You are here: Home > Uncategorized > November 2016

November 2016

In honour of my first visit to Larkhall Athletic, and in remembrance of fallen soldiers from The Great War, I re-produce this poem was which part of the official programme for their match against AFC Totton (see below).

The Lark

From Wrath-red dawn to wrath-red dawn

The guns have brayed without abate;

And now the sick sun looks upon

The bleared blood-boltered fields of hate

As if it loathed to rise again

How strange the hush! Yet sudden, hark!

From yon down-trodden gold of grain,

The leaping rapture of a lark

.

.

A fusillade of melody

That sprays us from yon trench of sky;

A new amazing enemy

We cannot silence though we try;

A battery on radiant wings,

That from yon gap of golden fleece

Hurls at us hopes of such strange things

As joy and home and love and peace.

.

.

Pure heart of song! do you not know

That we are making earth a hell?

Or is it that you try to show

Life still is joy and all is well?

Brave little wings! Ah, not in vain

You beat into that bit of blue;

Lo! we who paint in war’s red rain

Lift shining eyes, see heaven too.

by Robert Service (1874 – 1958)

.

.

Wednesday 2nd November 2016
West Midlands (Regional) League
Premier Division

Wellington Amateurs 2  Wolverhampton Casuals 3
Referee:- Jami Howe Attendance:- 57
Admission:- £4.00 Programme:- £1.00
A converted Nissan hut served as a bar and rest room and the players changed in two adapted haulage containers. On one side of the pitch there was a small seated stand for, perhaps, fifty spectators and opposite a covered terraced area towards the left hand goal. The match started late because the visitors had forgotten to bring their playing kit with them. They looked the bigger, stronger side, but The Amateurs made up in skill for their lack of weight. Casuals opened the scoring in the first half and it took The Amateurs until the 71st minute to regain parity. A minute later they were behind again, but once again equalised in the 85th minute, only to subside to a goal in the very last minute of the match!

14947385_1835074340062687_7316562234878312777_n

14907603_1835074406729347_2438515180661528763_n

14720409_1835074423396012_267106716663006026_n

14681872_1835074456729342_415229805341156022_n

Saturday 5th November 2016
Abacus Lighting Central Midlands League
Black Dragon North Division

Tideswell United 1 FC Bolsover 3
Referee:- Ibrahim Arsali Attendance:- 31
Admission:- £2.00 Programme:- £1.00
Both of these clubs are new to the league this season, but while FC Bolsover are comprised mainly of the championship winning team from last season at Glapwell (who folded in the summer), Tideswell, whose village is known as ‘The Cathedral of The Peaks’ have risen from The Hope Valley League. They have a neat little ground with cover and seating for around fifty spectators on the far side of the pitch, paved hardstanding around three sides of the ground and a small, but busy clubhouse where various beverages were available with free biscuits! FC Bolsover, who hope to return to the town next season (they are presently playing on a 3G surface inside a cage in Shirebrook), presently sit at the top of the league, whilst Tideswell are mid-table. The result went to form, with the visitors comfortably capturing the victory and the points.

14732151_1836737956562992_8104969782181376324_n

14956388_1836738059896315_308464040916927441_n

14907655_1836738273229627_3107251471732431963_n

14907080_1836738379896283_6820221013998278752_n

14937364_1836738436562944_4576713653088215533_n

 

Sunday 6th November 2016
The Emirates FA Cup 1st Round

St Albans City 3 Carlisle United 5
Referee:- Simon Hooper Attendance:- 3,473
Admission:- (seated) £17.00 Programme:- £3.00
This season – Matches:- 102 New Grounds:- 54
It was good to see Clarence Park rocking to the rafters, even if the rain seeped into every frozen pore! Dapper Keith Curle, the Carlisle manager, looked fit enough to play, but even he was stunned when The Saints took a fourth minute lead.Junior Morias scored again just after the hour mark, but this time it was to restore parity at 2-2. Three goals in the next fifteen minutes sealed the fate of tiring St Albans, but, plucky to the last, they had the final laugh with a goal in the 87th minute!

