Székely Land 5 v 0 Matabeleland

Saturday 2nd June 2018
ConIFA World Cup Group C
Coles Park, Haringey
Admission: £11.00
Programme: £5.00 (covering entire tournament)
Attendance: 400 (estimate)
Match Rating: 4

With domestic fixtures ending at the end of May, with the FA forcing a curfew on all competitive men’s football throughout the month of June, June usually represents a month of rest from football. However, this year the hosting of the ConIFA World Football Cup at grounds across London offered me the opportunity to extend my season by a further two weekends, starting with two group stage matches today.

Having previously visited all host stadia to be used in the competition, out of a choice today of the home grounds of Carshalton Athletic, Bracknell Town, Slough Town, Haringey Borough and Enfield Town, I chose visits to the latter two, as they would be the easiest to combine for a double – as well as being attractive fixtures in their own right. For the first game I headed for Coles Park, home of Haringey Borough today, for a 2 o'clock fixture. My only previous visit was back in 2012, when the ground hosted Step 5 football, and various improvements have been made as the club has progressed into step 4 and has just won promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. The ground has more of an enclosed feel about it now, with quite an attractive wooden turnstile block situated next to the main stand, painted in yellow and green club colours and although the seating offers good elevation, there are supporting pillars and railings along the from to get in the way of the view. Behind the stand there is a separate building containing the clubhouse. The ground is enclosed by metal fencing panels, and there is only hard standing around three sides of the ground. Beyond the main stand, there is burger van, and then a covered standing area towards the corner flag. The ground is rather scruffy and has little aesthetic appeal, but it serves its purpose. A plastic pitch has been installed since my last visit. An 84 page programme was produced by the organisers covering the whole tournament, and while £5 may initially seem on the expensive side, it proved decent value for money, packed full of information about the competition, its history and the participating teams – all invaluable information for a tournament the vast majority of visitors would know next to nothing about. It was also very attractively and professionally produced, with a nice glossy, hardened cover.

ConIFA is an organisation that administers the game for often generally unrecognised nations, regions and peoples that do not and usually cannot belong to FIFA, and this World Football Cup followed a qualifying format, although some teams were offered wild cards to participate. This match had plenty intriguing about it. Székely Land is a region in central Romania inhabited mainly by Hungarians – the Székelys – and their football team is currently ranked fifth in the ConIFA world rankings. Matabeleland is located in the western part of Zimbabwe, and their participation in this tournament was in doubt right up until they were due to fly out, having to rely on crowdfunding appeals and successful visa applications, but their presence promised to bring a welcome dose of brightness to the competition. In their opening fixtures of the tournament on Thursday, today’s teams fared rather differently – Székely Land winning 4-0 against rank outsiders Tuvalu, while Matabeleland lost 1-6 against one of the tournament favourites Padania.

On a very hot and sticky afternoon, there was an early taste of the colourful, noisy afternoon I was to encounter as soon as I walked out of Wood Green underground station, to be confronted with a group of Szekely Land fans singing, passed them still in full voice as I passed them on the bus, and as they entered the ground. Indeed, this was to be a memorable occasion where they provided terrific support to their team, their area decorated with flags and they intermittently lets off flares in the Hungarian colours of green, white and red, while a small group of Matabeleland followers also gave great encouragement to their team throughout, some dressed in their traditional attire, as they danced and sang their support in a very African style, which contrasted really well with the more "Ultras" support of the Hungarians. After the national anthems were played, Matabeleland were certainly the quickest team out of the blocks, within the first minute a ball over the top saw their striker run onto it and the eventual powerful shot was diverted away for a corner. And soon after, a long ball drilled forward by the keeper found a forward who had sprung the offside trap, and he lobbed the keeper as he came out to meet him, but the goalbound shot was cleared by a defender. And indeed, Matabeleland looked by the far the most likely to score in the opening stages, producing some excellent, free-flowing, fearless attacking, although their unorthodox defending looked very unlikely to maintain a clean sheet. The game changing moment came on 23 minutes, which perhaps would spoil the game as a spectacle and as an even contest. A ball down the left wing sent Szilard Magyari clear and as the keeper came racing well out of his area, Magyari chipped the ball over him to send the ball towards goal, but was cleared by a defender. However, Magyari was flattened by the keeper just after he struck at goal, and the referee pulled the game back to award a free kick and send the keeper off. That free kick came to nothing, but seven minutes, Lorand Fulop ran onto a low ball into the box, only to be brought down from behind, and a penalty was awarded. Fulop himself fired the ball into the left side of the goal, despite the keeper going the right way. From then on, it was to prove a difficult afternoon for the Africans, as Szekely Land doubled their lead on 40 minutes, Arthur Gyorgyi firing in a free kick full of dip and swerve which deceived the keeper as it nestled in the bottom right corner of the goal. And two minutes later, the game was put beyond all realistic doubt. A ball down the left sent the forward clear as he bore down towards the left outer corner of the penalty area, and he cooly passed the ball low to Laszlo Hodgyai, who tapped the ball into the net.

