TT JANUARY 2006 INDEX (169) - 30/01 from Mick Burt: Faces v Sandon Royals (Essex Olympian League Division Two) (168) - 30/01 from Mike Latham: East of Scotland League Cup Final - Easthouses Lily v Heriot-Watt University at Whitehill Welfare (167) - 29/01 from Mike Latham: Gresford Athletic v Llangefni Town (Cymru Alliance) (166) - 27/01 from Mike Latham: Winterton Rangers v Rossington Main (Wilkinson Sword Trophy) (165) - 23/01 from Stephen Harris: Westfield v Crawley Down (Sussex County League Div 2) (164) - 23/01 from Andy Molden: Recent Minor League Football Travels... (163) - 23/01 from Paul Roth: Sandridge Rovers v Whitewebbs (Herts County Senior League Premier Division) (162) - 16/01 from Steve King: Great Wyrley (West Midlands Regional League Premier Division) (161) - 16/01 from Mike Latham: Motherwell v Rangers (Scottish Premier League) (160) - 15/01 from Mike Latham: Blyth Spartans v Welling (FA Trophy 2nd Round) (159) - 14/01 from Mike Latham: Rhyl v Airbus UK (Welsh Premier League) (158) - 12/01 from Mike Latham: Northallerton Town v South Shields (Northern League Division 2) (157) - 11/01 from Mike Latham: Yorkshire Amateur v Rossington Main (Northern Counties East League Division 1) (156) - 10/01 from Barry Neighbour: Hounslow Borough v Penn & Tylers Green (Hellenic League Division 1 East) (155) - 10/01 from Mike Latham: Spartans (East of Scotland League) v Queens Park (Scottish Cup 3rd Round) (154) - 09/01 from Paul Roth: Southampton v Milton Keynes Dons (FA Cup 3rd round) (153) - 03/01 from Barry Neighbour: Hamble Club v Colden Common (Wessex League Div 3) and Locksheath v Liss Athletic (Wessex League Div 2) (152) - 02/01 from Paul Roth: AFC Aldermaston v Tadley Calleva (Wessex League Div 3) (151) - 01/01 from Mike Latham: Rushall Olympic v Stourport Swifts (Southern League 1 W) and Halesowen Town v Bath City (Southern League Prem Div)(150) - 01/01 from Barry Neighbour: Fleet Town v Sandhurst Town (Aldershot Senior Cup) REPORTS 30/01/06 TT No.169: Mick Burt - Faces (Essex Olympian League Division Two) The evening of Friday 27 January did not get off to the best of starts with the first three calls to club secretaries resulting in the glorious response of "ansaphones". With the weather seemingly going to be OK (although a few matches did bite the dust due to frozen pitches") I decided that the first "definitely OK, yes we are issuing a programme" response would get my custom the following day. 30/01/06 TT No.168: Mike Latham - Easthouses Lily v Heriot-Watt University (East of Scotland Cup Final) at Whitehill Welfare FC Sun 29 Jan 2006: East of The Football Traveller certainly comes into its own at times like this, flagging up this cup final at Whitehill Welfare’s Rosewell is a small village situated between Dalkeith and Penicuik south-east of An early morning ‘phone call to a pleasant lady already beavering away in preparation in the club house confirmed the game was definitely on and the journey from J15 of the M74 through Moffat and over the A701 road was simply stunning. Moffat boasts the finest café in the world in Café Ariete on the main street with its breakfasts and coffees the stuff of legend so no persuasion was needed to call off there en route. Three-quarters of an hour before the 1.45pm kick-off Rosewell was tranquil and a car parking space was secured with ease. Whitehill Welfare are one of the most famous non league clubs in Scotland and their successes in cup competitions helped the club buy their Ferguson Park ground from British Coal a decade or so ago. It was also a special anniversary with it being ten years since Welfare lost 0-3 to Celtic at Easter Road in the Scottish Cup and framed newspaper cuttings in the club house recorded a famous day for the junior club. Admission was only £3 and the welcome warm with a basic 12-page programme an additional £1. Though on the thin side the programme did give extensive histories and pen pictures of both competing teams and so could not be faulted on that score. There is no stand at The cup final was certainly highly competitive with robust challenges the norm and a Premiership referee would have issued half a dozen red cards by half-time. The university side, who had beaten this season’s Scottish Cup heroes Spartans along the way, always looked the likelier side and secured victory with two second half goals from man of the match Duncan Stoddart, the first a penalty just after half-time though they had to play the last quarter with ten men after one of their players was red carded for two yellow card offences. Afterwards the two teams showed great sportsmanship at the presentation ceremony despite the bone jarring challenges earlier and after lifting the cup the Heriot-Watt players broke into song. Their choice was a development of a familiar football chant: “You Watt, You Watt, You Watt, You Watt, You Watt!” This was the nineteenth year of the competition, lifted on ten occasions by the host club and as neither of the competing sides had won the trophy before, Heriot-Watt became the eighth different name on the cup. It was a hugely enjoyable afternoon in good football company in superb weather and a visit to 29/01/06 TT No.167: Mike Latham - Gresford Athletic (Cymru Alliance) Sat 28 Jan 2006: Cymru Gresford is a small village situated close to the A483 road that links On such a day it is hard to imagine that it was here in 1934 that Gresford was the scene of one of the worst mining disasters in British history when 264 men lost their lives. The history of the present day Gresford Athletic FC stretches back only to 1946 though there was a previous team in the village in the 1920s. They play at a splendidly appointed recreational ground in the centre of the village that is owned by the Gresford Trust. On the trust land there are several other sports catered for including cricket and bowls and the village community centre serves also as the dressing rooms and tea bar for the football club. A children’s party was taking place at the same time in an adjoining room and seemed to have attracted an attendance similar in size to those tempted out for this Cymru Alliance encounter. The football pitch