Cardiff Metropolitan University 3 v 1 Bangor City

Saturday 19th August 2017
Welsh Premier League
Cyncoed Campus, Cardiff
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 296
Match Rating: 4

A couple of months ago, I booked my latest Megabus bargain ticket from London to Cardiff for today, for £6.00 return mostly paid for with Tesco Clubcard vouchers. I had wanted to visit Cardiff Metropolitan University throughout their first season in the Welsh Premier last season, but was thwarted by many of their games not being played on a Saturday afternoon. Although it had been my firm plan to attend this game, on the coach ride down to South Wales, I was seriously tempted to head for Aberbargoed Buds in the Welsh League instead, to take in a more traditional football club and venue. Lucky I did not, as that game finished 0-0.

The Cyncoed Campus is about a two mile walk, taking about an hour, from Cardiff city centre, and visitors then snake their way pass by the halls of residence and various sporting facilities on the campus, finally walking along a narrow path around the outside of the National Indoor Athletics Centre, to reach the football ground. Admission is handed over at a window of a portakabin and then visitors pass through a full height turnstile, although the entrance was only opened half an hour before kick-off despite a fairly sizeable queue forming. Adjacent to the entrance, in one corner of the ground, is another portakabin, from which spectators can purchase hot and canned drinks, and confectionery – no hot food not alcohol is available anywhere inside the ground. Along this length, backing onto the Athletics Centre there are three rows of seating in two separate sections either side of the dugouts. Towards the farthest corner, there are three portaloos. On the opposite side, there is a fairly long metallic stand offering further seating, with a broadcasting gantry placed above. Around the rest of the ground there is just hard standing. Tall trees tightly line one end of the ground, behind the opposite length to the Athletics Centre is the former football pitch, with a small stand, whilst behind the remaining goal there is a newly constructed rugby pitch inside an running track. The Indoor Athletics Centre provides a pleasantly modern backdrop. Predictably for a university sports team playing within a campus, there is no real character about the place, with disappointingly basic facilities for a top-flight club - although these may well improve as the club becomes more established at that level. The 20 page programme was printed in colour and provided a decent preview of the match. Team sheets were also available on request.

This promised to be a decent game between two good sides, and who both started the season with convincing wins last Saturday, Cardiff Met winning 0-3 away at Cefn Druids, whilst Bangor earnt an eye-catching 5-2 home win against the usually all-conquering The New Saints. In their first season in the Welsh Premier League after winning promotion from the Welsh League, Cardiff Met finished in sixth place, whilst Bangor finished in fourth place. Today’s teams met at the end of last season to decide who would take part in the Europa League, Bangor triumphing 1-0 at home.

On an overcast afternoon, very strong gusty winds had a big influence on the game, making it difficult for players to judge the flight of the ball. Quite surprisingly, the home side dominated this game for long periods, and they always looked the likely winners after they took the lead on 22 minutes, after they had already come close on a couple of occasions. Following some passing around the box, Elliot Evans struck a shot from the edge of the area which went in off the underside of the bar. They doubled the lead thanks to a gift from the Bangor defence, a defender crazily aerially passed the ball back towards to his keeper in the air, and after the ball bounced towards him, Adam Roscrow beat the keeper to the ball in the air to head it into the empty net. Cardiff Met quite comfortably held their lead up to half time.

Bangor did threaten a little more after the break, but it was Cardiff Met who opened up a three goal lead on 64 minutes with a lovely finish by Roscrow, who connected with the ball on the volley from a corner to send the ball just inside the post from the edge of the area. Credit to Bangor, who kept on plugging away despite the scoreline, and they pulled a goal back on 77 minutes, when Gary Taylor-Fletcher bundled the ball into the net. Cardiff Met were reduced to ten men three minutes later, when Joel Edwards was shown a second yellow card for a poor, mistimed tackle, and one suddenly felt that the game was far from over, and another goal for Bangor would really make for an exciting climax. Despite doing plenty of attacking, that second goal never came, and Cardiff Met saw the game out for a deserved win.

Video highlights of this match can be watched by clicking here

Hythe & Dibden 2 v 5 Tadley Calleva

Saturday 12th August 2017
Wessex League Division One
Clayfields Sports Centre, Dibden
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 46
Match Rating: 4

I have long since wanted to pay a visit to Clayfields, but have wanted to save it for a long, fair day, considering that it would make for a really nice day out, and that their pitch has been renowned for being readily prone to waterlogging. Today was a good day to make the trip.

After arriving at Southampton Central train station, I then walked about twenty minutes to Town Quay, to catch the ferry across the River Test to Hythe. Included in the £7.00 ticket price is a trip along the oldest pier railway in continuous service in the world, from the Pier Head to arrive at the attractive waterfront of Hythe. From there, it is about another 20 minute walk to the Clayfields Sports Centre. After walking through a good sized car park, spectators pay at a booth next to the brick clubhouse building, which is moderately attractive, and reasonably sized and comfortable inside. From the entrance/clubhouse, there is short incline to enter the ground itself , which is enclosed with see-through fencing. Along one length there are no fewer than ten small individual areas of cover, whilst on the opposite length, there is a modern metallic stand which unusually contained bench seating rather than plastic individual seats. Behind one length there is a second pitch and behind the goal opposite the entrance is a short hill, whilst the remaining length is closely lined with trees. The ground is certainly pleasant and smart venue to enjoy at this time of year, but it could be quite a soul-destroying place on a cold, damp winter’s day. A programme was produced, which was a bonus after the no-show at Romsey last week and apparently Hythe & Dibden are not reliable issues themselves. It has to be said that today's publication was not the best, full of advertising, and the only up to date information was the club's forthcoming fixtures.

