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
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