is railed off and has a small 60-seater stand that straddles the halfway line on the far side adjoining the main road that runs through the village. The dug-outs are on the near side and the teams and match officials have to walk across part of the cricket field from their dressing rooms for the game. Admission was only £2 and a splendid 60-page programme was only £1. Packed full of interesting statistics, match reports, pen pictures and general articles on the Cymru Alliance and other Welsh feeder leagues it also contained several pages of good jokes and is clearly a labour of love for its compiler, Chas Rowland. It is an outstanding effort. Gresford also have an excellent club website which shows what can be done with a bit of effort and enterprise. The only drawback to the programme was that, as is the modern trend, the two squads are listed with no numbers. An easy remedy is to have a notice board at the entrance with the two line-ups for those spectators interested in the numbers of the players who they are actually watching. This would save harassed club officials from having to respond to requests for a team-sheet and having to explain that everyone was doing their own jobs and was far too busy to assist. Fortunately, a most helpful official from the visitors, who has obliged before, came up with the necessary information. Most of the spectators gather down the nearside touchline either side of the dug-outs so the sprinkling of onlookers positioned elsewhere had a busy afternoon as makeshift ball-boys, retrieving the ball from the vast open spaces of the recreation ground. The pitch was well grassed and fairly flat but several players, usually when they had mis-kicked, were heard to utter oaths about the quality of the surface. Unusually the pitch runs west to east so the goalkeeper behind the goal nearest the village hall had troubles with the bright setting sun. Despite winning five games away from home Gresford had found a home victory elusive all season and despite twice taking the lead had to settle for their fourth draw in ten home games. The visitors created the best chances in a highly competitive and eventful game but after being denied a stonewall penalty on the hour when their substitute was upended by the home goalkeeper after a one-on-one grew increasingly frustrated at the injustices of life. They played the final few minutes with ten men after losing their centre half to a second yellow card. In bad weather the ground’s lack of cover will make it a less attractive proposition for spectators, but on a perfect winter’s afternoon the 27/01/06 TT No.166: Mike Latham - Winterton Rangers (Northern Counties East League Division 1) in Wilkinson Sword Trophy Wed 25 Jan 2006: Wilkinson Sword Trophy, Winterton Rangers 1-0 Rossington Main. Attendance: 30 est; Admission: £3; 36pp programme: £1; FGIF Match Rating: 5* There are those grounds that you warm to immediately upon arrival and those that surprise you, offering far more than you anticipated on the outward journey. Winterton Rangers comfortably fell into both categories and are a club that offers a superb welcome to travellers and make the journey into north Located in the small village of Winterton (population 5,000), a few miles north east of Scunthorpe and only ten minutes drive from the Humber Bridge Rangers have transformed their West Street ground in the last couple of years and have a facility that must be not only the pride of the village but the envy of clubs at a far higher level in the pyramid. Club treasurer Alf Smith dispenses a cheery welcome at the turnstile and there was also the opportunity to meet club chairman Dave Crowder and treasurer Gerry Spencer during a superbly entertaining evening in such convivial company. FGIF aficionado Martyn Girdham, a traveller supreme, was paying a visit to his local club and outlined the club history and policy. Rangers were founded in 1934 as an intermediate side and following WW2 played in the Scunthorpe & District League before moving to the Lincs League in the early 60's. They accepted an invitation to join the Yorkshire League in 1970, becoming a major force alongside Emley, and joined the NCEL Premier Division upon its formation in 1982. After disbanding in 1984 due to financial difficulties they happily rejoined the NCEL in 1986. The club moved to The chairman explained that £150,000 had been spent on ground improvements in the last two years with a new 150-seater stand to be constructed this summer. About half of this money has come from fund raising, the rest from grant initiatives. Mr Crowder outlined that the club saw itself as a feeder club that hoped to create the opportunity for talented local players to further their careers while encouraging a good youth structure and women’s football. They aim to rise to the NCEL Premier Division and possibly the Unibond League but will only go “as far as we can afford.” Dave and Alf explained that their aim was to leave a legacy of a ground for the local community and a team within the pyramid structure. Superbly maintained and equipped to a high order, there is a large car park and splendid club house with a large function room. There is also an outstanding tea bar/ canteen with tables and chairs to dine inside. There is a small seated stand alongside the left hand side of the ground and a small standing covered stand opposite. The pitch surrounds have been made hard standing and the playing pitch is outstanding. No one present could recall the last time a game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. The floodlights were of enviable quality. There is an adjoining full sized pitch and all weather floodlit pitch. Admission was only £3 and a lovingly produced 36 page programme sold for only £1. This contained excellent statistics, pen pictures of both teams, match reports, photographs, NCEL news and an entertaining feature on the Rangers kitchen staff, Maggie, Angie and Gill. Their former club was The competition offers clubs in the NCEL Division One the opportunity for more midweek games and though both teams were lacking regulars the game was hard fought and competitive. The Rangers goalkeeper had been held up in a motorway delay and only arrived with ten minutes to go so the home side was indebted to the versatility of their centre half for keeping a clean sheet. Rangers created a bucket-load of chances and finally broke the deadlock with a well struck 69th minute free-kick that was to decide the tie. Easily in the top two or three grounds in the NCEL and better than many in the Unibond League, West Street is a wonderful community asset and a visit to this friendly and welcoming club warms the heart, reaffirming the delights of non league football. Highly recommended and one to savour. 