Ash United 0 v 2 Windsor

Saturday 5th September 2015
Shawfield Stadium, Ash
FA Vase First Qualifying Round
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 80 (estimate)
Match Rating: 3

For the opening round in this season’s FA Vase, I decided it was time to dip into Combined Counties League territory for the first time in 2015, with a match that had the ingredients for a giantkilling, with the team struggling in a lower division at home.

The Shawfield Stadium is about a 15 minute walk from Ash railway station, and is a smart, neat and tidy ground. Spectators enter behind one of the goals, with cover extending from the turnstile to one of the corners, whilst to the other side of the turnstile is the tea bar built into the larger clubhouse building. Along one of the lengths, a small modern metallic all-seater stand is positioned towards one corner, with just hard standing around the rest of the pitch. A tall hedge with trees behind makes an attractive background to one of the lengths. The 28 page programme was basic in terms of content and layout but was just about adequate in informing readers of the background to the game.

Both of today’s teams are members of the Combined Counties League, although Ash United were languishing at the foot of Division One, having lost all three of their league games, whereas Windsor had made a solid if unspectacular to their campaign in the Premier Division, winning two and drawing two of their five league games so far.

On a mainly overcast and slightly chilly afternoon, the Windsor players took to the field in bibs, to cover their Union Jack styled shirts in club colours of red, green and white which clashed with the home team strip. Windsor certainly dominated the early stages of the game, going close to scoring on several occasions, although Ash managed to have a couple of shots on goal themselves. Their task suddenly became much harder on 29 minutes, when Dixon was shown a second yellow card for sarcastically demanding a yellow card following a foul by a Windsor player. He had looked an accident waiting to happen up to that point, committing a series of reckless tackles and not even a couple of warnings from the referee could persuade Dixon to calm down before it was too late. As it turned out, losing a man had little obvious negative impact on the home side, if anything they continued to grow more into the game and looked as likely to score as the visitors, and it was to Ash’s immense credit that they went into the half time interval on level terms.

Into the second half and there was little to tell between the two teams, as Windsor disappointed with the lack of cohesion and quality in their game. Ash still looked capable of pulling off a shock, until Windsor took the lead on 69 minutes, when Kirby headed home a corner. The goal did give Windsor a little more impetus, but still Ash looked like they had a goal in them. They had one final opportunity to draw level on the stroke of full-time when their keeper came up for a corner, but after the ball was headed over the bar, Windsor went straight down the other end and Harvey found the net with a low cross shot into the far bottom corner.

So in the end, Windsor progressed to the next round as expected, and although they probably did deserve to go through based on the number of chances they created, they did not play well today and Ash gave them an almighty scare. Ash deserve enormous credit for playing so well despite playing for over an hour with ten men, as well as the poor form they came into the game with. Indeed, Ash may well have got something from this game had Dixon not lost his head and let his teammates down.

Glebe 7 v 0 Eltham Palace

Monday 31st August 2015
Foxbury Avenue, Chislehurst
Kent Invicta League
Admission including Programme: £5.00
Attendance: 110
Match Rating: 3

At the conclusion of my morning game at Cowfold, there were no local games in that part of the world that I had not already visited, and so I decided to head north eastwards to south-east London in my quest for a new tick.

Foxbury Avenue is located to the east of Chislehurst, and in just about every respect, is a really pleasant and impressive venue. Somewhat surprisingly for a venue deep in London suburbia, once one enters the complex down quite a long road, one is confronted with a pleasantly rural scene, with the fenced off main pitch and training pitches bordered by trees. After a couple of seasons sharing Holmesdale's Oakley Road ground, Glebe have quickly developed this ground this year, and the progress has been quite remarkable. The clubhouse is situated outside and above the football pitch, and is spacious and pleasantly decorated with good facilities, even with it seemingly still not being quite finished. A spacious patio area with picnic tables outside makes for a pleasant place to loiter. Spectators pay their admission at a window at the clubhouse before showing their programme at the entrance to the football ground. Once inside, the ground isn't the finished article yet, but currently the ground is enclosed by attractive wooden panel fencing and has hard standing down one length and behind one goal, with just grass along the remaining sides. A small Atcost all-seater stand has been positioned straddling the half way line just a couple of days previously, and another is due to be positioned next to it imminently. Floodlights are also being installed soon. A 16 page programme was included with admission and was colourful, containing plenty of photos and contained some interesting reading and the basic background to the game.

Glebe have made a good start to their season, winning two and drawing the other of their three league games so far. Eltham Palace, who have entered into a groundsharing arrangement with Glebe this season, have had an interesting start to their season, having lost their first three games, all away and including a 13-0 defeat at Gravesham Borough, but won 0-1 away at Sutton Athletic on Saturday.

