Salisbury 1 v 1 Bristol Manor Farm

Saturday 25th November 2017
Southern League West Division
Raymond McEnhill Stadium, Salisbury
Admission: £9.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 658
Match Rating: 3

With rail engineering works favouring a journey across the North Downs railway line today, I decided to head for Salisbury, from where I did consider catching a bus to near my completion of the Wessex League Premier Division at either Shaftesbury or Amesbury Town. But an attractive looking fixture between two teams going well in the league, at a well-appointed ground that would probably be more at home hosting football a couple of steps higher on the pyramid, made me choose to stay within the environs of Salisbury.

The Raymond McEnhill Stadium is about three miles north of Salisbury city centre, but a Plusbus ticket for just a £2 supplement on top of my rail fare covered the bus journey to the ground, which is located very close to Old Sarum, the site of the earliest settlement in Salisbury. After walking through a residential estate and then on the football clubs car park, the back wall of the main stand provides entrances for the club shop, reception and clubhouse, with the turnstiles to the side. The main stand is all-seater and provides good unobstructed views, although subject to a surcharge of £2. Stretching from the stand, around the corner and to the opposite corner flag there is covered terracing, well designed and attractively laid out, with steep terrace steps and a walkway along the balcony. A refreshments window is located by the clubhouse wall. Behind the other goal there are a few uncovered steps of terracing, as there are along the remaining length, although there are also two small metallic stands positioned either side of a large advertising hoarding by the half way line, both with an elevated position and requiring an additional £1 payment to enter. The ground is certainly impressive for this level of football, with modern facilities that feel comfortable, spacious and are easy on the eye for the most part, and is a legacy of the ground hosting Conference Premier football just three years ago. There is even an electronic scoreboard positioned above the open terrace behind the goal. It was good to see that Salisbury have not taken up the invitation of the Southern League to do away with printed copies of programmes (the league are trialling a policy of allowing clubs to publish an online programme for downloading instead), and the 32 page programme was a good read, with more than enough stats as well as welcome messages and penpics, although 14 pages were exclusively advertising.

After finishing as runner’s up only to lose in the play-off final last season, Salisbury are in the chasing pack again this time around, coming into this game in fourth place, having won eight and drawn four of their 15 league games so far. After winning the Western League Premier Division by 10 points last season, they have carried their momentum into the step above, and came into this game in second place, having won nine and drawn three of their league games.

On the first freezing cold Saturday afternoon of the season, with clear blue skies and sunshine, this was surprisingly a game that lacked quality for long periods, but was entertaining enough. Salisbury certainly had much the better of the first half and would no doubt have been kicking themselves at half time that did not have a lead to show after coming agonisingly close to scoring on several occasions, as the visiting goalkeeper looked nervous and their defence shaky.

The visitors were a team transformed after the break, losing the feel of an accident waiting to happen as they forced the play more and looked much more dangerous on the attack. Seeing a Salisbury shot come back off the post on 49 minutes was something of a false dawn for the hosts, as it was then Bristol Manor Farm's turn to come very close to scoring on a few occasions, before they did on 68 minutes. The ball was drilled forward into the feet of the division’s top scorer Dean Stamp, who turned and shot the ball low into the corner. Salisbury had a couple of chances to equalise, before they finally did on 87 minutes. The ball was curled into the box from a free kick out on the wing, and Kane O'Keefe met it with a header which saw the ball loop agonisingly over the keeper and into the net. Salisbury came so close to claiming all three points in added on time, when a header was just kept out by a defender by the post and then from 12 yards out and relatively all the time in the world to shoot, the ball was fired just over the bar. But the game ended level, which was probably a fair outcome of a match in which Salisbury were the better team before the break, and Bristol Manor Farm were after.

Harpenden Town 2 v 2 Leighton Town

Saturday 18th November 2017
Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Rothamsted Park, Huntingdon
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 79
Match Rating: 3

Needing to be back in my home area by early evening, I needed to visit a ground that was quick to get to by train, and not far from the train station. Rothamsted Park fitted the bill, with an interesting looking match between two fairly local rivals, who are both going well in the league so far this season.

Rothamsted Park is about a ten minute walk westwards from Harpenden train station, via the town centre, and the ground is located down a small lane from a large council pay and display car park, on the edge of a large attractive park which contains the town's various indoor and outdoor recreational facilities. The clubhouse is situated outside of the ground and was refurbished a couple of years ago, with a clean, fresh and bright look but is hardly cosy nor spacious. Spectators then enter the ground in one corner, paying admission at a picnic table. There is actually a standalone old-fashioned turnstile to one side of the entrance, but it appears to have been long since out of use. The ground itself is basic, but it does has a nice rural and perfectly adequate feel to it. The only spectator facility is a stand straddling the half way line, containing three rows of bench seating, with a couple of steps to stand on to the rear. This centenary stand, erected in

Hard standing is available around the rest of the pitch, with trees giving the ground a pleasantly naturally enclosed feel to it. The programme was very basic, an eight page insert for today’s game inside a 16 page generic shell printed on stiffened glossy paper and with an attractive cover. The insert covered the basics, the shell covered the advertising although it did have a comprehensive history of the club and brief history of the league.

