Seven Acre and Sidcup 2 v 1 Canterbury City

Tuesday 30th July 2013
Pre-season friendly
Wested Meadow, Crockenhill
Admission: £2.00
Programme: Nil
Attendance: 34
Match Rating: 3

 Fancying another midweek game this evening, I decided to return to a ground that was of the most memorable I had visited in my travels for being so quirky and full of character.

This game was switched from Seven Acre and Sidcup's usual ground at Oxford Road in Sidcup to Wested Meadow, home of fellow Kent Invicta League outfit Crockenhill. Situated on the edge of London barely a mile south of Swanley and with the M25 close enough to be audible from the ground, it is a surprise when one has to drive down a very tight country lane to get there. Once inside, the ground is a marvellous throwback to how grassroots football grounds used to be up until the late nineties. It is looking very scruffy these days though, with random items and equipment scattered around much of the pitch. As one enters the ground, there is a unique old fashioned stand offering bench seating with a very intimate feel. To one side is a covered standing area and to the other a slightly elevated uncovered standing area behind railing. This is the only part of the ground that spectators seem to be intended to watch the game from these days. Behind one goal is a small wooden stand, an addition since my last visit, but with debris inside and the area behind the goal is overgrown with gaping holes. Along the other length is even more overgrown and difficult to access, whilst corrugated iron sheets surrounding the other goal means the area is inaccessible. Arguably the best feature of Wested Meadow is the clubhouse, a Nissen hut that has its interior walls and ceiling covered in scarfs and other memorabilia, a colourful and very welcoming place to have a drink in. Apparently programmes were intended to be printed this evening, but it didn't work out.

This evening's game would be between a Kent Invicta League outfit at home to a club from the league above, the Southern Counties East league (formerly the Kent League). Seven Acre and Sidcup had a good season in 2012/13, finishing in fifth. Canterbury finished in ninth.

On an evening noticeably cooler than of late, alternating between bright sunshine and overcast conditions, this was an entertaining game, perhaps unsurprisingly littered with poor touches and passes going astray with players not on the same wavelength. It was Sidcup who took the lead on sixteen minutes when a ball forward found two players bearing down on the keeper, one of whom, Jamie Williams, knocked the ball to one side before tapping into an empty net. On 32 minutes Sidcup doubled their lead with a very good goal, the ball was taken down the wing and crossed high and at pace, falling to the feet of Anthony Fenech to tap the ball home.

The second half was increasingly but friendly, with some very robust challenges particularly by Canterbury players, one of whom was asked to leave the pitch after two bad fouls in quick succession. Indeed, the game threatened to get out of control, as the Sidcup bench had a heated exchange with the referee. Six minutes into the second half and Canterbury pulled a goal back, a fairly scrappy goal that was eventually knocked in at the far post. There were few clear cut chances for the rest of the match though, and Seven Acre and Sidcup held on fairly comfortably for a deserved win.

Enfield Town 8 v 2 YB SK Beveren

Saturday 27th July 2013
Supporters Direct Cup
Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 330
Match Rating: 4

For today's action, I opted for a rather quirky looking international match between teams in their seventh tier of their respective league pyramids.

The Queen Elizabeth II Stadium is about a 15 minute bus ride from Enfield Town rail station, and is not a particularly exciting stadium, even though I am loathe to criticise a venue that club officials have so worked so hard for, to get their club back in the town. The ground is part of an athletics complex, which results is spectators being rather distant from the action, behind a running track, although spectators are allowed close up to the pitch behind both goals. Along one length of the pitch but set quite a long way back is quite an unusual looking building with rounded ends and a cylindrical tower to one side, certainly the highlight of the ground, housing the bar, covered seating and a little standing area on the first floor. Three small uncovered stands of terracing are closer to the pitch, although the dugouts impede one's view from these. Straddling the half way line on the other side is a small metallic all seater stand, whilst behind both goals are similar sized stands but without seats. The ground does have a surprisingly peaceful feel to it given its location, surrounded by trees, next to a park and some distance from the nearest main road. The 20 page all colour programme was very good at informing of how the two clubs and this fixture came about.

Although really just a meaningless pre-season friendly, today was also named as the Supporters Direct Cup, contested annually by two selected supporters trust owned clubs. Enfield Town, of course, were formed when supporters of Enfield lost patience with their club showing little inclination to return its home back to Enfield after the scandalous sale of their Southbury Road stadium and so formed a new club in 2001. They will play in the Isthmian League Premier Division this season after successfully battling against relegation last season. YB SK Beveren were formed in 2010 when supporters felt they had 'lost' their previous club KSK Beveren when it merged with another club, Waasland, and the new club assumed Waasland's registration and history. In their second season, they won promotion last season into the Third Provincial East Flanders League.

