Buckhurst Hill 2 v 0 Harwich & Parkeston

Saturday 9th October 2021, Kick-off 15.00
Eastern Counties League Division One South
Roding Lane, Buckhurst Hill
Admission including programme: £6.00
Attendance: 113

After last Saturday's very wet and very long day out, today promised to be a much more pleasant experience, with warm and sunny conditions forecast, and a visit planned to my most local senior football ground that I had not previously visited, albeit still some 60 miles from home. It would also enable me to recomplete visiting all grounds in the Eastern Counties League Division One South. I should actually have been at The Valley today watching Charlton against Rotherham, but thankfully, given the desperate start that the Addicks have made to this season, that game was postponed due to international call-ups, allowing a bonus groundhopping adventure today.

Roding Lane is about a 15 minute walk downhill eastwards from Buckhurst Hill London Underground station, which is located towards the eastern end of the Central Line. A roadside sign guides visitors off the passing road and into a large car park, located behind the perimeter fence along one length. Prior to 2019, the main pitch was an open and roped off, but there has been some impressively rapid upgrading of facilities here since then, with perimeter fencing, pitch side railing, hard standing, and permanent dugouts installed in 2019, and further upgrades have been made this year to satisfy ground grading criteria to host step 6 football. Spectators enter the ground in one corner, through a corridor of a small building finished with green coloured wooden slats which blends in well with the surroundings, paying at a window, whilst the other side of the building has a tea bar, named The Stags Kettle, with a pitch facing hatch and offering a good selection of hot and cold refreshments. A modern metallic stand with seating in club colours of black and blue has been installed towards the half way line this year, as have the floodlights. The clubhouse is located behind the goal closest to the entrance, with the bar area bright, spacious and with a good selection of drinks, with another tea bar window to one side. A walkway outside the clubhouse provides a good elevated view to watch the action from behind the goal. Some wooden chairs and a table have been placed on the grass area to one side of the clubhouse, whilst there is hard standing around the remainder of the ground. Several other football pitches stretch behind the length furthest from the entrance, which reflects what a community based club this is, with over 40 teams fielded at youth and senior levels, and there is a slightly surprisingly rural feel to ground, given its location on the fringes of Greater London. A 16 page printed programme is included in the admission fee, and as well as an all colour and attractive cover, it covers the essentials along with providing some interesting reading material.

Buckhurst Hill were elevated from Step 7 into the Eastern Counties League Division One South this season, and they certainly have earned their first ever crack at step 6 football, having been a class apart in the Essex Olympian League Premier Division over the last few seasons. Although they came into this game in eighth place in the table, that does not tell the story of their season, as they have won seven and drawn one of their nine league games so far, have at least two games in hand on all clubs above them in the table, and are seven points adrift of leaders Ipswich Wanderers, but with three games in hand. They have been in good goalscoring form too, winning their last two games 5-1 at home and 1-7 away, and scoring 19 goals in their last four games. Harwich & Parkeston have had a disappointing start to their season, winless in their opening 13 league games, although they have drawn eight of those, including an opening day goalless draw at home to Buckhurst Hill. They came into this game in 18th place in the 20 club division.

On a bright sunny day, following several dry days, it was something of a shock to discover club officials working hard to clear and drain a couple of small saturated areas of the pitch. Plenty of standing water remained in the affected areas on the pitch, but fortunately a pleasingly willing referee deemed that the pitch was firm enough under the surface for the game to go ahead. Buckhurst Hill started the game strongly, and after the visitors were indebted to the linesman for ruling out two goals for offside, on 7 and 13 minutes, it was third time unlucky for them on 14 minutes as the hosts opened the scoring, following a curling cross to the far post which was headed home. After Harwich saw a very decent chance on 33 minutes blazed over the bar from a slight angle, the hosts opened up a two goal lead when the ball was floated in from the right, and the ball was tapped home on the stretch. It was a lead they certainly deserved, and Harwich were thankful to their keeper for some very good saves to keep his team still in the game at the break.

The visitors improved after the break, but still we’re not able to really pose a serious threat on goal, and although Buckhurst Hill seemed in cruise control for most of the second half, very comfortable in their two goal lead, they continued to come close to scoring again, seeing a goal bound shot blocked, and the visiting keeper forced into making some more very good saves. Surprisingly, there turned out to be no further goals scored in the second half, with Buckhurst Hill claiming the win which lifts them into fifth place and the final play-off berth. There was a real sign of confidence about their play and at this early stage of the season, they certainly look contenders for a second successive promotion, as long as pitch issues do not derail their season in the dark and wet months of winter to come. Harwich's search for their first league win of the season goes on, and with bottom side Brimsdown winning today, Harwich are now the only winless side in the division, and their battle may be to avoid falling out of the National League System, with the bottom two clubs at risk of relegation this season, although if they can find more of a cutting edge to their play, they should start to climb the table soon.

