Alton Town 3 v 2 Moneyfields

Monday 29th August 2011

Wessex League Premier Division

Alton (Bass) Sports Ground, Alton

Admission: £6.00

Programme: £1.00

Attendance: 70 (estimate)

Match Rating: 4

Upon the conclusion of my first game of the day at Farnham, I hopped back on the train to make the short journey southwards and over the Surrey-Hampshire border to take in the Wessex League Premier Division fixture between Alton Town and Moneyfields. A train that had not moved half hour previous to my arrival at the station due to a points failure between Farnham and Alton was cause for concern, with points related delays varying in length between minutes and hours, however in the end I made it to Alton with plenty of time to spare.

The Alton (Bass) Sports Ground is located about a ten minute walk from the town's train station and is a moderately attractive ground. All of the spectator facilities are located along the length of the pitch where one enters the ground. To the right and straddling the half way line is an old-fashioned stand with wooden bench seating, and to the other side of the ground's entrance is the clubhouse and teabar. Around the rest of the ground is hard standing. The ground used to house a cricket field, and so there is a large area of grass - about the size of another football pitch - that is used for training and warming up backing onto the main pitch - and behind that is a cricket pavilion building which houses the changing rooms. Pine trees behind this additional pitch give a reasonably pleasant background to the ground. The programme was, in truth, nothing to write home about, with more than its fair share of advertising and lacking the club's fixtures and results, but it did have welcome messages from the chairman and manager.

Alton Town have only played two games so far this season, winning one and losing the other after finishing 13^th in the 22 team Premier League last season. Moneyfields, based in northern Portsmouth, have played four games and have made a great start to the season, winning three and drawing the other, scoring 16 goals - averaging four per game - in the process. They have also shipped 13 goals though, so an entertaining game would have appeared to have been on the cards with them in action. Last season, they finished in seventh place.

Similar to this morning's game, the visitors would probably have been deemed favourites for this game, however again it was the home side who managed to build up a solid lead during the first half. On 12 minutes, Alton took the lead when the ball broke free and Simbarashe Mlambo strode forward from wide before hammering home from a slight angle. On 20 minutes, Alton doubled their advantage when Mlambo barged his way down the wing - bordering on illegally - before cutting the ball back from close to the by line allowing Scott Sanderson the simple task of smashing the ball past the keeper from fairly close range. On 39 minutes, Alton's lead was extended to three when a free-kick was looped tantalisingly into the box, and the ball was headed across goal and acrobatically converted by Mlambo for his second of the match. The game was looking up already for the visitors, but they managed to pull a goal back almost immediately, when a Moneyfields player stormed unopposed from the half way line into the box before cutting back to allow Danny Boyle a simple finish to make the half time scoreline 3-1.

Within a couple of minutes of the restart and it really was "game-on", as Moneyfields scored again with a well worked goal ending in Boyle applying the finish from close range for his second of the match. Moneyfields were certainly looking buoyed by the comeback, but the game really could have swung either way as the second half was extremely open with both sides pushing hard for the crucial goal and having presentable chances to score it, and in injury time, Moneyfields could well have grabbed an equaliser to complete a fantastic comeback when the ball was stabbed inches wide following a corner. But 3-2 was how it ended, an excellent result and just about deserved three points for Alton, condemning Moneyfields to their first defeat of the season, and I was left to reflect on another great choice of a game, having watched two very entertaining games and 11 goals.

Farnham Town 5 v 1 Badshot Lea

Monday 29th August 2011

Combined Counties League Premier Division

The Memorial Ground, Farnham

Admission: £6.00

Programme: £1.00

Attendance: 80

Match Rating: 4

Bank Holiday Mondays can only mean one thing for me - a double fix of football, starting off with a morning kick-off in the Combined Counties. The decision was a tough one today, only very late the previous evening did I finally decide on a trip to south-west Surrey and a visit to The Memorial Ground, home of newly promoted Farnham Town for their very local derby against Badshot Lea, based just a couple of miles away from Farnham.

The Memorial Ground is located about a fifteen minute from Farnham rail station, walking through the town centre en route. The ground is located very close to the town centre and nestled amongst housing, although the ground is still quite roomy. Despite its urban location, the ground is quite roomy. One can enter either side of the pitch - the main entrance takes one past the clubhouse with a nice patio area in front and a large grass area up to the hard standing around the pitch. Along the opposite length of the pitch is a small area of cover to one side of the dugouts, and to the other is where the players enter the ground, with the changing rooms located outside of the ground. The area behind one of the goals is significantly higher compared to the rest of the ground, which makes for a good vantage point to watch the action. There is also a small stand painted in club colours with two rows of seating, but the view is not good when seated in this stand, as the pitch perimeter fencing significantly obstructs ones view. The area behind the other goal is not accessible within the ground, but makes for a great place to watch the action for free if one is so inclined with so through fencing close to the edge of the pitch. It is a ground that appealed to me without really being able to put my finger on the reason why, other than it has some uniqueness and is smart and tidy. A basic 16 page programme covered all the essential information and little more, and it has a very attractive cover design and is neatly produced inside.

Farnham Town have had a reasonable if unspectacular start back in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League having won promotion by finishing in second place in the First Division last season, claiming just two points from their opening four games before winning on Saturday at Wembley, and they had an excellent win against Premier League Champions Guildford City in the FA Cup. Badshot Lea, one of the fancied teams this season, have had a very good start to the season, with three wins and a draw from their opening five games, after finishing sixth in the Premier Division last season.

So, the visitors would probably have been considered slight favourites for this match, although form is often quite irrelevant in derby matches. Indeed, they looked the better side in the opening exchanges, however on ten minutes it was the home side who took the lead thanks to a bullet near-post header by Mark Corbett from a corner. Ten minutes later and Farnham doubled their advantage following another corner, when the keeper seemed to misjudge the flight of the ball and could only fumble the ball on and Matt Bunyan stabbed home from very close range at the far post. Ten minutes later, and Badshot Lea struck the bar with a powerful shot from 20 yards by Marcus Cousins. Five minutes before half time and the Badshot Lea manager made a Mourinho style tactical double substitution. Within a minute though, the visitors found themselves three goals in arrears, yet again they could not deal with a corner, and a header appeared to cross the line before being blocked, however Bunyan made sure by thumping home from 12 yards.

It was quite a remarkable scoreline at half time, and in truth Farnham should have scored at least a couple more with a couple of unbelievable close range misses, although the visitors had not actually played that badly. To have any chance of getting anything from the game, they would need to score early in the second half, and on 57 minutes a long range shot was needlessly spilt by the Farnham keeper, and in rushing to retrieve the loose ball, brought down the Badshot Lea forward John Pomroy and a penalty was awarded, and was converted by Pomroy himself with a powerful shot into the bottom right hand corner giving the keeper no chance. The visitors now had a sniff, and the game remained open with both sides having chances to add to the scoreline. On 72 minutes, Farnham put the game to bed when a perfectly judged through ball was played, putting Corbett through one-on-one with the keeper, and he showed good composure to slot the ball low into the net. They had numerous other gilt edged chances to add to the scoreline, although it was not until deep into added-on time that they managed to add a fifth, Corbett smashing home the penalty high straight down the middle after a driving run into the box drew a foul, for his 49th goal in just 51 games since joining the club - a mightily impressive record at any level of senior football.

So a comprehensive derby day victory for Farnham Town, and the victory was deserved for a team that showed good movement, understanding and desire, although the scoreline was harsh on Badshot Lea, who actually played quite well and deserve considerable credit for still showing good application even by the time defeat was inevitable and they certainly played their part in a very entertaining game of football.

Ton Pentre 0 v 0 Pontardawe Town

Saturday 27th August 2011
Welsh League Division 1
Ynys Park, Ton Pentre
Admission: £4.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 50 (estimate)
Match Rating: 3

My first venture over the Severn Crossing of the season today, with the usual plethora of scenic and charming venues in the Welsh League to choose from. In the end I chose to head north up the Rhondda Valley to visit the home of former League of Wales club, Ton Pentre.

Having arrived in Cardiff thanks to yet another bargain coach ticket of £2 return from London, I swiftly caught the train bound for Treherbert, and after a 50 minute journey I had arrived in Ton Pentre. Ynys Park is not the easiest of grounds to find, with no signs and the entrance a small and rather dingy lane appearing to head into an industrial yard with only logic and sense of direction urging me to follow that route, but it is only a couple of minutes' walk from the train station. Ynys Park certainly ranks as one of the better grounds in the Welsh League, mostly thanks to their League of Wales days in the 90's, although it is clear that recent improvements and facelifts have occured since then. As one enters the ground, there is a small stand straddling the half way line which has had seating installed within the last year, and between this stand and the corner flag is a large building which houses the clubhouse and changing rooms - players have to come down quite a tall flight of metallic stairs to enter the pitch. Behind one of the goals is a covered terrace stretching between the corner flags and with a tea bar built in, and around the rest of the ground is grass standing. It's a well maintained ground, and typically for the Welsh League, the setting is peaceful and glorious, with a background of colourful steep hills all around. Again typically for the Welsh League, the programme was of a good standard and was good value for money, with a glossy cover and plenty to read inside about both teams and the league.

Ton Pentre are back in the top flight of the Welsh League this season, having run away with the Division 2 title last season, remaining unbeaten throughout and finishing 13 points clear. Their unbeaten record this season only lasted two games though, winning their first two games before losing at home to Haverfordwest County, newly relegated from the Welsh Premier. Bizarrely, of their four league fixtures played so far this season, Ton Pentre have already played both the home and away league matches against neighbours AFC Porth - there cannot be too many occasions when a club has played both games against a club before the end of August! With seven points from their opening four games, it has been a solid start to the season for Ton Pentre. Today's visitors from the outskirts of Swansea, Pontardawe Town, finished in fourth place in Division 1 last season and have started this season with two defeats, but won their last game at Aberaman Athletic.The last time these two clubs met, on the final day of the 2009-2010 season, Ton Pentre needed a point to stay in Division 1, but lost 2-3, consigning them to relegation, the first in the club's history disregarding their voluntarily dropping out of the League of Wales in the late nineties, not the first club in Wales to find playing matches across Wales and in European competition an excessive and unsustainable financial burden.

On an overcast day with occasional sunny periods but also occasional light rain showers, this was very much a game of two halves. The visitors were in the ascendancy for most of the first half as they played down a slight slope and certainly had the better chances, as the home side looked rather ragged and disjointed, playing too many stray passes, although they had the occasional presentable chances to open the scoring. Some rather heavy tackles, particularly from the visitors, provoked a flurry of yellow cards from the referee, and on 41 minutes, what had seemed increasingly inevitable occured, with a red card shown to Arwel Rees, although it was one of the more bizarre sendings off one would see. Having received physio attention off of the pitch, as an attacking free-kick was taken, Rees raced onto the pitch to join the attack, apparently believing he had been waved onto the pitch. It turned out that the referee had merely held his hand aloft to indicate an indirect free-kick, and to general amazement, the referee showed Rees a second yellow card and then a red. A little benefit of the doubt would not have gone amiss here and it appeared to be a very, very harsh booking prompting the sending off, and Rees certainly had the look of a man who felt hard done by as he kicked and punched almost anything non-human as he made his way to the dressing room.

WIth Pontardawe looking the better team up to this point, it would be interesting to see how the balance of play would pan out in the second half. Ton Pentre came out for the second half with a much more purposeful look about them, and went on to dominate the second half, although they had the air of a team lacking the guile and cohesion to find their way to goal. However, in the final 20 minutes of the match, they bombarded Pontardawe's goal, and how on earth they did not score is anyone's guess as several shots drifted inches wide of the goal, the woodwork was struck and in the dying minutes, virtually a free header from 8 yards out somehow did not find the back of the net. Pontardawe occasionally looked very dangerous on the break, on each occasion the defence snuffed out the danger well, but in the last five minutes they were denied what looked like a stone-wall penalty as Tom Blackburn drove into the box and was unceremoniously bundled over. In the end, the match finished goalless. No doubt Pontardawe will be far the happier with a point, having played 49 minutes with ten men and survived a barrage of shots in the closing stages, and the goalless scoreline was not really an accurate reflection of what was an entertaining game full of endeavour if not skill.

