Raynes Park Vale 1 Erith & Belvedere 1
Saturday 6th August 2022
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

It was finally here, the start of my season long project to rekindle my love of grassroots football and, as it turned out, what a great game I’d chosen to begin my journey!

The day started well enough until a train hitting an obstruction on the line caused a 25 minute delay at Clapham Junction. I finally reached the ground around 1.45pm and headed straight for the bar (old habits and all that!) Apparently Raynes Park have a tie-in with brewers who work with AFC Wimbledon and so a pint of Crazy Gang Pale Ale was my chosen pre-match drink. I’d tweeted I was there and it wasn’t long before I was in a conversation with one of the Vale regulars. I also managed to grab a chat with the Vale chairman, a fascinating down to earth guy with a real passion for the club and a clear idea of the direction he wants to see the club to go.

Next was time for my customary wander around the pitch which I’ll have to say was in remarkable condition considering the extended hot spell we’re currently experiencing. On my wander I stopped and had a chat with a couple of interesting men who were Dons fans and pick random games to go and watch (where have I heard that before?) and this was their choice for the day. I also met another Wimbledon fan who lived ten minutes walk away from the Raynes Park ground but this was his first time at a match there. I think following the game it’s safe to say he’ll be back.

Next up food, outside the main entrance to the clubhouse you can find a burger van and inside the ground there was another outlet with very friendly people serving (the friendliness of everyone at the club was certainly a feature of the day). I went with the latter and wasn’t disappointed.
I had a cheese and bacon burger which was lovely, a large tasty thick beefburger topped with a thick slice of bacon, cheese and all served in a brioche bun. Marvellous!

Anyway onto the game itself which, from the beginning was a fiesty affair. You’d expect nothing else being a combination of the first game of the season and a FA Cup game! The first real chance went to the visitors, good work on the left and a decent cross which Aderonmu headed wide. Erith were having the better of the early exchanges and on 16 minutes had another chance from a corner which the centre back got free in the 6 yard box but just failed to connect. Vale came into the game a minute later when they launched a swift attack which saw Erith’s Hudson yellow carded for pulling down the Vale forward. The resulting free kick saw Molloy save smartly from Jordan Gallagher.

On 28 minutes, a great run from Wade ended with a rash challenge from Lewis which saw him receive his second yellow card and his marching orders. The resulting free kick was turned away well low at the far post by Bishop. Erith, now with the numerical advantage, took the lead on 40 minutes when a mistake in the Vale midfield led to a 3 v 3 break which was coolly curled home by Aderonmu for his first goal for the Deres. Erith thought they’d doubled their lead just before half time when Johnson stabbed the ball home following a goalmouth scramble only for it to be disallowed, I think for a handball.
H-T: Raynes Park Vale 0 Erith & Belvedere 1.

Despite being a player and a goal down, Vale started the second half very much on the front foot. Molloy made a good save from the impressive Ethan Archer, quickly followed by another quick through ball which Williams-Bowers just failed to get on the end of. On 65 Erith were carved open again and were saved by a brilliant last ditch interception by Miles.

Vale were now pushing hard for the leveller and it so nearly came when Harland-Goddard went on a mazy run before playing it out wide. The low cross just evaded Obisanya and Sweeney then blasted the ball wide. At this point you’d never have known Rayners Park were down to ten as they continued to push for an equaliser. A speculative shot from Moody was well tipped over by Molloy as Vale piled on the pressure and the resulting corner hacked away.

Erith almost snatched a second on a quick breakaway when a cracking move was so nearly finished by Ward, his curling shot crashing against bar before bouncing to safety. Vale had another chance when Gallagher stole through and found himself one-on-one with the keeper but put it just wide. Another chance went begging in injury time as another scramble saw the ball hit the Deres post and rebound to safety. It looked like it was just not going to be Vale’s day, that was until the 94th minute when they finally got the reward their never say die attitude deserved.

A cross was swung in from the right, a quick succession of headers cleared the ball only to fall to Moody 20+ yards out. He controlled it well with his right foot, made space for himself with a deft touch and then sent an unstoppable shot off the underside of the bar into the top right hand corner. An absolute worldy which sent the Vale players and fans into delirium. A finish from the top drawer and I’m already wondering if I’ll see a better one in the next 9 months of football! FT came soon after and an hugely enjoyable game finished Raynes Park Vale 1 Erith & Belvedere 1.

An excellent game of football between two very good teams. Raynes Park never gave up despite being a man down for an hour, showing real grit and determination receiving the reward they deserved right at the death. Ethon Archer at 18 looks a great prospect, fast, skilful and two good feet. A little raw at the moment maybe but definitely one to keep an eye on for the future. Erith & Belvedere for their part, will be disappointed they couldn’t press home the numerical advantage in the second half but live to fight another day with a home replay to follow. Good luck for the season to both teams.

Have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Raynes Park and would like to thank everyone I met for their welcome, hospitality and friendliness. This is a great little club with a good team on and off the pitch and plans to push on in the future. They are definitely a club on an upward trajectory and, if you’re an AFC Wimbledon fan or live reasonably close by, get down there if you get a chance. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to visit again this season to see how they’re getting on or at the very least, catch them in an away game in the Combined Counties.

Andover New Street 3 Fawley AFC 3
Saturday 13th August 2022
Wessex League Division One

Well, that was a day and a half, I left home at 9.30am and finally got home at around 8.30pm. Not bad for a journey of less than forty miles each way! It was always going to be a challenge with the trains wilting in the heat and the drivers strike causing a detour, but I managed to arrive in Andover just after 12pm. My plan was to walk from the train stsation to the ground (won’t be doing that again!) but stopping at a local pub at around the half way mark. The Royal Oak was a very nice pub with a real village feel, I had decided to have an orange juice & lemonade with lashings of ice but that all went out of the window when I saw Timothy Taylor’s Landlord ale on the bar. A lovely pint and a wrap later and I was ready for the remaining 20 minute walk in the 32 degree heat which started well but the path ran out and I found myself walking up a country lane with no shade, not the best thing! Even a nice policewoman stopped in the car while I was in the middle of nowhere to check I was ok.

Anyway, I finally got to the ground, my first visit to Foxcotte Park and a lovely little ground it is too, just before 1.30pm. A spacious bar with air conditioning (boy I needed that!), ice cold Westons Vintage on tap at a very reasonable price and had a good cider based chat with a very knowledgeable barman. After I’d finally stopped sweating from the walk and been cooled by the air-con and cider, I headed outside again for my customary walk around the ground before heading for shelter in the bar once more.

On to the game itself, both sides started quickly with Fawley looking more dangerous early on and it was the Oilers who struck first. A quick break down the left eventually found Stuttard alone in the box and he fired smartly into the corner after just three minutes. They could have gone further ahead just five minutes later but this time Stuttard couldn’t find the finish.

A minute later Street were back in it. A ball over the top was pounced on by Cook, he took it around the keeper and tucked the ball away nicely.
The game continued to ebb and flow with Fawley just edging it, Andover’s defence weren’t picking up the through ball and the Oilers forwards were finding lots of gaps. The first of two needed water breaks took place on 18 minutes.

On 29, a long ball over the middle was controlled well by New for Fawley, his dipping shot from 30 yards crashed against the bar with the follow up going just over. On 38 minutes a comedy of errors saw the Oilers retake the lead. An innocuous cross from the right which the Street central defender misjudged completely letting it go over his head, falling straight to the feet of Dylan Knight who finished well.

Cook had a couple of chances in the last couple of minutes, first getting in behind the defence but putting it just over and then a better chance when clean through again but this time thwarted by a great save by the Fawley keeper. Just as we thought that was it for the half, in the 5 minute of added time (water breaks) Andover had a corner which lead to a bout of head tennis before rebounding off the bar onto the head then arm of the Fawley defender and the referee pointed straight to the spot. Cook coolly sent the keeper the wrong way and that was it for a very entertaining half.
H-T: Andover New Street 2 Fawley 2.

The second half started with Andover very much on the front foot and looking the more dangerous of the two teams. On 50 mins, Andover had a great chance to go into the lead for the first time when Lock broke through only to be denied by another good save by the Oilers keeper Lee Burch. Just two minutes later Streets were ahead, poor defending from Fawley and a weak pass back allowed Gosney to nip in and put the ball away.

Andover were now on top and another chance from a corner was headed high and wide. The game then went into a quiet phase, not surprising considering the heat, with neither side creating any real chances, Fawley did have a half chance but the sliding effort was well saved by the Andover keeper. On 87, Andover had the ball in the net after hitting the post but it was deemed offside. Then the fun and games began!

Into 10 minutes of added time in which the Andover number 17 Perrett was sin-binned, Fawley desperately pushed forward for an equaliser. With 96 minutes on the clock the Oilers forced a brilliant save from the Andover keeper but somewhere in the melee afterwards a Streets player was adjudged to have handled and we had our second contentious penalty of the day. The Fawley keeper took the kick and scored easily with the last kick of the game. There followed a brief spell of handbags on the pitch which resulted in a red card but despite that it was a very entertaining game in very difficult conditions. Huge credit to both teams for producing a cracking game on a rock-hard surface and in over 30 degree heat. It was the first time I’ve seen a keeper take a penalty outside of a shoot-out so a couple of firsts for me today!
F-T: Andover New Street 3 Fawley 3

Thoroughly enjoyed the day and would have stayed after the game for another couple of ciders but for contraints on my travel back with trains being cancelled left, right and centre! I will be back though, a nice club run by some great people and hopefully I’ll have more chance to chat on a future visit. Thanks also to Steve, a referee who was there as a neutral. It was interesting to hear his thoughts on the game from an officiating perspective. One thing I definitely won’t do next time is walk from the station to the ground, it’ll be a taxi every time!

I won’t go into the journey home but needless to say it wasn’t pretty!

Virginia Water 1 Eastbourne Town 1
Saturday 20th August 2022
FA Cup Preliminary Round

The preliminary round of the FA Cup rolled around and I found myself reaquainted with Virginia Water, a club I’d previously visited in a pre-season game at The Timbers, their traditional home, but this was to be played in Windsor at Stag Meadow, where they ground share. The continuation of the train strikes had left me with just three local games I could get to and this was by far the easiest route so won hands down. Stag Meadow is a ground I’ve visited before but a fair while ago and then it was Windsor & Eton FC playing Bracknell Town.

Watched a bit of Spurs v Wolves in the clubhouse before going on my customary walk around the ground (need to get the steps up!) For a change I’d decided I’d sit in the stand for the game, I normally roam around but this time fancied a sit down as I wasn’t feeling too good.

The game kicked off and started how it would continue, two closely matched teams with few chances at either end. The first action was a free kick from around 30 yards out from Cotton for the visitors but he put the ball wide of the left hand upright. On 12 minutes a nice move and a surging run from Duff down the right hand side for Waters, he pulled a decent ball back to Drew who misstimed his effort.

The game drifted into a tough midfield battle for the next ten to fifteen minutes, a lot of endeavour from both sides but neither making many clear cut chances. On 25 minutes a good effort from Greig for Eastbourne was saved well by Jones, Waters keeper. The best chance in the half saw a ball over the top which found McNamara who’d timed his run to perfection, raced into the area but put the chance wide of the post. Soon after another ball over the top caught out the Eastbourne defence and Sinclair outmuscled the last defender but was thwarted by Winterton’s legs. A very even half with Virginia Water probably edging it thanks to making the clearer chances.
HT: Virginia Water 0 Eastbourne Town 0

Eastbourne started much more on the front foot in the second half where they forced a couple of early corners which were both cleared well. Davies beat his man but put his effort over. Waters had a free kick but put it straight into the wall on 53. We had to wait until 75 minutes for the game to come to life, a great through ball found Sinclair whose hurried shot was well saved by Winterton. Two minutes later Virginia Water took the lead, again Sinclair was the recipient of another nice through pass and this time he turned the defender and fired home. 1-0.

Eastbourne piled on the pressure to try to get a leveller forcing a succession of corners and finally found a way through when James Waters smashed the ball into the roof of the net following a defensive mistake. They continued to push forward in added time but the match ended all square. It was probably the right result, a hard fought cup tie where both teams had spells on top but neither side could make it count in the final third. My second FA Cup game this season and a second 1-1 draw.
F-T: Virginia Water 1 Eastbourne Town 1

I enjoyed a nice chat with a couple of the Eastbourne faithful after the game and am looking forward to visiting The Saffrons in the future.

Worthing United 1 Forest Hill Rangers 3
Saturday 27th August 2022
FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round

I’d been looking forward to this one for quite a while, the first of the longer trips and a return to watching one of my favourite competitions, the FA Vase. As usual on the travel front there were engineering works on the Reading to London line which took out the easier route leaving me to go on a three hour and four train trek down to the south coast. Added to this, on the journey down I was informed Southern Rail had cancelled one of my trains on the return journey which left me scrambling around for alternatives. The journey itself was a good one, made better by chatting with a load of Leeds United supporters heading down to Brighton. A top bunch and we chatted about all things Leeds, Ipswich and football in general. Funnily enough the same thing happened on the way back too so no need for the extensive playlist I’d added to my phone for the trip!

I made it down to Worthing around midday and then took on the half hour walk to a Toby Carvery I’d noticed was just around the corner from the ground. Absolutely stuffed after having a king size roast, I waddled slowly to the ground around 1.30pm.

Lyons Way is a picturesque little ground as you can see with the rolling hills of the Sussex Downs serving as a wonderful backdrop. The club were very welcoming, in the first ten minutes or so of being there I’d met the manager and the chairman and enjoyed a good chat with both before doing my customary walk around the ground, made more difficult than usual with the amount of food in my stomach! After a slower walk than normal I chatted with Mark, the chairman, again. I asked him about the story of the tragedy at Shoreham which took the lives of two Worthing players seven years ago. The clubhouse has pictures of them on the wall and their main stand was built from monies raised following the tragedy and named after Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt. They will never be forgotten in this part of West Sussex. I was astonished to hear that seven years on there still hasn’t been an inquest into the accident. Hopefully this will happen soon as the families and friends of the players deserve to know how and why this happened. In a nice touch on the anniversary of the tragedy Forest Hill sported black armbands as a symbol of respect.

Onto the game and Worthing had the best of a hard fought opening ten minutes but the only shot of note was from a free kick after Blacklaw-Taylor had been tugged down by Forest Hill defender Lawal on the edge of the area. The resulting set piece was parried away by Green. On eleven minutes a nice move from Forest Hill lead to Assi seeing his curling effort well saved by Scott in goal for the Mavericks. A deep free kick from Sherwood which was met by the head of Younger but Green was again equal to the task with a smart save down low to his right.

The next action featured a good old fashioned goalmouth scrambled but when Worthing’s Spinks finally got a chance of a shot it ricocheted of his own player and away to safety. Forest Hill hit back with Assi again taking centre stage, his lob from 25 yards just went over and another rasping shot was turned around the post by Scott. On 31 minutes another dangerous free kick from Sherwood was headed on by Gunn but again Green made the save. A poor back pass from Younger was pounced upon by Forest Hill’s Ngegba but his effort went tamely into the side netting. Forest Hill piled on the pressure for the last five minutes of the half but were denied by two quality blocks in the area but Worthing’s McGill.
H-T Worthing United 0 Forest Hill Park 0.

The second half started very scrappily with few chances, that was until the 52nd minute when the deadlock was broken. A great through ball found Darouri whose shot was well saved by Scott but the rebound fell to the feet of Adkins who made no mistake. 0-1.
The Worthing keeper Scott was injured in the passage of play involving the goal and had to be subbed. There were two more injuries for the Mavericks during the next 15 minutes, using up all their substitutes meaning the Worthing boss had limited ability to change the game tactically. Forest Hill were definitely on top for much of the second half but Worthing did occasionally hit them with dangerous breaks but the finish eluded them.

