Saturday 16th March - Fixtures, Results

[Aylespectator]

 

DIVISION TWO CUP Semi Final

2-1 Aston Clinton v Hale Leys United

 

 

Eventful game this one in front of a sizeable crowd. Hale Leys took the lead after going down to ten men early on, and then saw two more men dismissed either side of Aston's goals. Certainly an opportunity missed as far as Leys are concerned

[Savagebee]

Did you leave after the final whistle or stay to watch Brentford WFC?

 

No left at the final whistle.

 

Hertford fans were in good song. Good natured exchanges with Dunstable fans.

 

Top singers!

[Karen Browne]

A Groundhopper's View

 

 

Spartan South Midlands League, Premier Division

Biggleswade United 1 London Tigers 0

Official attendance 45 (the crowd actually peaked at 23, including officials)

Admission £5, programme £1 (20 pages, neatly devised, perfectly adequate), badge £2.50, pint of Greene King IPA bitter shandy £2.50, Bovril (with milk and sugar offered!) £1

 

A late wake-up and leisurely start turned into blind panic when I found out after 12.00 that Ashford Town (Middlesex)'s game was off - a shame, as I was going to announce the raffle numbers in Norman Collier 'dodgy mic' style as a tribute - but a quick Mitoo trawl and a phone calll to United's secretary and programme editor Tracey James (who was missing the match for a theatre trip to see "Mamma Mia"!) resulted in a 67-mile 70-minute journey.

 

Second Meadow looks like it was part of the Fairfield Rec given to United. The old-fashioned but ample clubhouse / dressing room complex is outside the ground, by the grassy car park and a children's playground, with a metal mesh fence player's tunnel leading into the ground, of which metallic is the best description. The ground is enclosed by an 8 foot high metal fence (though two kids watched half the match from one of the trees overlooking the ground), the rail fencing has stocky mesh inserts, and the main stand is all metal apart from the unusual buttock-lined red and blue plastic seats. The aforementioned Steve Matthews Stand is impressive - 50 yards long, three rows deep and, like the quaint 15-yard brick cantilever stand on the other side, it contains both seated and standing accommodation. The corner floodlight pylons all face the pitch, which has a 4 or 5 feet slope from end to end. I don't think Second Meadow would need much work to turn it into a step 4 ground if ever needed.

 

No chance of step 4 on the pitch, though. This was a poor game between two struggling teams. Plenty of effort and some nuggets of skilll and intuition, but way too many misplaced passes and badly timed jumps for headers. The game looked a nil-nil all the way until United's captain and leading scorer Sean Murray scored a poacher's goal in the 65th, lashing the ball into the far top corner from eight yards following a head-on from a free kick. Tigers deserved a share of the points but knew it wouldn't be their day when manager Armand Kavaja was sent off from the dugout in the 89th.

[Rhodes]

ANAGRAM RECORDS FEEDER LEAGUES TROPHY Quarter Finals

1-3 Standon & Puckeridge v Harpenden Town

A report from another Forum:

 

ANAGRAM RECORDS TROPHY QUARTER FINAL 2:30 KO

STANDON & PUCKERIDGE (1) 1 v (0) 3 HARPENDEN TOWN

Admission Free unless it was included in the £1 programme (12 pp including a page each on their Reserves, Sunday 3rds & Ladies Teams). Attendance peaked at around 40.

 

Finally broken my duck in a competition I've been meaning to sample for years. Took a gamble on this after learning pitch had passed 10am inspection desptite most Herts & SSML matches being off eating into my backups. I arrived at 1:50 cynically half expecting to hear the referee had called it off but instead saw a perfectly playable pitch which sloped in all directions with no puddles and only a little mud in the goal areas, credit to the groundsman for that. The Recreation Ground is situated in the village of Standon with neighbouring Puckeridge, which has a High Street with shops and pubs, a 10 minute walk away. Railed off on 3 sides, the far side roped off with another pitch behind and a few park benches scattered behind the goals providing a little seating, the only cover was a small canopy in front of the Community Centre which housed the changing rooms but the view from there was blocked by dugouts, luckily we only had a few spots of rain. As for the game, during the first half it was hard to tell which was the Step 6 or 7 team and the hosts took a deserved lead on 30 minutes with a downward header from a near post corner. The visitors finally got their act together in the second half needing a deflected shot on 48 minutes to equalise, then caught the home defence napping on the hour mark to take the lead and securing the victory 5 minutes later with a spectacular 30 yard volley into the roof of the net. Glad it didn't go to extra time as I ran into a shower on the A10 soon after leaving the game but nothing compared to the hail, thunder and lightning which greeted me on the M27, perhaps this was what caused the half time abandonment at Salisbury.

[Munchkin]

Going to be interesting how they try and fit our postponed game in against Wodson, no Saturdays free and can't see them making Wodson travel midweek with no lights. Can only see first week in May being the option.

[Karen Browne]

Going to be interesting how they try and fit our postponed game in against Wodson, no Saturdays free and can't see them making Wodson travel midweek with no lights. Can only see first week in May being the option.

 

or even Saturday 6th April, kick off 4.00pm

[Munchkin]

Nice of intuition

[Karen Browne]

Any player that plays in first game is free to play in the second fixture

[Munchkin]

That's handy for the unused subs then.