I had watched Hythe & Dibden put in a battling performance to come away with a 1-1 draw away at Romsey last Saturday. Tadley Calleva opened their account with a 4-2 home win against United Services Portsmouth, after finishing last season in seventh place.

On a moderately warm and mostly sunny afternoon, the visitors won this game thanks to a dominant first half in which they opened up a three goal lead, and the half time scoreline could have been even more convincing. They took the lead on 9 minutes when a player out on the wing cut back and whipped in a perfect cross which Paul Coventry managed to connect with sufficiently to divert the ball into the net. On 27 minutes, they doubled their lead with a rarher fortunate goal, Coventry's shot from outside of the area took a deflection to lift the ball over the keeper and into the net. They made it 0-3 on 33 minutes with a terrific goal. The ball was sent diagonally from the half way line into the path of George Hallahan, who struck the ball powerfully low across the keeper and into the net.

It really felt like the game was over at half time, as Hythe never looked likely to score while Tadley always looked dangerous in attack. But the second half was much more even, and Hythe pulled a goal back on 52 minutes with a good first time finish by Ben Slade after the ball rebounded into his path. Tadley restored their three goal lead on 75 minutes when the ball was drilled in from the left wing by Archie Fawcett, presumably intended as a cross, but the keeper let the ball squirm through his fingers and it dropped over the line. Hythe scored again on 88 minutes when Lewis Fay just managed to stretch and connect with the ball ahead of the keeper to divert it into the net following a diagonal ball forward into the box. But again Tadley restored their three goal lead, this time within a minute. A shot hit the keeper and the deflection rebounded off a defender, before Brett Denham tapped the ball home from very close range.

So a convincing away win, which was a good reflection on how the game panned out, and on this evidence, Tadley Calleva look a good bet to be challenging towards the top of the table. It looks likely to be an average season for Hythe & Dibden, as they desperately need to pose more of a threat going forward.

Romsey Town 1 v 1 Hythe & Dibden

Saturday 5th August 2017
Wessex League Division One
Bypass Ground, Romsey
Admission: £5.00
Programme: None
Attendance: 75
Match Rating: 3

I had every intention of taking in an FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round fixture today, a date I very much look forward to each season, and so today I set off by train along the south coast heading for Lymington Town's tie at New Milton Town’s home ground. However, after my train from Brighton to Southampton was disrupted meaning that I would miss my connection, I was left with the choice of continuing to New Milton, arriving just as the game would be kicking-off, at best, or rerouting to the north of Southampton with a visit to Romsey for a Wessex League fixture. I chose the latter, and even though the train to Romsey was delayed too, I managed to arrive about ten minutes before kick off.

The Bypass Ground is about a ten minute walk south from Romsey train station, and as the ground name suggests, is situated next to a busy road. Club signage and a fixture board welcomes visitors from the main road, and the admission fee is handed over at a smart wooden turnstile block. Visitors then find themselves in one corner of the ground and in front of the clubhouse, which is rather bland inside and has the customary Wessex League team line-ups board outside. To the side of the clubhouse is a small hut offering refreshments. Along the length by the entrance there is a small area of cover which has quite nice appearance on the outside, but has plenty of junk inside. Spectators then need to negotiate stepping over a large pile of sand, before passing by the dugouts, with hard standing beyond and to the far corner flag, with an overgrown and rather unkempt area between the hard standing and perimeter fence. There is hard standing behind the far goal, with cover over the middle third. Straddling the half way line on the other length is a small stand with wooden top seating in rows inside. There is just hard standing around the rest of the ground. Tall trees around most of the ground makes for a pleasant background, and the ground is one that was clearly smartened up with some nice touches a year or two ago, but is currently looking rather scruffy. No programme was produced today, and the well-used in the Wessex League “printers let us down” line used by the gateman was unconvincing.

Both clubs will be looking for improvement this season, after Romsey finished in 13th place and Hythe and Dibden in 18th place in the 21 team division last season. This would be both clubs' opening fixture of this season.

On a mainly warm and sunny, but breezy afternoon, this was a competitive game with some mistimed tackles prompting some niggle at times, and both teams managed to create goalscoring chances. On 26 minutes a poor touch by a Romsey defender by the right edge of the area allowed the Hythe forward to run towards goal with the ball, only to be pulled down for a clear penalty. Luke Watts sent the keeper the wrong way by shooting into the right side of the goal to give the visitors the lead. Their lead would only last six minutes though as a free kick from well outside the area found its way through a crowded penalty area and into the net, with the goal credited to Wayne Boud. 1-1 was how the scoreline remained at half time, with Romsey probably slightly the better side.

They came out of the blocks quickly after the break too, within a minute a header from a deep cross forced a good finger tip save from the keeper, and on 49 minutes later, a low cross deep inside the penalty area resulted in a Hythe defender awkwardly deflecting the ball just over his own bar. On the hour mark, Hythe came close to regaining the lead, when an excellent cross on the gallop down the left wing resulted in a firm far post header which grazed the top of the bar. Romsey had one more good chance on 78 minute when a whipped in cross was not cleanly met by the striker and the ball drifted wide. But in the end, the points were shared, probably a fair result following a match which could have gone either way.