Szekely Land soon made it four after the break, on 53 minutes. A defender got into a tangle as he tried to deal with a cross from the right into the box, and Magyari pounced to fire the ball over the keeper and into the net. They had other decent chances to extend their lead but were not ruthless enough, and Matabeleland also had a couple of good chances to grab a consolation, but in the end, it was Szekely Land who had the final say with their fifth of the game on 88 minutes. The ball was chipped over the defence for Hodgyai to run onto and he just managed to get a shot away before the keeper managed to get in the way at the edge of the area, and the ball trickled into the net.

This result, and Padania beating Tuvalu 8-0 in the later game here, meant that Szekely Land were guaranteed progression to the quarter finals, and the top two teams will play off tomorrow decide who will progress as group winners. Matabeleland will play Tuvalu in a battle of the minnows, and with a decent chance of claiming a win heading into the placement matches if they can recreate their attacking flair shown at times today. Apparently, the party atmosphere continued well after the final whistle, with the players staying on the pitch to celebrate with their fans, with the Matabeleland supporters also joining in with the singing, but unfortunately I had to make a quick exit to make my second game at Enfield on time. But this was a thoroughly entertaining way to begin my experience of this ConIFA World Football Cup 2018, with an entertaining game on the pitch and a wonderful clash of cultures off of it, and I looked forward for more of the same at Enfield. I was certainly not to be disappointed.

Video highlights of this game can be viewed by clicking here.

Balti Sports 2 v 1 Westland Sports

Saturday 26th May 2018
Dorset Premier League
Cranford Avenue, Weymouth
Admission: £3.50
Programme: 50p
Attendance: 65 (rough head count)
Match Rating: 3

After being unable to take in a game last weekend, as I was in the process of moving home, extending my groundhopping of league football to the last Saturday in May would mean a long trek, with most leagues (certainly those close to where I live) having completed their fixtures. Although there were a handful of games in Essex below the official pyramid structure, they were to be played at rather unappealing venues, and so Dorset was the closest source of fixtures of interest to me, with several fixtures taking place in the Step 7 level Dorset Senior League. Initially, I planned to head for Swanage Town & Herston's home Days Park, with the ground apparently being delightfully ramshackle and full of character. However, as I was making my way along the West Sussex coast, I discovered that that game was cancelled as the visitors, reigning champions Holt United, were unable to field a team. The early announcement was welcome, so that I could head for another destination in the Dorset Senior League, and I opted for a trip into Weymouth for a fixture that could see the visitors crowned as champions.

