Tuesday/Wednesday 25/26 October - SSML Results/Reports

[Rhodes]

The midweek fixtures:

Tuesday 25 October  (kick off 7.45pm unless stated)  

Premier Division
Aylesbury Vale Dynamos v Arlesey Town
Biggleswade United v Baldock Town
Crawley Green v Risborough Rangers
Hoddesdon Town v Leverstock Green
Stotfold v London Colney

SSML Division One Cup Second Round
Ampthill Town v Amersham Town
Buckingham Athletic v Holmer Green
Burton Park Wanderers v Eaton Socon
London Tigers v Thame United Reserves (kick off 7.30pm)
Rushden & Higham United v Moulton FC
Winslow United v Letchworth Garden City Eagles  

Oxfordshire FA Senior Cup First Round
ArdIey  United v Ashton FoIIy (kick off 7.30pm)

Wednesday 26 October (kick off 7.45pm) 

Premier Division
St Panteleimon v Dunstable Town

[Rhodes]

6 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October 
SSML Division One Cup Second Round
Rushden & Higham United v Moulton FC

The match programme: 

Moulton Cup by Nguyen Dai Lam - Flipsnack

[Rhodes]

21 minutes ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October 
Premier Division
Crawley Green v Risborough Rangers

The match programme: 

Rgd0mH4rRTOwRtuY49Rp_25 Oct 22 - Programme Tuesday 25 Oct 22 v Risborough Rangers FC.pdf

Edited October 25, 2022 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

5 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October 
Premier Division
Biggleswade United v Baldock Town

The match programme: 

3fa227_94c2fbc279df4c31985c819cf8ace2ce.pdf (biggleswadeutd.com)  

 

[Rhodes]

6 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October 
SSML Division One Cup Second Round
Buckingham Athletic v Holmer Green

How do we see this one going at Stratford FieIds: 

[Rhodes]

The resuIts:

Tuesday 25 October   
Premier Division
Aylesbury Vale Dynamos 2 Arlesey Town 3
Biggleswade United 4 Baldock Town 0
Crawley Green 1 Risborough Rangers 2
Hoddesdon Town 1 Leverstock Green 0
Stotfold 3 London Colney 1

SSML Division One Cup Second Round
Ampthill Town 3 Amersham Town 2
Buckingham Athletic 0 Holmer Green 4
Burton Park Wanderers 0 Eaton Socon 1
London Tigers 5 Thame United Reserves 2
Rushden & Higham United 1 Moulton FC 1 (MouIton FC win 7-6 on pens)  
Winslow United 2 Letchworth Garden City Eagles 2 (Winslow United win 8-7 on pens)  

Oxfordshire FA Senior Cup First Round
ArdIey  United 9 Ashton FoIIy 0 

Edited October 25, 2022 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

11 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October   
Premier Division
Hoddesdon Town 1 Leverstock Green 0

Disappointment for Leverstock Green as they Iose their unbeaten League record: 

(A) Hoddesdon Town – Leverstock Green F.C. (levgreenfc.co.uk)

[Rhodes]

On 25/10/2022 at 07:26, Rhodes said:

Wednesday 26 October   
Premier Division
St PanteIeimon v DunstabIe Town

This shouId be an interesting affair this evening: 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

This evening's scoreIine: 

Wednesday 26 October   
Premier Division
St PanteIeimon 1 DunstabIe Town 1 

[Rhodes]

23 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October   
Premier Division
Stotfold 3 London Colney 1

Groundhopper SteveB was at this one: 

Stotfold v London Colney (stevebthegroundhopper.blogspot.com)   

[Rhodes]

3 minutes ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October 
Premier Division
Crawley Green 1 Risborough Rangers 2

A groundhopper from another Forum was at The Brache: 

