Yateley United 0 v 2 Shortwood United

Saturday 26th August 2023, Kick-off 15.00
FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round
Sean Devereux Park, Yateley

Admission: £5.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 216

With yet another rail strike taking place, today not fancying a local revisit on the buses, and with many intermediate league seasons not yet starting, I decided to go on a drive to north east Hampshire today, attracted by a FA Vase tie between clubs from different league, as opposed to slightly closer Step 7 grounds. It would be quite a big day for the home side, being their first ever game in a national FA competition.

I recall walking past the entrance to Sean Devereux Park on my walk from Sandhurst station to Eversley & California's home ground a few years ago, but undoubtedly Sean Devereux Park is most easily accessed by car, with ample car parking available on the complex, as the lane passes between a training pitch and a golf course, with the main car park between the football ground and a cricket field in this very rural, green and peaceful location. The excellently designed modern clubhouse, with a sloping roof, has a large club badge adourning the outside side wall next to the wooden hut where admission is paid to enter, and from where a decent printed programme is also available. Newly promoted into the National League System this year, the ground is a work in progress. The clubhouse is modern and stylish inside, with big screens showing live football, and hot food and drinks are available from a side hatch. To the front of the clubhouse is a large wooden decking area, and its slightly elevated position made for a popular place to congregate and watch the game from. The pitch is fully railed, with hard standing only available along one length and behind one end. A fairly small stand covers a couple of steps to stand on is just to the side of the goal. An all-seater stand will have to be installed before March next year, as a condition of being granted promotion to Step 6, and floodlights will need to be installed, although the bases for these are already in situ. It is a really pleasant place to watch football at, and there is a nice sense of there being a real community spirit around the place. 

Yateley United stormed to the Thames Valley League Premier Division last season, winning all 20 of the league games they played, and they have made a decent start to this season in the Combined Counties League Division One, winning two and drawing two of their opening five league games. Shortwood United, who spent six seasons in the Southern League between 2012 and 2018, currently ply their trade in the Hellenic League Division One, and have made a solid start to their season, winning three and drawing one of their opening six league games.

On a mostly overcast afternoon, with a prolonged shower arriving midway through the first half, this was a game that the visitors pretty much always looked in control of. And after seeing a header go just wide of the post on 19 minutes, they took the lead on 32 minutes, when a free kick was floated into the box from the right, which Jordan Molyneux diverted with a glancing header past the keeper and into the net. On 38 minutes, a close range header was blocked on the line and the loose ball couldn't quite be prodded home. And Shortwood doubled their lead in the second minute of first half stoppage time, when Martin Smith ran onto a flick-on sending him through on goal, and he cooly thumped the ball past the keeper.

It looked a comfortable lead for the visitors at the break, and although Yateley did more attacking after the break, they rarely looked like getting back in the game, not really managing to build up a head of steam until stoppage time at the end of the game, when they forced several corners and a couple of goalmouth scrambles just evaded a tap in, but it was Shortwood who quite comfortably progressed to the next round, where they will be at home to Longlevens in late September.

Highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here

 

Reading YMCA 2 v 5 Westwood Wanderers

Wednesday 23rd August 2023, Kick-off 18.00

Thames Valley League Premier Division

The Cauldron, Padworth

Admission: Free

Programme: None

Attendance: 60 (rough headcount)

On my way home from an overnight trip up north, a couple of fixtures in the Thames Valley League Premier Division suited me perfectly, with a 6 o'clock kick off at both games ensuring that I could take in a new ground some way away from home, but still get home at around 10pm. AFC Winkfield, playing at Virginia Water's traditional ground at The Timbers, was marginally better for me geographically, being closer to home, but in the end I chose a visit to The Cauldron, a ground that has been on my radar for some time anyway.

Despite carrying the town's name, Reading YMCA play some nine miles away from the town, in the "dispersed settlement" of Padworth. And on a gloriously warm and sunny evening, the rural, peaceful location was perfect for a game of football this evening. Arriving a couple of hours ahead of kick-off, I had a very pleasant walk along the nearby Kennet & Avon Canal to Aldermaston Wharf. Reading YMCA lease the football pitch from Padworth Village Hall, whose small building is on the site, between the pitch and a fair sized tarmac car park. The football pitch has attractive wooden perimeter fencing around most of the pitch, although only one length is easily accessible for spectators. The end closest to the entrance is also accessible, behind roping, and in the corner is the clubhouse building, and refreshments are available from a modern bar, either from an outdoor hatch or the small inside area. A small area of cover supported by a wooden frame has been erected on the pitch side of this building, providing a slightly elevated area to watch the game from, with a few individual seats and benches available if desired. There are no stands nor floodlights, but the location is picturesque, with rustic countryside surrounding the ground, with the peace occasionally slightly interrupted by passing intercity trains fairly close by. As expected, no programme was produced for this fixture, although very occasionally, the club does produce one.

