Tonbridge Invicta 2 v 4 Fleet Leisure

Saturday 31st October 2009
Kent County League Premier Division
Swanmead Sportsground
Admission: None
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 35 (h-c)

Match Rating: 4

Hallowe'en took me to West Kent for this Kent County League Premier Division match at the Swanmead Sports Ground, Tonbridge. Located on the western outskirts of Tonbridge about a half hour walk from the train station, the ground is reasonably well maintained and pleasantly surrounded by trees which gives the ground a nice enclosed and peaceful feel to it. There is hard standing along one length of the pitch, which is roped off, and from the adjacent clubhouse, programmes are available at a cost of £2. The programme was a 12 page effort which was basic but included notes from the manager, fixtures and results, a league table and a brief introduction to both teams. A reasonable effort for the level of football, and as always, congratulations to any team which goes to the trouble of producing a programme in a league where they are not compulsory.

This match pitched together two teams separated by just a point in the middle of the league table, although Tonbridge Invicta came into this game bang in form, having won every one of their four games in October, including a 6-2 win the previous week, whereas Fleet Leisure were also unbeaten throughout October, although three of their four games had been drawn 2-2. So, an entertaining game with goals was expected, and this was exactly how it turned out, indeed, it was certainly one of the more bizarre, seesaw games I am likely to witness all season.

For the first quarter of an hour, this game did not look promising, with both teams cancelling each other out in the middle of the park, although out of the two teams, Fleet Leisure looked the better side. However, Tonbridge quickly scrored twice midway through the second half and became the much better side and looked good value for their lead at half time. This continued into the second half of a game which became increasingly fractious, with bad tempers and poor tackles spoiling the spirit of the game. This would certainly seem to have suited Tonbridge in maintaining their lead, all the more so when Fleet Leisure were reduced to ten men after a second yellow card for dissent midway through the second half. Teams that are reduced to ten men often tend to pull together to put in a rejuvenated performance, but the transformation in this game was truly remarkable. Fleet Leisure scored three quick goals within ten minutes of being reduced to ten men to turn the game around, and scored a fourth just before the final whistle to confirm all three points for the away team, which they probably deserved for the way in which they blew Tonbridge away in the second half.

Notts County 2 v 0 Crewe Alexandra

Saturday 24th October 2009
Football League 2
Score 2-0
Meadow Lane, Nottingham
Attendance: 6545
Admission: £18.00 (home Kop Stand)
Programme: £3.00
Match Rating: 3

There was truthfully little to attract to me to this game, apart from a curiosity to visit a club that recently went from being heavily in debt and on the brink of administration to one that is swimming in money thanks to mysterious Middle Eastern investment and with the man who will go anywhere if the price is right - Sven Goran Eriksson  - featuring prominently behind the scenes. Another feature of visiting Notts County is visiting the world's oldest club. If you didn't already know that, you certainly would upon visiting Meadow Lane, with the fact repeated literally dozens of times around the stadium and in the matchday programme. Another bargain travel ticket made this day out possible - £6.00 return train ticket from London St Pancras to Nottingham.

The stadium itself and its facilities are excellent by League 2 standards with a 20,000 capacity. It is, however, quite unremarkable as may be expected with all stands being relatively new. I decided to sit in the Kop, behind the north goal with Nottingham Forest's City Ground clearly visible in the background, and where the more passionate Notts County fans are based. The content of the programme was very informative, however it was slightly disappointing that the cover was of the same paper as the rest of the programme - for league programmes these days, I would expect a glossy, hardened cover for my £3.

A day trip to Nottingham is certainly recommended, as Nottingham is a very pleasant city to spend a few hours in. Meadow Lane is also very conveniently located about a ten minute walk away from Nottingham train station, with one of the more bizarre sights of having the City Ground (home of Nottingham Forest) and Trent Bridge (home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and an England Test venue) almost literally a stone's throw away. I can't think of anywhere else where three major separate sports stadia are located so closely together.

As for the game itself, it won't last too long in the memory. Notts County were by far the better side in the first half, not that they looked particularly good, more that Crewe were poor. After somehow failing to convert a goalmouth scramble from a couple of yards out, Notts County did take the lead on 27 minutes when Luke Rodgers placed the ball excellently past the goalkeeper and into the top corner by Luke Rodgers having been played in with an excellent through ball. In the second half, Crewe were the better side throughout with some good chances, but Notts County scored thanks to some real parting of the red sea defending by Crewe - as Craig Westcarr strode forward with the ball, the Crewe defenders inexplicably moved out of the way, allowing Westcarr to thump in an excellent strike wide of the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner from 25 yards out. Crewe should have clawed a goal back on 75 minutes with a softly awarded penalty for pushing - Kasper Schmeichel pulled off an excellent save low down to his right to deny Steven Schumacher. That unsurprisingly seemed to deflate Crewe and Notts County coasted to a comfortable 2-0 win in front of their lowest home attendance of the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What was quite surprising was the very low-key support of the home fans, particularly in the first half, which made for quite a flat atmosphere to this game. But with this win, Notts County rise to foruth place, with Crewe now down to 18th place having now lost seven out of their last eight games. I for one very much hope that Dario Gradi, who has recently found himself back in the hotseat at least temporarily, manages to bring about an upturn in Crewe's fortunes. I personally have never felt he has received anywhere near enough credit for his achievements over so many years in lifting a small club with very small resources to Championship level for so many years, not to mention the famed youth academy there.