23/01/06 TT No.165: Stephen Harris - Westfield (Sussex County League Div 2) Saturday 21 January 2006; Westfield 1-1 Crawley Down; Sussex Div 2; att 48, programme issued, admission £2 It is indeed a rather basic set-up. There are no floodlights and hard standing along just one side of the pitch. Both sides are railed, whilst the ends are tightly fenced with limited spectator possibilities. Access is possible from the north-west and south-west corners and most of the facilities are on this west side. There is a car-parking area, a small tea bar, a rather cosy clubhouse and perhaps the tiniest dressing room block I have ever seen. In front of the clubhouse is a small and battered area of covered standing. Last time I visited this ground, there were some wooden benches here – but these have now gone. A small crowd gathers and everyone is very friendly and chatty; the gaggle of away supporters are grumbling about their long journey to what they consider an outpost of the Sussex League – all of one hour and fifteen minutes by road. My stomach is rumbling and I enquire about the barbeque which was in operation last time I was here. Apparently that is only for Big Games. I confess to not having realised that the league fixture two years ago against Wealden fell into that category (although my records show the attendance that day to have been a bumper 78). The first half is a scrappy affair with goals seemingly a remote hope. Crawley Down are awarded a penalty which the home keeper acrobatically blocks and the rebound is launched into a distant back garden. The kick has to be re-taken but this time is put wide. The second half is better and Crawley are dominant but fall behind to another penalty kick. In time they equalise and the game ends all square. Not bad entertainment at all. A basic programme comes with entry. Match rating 3*. 23/01/06 TT No.164: Andy Molden - Recent Minor League Football Travels... After having a very good holiday period ground-wise, I have in the past few weeks been to a few more local games at lower levels; though none of the ground visited are little more than fields I would like to recommend the follwoing if travellers are looking for a reasonable visit at a lower level. 23/01/06 TT No.163: Paul Roth - Sandridge Rovers (Herts Senior County League) 16/01/06 TT No.162: Steve King - Great Wyrley (West Midlands Regional League Premier Division) Saturday 14th January 2006 - Great Wyrley 4, Ludlow Town 1 - West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division - Att : est 50 - Admission £3.00 including 8pp. On Saturday 14th January I ventured up to the West Midlands to see unbeaten Great Wyrley take on mid-table Ludlow Town. I travelled to Birmingham by train and took the 13.12 local train to Landywood station, this being an hourly service from New Street at 12 mins past each hour (journey time about 30-35 mins). Coming back again it is an hourly service into New Street at 34 mins past each hour. The club's Hazel Lane ground is about a 10 minute walk from Landywood station. On arrival I paid £3.00 admission including a basic 8 page unstapled programme that had an attractive card cover in the club's colours of red & black. On talking to an official, Great Wyrley have now gone over 50 games unbeaten including the end of last season, and their record this season before this match of 13 wins, 10 draws and no defeats suggested a comfortable win against mid-table Ludlow Town but a less than inspiring first half saw few chances but the home team went in a goal up at the interval. However the second half was a different story, and despite a controversial equaliser by the visitors, Great Wyrley stepped up a gear and dominated the game to eventually win 4-1 to extend their unbeaten run. The ground is not too bad, being north of Walsall but away from the bustle having quite a scenic setting of hills and countryside on one side. As you enter there is a large clubhouse and function room behind the goal beyond the car park, and a busy tea bar area outside did a brisk trade in hot food and drinks etc. In the corner next to the clubhouse is a covered area with bench seating where you can either stand or sit. The club have floodlights and the pitch is railed off on all sides of the ground. There is a reasonable pub about 200 yards past the ground called The Star which served Banks's Original and a guest beer on handpump and an enjoyable day was rounded off back in Birmingham after the game with a few pints in what must be one of the best pubs in Britain very near New Street Station - The Wellington, in Bennetts Hill, which had their usual 15 handpumps on selling excellent real ale from a number of breweries. 16/01/06 TT No.161: Mike Latham - Motherwell (Scottish Premier League) Sun 15 Jan 2006: SPL. Motherwell 0-1 Rangers. Attendance: 10,589. Admission: £24; 48pp programme: £2. FGIF Match Rating: 4* Motherwell’s Extensively modernised in the 1990s The programme, containing 48 pages and dominated by the amber and claret colours of the home strip, had some interesting articles- one on old ‘Well favourite Willie Pettigrew, another on ‘Well on the internet and some good statistics though the piece on the visitors was lacking in detail. Seven games at Motherwell were unlucky to lose to a single goal, clinically despatched by the in-form Peter Lovenkrands ten minutes after half-time. The action was fast and furious and the game was played at a breakneck pace throughout with both teams always trying to play constructively. It provided far better entertainment than most of the English Premier League games that the writer has seen this season and the cost of a main stand ticket was good value for the fayre on offer. Motherwell have a good club shop with a wide range of souvenirs and this was a most enjoyable and stress-free afternoon out. But if you want a coffee or snack inside the stadium get there early. By half an hour before the start the queue was enormous for a tiny kiosk manned by just two over-worked members of staff. 