Alternatives for this coming Saturday
As we don't have a game on Saturday & it's a pleasant weather forecast here are a few local(ish) games you may like to think about taking in. As always at this time of the year check directly with the clubs or via their social media that their game is definitely on. Kick-offs 3pm:
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
Maidenhead United v Chester
NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH:
Brackley Town v Salford City
NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH:
Hemel Hempstead Town v Poole Town
Oxford City v Bath City
St Albans City v East Thurrock Utd
Wealdstone v Weston-super-Mare
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIV:
Chesham Utd v Bishops Stortford
Hitchin Town v Kings Lynn Town
Kings Langley v Stratford Town
Slough Town v Merthyr Town
SOUTHERN LEAGUE EAST DIV:
Chalfont St Peter v Arlesey Town
Marlow v Egham Town
Thame United v Aylesbury FC
Uxbridge v Aylesbury United
HELLENIC LEAGUE PREMIER DIV:
Burnham v Brimscombe & Thrupp
SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION:
Holmer Green v London Colney
Leverstock Green v Harpenden Town
Tring Athletic v Oxhey Jets
SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE DIVISION ONE:
Winslow United v Rayners Lane
** Hope you find a good game - please post a short match report on here if you can. The highlight is probably Brackley Town v Salford City but you'll always get a good welcome at Non-League football and it won't break the bank!
Comments
You can add another one to that list in the Spartan South Midlands Division One. Broadfields United v Risborough Rangers. Broadfields groundshare at Harefield United so only a short hop down the M40. Rangers are followed by a few Chairboys when the Blues are away or have no game.
Going to use the opportunity to go see my daughter at Roehampton University.
I'm going to watch our behind closed doors friendly against Arsenal. Should be a cracker.
Get in Crawley!
Jordon Cook sent off for Luton so obviously will miss the game on Tuesday.
Now Crawley leading Accy 2-0.
Not if they appeal sending off.
Ah good point mate.
I think the reporter on Sky at the game said it was a bad tackle but something also happened off the ball.
Just read he was sent off for 2 yellows and they cannot appeal.
Maidenhead 3: Chester 0. "It's grim. Watch them while you can" is what I was told by the first Chester supporters that I spoke to at York Road. Chester, my hometown club of my teenage years, are in a difficult financial position, stuck in the National League relegation zone, and look like a team without hope.
The match was all Maidenhead. From the 10th minute, when Chester's James Jones was sent off for an unprofessional lunge and Harry Pritchard despatched the resulting penalty with ease, the traffic was one way. Pritchard scored a second a few minutes later, and Sam Barratt added a third for Maidenhead before half time.
The Magpies could have scored several more, but a combination of lazy finishing and a good display by Chester's first choice goalkeeper Sam Hornby (Alex Lynch departed from the club yesterday) kept the goal tally down.
Chester were lacklustre, reluctant to chase after the ball, and alarmingly generous in defence. Maidenhead looked good by contrast, with leading scorer Pritchard their standout player. Jake Hyde, once a WWFC target, came on halfway through the second half and produced a decent cameo, and captain Alan Massey (once a WWFC youth player) was commanding at centre back.
Truth be told there was next to no atmosphere around the ground, though the attendance was a reasonable 1510 and the friendliness of many individuals was noticeable. Perhaps the loyal fans were cowed by the stern loudspeaker announcement at the start of the match forbidding "swearing, gestures and pyrotechnics".
"Telstar" and the Match of the Day theme provided the pre-match music, and the half time cup of tea and chips were good. Maidenhead won through comfortably but didn't look remotely up to the standard of most League Two outfits. Chester sadly look ready for the drop, but it's football, and there is always hope.
£10 for a senior to sit under cover in the rain at the historic York Road stadium. Not a bad afternoon out, but though we may be only one league higher, there is a world of difference between this and the set-up we have at Adams Park.
Hemel Hempstead Town 0-1 Poole Town. A shock result after the Tudors had a fine 3-1 home win against Chelmsford on Tuesday, to take them to within three points of leaders Dartford. The Dolphins are languishing in the relegation places but they fully deserved their win against an extremely poor Hemel side who created very little. They were not helped by a double substitution on 26 minutes, when striker Will Hoskins went off after unluckily injuring himself in the open seconds. Also departing injured was Matt Spring, 38 now but still turning out occasionally. The two replacements had no meaningful impact on the game.
The goal on 32 minutes was a bullet header from Richard Gillespie and from then on Poole coped easily with the feeble Tudors, whose most creative player, Jordan Parkes, was playing at right back and surprisingly not pushed forward into midfield when chasing the game. Overall it was a poor game, the pitch was not too blame, the surface was firm considering the recent rain. Not a good advert for the National South, I haven’t seen many North division games but I suspect it is the stronger of the two. The attendance was 560, about 60 away fans.