Forest Hill doubled their lead with three minutes left on the clock when Adkins turned the defender and laid the ball on a plate for Dale and he finished superbly with a curling strike. 0-2.
In added time the Mavericks substitute goalkeeper had a moment to forget, miscontrolling the ball on the edge of the area which allowed Thomas Ngegba to nick the ball off him and walk the ball in. 0-3. Being a fully paid up member of the goalkeepers union I felt for the keeper there. It happens to all of us, he’s just got to put it behind him, get his head up and go again. When you’re the last line of defence mistakes are so much more apparent, I’m sure he’ll come back stronger for this.

There was time for a Worthing consolation deep into added time and it was the best goal of the match. Drew McGill latched onto a clearance from a corner and belted a stunning strike into the top left stanchion. A moment of quality to finish a decent game. 1-3.
F-T Worthing United 1 Forest Hill Park 3.

A very enjoyable day out meeting some top people and hopefully I’ll get the chance to visit Lyons Way again at some point in the future.

Berks County 3 Eversley & California 0
Monday 29th August 2022
Combined Counties Division One

I made it to Hill Farm Lane thanks to a lift from local legend and football photographer Andrew Batt. I’d been to the ground a couple of times previously, usually watching Binfield v Bracknell, and was quite impressed with the improvements made to the set-up. I met up with another local legend in the shape of Justin Day, the ex-Bracknell Town striker, whose son is playing for Berks County before he heads off to university.

So the game started at a frenetic pace, the first real chance coming in the 11th minute when Brighton received the ball on the edge of the area, made a smart turn and shot powerfully but was saved well by Pidgeon in the Eversley goal. Eversley hit back and were awarded a free kick in a dangerous area but it went harmlessly into the wall and was cleared. They came close again when the Berks keeper Hill saved well from a shot from Velinor. The game was swinging from end to end as Berks County had the next chance, incisive interplay left Sackey with a shooting opportunity but he saw his effort cannon off the bar and out to safety.

Berks County were pressing for the opener and it nearly came when they broke quickly, Brighton put Hayden through but his effort was beaten away by the excellent Pidgeon in goal. On 31 minutes Berks County took a deserved lead. Lovely play by Sackey down the right his ball in was turned on by Oakley and Hayden finished powerfully with a left foot strike. 1-0.

Pidgeon was again called into action minutes later with another save this time from Oakley and moments later Sackey had a chance but it went wide of the mark. Eversley battled back and should have levelled when Brown had a clear chance brilliantly saved by Hill in the Swords goal. Again the action swung to the other end with more good work down the wing and his pull back was finished nicely by Charlie Oakley. 2-0.
H-T Berks County 2 Eversley & California 0.

The second half started quietly with no real chances of note. A ball over the top found Sackey in space again but his weak shot was easily blocked by Baker. On 52 minutes Eversley’s Moriarty was sin-binned for a comment made to the referee. The Swords pushed forward against their short-handed opponents and forced a couple consecutive corners, a header from one looked like a certain goal but was brilliantly clawed out by Pidgeon. On 59 minutes the numerical advantage paid dividends with a well worked goal. Brighton played Hayden in and his cut back was tapped in for his second of the game by the impressive Oakley. 3-0.

Hayden had another chance but once again the Eversley keeper was equal to his shot. Eversley tried to force a way back into the game and had a chance when Dance was sent clean through only to see the keeper pull off another decent save and then see his follow up hit the post. Eversley went down to 10 with 20 minutes to go when Moriarty, not long back on the field following his sin-binning, pulled back Swords substitute Sam Day outside the area. He was deemed to be the last man and received his marching orders. The resulting free kick was tipped over the bar by Pidgeon.

Eversley battled on gamely and had a couple of half chances but both were dealt with by Hill in the County goal. The game ended quite quietly as it seemed Berks County had settled for the lead they had and an enjoyable game finished Berks County 3 Eversley & California 0.

