Match 17. North Leigh v Bashley

Saturday 22^nd November 2014 @3pm

Southern League Division South & West

NORTH LEIGH 11(Eleven)-0 BASHLEY

Eynsham Hall Park, Oxford Road (A4095), North Leigh

Admission: £8

Programme: £1

Attendance: 63

Refreshments: Thatcher’s Gold, £3. Chicken Cup-a-soup, 70p

A long standing promise to take the family to Bicester Village for Christmas shopping with a cousin also coming along. So they were dropped off at the Acorn pub by 1.30 so I had time to go to the furthest ground on my list for the day, a 20 mile trip along the (A4095) to Eynsham Hall Park and I was so glad that I did.

The hidden entrance is along a track to the cricket pitch where cars are allowed to park on the grass verges, and it was rather muddy under foot towards the turnstile adjacent to the cricket area. The whole area has line after line of trees and is in a remote location.  Once through the gate in the top corner of the ground, the main building is behind the top goal as well as shallow terracing with cover.  The changing rooms, club house and tea bar are also along this goal line as well as a few benches and a patio parasol.  The tea bar had a selection of hot pies, pasties as well as burgers.  The first ground this season that have had pies on offer. We southerners are certainly made to suffer on the pie front!  Along the right touchline is a standard covered seating area along the flat pack assembly design, which certainly shows the pitch slope from goal to goal.  Opposite the seated stand are the team dugouts.  In the distance to the bottom right corner flag I spotted Eynsham Hall, a rather elegant stately home.

Bashley are struggling towards the bottom of the league and I believe they reduced the team budget to expenses only this season. North Leigh are mid-table and odds on to win, but I didn’t expect what was to follow.  The only action in Bashleys favour is the one shot on target in each half, both easily saved by the home keeper.  North Leigh went ahead on 2 minutes when a low cross allowed Jamie Cook to chip the ball over the keeper from just inside the area.  On 11  minutes another low cross from Woodley found John Else who slid in to beat the centre back to the ball and divert the ball past Callum Maher. A hopeful through ball drew a defensive mistake for no10 Woodley to pounce and tap in from close range on 25 minutes after going round the keeper.  On the half hour a corner was headed in by Andy Gunn who claimed the goal, but I thought the Bash no5 headed into his own goal. A cross from the right back was hit 1^st time by no9 Cook which beat the keeper, hit the cross bar and was judged to bounce over the goal line, with no11 tapping in to make sure. A mazy run by Woodley beating 3 defenders before a pass to no9 Cook to get his hat trick from 6 yards on 42 minutes.

Being 6-0 down at the break, I’m sure Bashley would have heard a team talk along the lines of treat the 2^nd half as a 0-0 start, but within 5 minute of the restart, North Leigh had blown that notion away with 2 further goals.  A short corner was taken and crossed and the keeper dropped the catch for Else to pounce on the opportunity of getting on the score sheet. A minute later it was 8-0 when a great through ball allowed Ricketts to run on and slot the ball beyond the onrushing keeper. On the hour Woodley ran through from halfway line and his effort could only be parried for the substitute no15 Bowles to score after just coming on.  A period of 25 minute without a goal as both sides made all their changes and opportunities for a while were not finished off.  Normal service was resumed for the last 5+2 minutes stoppage time when a free kick was given for a handball. The left back Hopkins curled it nicely into the net from the left edge of the box. With almost the last kick of the game no14 scored under pressure from 10 yards.

With a batch of high scoring matches across the pyramid, I was glad to have chosen a Bashley bashing.

Match 16. Kent Football United v Seven Acre Sidcup

Saturday 15^th November 2014 @2pm

Kent Invicta League

KENT FOOTBALL UNITED 3-1 SEVEN ACRE SIDCUP

Glentworth Sports Club, Lowfield Street, Dartford

Admission: £5

Programme: none produced

Attendance: 23 my h/c, 25 bees h/c

Refreshments: Guinness £3.35

I wanted to get back to watch the England game so I thought I’d take an early look at the Glentworth ex-Services Sports Club. The ground is not far from Princes Road and I could hear cheering at Dartfords ground in the second half.  There is plenty of car parking and the entrance is through a gate with the gateman sitting on a bench. No programmes today and I don’t know if they issue at all.  The club use the second bar which is the one available for hire and has an entrance to the ground from the conservatory.  The bar is spacious but has no TV on.  There is a budget priced lunchtime menu on offer before 2pm but nothing but crisps and chocolate during the game.  Tea and coffee is also available behind the bar.

The pitch isn’t very level and there are only 2 sides of railing with a third side in progress.  The hard standing is also in progress, with pebbles, stones and glass making it rather unsteady underfoot.  The only structure inside the ground that is finished are the 2 dugouts.  A long way to go to get an acceptable grading by March 31^st unless there is some further leeway by the League committee.  I could return in April to see how far they get.

