Our Teacher’s A Football Fanatic
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Our teacher’s a football fanatic.
It’s all that he has on his mind.
He listens to games on his headphones,
and frets when his team is behind.
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He jumps up and down with they’re winning.
He screams when they fumble a pass.
We know we’re supposed to be reading,
but watching him’s simply a gas.
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Our principal walked in on Friday,
and he was too angry to speak.
Our substitute started on Monday.
Our teacher’s been benched for a week.
Kenn Nesbitt
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Wednesday 1st November 2017 2.00pm
British Universities and Colleges Sport Midland Division 2
University of Leicester Women’s 1st 4
Millie Cutler 6 (pen), 37,
Caitlyn Kemp 56,
Shauna Cossens 82
Coventry University Women’s 1st 1
Morgan Patterson 40,
Referee:- Ali Cera Attendance:- 15
Admission:- F.O.C. No Programme
Leicester’s Women have already won their first two games of the season and sit at the top of the table. Today’s win at The Roger Bettles Sports Ground in Oadby, was less emphatic than the scoreline suggests. Several of last years team are still playing, indeed, Millie Cutler, last season’s leading scorer contributed two goals today. However, they will need to shake off a few cobwebs if they are going to live up to last seasons high levels, and please Tana who was supporting them with gusto!
Tana, lending her support to the women’s university team and Caitlyn Kemp in particular!
Wednesday 1st November 2017 7.45pm
Cheshire Senior Cup Preliminary Round
Cheadle Town 1
Jake Ambrose 45,
Stockport County 8
Bohan Dixon 17, 44, 51,
Adam Thomas 26, 31,
Harry Brazel 45+3,
George West 70,
Szymon Czubik 82,
Referee:- A. Woodward Attendance:- 410
Admission:- OMGDS£2.00 (£5) Programme:- £2.00
On a misty Autumnal evening, this was a big match for the home team and as they tweeted at the end, they were “edged out in a nine goal thriller!”. Cheadle’s homely ground was packed to the rafters for this local derby. The attendance was some three hundred higher that the season’s previous best. Only the seated stand – which was pretty impressive – provided any cover and a couple of prefabs housed the snack bar and clubhouse. On the pitch, the visitors showed their class despite fielding a seriously weakened side.
What a comedown for once mighty Stockport County. After 105 seasons in the football league, they are now two divisions from getting back there.
Graeme Askham pays his (and our) dues!!!
Saturday 4th November 2017
The Premiership
West Ham United 1
Manuel Lanzini 56,
Liverpool 4
Mohamed Salah 22, 76,
Joel Matip 24,
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain 57,
Referee:- Neil Swarbrick Attendance:- 56,961
Admission:- Hospitality Programme:- incl. (£3.50)
It was my grandson’s birthday present and we enjoyed the hospitality of “The Forge” at The London Stadium.
For twenty minutes, The Hammers looked quite threatening, but then they gave away a simple goal on a Liverpool counter attack and two minutes later, the ‘pool had doubled their lead!
It was a similar opening to the second half, except that this time, The Hammers scored to reduce the deficit. Within two minutes, Liverpool had restored their two goal advantage, Mohamed Sarah added a fourth and there could easily have been two or three more.
By the end of the match, the stadium was half empty. Bring back Big Sam, all is forgiven!
On the station at Kettering, awaiting the 12.26 to St Pancras! We travelled down by train and tube to The London Stadium and the match was an early evening (5.30pm) kick-off for live TV.
On his way into the ground, Freddie had his photograph taken with John Barnes of Liverpool and England fame.
After the match he had his photo taken with Lee Dixon of Arsenal and England fame!
Like Grandfather, like grandson! Entering the teams before the start of the match!
This is me on the left with son, Michael and birthday grandson, Freddie at our hospitality table. I paid £478.00 per person for the hospitality and seats at this match and I was VERY under-impressed. It was quite the poorest hospitality visit I have ever had!