Both goalkeepers were excellent and Hill made some important stops and Pidgeon kept Eversley in the game with some superb saves. That is not to say Eversley didn’t have their chances, they did, but it seemed to be one of those days in front of goal for them on another day they could easily have scored two or three, but with Berks County’s finishing being clinical they thoroughly deserved the win. Good luck to both teams for the rest of the season.

Hartley Wintney 1 Bracknell Town 2
Monday 29th August 2022
Southern League Premier South

This was a bonus game for me. I’d planned to only go to Berks County but when two different people offered lifts to this one I couldn’t say no. If you’ve read my “About Me” page you’ll know I have previous with Bracknell Town. I saw my first game there in 1977 and have had long spells of following them all over the UK since. This ‘extra’ game to my random games schedule would turn out to be my first Robins match in six or seven years and my second visit to Hartley Wintney, my first being a 5-0 romp for The Row in an FA Cup game with my home town side Erith & Belvedere a couple of years ago.

A decent crowd were out enjoying the sunshine including quite a large and vociferous following from the Robins, many of whom had walked from Bracknell to the Memorial Playing Fields to raise money for a mental health charity. Well done to all involved on your fundraising exploits for a very worthy cause.

The game started with a bang, just 27 seconds after Bracknell kicked off they had the ball in the net. A ball into the box caused panic in the home defence, an attempted clearance ricocheted kindly into the path of Jordan Esprit and he calmly lobbed the ball over the onrushing Desbois. 0-1
The hosts quickly rallied, Akers forced a save out of the Bracknell keeper, Crossley and Nuur combined well but the ball went out on the rebound and Goode so nearly picked out Nuur who had made a good run in behind the defence. The pressure was building an Row finally got their reward when a Leggatt cross was tapped in at the far post by McLeish-White for his first goal for Hartley. 1-1.

Bracknell had the next chance when Platt latched onto a ball over the top but put his shot straight at Desbois. The same two who took centre stage for the Row goal nearly added a second when Leggatt’s cross found McLeish-White at the far post but he blasted over. Bracknell responded by winning consecutive corner kicks, the first found Herbert but he dragged his effort wide and Esprit’s shot was deflected into Desbois’ grateful hands. The play started getting a little scrappy with both sides guilty of playing the ball in the air too much or launching long balls which was surprising as both sides had experienced success with quick passing on the deck.

Row were still on top and had two more chances in quick succession, first Nuur won a free kick on the right but Spiers headed wide from Cooksley’s set piece and McLeish-White was put through on goal but Eacott saved well at his feet. We had time for a scramble in the Bracknell area as the ball bobbled loose but it came to nothing for the hosts. For the most part an entertaining half with Hartley Wintney on top after the equaliser.
H-T: Hartley Wintney 1 Bracknell Town 1.

The Row started on the front foot in the second half, on 47 minutes Goode won a corner which was taken by Cooksley, flicked on by Nevile and eventually put over by Eshun. On 57 Akers had a strike on goal which was easily dealt with by Eacott. The game seemed more congested in the second half with chances coming fewer and further apart. The ball again spent more time in the air and there were several sets of head-tennis being played. On 64 minutes though, Bracknell retook the lead. Hartley Wintney failed to clear the ball in the area from a Lodge long throw and Mickel Platt fired in from 10 yards. 1-2.

Town sub Abisogun almost increased Town’s lead when he broke into the box but Desbois got a strong hand to it and managed to push it away from danger. McLeish-White and Aker twice combined well but the latter sent his first effort over and second just wide for Row. Eacott had to dive full length to parry away a Jones curler as Row searched for the leveller but at the other end Bracknell came close to clinching the win when Bowerman saw his curling shot clip off the top of the bar. One final chance for Row with a free kick in added time but Cooksley’s set piece was overhit with Hutchings unmarked at the far post. All in all a hard-fought game in which Hartley Wintney probably deserved a point but I’m sure Bracknell will be very happy to take all three points home with them.
FT: Hartley Wintney 1 Bracknell Town 2.

The attendance was 446 and I will have to mention the cheeseburger which was very tasty and definitely in my top three football burgers so far this season!