Marlow 3 v 0 Northwood

Saturday 29th December 2018
Isthmian League South Central Division
Alfred Davis Memorial Ground, Marlow
Admission : £8.00
Programme: Online only
Attendance: 158

Having made do with fairly local revisits either side of Christmas, today I decided to venture further, to visit my penultimate ground in the Isthmian League South Central Division, and one that I'd wanted to visit for some time but has always proved elusive.

The Alfred Davis Memorial Ground is about a ten minute walk from Marlow train station, and what a joy it is to visit, a proper old-school non league ground which is a little rough around the edges, and is all the better for it. Spectators enter through a turnstile block in one corner of the ground, and then pass along by changing rooms to the right, before reaching the pitch. Straddling the half way line is the standout feature of the ground, the tall main stand which dates from the 1930's and is very pleasing on the eye, painted in white with Marlow F.C. spelt out in blue along the front roof. With the clubhouse located on the ground floor of the stand, the seating area is reached by climbing a flight of stairs and with no obstructing pillars, this stand offers really excellent elevated views of the action. Either side of the main stand there are a number of small wooden buildings, which were either not in use or served as a store room, with hot food available from a burger van. A few rows of uncovered terrace stretched most of the length, behind the far goal and along the other length, with stands to covers the middle portions. There is just flat standing along quite a narrow path behind the goal closest to the entrance. Old fashioned floodlight pylons complete the feel that one has stepped into a refreshing timewarp of a traditional non-league stadium, that is becoming all too rare these days.

Marlow took the decision to no longer print programmes at the start of this season, instead it is available via the club website, or via a QR code which can be scanned at the ground to download it onto one's phone or tablet. Although I am very much in the category of those who really bemoan the phasing out of the printed matchday programme, always wishing to keep a souvenir of my club visits, as well as having something to read on the journey home, I have to admit there are merits to the online equivalent. It is probably a more relevant and interesting read on the way to the match, the pdf can be stored and looked back at in the future, and there is no worry about the programme being sold out or not produced. And it certainly helps when an excellent programme is still produced, as Marlow do, consisting of 43 pages and plenty of interesting articles to read, as well as more than enough stats and facts.

Despite losing their last two games, Marlow are having a very decent season, coming into this game in fifth place, following nine wins and six draws from their opening 18 league games, but are just two points adrift of top spot. Northwood were in tenth place, following seven wins and five draws from their 17 league games, and so were only seven points adrift of Marlow with a game in hand.

On a mild but very overcast afternoon, the game started off quite evenly, with good football along the floor not helped by a bobbly surface, although the home side started to exert their authority from about the 15 minute mark, when a low drilled shot  from the edge of the area went just wide. But they did take the lead in 19 minutes with a terrific goal scored by Junaid Bell, fired into the top left corner from 25 yards. On 25 minutes, Marlow almost scored another spectacular goal, when Samuel lobbed the ball from just inside the Northwood half, and with the keeper scurrying back, the ball hit the top of the bar and was helped over by the keeper. It felt like only a matter of time before Marlow would double their lead, which they duly did on 38 minutes. Following a corner, the ball was headed against the crossbar by Adam Richards, but the rebound was kind for him to head home. And Marlow comfortably saw the half out to retain a good lead at the break.

After Marlow started the second half on the front foot, Northwood gradually got back into the game, creating some decent chances around the 70 minute mark, but they couldn't find a way through to halve the deficit and make the game interesting. And any doubt about the result was put to bed on 79 minutes whem Marlow scored their third with a very soft goal. After a defensive mix-up, the goalkeeper was dispossessed wide of his goal, and Marcus Mealing won the race to tap the ball home from close range. The final scoreline was a fair reflection of the match, which Marlow dominated and the result took them up to second place in the table.

Hastings United 1 v 0 Sevenoaks Town

Wednesday 26th December 2018
Isthmian League South East Division
Pilot Field, Hastings
Admission: £10.00
Programme: £2.50
Attendance: 557

Following my earlier game at Bexhill United, I then made my way along the coast, via a pitstop at the Picture Playhouse Wetherspoons in Bexhill for lunch, to take in this afternoon game at The Pilot Field. It is a ground that oozes character and charm, but one that is in grave danger as the football club deems it an unsustainable home in the long term, and although I have visited the ground many times over the years, most visits in recent years have been for local intermediate and junior level cup finals. So it would be good to visit for a competitive Hastings United game, particularly as the club are having a good season generally, even if their form has tailed off somewhat in the last month - pretty much since I saw them lose at Whyteleafe last month.

