Eastbourne Town 2 v 3 Horsham YMCA

Tuesday 24th February 2015
Sussex County League Division One
The Saffrons, Eastbourne
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 108
Match Rating: 3

After being put off evening fixtures for the past couple of months due to wet and / or icy cold conditions, this evening I took in my first taste of non Charlton midweek evening fixture of 2015 with my second visit of the season to The Saffrons, for an attractive looking fixture, with the home side pushing for an immediate return to the Isthmian League.

Eastbourne Town came into this game in fourth place in the table, with 55 points from 25 games, and although they trail Dorking Wanderers by six points, they have two games in hand. So far, they have won 17 and lost just four of their league games. They came into this game in great form, winning their last three games 3-1 at home to Lancing, 1-5 at St Francis Rangers and most recently 1-7 at bottom of the table Selsey. Horsham YMCA were in seventh place, with 40 points from their 26 games, and so appear destined for a comfortable mid-table finish. They have won 12 but lost ten of their league games. Their most recent form has also been impressive, winning 0-4 at Crawley Down Gatwick and then 7-0 at home to Selsey. Tonight would be the first league meeting between the two clubs this season, although Horsham YMCA triumphed when they met in the Sussex Senior Cup 2-0 in November.

On a cold but dry evening, this game got off to a surprising and explosive start, with the visitors taking the lead inside the first minute. Following some good quick passing down the right, Sam Schaaf eventually strode inside the area before firing a low shot across the keeper and into the far corner. They made it two on ten minutes, when the ball was intercepted in midfield and Josh Brown ran forward before striking the ball past the keeper. Eastbourne thought they had soon equalised on 14 minutes when, following a jinking run into the box and eventual shot which was tipped onto the bar, the rebound was turned in but the lineswoman flagged for offside. Although the effort and commitment was there in Eastbourne's players, there was precious little quality, and Horsham YMCA seemed to out the game out of sight on 38 minutes, when Anthony Hibbert struck the ball from the outer edge of the area after the keeper came out but lost the race to the ball.

So, Eastbourne really had a mountain to climb in the second half of a game they really needed to win to keep up their title challenge, and within a minute of the restart, they gave themselves a sniff, when Daniel Smith ran onto a low thoughball before placing hit shot just inside the post. Four minutes later and it was very much game on when the home side were awarded a penalty for a foul push. Ross Sutton struck the ball firmly down the middle to make it 2-3. Surprisingly, Eastbourne didn't really kick on from there, as they rarely looked likely to grab a third goal, nothing seeming to come off for them, probably partly due to Horsham being well organised and slowing the game down at every opportunity. Eastbourne's biggest chance to snatch a point came three minutes from time, when their plater strode forward and placed a low shot which beat the keeper but rolled just wide of the post. But in the end, Horsham deserved their victory as Eastbourne put in a very disappointing display, which makes next Tuesday's home game with Littlehampton - who won 5-1 this evening - crucial if they are to stay in the running of claiming the title.

Bath City 2 v 2 North Ferriby United

Saturday 21st February 2015
FA Trophy Semi Final Second Leg
Twerton Park, Bath

Admission: £12.00

Programme: £2.50

Attendance: 1,730

Match Rating: 4

When booking today's Megabus coach tickets to Bath for the bargain return price of £2 from London Victoria on Christmas Eve, I was looking forward to visiting a ground apparently full of character and tradition, and which was previously a Football League ground, with Bristol Rovers calling Twerton Park "home" between 1986 and 1996. Today's visit became even more appealing though when, instead of today being a run of the mill league game, instead I would be able to watch one of biggest occasions Twerton Park has hosted in recent years.

