Portsmouth 0 v 3 Charlton Athletic

Saturday 20th July 2013
Pre-season Friendly
Fratton Park, Portsmouth
Admission: "Pay what you want"
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 8,557
Match Rating: 3

Having almost inexplicably never previously visited Fratton Park, when Charlton announced that they would be playing a pre-season friendly here this summer, with the decision of how much I paid for my ticket up to me, taking in this match was an easy decision.

Fratton Park is about a ten minute walk from Fratton train station, and having anticipated an old-fashioned ground oozing with character - a break from the functional but bland modern stadia - I was not to be disappointed. I chose to sit in the South Stand, which had good views from where I sat in the front row of the upper tier, however there are lots of obstructing pillars in this stand, and the lower tier is positioned very low indeed. On the opposite side is another two tiered stand, again with obstructing pillars. Behind one of the goals is a large, modern single tiered stand where the hardcore Portsmouth fans congregate, whilst behind the other goal is a smaller stand for away fans. The programme, an 84 page double issue also covering next week's friendly against Rayo Vallecano, was very impressive for a pre-season friendly, and it seemed to be what would be produced for a league game.

How times have changed for these two clubs. As recently as 2010, Portsmouth were a Premier League club and Charlton were in League One. Portsmouth now have the prospect of League Two football to look forward to after a disastrous season on and off the field last season resulting in relegation, whilst Charlton claimed a top half finish in the Championship. The signs are that Portsmouth have turned a corner now though, with the football club now "owned by the fans", and with some reasonable looking signings having been made and club legend Guy Whittingham now in charge. Signings have so far been thin on the ground for Charlton this summer, although they gave another run out to Adamo Coulibaly, a big powerful striker who has been prolific in the Hungarian League.

On yet another warm and sunny afternoon, this was in many ways typical friendly fare, being rather slow paced, although it was refereed in quite a bizarre manner. The referee was quick to give petty free kicks and insisting they were taken from exactly the right place, did not stop the game when Charlton's Mark Gower lay on the ground having been hit full in the face with the ball, and gave a yellow card to a Portsmouth player for diving. Portsmouth actually looked the better team in the early stages as they did most of the attacking. However, Charlton always looked dangerous on the break, and Callum Harriott missed an open goal, but they did take the lead on 39 minutes when the ball was crossed from the byline by Cedric Evina, it sailed over the keeper John Sullivan - who had left Charlton at the end of last season - and was headed in from close range by Bradley Pritchard. Charlton went on to dominate the rest of the half, although the scoreline remained 0-1 at half time.

The second half started much as the first had ended, and Charlton extended their lead on 67 minutes. Captain Johnnie Jackson floated in a free kick from close to the corner flag, the ball was only half cleared to the feet of Harriott, who drilled the ball low and powerfully into the net. A flurry of substitutions then followed, and one of the substitutes, Yann Kermorgant, had a big part in Charlton's third goal on 76 minutes. He threaded a wonderful slide rule pass into the path of Chris Solly who strode into the penalty area before being clumsily brought down. Kermorgant retrieved the ball and took the penalty, which he drilled into the bottom left hand corner despite the keeper diving the right way. Both teams had slight chances to score in the remaining minutes - a Portsmouth consolation goal would have been more reflective on proceedings than a Charlton fourth - but 0-3 it remained. Credit to the Portsmouth fans for drumming up a reasonable atmosphere for a friendly match. But then, if any fans can really support their team through thick and thin, it's Portsmouth.

Saltdean United 1 v 2 Horley Town

Sunday 14th July 2013
Pre-season friendly
Hill Park, Saltdean
Admission and Programme: Nil
Attendance: 58 (head-count)
Match Rating: 4

A Sunday kick off here allowed me to revisit a ground that I had only previously visited for the last 20 minutes on a dark, damp winter's afternoon several years ago. Which was too bad, as Hill Park ranks as one of the most picturesque in the Sussex League, so I decided that a visit during the current heatwave was the perfect time to return.