Quite an impressive display for Remembrance Day
Monday 6th November 2017
Emirates FA Cup 1st Round
Chorley 1
Marcus Carver 58
Fleetwood Town 2
Devante Cole 76,
Jack Sowerby 90+1,
Lewie Coyle s/o 70
Referee:- Eddie Ilderton Attendance:- 3,526
Admission:- (standing) OMGDS £9.00 (£12)
programme:- £5.00
My 168th visit to Victory Park and the old ground was heaving, packed to the rafters and with TV cameras at every angle for this FA Cup 1st Round tie.
First things first, I managed TWO butter-potato pies (the local delicacy!) and paid an exorbitant £5 for the commemorative programme.
The cameraman caught me as I wandered toward the main stand and I found myself on live TV!
For ninety minutes I lived in hope. Chorley deservedly took the lead on the hour, but then manager Uwe Rosler brought out his big guns and the equaliser was followed by a killer goal one minute into added time – to deathly silence!
A brave attempt, but all over for another year!
My son, James, was just settling down with his tea in front of the television for the Chorley match …..when who should appear on his screen, but your intrepid football hopper!
The match was screened live on BT television!
Tuesday 7th November 2017
Chromasport & Trophies United Counties League
Premier Division
Harborough Town 3
Daniel Forbes 22,
Barnes Gladman 58,
Greg Usher 82,
Leicester Nirvana 1
Mahmoud Juma 45
Referee:- Cristian Leonte Attendance:- 53
Admission:- OMGDS £3.00 (£6) Programme:- £1.00
On a wild and wet evening with matches falling like ninepins to the weather, Harborough Town gave their fans a convincing display against league leaders, Nirvana.
Mid-table Harborough Town scored first, but were level at the interval. In the second half, they deservedly pulled away and could have had more than the two goals they scored!
Paul “Splodge” Proctor was there all the way from Fareham in Hampshire. Not for him the shelter of the stand, despite the rain, he watched from pitch side!
Wednesday 8th November 2017
Total Motion Midland League Premier Division
Quorn 2
Ryan Evans 20
James Hicks 80
Long Eaton United 3
Tom Gamblen 36,
Matthew Savage 38,
Nicholas Hawkins 53,
Referee:- Joshua Hackett Attendance:- 75
Admission:- OMGDS £4.00 (£6) Programme:- £1.00
My last visit to Quorn was ten years ago (27.10.07 – Unibond League Division 1 South: Quorn 1 Bring Town 0, Att.:- 97). Since then, someone has spent serious money on the ground. There are new floodlights, new FA regulation fencing around the pitch. The pitch is 3G – installed this summer – covered terracing behind one goal and substantial hard standing all round the pitch. Finally, there have been new turnstiles installed! However, on the pitch, Quorn are struggling, third from bottom of the league and this defeat to a team just three points in front of them, dragged them further into the morass of relegation.
Friday 10th November 2017
Buildbase FA Vase 2nd Round
Yaxley 3
Matt Sparrow 5, 30,
Tom Waumsley 90+2
Peterborough Northern Star 0
Referee:- Tom Harvey Attendance:- 198
Admission:- £6.00 Programme:- £1.00
Friday night, local derby, cup action certainly brought the fans out to Leading Drove. On a very cold evening, on a 3G surface, the Cuckoos ran out easy winners, despite recent problems, which included losing their successful manager.
My son, Mike and grandson, Freddie (above) came along to see the action!
Saturday 11th November 2017
Abacus Lighting Central Midlands League
Black Dragon North Division
Retford 1
Will Tomlinson 73,
Lincoln Moorlands Railway 1
Robbie Smith 76,
Referee:- Martin Fryer Attendance:- 94
Admission:- OMGDS£1.00 (£3) Programme:- £1.50
Early days and no floodlights (yet) at this homely, well organised club adjacent to The East Coast Mainline in Retford. They have just taken out a twenty year lease on the ground to enable them to receive FA support for the installation of floodlights. Everyone at the club was so helpful and apologetic over the refreshments – their burger van was stolen some weeks ago. On the pitch, second placed Retford were rather fortunate to gain a share of the points after fourth placed Moorlands missed a second half penalty. Good match and a venue well worth visiting!
An impressive display for Remembrance Day!
There were engineering works on The East Coast Mainline, so the few trains that actually used the line adjacent to the ground, did so gingerly and ……..fairly slowly!