This promised to be a close match, with Harpenden cooking into this game in fourth place, Leighton in fifth, with two points separating the two teams. Harpenden, who were promoted as runners' up last season, came into this match in great form, winning their last seven league games, following a 4-1 defeat at today's visitors, Leighton Town. Overall, Harpenden had won nine and drawn two of their 13 league games. Leighton were also in very good form, winning their last five league games (as well as sealing progress to Round Three of the FA Vase, and overall had won eight and drawn three of their 13 league games.

On a disappointingly overcast and dank afternoon, with drizzle of varying intensity, this was a certainly lively match, an end-to-end affair for long spells, plenty of feistyness on show with some strong tackles and an inconsistent referee, and a heavy surface generally making long balls more productive than trying to pass the ball along the floor. After the visitors made the stronger start, it was Harpenden who took the lead on 7 minutes following a quick counter-attack. The ball was eventually passed low from the right for James Yates to tap in at the far post. But on 14 minutes, the score were level, a perfectly judged low ball forward found the run of Tom Silford, who ran towards goal and showed good composure to slow the ball low past the keeper. Both sides then created some good chances, but it was Leighton who took the lead on 35 minutes. A free kick from close to the corner flag was met with a glanced header by Alex O'Brien to guide the ball into the net. Overall, the visitors certainly deserved their narrow lead at the break.

The second half did not see so many clear-cut chances, but was still played with plenty of passion, with some rather ugly tackles going in. On 75 minutes, Harpenden levelled the scores, following a long hoofed ball forward. Dave Keenleyside took control of the ball before cutting back and firing the ball low past the keeper. Both teams tried to find a winner in the remaining minutes but it never looked likely, and overall a point apiece was probably a fair result.

Hackney Wick 1 v 3 Wadham Lodge

Saturday 11th November 2017
Essex Senior League
Old Spotted Dog, Forest Gate
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 106
Match Rating: 3

It was always going to be touch and go whether I would manage to get to this game in time for the 5.30 pm kick-off, with the eventful conclusion at Mile End Stadium delaying my exit. But a little running to Mile End station, a prompt District Line tube train to Plaistow, and a further combination of running/rapid walking to the ground meant that I arrived at the Old Spotted Dog just in time for the scheduled kick off time. A five minute delay by the referee meant that I even had a little time to spare before kick-off.

The Old Spotted Dog ground, the oldest senior football ground in London with Clapton FC playing there since 1888, is situated down a short path from the main road, with the turnstile block in one corner of the ground. Facilities are modest and a little ramshackle in places, with some signs of the presence of the Clapton Ultras still on show, despite their boycott of Clapton's home matches this season. Straddling the half way line on one side is an all-seater stand, whilst on the opposite side there are a couple of stands made of scaffolding, which make a good place to watch the action from, being quite intimate and elevated, and is where the Clapton Ultras used to watch their games from. Behind the goal by the entrance there is a rather basic clubhouse, with a slight grass bank behind the goal with some tables and chairs, and a wooden bench. An African themed barbecue was set up this evening, and was doing a roaring trade at half time. Behind the other goal, there is an overgrown grass bank, with a couple of uncovered terrace steps immediately behind the goal. A 12 page programme was produced, which was basic but covered the essentials.

This is the first season since Hackney Wick merged with London Bari, taking their place in the Essex Senior League, as well as their groundshare at the Old Spotted Dog. They came into this game in 18th place in the 21 team league, following four wins and a draw from their 17 league games. Wadham Lodge were bottom of the table, having won three and drawn two of their league games so far.

On a chilly evening, this match started off evenly, with both sides feeling their way into the game and managing to create some half chances. It was the visitors who took the lead on 22 minutes though, when the ball was crossed to the far post and Mario Gnijaj stabbed the ball home from close range, injuring himself as he crashed into the post. On the half hour mark, the visitors were awarded a penalty following a foul tackle. Dwade James struck the ball low into the bottom left corner of the spot to give Wadham Lodge a comfortable lead. On 34 minutes, they saw a shot from outside the area parried on to the bar, and a minute before the break, the visiting goalkeeper had to save at full stretch to prevent the hosts pulling a goal back.

Wadham Lodge certainly deserved their half time lead, and they looked comfortable retaining it until the 78th minute, when Hackney Wick's Ibrahima Camara shot low across the keeper to halve the deficit. The match was suddenly back in the balance, but shortly after they forced another good save from the visiting keeper, Wadham Lodge sealed the win two minutes from time when the ball was stabbed home from close range following a corner. It was a deserved win for the visitors, and it lifted them four places up the table, while Hackney Wick slipped to 19th.

And so ended the groundhopping event, and a most enjoyable day it proved to be too. I certainly hope that the Essex Senior League will organise similar events in the future, although more hopper friendly kick-off times would be most welcome.