Blackpool 1 v 1 Bury

Saturday 30th July 2016
Pre-season Friendly
Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 1000 (estimate)
Match Rating: 2

I had wanted to visit Blackpool and tick off Bloomfield Road for many years, but being relatively difficult and expensive to get to from the south-east coast has put me off in the past. However, bargain £20.00 return Virgin train tickets from London to Preston, combined with exceptionally cheap football match tickets – even for a friendly – meant that this was the day to finally head to the Lancashire coast.

Although Blackpool South train station is much closer to Bloomfield Road, I arrived at Blackpool North station, to enjoy visits to Blackpool Tower and two of the town’s three piers en route to the ground. From the outside, Bloomfield Road looks an impressive and smart modern stadium, unsurprising as the ground has been completely redeveloped since the turn of the Millennium, and with the club reaching the Premiership. Statues of club legends Jimmy Armfield and Stan Mortensen are located outside, behind the stands bearing their names. Inside, stands along one length and behind both goals are joined together with wrap-around corners, are of consistent height and appearance, and offer unobstructed views with plenty of leg room. Hospitality boxes are located above the single tier seating, with a hotel located towards the outer corner behind one of the goals. Whilst those three sides are very similar in appearance, the remaining length looks completely different, with a temporary look about it and with a grey metal structure, and there are plenty of floodlight pylons along the front to obstruct one’s view. The club no longer makes use of this stand, presumably until there is sufficient demand for it to be open. A 24 page programme was produced covering last Saturday’s match as well as today’s and was quite an interesting read.

Blackpool are preparing for life in League Two after a 22nd place finish in League One last season spelt relegation. The atmosphere around the club remains highly toxic, with forceful and at times ugly protests against the club’s owner having simmered down to a large proportion of their fanbase now staying away from Bloomfield Road. Bury finished last season in 15th place in League One. In the league meetings last season, Bury won 4-3 at home before a 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road in March.

On a cool July day that was overcast for the most part, the first half was quite a dull affair for the most part, with gentle passing around - not always particularly accurately – for the most part. There was little between the two teams, with Blackpool looking slightly the better team. However, it was Bury who came closest to opening the scoring right on half time, when Kelvin Etuhu struck a low shot across the keeper but the ball came back off the far post.

 Bury certainly upped a gear in the second half and they went into the lead on 50 minutes. Blackpool’s Tom Aldred was dispossessed in midfield by Etuhu, who sprinted towards goal before striking a low cross shot into the far corner of the net. Although Blackpool almost equalised within a minute, when a Mark Yeates free kick fizzed just wide of the far post following a slight deflection, the game seemed to be heading towards a narrow defeat for the home side, until a rare moment of quality saw them equalise a minute before the end. Rohan Roache played a perfect low ball through the defence for Tom Potts to run on to unchallenged, and he strode forward before coolly shooting low into the far corner.

Brief video highlights of this match can be found by clicking here.

Takeley 1 v 3 Hoddesdon Town

Saturday 23rd July 2016
Pre-season Friendly
Station Road, Takeley
Admission: Donation
Programme: None
Attendance: 38 (head count)
Match Rating: 3

With temperatures forecast to be in the mid to high twenties today, which could result in a friendly match being played at a lethargic pace, I searched for a ground that would be easy on the eye and a pleasant place to spend a summer’s day. A visit to a typical village club in north-west Essex fitted the bill perfectly.

Station Road is about a half hour walk from Stansted Airport train station and is located very close to the centre of the small village of Takeley. Spectators enter via full height turnstiles having paid admission at a wooden hut, entering the ground in a corner. It is a neat and tidy venue, which appears perfectly adequate for the step up to Isthmian League should they qualify on the pitch, and has plenty of character as well as a nice rural setting. Immediately along the length from the entrance is a brick building housing the changing rooms and a tea bar, and then a grey portakabin, which was not in use today. The main, all-seater stand straddles the half way line, but several pylons get in the way of one’s view from inside. There is just hard standing along the remainder of the length and behind both goals. Along the remaining length, a small all-seater stand is positioned to one side of the dugouts, and more basic cover for a small area of standing to the other. There is no clubhouse present inside the ground, which was a shame on a hot day like today, and some attractive club signage inside the ground also would further enhance a very pleasant setting. No programmes were produced today.

Takeley finished in 17th place in the 21 team Essex Senior League last season, while Hoddesdon Town finished in 3rd place in the parallel Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division, 13 points adrift of the champions and the sole promotion berth. The two teams met in the FA Vase last season, with Hoddesdon progressing after a replay.

On a very warm summer’s afternoon, which occasionally clouded over, this was very much a game of two halves, with Hoddesdon much the better team in the first half. They took the lead on 34 minutes, a lovely diagonal dinked ball towards the six yard box was met with a placed header that went across the keeper and into the net. They doubled their lead on 43 minutes, when defenders failed to deal with a low driven cross from the right and although the two Hoddesdon forwards got in each other’s way initially, the ball fell kindly and was eventually struck home powerfully from 8 yards. It was a well deserved two goal lead at the break, and could have been more convincing.

After struggling for most of the first half, Takeley were much the better side in the second half, doing most of the attacking. They pulled a goal back on 55 minutes when a low drive across goal was turned into the net from a central position, and it seemed a matter of time until they would get back on level terms. However, out of the blue, Hoddesdon were awarded a soft looking penalty on 68 minutes when their player was apparently barged over as he ran away from goal. After a lengthy delay whilst the Hoddesdon player received treatment, the penalty was struck into the left side of the goal despite the keeper getting very close to saving it. That was just a blip in Takeley's dominance of the second half, as they came close on several occasions to scoring a second, but it wasn’t to be. But as results count for very little pre-season, Takely could be very pleased with their second half performance, and Hoddesdon with their first, with the competitive season just a week away now.

Westfield 0 v 7 Eastbourne Town

Tuesday 19th July 2016
Pre-season Friendly
Parish Field, Westfield
Admission and Programme: None
Attendance: 30 (head-count)
Match Rating: 3

This evening I took advantage, for the second midweek running, to visit a local club that I am usually unable to visit during the season as they are not able to host midweek games due to a lack of floodlights.

Despite having hopes for several years now to relocate to a new ground closeby which would be fit to host senior football, those hopes are apparently still no closer to becoming reality, and so Westfield continue to play in the humble surroundings of the Parish Field, which has a nice rustic charm about it. There remains no seats here, and the only cover is provided by overhang from the clubhouse, which is in converted cargo containers smartly painted in dark green to blend in with the leafy surroundings. No programmes were produced for this match.

In their first season back in intermediate football following demotion due to ground grading, Westfield finished last season in 10th place in the 16 team Division Two of the Southern Combination League. Eastbourne Town finished last season in second place in the Southern Combination League Premier Division, two divisions above Westfield.

On a very warm summer's evening following the hottest day of the year so far, it soon became apparent that this would be a very one-sided affair, with Eastbourne showing more skill, pace and invention whilst Westfield struggled to contain their opponents. The visitors took the lead on 9 minutes, with a glancing header from a corner with the ball going in just inside the far post. From the kick-off, they doubled their lead when the ball was quickly worked forward, resulting in a simple finish past the keeper. Two minutes later and it was almost three, when an Eastbourne player headed the ball against the woodwork, but they did score again on 18 minutes. The ball was played low diagonally forward, and the player ran on towards the byline before crossing low and the ball was turned into the net first time from a central position. They made it 4 on 29 minutes when another pacy run towards goal ended with a good finish past the keeper. They had a goal disallowed two minutes before the break for offside, and the four goal difference could have been considerably worse, such was Eastbourne's superiority in the first half.