Twerton Park is just under two miles, a brisk half hour walk westwards from Bath Spa railway station, and happily found it to indeed live up to my hopes of a traditional ground with infinitely more character than the ever more widespread newly built or rebuilt stadia. One enters in one corner of the ground, and along the length is an old fashioned, elevated all-seater stand, which doesn't appear to offer the best of views, with a seemingly claustrophobic interior and supporting pillars along the front. Uncovered terrace steps are along the front of the stand, and towards the furthest corner flag from the main entrance is a further, smaller all-seater stand, again with supporting pillars. Behind both goals are uncovered terraces, although one is very shallow. Along the remaining length is arguably the finest part of the stadium, a large terrace with an old fashioned stand, which is not in the best of condition, covering the length, a real throwback to how stadia used to be prior to the modernisation of football. Even traditional floodlight pylons continue the feel of a football ground from the last century. All in all, Twerton Park has seen better days - virtually nothing of substance has changed since the stadium hosted Bristol Rovers' Football League matches almost 20 years ago - which is precisely what makes it such a refreshing experience these days compared with the sanitised surrounding usually found elsewhere. It even has quite scenic surroundings as despite being hemmed in between houses, a green backdrop is provided on hills behind both lengths. The 52 page programme was easy on the eye and printed in full colour, with more than enough information about both clubs, but contained 27 pages exclusively of advertising.

With a trip to Wembley the reward for the winner of this two legged tie, both clubs would probably have been relieved to have avoided Conference National and former Football League clubs Torquay United and Wrexham. Today's teams looked well balanced on paper,  Bath in in 11th place in Conference South with 40 points from 27 games, whilst North Ferriby 11th in the parallel Conference North, with 42 points from 28 games. To reach this stage, Bath, who warmed up for today's game with an astonishing 7-4 home win against Farnborough, beat Gloucester City, Bristol Rovers, Wealdstone, Altrincham and Dover Athletic, whilst North Ferriby conquered Mickleover Sports, Boston United, Hyde, Farnborough and Ebbsfleet United. They appeared to be a team that is difficult to break down, as they had not conceded a goal in their last four games.

Apart from a hail shower at kick off, and a heavier and more prolonged hail shower early in the second half, it was a mainly overcast afternoon, and the home side started the brighter, but it was the visitors who took the lead on 25 minutes. St Kitts and Nevis international Jason St Juste drilled a low cross from the byline to the near post, and the ball squirmed into the net with the final touch coming off defender Dan Ball for an own goal. That really seemed to set Bath back, as North Ferriby comfortably preserved their lead at half time.

Not much seemed to change at the start of the second half, and the visitors opened up a two goal lead on 55 minutes. St Juste ran onto a flick on, shrugged off the attentions of Ball, before eventually poking the ball past the keeper. From Bath's point of view it was particularly symbolic that shortly after the goal, skies darkened to produce a heavy hailstorm. It really was looking like Bath's dream of a Wembley appearance were vanishing with a disappointing performance, however out of nothing, they were given a chance to equalise on 61 when they were awarded a generous looking penalty for a push in the box. Dave Pratt, who was fouled to win the penalty, powered the ball down the middle to give the home side a lifeline. That woke the home fans up, and certainly perked the team up too, as they belatedly started to look threatening, and they got a precious equaliser five minutes from time. Nick McCootie took possession of the ball from a throw in, drove towards goal before firing a fabulous powerful dipping shot which lobbed the keeper and found the far bottom corner of the net via the underside of the bar. That really got the home side going, and they spent most of the remaining minutes in and around North Ferriby's penalty area. The winning goal did not materialise, but Bath must be happy to head to East Yorkshire next Saturday with the scores level, coming from two goals down and being second best for long spells in today's game. It will be an intriguing game, which will probably be decided on which team holds their nerve better, as well as, based on today's evidence, which style of football will prevail - Bath's neater, passing game, or North Ferriby's physical approach.

Video highlights of the goals can be found here

In the second leg the following Saturday, Bath took the lead in the second minute, with North Ferriby equalising. 1-1 was how it remained after 90 minutes, and despite North Ferriby being reduced to ten men early in extra time, there was no further score and so the tie went to a penalty shootout, which North Ferriby won 4-2.

Charlton Athletic 3 v 0 Brentford

Saturday 14th February 2015

Football League Championship

The Valley, Charlton

Admission: Season Ticket

Programme: £3.00

Attendance: 14,875

Match Rating: 4

In all honesty, it is hard to remember a time I less looked forward to a trip to The Valley as today, given the very poor run Charlton have been on since the autumn that hasn't seen a win for over three months, some rather farcical and alienating of the fans strategies by the club's Belgian owners, culminating in a shockingly dreadful performance in Tuesday's home game provoking a hostile and poisonous atmosphere in the stadium.