Reading YMCA finished in fourth place in the Thames Valley League Premier Division last season, but their opening two games this season has seen plenty of goals at both ends, winning their opening game against SB Phoenix 6-3 at home, before losing 6-1 at Finchampstead on Saturday. Westwood Wanderers finished in sixth place last season, and also opened their season with a home win and an away defeat.

On a gloriously very warm and sunny early evening, the visitors quickly grabbed control of this game, scoring twice in the opening eight minutes. First, Harrison Luffrum drove the ball from the edge of the area into the bottom corner, and three minutes later, a long ball launched into the area was headed down across the area and Samuel Poulter bundled the ball home. But on ten minutes, Reading YMCA had a great chance to pull a goal back, when they were awarded a penalty when one or their players was bundled over in the box, but the penalty was saved low to the keeper's right. Both sides continued to create chances in what was developing into an end to end game, and so it was slightly surprising that  the scoreline remained 0-2 at the break.

But the hosts pulled a goal back eight minutes after the restart, when a good jinking run towards the penalty area by half time sub Archie Denton ended with the ball being struck home, brushing the keeper on its way through. But Westwood restored their two goal lead on 69 minutes, after an initial shot was blocked on the line, possibly by a hand, but the ballnwas eventually bundled home anyway by Poulter for his second of the game. And the visitors all but sealed the points on 74 minutes, when the ball was curled into the net, via a deflection off a back, by sub Daniel Nicholson. Reading scored their second a minute later, when a low cross was deflected towards the back post for Mohamed Adam to tap the ball home, only for Westwood to restore their three goal lead on 79 minutes, when another sub, Matthew Bustin, struck the ball lown across the keeper. Slightly surprisingly, that turned out to be the last of the scoring, and it was a scoreline which did reflect how the game panned out.

Stockport County 1 v 1 Manchester United U21

Manchester United U21 won 5-3 on penalties

Tuesday 29th August 2023, Kick-off 19.45
EFL League One
Edgeley Park, Stockport

Admission: £10.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 5,000 (1,331 away)

Another work trip visiting customers this week presented me with another opportunity to take in a new ground up north. In all honesty, Stockport wasn't a logical overnight stopping place, having ended today’s customer visits in Leicester and my first point of call in the morning being in central Birmingham, but diverting to Stockport would ensure that I would be able to tick off my 86th ground of the 92.

Edgeley Park is located to the south west of Stockport town centre, and about a 20 minute walk from my Alma Lodge hotel. There is a lot to like about Edgeley Park, seeing the floodlights and biggest stand rising hight above the surrounding residential streets on approach, and on the outside of the main stand, Stockport County is spelt out in qn old fashioned style. After much deliberation, I chose a seat in the front row of the upper tier in the Cheadle End, which is by the far the most modern and tallest of the stands, which was opened in the mid nineties, and which would offer an excellent view of the more old fashioned stands on either side of the ground, and of the countryside in the background behind the other end, the Railway End, which  is a small uncovered area of seating, and was where most away fans were located this evening. The Main Stand, which was opened in 1936, only covers about the middle third of the length, and was the only other area open to home fans this evening, while the Popular Stand, dating from 1956, covers virtually the whole length of the other side, about a third allocated to away fans with the remainder not in use this evening. Edgeley Park is a really pleasant ground, sensibly sized, and a pleasing mix of modern and more traditional facilities. Pleasingly, a programme was produced for this fixture, a reduced size compared with the editions for league fixtures, but it remained well presented with good information to preview the game.

Following an eleven season stay in non league, Stockport made a strong return to the EFL last season, finishing in fourth place, and only missing out on a second successive promotion by losing on penalties to Carlisle in the play-off final in May. They have made a fairly slow start to this season, losing their opening two league games, plus a League Cup fixture at Sheffield Wednesday, but have most recently gained four poinrts from their last two games, both at home. Manchester United U21 reached the last 16 of this competition last season.

A match report from the official Stockport County website can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below.

Extended highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here

EFL Trophy Match Report: County 1-1 Manchester United Under-21s

The Hatters’ opening group-stage match in the English Football League Trophy saw them draw in SK3 against an Under-21 side from Premier League Manchester United’s Academy, but miss out on a bonus point from the ensuing penalty shoot-out. 

