Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Gosport Borough
Gosport Borough Reserves 4 AFC Portchester 0
Portsmouth Senior Cup Semi-Final
Privett Park, Gosport, Hampshire
One of several attractions at Gosport Borough’s Privett Park is the very readable match programme and the tannoy announcements keeping everyone informed of team line ups, goal times, scorers, substitution and, most importantly, the winning raffle ticket numbers, all in a highly professional manner. Both put a number of Football League clubs to shame. Sadly neither of these were in evidence tonight, and once I realised this was actually a reserve fixture (for the home side anyway) I could understand why. My disappointment at not seeing what I thought was going to be a first team match was tempered somewhat by a relatively entertaining, though somewhat one sided, match.
At the end of last year a comment was left on this humble blog by the Chairman of tonight’s visitors to Privett Park, Steve Woods, detailing updates to their Wicor Recreation Ground. I was there back in August 2005 which you almost certainly won’t remember. New changing rooms, pitch barriers, dug outs and floodlights are on there way this spring, and I’ve been invited back to take a look!
Match Number: 1357
posted by chevblue at 11:11 pm 0 comments
Monday, February 19, 2007
Havant & Waterlooville
Havant & Waterlooville 4 Bedford Town 0
Nationwide Conference South
West Leigh Park, Havant, Hampshire
An emphatic win for the Hawk’s as they consolidate their position in the play-off places and push to regain top spot (lost since my last visit two weeks ago). The game, delayed for ten minutes while engineers tinkered with the wiring in a nearby sub-station, saw a career first hat-trick for Rocky Baptiste, his 19th, 20th and 21st goals of the season, against a bottom placed Bedford Town who failed to register a meaningful attempt on goal during the entire ninety minutes. However, the visiting Eagles played and behaved in a far more sporting manner than did Braintree Town, last Saturday’s opposition for Havant & Waterlooville who, following an unsavoury 1-1 draw, did a bit of remodeling work in the visitor’s dressing room (allegedly).
Match Number: 1356
posted by chevblue at 11:19 pm 1 comments
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Gosport Borough
Gosport Borough v VTFC
(match postponed - waterlogged pitch)
Sydenhams Wessex Premier League
Privett Park, Gosport, Hampshire
A very thin fixture list this midweek and naturally the game I have opted for succumbs to the heavy rain that’s been falling along the Solent since lunchtime.
posted by chevblue at 9:17 pm 0 comments
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Revisited: Rotherham United
Saturday April 9th, 2004
Rotherham United 1 Ipswich Town 3
Nationwide League Division One
Millmoor, Rotherham, South Yorkshire
The following photos were taken prior to the League Division One fixture between Rotherham United and Ipswich Town on April 9th, 2004. Visiting coaches and cars are parked at one end of a scrap metal yard a hundred yards or so away from Millmoor the home of the South Yorkshire club and my camera captured the stunning views in between ;-) Millmoor has since undergone a bit of a face lift (the main stand picture here is in the process of being replaced by a shiny new one), the Millers have dispensed with then manager Ronnie Moore and have, sadly, also dropped down a division too. Fellow travellers on the day, and fan’s I have spoken to since, think that Millmoor is a bit of a dump, but for me it’s a classic English ground just oozing with character enhanced perfectly by the welcoming trek past the works of CF Booth Ltd “Buyers of all grades of scrap”. You tell me where else you get a view of a partly dismembered London Underground tube train while queuing for your half-time cuppa? more
Match Report: www.prideofanglia.com
posted by chevblue at 10:27 am 1 comments
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
AFC Bournemouth
England U-19’s 4 Poland U-19’s 1
Friendly International
Fitness First Stadium, Bournemouth, Dorset
Not quite the 10,700 full house that the FA website was hoping for this morning, but the 10,375 who braved the freezing temperatures this evening nevertheless made up the largest attendance at AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Court since it reopened as the Fitness First Stadium six years ago. The excellent turn out due, in part, to an eminently sensible pricing strategy (well done the FA for once), with adults paying a mere £3.00 a head and kids just a quid. And there were plenty of the later creating an atmosphere somewhat reminiscent of the schoolboy internationals I attended at the old Wembley Stadium when I was (a lot) younger. The record attendance for an England game at this level is, incidentally, 22,000 which was set at Portman Road back in 2002 [breathes on knuckles and brushes them briskly up and down on left collar].