14993493_1837291769840944_2131131080349942860_n

14953575_1837292066507581_3029475491048118015_n

14955938_1837291799840941_7310497481380348962_n

14955861_1837291849840936_3168787317946175805_n

14925686_1837291909840930_3774712724841668575_n

15000178_1837292019840919_1605332191150625684_o

14937228_1837291963174258_9031577041866646901_n

 

Wednesday 9th november 2016
Almary Green Anglian Combination
1st Division

Mundford 1 Attleborough Town 3
Referee:- Fusheng Qiao Attendance:- 126
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
It may be the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, but this evening it was cold, wet and decidedly ‘dank’.This was a local derby between two teams who had been promoted from Division 2 only last season (Mundford taking top spot after Attleborough squandered a ten point advantage!).There were so many floodlights around that it was only by a process of elimination that we arrived at the correct football pitch, all railed off but with no hard standing and a covered terrace which could hold, maybe fifty spectators. I was very impressed with the welcome and the help from club officials, but then, the visitors and their impressive striker, Stevie Wright (who notched two of the goals), deservedly took the victory and the points. Stevie Wright has an older brother who plays for Cheltenham Town (he played in the 1-0 defeat of Bolton Wanderers last night), and an even older brother who was running the line this evening!
Apologies for the quality of the photographs!

15056451_1838943133009141_1720919856062127522_n

14980811_1838943316342456_5041782661341014645_n

14955931_1838943236342464_7679715724666950479_n

15055605_1838943166342471_2320926997756988355_n

Friday 11th November 2016
Abacus Lighting Central Midlands League
Black Dragon South

Southwell City 0 Linby Colliery 4
Referee:- Wayne Brown Attendance:- 42
Admission:- £1 Programme:- £2.00
It is a lovely setting at Southwell, even in the dark. In the shadow of the cathedral and adjoined by a meandering stream with a pleasant and welcoming club house and officials who are only too pleased to help, but you wonder how they qualified for step seven status. The pitch is just that, not even a fence around it (I seem to recall a rope on previous visits), and there is very little hard standing beyond the apron of the clubhouse. Neither of these teams have set the league alight this season, but it was the visitors from eleven miles down the road who were demonstrably the better side and deserved their emphatic victory!

15056338_1840145949555526_117496099925564110_n

15056298_1840145996222188_1057133664805514415_n

15056515_1840146172888837_3076692571049973826_n

Saturday 12th November 2016
The Buildbase FA Vase 2nd Round

Wolverhampton Casuals   1   Nuneaton Griff   2
Referee:- Jason Roberts Attendance:- 66
Admission:- £5.00 Programme:- £1.00
TWO Sausage ‘baps’ and a cup of tea:- £3.00
This was a first visit and a pleasant afternoon in watery sunshine, a referee particularly small in stature and a couple of very committed Midlands rivals! The Brinsford Stadium is just off the M54, has one small stand with seating for perhaps fifty souls and a motley collection of huts housing changing rooms, bar, tea hut, and boardroom. Griff play in the Midland League Division 1, whilst their rivals grace The WMRL Premier division. It was a close fought contest, but Griff deservedly edged it.

15094448_1840516786185109_8465460047762204495_n

14962803_1840516849518436_4352392109163316887_n

15094364_1840516916185096_4690601016547336016_n

14956506_1840516959518425_3303412101380194652_n

 

Sunday 13th November 2016
Sky-Bet EFL League One

Peterborough United 1 Bolton Wanderers 0
Referee:- J. Simpson                  Attendance:- 4,780
Admission:- OMGDS £25.00 (£35.00)     Programme:- £3.00
I went with my middle son and grandson for a rare visit to London Road (now sadly dubbed “The ABAX Stadium”) and sadly, endured a pretty poor fare. The Posh deserved the victory if only for the stunning strike by full-back Michael Smith in the 27th minute, but The Trotters should have pulled things round in the second half after an aimless opening session! Good to see umpiring colleague, Danny Crowson, there!

15094268_1840962179473903_612035753595456284_n

15027662_1840962242807230_6612076856088643753_n

Dad Mike, and son, Freddie at London Road. A spot of hospitality at this match meant a substantial ‘brunch’ was available prior to the early kick-off.

15055613_1840962299473891_8261934210942224735_n

15056348_1840962326140555_7812449594990085561_n

This was young Freddie’s thirty-seventh football match at nine different grounds!

Tuesday 15th November 2016
Integro Northern Premier League Cup 1st Round

Ossett Town 0 Scarborough Athletic 1
Referee:- M. Ashforth            Official Attendance:- 100
Admission:- OMGDS £3.50 (£7.00) Programme:- £2.00
Somehow, John Main and I missed out on the major rush hour traffic (but not the roadworks) and we arrived in Ossett in more than good time for the match! Splendid little ground with cover on three of the four sides and ample seating … but all behind one goal! Both these teams are in contention for promotion this season, but it was the stronger away team who snatched the victory with a goal midway through the first half from substitute Jake Ellam who expertly headed the ball over his own goalkeeper and into the net!

