Football League Championship
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 18,380
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Monday, 24 December 2012
Langney Wanderers 5 v 1 Hollington United
Saturday 22nd December 2012
East Sussex League Premier Division
Eastbourne Sports Park, Eastbourne
Admission and programme: N/A
Attendance: 12 (head count)
Match Rating: 4
On a rare occasion in recent months when I had not planned to visit a
Football League or Premiership ground, it was rather unfortunate that recent
persistent heavy rain severely limited my choice of local non-league games
today. Constant torrential rain from the early hours of Saturday morning on
already saturated ground put paid to almost every non-league game in the
south-east. With the selection further reduced by wanting to avoid a revisit, I
headed to the south coast for a game on a synthetic pitch in the East Sussex
League.
Langney Wanderers played their early games in their debut season in the
East Sussex League at Shinewater Lane in Eastbourne, but have switched their
home venue to the Eastbourne Sports Park during the winter months, to make use
of the all-weather 3G pitch there. The Eastbourne Sports Park is located on the
northern fringes of Eastbourne, about a ten minute walk from Hampden Park train
station, and is a large sporting facility consisting of an athletics complex, a
tennis centre, eight grass football pitches (several other clubs in the East
Sussex League play on these) and the 3G pitch. Although positioned inside a
cage, the arena is surprisingly spectator friendly, with plenty of room to
stand behind railing along one length of the pitch, and around the rest of the
pitch is hard standing albeit without railings. Floodlights are present,
although they were not used today. As the pitch is also used for hockey, there
is a rather colourful array of coloured lines painted on the turf.
This match would be between two of the stronger teams in the East
Sussex League Premier Division. Hollington United have been the dominant force
in the league for years. They finished last season with a 100% record, and were
unbeaten this season, having won five and drew the other of their six games so
far this season, and were in second place in the league, behind St Leonards
Social on goal difference but with a game in hand. Langney Wanderers had only
played four games of their league season so far, winning three and losing the
other. They were in eighth place in the
eleven team league, but with at least two games in hand on all teams above them
and seven points behind the top two.
On a truly horrible afternoon of strong winds and persistent rain,
together increasing mist, Langney Wanderers were in the ascendancy in the early
stages and duly took the lead on 12 minutes, when a cross swirled high above
the goalmouth in the wind, before Riki Prodger headed in from close range at
the far post. Hollington seemed to be having real difficulty adapting to the
difficult conditions and the plastic pitch, and their cause was not helped when
their goalkeeper was injured on 35 minutes and had to be replaced by an
outfield player. He was beaten within four minutes, when a long low ball was
played forward, and Prodger sidefooted the keeper before tapping into the net.
On the stroke of half time, Prodger completed his hat=trick with a free-kick
from 25 yards which was drilled into the net through the replacement keeper’s
hands.
Hollington’s long unbeaten league record was now in serious doubt, but
within ten minutes of the restart, they got a goal back with a powerful shot on
the turn from just outside the penalty area into the top corner by Jake Stiles.
Game on, it seemed, however within two minutes, Langney Wanderers restored their
three goal advantage when Paul Rogers hit home from a low cross from 8 yards. Langney
Wanderers really should have scored several more, as they adopted a “shoot on
sight” policy to test the replacement goalkeeper, their stand-out chances being
when the ball was blazed over the bar twice from good positions and struck the
post. They finally did add a fifth ten minutes from time when the ball was
played neatly around the edge of the box, before Mark Coleman struck the ball powerfully
into the net from the edge of the penalty area, beating the keeper at his near
post. So a very convincing win for Langney Wanderers, who adapted to the
conditions far better than Hollington who, despite putting in plenty of effort,
just looked all at sea and increasingly demoralised in the driving rain on the
plastic pitch.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Crowborough Athletic 4 v 2 Southwick
Tuesday 18th December 2012
Sussex Senior Cup Second Round
Alderbrook Stadium, Crowborough
Admission: £6.00
Programme: N/A
Attendance: 60 (estimate)
Match rating: 3
Attending local midweek games has recently become easier and more attractive with my recent acquisition of a car, and tonight I took the opportunity of a revisit to the Alderbrook Recreation Ground, a ground I visited on many occasions in my younger days, for a Sussex Senior Cup Second Round tie. The tie was originally drawn to be played at Southwick, however the recent bad weather meant that two previous attempts to play the tie at Southwick were postponed due to a waterlogged and then a frozen pitch, and competition rules dictated that the tie be switched to the away venue on the third attempt.
A description of the Alderbrook can be found here from my previous visit. Unfortunately programmes were not produced for tonight’s game, which was only hastily arranged last Friday. However, back issues of the programme were freely available in the tea room and seemed to follow a familiar recent pattern of programmes here – colour, and quite glossy, but rather light on content.
Surrendering home advantage would surely make an already seemingly tough task even more difficult for Southwick, who play in a division below Crowborough in the Sussex County League. Crowborough were in 14th place in Division One and were in good goalscoring form, having won their last three games, scoring 11 goals in the process, and had lost just once in their last six games. Southwick were in 10th place in Division Two. In the previous round of the Sussex Senior Cup, Southwick beat Wick 2-0 at home, whilst Crowborough won away at Little Common on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
On a chilly, slightly misty evening, the game started in fairly predictable fashion, with Crowborough very much on the front foot and with Southwick looking very limited. The only surprise was that it took Crowborough as long as 18 minutes to open the scoring with a fairly scrappy goal, the ball finally being drilled home by Alex Rich. That did not seem to inspire the home side, whose play seemed to then increasingly sink to the level of their lower league opponents, as the game became rather dull and littered with mistakes. It was still a surprise when Southwick were given the opportunity to equalise when they were awarded a penalty on 35 minutes when their forward was rather clumsily brought down from behind. Idie Adejoda drilled the penalty into the bottom left hand corner of the net. A minute before half time and it was Southwick who took an unexpected lead when Lewis Finny drove forward and lashed home a powerful shot past the keeper from a slight angle.
So a surprising half time scoreline, although within ten minutes of the restart, Crowborough were back on level terms with a penalty of their own, struck high into the net by Josh Biddlecombe. They went on to dominate the second half, although as the half wore on, extra time was looking ever more likely. However, ten minutes from time, Crowborough took the lead when a looping cross from close to the byline was headed home powerfully by Jack Turner, and the tie was wrapped up five minutes from time when Alex Rich scored his second and Crowborough’s fourth when he curled a low free-kick into the net. So it was Crowborough who progressed to the next round as expected, where they will face Ryman League outfit Three Bridges in January, however they were given an almighty scare by their lower league opponents and will certainly need to up their game when they become the lower league underdogs.
Sussex Senior Cup Second Round
Alderbrook Stadium, Crowborough
Admission: £6.00
Programme: N/A
Attendance: 60 (estimate)
Match rating: 3
Attending local midweek games has recently become easier and more attractive with my recent acquisition of a car, and tonight I took the opportunity of a revisit to the Alderbrook Recreation Ground, a ground I visited on many occasions in my younger days, for a Sussex Senior Cup Second Round tie. The tie was originally drawn to be played at Southwick, however the recent bad weather meant that two previous attempts to play the tie at Southwick were postponed due to a waterlogged and then a frozen pitch, and competition rules dictated that the tie be switched to the away venue on the third attempt.
A description of the Alderbrook can be found here from my previous visit. Unfortunately programmes were not produced for tonight’s game, which was only hastily arranged last Friday. However, back issues of the programme were freely available in the tea room and seemed to follow a familiar recent pattern of programmes here – colour, and quite glossy, but rather light on content.
Surrendering home advantage would surely make an already seemingly tough task even more difficult for Southwick, who play in a division below Crowborough in the Sussex County League. Crowborough were in 14th place in Division One and were in good goalscoring form, having won their last three games, scoring 11 goals in the process, and had lost just once in their last six games. Southwick were in 10th place in Division Two. In the previous round of the Sussex Senior Cup, Southwick beat Wick 2-0 at home, whilst Crowborough won away at Little Common on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
On a chilly, slightly misty evening, the game started in fairly predictable fashion, with Crowborough very much on the front foot and with Southwick looking very limited. The only surprise was that it took Crowborough as long as 18 minutes to open the scoring with a fairly scrappy goal, the ball finally being drilled home by Alex Rich. That did not seem to inspire the home side, whose play seemed to then increasingly sink to the level of their lower league opponents, as the game became rather dull and littered with mistakes. It was still a surprise when Southwick were given the opportunity to equalise when they were awarded a penalty on 35 minutes when their forward was rather clumsily brought down from behind. Idie Adejoda drilled the penalty into the bottom left hand corner of the net. A minute before half time and it was Southwick who took an unexpected lead when Lewis Finny drove forward and lashed home a powerful shot past the keeper from a slight angle.
So a surprising half time scoreline, although within ten minutes of the restart, Crowborough were back on level terms with a penalty of their own, struck high into the net by Josh Biddlecombe. They went on to dominate the second half, although as the half wore on, extra time was looking ever more likely. However, ten minutes from time, Crowborough took the lead when a looping cross from close to the byline was headed home powerfully by Jack Turner, and the tie was wrapped up five minutes from time when Alex Rich scored his second and Crowborough’s fourth when he curled a low free-kick into the net. So it was Crowborough who progressed to the next round as expected, where they will face Ryman League outfit Three Bridges in January, however they were given an almighty scare by their lower league opponents and will certainly need to up their game when they become the lower league underdogs.
Bolton Wanderers 2 v 0 Charlton Athletic
Saturday 15th December 2012
Football League Championship
Reebok Stadium, Horwich
Admission: £22.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 15991
Match rating: 2
With the opportunities of visiting new stadia following Charlton becoming ever scarcer these days, a visit to what was up to last season an established Premiership stadium, which has an attractive and distinctive design, was one of the stand-out fixtures for me to attend this season.
The Reebok Stadium is very conveniently located just a few minutes’ walk from Horwich Parkway rail station, and the sight of the stadium as one approaches it is certainly impressive, with its very neat, curved and unique design. In the middle of a roundabout adjacent to the stadium is the impressive 30m high “Spirit of Sport” stainless steel sculpture, which features over 700 images of persons who have been key to the sporting history of Bolton shaped into a gleaming trophy. Surrounding the rest of the stadium is a large retail park. Inside the stadium is again very easy on the eye, the legroom and views are excellent, and the capacity has been sensibly pitched to suit the level of support and to give the stadium an intimate feel. The programme was surprisingly priced at just £2.00, and was excellent value for money, having plenty of interesting material to read whilst omitting the endless articles of dubious interest that one often finds in the larger and more expensive publications usually found in the Football League.
Bolton have certainly not adapted well to life in the Championship, so much so that their season has already cost them one manager in Owen Coyle. They found themselves down in 18th place in the 24 team league going into this game, although eight points clear of the relegation zone. Recent results under new manager Dougie Freedman have been pretty uninspiring, drawing five of their last seven games, winning one and losing the other. Charlton have been in good recent form, unbeaten in their last seven games since the shocking 1-4 home defeat to Middlesbrough at the beginning of October, and were unbeaten on the road since 18th September.
On a very overcast but mild day, the first half was a fairly cagey affair, with Bolton playing lots of possession, passing football, but with no threat or penetration whatsoever. Charlton looked to have the more attacking intent, but were let down by poor final balls, and so it was unsurprising that the scoreline remained goalless at half time. One very surprising aspect of the first half was how incredibly quiet the Bolton fans were, giving the stadium a rather eerie feel, only disturbed, apart from the Charlton’s fans chants, by a chorus of boos from the home fans at the half time whistle.