Pagham 1 v 2 Herne Bay

Saturday 20th August 2011
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Nyetimber Lane, Pagham
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 75
Match Rating: 4

My first taste of domestic football action of the season took in the very first step on the long road to Wembley in the FA Cup today, in the Extra Preliminary Round. A trip down to the West Sussex coast most appealed to me, with an appealing looking tie with two of the better sides on the Sussex County League and the Kent League.

Nyetimber Lane is about three miles from Bognor Regis train station, from which there are buses every 15 minutes dropping one virtually outside the ground. Having been greeted with a rather firm sign at the door that all must pay and don't take your anger out on the gateman if you disagree, I entered a very smart and neat looking ground that has obviously has had plenty of TLC and licks of paint in recent times.On one length of the pitch there is half a dozen terrace steps covered by a wooden roof - but with open sides and rear. On the other length is the clubhouse and alongside that is a small tradional stone stand that is entered from the rear and has an attractive modern sign welcoming everyone to Nytimber Lane. Hard standing is available around the rest of the pitch. The programme was an interesting one - just 8 pages for £1.00, but to its credit, contained no advertising, has a very attractive and professional cover and design and contains the all-important thorough welcome message, league fixtures and results including line-ups for each game, predicted line-ups for this game and potted histories of both clubs.

This would not exactly be a tie for Herne Bay to relish though, with perhaps one of the longest trips possible at this stage of the competition, from the north-east Kent coast right down to western extremity of the Sussex coast.Both teams cames into this fixture in perfect form - Pagham winning both of therr opening league games 2-1 in the Sussex League and finished last season in fourth place, albeit a whopping 20 points behind champions Crawley Down, whilst Herne Bay have also won both of their opening games in the Kent League. They are always a strong outfit at this level, having finished runners up in the Kent League for the last two seasons, last season being denied the championship and promotion by goal difference, losing only two league games all season.

In prefect conditions - a gloriously sunny day with barely a cloud in the sky and with temperatures pleasant but not oppressive, this match was a really good advert for this level of football, with both sides playing good football along the floor, although Herne Bay were probably guilty of over playing in the final third, seeming to prefer tippy-tappy football around the box instead of driving towards goal. They were made to pay for this approach when Pagham took the lead on 13 minutes, when following some confusion in the box, a shot was saved but only palmed out into the path of Phil Turner, who struck home from close range.

This was how the scoreline remained at half-time, slightly harsh on Herne Bay, although it did not take them too long to put it right. On 55 minutes, they were awarded a fairly controversial penalty for off-the-ball holding, which was converted by a well struck shot high into the top left corner by Byron Walker. Within a couple of minutes, the visitors went in front when a long looping free kick from close to the half way line was headed over the keeper caught in no-mans-land and into the net by Tom Bryant. Herne Bay deserved this as they did adopt a more clinical approach in the second half and could have scored several more, hitting the woodwork twice and a couple of breakaway shots drifted agonisingly wide of the post. Pagham only sporadically threatended - although they always looked capable of scoring when they did, and the intensity of chances stepped up in the closing stages, but in the end, Herne Bay claimed a good and well deserved victory, to set up a tie with neighbours Deal Town.

Various Stadia in the Faroe Islands on non-matchdays

Skala IF - Undir Mýruhjalla, Skáli

B71 Sandoy - Inni í Dal, Sandur

KI Klaksvik -Djúpumýra

FC Suðuroy -Vesturi á Eiðinum, Vagur

ÍF Fuglafjørður - Fløtugerði, Fuglafjørður