15078892_1841936866043101_4598465757627179765_n

15079051_1841936916043096_7141840009627973429_n

15056385_1841936962709758_421385992806649398_n

15037291_1841936946043093_2061657682564330305_n

15135813_1841937726043015_3551738065969001886_n

Wednesday 16th November 2016
Emirates FA Cup 1st Round Replay

Brackley Town 4 Gillingham 3 aet.
Referee:- Robert Jones                   Attendance:- 1,654
Admission:- OMGDS £8.00 (£14.00)
Programme:- £2.00
A famous victory for the highest placed non-league team in Northamptonshire. They squandered a two goal lead and re-established it in extra time and when Gillingham reduced the arrears yet again, they held out for deserved victory.I hadn’t been to this particular St James’ Park for eight years and in that time substantial changes had considerably improved the stadium. It was a pity that in a game of such swashbuckling piracy, that there wasn’t more atmosphere – even the home players pleaded for more support! Only 93 supporters from Kent …. but they had their own police protection!

15085548_1842371809332940_729054772842222944_n

15078807_1842371845999603_4079105898663839834_n

15056294_1842371899332931_344165367823192072_n

15027414_1842371955999592_2628564405733022640_n

15107468_1842371989332922_8516632250233321523_n

15134581_1842372035999584_510940666093802058_n-1

15032259_1842372075999580_5045720636192544345_n

15025327_1842372212666233_2368927347141364928_o

Friday 18th November 2016
Suffolk FA Senior Cup 3rd Round

Framlingham Town 0 Woodbridge Town 2
Referee:- Bradley Mingay          Official Attendance:- 158
Admission:- £4.00                      Programme:- £1.00
A long drive into deepest darkest Suffolk and a surprisingly pleasant reception at a club that is enjoying its first season in The Thurlow-Nunn Eastern Counties League. They were promoted from the Ipswich & Suffolk League where they finished fifth in the top division last season. The ground is a work in progress. There is a good stand with seats for around sixty or seventy spectators and new turnstiles and hard standing have been installed. There remains the fencing around the ground and behind the stand. However, I applaud the ambition of this small club who boasted an impressive attendance this evening! In three meetings this season, this was the first victory for Woodbridge, who, earlier in the season suffered a home defeat in the league to this evening’s hosts. Good to see Daniel BT Turner there, celebrating his one hundredth ground!!!!

15167720_1843307595906028_6487538386796775927_o

15078667_1843307632572691_3479606221320500709_n

15107317_1843307649239356_2647605142949630530_n

15109489_1843307669239354_1232661577505743320_n

15094456_1843307719239349_3797615674129143361_n

Saturday 19th November 2016
Ryman Isthmian League Division 1 South

Herne Bay 1 Walton Casuals 1
Referee:- John Pike                             Attendance:- 192
Admission:- OMGDS£5.00 (£9.00) programme:- £2.00
It might have been 2,675 miles to The North Pole, but to Chris and John and me it felt a mighty lot closer! The Altira Park Stadium is a neat, yet quaint arena with cover on all four sides and a club house and shop down the near side. Team sheets were posted and the tea shop did brisk business. Neither of these two teams are pulling up trees in Division 1 South of The Isthmian League, but the hosts were on a five game winning streak. The game had nil-nil written all over it until goals were exchanged over a four minute period midway through the second half. Thereafter – as before – you could not have drawn the proverbial cigarette paper between the two sides!

15037300_1843729099197211_4864731625228957736_n

15135995_1843729235863864_2518512405545669536_n

15135959_1843731309196990_165860742467660497_n

15027880_1843734895863298_4035261826939723414_n

15037184_1843734475863340_2009661798940664577_n

15095724_1843734779196643_8020594617479431543_n

14947795_1843734819196639_2941455097168293584_n

15134769_1843734849196636_1346180049042537568_n

15073477_1843734925863295_7806490480930230822_n-3

15137481_1843734959196625_650595253285747311_o

Chris Berezai and John Main

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
Evo-Stik Southern League
Division 1 South & West

Larkhall Athletic 0 AFC Totton 0
Referee:- Rob Cockle                          Attendance:- 95
Admission:- OMGDS £5.00 (£8.00)     Programme:- £1.50
‘Plain Ham’ is the unusual name for Larkhall’s stadium and a dark November evening hardly did it justice. It lies high on a hill like a table mountain and there is a steep drop to pitch side from one side. There is cover on three sides of the pitch although behind the far goal, the stand is so tiny, it rivals the one at Esh Winning as the smallest in the country! Tonight’s visitors were smarting from a first defeat under new management. They presently lie third from bottom of the table whilst The Larks are happily ensconced at the half-way mark. This was a dour encounter. The visiting team had clearly been set up not to lose and there was precious little that The Larks could do about it. Very enjoyable visit with John Main and a very friendly reception!