Cranford Avenue is about a 20 minute walk northwards from Weymouth train station, parallel to the coastline and indeed a slight diversion to walk along the seafront made for a very pleasant walk on a very warm, dry day like today. The ground is on the grounds of Weymouth College, and after walking through a long car park, spectators enter the ground in one corner, through a door in the green mesh perimeter fencing, with a white wooden hut just inside. As well as spectators paying their admission fee there, the hut also doubles up as a tea bar, with hot and cold drinks, snacks and hot dogs for sale. A short path then leads spectators pitchside, to a metal stand covering a standing area. This section is the only part around the ground that offers hard standing, although the rest of the ground is fully accessible with grass to stand on behind grey metal railings. An overgrown second football pitch is located behind the far goal mouth, and although surrounding trees and a quiet location make for a fairly pleasant setting, it is a rather unremarkable and bland ground, perhaps inevitably so being on college grounds and so lacking personalisation, club signage and a clubhouse. A programme was issued, a very basic 4 page publication with a fairly attractive front cover, a welcome message and predicted line-ups, but any programme at step 7 is welcome, particularly at a fair price of 50p.

This would be a crucial match for today’s visitors, who came into this, the final day of the league season in second place, following 24 wins and two draws from their 31 league games. They trailed leaders Hamworthy Recreation by two points, but with Westland Sports having an eleven goal better goal difference, a win for Westland Sports in this match and Hamworthy failing to win at Bridport Reserves would mean Westland Sports being crowned champions. Hamworthy Recreation could have secured the title in midweek, but conceded a late equaliser at home to Holt United. Westland Sports had won 25 and drawn one of their 31 league games, and they came into this game in terrific form, winning their last nine league games, a run that included an away win at Hamworthy Recreation, who they also beat in the league cup final last Saturday. Balti Sports were in ninth place, following 14 wins and four draws from their 31 league games, and would rise one place to eighth in the final standings with a win today. Westland Sports won the reverse fixture 4-1 in November, as well as a cup encounter in late March 3-1.

Persistent rain and the threat of thunderstorms were forecast along the south coast today, but happily the weather remained dry throughout, although conditions were overcast and quite oppressively muggy. Unsurprisingly, Westland started this game on the front foot, and on five minutes, a low cross into the near post was diverted onto the post. But gradually the game became more even, and it was Balti Sports who took the lead on 20 minutes. After the ball was intercepted and then laid off to team mate Danny Andrews, he drilled a low shot across the keeper and into the far corner. Westland came close to equalising six minutes later, when a forward spotted the keeper off his line and curled a shot from outside the area which glanced the top of the crossbar. But Balti saw the half out quite comfortably to retain their one goal lead at the break. All was far from lost for the visitors though, as news came in that Hamworthy Recreation were 2-1 down at half time in their game, and so two second half goals could well be enough for Westland Sports to be crowned champions.

However, they certainly didn’t come out after the break reinvigorated, playing more as if the game was a end of season dead rubber rather than having the title at stake, and a minute after Balti saw a shot from outside the box come back off the bar, they did score their second on 50 minutes. A low ball towards the keeper took a deflection, which was enough to divert it agonisingly just out of his reach and trickle over the line. It really did look like game over on 60 minutes when Balti Sports were awarded a penalty for a slow motion foul tackle in the box. The penalty was well struck, but saved to the keeper’s left. That did seem to spark Westland into life, as they created plenty more sights of goal, and saw a terrific shot from outside the area hit the top corner of the woodwork, but for the most part things just did not come off for them in the final third. They did eventually score, on 80 minutes, when a low cross into the six yard area was touched home by William Ireland. And within a minute they were suddenly almost on level terms, when a fierce shot brushed through the keepers fingers and the ball looped up and hit the top of the crossbar and then bounced just behind. But despite plenty of huff and puff, they just couldn’t find a way through to grab an equaliser, despite the keeper even going up for corners in the closing minutes, but it just wasn’t to be for them today.

As it turned out, the result here would prove academic anyway, as Hamworthy Recreation turned their game around in the second half to win 2-4, and were duly presented with the trophy after the final whistle there. Balti Sports ended their season on a high, thereby claiming an eighth place finish.

