No.17 - Sat. 24th October 2009; Bedfordshire County Football League Premier Division; 2.30pm at AFC Kempston, Hillgrounds, Kempston, Bedford, Beds.
Matchday images (15) >view> AFC Kempston Town (0) 0 Oakley Sports (1) 1 Town slip up!
A goal after twenty-nine minutes was all that separated both teams at the end of this really absorbing and exciting Bedfordshire County Football League Premier Division fixture played at the Hillgrounds on Saturday. It was Mark Kelly who grabbed the headlines for the visitors as he took advantage of some poor defending following a corner taken on the right. In a split second reaction, he turned on a sixpence (or should that be 2½p?) in the six yard box to thump the loose ball through a crowd of players and into the empty net. Despite heavy pressure in the second half AFC could not convert any of their golden chances to restore parity. Matty Smith (33) and Danny Pilgrim (47 and 80) both went close but couldn't beat Ricky Holmes who was in top form in the Oakley goal. He was a star! Drama in the closing stages saw James Allen (89) run onto a long ball, control it and calmly slot it home. Sadly for Town the eagle eyed club linesman raised his flag and stood firm, level with the edge of the penalty area, to signal for an offside. Quite rightly (in my opinion) the goal was disallowed, a decision accepted most sportingly by the disappointed forward. How refreshing is that? It was definitely a case of what might have been. The game was played on an afternoon punctuated by the constantly changing weather conditions. Shortly after arriving the heavens opened forcing the two hoppers from racing HQ to seek refuge and cower in some thick bracken (close to the corner flag) for shelter. It was rodding it down! Unlike the players we managed to escape the downpour which lasted for a full ten minutes. Thankfully the torrents subsided being replaced by a more welcoming spell of bright sunshine which allowed us to return pitchside for the rest of the first half. By now the grass was extremely wet and led to several slips and trips, none bettered than the one suffered by my beloved. In an effort to return the ball back onto the field Mrs W took a full run up to the sphere only to slide on impact and land base over apex in the long wet grass and autumn leaves. As she rose to her feet and dusted herself down the players, sitting closeby in both dugouts, spontaneously cheered and clapped. Despite a red face and a sore bottom she wasn't hurt and saw the funny side of it. She decided that for the rest of this game at least the players themselves would have to collect any stray balls spinning out of play. Bless her! My last (and only other) visit to Hillgrounds was made over twenty years ago now when I first started taking a keen interest in non league football after doing the 92. Entry number NL50 in my well thumbed little blue note book shows that Kempston Rovers were beaten here by Northampton Spencer by a 2-0 scoreline in a United Counties League Premier Division game played on 18/03/89. I remember the day although the match details remain sketchy. Today the large site off Hillgounds Road has a large sign at the main entrance which welcomes visitors to AFC Kempston. This is an umbrella term that provides football opportunities for all, catering for boys and girls from the age of 4 years right through to veterans still playing the game in their sixties. The largest section is devoted to Colts football teams and the club now boast over 300 youngsters signed on their books. Rather than lose these teenagers to other local teams in the area, coaches at the club encourage players to stay here and offer them the chance to sign on for either Rovers or Town depending on their ablility and ambition. The two sections run harmoniously - side by side literally. Rovers, members of the UCL have access to the main railed-off floodlit pitch closest to the entance. Town play on a separate self-contained ground further along. But don't make the mistake that I almost did. Not sure who played where, I could see the players warming up on the main pitch as we pulled up in the club car park on arrival. After a quick dash back up the driveway we entered the terrace and made our way pitchside just as the players were about to kick-off. However when the chap standing next to us shouted: 'Come on Galacticos!!' my heart sank. Now that didn't sound at all familiar. Surely today the away side should be local rivals Oakley Sports from just up the A6? I quickly asked him who was playing and found out that the game I was about to watch was between AFC Kempston Rovers Reserves and AFC Galacticos in the Bedfordshire Intermediate Cup First Round. Oops!! At that moment Mrs W noticed another group of players who had just left the changing rooms away to our right and who were making their way around the astroturf pitch and onto a playing field beyond. This looked more hopeful. After increasing my stridelength I managed to tag on and ask one of the kit men at the back of the entourage who was playing to check the fixture. He confirmed that the game between AFC Kempston Town and Oakley Sports was about to start on the end pitch. Phew! That's all we needed to know. We had at last we had managed to find the right game on the right pitch. What luck. It was definitely game on now!! All three pitches at Hillgrounds run parallel to each other. AFC Kempston Town play their home matches on the small enclosed field at the far end. This involves a short walk from the communal changing-rooms along a narrow track beside the modern astroturf facility which separates the two grassed pitches. Space here really is at a premium and the playing area is hemmed in on three sides by hedges. It's a tight squeeze but gives the visitor a homely, self-contained feeling about the place. There is no cover pitchside apart from two brick built dug-outs positioned along the far touchline, the only side which is roped off. Although the bumpy pitch has a pronounced slope it is very well grassed. Today our game attracted only nine spectators. Refreshments for the needy traveller were available from the tea bar over at the main stand used by Rovers. Members of the Town committee are a very friendly bunch and always welcome groundhoppers to their games. In particular Doreen Moon was extremely helpful in providing us with the team line-ups and giving us a potted history of the club. Our FGIF Match Stats Card was full of info. Although there wasn't a programme for today's match Doreen took our details and offered to send us one in the post. She was true to her word as a copy of this season's matchday magazine arrived at FGIF HQ two days later. It's a terrific effort and the main content, enclosed inside a stiff card cover, includes club news; stats; player profiles and colour photos. This is normally issued for all first team home games. In addition AFC Kempston have a club website which represents all clubs under the collective umbrella. The section on Town contains a most interesting club history which dates back to 1989 the year when the club was first founded. For more information (including a map and directions) check out the link shown below. Travellers intending to visit the club should allow a bit more time when setting out on their journey. At the time of writing a vast amount of building work, to improve the Bedford link roads (on the A421) at the Kempston interchange, is taking place at the moment. This, and the large number of speed bumps along Hillgrounds Road, will definitely slow you down. Mind how you go: we wouldn't want you to slip up. Sorry Fran! The joys of collecting roped-off fields continues...enjoy! Scorers: (H) N/A and (A) Bryan Mills (32) Attendance: 9 (nine); Admission and Programme: N/A; Match rating: 4/5; Ground rating: 3/5 Club link - http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/afckempston/ edited 30/10/09