The second half was more even, and Westfield even managed to force a few smart saves from the visiting keeper. But Eastbourne scored their fifth on 52 minutes thanks to a mix up between a Westfield defender and keeper, allowing the striker to nip in and poke the ball from a tight angle. It was six on 62 minutes, when a shot close to the outer corner of the area seemed to be going just wide of the far post, but a covering defender made sure it hit the back of his own net. After coming close to scoring on several occasions, Eastbourne finally scored their seventh four minutes from time when a shot from outside the area bounced just over the line.

So ultimately, the gulf between the two teams proved massive this evening, and Westfield will be glad that they will not have to play teams of Eastbourne's calibre once the league season gets going. Similarly, Eastbourne will presumably not have many easy games like this when they were given so much time and space to express themselves, but no doubt this evening would have been good for their confidence as well as building up fitness.

Highmoor IBIS 2 v 1 Badshot Lea

Saturday 16th July 2016
Pre-season Friendly
Scours Lane, Reading
Admission: £3.00
Programme: None
Attendance: 30 (estimate)
Match Rating: 2

Following my lunchtime game at Thatcham, I made my way back to Reading to tick off another ground in the Hellenic League. Yet another delayed train threatened to result in my missing the kick-off here, but fast walking and the referee convenintly starting this match a few minutes late meant I arrived just in time for kick-off.

Although Reading West is about half the distance from Scours Lane, it has a much less frequent service than Reading station has, and so I chose to have a very pleasant 45 minute brisk walk along the River Thames to get to the ground. Scours Lane used to be the home ground of Reading Town until they were abruptly closed down in February, and all of the signage in and around the ground still refers to Reading Town (apart from the recently re-decorated interior of the clubhouse). Today would be first game that Highmoor IBIS play here, and all of their home games from now on. Spectators enter through a turnstile block in one conrer, and once inside, one finds ground that, understandably is a little rough around the edges at the moment, and it is quite strange that, from one side, the view is harsh on the eye, with an ugly perimeter wall topped with barbed wire, and an industrial background with rail overhead wires behind. Yet from the other side the view is pleasantly rural, with colourful trees and hills in the background. Behind the goal where spectators enter is a covered stand with a couple of terrace steps as well as a small amount of seating. The clubhouse is situated in one corner set some way back from the pitch, with the changing rooms in brick buildings in the far corner. Cover is provided either side of the half way line, on one side a small and rather rudimentary roof covering terrace steps, and on the other side is a more modern and neat metallic all-seater stand. Hard standing is available around the rest of the ground. No programme was produced today.

Highmoor IBIS finished last season in 11th place in the Hellenic League Premier Division, with 53 points from their 38 league games. In the parallel Combined Counties League Premier Division, Badshot Lea finished in 17th place in the 22 team division.

With conditions still feeling very warm, Highmoor always had the edge in this game, and were given a massive helping hand with scoring the first goal on 3 minutes. The ball was pumped high forward into the area and it seemed to be a simple catch for the keeper with no-one near him, but he allowed the ball to bounce just over him and towards goal, and a desperate clearance by a covering defender ricocheted into the striker Mo Davies and the ball ended up in the back of the net. Both teams came close to scoring next, but it was the visitors who got back on level terms on 34 minutes, when their striker connected with a low ball forward with a first time shot across the keeper and into the net.

Into the second half and Highmoor went back into the lead on 49 minutes. The ball was passed through the defence and Jamie Piercey guided the ball under the keeper and into the net. The second half was competitive and quite even, Highmoor always looking to have the more quality but it was Badshot Lea who twice hit the woodwork, on 59 minutes from a free kick and a minute from time, from a header from a corner.

Credit to both clubs for a competitive friendly match played in very warm and sticky conditions, and hopefully Highmoor IBIS will be able to make Scours Lane much more like their home with some tidying up around the ground. Badshot Lea's defence will be a concern based on today's performance, but otherwise had a useful workout.