Sway 1 v 3 Denmead

Bank Holiday Monday 29th August 2022, Kick-off 15.00
Hampshire Premier League
Jubilee Field, Sway
Admission: Free
Programme: None
Attendance: 30 (rough head count)

For this Bank Holiday Monday, I decided against the opportunity of a double, with no possibilities of taking in a new ground as part of the double, and with my partner in toe today, I instead headed down to the New Forest, to combine a long walk before a game at a pleasant and rural setting.

Although Sway train station is about a ten minute walk away from Jubilee Field, we instead got off a stop early, at Brockenhurst, for a five mile indirect walk along a former train track and then through a wooded section of the New Forest, to get to the small village of Sway. Jubilee Fields is located just to the south of the village, with a portable fixture board positioned by the passing road. Inside, the football ground is part of a very smart and well appointed sporting complex. Just beyond the car park lies the football pitch, which is fully railed off, with hard standing all the way around, and a stand with four rows of bench tops inside. Well maintained and painted in dark green, it blends in well to its surroundings. Tall trees line both lengths, and the complex's cricket fields is visible immediately beyond the trees. The complex's pavilion is situated behind the end closest to the entrance, next to a playground and tennis courts, and has something of a village hall feel about the place, with basic refreshments available from a hatch. As well as being an attractive and well maintained ground, it feels like a ground more than suitable to hosts step 6 football, apart from the lack of floodlights. No programmes are produced at Sway, and more surprisingly, there is no whiteboard with team line-ups, as is usually found at Hampshire League grounds. 

Sway have had a low start to their season, winning one and losing the other three of their opening four league games, although each game they have lost has only been by one goal. Today will be a tough test to get anything out of however. Since their elevation to the Hampshire League in 2019, Denmead have always been there or thereabouts at the top of the table, including promotion in 2020, and this season has started no differently for them, as they are unbeaten following their opening four league games, winning three and drawing the other, scoring 14 goals in the process.

On a warm but mostly overcast afternoon, this game had a surprising start, when Sway took the lead in the third minute, when the ball was played out to the right and the forward struck a low drive across the keeper and into the net. On 13 minutes, a Denmead corner hit the near post, whilst two minutes later, Sway come so close to doubling their advantage when a corner was delivered into the area, the keeper failed to claim the ball, and the second of two weak goalbound headers was cleared on the line, according to the officials, but the Sway players seemed pretty convinced that it had crossed the line. Denmead then started to control the game more, and on 33 minutes they were back on level terms when Owen Milne's corner swung straight into the net, despite the despairing grasp of the keeper. The scoreline remained level at half time, at the end of a half which was surprisingly even.

The second half was a different matter though, with Denmead dominating for long periods as the Sway players seemed to wilt and let the game pass them by. Denmead took the lead on 55 minutes, when Jay Arend sent the ball down the right for Charlie Crook to chase into the penalty area, before driving the ball powerfully through the keeper and into the net. The visitors pretty much sealed the three points on 74 minutes, when Milne struck a low free kick which went inside the left hand post. The closest Sway came to getting back into the game came on 78 minutes, when a powerful shot was well parried by the keeper, but Denmead saw the remainder of the game out quite comfortably

Swanage Town & Herston 2 v 2 Sherborne Town Reserves

Saturday 27th August 2022, Kick-off 15.00
Dorset Premier League

Days Park, Swanage

Admission: £3.00

Programme: None

Attendance: 60 (rough head count)

I had long since been wanting to visit Days Park, as I had heard it to be a charmingly old fashioned ground in a very pleasant setting, but which had  been falling into disrepair. But a combination of factors - including fixture scheduling, weather, Covid, and inconvenient public transport connections - have thwarted my previous attempts at getting there sooner. With extensive ground redevelopment already under way, I felt the need to make visiting an urgent priority, and with a warm and sunny day forecast to help really augment visiting a beautiful part of the world and an attractive looking ground, I decided to head down to the Dorset coast today.

A considerable part of the attraction of visiting Swanage was the final element of the journey getting there. After arriving  at Bournemouth train station, I then caught the Purbeck Breezer 50 open top bus service for a route which is considered one of the most scenic in the country, once it leaves Bournemouth and its suburbs, as it makes its way via the Sandbanks to Shell Bay chain ferry and then through rolling countryside on the Isle of Purbeck before descending down to Swanage seafront. After spending some time in the pleasantly slightly old fashioned town and seafront, I then made my way up to Days Park, about a 15 minute walk. An eye catching club board indicates the entrance from the adjacent public car park, with the football club's own small car park just beyond and in front of the large clubhouse building, which also had the club’s name spelt across its front. The admission fee is taken at a black and white breeze block pay hut in one corner of the ground, and then spectators make their way along the hard standing path behind one end, which has some improvised seating provided by wooden planks attached to beer kegs positioned behind the path. The path then leads up some steps to behind the corner flag, and then along the length, the path leads downhill, past a row of fairly low white walled and black roofed buildings where the changing rooms used to be located, but having fallen into disrepair, the interiors are now out of bounds. Attached to these is a covered spectator area which has been renovated inside. The middle section now has a couple of rows of wooden bench tops  positioned on a relatively new concrete base, and either side there is a flat gravel area. A tea bar is housed in a separate building attached to the stand, serving hot and cold drinks, crisps and chocolate bars. An elevated grass area leads to the corner flag, and around the corner, a flight of steps leads down to hard standing behind this end. It is also possible to stand on top of the grass bank, and there are also three memorial stone benches to sit on. Along the remaining length, up until earlier this year, there was a sizeable section of uncovered terracing, but this has been razed to the ground. A large sports hall building backs on to this length, but I understand that this has been condemned and is now out of use. It is attached to the two tier clubhouse building, with the bar on the ground floor, and changing rooms on the first floor. And indeed, players have to walk down a steep flight of stairs to take to the field. With trees and grass banking surrounding the pitch, steep hills and cliffs visible in the distance, plenty of grassy area behind one goal for children to have their own kickabouts, the facilities having a rustic charm, and a really friendly and enthusiastic feel amongst the locals, there is a lot to really enjoy about Days Park, and it will be interesting to see how the ground is transformed in the years to come.

After a difficult last season, finishing third bottom, Swanage have made a decent start to this season, winning two and drawing one of their four league games so far. Sherborne Town Reserves have won one and drawn one of their four league games.

On a warm but partly cloudy afternoon, Sherborne opened the scoring on nine minutes with a lovely goal, Ollie Crisp striking the ball from the edge of the area into the top corner. And they came close to doubling their lead on 12 minutes when a header looped over the keeper and came back off the post. The visitors were good value for their lead, but on 19 minutes, Swanage were awarded a penalty when the ball was played forward into the penalty area, which drew the Sherborne keeper out but he couldn't get to the ball in time without fouling Abraham Adesoji. Charlie Brassington converted emphatically into the right side of the net, despite the keeper going the right way. And in the 41st minute, Swanage took the lead, when the ball was played down the right for Adesoji to run into, the Sherborne keeper was tempted out, but changed his mind, and the striker showed good composure to take his time to bear down on goal before slotting the ball past the keeper. By now, it was a lead Swanage deserved, and which they held onto at the break.

The second half saw Sherborne come back into the game again, and within four minutes of the restart they forced a very decent fingertip save from the home keeper. But on 57 minutes, the visitors were temporarily reduced to ten men for a sin bin offence, yet despite being a man short, they still found an equaliser on 62 minutes when a corner was headed home by Aaron Binding. There was a feeling the game really could have gone either way in the remaining half hour, but in the end, no goals were forthcoming, and a share of the points was probably about right.