The ground has quite an impressive entrance by the passing road, with a large fixture board and entrance turnstiles housed in a fairly large brick building, and after paying the admission fee, spectators then pass between the clubhouse to the left and a club shop and tea bar to the right, before finding themselves in one corner of the ground. Behind the goal, there is a balcony outside the clubhouse, which made for a popular place to watch the action from. Behind the goal, there is a tall stand covering terrace steps. Along one length is the marvellous main stand, running along most of the length, offering mostly bench seating inside from an elevated position, but with some plastic seats installed within a small section. There is a directors area fenced off in the middle, with a media booth to the rear. A further tea bar is situated beneath the stand, and team line-ups are posted on the front wall of the stand. A further small stand is situated behind the goal furthest from the entrance, whilst there is just hand standing below a steep, out of bounds grass bank along the remaining length. It is possible to make one's way to the top of the grass bank to get a good elevated view of the action, but it is quite distant, and no-one would take advantage of that today. The only slight criticism of the Pilot Field is that spectators are quite distant from the pitch, probably at least partly due to the speedway track that used to exist here many years ago. The 52 page programme, mostly in black and white but with a bright cover in colour, was a good read overall, but 34 pages were devoted to  advertising.

After a superb start to their season, which saw them win their opening five games in all competitions, and nine of their first ten games, and have been in and around the top two for most of the season, Hastings have suffered a dip in form since mid November, picking up just one point in four league games, losing their last three, before coming from behind to beat VCD Athletic in their last game at home. They came into this match in third place, following ten wins and a draw from their 16 league games, still looking a good bet for a play-off berth in the top 5, but are 11 points adrift of Cray Wanderers and the only availabile automatic promotion berth. Sevenoaks Town were promoted as champions from the Southern Counties East League Premier Division last season, and have made a solid start to their first season at Step 4 level, coming into this game in 11th place in the 19 team division, following six wins and three draws from their opening 16 league games. The two teams had already met this season at Greatness Park in the reverse fixture, with Hastings winning 2-3.

On an overcast, mild afternoon, I had been expecting an entertaining game between two decent sides, however unfortunately this was not to prove the case, as the game proved to be a rather tepid affair, with goalscoring chances at a real premium at both ends. Hastings had the first real chance when Jack Dixon's shot looped up and, with the keeper scurrying back, many in the crowd cheered thinking the ball had dropped into the net - in fact, it fell just the wrong side of the bar. On 34 minutes, the visitors had a great chance to open the scoring, when former Hastings striker Kenny Pogue forced an excellent save by the keeper.

The second half continued in much the same vein, as both teams looked solid but with precious little attacking intent. On 65 minutes, a free kick from the left hit the post, but this period would prove to be the turning points of the game in Hastings's favour. Their two substitues, Sam Cruttwell and Youssouf Bamba, would inject some much needed pace and urgency, and on 68 minutes, Sevenoaks were reduced to ten men, when Jack Miles was shown a red card for late, high tackle on Jordy Mongoy as he accelerated down the left wing. And three minutes later, Hastings took the lead when Cruttwell drilled in a low shot from outside the area into the bottom corner. They almost doubled their lead two minutes later when Mongoy cut inside and curled a lovely shot from the edge of the area against the cross bar. Hastings finally were looking dangerous going forward, and they quite comfortably saw the game out, save for a decent chance for the visitors on 84 minutes, when a cross from the byline was volleyed just over the bar. But Hastings did indeed hold of the the three points, to climb back up into second place on the table.

For Hastings, this was very much in the "a win is a win" category, they did not play well, but they ground out the result - it is true that successful seasons do tend to depend on days like this, winning despite not playing well.

Bexhill United 5 v 1 Hailsham Town

Wednesday 26th December 2018
Southern Combination League Division One
The Polegrove, Bexhill-on-Sea
Admission: £4.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 227

 

For this year's Boxing Day, with fewer fixtures being played today compared with previous years, my closest option to tick a new ground would be a long trip up to Little Oakley, and although that was very tempting, to tick off my last ground in the Eastern Senior League Division One South, having to leave home at around 8am did not, with the after effects of Christmas Day still weighing heavily. So instead, I decided to stay local and take in a double on 1066 Country coast, starting off with this attractive looking game at The Polegrove.