Westfield 3 v 1 Southwick

Sunday 18th October 2009
Sussex County League Division 2
Pilot Field, Hastings United
Admission: £4.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 100
Match Rating: 4

As a result of their clubhouse being burnt to the ground last month, Westfield are currently unable to play their home games at their Parish Field ground, which was a desperately sad occurence for such a friendly and well-run village club as Westfield. To their immense credit, their near neighbours Hastings United are allowing Westfield to play their home games at their Pilot Field ground, as well as agreeing to play Westfield in a specially arranged friendly with all proceeds going to Westfield's fund for a new clubhouse. The excellent Ryman League facilities at the Pilot Field must seem a world away from what Sussex County League Division 2 footballers are used to, and as usual, the Pilot Field pitch was immaculate, which must also make a very welcome change from the long grassed bobbly pitches usually found in the league. 

The Pilot Field is an excellent stadium these days, with a good long old-fashioned stand along one touchline and stands behind both goals, although the ground certainly does suffer from the fans being separated from the pitch by a gravel track inside the perimeter fence. The programme is a reasonable effort of 32 pages which contains the essentials and messages from the managers and chairnen, but recent Westfield results would have been nice and the programme is a little too full of adverts.

The game itself was entertaining, quite even and competitive and with both sides putting together plenty of attacking moves. A goalless scoreline at half time was quite a surprise, and that's how it remained until the 70th minute when Westfield took the lead. For the next ten minutes, Westfield looked irresistable, adding two further goals within the next 8 minutes, including a 25 yard rocket which flew past the keeper into the corner. To Southwick's credit, they didn't throw in the towel and pulled a goal back with 8 minutes left on the clock, and had several chances to get back into the game, but in the end, Westifeld ran out fairly comfortable winners and thereby rose to eighth in the league, whereas Southwick remained firmly in the bottom half.

Coney Hall 1 v 2 Canterbury City

Saturday 17th October 2009
Kent County League Premier Division
Tiepigs Lane, Hayes
Admission: £2.00 (including programme)
Attendance: 50(ish)

Tiepigs Lane, located close to Bromley in south London, is a decent ground by Kent County League standards - which are very low, it has to be said - many of the venues being nothing more than a playing field with not even railing around the pitch. There's a small covered stand (standing room only), hardstanding on three sides of the pitch, and a welcoming clubhouse and teabar. Considering the location being firmly in suburbia, this is quite an attractive ground, very roomy and mostly surrounded by trees. Coney Hall do produce a programme which is included with the £2 admission and is a 16 page effort full of stats from the league, a couple of match reports and a welcome message from the manager. In short, it's an excellent guide for those who are not very up to date with the Kent County League, and you can't ask for much more than that. It must also be said that any programme at this level is always very welcome and appreciated. Tiepigs Lane is a five minute walk from Hayes train station, although for me it was more convenient to travel via Orpington station and catch a bus for the 15 minute journey to the ground.

This game pitched two relative newcomers to the Kent County League. Coney Hall have only been playing in the Kent County League since 2007, when they transferred from the Combined Counties League. Canterbury City have only been in existence for the same period of time, reforming in 2007 after six long years in the wilderness after the previous club folded and after progressing easily through the lower Kent County Leagues as champions in their first two seasons, are finding life altogether tougher this season in the Premier Division, before this game finding themselves down in tenth place out of 16 after eight games, but with Coney Hall only one place better off.

On an overcast, very chilly day, this was a very even game, low on quality and seemingly effort in truth, but with fairly frequent chances for both sides keeping the game reasonably interesting. Canterbury took the lead midway through the first half when a long ball was poked past the keeper only for the ball to hit the post, but luckily for Canterbury a forward was on hand to tuck the rebound into the net from a couple of yards. Coney Hall equalised when a fierce shot was parried by the keeper but was tucked away by a lurking forward. Canterbury scored the winner on about 75 minutes when a forward controlled a long ball well and kept his composure excellently when one-on-one with the goalkeeper and passed the ball into the net underneath the keeper's body. Coney Hall rarely threatened for the rest of the game and Canterbury claimed a win they just about deserved.

