Match 24. Bedworth United v Paulton Rovers

Saturday 23^rd January 2016 @3pm

Southern League Premier Division

BEDWORTH UNITED 1-1 PAULTON ROVERS

The Oval, Miners Welfare Park, Coventry Road, Bedworth CV12 8NN

Admission: £9

Programme: £2 (36pp). Team sheet, free.

Attendance: 169

Refreshments: Chips & curry sauce £1.90

Train tickets purchased in the week relatively cheaply so a straightforward journey via Coventry and only a 5 minute walk from Bedworth Station to the Park.  The Oval is set in the corner of the park and is surrounded by trees and slopes downwards to the ground.  The 3G pitch has been in place for a year or so and new perimeter fencing and a spruce up has also been completed since I stopped off for a look at the ground a few seasons ago while on a trip to watch Nuneaton. It still retains a classic feel due to the raised seated stand above the dressing rooms on one side and the clubhouse building on the other, with 1^st floor viewing for the Directors and Vice Presidents.

The town centre was almost deserted and the only pub still open that I saw was the JDW so pre-match was spent there in The Bear and Ragged Staff.

Now I thought with a good pitch the home side would play on the ground but no, it was mainly hoof up the middle for them and Paulton weren’t much better, although they did play with 2 fast wingers. I could tell that they were 2 struggling teams in the bottom 3.  Paulton took the lead after 10 minutes when a pass to Felix on the edge of the box allowed him to control the ball and shoot powerfully past the home keeper. Bedworth had more possession but mainly in their own half and Paulton looked dangerous on the break with the fast wingers and the diminutive Super Mario up front.

At half time and during the second half the consensus from the regulars was that a change of management was needed. Indeed Storer was sat back in the dugout and allowed his assistant to bark encouragement from the technical area. Bedworth had used all 3 subs before their right back picked up a shoulder injury with 15 minutes to go so played on with 10 ½ men.  Salvation came in the last minute of normal time as a corner was shot goal wards and re-routed into the net by Bryan.

I even managed to catch the 1655 train to Nuneaton so had over an hours wait for my booked train so had a quick drink at The William White JDW (Larry Grayson to many) and watched the 1^st half of the WHU v Man City game in the Crown near the station.  

Match 23. Phoenix Sports v Waltham Abbey

Saturday 16^th January 2016 @3pm

Isthmian League Division 1 North

PHOENIX SPORTS 1-2 WALTHAM ABBEY

Mayplace Road East, Barnehurst DA7 6JT

Admission: £8

Programme: included with admission (24pp)

Attendance: 75

Refreshments: Bovril, £1. Cheeseburger, £2.50. Cheese roll, £1.50. Mars 70p.

With my Plan A at Bowers being called off alongside many others by 11.30, I decided to stay local and revisit Phoenix Sports for the first time since they graced the Kent County League a few years ago. Now playing at Step 4, the ground has seen development, with 2 off the shelf stands on the elevated banking on one touchline and turnstiles in place next to the changing rooms, clubhouse and all other facilities at the ground behind the nearside goal. There is also permission for visitors to use the school car park opposite the ground entrance, as the club car park is for players and officials only.

The pitch was in good condition, a change from my non-league visits so far this month. With the visitors manager Martin Hayes leaving the club there was a management duo in charge for the first time. A new formation of 3-5-2 was in place as opposed to the usual 4-4-2 of the home side.  The visitors looked solid at the back and half chances were even until Phoenix went ahead a quarter of the way through the match.  Adrian Stone, once of Carshalton among others, with less hair now but still used his experience to shoot through the keepers legs into the net.  But it was the away no9, Christian Assombalonga who caught my eye.  He looked dangerous whenever in an advanced position and is incredibly strong.  His first shot hit the net but was judged to have offended against the home centre back, but his next effort was deserved as the home keeper and defender hesitated to clear the ball and nipped in between them and rounded the keeper leaving a simple touch into the net.  Phoenix then made victory more difficult for themselves as centre back Whibley smashed into the visiting attacker and earned a straight red card just before the interval.

In the second half with the home side one man short, they still were making silly mistakes and the regulars there said it was the worst performance they had seen all season. That no9 had a couple of chances go just wide before he scored the winner on the hour when a through ball split the defence and he coolly round the keeper and slotted the ball into the net. The temperature dropped as the sun went down and I watched the last 20 minutes from the comfort of the clubhouse, with good views of the action.  The home side struggled on and Assombalonga missed his hat-trick chance when he shot over from six yards out.  A first win for several months for the bottom side and hope for a great escape.

Match 22. Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

Sunday 10^th January 2016 @4pm

FA Cup 3^rd Round

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-2 LEICESTER CITY

White Hart Lane, High Road, Tottenham N17 0AP

Admission: £25

Programme: £3.50 (100pp)

Attendance: 35,805.

Refreshments: None purchased.

A Christmas present to my brother-in-law, a Spurs fan who I accompanied by car, parking up half an hour before kick-off and walking the 1/2 mile to the ground. We were sat in the south stand lower tier, just to the left of the goal.  Probably my last visit before the demolition and move adjacent to the new ground in 2018.

Eriksen scored first for Spurs after  8 minutes when a Chadli shot was parried straight to him.  Leicester equalised just before halftime when from a corner, Wasilewski headed in from the near post.  In the second half, Leicester started well with the introduction of Okasaki who went on a mazy run in the penalty area and scored from 6 yards. Spurs finally brought on the reinforcements after 65 minutes and a controversial penalty on 89 minutes was despatched by Harry “one of our own” Kane.