On an overcast afternoon, although happily the earlier rain had relented, after Glebe dominated the early exchanges, they deservedly took the lead on 13 minutes when a long ball from their own half fell at the feet of Ryan Golding, who took a touch before tapping the ball past the keeper. Glebe doubled their lead on 20 minutes when the ball was played in from a free kick to the far post and Carson Dennis headed home from a tight angle. Two minutes later and the visitors had a great chance to get back in the game but when through on goal, their striker's shot hit the keeper's legs. On 31 minutes, Jamie Williams evaded some half hearted challenges before drilling the ball low through the keeper and into the far corner, and within a minute, Glebe pretty much sealed the win when Danny Gannon drilled the ball into the net deflecting off the keeper. Somehow, the home side didn't add to their four goal lead by the time half time arrived, as the visitors looked in danger whenever the home team mounted an attack.

Into the second half and Eltham Palace looked a much more solid outfit without ever looking likely to reduce the arrears, and Glebe stretched their lead to five on 62 minutes when Jaie Nuttall curled a lovely shot from the edge of the area and inside the near post. After some more fortunate escapes for the visitors, they did concede a sixth on 74 minutes when Gannon lobbed the keeper, and Golding also scored his second of the game and Glebe's seventh when he tucked the ball home after the keeper parried the initial shot. They had a chance to make it eight a couple of minutes from time when they were awarded a penalty after the visiting keeper brought the striker down. The keeper redeemed himself by saving the penalty, and the score remained at seven as the final whistle blew.

So a thoroughly convincing win for Glebe, although they were certainly helped by some dreadful defending by the visitors, who far too easily seemed to let their heads drop. It looks likely to be a long season for them. Things certainly look promising for Glebe, with the team on the pitch appearing to match the club's impressive development off of it, although there will certainly be much tougher tests to come than they encountered from their tenants today.

Cowfold 6 v 2 Hurstpierpoint

Monday 31st August 2015
Cowfold Playing Field, Cowfold
Southern Combination League Division Two
Admission: None
Programme: Free
Attendance: 55
Match Rating: 3

For my August Bank Holiday action, I decided to start off by visiting another of the new entrants to the Southern Combination League this season.

The Cowfold Playing Field is situated close to the centre of the village, next to the A272, but at least 7 miles from the nearest train station in Horsham. The football pitch is roped off and surrounded by trees on three sides, with the rest of the playing field complex stretching from the remaining length back to the main road, and the clubhouse is positioned slightly away from the football pitch offering a tea bar, line-ups board and the changing rooms. Between the clubhouse and a corner of the pitch is a small brick wall, installed in memory of a former Cowfold FC secretary. It's a typically pleasant, basic country village recreation ground setting at this level. Programmes were available free of charge, with 8 pages of basic information, but any programme is always very much appreciated at this level.

Since their promotion from the West Sussex League, Cowfold have had a great start to life in the Southern Combination, beating local rivals Billngshurst 2-1 on the opening day, before dispatching Ifield Galaxy 6-0, both games at home. Having demerged from Burgess Hill Albion after just one season, Hurstpierpoint had a nightmare start to their season, losing 0-8 away to Roffey in their first game, but drew 1-1 at AFC Roffey in their second on Saturday.

On a thoroughly miserable morning weatherwise, with persistent rain falling from dark grey skies but with the pitch remaining in excellent condition throughout apart from obviously being quite slippery, a minute's silence was observed before kickoff in memory of the Shoreham Airshow tragedy and the two Worthing United players who lost their lives because of it. Within a minute of kick-off, Cowfold had taken the lead, when Kyle Mitchell-Harris headed the ball home from a corner. They doubled their lead on 15 minutes when Rhyse Nash smashed the ball high inside the near post. Somewhat against the run of play, Hurstpierpoint pulled a goal back on 24 minutes when Flynn Collins slotted the ball low past the keeper. Cowfold restored their two goal lead on 40 minutes when Ryan Taylor got on the end of a curling cross into the box and headed the ball into the net with the keeper beaten to the ball.

Although Cowfold looked fairly comfortable with their two goal lead, and had a goal ruled out for offside, it wasn't until the 70th minute when the game turned definitively in favour of the home side. The visitors were reduced to ten men when Stephen Halliday was sent off as last man for bringing down Nash as he ran through on goal, and punishment was doubled when Dan Dalton drilled the ball into the top left corner from the resultant free kick. Daniel Powell gave the visitors faint hope of a comeback when the home keeper couldn't quite gather the ball from a curling free kick and Powell bundled the ball home, but that hope was extinguished once and for all seven minutes from time, when Brad Boughton deflected the ball into the net. Greg Brabon added a sixth for the home side two minutes from time when he poked the ball low past the keeper, to seal a convincing win for the home team. The final scoreline slightly flattered the home side, who were certainly helped by Hurstpierpoint not being able to field a specialist goalkeeper today.

Despite the horrible weather conditions, this was an enjoyable way to start my bank holiday football, in a pleasant setting with a friendly feel to the place, as well as an entertaining game with plenty of goals.