Hill Park is situated in a small valley just above the village of Saltdean, which is about a 20 minute bus ride along the coast eastwards from Brighton city centre. Situated down a country lane, one enters the ground on the opposite side of a track to the clubhouse which is much more pleasant inside than it promises to be outside. Along the length opposite the clubhouse is a large grass bank which makes for an excellent place to watch the game on a warm sunny afternoon. There is also a small stand, supposedly all-seater but with about half of the seats missing. Hard standing is also available along both lengths and behind one of the goals, whilst the area behind the other goal is inaccessible to spectators. The grass valley and trees surrounding the pitch makes this a really pleasant and peaceful venue. Unsurprisingly, no programmes were issued today.

There was a double header of games today, with the first teams playing in the first game with a 1pm kick off. Saltdean United had an horrendous season last year in the Sussex League Division Two, finishing bottom with just eight points from their 34 games and they should have been relegated into intermediate football but were given a reprieve. Horley Town play in a step above, in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League, finishing in twelfth place in the 22 team division last season.

On yet another warm, sunny afternoon - although not as warm as yesterday - this was a surprisingly entertaining and competitive game, with plenty of commitment shown and both sides creating half chances. Horley took the lead though on 21 minutes when some neat passing inside the box culminated with a low shot across the keeper finding the back of the net.

1-0 was how it stayed at half time, but seven minutes after the break, Saltdean got back on level terms when a through ball was taken in the forward's stride, who took a couple of strides before placing the ball low in the bottom right hand corner. The match could have gone either way from here as both sides had further reasonable chances, but it was Horley who scored what turned out to be the winner nine minutes from time. A quick break from the back saw the ball out on the right wing deep inside Saltdean half. The ball was played inside and the striker clipped a lovely shot over the keeper and into the net. Neither side seriously threatened to score again, but this was an excellent work out for both teams, and Saltdean in particular could draw plenty of positives out of their performance.

Saltdean United Reserves 3 v 3 Horley Town Reserves

After a short break, it was the turn of the reserve teams, in a game that was just as entertaining as the first team game. Horley took the lead on 8 minutes when a freekick was driven low into the net from just outside the box. On 19 minutes, Saltdean equalised when a cross from the right was poorly missed by the defender and the ball was struck home from the centre of the goal. On 38 minutes, Saltdean took the lead, when a cross from the right evaded several defenders before being tapped home at the far post.

Into the second half and Horley equalised with an absolute screamer, the ball being lashed into the top right hand corner from fully 25 yards. Saltdean went back into the lead on 75 minutes when a high cross from the byline was headed home from close range. Horley equalised again four minutes from time. The keeper clutched at thin air when he claimed the ball coming in from a corner, and the ball was headed home despite a defender's acrobatic attempt to clear it on the line. A high scoring draw was a fair result after an entertaining games with plenty of chances for both teams.

AFC Bournemouth 0 v 2 West Ham United

Saturday 13th July 2013
Stephen Purches Testimonial Game
Dean Court, Bournemouth
Admission: £15.00
Programme : £3.00
Attendance: 7,080
Match Rating: 2

For my second game of this pre-season, I decided to finally tick off a visit to Dean Court after two previous attempts were thwarted after travelling to Bournemouth. Even today's visit looked in doubt en route, as train services descended into chaos in the Portsmouth area thanks to trespassers on the line. Happily I had allowed myself plenty of time and arrived with half an hour to spare.

Dean Court is located about a twenty minute walk from Pokesdown rail station and is set in the middle of the large King's Park containing various other sporting facilities. It is a ground that has been completely redeveloped since the Millennium and so perhaps it is no surprise that it offers very good spectator facilities, with good legroom, plenty of incline between rows and no obstructing pillars - yet despite a neat and tidy appearance, it is a thoroughly boring stadium devoid of any character or charm. All three stands currently functional are very similar in size and design, although the main stand - where I was seated - contains corporate boxes along the back. One nice touch was large action photos from key historical games on the inside of each end of the stands. Behind one of the goals, a new stand is in construction. Only the outer shell was standing today, although the stand is planned to be ready for use by the start of the season. The programme was very good by pre-season standards, 56 pages with a glossy hardened cover, although it was understandably mostly focused on Stephen Purches, whose testimonial it was today.

