Dorset Premier League
Cranford Avenue, Weymouth
Admission: £3.50
Programme: 50p
Attendance: 65 (rough head count)
Match Rating: 3
After being unable to take in a game last weekend, as I was in the process of moving home, extending my groundhopping of league football to the last Saturday in May would mean a long trek, with most leagues (certainly those close to where I live) having completed their fixtures. Although there were a handful of games in Essex below the official pyramid structure, they were to be played at rather unappealing venues, and so Dorset was the closest source of fixtures of interest to me, with several fixtures taking place in the Step 7 level Dorset Senior League. Initially, I planned to head for Swanage Town & Herston's home Days Park, with the ground apparently being delightfully ramshackle and full of character. However, as I was making my way along the West Sussex coast, I discovered that that game was cancelled as the visitors, reigning champions Holt United, were unable to field a team. The early announcement was welcome, so that I could head for another destination in the Dorset Senior League, and I opted for a trip into Weymouth for a fixture that could see the visitors crowned as champions.
Cranford Avenue is about a 20 minute walk northwards from Weymouth train station, parallel to the coastline and indeed a slight diversion to walk along the seafront made for a very pleasant walk on a very warm, dry day like today. The ground is on the grounds of Weymouth College, and after walking through a long car park, spectators enter the ground in one corner, through a door in the green mesh perimeter fencing, with a white wooden hut just inside. As well as spectators paying their admission fee there, the hut also doubles up as a tea bar, with hot and cold drinks, snacks and hot dogs for sale. A short path then leads spectators pitchside, to a metal stand covering a standing area. This section is the only part around the ground that offers hard standing, although the rest of the ground is fully accessible with grass to stand on behind grey metal railings. An overgrown second football pitch is located behind the far goal mouth, and although surrounding trees and a quiet location make for a fairly pleasant setting, it is a rather unremarkable and bland ground, perhaps inevitably so being on college grounds and so lacking personalisation, club signage and a clubhouse. A programme was issued, a very basic 4 page publication with a fairly attractive front cover, a welcome message and predicted line-ups, but any programme at step 7 is welcome, particularly at a fair price of 50p.
This would be a crucial match for today’s visitors, who came into this, the final day of the league season in second place, following 24 wins and two draws from their 31 league games. They trailed leaders Hamworthy Recreation by two points, but with Westland Sports having an eleven goal better goal difference, a win for Westland Sports in this match and Hamworthy failing to win at Bridport Reserves would mean Westland Sports being crowned champions. Hamworthy Recreation could have secured the title in midweek, but conceded a late equaliser at home to Holt United. Westland Sports had won 25 and drawn one of their 31 league games, and they came into this game in terrific form, winning their last nine league games, a run that included an away win at Hamworthy Recreation, who they also beat in the league cup final last Saturday. Balti Sports were in ninth place, following 14 wins and four draws from their 31 league games, and would rise one place to eighth in the final standings with a win today. Westland Sports won the reverse fixture 4-1 in November, as well as a cup encounter in late March 3-1.
Persistent rain and the threat of thunderstorms were forecast along the south coast today, but happily the weather remained dry throughout, although conditions were overcast and quite oppressively muggy. Unsurprisingly, Westland started this game on the front foot, and on five minutes, a low cross into the near post was diverted onto the post. But gradually the game became more even, and it was Balti Sports who took the lead on 20 minutes. After the ball was intercepted and then laid off to team mate Danny Andrews, he drilled a low shot across the keeper and into the far corner. Westland came close to equalising six minutes later, when a forward spotted the keeper off his line and curled a shot from outside the area which glanced the top of the crossbar. But Balti saw the half out quite comfortably to retain their one goal lead at the break. All was far from lost for the visitors though, as news came in that Hamworthy Recreation were 2-1 down at half time in their game, and so two second half goals could well be enough for Westland Sports to be crowned champions.
However, they certainly didn’t come out after the break reinvigorated, playing more as if the game was a end of season dead rubber rather than having the title at stake, and a minute after Balti saw a shot from outside the box come back off the bar, they did score their second on 50 minutes. A low ball towards the keeper took a deflection, which was enough to divert it agonisingly just out of his reach and trickle over the line. It really did look like game over on 60 minutes when Balti Sports were awarded a penalty for a slow motion foul tackle in the box. The penalty was well struck, but saved to the keeper’s left. That did seem to spark Westland into life, as they created plenty more sights of goal, and saw a terrific shot from outside the area hit the top corner of the woodwork, but for the most part things just did not come off for them in the final third. They did eventually score, on 80 minutes, when a low cross into the six yard area was touched home by William Ireland. And within a minute they were suddenly almost on level terms, when a fierce shot brushed through the keepers fingers and the ball looped up and hit the top of the crossbar and then bounced just behind. But despite plenty of huff and puff, they just couldn’t find a way through to grab an equaliser, despite the keeper even going up for corners in the closing minutes, but it just wasn’t to be for them today.
As it turned out, the result here would prove academic anyway, as Hamworthy Recreation turned their game around in the second half to win 2-4, and were duly presented with the trophy after the final whistle there. Balti Sports ended their season on a high, thereby claiming an eighth place finish.
No comments:
Post a Comment