Although violent thunderstorms were forecast today, the reality was another very warm and muggy afternoon, and the signs from the opening minutes were that this would be something of a mismatch, with Enfield Town's players looking far too quick in feet and mind for Beveren's. After hitting the crossbar from 8 yards out, Enfield Town took the lead on 8 minutes when the bounce of the ball completely deceived the keeper and the ball went into the net via a glancing header. After having a point blank range shot saved by the keeper's legs, Beveren were back on level terms on 13 minutes, when a sloppy defensive pass with picked up by a Beveren player, who strode forward before smashing a powerful shot into the top right hand corner. Parity only lasted for two minutes though, when the home side retook the lead when the ball was poked home following a scramble deep in the area. On 39 minutes, the home side opened up a two goal cushion when a corner was played to a forward just outside the box, who found space before a drilling a low shot which went through the keeper's hands and into the net. 3-1 was how it remained at half time, although in truth the lead should have been much more convincing, with Beveren's keeper making countless good saves as well as Enfield Town hitting the woodwork twice.

Within three minutes of the restart, the home side put the game beyond doubt with a fourth goal when the ball was drilled in low from the edge of the area after the ball had bobbled around the penalty area. Eight minutes later, and after Enfield Town again hit the bar, they were awarded a penalty when the goalkeeper brought down an onrushing striker. The penalty was struck powerfully low into the bottom left corner. On 58 minutes, Beveren were gifted another consolation goal when a suicidal defensive pass was intercepted and the ball was struck low past the keeper. There was then a rare lull in proceedings as numerous substitutions took place, until the home side made it 6-2 on 82 minutes when a corner was very weakly pushed out by the keeper and the loose ball was hit home via a deflection. After Enfield yet again hit the woodwork, they scored their seventh on 89 minutes when some neat play in the box ended with a low shot past the keeper. There was still time for one more goal, when an excellent run forward drew the keeper out and the ball was slid low past the keeper and into the net. That was to be the end of the scoring with a thoroughly convincing 8-2 scoreline, although really Enfield Town should comfortably have made double figures.

The cup was presented to Enfield Town shortly after the final whistle, and although the game turned out to be a real mismatch, the result didn't matter and this really was a wonderfully friendly occasion, with both sets of fans mingling with each other and singing each others songs, both during the game and afterwards in the clubhouse. Credit to Beveren's players for still battling gamely throughout and not resorting to more agricultural damage limitation tactics, and credit too to their supporters who added colour and something different to the occasion, and combined with Enfield Town's supporters being in fine voice throughout, there was a really good natured spirit throughout today.

Rusthall 3 v 1 Tunbridge Wells

Tuesday 23rd July 2013
Pre-season friendly
Jockey Farm, Rusthall
Admission: £4.00
Programme: None
Attendance: 224
Match Rating: 4

This game promised to be much more interesting and competitive than the average pre-season friendly, with it being a local derby between Tunbridge Wells’ two senior clubs. It would also be the first time I have watched Tunbridge Wells since their remarkable big day out in the FA Vase Final at Wembley in May, visiting the home of a Rusthall club that seems to have been rejuvenated over the summer with high hopes for a successful season ahead.

Jockey Farm is a delightfully rural and tranquil ground located a couple of miles to the west of Tunbridge Wells, and the ground has not changed noticeably from my previous visit a couple of years ago. Admission was rather half-heartedly taken – one needed to approach a table to pay their admission – and no programme was produced for today, slightly surprising given the probable high number of spectators in attendance.

Rusthall had a fairly poor season in 2012/12, with only a late run of form pulling them away from the relegation zone. They have had quite a turnover of players over the summer and have ambitions to be much closer to the top of the table this season. This evening’s game would be a good test of where they are at, against a team one step above them, with Tunbridge Wells playing in the recently renames Southern Counties East League, formerly the Kent League. Not only did Tunbridge Wells reach the FA Vase final last season, many speculated that they may have been much closer to promotion but for chronic fixture backlog – which regularly saw them play on consecutive days towards the end of the season. Having retained almost all of the players from last season, they are one of the favourites for promotion this coming season.

On the first cool evening for the last couple of weeks, with occasional rain showers, this was very much a game of two halves. Tunbridge Wells had must the better of the first half and opened the scoring on 35 minutes when Wayne Clark dribbled forward and around several defenders before dinking a smart finish over the keeper. They retained their one goal lead at half time, but it should really have been much more convincing, having spurned two one on one opportunities as well as having several other presentable chances. Rusthall were not playing badly, but just never looked capable of scoring.

Into the second half and Rusthall got much more into the game as Tunbridge Wells lost their way more and more as the half wore on. Rusthall were awarded a penalty on 56 minutes when their player was rather clumsily pulled back. The penalty was smashed down the middle to tie the game up at 1-1. Rusthall deservedly went into the lead seven minutes later when a pinpoint cross on the run from out wide was headed powerfully into the net, and ten minutes later they scored a third when a shot towards goal was deflected at close range to deceive the keeper and the ball ended up in the net. This was no more than Rusthall deserved, and they could easily have extended their lead further. Rusthall’s second half display was mightily impressive and if they can carry this level of performance into their league season, they could indeed have a good season. Tunbridge Wells looked a very poor outfit in the second half, disjointed and with their players increasingly getting agitated with each other, but they have plenty of time and game time before the league season commences.