These are exciting times for AFC Bournemouth, preparing for life back in the Championship, having been promoted in second place. Unbelievably, they also have a friendly against Real Madrid to look forward to next Sunday at Dean Court, with a ticket price of £60 not preventing the game from selling out within a few hours of going on general sale. For today's game, Bournemouth's squad was augmented by three 'special guests' - John Purches, brother of Stephen, former England midfielder Darren Anderton, who finished his career at Bournemouth, and recently retired Steve Fletcher, who made 728 appearances for Bournemouth, a club record. West Ham United, who finished in tenth place in the Premiership last season, brought their full first team squad today, although Andy Carroll would play no part as he is currently sidelined with a heel injury.

On a blisteringly hot afternoon, with temperatures nudging close to 30c, it was no surprise that this game was very slow paced, although Bournemouth were incredibly clumsy and sloppy in possession. West Ham did show their class at times with some cute touches, and on nine minutes they took the lead with quite a simple goal, the ball was crossed from the right by Ricardo Vaz Te and the unmarked Kevin Nolan guided his header perfectly past the keeper and into the net from 8 yards. They came very close to extending their lead on three occasions before they finally did in stoppage time at the end of the first half. A low ball forward through a very high defensive line went towards a player in an offside position, but he left the ball for Jack Collison to run onto the ball from an onside position and ran unopposed towards the goalkeeper before showing excellent composure in taking his time to toy with the keeper before going round him and slotting into an empty net.

The second half was even more tepid than the first. Both sides had half chances to score, but the most exciting events were the introductions of Joe Cole, Stephen Purches, Anderton and Fletcher, the latter two getting the last ten minutes of action and who almost combined to score. But in the end, West Ham claimed a leisurely and comfortable victory which could have been a lot more convincing. Bournemouth were poor today, although not much can be read into a testimonial game three weeks before the start of the league season, and the afternoon was certainly a success in terms of showing appreciation to a long term club servant.

Video highlights at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fgbm8Dh7xQ

Whitehawk 0 v 3 Brighton & Hove Albion

Saturday 6th July 2013
Pre-season friendly
Enclosed Ground, Whitehawk
Admission: £10.00
Team Poster: £1.00
Attendance: 1300
Match Rating: 3

For my first game of the 2013/14 season, options were thin on the ground on today, with most clubs starting their friendly matches next week. Although it would mean a revisit for me, I chose to head to the eastern fringes of Brighton for an interesting looking game between Brighton's two senior clubs.

The unimaginatively named Enclosed Ground is about a twenty minute bus ride east from Brighton city centre, and although Whitehawk itself is a rather ugly and crime ridden area, the ground has a very scenic and peaceful location, set in East Brighton Park with steep hills immediately surrounding the ground. To one side, Brighton racecourse's grandstand is clearly visible on top of the hills contains housing, whilst on the other, which is closer to the ground, a good vantage point of the pitch can be had on the grass, which several people opted for this afternoon to watch the game. Inside the ground, a fairly small all seater stand straddles the half way line, set back quite some way from the pitch, with the clubhouse and tea bar in one corner. These were present on my last visit here in 2007 when Whitehawk were members of the Sussex County League, but now there are additional temporary looking all-seater stands behind both goals - one is uncovered, the other has the middle area covered. Instead of a programme, a double sided A3 glossy sheet containing possible team line-ups was on sale today - better than nothing for an early pre-season friendly.

Today's game would see Whitehawk, newly promoted into the Conference South after winning the Ryman League Premier Division last season at a canter in their first season since promotion from Division One South, against Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion. After a turbulent summer which saw Gus Poyet leave the club along with his right hand men, today would be the first game of newly installed Head Coach Oscar Garcia's reign. As is usual for this kind of game, there were plenty of first team members who were given a run out by the professional club, as well as members of the Development squad and a triallist.

On a gloriously warm and sunny afternoon, the game was exactly what would be expected from a friendly around a month before the start of the league season. Fairly slow paced, with the professional team stroking the ball around and enjoying by far the majority of possession, with it looking only a matter of time before they took the lead. Whitehawk held their own and did manage to carve out a couple of opportunities when they could have taken the lead. They remained on parity until just a minute before half time, when Solly March curled a lovely shot from the right outer corner of the penalty area into the net. There was still time for Brighton to double their lead, when the ball was crossed from the byline high over the six yard box by triallist. Nicky Shorey, sailed over the keeper and was headed into the net by Ashley Barnes from a couple of yards.

