Spare Saturday ahead
With no match for WWFC this coming week-end, there are some good local games to see. As always (especially with the poor weather lately) check with the clubs first before setting off. One to look out for is the top-of-the-table clash between Risborough Rangers & Holyport.
In addition, there are some good games during the week. One prospect that should be excellent is in the Southern League Division One Central as second-place Berkhamsted host leaders Halesowen Town - conquerors of Barnet last Saturday in the FA Trophy. Details:
TUESDAY MARCH 3RD (k.o. 7.45):
National League North:
Brackley Town v Boston United
Southern League Prem Div Central:
Kings Langley v Lowestoft Town
Southern League Prem Div South:
Beaconsfield Town v Tiverton Town
Southern League Div One Central:
Berkhamsted v Halesowen Town
Isthmian League Div One South Central
Marlow v Northwood
Hellenic League Premier Division:
Flackwell Heath v Fairford Town
Holmer Green v Easington Sports
Spartan South Mids Division One:
Winslow United v Hillingdon Borough
Berks & Bucks Senior Cup Qtr Final:
Newport Pagnell Town v Didcot Town
SATURDAY MARCH 7TH (k.o. 3pm):
National League:
Maidenhead United v Boreham Wood
National League North:
Brackley Town v Blyth Spartans
National League South:
Hemel Hempstead v Dorking Wands
Oxford City v Chippenham Town
Slough Town v Hungerford Town
St Albans City v Dartford
Wealdstone v Dulwich Hamlet
Southern League Prem Div South:
Beaconsfield Town v Gosport Borough
Chesham United v Hartley Wintney
Isthmian League Div One Sth Central:
Chalfont St Peter v Staines Town
Marlow v Chipstead
Hellenic League Division One East:
Risborough Rangers v Holyport
(** 1st v 2nd **)
As ever, if you go to a game please post a short report on here for all to enjoy!
Comments
This Saturday I shall be ticking off Salford and back up to the full compliment of 90 League grounds.
The four of us will also be visiting Gigg Lane and spending a few quid in the Swan and Cemetery near the ground.
@wwfcblue I’ll be interested to hear any thoughts you’re willing to share at about Salford’s ground. I’ve heard people rave about it, but it looks very dull in the pictures I’ve seen.
I've been there. It's a nice enough little ground but is on a main road and has zero capacity to increase beyond the current size beyond seating the terracing.
Also a bizarre set up that you queue to get into the vicinity of the ground. Then again to go through a turnstile. Unless that's changed.
Berkhamsted 1 Halesowen Town 0
Berkhamsted regained top spot in the Southern League Division One Central after a tremendous battle with FA Trophy semi-finalists Halesowen Town. The visitors had previously gone unbeaten away from home this season.
The match was a real end-to-end affair with no quarter given by either side. A 67th minute breakaway goal by Berkhamsted’s Jonathan Lacey settled the game but the home side were put under immense pressure in the dying minutes. This was a marvellous game for this level & well worth the £8 admission.
Salford 2 Bradford 0
Attendance 3443
We arrived at the ground around 1.30 on the Moor Lane side. Two catering vans in the road outside the ground.
The ground is on a slope from North to South and has four equal height stands, all the corners are enclosed. The stands are very close to the pitch, creating a tight knit ground with the opportunity for all spectators to be within 15 metres of the pitch.
Bradford had sold out and the home fans were swelled by no Manchester game on the TV or locally.
The ground has a bar in both the South and North stands selling pints at £3 a pop and a large number of container catering units at the back of the West stand.
They have very little opportunity for expansion as the ground is hemmed in by houses on the West and East, along with roads to the North and South.
All in all a nice modern ground with uninterrupted views and very close to the pitch. It’s also only 10-15 minutes taxi ride from the centre of Manchester.
