St Panteleimon 2 v 1 Winslow United

Saturday 29th February 2020
Spartan South Midlands League Division
Rectory Park, Northolt
Admission: £5.00
Programme: Online only
Attendance: 32

I had planned and was very much looking forward to  a trip to Suffolk today. But the seemingly neverending waves of heavy rain and storms - it was Storm Jorge's turn to put in an appearance this weekend - meant that I did not fancy driving long distances today, and in any case, most matches to be played on grass were either postponed early on, or would be at great risk of a late postponement. And so my matchday search for grounds turned to previously unvisited grounds with plastic pitches, a search that presented me with two options in West London - either Kensington & Ealing Borough's first game at Club des Sports, in Acton, or this game further along the Central Line. In the end, I chose what appeared on paper to be the better quality game, with two clubs close to the top of the table. There would also be an interesting twist, with the home side formed by and for the Greek Orthodox community.

After starting their first ever season in senior football hosting home games at North Greenford United's Berkeley Fields, St Panteleimon have led something of a nomadic existence since December, playing their home fixtures at various grounds around north-west London, with Saturday fixtures, including this one, being played at Rectory Park, the headquarters of the Middlesex FA, which is about a half hour walk southwards from Northolt underground station. Opened in July 2018, access to the "community football centre" is gained through the complex building, with admission being paid for at a table just inside the reception area. The building has a clubhouse room, which has more of a cafeteria to it, and as well as changing rooms, there are also some executive/function rooms. Round picnic tables are placed on the tarmac area pitchside of the building,  beyond which are two 3G pitches, which are lined up side by side, and both are inside tall see-through metal cages, and with pitch markings reflecting their additional use for smaller sided games. The main pitch has two all-seater stands along one of the lengths, one either side of the half way line, accommodating 140 seats in total, and this length is the only area of the ground that is accessible to spectators. Although the ground is inevitably rather bland and soulless, not playing permanent host to a football club, it is a very functional, neat and tidy, and sensibly sized complex, and is more than adequate to host Step 6 football, but apparently there is little prospect that the ground would be deemed acceptable to host football any higher up the pyramid, partly due to it being a one-sided ground. The club no longer issue printed programmes, and the online version consists of six pages, with predicted team line-ups, introductions to both clubs and a colourful and attractive cover. Although it looked professional, it would have been nice had there been league fixture and table information, and a welcome message.

With four promotion spots available in the Spartan South Midlands League Division One this season, St Panteleimon look in great shape to earn promotion after their first season in senior football, following promotion as champions from the Middlesex County League. They came into this game top of the table, following 19 wins and five draws from their 25 league games, six points ahead of second place New Salamis, having played a game less, and ten points ahead of today's visitors, in third place, who had won 17 and drawn one of their 24 league games. Winslow were three points ahead of fifth place, having played two games less. Interestingly, St Panteleimon's only defeat this season came from the reverse fixture of today's game, which Winslow won 4-2.

The weather in the first half was changeable, to say the least, with bright sunshine at kick-off giving way to dark clouds, and then a hail storm about 20 minutes in, which sent spectators scurrying to the small stands for cover.  Bright sunshine returned and remained throughout the second half, albeit the one constant throughout the match was a cold, biting wind. The first half was a decent watch, with St Panteleimon creating most of the chances, good ones at that, but too often the final ball was not good enough. Winslow looked dangerous on the break though, and had two excellent chances themselves in quick succession about five minutes before half time.

The second half continued in a similar pattern, until the deadlock was broken on 62 minutes. The Winslow keeper took a short free kick close to the corner flag, and as the ball was worked forward, a Winslow player was dispossessed, and Brad Glimaney strode forward before unleashing a terrific shot from outside the area into the top left corner, brushing the keeper's fingers en route. Winslow had a great chance to equalise ten minutes later, when an inviting, curling cross from the right was met with a flying header, but the ball went just high and wide. But on 83 minutes, the hosts doubled their advantage. The ball was drilled in from the left, and parried by the keeper into the path of Noyan Tajbakhsh, who slotted the ball home. The visitors kept pushing to get back in the game, and were rewarded in the 89th minute, after the keeper came out but was rounded and the ball was then tapped into the empty net by Sean Coles. They did not threaten an equaliser in the small amount of time remaining though, and so with this result, St Panteleimon went nine points clear at the top of the table, and so promotion as champions looks assured. Winslow United remain in third, but are now just a point above fifth placed Stotfold. This was an entertaining game to watch, albeit the cold made me rather glad to march back to Northolt station and enjoy the warmth of the tube train back into central London.

The electronic programme can be viewed by clicking here.