Half time brought about almost a complete team change from Brighton, with second half team looking a stronger team than the one that played in the first half. Indeed, they were camped in the attacking third for long periods, and quite how they only added one further goal to their tally is anyone's guess. It was scored on 62 minutes by Andrea Orlandi, who chested down a pass from Will Buckley, made room for himself and then placed a shot into the goal with the outside of his boot. Whitehawk had the odd sight of goal in the second half, and although they spent most of the match chasing shadows, they gave a good account of themselves whilst Brighton will feel this was a good gentle work out to get their pre season up and running. Although this wasn't a game to set the pulse racing, it had enough to be entertaining, with a nice light hearted feel to proceedings with some skilful football to watch in glorious sunny conditions.

Match highlights can be viewed by clicking here 

Shelbourne 0 v 2 Sligo Rovers

Friday 28th June 2013
League of Ireland Premier Division
Tolka Park, Drumcondra (Dublin)
Admission: €15.00
Programme: €3.00
Attendance: 1250
Match Rating: 3

After just over a month since my last game, and a similar length of time to go until my next competitive football game, I headed over to Ireland for my first game of the 2013/14 season - although as football is a summer sport in Ireland, this was a fixture about half way through their season.

Based in Dublin, I had the choices of visiting Drogheda, UCD or Shelbourne to visit a new ground for me. I opted for a visit to Tolka Park, a ground that I had heard was full of character, and which tonight would see the reigning Champions visit a club cut adrift at the bottom of this season's table. Tolka Park is located about a half hour walk northwards from the city centre towards the airport, in the suburb of Drumcondra, and it was indeed a ground which oozed character and history. Entering the ground in one corner, to the left, along the length is an all-seater stand which has lots of narrow pillars along the front and a bar inside. Along the other length is a large terrace with seats bolted on to it, with only the middle section having an old fashioned stand for cover, and this is where away fans were housed this evening. Behind one of the goals was another larger former terrace, uncovered and now with seats bolted on, whilst behind the remaining goal a tall modern stand is placed between the goal and corner flag. Between the entrance and this stand were small buildings housing a club shop, refreshments and sweets, and it is also permissible to stand along this goalline in an otherwise all-seater stadium. The programme was attractive, in colour throughout, and gave a good background to tonight's fixture.

Shelbourne have had a disastrous season so far, five points adrift at the foot of the table with just two wins and three draws from their 17 games so far. One of those wins was last time out, away at very local rivals Bohemians in the last game before the short summer break. Before that, they had lost five league games straight, a run that contained a change of manager. Reigning champions Sligo had a fabulous start to this season too, winning their first eight games straight, although have hit the buffers somewhat since then, winning only once in their eight subsequent games before winning 5-2 last time out at home to strugglers UCD. They also had not won away from home for two months. They are still right in there challenging at the top of the table though, in third place, four points behind leaders St Patrick's Athletic with a game in hand.

On a pleasantly sunny evening, the game had an explosive introduction as the teams walked out of the tunnel, with the some fans in the stand behind the goal setting off many flares and waving flags to mark the ten year anniversary of the Ultras fans. The first half was low on quality and entertainment in truth, but Shelbourne looked a surprisingly decent team. Whilst they rarely looked like scoring, nor did Sligo, as the game developed into a midfield scrap

.

The second half continued much as the first, although on 58 minutes Sligo took the lead, when a corner wasn't dealt with at all by the Shelbourne defence and Seamus Conneely turned the ball in with his knee at the far post. One usually fears for a plucky but struggling team once they fell behind and indeed that proved to be the case as Sligo started to dominate the game. Shelbourne still were competitive, they just never looked like they could score now. The game was put to bed once and for all on 78 minutes when the ball was driven in from the right wing, which drew the keeper out, and Kieran Djilali ran onto the ball to stroke it home. Shelbourne did actually have their best chance of the night in the last few minutes when the ball was headed over the bar by Graham Gartland from a central position. Sligo saw the game out comfortably though to keep right in contention at the top, whilst for Shelbourne the picture looks ever bleaker. If they can carry tonight's first half performance through to future games against more limited opponents, survival may still not be beyond them, with only the bottom team being automatically relegated.