Bracknell Town 5 Hartley Wintney 0
Monday 2nd January 2023
Southern League Premier South

After a very quiet festive period for various reasons, I made a last minute decision to catch the bus and head off to Bottom Meadow for a catch up with Bracknell Town. This would be the first time I’d been to a home and away fixture featuring the Robins since the late 90s so quite a milestone. With only one bus running an hour I decided to catch the earlier option so ended up in the ground pretty much before everyone bar the staff! It seemed I wasn’t alone in wanting to take in a little new year football as there was a bumper attendance of 537 and it also gave me a chance to catch up with some players from Bracknell’s past who had made the journey to the game, Justin Day, Neil Baker and John Smith to name just a few. Also managed a long chat on past & present Bracknell Town with Steve Witty, a longstanding Robins fan, and one who continues to follow them around the country. A top man.

After far too much reminiscing and a well observed minute’s silence for non-league player Cody Fisher who sadly lost his life over the festive period, the game kicked off with Bracknell on the front foot. With all the rain over the previous few days the pitch looked a little heavy and was proving to be a testing surface to play on. The hosts had a couple of half chances early on which came to nothing but did break the deadlock in the 14th minute. Hoy in the visitors goal came for an Ashley Lodge corner but got nowhere near the ball leaving George Knight with a simple header into the net. 1-0.

Bracknell continued to push and had chances to go further ahead, first Gary Abisogun saw his shot well saved after a good run and then Knight had a goal ruled out when the referee whistled for a foul in the build up. The Robins were now in total command and, as half time approached, it was starting to look like they were taking turns in a training ground shooting practice than a league match. On 43 minutes they were finally rewarded for their dominance when Abisogun tapped in at the far post after Guy Hollis’ dangerous long throw was headed on by Knight. 2-0.

The hosts still weren’t satisfied, in the second minute of added time Grant had a chance but saw his effort hit the side netting. Just a minute later Bracknell added a third when new signing Ben Harris headed in an Abisogun cross. 3-0.
H-T: Bracknell Town 3 Hartley Wintney 0

The second half started in much the same fashion and just three minutes into the second half Bracknell made it four. A Lodge free kick into a dangerous area was glanced home by Dan Bayliss. 4-0.

Following the fourth goal Bracknell made a couple of substitutions and looked to play a little deeper which gave The Row an opportunity to pass the ball around and have a lot of possession but they still couldn’t find a way to trouble Michael Eacott in the Bracknell. On 77 minutes another long throw from Hollis into the box caused the visitors more problems and the initial clearance fell to Liam Tack on the edge of the box and his low strike beat a diving Hoy to make it five. 5-0.

Both teams played out the last ten minutes without making a serious chance although a cross from the visitors had Eacott scrambling across the goal and finally getting his bright orange kit dirty. The visitors never really laid a glove on the hosts and the Robins looked a bigger and stronger outfit. They always looked dangerous from set pieces and Hollis’ long throws are definitely a weapon when you have several players who are very good in the air. This was a dominant performance and if they can keep playing with this intensity and confidence they will definitely be a danger in the play-offs.
F-T: Bracknell Town 5 Hartley Wintney 0

Burnham 2 North Greenford United 2
Saturday 21st January 2023
Combined Counties Premier League North

Matchday 40 of 22/23 for me and a pleasure to return for a catch up with Paul, Brin and all at the 1878 Stadium. My last visit back in October had been an eight goal thriller with a late comeback from Burnham ensuring a share of the points. I’d also seen North Greenford United this season, a seven goal thumping of Frimley Green which strangely was my second time watching a 0-7 scoreline in a week. This was either going to be another score fest or my first 0-0 of this project!

Luckily it turned out to be the former. The game started at a furious pace with both sides trading blows but without testing either keeper. Rhys Harper had a couple of penetrating runs early on but ran out of space on both occasions and couldn’t get a shot away. The visitors were looking dangerous and forced a succession of corners which were dealt with by home keeper Carl Dennison. At the other end the first clear shooting chance of the match was blasted high and wide.

Dennison was called into action following some smart interplay around the area which released Morgan Cooper and his strike was smartly saved low to the keepers right. Harper again tested the Greenford defence with his pace and, despite looking to be pulled back, got his shot away but Sam House was equal to it. A lovely move down the right wing culminated in a pull back from the byline but the ball just evaded the onrushing Harvey Killeen for the visitors.

Killeen had a another half chance getting his head to a delicate chip over the home defence but he couldn’t generate enough power to trouble Dennison. Burnham had a shout for a penalty waved away and an end to end half ended level with possibly the visitors just edging it.
H-T: Burnham 0 North Greenford United 0

North Greenford again started quickly and a ball over the top found Cooper in space but his shot was too high. Burnham had the next chance with George Butler wriggling free in the area but he could only find the side netting after House narrowed the angle well. The hosts were now putting the pressure on, Jamie Mitchell hit a long range effort just over the bar and Tom Kemp headed just wide from a dangerous inswinging corner. They finally made the breakthrough when Jack Penton, a recent signing from Bracknell Town, managed to get on the end of a well worked moved to stroke the ball into the net. 1-0.

Minutes later Burnham doubled their lead. House in the visitors goal made a mistake and had the ball nicked away from him by Anas Igozouln and he squared it across for Jabir Labara to put the ball in the empty net. 2-0.