KFU have struggled this season, without much support as the spectators mainly consisted of ground hoppers and away support. KFU went into the lead on 19 minutes when no6 received the ball on the edge of the area following a half cleared corner and he hit it first time into the top corner.  Seven Acre levelled 10 minutes later when a penalty was awarded for the no8 and the home side complained because he didn’t drop to the floor.  The large No5 striker converted the spot kick, sending the keeper the wrong way. The rain shower started just before half time and the last action of the half a rare first half home attack resulted in no11 side footing into the far corner from 15 yards.

The second half had a further 2 rain showers and the final goal arrived on 70 minutes when a slip from the visiting left back allowed the right winger to get past before the defender recovered and passed it square to no10 who hit a low left footed shot from 20 yards beyond the keeper.  The second half especially had more than a few niggles and dissent from both clubs, resulting in at least half a dozen bookings.

Match 15. Wantage Town v Merthyr Town

Saturday 8^th November 2014 @3pm

Southern League Division One South & West

WANTAGE TOWN 0-3 MERTHYR TOWN

Alfredian Park, Manor Road (A338), Wantage.

Admission: £8

Programme: £1

Attendance: 124

Refreshments: Strongbow £3.50, Small Hot Dog, £1.50.

The day began with a drive up into London to view the ceramic poppy display around the Tower of London to mark the 100 year anniversary of the outbreak of WW1. The girls then stayed to watch the Lord Mayor show and I drove to Wantage via the diversions through London taking an hour to reach Junction 1 of the M4 but despite this delay and the torrential downpour between Reading and Newbury I arrived at the ground just after 2pm and directed to the car park behind the goal after driving down a narrow track to the ground entrance.  The away team and supporters coaches wisely stayed out on the main road.

After paying the entrance and parked up near the corner flag as the teams were walking to the adjacent field to warm up, probably to preserve the pitch although it held up very well during the match and looks like it drains well. The club building is also behind the goal and is a single storey affair with a flat roof.  The food hatch is incorporated to the left of the building entrance, the toilets are straight ahead and the clubhouse is to the right. Merthyr had brought a coach load of support to boost the crowd to over 100 as Wantage is in quite a remote location.  The substantial cover is along the right hand touchline with 3 step terracing in 2 areas, tip up green seating towards the upper end and 2 rows of bench seating all incorporate under the one roof.  The dugouts are opposite the covered stand.

The home side are in the bottom 3 and without a league win in 2 months whereas Merthyr are on the tailcoat of leaders Stratford Town. Inevitably the visitors applied most of the early pressure and as the second band of rain arrived on the half hour Merthyr took the lead soon after when Ian Traylor stabbed home inside the 6 yard box from a McLaggon cross. Wantage held on to half time but it was more of the same in the second half. Wantage went 2-0 down early in the half when a shot was only parried by the home keeper and Traylor was on hand to get his 2^nd.  Wantage players head were down but not surprising as they lost several players and their Chairman and Manager recently.  Things got worse as the home sides Sam Barder was sent off for his second bad challenge and Traylor got his hat trick 5 minutes before the end when a cross the area pass found him unmarked at the far post.

The away fans think they are in with a good chance of promotion to Step 3 and they looked good albeit against a struggling team. The home committee and volunteers do however make this visitor welcome but the away fans are nice company and like a good chat.

Match 14. Schalke 04 U21 v Benfica U21

Wednesday 29th October 2014 @7pm
FA Premier League U21 International Cup
SCHALKE 04 U21 V BENFICA U21
Princes Park, Princes Road, Dartford

Admission: £3
Programme/Team sheet: N/A
Attendance: 150 estimate
Refreshments: Guinness, £3.20, Chips £2 (Yuk!), Kit Kat 80p 
A very rare midweek jaunt out tonight mainly due to the fact I was playing chauffeur to my daughters who were off to Bluewater for food & cinema. I saw this little known fixture while researching into travelling with Dartford to their away fixture to Forest Green in late November. 

I won’t describe the ground but the entrance used is the one near the car park only. The hot food pod was open behind the far goal and drinks were available next to the turnstiles, usually used for away fans and Greenwich Borough fixtures. The attendance consisted of a handful of London based supporters of each side, about 100 Dartford supporters and 30ish curios including me. The chips in the refreshment kiosk were so disgusting I chucked half of them away. The chips had absorbed all the cooking oil, rank! 

The Schalke team were numbered 1-11 whereas the Benfica team had random numbers from 60-97 with their names very small on the back but I worked out a few when they got close enough to the goal line. The whole match was dominated by the Benfica lads to the excitement of the Benfica London chorus, who made quite a noise considering there were only 5 or 6 singers. The only goal of the game came midway through the second half but the Rufus Brevet lookalike no85 who finished off a lovely move, with a 1-2 in the D before despatching into the net to the keepers right. 

I’m still not sure of why this competition is in place. It seemed hastily arranged, without much notice (6 days) and without the support of FIFA/UEFA.