On paper, it was hard to see Charlton's poor run coming to an end today, with today's visitors enjoying a good first season back in the Championship following promotion, in sixth place and the final play-off berth, with 52 points from 30 games. Interestingly, they had lost their last two home games, yet won their last three away games. Following Charlton's dismal defeat on Tuesday, they went into this game in 20th position, just three points clear of the relegation zone. However, hope was raised when, following a much improved second half performance with the half time introduction of Tony Watt to play alongside Igor Vetokele, manager Guy Luzon went with this formation from the start today. It was also a relief to see keeper Stephen Henderson back in the team for the first time since Charlton's last win, and newly signed Roger Johnson taking the place of Andre Bikey at the heart of defence - after looking immense at the start of the season, Bikey has proved something of a lumbering liability in recent weeks.

On a mild afternoon, what followed was truly remarkable, with Luzon's switch to playing two up front and playing players in their most natural positions completely vindicated with a solid performance. For the first time in weeks if not months, Charlton dominated possession, used the ball wisely, looked capable of scoring goals, whilst not fearing the worst every time the visiting team attacked - although Brentford were rarely able to mount threatening attacks anyway. Charlton took a deserved lead on 27 minutes, Vetokele chested the ball down on the edge of the area, controlled the ball, evaded a couple of defenders before laying it off to an unmarked Johann Gudmundsson across the area, who struck a sweet shot across the keeper and into the top left corner of the net. Charlton comfortably held on to their lead up to half time, although things weren't going all their own way, being forced into two injuries with left back Rhoys Wiggins and captain Johnnie Jackson both having to be replaced.

After Brentford actually had perhaps their best spell of the game at the start of the second half, without really threatening, Charlton doubled their advantage on 55 minutes. Frederic Bulot launched the ball towards Vetokele at the edge of the area, and the ball fell to strike partner Tony Watt, who calmly passed to Vetokele in a better position, and he guided the ball low just inside the post to give his team some real breathing space.  Given Charlton's recent record, it was difficult even now to feel comfortable at the three points being secured until the match entered stoppage time at the end of the game when they scored their third with a real route one goal. Keeper Henderson launched the ball downfield, finding Bulot on the left wing who sprang the offside trap, took the ball just inside the area before shooting the ball low and powerfully across the keeper and into the net. A fine goal to cap a fine performance, a total contrast to Tuesday night's performance, particularly in the first half. Hopefully this will kick start Charlton's season, who rose two places to 18th position and six points clear of the relegation zone, and give the team a little bit of confidence creeping back into their play for a big game at second bottom Wigan on Friday evening. Certainly the atmosphere was much more positive today, and perhaps a reminder that the team isn't all that bad, but was stuck is a bad rut, with developments off the field impacting on performance on it.

Video highlights of this game can be found here

USL Dunkerque 3 v 1 SAS Épinal

Friday 13th February 2015

French Championnat National

Stade Marcel Tribut, Dunkirk

Admission: €6.00

Programme: Free

Attendance: 600

Match Rating: 4

Being in the middle of a short break between jobs, I took the rare opportunity to take in some Friday night football in northern France, for my second taste of continental football within a week.

The Stade Marcel Tribut is located about a ten minute walk from Dunkirk town centre, and conveniently has plenty of free parking opposite the stadium. Inside the stadium, one finds that all of the spectator accommodation is along both lengths. The stand from where I chose to watch the game consists of uncovered terrace steps to the front, and covered steps to sit on (uncomfortably) to the rear, and this is a large stand with an interesting roof design of steps rising to the middle. On the opposite length is more comfortable looking seating, albeit with a few narrow obstructing pillars, and with some boxes above the seating. Behind one of the goals is a small terrace area which, despite appearing on good condition, is out of bounds, and a basic electronic scoreboard is positioned above this terrace. Behind the remaining goal, also inaccessible to spectators, a sports hall and a house provide the backdrop. Although a running track is present, its quite attractive coloured in blue and is not too wide thereby not causing spectators to be too distant from the action. All in all, it's a nice enough stadium which, whilst limited in facilities, could do with some sprucing up and a lick of paint, has some nice individuality and character. Surprisingly for a French game, programmes were available and distributed free of charge on entry, an eight page glossy A4 sized publication, attractively designed and contained a welcome message, introduction to the visiting team, and stats of the home team and league standings.

In the third tier of the French football pyramid, this game certainly had the look of a home banker. Dunkerque went into this game in eighth place, with 27 points from 19 games, whilst visitors Épinal, newly promoted to this level, look favourites to straight back down to the Championnat de France Amateur, bottom of the table with ten points from 18 games, with one win in the league all season, that win coming in October, and are 11 points adrift of safety. When the two teams met in Lorraine in early September, Dunkerque won 1-3.

On a drizzly evening, the game, unusually for a French game, started with an upbeat tempo, end to end although Épinal looked vulnerable defensively and indeed they fell behind on four minutes. Fofana, whose pace was to prove a constant menace down the right wing all night, sent a low cross into the box and Abdelilah Aabiza hit the ball into the roof of the net from six yards. With such a bad record, one might have expected Épinal's heads to have dropped now, but they were rewarded for their continued enterprising play on 16 minutes. After a corner was cleared back to the taker, the ball was lofted into the danger area, and a header towards goal found an unmarked Theo Gazagnes, who poked the ball home from six yards. Disappointingly, the tempo seemed to drop after the goal, as the visitors held their own as Dunkerque lost their way somewhat, and the score remained level at the break.

The second half continued in the same vein, although Dunkerque thought they had retaken the lead on 56 minutes, when a ball chipped over the defence was headed past the keeper, but the goal was ruled out for offside. They did retake the lead on 75 minutes. Fofana showed good footwork once more to dribble to the byline, before crossing low to the near post, and Malik Tchokounté managed to flick the ball just over the line despite lying on the ground. That gave the home side fresh impetus as they looked as threatening as they had in the early stages. They gave themselves daylight on 79 minutes when they scored their third, Fofana again with the assist as he sent in a cross from the right wing to the far post, and Tchokounté volleyed the ball into the net. Dunkerque were given the chance to make the scoreline even more harsh on the visitors when they were awarded a penalty on 85 minutes, after Épinal keeper Olivier Robin tripped the striker as he went past. However, Robin pulled off a good save low to his left, and after Tchokounté went in hard to try to prod home the loose ball, an altercation between the two players ensued, somewhat surprisingly leading to red cards for both players, and defender Ludovic Michelot was forced to don the keeper's jersey for the remainder of the game. He was barely tested though, as Dunkerque cruised towards an (in the end) comfortable win, which lifts them to sixth place in the table. Épinal looked a better team than their league position suggests, although they do look very vulnerable defensively, and perhaps were made to look better by a Dunkerque side that lost its way for the middle hour of the game. Whilst it was a shame that the attendance was very low for this game, considering it was a third tier game, mention should be mentioned of the great support provided, with the chanting and drum banging hardly ceasing all game. Proof that a good atmosphere does not necessarily need a big crowd.

Video highlights of this match can be found here

Charlton Athletic 2 v 3 Norwich City

Tuesday 10th February 2015
Football League Championship
The Valley, Charlton
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 15,094 (2.392 away fans)
Match Rating: 3

This evening was a rare opportunity for me to take in a Charlton midweek home game, just my second of the season. It is fair to say that I set off to The Valley with a feeling of trepidation, as Charlton's season is imploding, with the early season optimism now firmly replaced by uncertainty, ill feelings towards the Belgian owner and his perceived puppet of the newly installed manager, Guy Luzon, and a general feeling of apathy and resignation, as the fanbase is feeling ever more detached from the club, and frustrated by the owners' lack of ambition.

Charlton's slide down the table shows no sign of abating, losing 1-3 at third placed Middlesbrough on Saturday and are now down in 19th place in the table and just six points above the relegation zone, with 6 wins and 15 draws from their 29 games, and still without a win since early November. After two home games that, on paper, should have been opportunities to break that winless run, against Brighton and Rotherham, tonight would be tough, against a club relegated from the Premiership last season, with a team still packed of Premiership players, and sat in seventh place in the table, three points off of the play-off zone, with 47 points from 27 games, having won 13 and drawn eight of their 29 league games. There was some hope for Charlton though in that tonight represented the opportunity to complete the double over Norwich, having won at Carrow Road back in September.