15/01/06 TT No.160: Mike Latham - Blyth Spartans (Unibond Premier League) in the FAT2 Sat 14 Jan 2006: FA Trophy 2nd Round. As one of the most famous names in non league football, particularly for their cup giant-killing exploits, Blyth Spartans have had an eventful and interesting history and, named as an FA Charter club, are clearly planning a successful future. Their With a well appointed club house just outside the gates, a good souvenir shop, a good value programme with distinctive front cover and a pinned team sheet on the wall by the main stand giving both line-ups Spartans tick a lot of the essential boxes. Sadly, though, the only catering on the ground is a mobile van and though the quality of food and drink on offer looks good value with plenty of choice huge queues built up especially during the half-time interval. The pitch is flat and well grassed, though muddy in places after heavy recent rain, and the floodlights were excellent. Before the game an official of the supporters' club made a donation to the football club that took the total donations for the season past the £10,000 mark. Clearly Welling United, well organised and impressive with their build-up play took a firm hold on a tightly contested cup-tie with two goals just before half-time after a 14/01/06 TT No.159: Mike Latham - Rhyl (Welsh Premier League) Fri 13 Jan 2006: Welsh Premier League. Rhyl 1-1 Airbus UK. Attendance: 536. Admission: £7; 76pp programme: £1.50. FGIF Match Rating: 2* Although several clubs in the Welsh Premier can be criticised for languishing in their own mediocrity and lack of ambition Rhyl are certainly not among them. Infrequent visitors to Belle Vue are always aware of changes to the ground since they last ventured through the turnstiles and on and off the field the Lilywhites consistently set the standards for others to follow. Their website, for instance, is excellent; several clubs in the WPL don’t even have a web presence. Though in second place in the table, albeit a long way behind runaway leaders TNS, Rhyl had to settle for a draw in this game played on a mild evening on the north Despite the below-par on-field performance there was much to admire about the Belle Vue ground, situated in a residential area inland from the town centre and sea front. Rhyl’s go-ahead board have done magnificently to attract a great support from local businesses and the superbly maintained stadium is awash with colourful advertising boards while the flags that fly from the main stand and the one opposite add to the sense of occasion under the bright floodlights. Belle Vue is virtually an all-seater ground with seats on all four sides, three of them covered. The main stand has a small tea bar just to the right of the players’ tunnel and there is a temporary stand running along the final third of the pitch alongside that gives the best elevated view on the ground. Behind the far goal and along the far sides are shallow covered seating areas, only of three rows back, with some standing areas in-between and behind the seats. There are also seats behind the uncovered end at the main entrance where the turnstiles are located. Here, there is also a club shop and another tea bar purveying a wide variety of drinks and snacks at reasonable prices. The Rhyl programme is a magnificent effort- 76 pages, though 41 of them are devoted to advertising. A grand total of 68 different advertisers spread their message through the programme, which is superbly designed- an indication of the support that the Lilywhites have attracted from the local community. It is easily one of the best programmes anywhere in the country with a wide range of articles, an excellent piece on the visiting team, lots of photographs and relevant and interesting statistics. The only downside to watching football at Belle Vue, certainly on this occasion, was that groups of youngsters continually roamed around the ground, taking little apparent interest in the action on the field and continually diverting the attention of spectators. It is one thing to attract youngsters- they are, after all the supporters of tomorrow but it can backfire and alienate genuine football followers if they fail to behave properly. This quibble apart the visit to Belle Vue was enjoyable despite the disappointing game and it is to be hoped that other WPL clubs follow Rhyl's lead in attempting to boost the profile of the competition. 12/01/06 TT No.158: Mike Latham - Northallerton Town (Northern League Division 2) Wed 11 Jan 2006: Northern League Division Two, As the southernmost team in the Northern League, Northallerton offer travellers the opportunity to watch a different league for a change within easy reach of The Calvert Stadium, Northallerton’s home since 1976, is situated on the Romanby road about a mile or so out of town in a pleasant residential area and there is a large car park behind the nearside goal. Admission was only £3- ridiculously cheap- and a lovingly produced programme full of good reading matter and bang up-to-date was only 70 pence. Outstanding value. The ground, formerly known as Most of the facilities are along the nearside touchline where a small seated stand, a covered terrace and the club house are located. There is also a quite superb tea room offering a wide range of freshly cooked specialties at next to nothing prices. Tea and coffee are cheerfully dispensed in pot mugs, the bacon butties are heartily recommended and the menu also includes fish and chips. Fantastic. With a warm welcome also inside the well appointed club house here is a friendly club that makes strangers feel at ease straight away. Behind both goals are shallow terraces with some white