Tonbridge Angels 0 v 2 Bromley

Saturday 10th October 2009
FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round
Longmead Stadium, Tonbridge
Admission: £10.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 944
Match Rating: 2

This game had all the ingredients to be a real cracker. It was FA Cup day, the teams now just two rounds away from the dream of facing a league club, and a much larger crowd than usual was certain for this local(ish) derby between two Kent teams and with the home side (from the Ryman Premier) having a real opportunity of creating an upset against higher league opposition (from the Blue Square South). Sadly, this game turned out to be a real damp squib, with little of the anticipated competitiveness.

Longmead Stadium is a pleasant venue for one that has no real history nor charm. It is a very airy, spacious ground, with two covered terrace areas behind both goals and a seated stand running almost the length of one side of the ground. There is copious free parking available on-site, and the walk from the train station takes around half an hour, or buses are available if preferred/required. As always, Tonbridge produce an excellent 46 page programme with plenty of information on the home and away teams.

The game started fairly evenly but was brought to an abrupt half with just 7 minutes on the clock, when the referee had to be helped off the pitch with a hamstring injury which also caused back spasms. So after a twenty minute delay with one of the linesmen becoming the referee and a (qualified) volunteer from the crowd running the line, the game continued. It does have to be said that certain sections of the Tonbridge fans should be ashamed of the way they baracked and regularly shouted obscenities at the volunteer linesman particularly during the second half. Truly baffling - without him, the game may well have had to be postponed.

The extended break seemed to kill the game, with the first half lacking any real quality but with Bromley going into half time with a one goal lead thanks to a sublime volley from just outside the area. It was expected that the second half would be a much more competitive affair with FA Cup progress and prize money at stake, as well as local bragging rights. However, strangely, the second half was similar to the first, played with little real urgency and although Tonbridge shaded possession and played well in the middle of the pitch, they seemed strangely reluctant to make forward passes into the box and create real chances. They did have numerous corners, all of which barely threatened the goalkeeper. Bromley always looked comfortable without ever looking particularly strong themselves, but put the game out of sight three minutes from time when a ball whipped in from the touchline was nodded in at the far post .

And so it was Bromley who advanced to the final qualifying round of this season's FA Cup, no doubt hoping they can avoid a Blue Square Premier side (or at least, get a home tie) to give themselves the best chance of being in the draw with the possibility of a lucrative trip to Elland Road or The Valley in the following round.

Unfortunately not good quality of photos from this match as I forgot my camera for this match, so the photos were taken wth my mobile phone

Video highlights of this game can be found at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlExNsoHkZs

Louletano 0 v 1 Uniao Madeira

Sunday 4th October 2009
Second Division South (Third tier of Portuguese football)
Estadio do Algarve, Faro
Admission: €7.50

Programme: None

Attendance: 500 (guessed)

My second game of the day took me from Portimao back along the motorway to the outskirts of Faro to the Algarve Stadium, which is conveniently located right alongside the motorway, where it meets the dual carriageway which leads to Faro airport. It is also possible to reach the stadium by train.

The Algarve Stadium is an impressive, modern facility which was only built in 2004 to host three matches in the European Championships of that year, with a unique design and a capacity of around 30,000. However, for this game in the third tier of Portuguese football and with only around 500 spectators present, only the main stand was open, which made for a similarly strange atmosphere to the one when Queen's Park play at Hampden Park in the Scottish League. But I don't think anything can feel quite as strange as the Hampden/Queen's Park experience! For the record, Louletano are based in nearby Loule but share the Algarve stadium with SC Farense, who are based in Faro and play in the league below.

As for the game itself, although Louletano started reasonably well, the islanders from Madeira took more and more control of the game, although a goalless halftime score was of no surprise. The second half was a much livelier affair but for all the wrong reasons, with the more cynical side of the game that south European sides are famed for becoming more and more apparent and the referee losing control with increasingly baffling decisions that did seem to favour the away side. But at least it did make the crowd much more animated which made for a better atmosphere in the second half. Madeira took the lead with a well taken penalty after a clear handball by a Louletano defender. It surely won't come as any surprise that the only celebrating came from the Madeira players - you can surely forgive their fans being unable to make most of ther away games on the distant mainland! This seemed to knock the stuffing out of Louletano who struggled to fashion a chance for the rest of the game and they also had a player sent off for a second yellow card. And so Madeira's long trip to the mainland proved fruitful as they rose to third in the table with this win, whilst Louletano dropped down to 11th out of the 16 teams. The Algarve stadium is well worth a visit if for nothing else than its unique and pleasing on the eye design, together with its typically Mediterranean hilly landscape in the background. Just don't go expecting top quality Portuguese football though!