Although Charlton started quite positively in the opening minutes, that soon waned and what followed was a shockingly abject display from the home side, with players obviously lacking in confidence, and in some cases, interest and desire, as they misplaced passes, looked to pass backwards too eagerly, shirked challenges and showed incredibly poor positional sense. Norwich deservedly took the lead on 14 minutes, Lewis Grabban crossing the ball from the right, finding Jonny Howson unmarked and with all the time in the world deep inside the penalty area to place his shot past the keeper. The only surprise was that it took until the 43rd minute for Norwich to double their lead, thanks to some poor defending. Tal Ben Haim and Andre Bikey watched a long ball sail over their heads, and Lewis Grabban took the ball on and chipped a hopelessly out of position keeper Marko Dmitrovic in no mans land, and the ball bounced into the net. An increasingly hostile atmosphere amongst the home fans really intensified now, as they started calling for manager Guy Luzon's head in just his fourth game in charge. It was indeed a really poor first half performance by the home side, with the 0-2 scoreline not at all reflecting the dominance of Norwich or the ineptitude of Charlton.

The game had the feel that the result was not in doubt, with Charlton seemingly incapable of raising their game and Norwich doing enough to kill the game. Having been introduced at half time, striker Tony Watt provided more of an attacking threat, and out of nothing, he pulled a goal back on 61 minutes, Vetokele playing him in before slotting low past the keeper. Quite astonishingly, Charlton were somehow level on 68 minutes, sub Callum Harriot had his shot parried by the keeper, but the ball fell at the feet of Vetokele, who made no mistake in turning the ball into the net. This finally really fired up the home side, and they looked they might even snatch a winner for a period. However, this was deflated on 83 minutes when Cameron Jerome, who had only entered the field four minutes previously, headed Wes Hoolahan's cross past the keeper and into the net. That was that, and there can be no denying Norwich deserved the three points, and in truth, it was surprising that Charlton came so close to getting anything out of this game. Charlton's relentless slide towards the relegation zone continues, just three points clear now, and these are worrying times, as with a side that struggles to score goals and when it does, the defence looks very vulnerable, it is hard to see Charlton picking up enough wins to keep their heads above water, particularly with the negative and hostile atmosphere that is engulfing the club at the moment. All a very far cry from the optimism that Charlton fans felt last autumn, when a push for the play-offs looked much more likely.

Brief video highlights of this game can be found here

KAA Gent 4 v 0 KVC Westerlo

Saturday 7th February 2015

Belgian Pro League

Ghelamco Arena, Ghent

Admission: €25.00
Programme: None

Attendance: 18,248
Match Rating: 4

This was very much a last minute impulse trip. Having planned to go to Oxford up until yesterday lunchtime, inspiration fell upon me to take on a coach trip to Belgium, aided by surprisingly low last minute fares and various vouchers bringing the cost down to around £30 including the train fare to Victoria Coach Station. I decided upon a visit to KAA Gent. Trips to Belgian football grounds are generally most enjoyable, visiting the type of old-school grounds and atmospheres that are sadly fast dying out in England. However, today I would be visiting a stadium that was only opened at the start of last season - apparently the first completely newly built stadium in Belgium for almost 40 years - although I had heard that this would one of the more interesting newly built stadia to visit.

The Ghelamco Arena is ideally located for road transport, adjacent to the E17 and E40 motorway intersection, and literally just around the corner from the Megabus stop in Ghent. It is situated three miles south of the city centre, two miles south east of the train station, on a rather bleak industrial estate. So it is almost out of place to find an aesthetically very attractive modern stadium installed there, a stadium that continues to be impressive once one enters. The bar areas are spacious, with glass walls, attractive blue background lighting and a well designed layout giving the area a pleasant, relaxed and spacious feel. From this area, one has to pass through closed glass doors to reach the seating area, and one then finds a sensibly sized arena holding 20,000 spectators in continuous seating around the stadium, with corporate boxes along the top of the seating. The roof has an interesting curved design, with a gap to the main structure, and the design of the stadium is conducive to good acoustics, with a good atmosphere generated when the fans are in full voice. As one would expect, views are excellent, unobstructed and the first row starts from an elevated position above the pitch - the pitch is located on a stage, with a "trench" between the pitch and the stands. Spectators also have plenty of legroom. In the lottery that is the provision of programmes or team sheets at football matches in Belgium, neither appeared to be available to spectators today, although I was able to subsequently download a team sheet from the club's social media outlets.