Worth a visit if you’re in the north west or just a Tommy tick off ✅
Hanwell Town 2
Tooting & Mitcham United 5
Reynolds Field
Isthmian League South Central
Attendance: just over 100 of the usual eccentrics who watch non-league football
Seven goals scored in a very entertaining contest. Five of which I managed to miss. The two I saw were excellently taken by Dan Williams as the Terrors took control of this one from the off. The second placed hosts never gave up but didn’t possess the quality of their opponents. Daryl Coleman was the standout performer, controlling the game in the middle of the park for Tooting, scoring the second, although he should have seen red for elbowing an opponent under the chin shortly before half-time. 8 minutes of injury-time in the first half as both sides were forced into changes but the pitch couldn’t be blamed and played well given the deluge we’ve had recently. The ground is rather uninspiring, not helped by the drone of the B456 behind one of the goals.
Risborough Rangers 0-0 Holyport
1st v 2nd, Rangers came into the match with a W19 D2 L0 record, and had the better of the first half, with several half chances and one golden one just before the break, a miscued shot in front of an open goal. After the break Holyport were more of a threat but Rangers could not create a clear cut chance and, on a day when both defences played well, helped by a bobbly pitch, a draw was probably a fair result. That result keeps Risborough 11 points clear of the chasing pack.
The attendance of 144 was healthy, including some other Wycombe supporters. I hear that Risborough will be promoted to the Spartan South Midlands Premier. In fact four sides will be promoted from the Hellenic One East, part of the Pyramid reorganisation next season.
Slough 0 2 Hungerford
A shock home defeat for playoff hopefuls Slough against bottom club Hungerford. This win was no fluke as the Rebels rarely threatened and indeed Hungerford could have won by a bigger margin but for the heroics of keeper Jack Turner who made at least 3 brilliant saves. Turner was possibly at fault though for Hungerfords first after 8 minutes when he came out of his area to intercept a through ball but was beaten to it The ball,eventually ending up in an unguarded net. By this time however it could have been 3-0. Hungerfords second ,a close range header just after the interval , effectively killed the game as Slough huffed and puffed but didn't look like reducing the deficit. This M4 Derby was watched by a healthy crowd of 895.
Coalville Town 1 - 2 Hitchin Town
Southern League Premier Division Central
Coalville went into this hoping for a win to put them in a play-off place but the away team, rather lower in the table, got a deserved win in an entertaining contest.
Hitchin chose to play towards the downhill goal in the first half and really took the game to Coalville. They went behind against the run of play from a well-taken free kick by Billy Kee, bending it round the 'keeper and in at the far post from a position just wide of the 18-yard box about 12 yards from the byline. Hitchin equalised shortly afterwards when they intercepted a ball that flicked off a Coalville defender's head towards his goalkeeper and Jhai Dhillon blasted home off the 'keepers legs. The winner was a bit scrappy, coming in the second half after a bit off head tennis in the Coalville penalty area.
Goalkeeper for Hitchin was former Chairboy Charlie Horlock, who had not a lot to do but looked decidedly average when he did. He didn't let his Wycombe heritage down though, as he did get himself booked for time wasting!
Best part of the day for me was seeing Billy Kee back on a football field and playing the full 90 minutes. Following the well-publicised personal issues he has been struggling with, which led to him quitting full-time football altogether after being unable to play for a long time, it is great to see him feeling strong and confident enough to get back out on the pitch, albeit on a smaller stage, and back to doing what he has previously done so well against Wycombe: scoring goals.
@glasshalfempty decent programme shop?
@glasshalfempty we all want to know how you missed 5 goals, and if this is a record
Must have been a good bar !!
Must have been a free bar!
Or a decent programme van
"Where's my laminator?"
Alas, programme shops are rather rare these days. *sheds tear
I missed Coleman’s goal as I was looking at my phone. I was in the toilet for both of Hanwell’s goals and Tooting scored twice in injury-time by which stage I’d already left.
Did you have the runs @glasshalfempty!
Haha! A rapidly weakening bladder. Don’t get old kids.
@mooneyman He said he was 'in the toilet.' The reason was not specified.