Match 38. Buckhurst Hill v M & B Club

Saturday 16^th May 2015 @2.30pm

Essex Olympian League Premier Division

BUCKHURST HILL 1-4 M & B CLUB
Roding Lane, Buckhurst Hill

Admission: Nil

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: 45 h/c

Refreshments: none purchased

With the nice sunny weather arriving in the South East, it was an hour drive to the small town of Buckhurst Hill, where the wannabe TOWIE extras seem to hangout.  The pub I went in before kick-off, The Three Colts, really did epitomise the need for people to be seen. The men and women clothed in designer gear and the restaurant area serving overpriced gastropub grub.  It was lucky I had a shirt on with an animal on it and Vans on otherwise the normal ground hopper apparel would have got a few strange Botox looks I’m sure.

The ground is situated in Roding Lane with the football club on one side of the road and the cricket club on the other.  Parking was tight but they do have an overflow parking area adjacent to the entrance. There is a club building beyond the parking area on the main touchline where there are dugouts as well as a roped off pitch. Three outer pitches complete the football complex.  There was no alcohol at the ground but does serve snacks and hot drinks.

The match was typical end of season fayre and in hindsight I should have gone to by plan B fixture at Harold Wood. There was 5 goals however, with M & B Club in control for most of the game Said and Settle bagging a brace each and only a consolation by Richbell for Buckhurst. A nice venue in the spring sunshine and the view from the disabled railed ramp to the snack area is a comfortable le place to view the action.

Post-match, I dropped by The King Harold to leave play off paper for Mr D.Q. Rioja and enjoyed a swift half in the suntrap of the garden not knowing that DQ was still nursing his 2^nd bottle of red at the nearby Rec Ground.

Match 37. Stansfeld (Oxford & Bermondsey) v Metrogas

Saturday 9^th May 2015 @2.45pm

Kent County League Premier Division

STANSFELD (OXFORD & BERMONSEY) 0-3 METROGAS

Marathon Playing Fields, Forty Foot Way, Avery Hill Road, New Eltham

Admission: Nil

Programme: £1

Attendance: 78 h/c

Refreshments: Guinness £3.60.

I didn’t have the enthusiasm to travel today so I thought I would meander to Metrogas to see them play “visitors” to their tenants, Stansfeld, the game being a 2^nd v 1^st although Metrogas had already won the League for a second successive year.  With cricket taking preference, pitch #1 & #2 were out of bounds so a bonus of a new pitch #3, the top pitch on the other side of Forty Foot Ways driveway.  There is no football furniture apart from a storage unit, but the pitch is surrounded by fencing on 3 sides and the spectators’ touchline is roped off.  The pitch, like all others on the complex is in very good condition.

Despite the warm sunny conditions there was a fierce wind travelling across the pitch from left to right which did affect the play of both teams.  Stansfeld, playing in their blue and yellow striped kit, do have runners up spot to consolidate and the first half was competitive but only half chances for both teams made the half finish goalless.  The healthy attendance consisting of cabbies from Bermondsey, reserve players talking about the recent stag do weekend in Magalluf and a fair smattering of local hoppers.  A chap walked along the touchline in the first half selling the programme, a bonus for this level.

Metrogas came out in their fetching grey kit for the second half in a bouncing mood.  I was still walking back from the clubhouse when a cheer went up and Metrogas had gone 1-0 up.  The second goal arrived just before the hour mark. A cross was met with a defenders diving header which flicked into his own net.  The killer third goal arrived on 70 minutes when a shot was only parried to no17 who scored from close range.

The game was done and dusted by 4.30 and the clubhouse had 100+ in it before 5pm for the League Trophy presentation.

Match 36. Folkestone Invicta v Merstham

Saturday 2^nd May 2015 @3pm

Ryman League Division One South Play off Final

FOLKESTONE INVICTA 0-3 MERSTHAM

The Fullicks Stadium, Cheriton Road, Folkestone.

Admission: £9

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: 1,465

Refreshments: Guinness £3.90, Bovril, £1, Salted nuts 80p.

My last visit to Cheriton Road was the last game of 2010/2011 season when they lost 1-0 to Maidstone which was a winner takes all to stay in the Ryman League. Many changes at the ground since then due to the storm damage last season which meant the main stand is now at the opposite touchline and the old stand without its roof is open terracing.  It still has that historic ground feel to it with its low covered stand behind one goal and the open terracing behind the other goal. 

Turnstiles were open at both ends of the ground to cope with the expected large attendance and almost 1,500 turned up for the game 90% must have been from Kent but the Merstham fans behind the goal gave a noisy account of themselves.  I had turned up about 2pm and procured my programme order before parking in Morrison and having lunch there. There was a queue to get in 10 minutes before kick-off but got in as the teams had a minute silence for those lost in the Nepal earthquake.

Folkestone completely dominated the first half but went in at the interval 2 goals down with Merstham having 3 attacks in the whole half. The first on 6 minutes resulted in Cooper turning up in the area on the blind side and scored while the defence had their arms up for offside.  Merstham really should have been down to 10 men when their centre back pushed his head into the Folkestone strikers face but the referee claimed to be unsighted.  The linesman in front of me should have seen it though. The ref allowed a lot of illegal tackles to go unpunished so the home fans were not impressed with his performance.  The second goal arrived just before halftime thanks to the giant centre back Henriquez.  Then the killer blow came 6 minutes into the second half when the Merstham captain curled a free kick into the corner to make it 3-0. This knocked the stuffing out of the home side and the rest of the match was controlled by Merstham with a passing masterclass.  The only spoiler was a group of a dozen home teenagers looking to cause trouble with the away fans but the stewards brought in from Dover rounded them up and escorted them to the exit. So another play off defeat for Folkestone to digest before next season and a Merstham team needing some fresh blood to survive in the higher league.

I stopped off at The Lion of Kent in Bearsted for a comfort break and the Bearsted FC players were enjoying an end of season beer or three.

Match 35. VCD Athletic v Billericay Town

Saturday 25^thApril 2015 @3pm

Ryman League Premier Division

VCD ATHLETIC 2-0 BILLERICAY TOWN

Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Dartford.

Admission: Pay what You Want (£2)

Programme: £2

Attendance: 363

Refreshments: Guinness £2.80 (can), Bacon Cheeseburger £3.

With no new venues attracting my interest, it was a revisit to Oakwood to see this last Ryman league game of the season with VCD needing a point to ensure survival. Also the special admission offer was too good to turn down. 

30 or so Billericay fans had made the trip and they were on the bar before kick-off and most of them were in the food queue inside the ground when I entered through the turnstile at 2.55.  The ground hasn’t changed much since my last visit in October 2008. They have recently added a 3^rd turnstile entrance and extended the Main Stand to comply with staying at Step 3 next season. 

The match wasn’t a good watch for the neutral with everyone rushing and the game was strewn with errors from both sides.  In the stand was local ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard but he had enough of the game just before half time.  The game was rescued in the dying minutes with 2 VCD goals cementing their stay in the Ryman Premier next season.  The first on 88 minutes was a shot from the left side of the area which beat the keeper and ended up in the right hand bottom corner credited to James Buckworth, who was substituted immediately afterwards.  This was inspired as substitute Azeez collected the long ball in injury time and dribbled around the keeper to pass the ball into the empty net.