With 5 minutes to go North Greenford gave themselves a lifeline when confusion in the hosts defence gave Cooper a half chance and he poked the ball in from near the penalty spot. 2-1

In a breathless climax to the game the visitors poured forward searching for an equaliser while Burnham looked dangerous on the break. In stoppage time this see-saw battle had a final twist, a North Greenford corner led to pinball in the hosts area before the ball fell to Qasim Khan and his pinpoint shot from just inside the area nestled in the bottom right hand corner of the net to level the match. 2-2.

Both sides went searching for the winner as the referee added a further three minutes but it wasn’t to be and this absorbing, entertaining and hard fought match where both sides gave everything, finished all square. This was probably the fair result at the end of the day.
F-T: Burnham 2 North Greenford United 2

Another enjoyable day at the 1878 Stadium, lovely to catch up with everyone there and enjoyed talking to the friendly fans, players and officials from North Greenford. You never know, this may not be the last time our paths cross this season!

The calm after the storm!

Camberley Town 0 Raynes Park Vale 4
Saturday 28th January 2023
Combined Counties Premier League South

A local weekend and finally one back watching a match on grass started with a 45 minute bus ride around the houses to Krooner Park for what looked to be an intriguing match-up. While Camberley have a dreadful away league record, they could boast a decent home one, winning seven and just tasting defeat in two of their nine. Vale went into this game with an unbeaten away league record, winning seven and drawing two from their nine league fixtures. Raynes Park were sitting second in the table just behind Abbey Rangers but with four games in hand while Camberley, mainly thanks to their home record were sitting comfortably in the middle of the table. On paper it looked as it it should be a tight match.

Before the game I managed to have an interesting chat with Paula, Chair Lady of Camberley Town and gateperson for the day, on varied subjects including the current financial situation of many clubs in the area and trying to work out when I last visited Krooner Park for a league match! My last appearance would have been supporting the Bracknell Town team and it transpires it would have been around 20 years ago as they have been in different leagues since the early 2000s. Just where have those years gone??? Feeling old I trudged off to take my place in the stand.

Before kick off there was an impeccably observed minute’s silence for Harry Lynch, a longstanding supporter and volunteer for Camberley Town.

The game started with the visitors flying out of the blocks and they forced an early chance from a good move down the right wing, a Jermaine Green cross was cleared but only to the edge of the area where Cal Hope shot narrowly wide. Minutes later a long ball down the middle found Timmy Obisanya in space and his close range shot was well saved by Alex Hardman’s legs in the Camberley goal.

Camberley fashioned their first attack after Sam Whitehead won the ball well inside his own half and went on a powerful run down the left wing, pulling it back to Gianluca Zanre Botti but he found himself crowded out on the edge of the box. Back came Vale and another strong run from Green was met by Ethon Archer only for Hardman to get down quickly to his right and parry away.

The waves of attacks kept coming from the visitors, a flowing three man move between Archer, Green and Louie Downey made space for Dan Moody who hit his shot well but just over the bar. Hardman was forced into action again minutes later, a smart turn and pass from Downey gave Archer another opportunity but again Hardman was equal to it. The first half hour had pretty much been relentless pressure from the title challengers and the breakthrough finally came in the 31st minute. Another four man passing move was finished clinically by Green from just inside the box. 0-1.

They almost doubled their lead in the 34th minute, another direct run and cross into the six yard box from Green was nearly met by a backheel from Obisanya but instead the ball cannoned off defender Steve Lee’s shin and looped up over the bar. Camberley had a decent ten minute spell at the end of the first half and had a half chance when a long ball was nearly latched onto by Zanre Botti but Vale keeper Billy Bishop dived at his feet and managed to smother the ball. A well deserved lead for Raynes Park at the interval.
H-T: Camberley Town 0 Raynes Park Vale 1

The second half started much the same as the first and it only took the visitors two minutes to double their lead. Archer made a strong run down the left before finding Obisanya who laid the ball into Green’s path. His shot was saved well to his right by Hardman but he could only parry it and Archer followed up to tap the ball home. 0-2.

The game went a little scrappy after the second goal following five substitutions by the two teams. Camberley were trying longer balls to try to get in behind the Vale defence using the pace of Zanre Botti but the visitors defence held strong. On 72 minutes the visitors put the game out of the reach of the hosts. Archer was fouled around 25 yards out in a central position and substitute Jordan Gallagher stood over the resulting kick and curled a beauty around the wall and past the despairing dive of Hardman. 0-3.

Still Raynes Park poured forward looking for more, a good run down the left by Tom Barnes who played a nice one-two with Archer before putting in a great cross onto the head of Green who somehow put it wide with the goal gaping. Camberley tried to respond with Zanre Botti winning and taking a free kick 20 yards out but hit it straight into the wall. Vale wrapped the game up in the fourth minute of added time with a well struck shot from Archer which arrowed across Hardman and into the bottom left hand corner of the net. 0-4.
F-T: Camberley Town 0 Raynes Park Vale 4.

A thoroughly deserved win for the visitors who were on top for most of the match and, on another day could easily have scored more. Ethon Archer, as in the game against Erith & Belvedere earlier in the season, looked a class above. He’s so dangerous when he runs at defenders. Camberley battled on gamely but never really looked like troubling Bishop in the Vale goal. Have to say I was impressed with the referee, Mr Potter, in this game. Clear instructions and explanations to the players, didn’t miss many, if any of the fouls and tried to keep the game flowing where possible. One of the best I’ve seen on my travels this season.