Harrowby United 6 v 0 Borrowash Victoria

Saturday 2nd October 2021, Kick-off 15.00
United Counties League Division One
Dickens Road, Grantham
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 70

Taking advantage once again of the LNER rail sale, which helped secure London to Grantham tickets for £5 each way, I made my way back up to Lincolnshire for the second time in a fortnight today. A trip over to somewhere of a geographical outpost in Skegness was tempting, but in the end I decided to stay within walking distance of Grantham station, seduced by the promise of a printed programme, and having heard good reports of the ground being upgraded recently.

Dickens Road is about a two mile, 40 minute walk north eastwards from Grantham train station, close to the outer extremity of Grantham urban area. Located at the end of a short residential lane, spectators enter the ground by handing over the admission fee at a window inside a wooden square arch, leading into one corner of the ground. The clubhouse building is located just inside the entrance stretching towards the half way line, and has quite a cosy bar area and has clearly benefitted from being refurbished over lockdown. Plans are also afoot to build an extension to the building shortly. There is a covered area attached to the clubhouse providing some cover above some tables and chairs, with a memorial metal bench placed in one corner. Further uncovered picnic tables have been placed closer to the pitch, and to one side. Team line-ups are written up on a whiteboard posted on the clubhouse wall, and a tea bar is also located towards one end of the building. Dug-outs used to be located along this length, but they have recently been relocated to the opposite side, in front of "Stan's Stand", which has also been recently refurbished and now has four rows of individual plastic seats in the middle section, and with a good incline between rows, they offer a good view of the action, although supporting pillars do get slightly in the way. Either side of the seating there are flat standing areas. There is just hard standing around the rest of the ground, although I understand a new stand will be installed along the clubhouse length shortly. The pitchside railing has also been recently repainted and smartened up, and dotted around the ground is an abundance of club signage and banners posted around the ground, giving the place a real sense of identity, indeed, it is great to see how much hard work has been put into improving the ground, as is there being no sign - yet at least - of any metallic identikit furniture. Some rare Lincolnshire hills around the ground make for a pleasant backdrop.

Harrowby have had a reasonable start to their season, coming into this game in eighth place, following six wins and a draw from their opening 11 league games. They have lost their last two league games, however they progressed in the FA Vase in their most recent game, winning 0-2 at Ingles. Borrowash Victoria, transferred from the disbanded East Midlands Counties League for this season, have had a difficult start to their season, winning just one and drawing one of their eleven league games so far, although that win came on Tuesday, beating Kirby Mustoe 1-0 at home, bringing to an end a run of nine straight defeats since a 2-2 draw on the opening day of the season.

On a miserable afternoon weatherwise, with persistent rain falling throughout and feeling chilly, this game certainly had an electric start, with the home side all but wrapping up the three points inside the first quarter of an hour. They took the lead on four minutes through Jack McGovern's low drilled shot from the edge of the area, and a couple of minutes later, they doubled their lead when a cross from the right was deflected into his own goal by a Borrowash defender. On 14 minutes, Harrowby scored their third when Danny Durkin received the ball alone in the penalty area and he fired into the top left corner of the net. It was a horror start for the visitors, with the potential for the scoreline to become very ugly, but although Harrowby saw a free kick tipped smartly over the bar, the hosts only added one further goal by half time, which was probably enough to put the result beyond any doubt, when Makhale Mahlatsi struck the ball home.

Unsurprisingly, the second half dropped in intensity as Harrowby were in cruise control, although they still forced a couple of smart saves and hit the woodwork once before adding their fifth goal on 73 minutes, when McGovern tucked the ball home after an initial shot was blocked. And McGovern sealed his hat-trick with virtually the last kick of the game, tapping the ball home at the far post after a low cross shot from an angle could only be parried into his path by the keeper.

So a thoroughly convincing win for Harrowby, which sees them rise to sixth in the table, whilst on the evidence of today, it looks like being a very long season indeed for Borrowash if they are to avoid the bottom three places and with it possible relegation out of the NLS.