SUTTON UNITED 4 - 1 AFC SOLIHULL

 

       MIDLANDS FOOTBALL LEAGUE, DIVISION 3

                  Rectory Park, Hollyfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, 

                              18/12/2021,  2 pm  Kick Off 

Today I had been planning to visit Gornal Athletic for their Birmingham FA Vase clash v AFC Birmingham. I had been erroneously informed on the MFL website that the game would start at 2pm but found out late on Friday that it would be 3pm. So I started to make plans instead to see another cup game at the Coventry Alliance club called Jet Blades, just on the outskirts of Bedworth. Their Secretary kindly got back to me and said that this match had been put back to the 8th January. So instead I am going to Sutton United's top of the table, MFL Div 3 clash v AFC Solihull and hope that the weather will not be too bad. 

I make it to Sutton Coldfield by train without any mishaps, find a good and cheap cafe for a meal of omelette, chips and peas and walk to the ground in Rectory Park. The weather is cloudy and not likely to brighten up later, so I'm figuring I will have to take as many photos as I can during the first half and hope for the best later on.

It takes me about 25 minutes to get to the ground and I enter by an open gate through the St. Chad's church car park. Not the official entrance probably but I don't think there is an entrance fee for this game. I have been here before, 8 years ago on a pleasant sunny April afternoon. Sutton's opponents that day were the long defunct team of Rugeley Rangers who they beat 5-0.

The ground is basically a park pitch with a railing round it with hard standing at the eastern end and the south side of the ground. The pitch has a noticeable slope on the far side facing the rest of the park. There is a nice club house with the changing rooms, close to the gate I came through and there is a small shelter (room for about 50 spectators),  by the side of the goal nearest the club house. Along side this pitch, there is another one immediately in front of the club house where I find out later on that the Sutton United 4th team are playing today.  

I left it late getting to the ground and the teams soon are trooping on to the pitch, with Sutton in green shirts, black shorts and socks, while their opponents are decked out in their usual colours of all blue.

For the first 10 minutes AFC Solihull are virtually camped in the Sutton United half and the home side's defence is working very hard to keep them from scoring.

  Keep them out they most certainly do and then they break out down the slope on the right in the 12th minute and their No.8, Leighton Hines, shoots past the advancing Solihull keeper.

3 minutes later and United double their lead, when their No.7 is released down the left hand side by their No.6 to pass the ball across to Jonathan Grigg to slot home from close in (as shown below).

The play is quite even for the rest of this half and there is no further score.

So Sutton United managed to catch out Solihull on the break and score twice to have a nice cushion going in to half-time. AFC Solihull have shown they can play some good football going forward but I fancy that they will have to score early on in the second period to have a chance of winning this game.

While looking at my phone, I am very surprised to see that there will only be one Premier League game being played today as the rest have been cancelled, due no doubt to the ever present covid crisis.

When play resumes, my camera is struggling in the deepening gloom and after 10 minutes I give it up for today, as I know I will get mainly blurry photos. To my surprise, the other photographer who is here today is still snapping away. He happens to be the father of the Sutton United No.7 and his wife also writes up the match reports for the club.

We chat away for much of the rest of this half and he helps me with my report by telling me the names of the Sutton scorers.

AFC Solihull do get their early goal, when in the 49th minute they attack down the right and when the ball is crossed in to the Sutton box, the home keeper shapes up to punch the ball but unfortunately he slips and this allows the visitor's No.11, Leonardo Torres, to collect the ball and shoot in to the unguarded net.

It turns out to be a very competitive match now and at one point the ref has to calm things down when some of the players keep jostling each other before Solihull take a corner.

In the last 10 minutes though, Sutton United take control of the game when one of their subs, the No.14 called Tom Massey scores with a great shot from near the penalty spot.

5 minutes later and the ball eludes the Solihull keeper from the left and another Sutton substitute, called Nathan Cox slides in to poke the ball in to the net.

Sutton United see out the last few minutes very comfortably for a well deserved victory against their close rivals. This victory leaves them still in 2nd place, six points behind runaway leaders, AFC Coventry Rangers and one point ahead of Coventrians and AFC Solihull are now in 4th place, 4 points behind Sutton.

It's been good to get to a game despite the poor visibility and it's also my first 3rd Division game of this League. So 2001 is rapidly coming to a close and hopefully I will be able to get in another game before the start of 2022.

