Long Melford 1 v 2 Brightlingsea Regent

Friday 9th July 2021, Kick-off 19.45

Pre-season Friendly

Stoneylands, Long Melford

Admission: £5.00

Programme: None

Attendance: 65 (rough headcount)

In some ways, this evening was not the perfect time to visit Stoneylands, as it is currently a ground very much in transition, with building works continuing on a new clubhouse, and so a visit once that has been completed would have been ideal. However, as I was spending a few days in Suffolk, it worked out well to take in some Friday night football here.

Stoneylands is located just to the west of the very pleasant and charming village of Long Melford, and entrance is gained in one corner of the ground, with spectators handing over the admission fee at a table, just beyond a kiosk which was unused this evening. To the side of the entrance, moving down the length towards the half way line, is a row of black and white rooms, with the changing rooms housed in a section covered by a sloping roof closest to the entrance, whilst the remainder of the row has flat roofing. The bar used to be housed here but that area has now been emptied, and for now only a section to allow access to toilets remains open, as well as a tea bar hatch. To the right of this block, and straddling the half way line, the large and impressive looking clubhouse building is nearing completion, and is due to be officially opened in late August. It should herald an exciting new chapter for the club, providing excellent facilities for the football club, improved engagement with the local community, as well as the opportunity for additional revenue streams. A modern metallic all-seater stand is situated in front of the new clubhouse, and cover is also provided over a flat standing area behind the goal furthest from the entrance, in the form of a wooden structure. Hard standing is available along the remaining length, which is tightly lined by a tall hedge to act as a border between the football ground from the adjacent cricket field, and behind the remaining end, which has a large grassed area and housing beyond. Unsurprisingly for a rural village club, there is a pleasantly rural and peaceful feel to the ground.

Long Melford is one of the oldest football clubs in the country, with their first game being traced right back to 1868. They entered the Eastern Counties League in 2002, and were promoted to the Premier Division in 2015, where they have remained since. As a club that apparently does not pay its players, save for some travelling expenses, that is quite an achievement for this small village club. Brightlingsea Regent play their football two steps higher, in the Isthmian League Premier Division, and have made swift progress up the pyramid since their formation following a merger in 2005 and starting out in the Essex & Border League Division Two, earning promotion to the Eastern Counties League in 2011 and to the Isthmian League in 2014.

On an overcast evening, although thankfully the forecast rain did not arrive during the game, Brightlingsea Regent fielded different teams in each half, and perhaps unsurprisingly, both largely controlled the game and created more chances. They opened the scoring on 26 minutes when the ball was slipped down the right for Max Booth to run onto and run clear of the defence, before coolly slotting the ball low past the keeper into the far corner. They had another great chance a couple of minutes later, when the ball was fizzed in from the right by Zach Smith-Walter, but Cadell Fraser-Robinson couldn't get a proper connection with a header, and the ball looped over the bar.

It appeared that Brightlingsea had doubled their lead four minutes after the restart, when a free kick was floated in from the left wing and just beyond the keeper's grasp, and was headed home at the far post, but the goal was ruled out for offside. On 53 minutes, the away side were awarded a penalty for a foul tackle on Charlie Durling as he prepared to shoot, and it was converted into the left side of the goal by one of seven triallists fielded by Brightlingsea this evening, sending the keeper the wrong way. On 71 minutes, Long Melford were reduced to ten men, as one of their players had to go off injured and despite the referee allowing rolling subs, all four players on the bench were deemed not fit enough to play. Despite that, Long Melford scored on 77 minutes thanks to a bit of a howler from the substitute Brightlingsea keeper, a triallist, who took a touch but tapped the ball out too far away from him, allowing the Long Melford player to nip in, knock the ball past the keeper and dribble it into the empty net. That certainly galvanised the Long Melford players, as they went on to have by far their best spell in the game, creating some decent chances, coming close to scoring a second on a couple of occasions. Brightlingsea also had a good chance, shortly after Long Melford's goal, when a curling shot from outside the box by a triallist forced a good tip over from the keeper.