Holmer Green 1 v 2 London Samurai Rovers

Saturday 9th September 2023, Kick-off 15.00

Combined Counties League Division One
Watchet Road, Holmer Green
Admission: £7.00
Programme: Online only 
Attendance: 48

My destination today was decided fairly early on by a desire to recomplete the Combined Counties League Division One. Watchet Lane has actuallybeen on my radar for several years to tick off, but for various reasons it has never worked out, partly because I have always preferred to save its rural location for a warm, sunny day. Today fitted the bill perfectly, with an Indian Summer helping temperatures to climb into the 30’s today.

Watchet Lane is about three and a half miles from High Wycombe station, with plenty of steep hills en route, and so I made use a plusbus ticket to whisk me to the ground in just under half an hour, including a ten minute walk from the closest bus stop. The football club is part of the Holmer Green Sports Association, which hosts a multitude of sports clubs and facilities, and it's clubhouse is located close to the entrance to the complex, with a very pleasant, bright and airy bar area, a smaller and darker one through a doorway, and plenty of picnic tables were located outside along the adjoining cricket field. Quite impressively, two real ales were available, with my choice of Tring Brewery's Side Pocket for a Toad very pleasant. To reach the football ground, it is necessary to walk across the car park and down a natural corridor, although the gates were only opened less than half hour before kick off. Facilities here are quite basic, but very pleasantly rural. A fair sized green coloured stand containing three rowa of wooden bench tops straddles the half way line along one length. Behind the end closest to the entrance, a covered standing area consisting of corrugated sheets supported by scaffolding poles sits on top of an grass bank between the corner flag and goal, with a grass bank also beyond a walkway for the players to access the pitch, and this end is closely lined by trees, as is the length containing the stand and the opposite end, which just has hard standing. The remaining length is inaccessible to spectators, with no hard standing as an expanse of playing field continues into the distance. Unfortunately, printed programmes have not been produced for some time by Holmer Green, which is a shame, as the online offering is decent.

Holmer Green have had a few fairly turbulent seasons lately, being transferred from the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division to the Hellenic League Premjer division in 2018, and after three seasons transferred back, only to finish bottom and suffer relegation to the Spartan South Midlands League Division One. And after finishing 16th in that division, they were then laterally transferred to the Combined Counties League Division One for this season. And despite winning their opening game of this season, they have had a fairly disastrous start to their season, losing all seven of their remaining games, and exited the FA Vase at the first hurdle with an emphatic 0-9 defeat at home to Milton Keynes Irish. London Samurai Rovers are in their third season in the NLS, but after finishing last season in third place, they have had a relatively slow start to this season, having won two and drawn two of their eight league games so far. They also exited the FA Vase at the first hurdle, losing 5-1 at NW London.

On a blisteringly hot day, particularly for mid September, this was perhaps unsurprisingly quite a dull match to watch, punctuated by frequent stoppages for knocks, and with a much needed drinks break in each half. And it was immediately after the first half drinks break that the visitors took the lead, on 24 minutes. After Holmer Green booted the ball downfield to give possession back to the visitors, they launched the ball back downfield, for Rory Jennings run into, and from a slight angle, he struck the ball across the keeper and inside the right post. The visitors were on top for most of the first half, although as it wore on, Holmer Green did look more of a threat, and in the second minute of added on time, they were awarded a penalty for a hack down in the box, which Ikpemwinoghena Yakubu converted.

The second half was quite an even affair, with little indication which way the game would go. But in the 72nd minute, the visitors were awarded another penalty for a trip in the box. Jugert Binaj converted, to restore their lead. Holmer Green did their best to rescue a point, but the closest they came was in the 85th minute, when a free kick was drifted into the box, a poked shot was well parried by the keeper, and a follow up shot went wide. There was time for a slightly bizarre moment in the seventh minute of added on time, when the referee gave an offside decision before the linesman, and a Samurai player's protests earned him a one way ticket to the sinbin for the remainder game, and Holmer Green couldn't make their extra man count, and they remain bottom of the tables but obviously they have plenty of time to climb the table.