The Lake Isle of Innisfree
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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
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And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
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I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
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by William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)
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Saturday 1st March 2025
Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division
Witchford 96 1
Chris Hall 18,
Hardwick 0
Referee: Giavanni Marasca. Attendance: 58
Admission: F.O.C. Programme: NONE
Witchford, a village of just over 2,000 souls, lies around two and a half miles west of Ely. The Recreation Ground has a pitch railed along each side and substantial changing rooms and bar facilities. The football team are not performing well this season with just nineteen points from nineteen games before this match. The visitors were better placed but no more than mid-table. Chris Hall, the home striker was the difference between the teams. He scored the only goal on 18 minutes, smote the post when it would have been easier to score and was denied a fairly blatant penalty. Several other hoppers in attendance!
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Monday 3rd March 2025
Premier League 2
Leicester City U21 2
Amani Richards 41, Logan Briggs 45,
Tottenham Hotspur U21 0
Referee: Andrew Humphries. Attendance: 356
Admission: OAP £3.00 (£5). Free team sheet
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Tuesday 4th March 2025
Western League Division 1
Mendip Broadwalk 0
Avonmouth 3
Kyle O’Donovan 19, Charlie Aldom 23, Mitch Wise 65,
Referee: Alex Setchell. Official Attendance: 41
Admission: OAP £3.00 (£6). Programme: on line
Both these clubs are newly promoted to The Western League and, perversely, in view of tonight’s result, it is the hosts who are better placed in mid table. Their ground, and the refreshment facilities outside the ground are a work in progress (to put it charitably), but the welcome was genuine and spontaneous. Sadly, the hosts, whose ground is but a stone’s throw from Ashton Gate in Bristol, failed to perform this evening and two first half strikes followed by a third in the second period, garnered the victory for near neighbours, Avonmouth. With John Main.
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Saturday 8th March 2025
Velocity Wessex League Division 1
Fleetlands 1
Curt Robbins 55,
New Milton Town 2
Barney Stone 51, Brad Snelling 88,
Referee: Charlie Hardingham. Official Attendance: 93
Admission: OAP £3.00 (£6). Programme: £2.00
A bright, bracing day beside the sea in deepest Hampshire at Powder Monkey Park (in deference, no doubt, to The Royal Navy of old), the home of Fleetlands, a whimsical quirky ground with hard standing on three sides, a fifty seater stand and other assorted covered areas, including a stand, tiny enough to challenge the one at Esh Winning for the smallest in the country. The visitors bestride the league and brought a healthy following to this match. The hosts in fifth place lost this encounter to a goal two minutes from time after a turgid opening period and a swift exchange of goals early in the second period. With John Main.
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Tuesday 11th March 2025
It has not been a good week. Charlotte has had an operation on her right hand for Dupuytrens Fasciitis, a condition that means that her fingers are drawn in towards her palm. The operation was successful (although she may need a similar procedure on her left hand at some time in the future), however, her arm is likely to be in a sling for ten days and I will be doing rather more heavy lifting than I am used to! Look on the bright side. The operation was a success and in a month, or three weeks at best, she might be getting back to normal. In the meantime, football sorties have been severely curtailed, although I may get to a reasonably local match this weekend (and meet up with sons and grandsons!). Sadly, I have had to miss the Scottish “Hop”, which starts today. Very jealous, but getting Charlotte well, is more important!
Saturday 15th March 2025
Northern Premier League Midlands Division 1
Racing Club Warwick 1
Connor Taylor 45+1,
Corby Town 2
Jack Keeble 41, Rhys Kelly 78,
Referee: Michael Pattison. Attendance: 325
Admission: OAP £4.00 (£8). Programme: £2.00
First visit to Townsend Meadow for twenty-six years and, although improved for spectators with extra seating and cover, I am not a fan of plastic pitches! This was a poor game. Neither side could find any rhythm or continuity and the result was a bit of a lottery where The Steelmen held the winning number. A goal each in the first period with the winner coming from Rhys Kelly after 78 minutes. Lunch beforehand in The Roebuck Inn in the centre of town with son, Mike and grandson, Freddie. Son, Jim and grandsons, Sonny and Kingsley were not able to make the meal, but we met up with them at the match.
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Tuesday 18th March 2025
Western League Division 1
Shirehampton 2
Luke Marshall 83, Dillan Tate 90+4,
Wells City 2
Luke Wilkinson 30, Ali Sen 87,
Referee Steve Redman. Official Attendance: 68
Admission: OAP £4.00 (£6). Programme: on line
Penpole Lane is a quintessentially atmospheric venue, bedecked with floodlights highlighting the bare branches of trees surrounding the ground. Changing rooms in the cricket pavilion at one side of the ground and refreshment facilities outside the ground on the other side with hard standing access on three sides and a small 100 seater stand adjacent to a tiny covered standing area. This was a strange encounter. The visitors led from a strike on half an hour and nothing much else happened until the final five minutes. An equaliser from a hopeful forty yard punt which somehow eluded the visiting custodian, but then two more goals, both of which questioned the keepers capabilities and ensured that the match ended in a draw! With John Main.
“Strength in Depth”
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Programme cove. Programme was ‘on line’ only.
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Wednesday 19th March 2025
Bedfordshire County League Premier Division
Wootton Blue Cross 3
Mason Marsh 15, 17, Ryan Aka 39,
Queens Park Crescents 0
Referee: Stephen Quirke. Attendance: 177
Admission: F.O.C. Programme: NONE
In the olden days (nineties and early years of this century), Blue Cross graced the Premier Division of the UCL. Now they have every chance of a return to that league by winning their present division, but they haven’t applied for promotion! They were too good for fifth placed Crescents who conceded three first half goals. However, the visitors then made a spirited second half response, but even when the hosts had their goalkeeper dismissed, Crescents never actually looked capable of scoring. Good to see Brian Buck and Dave Higgins amongst a healthy turnout of ‘hoppers’.
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