Tuesday 14th November 2014
ISFA Boodles Cup 3rd Round
Repton School 6
James Parton 5,
Artem Alier 16, 18, 53,
Jake Raine 40,
Oliver Hickman 43,
Bedes School 1
unknown 60,
Referee:- Mark Warren Attendance:- 24
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
Five years ago, they held the annual Bunbury U-15 Cricket Festival at Repton School and I saw young Hasim Hameed score 130, before going on to play for Lancashire and England. Today, the young footballers of Repton showed just what they are made of in disposing of Bedes School from Sussex. On a mild Autumn afternoon, they scored three goals in the opening twenty minutes and were four up by the interval. The final scored did not reflect their toal dominance of the game.
The football pitch stood astride the two main school cricket pitches.
A throw back to days of yore!!! The score was kept on a board at the side of the pitch!
Wednesday 15th November 2015
Chromasport & Trophies United Counties League
Premier Division
Sleaford Town 0
Holbeach United 2
Lewis Leckie 24,
George Zuerner 27,
Referee:- Paul McVey Attendance:- 93
Admission:- OMGDS£3.00 (£6) Programme:- £1.00
Holbeach played Sleaford at Holbeach during the UCL/PDFL ‘hop’ in July and won 6-0. Sleaford are struggling, just two places off the bottom of the division. Their rivals this evening, sit comfortably in the top half of the table. Sleaford’s Eslaforde Park is a reasonably new build and suffers from the ‘Meccano” effect that seems to imbue the modern idea of a non-league stadium. In the gloom and the mist of this evening, the hosts were never a match for their rivals, who scored twice in the first half and comfortably saw out the second period.
Friday 17th November 2017
Sky-Bet Championship EFL
Preston North End 0
Bolton Wanderers 0
Referee:- S. Hooper Attendance:- 15,213
Admission:- OMGDS £16.00 (£24) Programme:- £3.00
On 25th February 1967, Bolton Wanderers won 3-1 at Deepdale and Francis Lee scored all three of The Trotters goals. For his hat-trick goal, he stopped the ball on the goal line, knelt down and headed it in!
The visiting Trotters faithful were baying in delight!
Sadly, this evening’s fare could not match the magic of that moment of fifty years ago. 0-0 was probably a fair result, but it was a match void of excitement!
Son, James, who drove us both up from Blisworth
Looking a bit careworn and weary around the edges, it was my 105th match of the season so far!!!
Saturday 18th November 2017
FA of Wales Trophy 4th Round
Chirk AAA 4
Matty Thomas 6,
Matty Woods 28, 82,
Louie Middlehurst 84(pen),
New Brighton Villa 0
Referee:- Alex Livesey Attendance:- 54
Admission:- £2.00 Programme:- (included)
Chirk is a town of surprises with its own castle, an aqueduct that carries The Llangollen Canal across the valley and a chirpy, cheery little football club that plies its trade in The Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) Premier Division. Behind the ground lurks the giant Cadbury’s factory churning out great clouds of smoke. Inside the ground, there is a small stand with about a hundred seats, situated behind the goal and concrete standing down one side. Today, The Colliers were too strong for their Division 1 visitors and eventually ran out handsome winners after a torrid spell for much of the second half at 2-0!
Behind the ground lurks the giant Cadburys factory churning out great clouds of smoke!
Tuesday 21st November 2017
Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Langford 0
Baldock Town 0
Referee:- Chris Flack Official Attendance:- 37
Admission:- OMGDS£2.50 (£5) programme:- included
I first went to Langford in 2005 but I haven’t been back since 2011.
When my middle son, Michael, lived in Bedford, we used to visit quite often and grew quite fond of the club.
However, this evening put a new perspective on affairs. There really is nothing to the stadium. A couple of Meccano stands, a cosy club house and a bomb cratered car park are all that is on offer.
The ground is not even in Langford, but in Henlow, the next village along!
Tonight’s tepid encounter was played out to a very small audience – but not the smallest of my visits to the ground!
There was no hot food in the club house, but the tea ladies, who were cooking lovely home made pizza for the players after match meal, were very happy to knock up cheese rolls for us!