The Polegrove is a really pleasant place to enjoy a game at, located very close to the seafront and surrounded by a couple of parks. The football ground is part of a recreation ground, which consists of several other football pitches, a cricket field (which is why the Polegrove cannot host football matches during the cricket season), and although it is popular with families and dog walkers, the complex has to be closed off to the public when senior football matches are being played - no great hindrance, as there is another park the other side of the road. Spectators enter in one corner of the ground, and all of the facilities are located along the length closest to the entrance, firstly quite a long clubhouse building, and then the real feature of the ground, the grandstand. And grand it is too, tall and imposing, in mock tudor style, constructed from bricks and timber, and smartly decorated in black and white. Shockingly, just last week there was an arson attempt to burn it down, which fortunately did not succeed. Some much smaller buildings, housing the changing rooms and toilets, are situated either side of the main stand, also similarly decorated to the stand, as is the clubhouse, and the collection of building looks smart and easy on the eye. There is just hard standing along this length, with a firm plastic path laid behind the goal closest to the entrance, and just grass to stand on around the other two sides - due to the cricket field. A cricket pavilion is located behind the furthest goal from the entrance, but is only used by the cricket club. The 28 page programme produced is one of the better ones at this level, offering a good preview of the match and some interesting material to read for both first time and regular visitors.

In recent years, cross town rivals Little Common have been Bexhill's Boxing Day opponents, providing a real derby feel to the fixture, but Little Common's promotion this season has resulted in Hailsham Town, based some 15 miles away by road, being Bexhill's opponents this year. What this year's match would miss in terms of being a true derby would be gained by two teams doing well in the league and who both like to attack, scoring almost 100 league goals in 31 games between them so far this season. Bexhill are having their best season in quite a few years, coming into this game in fourth position, having won 12 and drawn one of their 16 league games and joint top scorers in the division with 52 goals, nine points adrift of leaders Steyning, having played two games less, but only four points adrift of a possible promotion spot, having played a game less than current occupants Alfold. Hailsham were in seventh place, joint third top scorers in the division with 45 goals, having won seven and drawn five of their 15 league games, but a top five finish and possible FA Cup qualification is probably the limit of their realistic hopes for this season. Both teams may be a little rusty today though, with Bexhill only having played once in December, and Hailsham only playing one game which was abandoned at half time.

This would be an interesting game for me to watch, as the two previous times I had watched Bexhill United this season, they were massive underdogs in cup competitions against opponents from the Isthmian League, and although they were understandably on the back foot in both matches and ultimately lost both matches, they performed heroically, only losing both games 0-1 when with a little bit of luck they could have at least forced extra time. Today, they would surely approach the game on the front foot, looking to attack and would be favourites to claim another three points.

On a mild but very overcast morning, and with an impressive attendance of 227, Bexhill took the lead with just six minutes on the clock, Lewis McGuigan heading home a third corner in quick succession. They doubled their lead on 20 minutes, when the ball was curled into the danger area and parried out by the keeper, only for Georges Gouet to head the ball into the net. They came close to scoring their third two minutes later, Drew Greenall's back header looping over the keeper but dropping just over the bar. They did score their third to pretty much seal the three points two minutes before the break, when Jack McLean played a low diagonal ball forward into the path of Greenall, who struck a low shot across the keeper into the far corner.

Bexhill really were on fire, and one feared somewhat that the scoreline could get rather ugly for the visitors, particularly when the lead was extended to four three minutes after the break. Jamie Bunn passed the ball sideways to Liam Foster, who took a touch before striking a beautiful shot from outside the area into the top left hand corner. To Hailsham's considerable credit, they then went on to have their best period of the game, perhaps helped by a slight drop in intensity from the home team, and they were rewarded with a consolation goal on 73 minutes. A cross into the area was fumbled away by the keeper, and although the ball was cleared to just outside the area, Sam Townsend struck the ball low goalwards, squirming past the keeper's outstretched arm to find the back of the net. That did seem to wake Bexhill up somewhat, who resumed their threatening attacks, scoring their fifth on 88 minutes. After a developing one-on-one was denied by a terrific last ditch tackle by a defender, the ball was then dinked in from the right and poked home by Bunn.

So a convincing win the Bexhill, who have indeed assembled a very good team this season and will surely be right in the mix for promotion come April. This match was probably confirmation that Hailsham are a little short in reaching for the same goal this season, but they seem to have enough about them to aim for a comfortable top half finish.