15135831_1845584042345050_247827667950389551_n

15095519_1845584069011714_6027708241827367494_n

15135882_1845584095678378_8936476903307487595_n

15230583_1845584125678375_5788360831654986659_n

15178280_1845584155678372_5672625992129447694_n

15107345_1845584192345035_457822185106579595_n

15122864_1845584235678364_9093941024800193051_o

Saturday 26th November 2016
Nottinghamshire Senior League Premier Division

Bilborough Town   3    Aston United   2
Referee:- Derek Spray Attendance:- 14
Admission:- £2.00 Programme:- £0.50
The Harvey Hadden Athletic Stadium is the present home to recently formed Bilborough Town. In the past, Graeme said that he’d watched Rugby League matches at the ground and certainly there was plenty of evidence of Nottingham Athletics Club activity. Entrance to this vast arena was via a narrow passage with a turnstile at midpoint. Good to see Brian Buck there amongst the healthy gathering of hoppers who made up almost half of the attendance. It was not the most fluent of matches. The grass was too long and the match was strewn with errors, but top of the table Bilborough eventually triumphed, although Aston United were somewhat unlucky not to come away with a draw.

15219530_1846728588897262_2487377262160142699_n

15253490_1846728628897258_2175208738640672517_n

15135797_1846728652230589_3020906801977280864_n

15241845_1846728858897235_3863115762833211818_n

15203371_1846728702230584_9159786641936331622_n

15232319_1846728762230578_9142362884455748709_n

Tuesday 29th November 2016
Evo-Stik Southern League
Division 1 South & West

Mangotsfield United P   Hereford P
Referee:- Scott Jackson Programme:- £2.00
John Main and I had enjoyed a good morning at Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath Training Ground for an U-18 fixture against Arsenal and reached Mangotsfield in very good time, paid £2 for the car park (!!!) and another £2 for a programme and fortified by a pie and a drink we waited in the clubhouse outside the ground. Dozens of Hereford fans arrived and started to drink the club house dry and then Will Cheshire showed us a tweet on the Hereford Twitter account: “Match OFF”. No announcement from the club, but apparently, the referee had deemed one goalmouth to be frozen and unplayable. We rang Shortwood United but that match was also off and a major accident on The M5 meant that we couldn’t get to Portishead Town, which, perversely, was ON!15230763_1312161372159341_5485861561976911473_n

Tuesday 29th November 2016

Barclays U-18 Professional Development League

Aston Villa   1   Arsenal   1

Admission:- F.O.C.          Attendance:- 89

There were no programmes, entrance was free of charge, plenty of car parking and a pretty good crowd. Aston Villa looked a well drilled side – especially in defence. They scored a first half goal and then hung on until the first minute of added time at the end of the match when increasing Arsenal pressure led to the equaliser.

15241345_1312161648825980_1557972522649163223_n

Pictures of Bodymoor Heath (above), courtesy of John Main

15252714_1848607012042753_8229831956348907829_o

15203392_1848606882042766_5814491153518915349_n

15317828_1848607068709414_4759533404383972416_n

After a round trip (including the match at Bodymoor Heath) of a little over 450 miles in one day, we still have to re-visit Cossham Street, Mangotsfield!

Other Matches in November 2016

Tuesday 1st November

Chromasport & Trophies United Counties League Premier Division

Kirby Muxloe   4   Oadby Town   0          Attendance:- 80

Thursday 3rd November 2016

Northants Senior Youth League Cup 1st Round

Rushden & Higham United 3  Wellingborough Whitworth 1 Attendance:- 55

Monday 7th November 2016

Northants Senior Youth League East Division

Rothwell Corinthians  1  Kettering FC  1              Attendance:- 56

Tuesday 8th November 2016

Midland League Premier Division

Loughborough University 1 Coventry United 3  

Attendance:- 95

Friday 18th November 2016

Barclays U-23 Premier League 2

Leicester City 5  Derby County  0                       Attendance:- 126

Tuesday 22nd November 2016

European Champions League Group G

Leicester City  2  FC Brugge  1                         Attendance:- 31,443

Monday 28th November 2016

Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division

Hitchin Town  3  Hayes & Yeading  0            Attendance:- 285

.

.

.

This season – Matches:- 118          New Grounds:-  63

TOTAL –         Matches:- 3,561      Grounds:- 1,291

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • RSS