The second half continued in a similar vein, with a bore draw seeming the most likely outcome, until the introduction of Bolton substitutes David N’Gog and Martin Petrov changed the game. On 74 minutes, the substitutes exchanged passes before N’Gog worked some magic before slotting past Ben Hamer in the Charlton goal. Six minutes later and it was 2-0 to Bolton, with a very similar goal to the first one, this time N’Gog combined with Kevin Davies before slotting home. Finally the Bolton fans were stirred into life and to make some noise, and their team was transformed as they should have scored at least one more, but the scoreline remained 2-0. In the end, Premiership quality proved the difference between the two sides, after Bolton had looked surprisingly poor and lacking in ideas throughout the first two thirds of the match, whilst Charlton will be wondering how on earth they did not claim at least a point from this match, with a frustrating feeling of Bolton being “there for the taking”.
Football League Championship
Reebok Stadium, Horwich
Admission: £22.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 15991
Match rating: 2
With the opportunities of visiting new stadia following Charlton becoming ever scarcer these days, a visit to what was up to last season an established Premiership stadium, which has an attractive and distinctive design, was one of the stand-out fixtures for me to attend this season.
The Reebok Stadium is very conveniently located just a few minutes’ walk from Horwich Parkway rail station, and the sight of the stadium as one approaches it is certainly impressive, with its very neat, curved and unique design. In the middle of a roundabout adjacent to the stadium is the impressive 30m high “Spirit of Sport” stainless steel sculpture, which features over 700 images of persons who have been key to the sporting history of Bolton shaped into a gleaming trophy. Surrounding the rest of the stadium is a large retail park. Inside the stadium is again very easy on the eye, the legroom and views are excellent, and the capacity has been sensibly pitched to suit the level of support and to give the stadium an intimate feel. The programme was surprisingly priced at just £2.00, and was excellent value for money, having plenty of interesting material to read whilst omitting the endless articles of dubious interest that one often finds in the larger and more expensive publications usually found in the Football League.
Bolton have certainly not adapted well to life in the Championship, so much so that their season has already cost them one manager in Owen Coyle. They found themselves down in 18th place in the 24 team league going into this game, although eight points clear of the relegation zone. Recent results under new manager Dougie Freedman have been pretty uninspiring, drawing five of their last seven games, winning one and losing the other. Charlton have been in good recent form, unbeaten in their last seven games since the shocking 1-4 home defeat to Middlesbrough at the beginning of October, and were unbeaten on the road since 18th September.
On a very overcast but mild day, the first half was a fairly cagey affair, with Bolton playing lots of possession, passing football, but with no threat or penetration whatsoever. Charlton looked to have the more attacking intent, but were let down by poor final balls, and so it was unsurprising that the scoreline remained goalless at half time. One very surprising aspect of the first half was how incredibly quiet the Bolton fans were, giving the stadium a rather eerie feel, only disturbed, apart from the Charlton’s fans chants, by a chorus of boos from the home fans at the half time whistle.
The second half continued in a similar vein, with a bore draw seeming the most likely outcome, until the introduction of Bolton substitutes David N’Gog and Martin Petrov changed the game. On 74 minutes, the substitutes exchanged passes before N’Gog worked some magic before slotting past Ben Hamer in the Charlton goal. Six minutes later and it was 2-0 to Bolton, with a very similar goal to the first one, this time N’Gog combined with Kevin Davies before slotting home. Finally the Bolton fans were stirred into life and to make some noise, and their team was transformed as they should have scored at least one more, but the scoreline remained 2-0. In the end, Premiership quality proved the difference between the two sides, after Bolton had looked surprisingly poor and lacking in ideas throughout the first two thirds of the match, whilst Charlton will be wondering how on earth they did not claim at least a point from this match, with a frustrating feeling of Bolton being “there for the taking”.
Charlton Athletic 2 v 2 Brighton and Hove Albion
Saturday 8th December 2012
Football League Championship
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £5.00
Attendance: 19,018
Charlton Athletic 2 v 0 Peterborough United
Tuesday 27th November 2012
Football League Championship
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season ticket
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 17,377
Charlton Athletic 1 v 1 Huddersfield Town
Saturday 24th November 2012
Football League Championship
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season ticket
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 20,012
Match rating: 3
Match report can be found here
Football League Championship
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season ticket
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 20,012
Match rating: 3
Match report can be found here
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