Crawley Green 1 v 2 Risborough Rangers - South Midlands League Premier Division
Programme 33 pages and another printing task as online. The format of the ad dominated shell is a little weird, but the match specific part is in the correct format. -Admission £4.00 (c) - Att. Nothing official seen but headcount of 55 halfway through second half. Many supporting the visitors.
In terms of League position, not what was expected. Risborough were extremely impressive especially with their approach play. Finishing less so, but for the duration of the first half rarely have I seen a top of the table team playing at home so overwhelmed and at times completely outplayed. Could have been very different if Joe Hankins for Crawley Green in the opening minutes of the contest had directed a more powerful shot goalward rather than tap a clear chance wide of the far post.
Did not take long for the visitors, through their flowing approach play, to start to dominate the contest. Throughout the first half though their problem was translating their clear dominance into an actual advantage. One major difficulty for the visitors was the number of chances that were missed. Some of their shooting namely from Jamil Rudd was very much of the blast and hope variety as he sent two reasonable angled opportunities soaring over the perimeter hedge. In addition, a couple of the final passes/low crosses were directed some distance away from their intended target. Dan Gould in the Crawley Green goal was also a formidable barrier to the visitors taking the lead. Early on he narrowed the angle as Asher Yearwood bore down on goal and succeeded in pushing his shot against the bar. Gould also did well to push over a further couple of shots from Rudd over the bar. To compound the visitors inability to score was the presence of the woodwork. In addition to the earlier shot which Gould pushed onto the bar, the visitors struck the goal surrounds on two further occasions. Firstly, when Gould unusually hesitated allowing James Coles to chip over him but the latter saw the effort rebound off of the post. Just before half time a twenty yard shot from Rudd struck the base of the post. First half was one of those unusual contests that was thoroughly enjoyable but lacked a goal or two.
The problem of a lack of goals was quickly rectified in the second half but what was not expected, given the context of the first period was for Crawley Green to take the lead. However, a penetrative run from Marvis Patru on the left and subsequent low cross which Hankins accurately placed into the far corner and the thoughts were 'if you do not take your chances'.
Going behind was the prompt that Risborough needed as they were level within sixty seconds. Quick ball forward to Rico Greco whose feint took the covering defender out of the defensive equation thus finding the required space and he then proceeded to place an excellent shot through the narrow gap between Gould and his near post. There was a temporary lull in the intensity of play, but this was soon ended by a couple of substitutions for the visitors refreshing their play. One of the substitutes was the 'journeyman' Jefferson Louis now forty three years old apparently playing for his forty seventh club according to a quick Keith D check, some way off the pace these days but still able to have a shot or two on goal with one being pushed over by Gould. With twelve minutes left came the goal that turned out to be the winner with a quick ball forward from Joel Read, Gavin James failed to make a connection which worked to Yearwood's advantage as he was in space, but he was assisted by a massive deflection from a home defender and the ball looped over the stranded Gould. A couple of late concerns for the visitors in the elongated period of stoppage time with the best opportunity seeing Brendon Carney glancing a header wide of the far post where if the effort had been better directed, then Crawley Green would have secured a scarcely deserved leveller. Overall, a match where it was difficult to perceive how Crawley Green were top of the table and Risborough are only in upper mid table.
The Brache was previously visited September 1989 (Vauxhall Motors 1 v 1 Hornchurch) when the venue was the motor company's social hub. It is now the training centre of Luton Town but the stand and the hedge surround were swiftly remembered from the previous trip. On the outward journey, walked out from the centre of Luton which took in the region of half an hour.
Arrived into Luton late afternoon and paid a visit to the Bricklayers Arms which is just a few steps away from the station. The caramel ale concoction from Vale Brewery was OK but not really to my taste. A better ale was located at the town JDW but the vagaries of memory and an inability to make a note means that the name and brewery has disappeared into the ether.
Contest ended at 21.45 and Luton Airport Parkway Station was reached a quarter of an hour later to find that the next two Thameslink services were cancelled and therefore a swift return journey was no longer possible. In the end returned on a non stopping East Midlands Train service but there were further delays at St Pancras Station when my return ticket became stuck in the barrier and would not open the gates. Yet further delays with a lengthy wait outside Aldgate East waiting for signals to change. Ideally, should have been indoors at 23.38, however it was 00.23 when the locks were turned.  