Catching the train for this match I arrived at Pokesdown Station (the stop before Bournemouth Station proper) and so approached Dean Court from Gloucester Road. As the stadium is a three sided affair (ignoring the “temporary” seating placed behind the goal at the pitches southerly end in 2005) you get a decent view across the playing area, from this approach, to the three all-seated stands beyond. First opened in 1910 Dean Court was completely redeveloped in 2001, a rebuild that saw the pitch rotated through 90 degrees, and which has left AFC Bournemouth with a pretty respectable ground.
The AFC Bournemouth online ticketing service, influenced no doubt by an IP1 postcode, selected me a seat in an area of Danver Homes (East) Stand normally reserved for visiting fan’s, so I found myself plonked in the middle of a large group of Polish fan’s, who certainly made their presence felt over the course of the ninety-minutes, even when their side had passed the point of no return (at 3-1 down).
Despite taking a first half lead through Radoslaw Mikolajczak, very much against the run of play, the Poles didn’t hold the advantage for long and England took command of the game, to first level and then take a two-one lead into the break. More of the same in the second period, with the home side registering a further two goals. So Adam Hammill, Giles Barnes (two) and James Vaughan goals gave the young Lion’s a well deserved victory. There’s a certain vibrance about England players at this age (that’s still there at U-21 level - having watched their game with Switzerland at first hand back in August) that disappears once they get to senior international level. When they inexplicably turn to cack!
Despite the impressive record that my club Ipswich have in providing players for our national side (at full international level Town players have collected 156 England caps), when Danny Haynes made his international debut as a half-time sub, it was the very first time, at any level, that I had seen an Ipswich player in international action in the flesh. So a bit of bonus that one. Haynes has already written himself into Suffolk folklore as the East Anglian derby goal machine, having scored against both Norwich and Colchester this season, continuing his run from the 2005-06 season, when he scored at youth, reserve and senior levels for Town against the Canaries. Here’s hoping for a continued run for him with England.
Match Number: 1354
posted by chevblue at 9:53 pm 0 comments
Monday, February 05, 2007
Havant & Waterlooville
Havant & Waterlooville 1 Fisher Athletic 3
Nationwide Conference South
West Leigh Park, Havant, Hampshire
By accident rather than by design this is my third Conference South game in a little over a month having taken in the Braintree Town (8th) v Bishop’s Stortford (4th) fixture in late December and Salisbury City (5th) v Cambridge City (11th) just over a fortnight ago. It’s also my second visit to West Leigh Park in just over a year having previously visited Skif territory at the beginning on the 2005-06 season for the Hawk’s one-nil home loss to Sutton United.
Having avoided the curse of the Manager of the Month award, awarded jointly to Kevin Hill of Hayes and the Hawk’s very own Ian Baird (three wins and a draw last month to move within touching distance of first place), Havant & Waterlooville beat Basingstoke by a goal-to-nil at home on Saturday to claim first place spot themselves. OK, a number of other Conference South sides were otherwise engaged in FA Trophy action at the weekend, but, as they say, it’s points on the board that count.
The Hawk’s were formed in 1998, following the merger of Havant Town and Waterlooville, the former having played at the 5,250 capacity West Leigh Park, since 1982. Winners of the Southern League Southern Section in their inaugural season (1998-99), their best finish in a five year spell in the Southern League Premier Division was third place in 2001-02, and at the end of the 2003-04 season they finished high enough (just) to make the cut for the Nationwide Conference South following a revamp of the structure of Non-League football in England.
As well as enjoying a decent run in the league Havant & Waterlooville also made it to the first round proper of the FA Cup at the back end of last year, taking on League opponents, in the shape of Millwall, for the first time ever. The “home” tie, played at nearby Fratton Park, saw the Lion’s run-out 2-1 winners. Speaking of which there was a presentation before tonight’s game by Millwall Chairman Stewart Till to his HWFC counterpart of a signed Lion’s shirt in recognition of the good time that was had by all at that game. Also interesting to note a number of Havant-Millwall affinity scarves in evidence on this cold February night.
First indications were that visitors Fisher Athletic (6th) would wilt under sustained Hawk’s pressure in the opening passage of play, and although they found themselves a goal down after quarter-of-an-hour – Jefferson Louis heading home from a precision Michael Warner cross – half-time surprisingly arrived without a further goal for the home side.
