Wessex League Premier Division
Barlows Park, Tadley
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 78
Today I decided to make my second visit to a Wessex League ground on consecutive Saturdays, this time to tick off my to my penultimate ground in the league's Premier Division.
Barlows Park is located about a 10 minute walk from Tadley high street, which is about a 20 minute bus ride northwards from Basingstoke train station, and although Tadley itself is just in Hampshire, Barlows Park is situated immediately over the county border, in Berkshire. A fixture board is located by the roadside entrance to the complex, and visitors then pass by a full size football pitch and then a couple of mini pitches to one side, and car parking to the other, before walking around quite a large brick building which houses the complex's changing rooms, to reach a brick turnstile block. Once inside, team line-ups are posted on the pitch facing wall of the turnstile block, and then spectators walk up a slight incline to reach one corner of the pitch. Pitchside facilities are rather basic here currently, with just a small metallic stand with mainly seating inside straddling the half way line, and hard standing around the rest of the pitch. Smart wooden panel fencing encloses the ground on three sides, while behind the goal next to the entrance, there is the back wall of the brick changing room building, and alongside it there is a clubhouse with a wooden panel exterior and containing a bar and a separate tea bar window. There appears to be plans afoot to upgrade the ground, with a couple of tarmac areas enclosed by brick walls in front of the clubhouse, and there are groundworks either side of the stand, perhaps in preparation for further stands or other pitchside facilities. Apart from the building works, it is a smart ground, and there was a very friendly, welcoming atmosphere around the place, although with the benefit of hindsight, I probably should have saved a visit to this ground in late summer to fully appreciate its location, when the surrounding trees would be laden with leaves. The 24 page programme was good on the whole, probably above average for Step 5 with some interesting reading material, is well laid out and easy on the eye.
This was a match between two sides whose realistic ambitions would be a solid top half finish, which would be decent achievement particularly for Tadley Calleva in this their first ever season at Step 5. They came into this game in 11th place in the division, following eight wins and eight draws from their 24 league games. Hamworthy were in sixth place, following 12 wins and a draw from their 21 league games, and with games in hand on all teams around them, they are well placed to stay in the top six, although there is probably too much to do to attain a top three finish, even with games in hand. Today would be the first time the clubs have met in the league this season - and indeed, ever, apparently, certainly in league action.
On a very overcast but mild afternoon, the hosts almost got off to a great start when a cross was headed just over the bar on 3 minutes by Sam Hamilton. But on 11 minutes it was the visitors who took the lead, when the ball was dinked in from the right and Nathan Walker headed the ball home. Tadley were back on level terms on 22 minutes, when the ball found its way to Hamilton beyond the back post, and he chipped the ball back in for Danny Vickers to head home from close range into an open goal. Hamworthy retook the lead on 41 minutes, when a ball into the box wasn't properly controlled by their forward, but it found its way into the path of a team mate, who struck the ball low and powerfully into the net via a deflection off a defender trying to block the ball - the shot was goalbound anyway.
Into the second half and the visitors increased their lead on 55 minutes when a low cross from the right was tapped in at the far post, and it was virtually game over on 62 minutes. The Tadley defence couldn't deal with the ball in the box, and eventually it was crossed low for a tap in. Credit to Tadley for continuing to battle away though, and they were rewarded with their second goal on 78 minutes. A quick break saw the ball played low down the middle for Shemar Pettet to run onto, and he struck the ball low from the edge of the area just inside the post. One felt that another goal to really make the game interesting was not beyond Tadley, but it never came, and Hamworthy held on for what was quite a comfortable win in the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment