Match 23. Rushden and Higham United v Peterborough Sports

Saturday 28th December 2013 @ 3pm
United Counties League Division One
RUSHDEN & HIGHAM 3-2 PETERBOROUGH SPORTS
Hayden Road, Rushden


Admission: £5
Programme: £1
Attendance: 50 h/c
Refreshments: Guinness, £3. Egg & Bacon bap, £2



A swift lunchtime goodbye to my Aussie bound nephew went askew as he was running late from the pie & mash, so didn't leave home until 1pm, arriving at Hayden Road at 2.58 pm and inside the ground, which is accessed through the clubhouse right on 3pm and the teams were still tossing up!  The game eventually started 3 minutes late.


The ground is hemmed in by housing on all sides with tall trees alongside the far touchline, where the standard seated Atcost stand as well as dugouts are situated.  There is 5 steps of old terracing on various areas of the pitch perimeter, most noticeable in front of the clubhouse.  The main feature of the ground is the old main stand, with wooden seats and benches, covered by a steal sloped roof.  Today however, the stand lies derelict and out of bounds to spectators.  The only current function is are the dressing rooms built underneath the raised seating area. With current Health and Safety recommendations I cant see this stand re-opening, and sadly will be demolished some time soon, as soon as the changing rooms are no longer to standard.


The game however was a classic holiday match with lots of effort, the odd hard tackle and plenty of battle from both teams.  The first goal came after only 1 minute from Jon Tites shot.  This stunned both teams and the crowd, some of which were still making their way to the seated stand.  The pitch had no surface water but was very soft and cut up a lot during the match.  The equaliser came after 35 minutes as a corner was not cleared and no11 shot through the crowded penalty area into the middle of the goal.  Peterborough Sports were behind again 2 minutes later when a handball gave away a penalty.  The "full of turkey" no90 hammered the spot kick into the top of the net.


The second half continued in the same vein and the oranges extended their lead 5 minutes after the break and arrears were halved 6 minutes later by Clements.  No further goals but plenty of banter between the full back and the crowd and example from the right back was "spend all your Xmas money on this game then?!"  I wonder what the best reply would be....

Match 22. Bromley v Ebbsfleet United

Thursday 26th December 2013 @3pm
Skrill Conference South
BROMLEY 0-0 EBBSFLEET UNITED
Hayes Lane, Bromley

Admission: £12
Programme: £2.50
Attendance: 1,344
Refreshments: Guinness, £3.80. Homemade sausage roll and mince pie from Daughter, free.
 
The time of year to revisit a local club and on paper this looked like a cracker, with both sides unbeaten in 8 or 9 matches.  The game didn't live up to the hype though. Too many stoppages, the ref talking to most of the players at one time of other, the midfielders of both sides feigning or simulating bad tackles on more than an acceptable number of occasions.  On the balance of play, I actually thought Bromley edged it on clear cut chances and in the last 20 minutes but Ebbsfleet looked fairly cool in defence and certainly had more attacking chances in the first half.  I had intended to go to the return game on New Years Day but I'm now wavering!
  

Match 21. Cheshunt v Barkingside

Saturday 21st December 2013 @ 3pm
Ryman League Division 1 North
CHESHUNT 2-0 BARKINGSIDE
Theobalds Lane, Waltham Cross

Admission: £8
Programme: £2
Attendance: 157
Refreshments: Guinness, £3.20. Chicken Cup-a-soup, £1. Bacon Roll, £2.00

With limited time to travel and games falling by the wayside due to the wet weather over the last few days, I decided on my first re-visit of the season.  It has been 15 years or so since my last visit to Theobalds Lane. After paying my entrance I found the major change is the clubhouse behind the main stand.  It is now fully refurbished with flat screen TVs, sofa and high table and chairs and has wooden laminate flooring, a far cry from the dense sticky, muddy and wet carpet and the portable TV from my previous visit. The Main stand is still the wooden seated, brick and steel painted in team colours. For me this is a nostalgic stand, a reminder of many Isthmian stands pre 1990s.  The tea bar is adjacent to the main stand and the alternative seated stand is on the opposite touchline, with the dugouts.

The match was an even affair, with more passing possession by the visitors but a faster counter attacking style by Cheshunt reaping the rewards.  Their first goal came from John Megicks free kick just outside the area on 42 minutes.  The second goal came on the hour when a shot from no7 was parried into the path of no11 Bossman to slot in from 6 yards.  Barkingside were always in the game, but for the home keeper Will Viner, who made at least 2 outstanding saves, one low to his right and also a palm around the post.