Fisher’s pacey forward line, Ledroy Griffiths in particular, had been kept in check by a well organised Hawk’s backline in the first forty-five minutes, but the offside trap was repeatedly broken in the second period, and when the visitor’s equalized following a retaken free-kick just after the hour the flood gates opened. Ten minutes later it was 1-2 as Ashley Carew lobbed the ball over Hawk’s ‘keeper from twenty-odd yards, and the rout was complete minutes later when Lenny Piper took advantage of poor marking at a corner to fire home from ten yards.
So, my record at West Leigh Park is now oh-and-two, and Hawk’s fan’s may be concerned to hear that I plan on being at their next Monday night fixture on February 19th. By the way, there was a large yellow flag with a white cross bearing the initials HWFC and legend “Let’s go 4 a little walk” hung behind one goal. I would be interested to hear what that’s all about.
Match Number: 1353
posted by chevblue at 10:06 pm 1 comments
Friday, February 02, 2007
Hamble ASSC
Hamble ASSC 0 Fareham Town 3
Sydenhams Wessex Premier League
Follands Park, Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire
My last report on Hamble ASSC was based on a view of the ground made by peering over a fence in 2005, but tonight I’m taking in the view from the inside as bottom club Hamble ASSC take on mid-table Fareham Town in Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division action.
Hamble are one of a number of clubs in the League with links to local industry. And intriguing initials. In Hamble’s case the ASSC stands for Aerostructures Sports and Social Club. There is also VT (Vosper Thornycroft) FC, US (United Services) Portsmouth, BAT (British & American Tobacco) Sports and, my personal favourite, QK (Queens Keep) Southampton.
Hamble ASSC, then known as Folland Aircraft FC, enjoyed their finest hour shortly after their formation in 1938 when, bolstered by players from nearby Southampton and Portsmouth, employed in the Folland factory during WWII, won the Hampshire League and the Hampshire Senior Cup (twice).
Tonight’s game was a replay of a fixture played back in October in which the visitors had run out 6-1 winners. However, the game was ordered to be replayed as it was subsequently discovered that Fareham had inadvertently fielded a suspended player. Their home game with Alton Town also has to be replayed for the same reason and they have also suffered a one point penalty deduction. Despite being quite easily the divisions top scorers too many games in the drawn column leaves them mid-table some fourteen points behind leaders Gosport Borough.
The last time I had seen them play was during the 2005-06 season at the aforementioned Alton Town, and, as at that game, they had brought with them a healthy following of fans, tonight easily outnumbering the home supporters in a crowd of just under a hundred. So Match Programme perused, and fortified by a rather splendid cup of tea, time for the action, viewed from a seat in the main stand, a low roofed affair with two rows of seats that occupies about a third of the length of one touchline.
While the visitors weren’t quite able to match the six goals they netted in the original game they made easy work of ASSC who couldn’t muster a single goal attempt in the entire ninety minutes. They did however enjoy the better of the opening half-an-hour but it was shortly after that they fell behind, Fareham going ahead from the penalty spot after a contentious hand ball decision. Just before the break Town went further ahead following a well worked moved that saw their number 8, Dean Blake, fire home from a yard or so inside the box.
Another penalty award early in the second half, this time for a trip, saw the ASSC number 1 and captain Nick O’Donnell save high to his right. O’Donnell was kept busy most of the evening, pulling off a string of decent saves, but was unable to do anything about the third and final Fareham goal which was scored just before the end by Jamie Laidlaw.