Peckham Town 2 v 1 Borden Village

Saturday 12th May 2018
Kent County League Premier Division
The Menace Arena, West Dulwich
Admission and Programme: None
Attendance: 70 (estimate)
Match Rating: 3

With senior football having pretty much drawn to a close for this season, I was left with scouring intermediate and junior football to eek out my groundhopping season today. In the end, it was a toss up between a Spartan South Midlands League Division Two fixture between AFC Southgate and Aston Clinton, which had the attraction of ticking off a ground hosting senior football (Hadley being the landlords), and this fixture, which had the attractions of being closer to home, the home ground is quite well appointed, and the club made impressive efforts to publicise the fixture on social media. In the end, I chose a visit to Peckham, which was just as well as the game at Hadley was called off around midday when the visitors announced that they could not raise a team.

The Menace Arena is about a 15 minute walk from West Dulwich train station, and is located next to the South Circular Road. Formerly the Southwark Sports Ground, an impressive amount of work has been put in to make this a very smart ground with excellent facilities far above what one usually encounters at Step 7. Attractive, prominent roadside signage welcomes visitors to the entrance of the ground in one corner, and first of all there is a narrow, old and precariously looking stand, half of which covers one row of eight old fashioned seats. Then, the clubhouse straddles the half way line, containing a tea bar window inside and a seating area. Along this length, hard standing is set quite a distance from the pitch, with grass to stand on close to the railing, and indeed there is no hard standing around the rest of the pitch. Behind the goal closest to the entrance there is a stand immediately behind the goal, while straddling the half way line opposite the clubhouse is a further stand, containing three rows of wooden sheets to sit on. Behind the remaining goal there is just hard standing. The stands and pitchside hoardings attached to the railings are brightly and colourfully decorated in club colours, and with trees closely lining both goals and a second pitch behind the length with the stand, this is a really attractive ground, despite a little shabbiness along one length. Some good music playing on the loud speakers before kick and as the teams walked onto the pitch certainly enhanced the relaxed, welcoming spirit of the place. It has the feel of a senior venue, apart from the mainly grass standing, an absence of dugouts, and perhaps more crucially, a lack of floodlights. Whilst they have applied for promotion to senior football again this year, it is difficult to imagine that the final answer will be positive. As usual here, no programmes were produced today.

There was not that much riding on this fixture. Peckham came into this game in fourth place, following 13 wins and five draws from 26 league games, and would have to win both of their final games and hope Bexley lose their one remaining game to finish third. Borden Village, for whom today would be their final fixture of the season, were in sixth place, following 12 wins and four draws from their 27 league games. Realistically, they could not rise any places as a result of today’s game, but could drop two if they lost. When the two teams met in the league in September, Peckham won 1-4, although when they met in the Inter-Regional Challenge Cup in January, Bexley won 1-0.

To continue the recent topsy turvy weather between weekends, after enjoying beautifully warm sunshine last weekend, today was overcast, chilly and with light drizzle falling almost continuously before and during the game. After a twenty minute delay to the scheduled kick-off time of 2.45, the first half hour was quite uninspiring, with both teams battling but struggling to fashion goalscoring chances. But on 33 minutes, the visitors took the lead. A low ball into the area caused some confusion between a defender and the goalkeeper, the ball spilt away allowing the striker to thump the ball home from close range. But Peckham got back on level terms within 5 minutes, a low ball was played forward diagonally into the box, and the forward struck the ball across the keeper and into the net. In the last minute of the half, Peckham saw a fierce shot deflected just wide.

The second half was virtually a repeat of the first half, with not much action to make the heart race, although Peckham looked slightly the more likely to score. On 80 minutes, an excellent measured shot from just outside the area heading for the top corner forced a good finger tip save, and five minutes later the home side were awarded a penalty, when a shot heading for top corner was saved by the hand of a defender, who was then shown the inevitable red card. The ball was struck low in the bottom left corner, despite the keeper going the right way. Peckham saw the game out quite comfortably to finish their season on a high, but Bexley also winning means that Peckham finished the season in fourth place. Borden Village will finish in sixth, as both teams below them lost today.

There was much to really enjoy about today, with the friendliness and hard working spirit obvious all around the place, and hopefully that is rewarded with good times to come for the club. Today was a good example of why I enjoy groundhopping in May - visiting clubs that I would not normally visit during the regular season, but prove absolute gems when the opportunity arises.