[Rhodes]

On 26/10/2022 at 22:47, Rhodes said:

Wednesday 26 October   
Premier Division
St PanteIeimon 1 DunstabIe Town 1 

The same groundhopper from another Forum who was at The Brache on Tuesday was at Hertingfordbury Park: 

St Panteleimon 1 v 1 Dunstable Town - South Midlands League Premier Division
Programme - Online but the 6 pages with very scant content printed off. One very much for the at least they issued albeit online category - Admission £4.00 (c) - Att. 36 - The vast majority supporting the visitors, apart from a few home officials there was little evidence of any support for the hosts.
Another enjoyable South Midlands League game, with the overriding similarity was once again a litany of missed chances for the team lower in the Division. Very much a case that if St P had converted one of the many chances that they created, then Dunstable Town's name would be removed from BDA's unbeaten in the League listing situated elsewhere on the board.
There was only one brief period at the start of the contest where the visitors gave the impression that they had made such a good start to the season and had the best PPG in the division. They took the lead within two minutes with a well worked move down the left with Isaac Olaleye sending over a decent cross in the direction of Joe Sellers-West whose cushioned side footed volley perfectly directed just inside the far post constituted a very good finish. Apart from the shot that gave them the lead, the visitors created very little over the remainder of the half, though I am sure that they collectively rued an excellent chance just after the half hour mark to double the lead when Remell Stirling chipped a clear chance wide of the near post on one of the few occasions that the St P defence failed to provide any effective cover.
Going forward St P were a potent force but when the posts and bar were in sight there was a tendency to shoot too early or from too great a distance. There were a number of shots from Monty Guil in particular that flew high over the bar or on one occasion just beat the far post. An excellent cross from Jonathan Moura deserved better than being glanced tamely wide by Clayton Afonso. However, as the first half progressed, there was the continuing thought that eventually one of the moves created by the hosts would yield an equaliser.
This continued to be the case for most of the second half and it was increasingly the case that it was Connor Coulson between the posts for the visitors was the primary reason why the visitors were maintaining their lead. Eventually an equaliser arrived from an at the time controversially awarded penalty. Initially, Coutney Massey was brought down literally on the eighteen yard line with the referee adjudging that the offence occurred fractionally outside. Dean Morgan's free kick was struck straight into the wall, but there was an instant appeal for handball which at the time looked a very harsh decision as it looked as if there was little to no time for the Dunstable Town defender to move his arm away, however there is a video of the incident on the St P twitter which confirms that the Referee who of course was infinitely better positioned was completely correct about the decision and that there was a clear handballing offence. Coulson guessed the direction of the penalty correctly, however Morgan's penalty had the power and accuracy to find the corner and St P had finally levelled.
In the final twenty minutes St P had the opportunities to win the contest but as had been the case throughout their shooting suffered from a lack of accuracy with several shots ending up sailing high over the Stable End of the ground, though Guil went closest to ending the visitors unbeaten record with a low drive that beat Coulson but also fractionally beat the near post. At the conclusion of the match, clear that the visitors were relieved to have obtained a point in a contest where St P had the better of play for the vast majority of time.
West Street has acquired a 4g pitch which seems a little at variance with the aged and very wooden stand which has very steps which were not the easiest to negotiate and also had a number of discarded drinks cups and other associated detritus littering the rows. Appeared to be the case that pre-match there was no bar facilities open, however this was rectified at half time with the numerous visiting supporters making full use of.
In a previous age, this would have been a long afternoon and early evening travelling around the many fine pubs in the centre of Hertford, though many of which have closed over the year. I doubt whether the town JDW outlet would have been ever contemplated previously but it is en route and of course half the price of what an equivalent pint can be found elsewhere, even more so when a reminder is made to the teen behind the bar that where a pint has a price tag of £1.99 in front of the pump clip that is what is charged rather than the amount of £2.29 that appears on the till. Interesting to note that within the half hour of the stay, both price tags had been swiftly removed. The ales themselves from Green Jack and Hogs Back breweries were JDW passable.
Straightforward journeys in both directions even if two of the connections were tight in terms of time. By the time Northumberland Park was reached the crowds departing from WHL had diminished considerably. Indoors two minutes after the start of Thursday.

[Rhodes]

On 25/10/2022 at 22:56, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 25 October   

SSML Division One Cup Second Round
Winslow United 2 Letchworth Garden City Eagles 2 (Winslow United win 8-7 on pens)  

Enjoy 😉