Match Number: 1352
posted by chevblue at 10:46 pm 2 comments
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ENGLANDAFC Bournemouth
(Fitness First Stadium)
AFC Portchester
(Wicor Recreation Ground)
AFC Sudbury
(King's Marsh Stadium)
AFC Totton
(Testwood Park)
Aldershot Town
(Recreation Ground)
Alton Town
(Alton (Bass) Sports Ground)
Arsenal
(Emirates)
Arsenal
(Highbury)
Aston Villa
(Villa Park)
Barnet
(Underhill)
Barnsley
(Oakwell)
Basildon United
(Gardiners Close)
Billericay Town
(New Lodge)
Birmingham City
(St Andrews)
Blackburn Rovers
(Ewood Park)
Blackpool
(Bloomfield Road)
Bolton Wanderers
(Reebok Stadium)
Bolton Wanderers
(Burnden Park)
Boston United
(York Street)
Bradford City
(Valley Parade)
Braintree Town
(Cressing Road)
Brantham Athletic
(Brantham Athletic Sports & Social Club)
Brentford
(Griffin Park)
Brighton & Hove Albion
(Withdean Stadium)
Brighton & Hove Albion
(Goldstone Ground)
Bristol City
(Ashton Gate)
Bristol Rovers
(Eastville)
Bromley
(Hayes Lane)
Burnley
(Turf Moor)
Bury
(Gigg Lane)
Bury Town
(Ram Meadow)
Cambridge City
(Milton Road)
Cambridge United
(Abbey Stadium)
Charlton Athletic
(The Valley)
Chelmsford City
(New Writtle Street)
Chelmsford City
(Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre)
Chelsea
(Stamford Bridge)
Chester City
(Saunders Honda Stadium)
Colchester United
(Layer Road)
Cornard United
(Blackhouse Lane)
Coventry City
(Ricoh Arena)
Coventry City
(Highfield Road)
Crewe Alexandra
(Gresty Road)
Crystal Palace
(Selhurst Park)
Dagenham & Redbridge
(Victoria Road)
Dartford
(Watling Street)
Debenham Leisure Centre
(Maitlands)
Derby County
(Pride Park)
Derby County
(Baseball Ground)
Diss Town
(Brewers Green Lane)
Eastleigh
(Sparshatts Stadium)
Ely City
(Unwin Ground)
Everton
(Goodison Park)
Fareham Town
(Cams Alders)
FC Clacton
(Rush Green Bowl)
FC Fleetlands
(Lederle Lane)
Felixstowe & Walton United
(Dellwood Avenue)
Framlingham Town
(Sports Ground)
Fulham
(Craven Cottage)
Gillingham
(Priestfield)
Gorleston
(Emerald Park)
Gosport Borough
(Privett Park)
Great Yarmouth Town
(Wellesley Recreation Ground)
Grimsby Town
(Blundell Park)
Hadleigh United
(Millfield)
Halstead Town
(Rosemary Lane)
Hamble ASSC
(Follands Park)
Harwich & Parkeston
(Royal Oak)
Havant & Waterlooville
(West Leigh Park)
Heybridge Swifts
(Scraley Road)
Histon
(Glass World Stadium)
Horndean Town
(Five Heads Park)
Huddersfield Town
(Leeds Road)
Hull City
(KC Stadium)
Hull City
(Boothferry Park)
Ipswich Town
(Portman Road)
Ipswich Wanderers
(SEH Sports Ground )
Kingstonians
(Kingsmeadow)
Leeds United
(Elland Road)
Leicester City
(Walkers Stadium)
Leicester City
(Filbert Street)
Leiston
(Victory Road)
Leyton Orient
(Brisbane Road)
Lincoln City
(Cincil Bank)
Liverpool
(Anfield)
Long Melford
(Stoneylands)
Lowestoft Town
(Crown Meadows)
Luton Town
(Kenilworth Road)
Manchester City
(Maine Road)
Manchester United
(Old Trafford)
Middlesborough
(Ayresome Park)
Millwall
(The New Den)
Millwall
(The Den)
MK Dons
(National Hockey Stadium)
MK Dons
(stadium:mk)
Needham Market
(Bloomfields)
Netley Central Sports
(Station Road Recreation Ground)
Newcastle United
(St James' Park)
Newmarket Town
(Cricket Field Road)
Northampton Town
(County Ground)
Norwich City
(Carrow Road)
Nottingham Forest
(City Ground)
Notts County
(Meadow Lane)
Peterborough United
(London Road)
Petersfield Town
(Love Lane)
Plymouth Argyle
(Home Park)
Port Vale
(Vale Park)
Portsmouth
(Fratton Park)
Preston North End
(Deepdale)