Portimonense 1 v 0 Freamunde

Sunday 4th October 2009
Liga Vitalis (Portuguese Second Division)
Estadio Municipal de Portimao

Admission: €10

Programme: None

Attendance: 1313

Match Rating: 3

O the long and winding road along which football groundhopping can take you! Less than 24 hours after enjoying a game from the Mid Sussex football league at a typically rural English village setting with bracing autumnal weather, I found myself at the sun drenched Estadio Municipal de Portimao on the Algarve for this morning kick-off between Portimonense and Freamunde in the Portuguese second division. It is difficult to plan to watch games in Portugal (and Spain), as kick off times are only confirmed about a week before the game and can be scheduled as early as 11.15am or as late as 9.15pm, from Saturday to Monday.After only touching down at Faro airport a couple of hours before kick off, I drove straight from Faro airport to the ground in Portimao which took about 45 minutes, although with more time available the journey is also possible by coach or train.

As is also customary on the Iberian peninsula, I had to buy my ticket from a ticket window before entering the stadium, and on entering the stadium found a good old fashioned Mediterranean stadium with an all-seated capacity of just under 10,000, and with steep banking of seating providing an excellent close view of the game. There is no cover available, which means there is no shelter from the hot sunshine. For a national second division game, the attendance of 1313 was disappointing, but this is actually quite normal in this league, and so there was quite a sparse feel to the ground, although the fans that were there helped generate a lively, carnival atmosphere.

As for the game itself, it was a stereotypical Mediterranean affair between two sides who had made decent starts to their campaigns. The game was generally played at quite a slow pace but with flashes of wonderful skill and a sprinkling of predictable amateur dramatics. Portimonense always looked the better side, and although there were relatively few clear goal scoring opportunities, this was an entertaining game. Freamunde had a goal disallowed midway through the second half for offside, which would have been very harsh on Portimonense, but just as the game looked like ending in a goalless stalemate, deep into injury time at the end of the game, Portimonense won the game when a low corner was turned in from about 4 yards out, the ball squeezing between the post and the defender on the line, to provoke wild celebrations from the Portimonense players and fans and send their team to the top of the league going into the international break.

Rotherfield 2 v 2 Crawley Down III

Saturday 3rd October 2009
Mid Sussex League Premier Division
Recreation Ground, Rotherfield

Admission: None

Programme: None
Attendance: 25

Match Rating: 4

Today I made my way to the small village of Rotherfield, which is located close to Crowborough in northern East Sussex to take in this Mid Sussex Premier League match between Rotherfield and the third team of Crawley Down, the two teams who had been promoted the previous season and who had both made solid starts to this season. After enjoying warm sunshine on every Saturday so far of this football season, today was the first taste of the weather to look forward to over the coming months, with a very strong gusty wind with a chilly bite to it, not helped by the exposed nature of this ground. The Recreation Ground in Rotherfield has a very attractive setting, with clear views across the valley to nearby Jarvis Brook and Crowborough, and the rest of the ground lined with neat hedges, and with the village church closeby too. As with almost every other club in this league, no programmes are issued nor admission charged, and there are no refreshments available. The ground is located about a half hour's (steep uphill) walk from Jarvis Brook train station.

The game itself was surprisingly entertaining given that it was dominated by the strong gusty wind, with Crawley Down have the advantage of the strong wind in the first half, but to both sides' credit, they played the ball along the ground as much as possible to negate the influence of the wind. With just three minutes on the clock, Crawley Down took the lead when the ball was smashed in after a minor goalmouth scramble. Rotherfield then equalised on 23 minutes after the ball was crossed low from the touchline and the ball smacked in from about 10 yards out. Rotherfield almost took the lead with an almost carbon copy of their goal but this time the ball was played closer to the keeper who managed to save from point blank range. However, Crawley Down retook the lead just after the half hour when the onrushing forward flicked the ball over the keeper. and the score remained at 2-1 to the visitors as they went in at half time, which was a fair reflection of the first half. However, in the second half, Rotherfield became the better team, unsurprisingly as they now had the advantage of having the wind behind them, and duly equalised on the hour mark. Both sides had great chances to win it....Crawley Down when their forward hit the post after being one-on-one with the goalkeeper and despite the ball rebounding to another forward, a combination of defender and goalkeeper managed to smother the ball away, and Rotherfield when a Crawley Down defender headed on to his own crossbar and also with the game entering injury time, a headed goal was disallowed for offside. So the game ended in a 2-2 draw, a fair reflection on an even game full of good goalscoring chances.

For those who like real grass roots football in a pleasant rural location and who do not mind not being able to obtain a programme, you could do a lot worse than take in a trip to this scenic, peaceful setting., although it is probably not worth a long journey for.