Match 20. Lydd Town v Glebe

Saturday 14^th December 2013 @2pm
Kent Invicta League
LYDD TOWN 3-0 GLEBE
The Lyndsey Field, Dengemarsh Road, Lydd

  

Admission: £3

Programme: £1

Attendance: 16 h/c

Food: None

Drink: Guinness draught can, £2.20. Chicken Cup-a-soup, £1

 

With Christmas fast approaching, the girls needed to get to Ashford Outlet centre and the Lyndsey Field I have earmarked to tie in with this scenario.  The ground is found on the far side of the village coming from Ashford on the A2070. Apart from houses on one side of the ground, the rest is open marshes and can view Dungeness from the touchline.  Entrance is through the driveway and the turnstile is a white van with the admission and programme costs attached to the windscreen. The pitch is railed with netting protecting the clubhouse behind one goal. The only cover is standing in front of the clubhouse entrance. On this occasion with a strong wind and chill factor, I watched half of the game from inside the car parked only 5 metres back from the dugout touchline.  There is a lot of work to bring the ground up to step 6. Only hard standing around the railed perimeter and no standing or seated cover apart from the aforementioned clubhouse area.  There is a tea hatch beyond the bar but today no food was available, only hot drinks and refreshments at the bar, due to the volunteers’ absence from illness.

 

The first goal came after 3 minutes as no10 Gary Lockyear fired in past the keeper from the left hand side. After 21 minutes a foul on the edge of the box was curled into the six yard box for no5 Tom Ripley to head in.  The best chance for Glebe came after 40 minutes when a header from no8 hit the inside of the post and the rebound from 4 yards ballooned over the bar.  The 3^rd and final goal came after 55 minutes when Ripley added his second.  This was a game played in windy conditions where both keepers throwing from the box rather than kicking against the wind.

  

Match 19. Andover New Street v New Milton Town

Saturday 7^th December 2013 @3pm

Wessex League Division One

ANDOVER NEW STREET 0-3 NEW MILTON TOWN

Foxcotte Park, Charlton, Andover

 

Admission: £5

Programme: £1

Attendance: 25 h/c

Food: Cheeseburger, £2.50

Drink: Thatchers Gold, £2.80

 

With the girls going to Basingstoke for shopping, I drove the short distance from there to Foxcotte Park.  The entrance is between the club building and the home dressing room. The club building has a large bar, snack bar, toilets and away dressing room. Cover at the ground is located at the clubhouse entrance by an attached cover where most of the regular congregate, with some benches and patio area also in situ. A seated stand is adjacent to the club building and it looks like was developed from a lorry trailer? Steps are built on the front of the stand.  The rest of the pitch is railed and hard standing with the dugouts opposite the club building. The car park is to the left of the turnstile with ample space.

  

The teams lined up accompanied by drizzle that remained for most of the match, making the pitch sticky in places.  Andover only had the bare 11 available and it got worse after 3 minutes.  The away side pointed out to the referee that Street defender Ryan Lake was wearing a cast under his long sleeve shirt and gloves. This was a full cast for a broken finger and wrist, leaving the referee no choice but to tell Lake to leave the pitch.  With the home side down to tem men for 87 minutes, it was going to be an uphill struggle.  Street was under pressure throughout the game, apart from the odd foray into the opposition half.  Despite some super saves from the home goalkeeper Dave Tasker, New Milton took the lead on 18 minutes.  Tasker got his hand to a shot from Kabba but Sam Groves slotted in the rebound. Five minutes later it was 2-0 as Kabba picked up the loose ball and slipped the ball past the advancing keeper into the net.

 

The second half continued in the same manner, although Street did have more possession in this half.  The final goal came after 65 minutes when a goalmouth scramble after a second cross after a corner, the ball was stabbed in from close ranch by Jack Hoey.  This was a valiant effort from the home side but a lack of availability the main contribution to their downfall. 

 

 

Match 18. Melksham Town v Longwell Green Sports

Saturday 30^th November 2013 @3pm

Toolstation Western League Premier Division

MELKSHAM TOWN 3-1 LONGWELL GREEN SPORTS

The Conigre, Market Place, Melksham

  

Admission: £4 including programme

Attendance: 97

Food: Pasty £1

Drink: Black Rat cider, £2.50

 

The Conigre is a rustic old ground with a bleak future. Plans are that a new out of town ground is expected to be complete early 2015 so there is about 14 months left to visit this historic ground. There is a seated stand for 100+ on the halfway line and several small buildings on the same side for changing rooms, clubhouse, snack bar and storage.  Behind the upper goal and down the far side is a corrugated iron covered standing with a mixture of concrete, paving slabs and soft standing.

 

The playing surface had quite long grass and was bumpy and soft.  Not a ground to go to if the weather is dodgy.  LGS had more of the possession in the opening half although neither keeper was tested as the pitch dictated play. The match exploded into life in the last 10 minutes of the half.  First a run from Higdon into the area was stopped by a trip by the LGS keeper who escaped with a yellow card.  Higdon rose and scored the penalty.  From the kick off the first attack went for a corner, which was floated in for Longwell Greens Hunt to head in from 6 yards. A minute from the break, Melksham regained the lead when Kovacs slid the ball to the back post for Higdon stretch and directed the ball past the keeper into the net to lead 2-1 at half time.

 

Longwell Green was again in the ascendancy in the second half as Melksham waited to hit them on the counter attack. The visitor were creating half chances but the best chances fell to Melksham, who scored the killer goal just before fulltime when a free kick on the left hand side was brilliantly taken across goal for Higdon to complete a hattrick with a header on the far post.