Queens Park Rangers
(Loftus Road)
Reading
(Madejski Stadium)
Redbridge
(Oakside Stadium)
Romsey Town
(Bypass Ground)
Rotherham United
(Millmoor)
Saffron Walden Town
(Catons Lane)
Salisbury City
(Raymond McEnhill Stadium)
Scunthorpe United
(Glanford Park)
Sheffield United
(Bramall Lane)
Sheffield Wednesday
(Hillsborough)
Shrewsbury Town
(Gay Meadow)
Shrewsbury Town
(Prostar Stadium)
Soham Town Rangers
(Julius Martin Lane)
Southampton
(St Mary's)
Southampton
(The Dell)
Southend United
(Roots Hall)
St Albans City
(Clarence Park)
Stanway Rovers
(New Farm Road)
Stockport County
(Edgeley Park)
Stoke City
(Britannia Stadium)
Stoke City
(Victoria Ground)
Stowmarket Town
(Green Meadows Stadium)
Sunderland
(Stadium of Light)
Swaffham Town
(Shoemakers Lane)
Swindon Town
(County Ground)
Thetford Town
(Mundford Road)
Tiptree United
(Chapel Road)
Tottenham Hotspurs
(White Hart Lane)
United Services Portsmouth
(Victory Stadium)
VT FC
(Vosper Thornycroft Sports Ground)
Walsall
(Bescot Stadium)
Walsall
(Fellows Park)
Walsham Le Willows
(Walsham Sports Club Ground)
Watford
(Vicarage Road)
Wembley Stadium
(Old)
Wembley Stadium
(New)
West Bromwich Albion
(The Hawthorns)
West Ham United
(Upton Park)
Whitton United
(King George V Playing Field )
Wigan Athletic
(JJB Stadium)
Wimbledon
(Plough Lane)
Winchester City
(Denplan City Ground)
Witham Town
(Spa Road)
Wivenhoe Town
(Broad Lane)
Woking
(Kingfield Stadium)
Wolverhampton Wanderers
(Molineux)
Woodbrige Town
(Notcutts Park)
Worcester City
(St. Georges Lane)
WALES
Cardiff City
(Ninian Park)
SCOTLAND
Aberdeen
(Pittodrie Stadium)
Heart of Midlothian
(Tynecastle Stadium)
AUSTRALIA
Northern Spirit
(North Sydney Oval)
AUSTRIA
SW Wacker Innsbruck
(Tivoli Stadion)
BELGIUM
RSC Anderlect
(Constant Vanden Stock Stadium)
FC Brugge
(Olympiastadion)
SV Zulte-Waregem
(Regenboogstadion)
DENMARK
FC Kobenhavn
(Gladsaxe Stadion)
Helsingor IF
(Helsingor Stadion)
ESTONIA
FC Flora
(Lillekula Stadium)
FINLAND
HJK Helsinki
(Finnair Stadium)
VPS
(Hietalahti Stadium)
Tampere United
(Tammelan Stadium)
FRANCE
St.Etienne
(G.Guichard Stadium)
GERMANY
1. FC Koeln
(Mungersdorfer Stadion)
Borussia Dortmund
(Westfalenstadion )
1. FC Union Berlin
(Stadion An der Alten Försterei)
HOLLAND
AZ Alkmaar
(Alkmaarder Hout)
AZ Alkmaar
(Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam)
FC Dordrecht
(GN Bouw Stadion)
FC Groningen
(Euroborg)
FC Utrecht
(Galgenwaard Stadion)
Feyenoord
(De Kuip)
NEC Nijmegen
(Goffert Stadium)
PEC Zwolle
(Oosterenkstadion)
PSV Eindhoven
(Philips Stadion)
SC Heerenveen
(Abe Lenstra Stadium)
Twente Enschede
(Arke Stadion)
Twente Enschede
(Diekman Stadion)
Vitesse Arnhem
(Gelredome)
Willem II
(Willem II Stadion)
IRELAND
Bray Wanderers
(Carlisle Grounds)
Dublin City
(Tolka Park)
ITALY
Inter Milan
(San Siro)
LUXEMBOURG
Avenir Beggen
(Stade Josy-Barthel)
NORWAY
Skeid Oslo
(Ulevall)
POLAND
Widzew Lodz
(Stadion LKS)
SPAIN
Barcelona
(Nou Camp)
Real Madrid
(San Bernabeu)
Valencia
(Luis Casanova)
SWEDEN
Orgryte IS
(Gamla Ullevi (Old))
Helsingborgs IF
(Olympia Stadium)
Landskrona Bois
(Idrottspark)
Malmo FF
(Malmo Stadion)
Mjallby AIF
(Strandvallen)
Trelleborgs FF
(Vangavallen)
IFK Goteborg
(Ullevi)
USA
Chicago Sting
(Comiskey Park I)
Chicago Sting
(Wrigley Field)
Chicago Sting
(Chicago Stadium)
Chicago Sting
(Rosemont Horizon)
Chicago Sting
(Rockford MetroCenter)
Chicago Vultures
(Odeum)
Milwaukee Bavarians
(Bavarian Center)
Schwaben AC
(Schwaben Center)
Tampa Bay Rowdies
(Tampa Bay Stadium)