It was also a tale of two penalties during regular play, as United, a few minutes after the hour, had  opened the scoring on the rebound from one that had been saved by Jordan Smith, before substitute Tanto Olaofe blasted in a late, late spot-kick in the 10th minute of time added on.

The tie also saw the Hatters’ skipper for the night, Ryan Croasdale, sent off for two bookable offences on his 150th County appearance, and five other home players, as well as United Academy Manager Travis Binnion, receive yellow cards.

The Hatters took to the field on a bright evening, and showed nine changes following their previous match, with only the two Ryans – Croasdale and Rydel – being retained from the League Two line-up that had started at Edgeley Park against Barrow three days earlier (although five more weekend starters were included among the substitutes). 

A trio of County’s summer arrivals – namely, goalkeeper Smith, wing-back Josh Popoola and striker Billy Chadwick, signed during the close season from Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Hull, respectively – were all handed their competitive debuts as Hatters. 

County made a promising start – with Chadwick’s pressure forcing an early corner, and Croasdale’s chip finding Neill Byrne who headed beyond the right post, before two minutes were up. And, several minutes later, Ethan Pye emulated his central defensive partner by connecting with a Rydel delivery, which he glanced just wide.

Just ahead of the 10-minute mark, Popoola went closer still by bursting through on goal and rounding goalkeeper Elyh Harrison – only then to find himself at too tight an angle, and firing into the left side-netting.

The young visitors – wearing squad numbers at the outset in the range between 50 and 76 – fashioned their inaugural chance of note shortly before the quarter-hour through Colombian U-20 international, Mateo Mejía, whose low shot was smothered by Smith. 

Subsequent first-half exchanges led to rather less action in either final third – although Byrne had to act quickly and decisively during added time in clearing a dangerous delivery from the right by Mejía, before Shola Shoretire blasted over a free-kick by way of the final touch prior to the break.

HALF-TIME: County 0, Manchester United U-21s 0. 

Within half a dozen minutes of the resumption, United created the new half’s first opportunity, as Mejía crossed from the right to Joe Hugill, whose header cleared the crossbar. And, shortly afterwards, Maxi Oyedele fired into orbit at the Railway End, which housed the most concentrated and vocal cluster of visiting supporters.

Around the hour-mark, Rydel, fed by Connor Evans, drilled a low shot from outside the box that Harrison dived to gather up. But within moments, events at the other end would see the visitors take the lead, as Akil Wright – playing as a Hatter for the 50th time – brought down substitute Ethan Williams to concede a penalty.

Smith dived to his right to parry Hugill’s spot kick, but, alas, only as far as the penalty-taker who followed up to convert on the rebound and put the United youngsters ahead.

Ten minutes later, the lively Williams struck County’s bar from the edge of the area – before Croasdale, who had previously been booked on the stroke of half-time, was shown a second yellow, for a further challenge that left him requiring treatment, and dismissed.

In the course of 11 minutes added on at the end, United substitute Charlie McNeill fired narrowly shy of the right post – but, in the dying seconds, Ibou Touray, on as a late replacement for sponsors’ man of the match, Byrne, went to ground in the box under a challenge from Harrison, and Olaofe stepped up to fire home from 12 yards to level matters.

FULL-TIME: County 1 (Olaofe (penalty), 90 + 10), Manchester United U-21s 1 (Hugill, 64). 

The shoot-out that follows drawn ties at the group stage took place at the Railway End, where Rydel saw his spot-kick saved, and Ethan Wheatley converted the decider that gave the visitors a bonus point.

The Hatters will visit Salford and entertain Bolton during the autumn in their remaining group games of the competition.

PENALTIES: County 3 (Evans, Barry, Olaofe), Manchester United  U-21s 5 (McNeill, Shoretire, Nolan, Williams, Wheatley).

Team (3-4-3): Smith; Wright, Byrne (Touray, 89), Pye; Popoola (Collar, 79), Johnson (Barry, 79), Croasdale (Capt.), Rydel; Evans, Chadwick (Mee, 65), Crankshaw (Olaofe, 79).

[Debuts for the following players, each with a unique SCAN [Stockport County Appearance Number]: Billy Chadwick (1453); Josh Popoola (1454); and Jordan Smith (1455).]

Unused Subs: Jones, Horsfall.

Booked: Johnson, Wright, Rydel, Mee, Byrne.

Sent Off: Croasdale.

Man of the Match: Byrne.

Attendance: 5,000 (1,331 away).

Reporter: Gareth Evans.

Photographer: Mike Petch.