Entrance fee:                          Free

Match attendance:                     76 

Match programme:    none available 

Entertainment value:               7/10    

 

    

 

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 5 - 1 LONG EATON UNITED

 

               WOMEN'S F.A. CUP, 3RD ROUND

         The Central Ground, Coles Lane, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1NL 

                          12/12/2021,   1:00 pm Kick Off

As the weather forecast for Saturday is pretty grim I decide to go to a Sunday game instead and I notice that the WBA Ladies team are at home in the Women's FA Cup 3rd Round. They are playing at Sutton Coldfield , which is a surprise as I saw Sutton Coldfield's womens team play there too earlier on in the competition.

I manage to get to Sutton Coldfield by train without any hassle and the weather is not too bad, milder than of late and with sunny intervals too.

I have time to do some Christmas shopping, have a snack in the town centre and walk to Coles Lane.

There is a friendly guy taking the gate money and he turns out to be the Club Secretary as well. I pay my entrance fee and he tells me that the programmes have sold out but I am able to take a printed team sheet instead (thoughtful touch). 

I have time to have a cup of tea before the kick-off. WBA are playing Long Eaton United, who play in the level below them but they are either top or second in their league, so although I am expecting a home win, it's a cup match and a chance of an upset.

The teams come out at 1 pm and WBA are in their usual home colours of blue and white stripes, while Long Eaton are in their change strip of red and black.

The home team take the lead after just 2 minutes and I had not been concentrating so I only have time to see the ball nestling in the back of the net following a corner from the left. I find out that the scorer is their No.10 Evie Gallop and 2 days later watch a video clip of the goal on the WBA Twitter account. It was a great goal, where Evie flicks the ball up in the air after beating a defender and volleys it straight over the keeper's head with a lot of power. A good enough goal to grace any game and I missed it!

Long Eaton come back strongly during the following 10 minutes but without creating any clear cut chances.

              (Trina Greaves clearing this attack from Long Eaton)

Then the Albion ladies are back on the attack down the left and the visitor's keeper has to make a good save from Gallop.

They double their lead after 30 minutes when the on fire, Evie Gallop slots the ball in to the right corner of the net.

5 minutes later and the Albion No.5, Kerry Walklett puts in a great shot from the left and Leagh Kellogg manages to tip it over the bar. 

Long Eaton go very close to scoring when Tiana Hicks is put through and shoots past the oncoming Albion keeper, Poppy Bastock, only to see the ball go just wide of the right hand post.

      (Evie Gallop being closely watched by this Long Eaton defender)

The Albion immediately respond by scoring a third goal through their No.14, Leigh Dugmore, after she receives the ball from Trina Greaves on the right and her shot hits a Long Eaton defender and deflects through the keeper's legs.

Half time arrives none too soon for Long Eaton and it's hard to see them getting back in to this game today. I must admit I have been very impressed with West Bromwich so far, especially Evie Gallop of course and the diminutive, Kerry Walklett in midfield, who is a bundle of energy. 

The second period commences and it's more of the same with the Albion doing most of the attacking and they add to their tally in the 62nd minute when Shannon Stamps cleverly comes through on the right, manages to get in a shot which the keeper can't hold and it's the irrepressible Walklett who's the first to react and stab the ball in to the goal.

               (Kerry Walklett attacking the Long Eaton goal)

Long Eaton manage to score a goal of their own following an attack on the left and it's their No.8, Moriah McIntosh who does so.

Apart from this it's the Albion who are dominating this game and it's no surprise when Walklett scores again.

              (Kerry Walklett being congratulated on her 2nd goal)

But for the Long Eaton United keeper the winning margin could have been greater for the home team. West Bromwich go in to the hat for the 4th Round draw and Long Eaton have to lick their wounds and keep going for promotion from their division.

I really enjoyed this game today and I am tempted to watch WBA Ladies again in the next round if they have a home tie.

Match attendance:      72

Entrance fee:             £5 / £1 concession

Programme:              Sold out

Match entertainment: 7.5/10
 

  

REDDITCH BOROUGH 1 - 2 DROITWICH SPA

 

             W.F.A. SATURDAY CUP, 3RD ROUND 

    Redditch Borough Sports & Social Club, Cherry Tree Walk, Batchley,

          Redditch, B97 6PB.     04/12/2021    2:00 PM KICK-OFF

I have decided to go back to my original plan for last Saturday's excursion and attend the Worcestershire F.A. Saturday Cup clash at Redditch Borough of the Midland Football League, Div 2. As like many games in the area last week, this one was cancelled due to the snowy weather conditions and I was pleasantly surprised it was re-arranged for this Saturday.