There were two “Meccano” covered areas along one side of the ground. This one was the covered standing area.
Baldock Town, this evening’s opponents are ground sharing at Arlesey Town, this season.
Referee:- Benjamin Knight Attendance:- 315
Admission:- OMGDS£6.00 (£10) Programme:- £2.00John Main and I made good progress down to Hampshire and dined pretty well at The Testwood, close by the ground.
Evesham United were late arriving because their transport had broken down! The match didn’t start until 4.00pm. In the meantime, we toured the ground which is one of the better examples of a new build, with terracing on all four sides and seated cover along each touchline. The roof of the stand reminded me of Corby Town’s roof – useless against the elements! However, the only elements here were the very cold conditions. These two sides are in sixth and fifth place in the table and early in the game it was the visitors who dominated, opening the scoring on 12 minutes. When the visitors had a man sent off in the 26th minute, The Stags gradually eased back into the game, equalising just before the break. A very even and entertaining second half ensured that the points were shared!
Chromasport & Trophies United Counties League
Premier Division
Referee:- Wayne Bright Attendance:- 55
Admission:- OMGDS£3.00 (£6) Programme:- £1.00
On a cold, cold evening, Graeme and I were well wrapped up for this local derby. Oadby have won only one match this season and that was by 2-1 a couple of weeks ago at Boston Town. They have yet to win at home. This evening, they were 0-3 down at the interval but it could so easily have been 3-3.
In the second half, the referee decided to take sides with the opposition, and, after the hosts had pulled a goal back, he awarded a strike to Harborough despite a blatant transgression in the lead up. The Poachers fought well and will be disappointed to have lost by so wide a margin.
Wednesday 29th November 2017
British Universities and Colleges Sport
Midland Division 2A
De Montfort University Women’s 1st 2
Emilia Davies 25,
Tiara Henman 72
Loughborough University Women’s 3rd 3
Lucy Brown 61, 70, 89,
Referee:- George Malkou Attendance:- 2
Admission:- F.O.C. Programme:- NONE
This floodlit contest kicked off at 5.00pm at Beaumont Park, Leicester, on a raw and very cold evening. A pretty even contest was decided only in the final minute when the lethal Lucy Brown completed her hat trick and sealed a win for the visitors. Earlier, Emilia Davies, the best player on the park, opened the scoring after twenty-five minutes. In the second half, with DMU trailing to the first two of the deadly Lucy Brown’s strikes, Tiara Henman equalised with a spectacular shot from thirty yards. A draw would have been a fair result,………… but for Lucy Brown’s decider!!!
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OTHER MATCHES:-
Thursday 2nd November 2017
Leicestershire Midweek Floodlit Youth League
Aylestone Park U18 1 Allexton & New Parks U-18 5 Attendance:- 57
Tuesday 7th November 2017
HIDL Independent School League
Repton School 5 Charterhouse 0 Attendance:- 33
Monday 13th November 2017
Premier League 2 League Cup Group Stage
Leicester City U-23 0 Portsmouth U-23 0 Attendance 260
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Tuesday 14th November 2017
Chromasport & Trophies United Counties League Premier Division
Desborough Town 0 Kirby Muxloe 1 Attendance:- 57
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Thursday 16th November 2017
Leicestershire Midweek Floodlit Youth League South
Aylestone Park 5 Harborough Town 1 Attendance:- 41
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Monday 20th November 2017
Premier League 2 Division 1
Leicester City u-23 0 Sunderland u-23 0 Attendance:- 321
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Wednesday 22nd November 2017
National League U-19 Alliance Division H
Mansfield Town Brooksby 3 Grantham Town 5 Attendance:- 10
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Monday 28th November 2017
Premier League 2 U-18 Cup – Group Stage
Leicester City u-18 1 Fulham u-18 1 Attendance:- 51
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Wednesday 29th November 2017
British Universities & Colleges Sport Midlands Division 3A
University of Leicester 1st 6 Aston University 4 Attendance:- 6
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Matches:-
This month:- matches – 25 new grounds – 8
This Season:- matches – 115 new grounds – 57
Total:- matches – 3,810 new grounds – 1,398