Match 21. Mile Oak v Saltdean

Saturday 9^th January 2016 @3pm

Southern Combination League Division One

MILE OAK 1-0 SALTDEAN

Recreation Ground, Chalky Road, Portslade BN41 2YU

Admission: £5

Programme: £1 (60pp)

Attendance: 30 + several dogs.

Refreshments: Bovril and coffee, 80p each. Crisps and Snickers, 70p each.

I left with a list of 3 Sussex games still on and with positive tweets from Mile Oak on the drive down, I arrived 15 minutes before kick-off and parked in the sports centre over the road.  The ground is tucked away on a hill with houses on 3 sides and the playground on the 4^th side.  Being on a hill there is nice views beyond the dugouts of the South Downs standing under the cover that straddles the halfway line.  There is a seated stand behind the nearside goal and refreshments are available in the pavilion outside the entrance, which is a pre-school canteen.  There is apparently a Mile Oak Pub nearby where the teams go post-match but I was unaware and visited The Stag Inn after the match after parking and only popping my head in the St George Inn next door, which is a bit “local”.

The match was played in windy conditions throughout, with the rain entering in the second half 2 minutes after the linesman stated “at least it isn’t raining!” I was, without realising, standing in the company of LS Sofa Bear and the Mersey Mafia in the second half. The game was quite entertaining to watch and settled by just the one goal after about half an hour, a simple side foot from close range.

Match 20. Buckingham Town v Peterborough Sports

Saturday 2nd January 2016 @3pm
United Counties League Division One
BUCKINGHAM TOWN 1-3 PETERBOROUGH SPORTS
The Irish Centre, Manor Fields, Bletchley MK2 2HX

Admission: £4
Programme: “None printed today”
Attendance: 60
Refreshments: Potato soup, free.  Tayto crisps, 65p.

With my family wanting retail therapy in Milton Keynes I had a list of grounds which by 1.30 was down to either Bedford at McMullen Park or Manor Fields and as the game was definitely on despite the rain lashing down and puddles forming on the pitch just before kick-off.  Thankfully, the ref gave the nod to start and the game managed to complete despite several heavy showers throughout and a deteriorating pitch with no bounce and some players covered in mud.  It reminded me of some of those Match of the Day games in the 1970s.

The Irish Centre has a large function room and bar on the ground floor which was open until 3pm, then a smaller bar was open upstairs at half time, where hot drinks were available for free including a jug of potato soup, which was lovely.

The ground has a small pay box at the entrance and about 600 covered seats inside the ground.  The older stand seated about 100 and along one touchline length is a 500 seated stand on 3 rows, although the front 2 were wet due to the wind and rain.

Both teams did their best in the conditions but Peterborough Sports were the better side for the first hour, leading 2-0 before Buckingham really threw caution to the wind and reduced the deficit with 12 minutes left but Sports went 3-1 up 5 minutes before the end. It was end to end stuff and enjoyable to watch with many miss-hits, passes held up and footing lost in the conditions.

Match 19. Hoddesdon Town v Hertford Town

Saturday 28th December 2015 @3pm
Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
HODDESDON TOWN 1-1 HERTFORD TOWN
The Stewart Edwards Stadium, Lowfield, Park View, Hoddesdon EN11 8PX.

Admission: £6
Programme: £1.50 (52pp)
Attendance: 302
Refreshments: Becks Blue, £3. Hot dog, £2.50. Minestrone Cup-a-soup, £1. 

Another ground revisit over the festive season.  No parking at the ground and restrictions nearby meant I had to park 5 minutes away near the town centre. The football ground is adjacent to the cricket pitch and the complex is surrounded by trees on one side where the entrance is.  To the left is a DIY covered standing area between the dugouts and a main seated stand is on the opposite touchline.  The club building incorporates changing rooms, tea bar, toilets and clubhouse.

 A bumper crowd watched a match that was full of incident.  The home right back was sent off after just 3 minutes for a late lunge at the left winger. The sides evened up when said left winger was dismissed just before the interval.  Both were the teams’ captain and bad discipline continued in the second half when another Hertford player got sent off for a second yellow and the manager also got his marching orders.  I stood between the dugouts in the first half and the “banter” between the dugouts was borderline abuse.

To make matters worse for the home side, a 20 yard free kick from Hatherly went into the net after 10 minutes.  The ten men didn’t give up and kept the score at one by half time and with the team numbers now level, started the half well and put pressure on Hertford especially after the visitor went down to nine men.  They finally drew level on 75 minutes and almost won near the end but a shot was cleared off the line.

Friendly bar and tea bar staff and with the very readable programme, a visit to Lowfield is highly recommended.

Match 18. East Grinstead Town v Three Bridges

Saturday 26th December 2015 @3pm
Isthmian League Division 1 South
EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN 2-0 THREE BRIDGES
The GAC Stadium, East Court, College Lane, East Grinstead RH19 3LS

Admission: £8
Programme: £2 (28pp)
Attendance: 132
Refreshments: Minestrone Cup-a-soup £1.

A return to a ground I visited 10 years ago for an evening game, so under an hours straightforward drive for me. A good size car park is in front of the main club building and turnstiles which are behind the near goal. There is grass banking on the right touchline which has a seated stand and covered terrace built into it and offers a great view of the proceedings on the pitch.  There is also a snack hut offering normal food fayre but I had a pocket full of Quality Street.

The Wasps are hovering near the relegation zone and Three Bridges are mid table.  The home side took the lead on 16 minutes when the striker went into the box and squared it to Tobon who struck it into the net from 15 yards.  East Grinstead were on top for most of the game but a shot from the visitors on half hour was tipped onto the crossbar by home keeper Taylor.  The second goal took a while coming but on 70 minutes the wait was worth it  A free kick 25 yards out was expertly left footed over the wall and into the bottom corner by Mahoney.