This is a ground I haven't been to before and the club were a bit of a mystery to me, so I did a bit of research on Wikipedia and watched some of the Borough match highlights on You Tube too, with some good recent performances. A club definitely worth investigating. 

I made the trip by rail to Redditch with no problems (but the return journey was certainly not straightforward with the covid induced rail staff shortages and subsequent cancellations).

I have some lunch at a cafe just outside the Kingfisher Shopping Centre and after a quick bit of window shopping I head off up the nearby Bromsgrove Road and arrive at the club entrance 20 minutes later.

There is the car park in front of the club house and behind this are one full sized football pitch and 3 mini pitches. To the side of the club house can be found some tennis courts and a bowling green too. Finally on the far side to the left of the club house is situated the Borough 1st team's ground. So it's a great facility for the local community and Borough moved in here in 2017.

I have time to go in to the club house and it's quite a place, with 4 different spaces for the public to enjoy and I go in to the bar area immediately in front of the entrance. There are 2 big screens showing the Coventry v WBA game and I order a shot of whisky to keep out the cold when I go back out again.

Suitably refreshed I go over to the main pitch and notice that the Droitwich team are in a gold and black kit, not their usual red and black and Borough are in their home kit of all blue.

It's a nice sunny but cold afternoon when the game starts and there is a cold wind too. Droitwich, who currently lie second in the West Midland 1st Division, are the more threatening side in the early exchanges and after they attack down the left in the 5th minute, Redditch have to clear the ball off their line. A minute later and a Spa shot from the right goes just over the bar.

In a Borough attack, their No.19 goes down in the visitors penalty area but the referee immediately waves play on, much to the displeasure of this player. Indeed he seems so displeased with this that he continually pushes Droitwich players who happen to be in front of him, when they have the ball, maybe trying make a point of some kind? Later in the half the ref has a word with him and he's fine after this.

Just 3 minutes after this incident and 'The Spa' take the lead when 
their No.7 get's crowded out by the Borough defence when attempting a shot from close in on the right of the goal but the ball bobbles out for another Spa player, No.10 James Lemon I think to poke it in to the net.

3 minutes later and Droitwich double their lead when the ball is crossed from the left and is headed in at the far post.

It's by no means a one sided contest and the Borough do mount attacks of their own but without troubling Oliver too much in the visitor's goal.

Due to the recent rain the pitch has cut up a bit and looks to be a heavy energy sapping surface.

So half-time arrives with Droitwich still in the driving seat and Redditch have their work cut out to get back in to this match. Borough have got this far by having a bye in the 1st Round and then winning against AFC Bromsgove 6-1 in the last round. Droitwich also had a bye in the 1st Round and then were awarded a walk-over against their 2nd Round opponents, Tenbury United, for whatever reason.

I venture back to the club house and join the big queue for the refreshments and the ladies working there are having to work very hard to keep up with the orders but they do so with good humour. I eventually get my cup of coffee and I am able to buy a club badge too for the cheap price of £2, which makes the wait very worth while.

By the time I get back to the pitch, 5 minutes has already been played but with no further score. When I am walking past the goal at the far end I see some Droitwich Spa supporters who I used to travel with a few times in the club's minibus to some away games 5 years ago.

We have a chat during the second half and catch up on some news. It's good to see that their club is still well supported at away games as I also saw a number of other Droitwich supporters in the club house and especially too as their 'home' games are at Stourport while their ground improvements are going ahead.

The game itself this half is a more even contest and the Droitwich defence are having to work harder now. On the hour mark, Borough do reduce the deficit when Paul Bonar scores after an attack on the left of the Droitwich goal.

The Droitwich defence do well in dealing with the Borough attacks and still manage to trouble the home defence.

Max Court the Borough keeper does make a noteworthy save from James Lemon later on as can be seen below.

The game ends without any more goals and Droitwich go through to the quarter-finals next year.

Redditch Borough battled well until the end and I think they can improve on their league position of 9th before the end of the season. It's a good set up at this club and I see that there is a big emphasis to get the young players involved from an early age. Indeed that's how it all started when the present Head Coach and Secretary, Julian Workman, set up an under 10 boys team in the past and it mushroomed from there. His wife Kim is heavily involved too as she is the Chairman.

Yes, a good trip in the end, a new ground and team watched, plus I have met up again with some of the Droitwich Spa faithful. 

Match Attendance:        Approximately 60

Entrance fee:                Free

Match Programme:       None available

Entertainment Value:    7/10