painted stanchions to lean on and on the far side, behind the dug-outs is flat standing. The pitch was flat, well grassed and in excellent condition and the floodlights were very good. With the kick-off at 7.30pm instead of the norm of 7.45pm there was the chance of getting home well before Having lost 8-1 at home to Consett the previous Friday it was evident To complete an evening high on value for money the purchase of the superb Northern League monthly magazine, edited by Mike Amos, for only 30pence provided further reading matter and showed why it is rated by those in the know as “the best value in football.” Eight goals, a fine programme, a bacon butty of the highest quality, a pint of John Smiths in the clubhouse, coffee from a mug, a friendly welcome and still with change from a tenner, deserted motorways and a pleasant dry evening made for a memorable first visit to this part of North Yorkshire and further underlined the magic of football at this level. Highly recommended 11/01/06 TT No.157: Mike Latham - Yorkshire Amateur (NCEL 1) Tue 10 Jan 2006: Northern Counties East League Division One, Yorkshire Amateur play at Bracken Edge, a historic ground in the Harehills area of With traffic in the city comparatively light the journey up the A58 out of the centre was easy and on arrival it was gratifying to see the pitch was in good condition on a mild evening despite four NCEL scheduled cup-ties falling foul of water-logging. Located in a residential area, there is plenty of off-street parking and a small club car park. The welcome at the turnstile was warm and £4 secured admission with another £1 spent on a 16-page programme which had a colourful front cover and contained some interesting statistics. The man behind the bar in the club house was helpful in passing over details of the two team line-ups. With the home side having conceded 11 goals without reply in their last two games and their visitors 12 in their last three, it was inevitable that a low scoring match would result. The only goal of a largely featureless game played in good spirit was scored by the home fullback with a 25 yard shot after only eleven minutes that flew past a startled goalkeeper. With the visitors resplendent in luminous orange jerseys they certainly looked as though they had been Tango’d. Amatuer, who played at Having lost their impressive grandstand in the aftermath of the Valley Parade fire, Amateur’s ground has fairy basic facilities: two covered standing areas and a club house and dressing rooms down one side and a small covered stand near the corner flag. The rest of the ground is open standing with several grass bankings giving an elevated view. Tree-lined and backing on to housing on three sides of the ground with a small all-weather football pitch on the far side, the ground is well maintained and the pitch is in excellent condition- flat, well grassed and rolled. The floodlights from three towers on either side were excellent. There are obviously a number of hard-working volunteers that keep standards high at this friendly club. The tea bar just inside the club house sold an enterprising variety of hot food and drinks and the bar was also open throughout the evening. An enjoyable evening was spent in the company of the Ammers. 10/01/06 TT No.156: Barry Neighbour - Hounslow Borough (Hellenic League Division 1 East) Saturday 7th January 2006. Having to collect some of my family from Heathrow on Saturday afternoon, I managed to watch a local game in Osterley; Hounslow Borough 3 Penn & Tylers Green 2; Hellenic League Division 1 East; 20 page programme; Match Rating 3*; Attendance 19. Hounslow play in Wood Lane on the old Pyreene Sports Ground and are based at The Conquest Club. This is a shabby looking building; on my visit the toilets were flooded (due to a roof leak). There was no hot drinks nor food available. The complex has five pitches including one on the far side by The White Lodge Club where the club used to play under their previous guise as Harrow Hill Rovers. This is now a junior pitch. Work is progressing on the current pitch which is fully railed and has hardstanding around 3/4 of the pitch. A new structure (stand) has been erected which provides seating but would be more impressive with a roof to protect you from the elements. Penn & Tylers started the game on top form when a ball over the full back split the home defence and the winger's cross was sidefooted in to put the visitors one up within about 20 seconds. Hounslow have reputedly spent a great amount on their team; former QPR forward Michael Meaker led the line but kept finding himself caught in an offside position. This naturally caused him to voice his opinions at every opportunity. This was a habit picked up by his colleagues who constantly put the officials under pressure with their whinging and resulted in a clutch of yellow cards for their troubles. Meaker did show off his talents on one occasion when he did manage to stay onside to hold off a challenge and fire in the equalizer after 25 minutes, his 25th goal of the season. Just before half-time his class shone through again with a sublime 40 yard pass which fell beyond the Penn defence and the low cross was converted to give Hounslow a 2-1 lead at the interval. With constant moaning from the Hounslow players I found myself willing the young Penn & Tylers' team to grab an equalizer but alas it was not to be as Hounslow scored a 3rd just before time to wrap up the points. Penn had the final say with a late consolation deep into injury time but it was too little too late. Over on an adjacent pitch a Middlesex League Division 1 game took place between Ealing and Brazillian Sports Club. The crowd was 7 but reduced to 4 when the Hounslow game kicked off quarter of an hour later. For the record Brazillian Sports won 3-1 and there was no programme. 