves by spotting West Ham’s Rob Hall (an ex OUFC loanee) quietly watching his brother Matt playing for Thame, but I think all watching had written this off as a draw. That changed with a Thame corner that the defence could only scramble out to substitute Cameron Lagan who stabbed home for the win. The final act was a nasty challenge on young keeper Max Crocombe, who took a heavy challenge on his ankle. Harry Palmer was readied to come back on, but their was insufficient time to make the change.




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