KAA Gent, one of the oldest clubs in Belgium with a matriculation number of 7 and founded in 1864, have had an encouraging season so far, in fourth place and are well on course for a top six finish and a place in the end of season Championship play-offs in the complicated Belgian league system, with 41 points from 24 games, three points behind second placed Anderlecht but ten adrift of Club Brugge, and overall have won 11 and drawn eight of their league games. They are in good recent form in the league, having won three and drawn the other of their last four games. Having been promoted as Champions of the Second Division last season, KVC Westerlo - a partner club of Chelsea - have had a solid season back in the top flight, in ninth place in the 16 team division but eight points clear of the relegation zone and have won seven and drawn nine of their 24 league games. After a rather sticky period in late autumn which saw them slide down the table towards the relegation zone, their recent form has been good, winning their last two games and losing just one (away at Anderlecht) of their last six games. The two teams played out a goalless draw when they met in early October.

On a cool evening with occasional misty drizzle, this turned out to be a surprisingly one sided affair, as Gent attacked at will throughout whilst Westerlo struggled to mount any attacks of note. Part of that was down to one of their players, Englishman Jordan Mustoe, being shown a straight red card for a late lunging tackle with just 15 minutes on the clock, although in truth, the pattern of the game was becoming established before then. The home side eventually took the lead on 38 minutes. Some good footwork by Moses Simon, who would be the outstanding man of the match this evening, showed some good footwork in the penalty area to beat several defenders before chipping a pass towards Laurent Depoitre around the penalty spot, and he swept the ball first time on the volley into the net, just beyond the keeper's dive. One goal was all the home side had to show for their domination though, giving the visitors hope that they might be able to get something out of this game if they raise their game in the second half.

Indeed, Westerlo tarted the second half fairly well, still without ever looking likely to score though, and it wasn't until just after the hour that Gent gave themselves some real breathing space. After seeing a shot from outside of the area hit the crossbar, and then a cross shot that went just wide of the far post, an excellently judged one touch pass set Simon running through diagonally on goal all on his own, dribbled to a central position before coolly firing the ball low inside the keeper's near post from eight yards. One sensed that was probably the decisive blow, and so it proved. A wonderful remarkable waist-high volley from just outside the area following a long looping cross from the opposite byline drew a good save from the keeper, but another good volley did produce Gent's third on 77 minutes. Moses yet again showed some excellent footwork to beat a defender before chipping the ball back from right on the byline, and substitute Danijel Milicevic hit a waist high bicycle shot to fire the ball just inside the near post, despite two defenders almost getting a touch en route. In added on time, Gent scored a deserved fourth goal. Hannes van der Bruggen intercepted the ball in midfield, the ball fell to Depoitre, who ran towards the edge of the area, evaded the attention of a couple of defenders before striking the ball low across the keeper and just inside the near post from the edge of the area. 4-0 was how it finished, a thoroughly deserved win that should have been even more convincing. Following the final whistle, the Gent team went over to each stand in turn to receive the cheers of the fans, who appreciated an excellent display full of attacking intent and a very enjoyable game to watch. In Moses Simon, Gent certainly seem to have acquired a player with the X factor - after signing last month and being sent off within 30 seconds of coming on as a sub in his first home game, he scored a hat-trick last week and tonight, he was a constant threat with his trickery and direct play towards goal, a player to really get the fans off their seats. If he remains consistent, one would presume he is destined for higher things than the Belgian Pro League. after reported interest from Liverpool, Hull and Ajax (where he was part of the youth team set up) before signing for Gent.

Video highlights of this game can be found here