10/01/06 TT No.155: Mike Latham - Spartans (East of Scotland League) in the Scottish Cup 3rd Round Sat 7 Jan 2006, Scottish Cup 3rd Round: The Spartans FC 3-2 Queen’s Park. Attendance: 711. Admission: £10; 32pp programme: £1.50. The Spartans FC, to give the club its official title, created headlines in 2003/04 when they reached the last sixteen of the Scottish Cup, defeating League opposition in Alloa and Arbroath before gallantly going out to SPL side Livingston. On a cold but clear afternoon in Formed in 1951 by two A totally amateur set-up, Spartans have teams down through the age ranks to under 8s and have 450 young players registered. They are the focal point of the community in this impressive part of the city and shortly will boost their profile further. Plans are well underway to move 500 yards from their current City Park ground, located off Ferry Road just down the road from the impressive rugby grounds of Heriot’s and Stewart’s Melville, to a new venue at Ainslie Park. This will incorporate a ground with a 500-seat stand and floodlights and adjoining this will be one full-size and three small size floodlit artificial pitches. Named the Spartans’ opponents, also an amateur side, have a rich heritage with ten Scottish Cup successes, though the last was in 1893. Having a good season in Scottish Division Three, the Spiders went into this tie hoping to cement a place in the last sixteen for the first time in two decades. With the old stand long condemned and knocked down, Spartans had a temporary 146-seater stand for this tie with entry for an additional £5. Behind the stand was a mobile catering van and the dressing rooms, housed in temporary buildings. With no other cover on the ground the afternoon was mercifully dry. Though the visitors soon came to terms with the wickedly sloping pitch to take an early lead, Spartans equalised just before half-time and then capitalised on slipshod defending to take a 3-1 lead, before surviving an anxious last twenty minutes. It was a superb game, played in good spirit and though the large contingent of visiting fans saw their cup dreams disappear they took their disappointment in good heart. Proper football in a memorable setting made for a hugely enjoyable afternoon and one that will linger long in the memory. Even better, the 09/01/06 TT No.154: Paul Roth - Southampton (Football Championship) in FA Cup Rd 3 03/01/06 TT No.153: Barry Neighbour - Hamble Club (Wessex League Div 3) and Locksheath (Wessex League Div 2) Bank Holiday Monday 2nd January 2006 presented the opporunity of a Wessex League double. First stop was Hamble Club 1 Colden Common 8; Division 3; no programme; headcount: 71; Match Rating: 4*. Hamble Club play at the Shell Mex Ground in Hamble Lane which is just a short walk from Hamble Station. The pitch is fully railed and they have started to put Hardstanding down one side. Teas were available from the adjoining scout hut which also housed the dressing rooms. Hamble have not issued a programme for some years; hopefully this will change soon as they continue to progress. The game started quite evenly with both sides creating chances but a 30 yard lob from a Colden forward soon changed the face of the game as Common went on to dominate. The 2nd goal came direct from a free kick as the home 'keeper was still organising his wall. Midway through the half Coldon Common scored three goals in a 10 minute spell. The first came when the 'keeper beat out a shot only to see the rebound struck into the net. Sadly he was at fault with the next goal, pushing a relatively weak shot up into his own net. The fifth goal (similiar to the third) rebounded from a post direct to the Coldon forward who went unchallenged to slot home. The away side took a six goal lead into the interval after a nice interchange of passes carved the Hamble defence open once again and the midfield player came from deep to fire home. Missed chances and a more resoloute defensive performance by Hamble restricted the goal flow in the second half with more than half an hour gone before the visitors increased their lead when a Hamble player deflected a shot past his own keeper for an easy tap in from a yard out. The biggest cheer came five minutes later when Hamble pulled a goal back with a terrific strike from 20 yards out. Coldon Common finished the game off when a cross from the right caused confusion in the home defence leaving their player with plenty of time to find his spot. Coldon Common looked a good side but will surely come up against stronger opposition than this. After the game came a five Mile drive to Titchfield Common to see Locksheath 2 Liss Athletic 0 Division 2 Att: about 125; a computer generated 20 Page programme sold for £1,Match Rating:3* Locks Heath play at The Recreation Ground, in Warsash Road just as you come to Titchfield Village. It is fully railed despite the proximity of the cricket pitch and has floodlights. A presentable clubhouse sold tea and coffee and advertised that sausage rolls would be available at half-time - only to announce they had sold out five minutes before the interval (the missus was not impressed!). This was never really going to be a goal fest like the game at Hamble as it was between the top two sides in the division (seperated only by goal difference). Both teams produced a hard fought encounter largely cancelling each other out for large spells. The home side took an early lead after 10 minutes with a well taken effort as the Locks Heath winger cut in from the left before firing under the Liss 'keeper to give the home side the advantage. The second goal came 10 minutes from time and was a superb effort as Locks Heath`s young substitute raced from inside his own half and shook off two challenges before unleashing a vicious shot past the visitors keeper to seal the victory and take Locks Heath three points clear of their rivals. Interesting to note that the bucket collection was taken during the game; this is something I have not witnessed for several seasons. One final note: some hoppers were in attendance having been to Fawley AFC in the morning. They produced a very newsy 28 page programme and seem to be regular issuers this season, unlike in the past when it was rare to get anything from them. 02/01/06 TT No.152: Paul Roth - AFC Aldermaston (Wessex League Div 3) AFC Aldermaston vs. Tadley Calleva; Wessex Lge 3; 02/01/06; Res: 0-2; Entry: £3 including 16 page programme 01/01/06 TT No.151: Mike Latham - Halesowen Town (Southern League Prem Div) and Rushall Olympic (Southern League Div 1 West) Sat 31 Dec 2005, Southern League Division One West: Rushall Olympic 2-0 Stourport Swifts Attendance: 103; Admission: £5; 84pp programme: £1; FGIF Match Rating: 3* Situated just a few minutes drive from J10 of the M6 motorway close to Only a few years ago a semi rural village Rushall has seen great changes, not only to its football team, but also with a vast amount of modern redevelopment as the After going over the canal bridge the Once inside the ground, the club’s home since 1977, the pride of the club’s supporters and officials in their home is evident. Neatly painted and in good order throughout the ground has a homely and friendly feel. The main facilities are at the entrance, behind the nearside goal where the club house and tea bar are located. Alongside the side to the left is a small seated stand with shallow covered terracing alongside. The rest of the ground is uncovered standing behind a black and white post and rail fence. Behind the far end goal a giant painted sign, black letters on an orange background, is a prominent sign for a local bookmakers. With both clubs too close for comfort to the relegation zone this was a vital game and Rushall won it thanks to two second half goals. But the visitors wasted several clear-cut openings in the last quarter in a free-flowing game that always held the interest on a cold but dry afternoon. Kicking off at With very little traffic on the roads the journey to Halesowen was a straightforward one and a few minutes after leaving J3 of the M5 a parking spot just outside The Grove ground was easily attained. Halesowen’s home since the club’s formation in 1873, The Grove is clearly a ground of some standing and has a great atmospheric feel. With a neat small cantilevered stand running along the far side and a banked covered terracing behind the nearside goal the facilities for spectators are good. The other two sides are uncovered terracing and wherever you stand you get a good close-up view of the game. The programme was excellent with reports of the Christmas games and a particularly good section on the visitors who brought with them a healthy following of cheerful fans. The standard of the game was clearly a notch or two higher than that at Rushall. With a good standard tea bar (the cheese pasties are recommended) and club shop inside the ground the facilities are above the norm and the nearby club house, the Yeltz Bar, is also well worth a visit. I had been looking forward to my first visit to The Grove and I wasn’t disappointed. Recommended. 01/01/06 TT No.150: Barry Neighbour - Fleet Town (Ryman League Div 1) in the Aldershot Senior Cup Friday 30th December 2005; Fleet Town 0 Sandhurst Town 1; Aldershot Senior Cup; 3* Rating; Crowd: about 70; No programme issued End
The lucky club to benefit from mine and Nigel Roe's attendance was FACES of the Essex Olympian League Second Division. The promotion-chasing nightclub outfit (that's a first for me - I thought I'd completely ditched nightclubs years ago) were hosting Sandon Royals in a league game. Unfortunately, a very poor game ensued and the 0-0 scoreline was never really in doubt. However, in reality this was a "curate's egg" of a day.
Despite a goalless game, the plus factors were several really. The Ford Sports Ground is easy to get to (10 mins walk from Newbury Park station on the Central Line), the pitch was excellent being very flat, finely manicured and fully roped-off whilst running widthways only a few yards from the dressing rooms/clubhouse, and the off-field facilities are superb. The clubhouse incorporates two bars/lounges with hot meals available too prior to the match! An excellent 16 page full colour programme was given away, and club officials actually ask any "strangers" if they want a copy! Moreover, in the programme under the listed home squad you are actually invited to ask any home official as to what numbers the players are wearing. The general atmosphere is one of enthusiasm and professionalism with all players turning up in club leisurewear, warming up in club tracksuit tops, and around half a dozen of their followers wearing Faces FC woolly hats although I don't think it's stretching a point to suggest that these chaps don't patronise the nightclub!
Apart from the 0-0 draw which none of us really like (and brought my run of 87 without one to a shuddering halt), the only other thing travellers won't take to is that this is such a large sports ground with five other pitches and a rugby pitch. This meant that the chilly wind got right "in yer face" but on a day that produced wall to wall sunshine it didn't really matter - rain would have been another matter.
I had to laugh at a pre-match comment from one of the Faces FC committee men who said "The way we're playing we won't be able to hold onto one or two of these lads as the bigger clubs will snap 'em up. We'll have to start payin' 'em some wonga next season". Not on this form you won't chum! What I would say though is that is a well run club and if the weather is set fair you may well enjoy a visit.
My seventy-third game of the current season and, I realise on arrival, the first I have travelled to by car. On this occasion my father has volunteered a lift from Battle station. He’s a Leyton Orient season ticket holder and a keen follower of Hastings United and has expressed an interest in this game as both of his teams are away. But on arrival he takes one look at the place, decides that “village football” is not for him and arranges to come back for me at 3.45pm.
1. The West Glebe Corby, home to Caledonian Strip Mills, Corby Grampian and Corby Pegasus. I saw Caledonian lose a tight game against Wellingborough Town "2004" 2-0 in the Quarter Final of the Northants Junior Cup. Very basic three pitch's in a line. The ground is being eaten up by the nearby Corby Village development. The only access is now via Cottingham Rd (lane next to Con club). The pitch was at least roped. Saving grace on a wet day was a tea bar in the dressing block up and running well before kick-off and open through out the game.
2. Brackley Sports (North Bucks Intermediate Division) who play at the Brackley Leisure Centre - well signed from the Town Centre. Said leisure centre is better than anything we have in Oxford, it is A1, tarmac car park, the dogs *!. Sports play behind the centre, the dressing room block is only a matter of yards from the pitch, it has an astroturf walkway to it!. Grass banking down one side gives the pitch a more enclosed feel. The game I saw was against Abbey of MK, the homesters won 3-1, they have only failed to win one game in the league this season. The club's website shows that in pre-season they handed out sound thrashings to clubs in higher leagues. Next to the ground is a Tesco's Express and a very large modern pub.
At the time of writing I do not know the result of Brackley's game yeasterday (21/01), they were away to PB (MK) who have a even better record, they have won every game they have played conceding only 1 (one) goal all season!. Needless to say last season PB (MK) and Brackley finished as champions and runners-up in the division below. I would expect Brackley Sports to appear in a lower division of the Hellenic, UCL or SML in the next few years. As a bonus I found eight golf balls in the long grass on the bank down the side of the pich.
3. Ballard Ash Sports Ground, Wootton Bassett. If you are doing the Wilts League you have to go to the above at some stage as a couple of teams use it every season, in fact this term three teams are using it. I went to see AFC Abbey Rodbourne v Blunsdon United in the League Junior Cup. The ground has four football pitch's, a rugby pitch a cricket spare and various other markings. From the M4 (Jun 16) take the A3102 towards Wootton Bassett, then instead of going into the town take the B1042 signed Malmesbury, the ground is half a mile on the left, it is very well signed.
You enter down a driveway with a car park on the right and a large dressing room block on the left. The playing fields are in front of you. The pitches were in very good condition, and this I ascertained was down to the groundsman who takes pride in his work, I have seen pitch's at very much higher level not marked as well as his were!. As a bonus said "Supergroundsman" also runs a well stocked tea bar which is open all day!. Nice cup of Kenco Coffee 50p, with brown sugar!. From talking to the groundsman it would appear he is a long serving chap as he told me about previous seasons on the ground.
The game I saw took place on pitch three, which was next to a nature reserve, 1-0 to Blunsdon at half-time, 2-1 to the homesters going into injury time, Blunsdon equalise. Extra-time and Blunsdon are 3-2 at the break and add a 4th and 5th in the second period, with nine minutes to go the homesters get a third and with 3 minutes to go a 4th. 4-5 aet!. One or two of the Blunsdon lads look like they could well play at a higher level while two of the Abbey Rodbourne players look like they could give the Eastleigh goalkeeper a run for his money in heavyweight stakes! Though number eight for Abbey who goes by the name of Bingo manages to score their 4th goal with a free kick anyone half his weight would have been proud off. The ABBEY in the name is the sponsor Abbey Scaffolding. I was tempted to ask the home sec Mr White (who does an awful lot of jobs, manager, linesmen, etc) if they lost the sponsorship they would become AFC Rodbourne, which they in theory could not as a team of that name are already in the league, and on the day of my visit were playing against Blueprint on pitch one!.
The Atomic Weapons Research Establishment At Aldermaston was the venue for my first football fix of the New Year. Their ground at the AWE is on the A304 Reading-Basingstoke Road. Entry is via the main gates and then by following the signs to the recreation area and the enormous car park. Walk through the fencing and enter through the gap in the hedge to the pitch proper which has railing all around and floodlighting. There is no hard standing of any kind and it was pretty muddy today. The only building on the ground is a large changing room complex with an upstairs tea servery.
Arriving early I read the 16 page programme....not a bad effort for this level, let down only by the final 8 pages being all adverts.
The game had been long awaited in the town as the two clubs had not met at senior level for over 10 years and from the start you could sense no quarter was going to be given by either team. Throughout, Tadley had the better of things and deservedly took the lead with a great header on 20 minutes and added a second 10 minutes later with a well taken shot. The score remained so until half time, when I took the opportunity to visit the fantastic clubhouse which sells some rare real ales.
Aldermaston came out all guns blazing in the vain attempt to get a goal back but it was all to no avail as the visitors slowly took control and ran out easy enough winners by virtue of their two first half strikes.
Despite Police cars patrolling the perimeter fencing, barbed wire and security cameras watcing your every move, this is a pleasant venue to watch football and I thoroughly enjoyed the game.
For those interested the "Calleva" in Tadley Calleva FC relates to the Iron Age and Roman settlements found a couple of miles away in Silchester, where fine examples of Romanesque walls and an amphitheatre are situated.
FGIF 4*
Combined Counties League side Sandhurst pulled off a cup upset at Ishmian league side Fleet. A tight first half saw the home side twice put the ball in the net only to fall foul of the linesman's flag for offside. The all important goal came after 38 minutes when an error in the Fleet defence let in Sandhurst ace marksman Mark Anderson with a clear shot at goal and the striker who has recorded over 100 goals for Sandhurst in the past 3 years made no mistake. Fleet tried to get back into the game after the break and had another goal ruled out for an offside but Sandhurst held firm. This game was in complete contrast to the pre-season friendly here back in July when they collapsed in the last 15 minutes to concede 3 goals. Despite the referee finding an extras 10 minutes (??), it was Sandhurst who went through to the next round.