Game 26: Downton 2.4 Moneyfields (WESS PREM) 26.01.08

Decided to take a trip over to Downton this afternoon for their Wessex League game against Moneyfields. Downton have been struggling this season and have only won one game so I was hoping for the underdogs to cause an upset.


However Downton weren’t the only underdogs in action – this season’s non league FA Cup giant killers Havant & Waterlooville were playing at Anfield this afternoon. When I got to the ground the talk was all of this game and a few of the regular Moneyfield spectators were noted as being absent because they had taken the trip up to Merseyside.


Downton had lost 5.1 in midweek but they started the game well and took the lead after 10 minutes, lone striker Camilleri putting some pressure on the keeper and allowing Pearce in to score.


Moneyfields thought that they had equalised after 39 minutes when a header flew in from a corner but the referee disallowed the goal for some pushing in the box.


However the big talking point was coming from the radio as the score updates came though from Anfield. Havant had scored early and had retaken the lead four minutes after Liverpool had scored an equaliser. While Moneyfields went in at halftime 1.0 down, Liverpool had managed to get a goal back to go in level.


In the 52nd minute Downton scored a second, thanks to an own goal. The lead was not to last long though as the referee awarded a soft penalty to Moneyfields five minutes later. No-one seemed to be too sure what it was for but it appeared to be for a push in the box by a defender.


The Moneyfields player struck the ball low to the right and past the keeper who had guessed right but couldn’t stretch down in time to stop the ball. Meanwhile news came through from Merseyside that Liverpool were now 3.2 up.


Things went from bad to worse for Downton a few minutes after the goal when Sandford was sent off for a second yellow card. Moneyfields took advantage and equalised on 68 minutes before taking the lead on 75 minutes.


In the last minute, a Moneyfields sub scored a fourth to wrap up a win they would have expected before the game. Liverpool went one better, Peter Crouch also scoring in the 90th minute to give his team a 5.2 win.


No wins for the underdogs but both teams had played their part in a memorable afternoon of football.

Game 25: Bemerton Heath Harlequins 3.1 Alton Town (WESS PREM) 22.01.08

Another Tuesday night game up at the Heath featuring the usual suspects! One notable player for Alton was Jason Chewins - the Aldershot legend playing his last month of games in the UK before emigrating to New Zealand.


The opening period of play saw some good ideas poorly executed but one key moment after 10 minutes as the Alton keeper came off the worst in a 50/50 challenge with a Bemerton player. Although he carried on (as they didn't appear to have a keeper sub), his movement was limited and he looked to be in some pain when he put pressure on his ankle. He was unable to take any goalkicks and left them to his defenders.


Both teams were well drilled at the back and Andy and I started to wonder how many more offside decisions there would be before one of the sets of strikers remembered the offside rule! When there was a shot, they were either half a yard wide of goal or way over the top of the crossbar. Despite this, Bemerton took the lead somewhat against the run of play after 36 minutes. A long free kick was played into the penalty area and was flicked on to a midfielder who shot across the keeper low into the bottom of the net.


The second half was a similar affair although Alton created a couple of chances to get back into the game. We both commented that it was disappointing that Bemerton lacked the imagination to fire some longshots at the keeper or put the ball into the penalty area and take a chance that the keeper would stay on his line. Alton made some substitions and it seemed to pay off. After 66 minutes, a long free kick into the box was smashed into the back of the net to the delight of the travelling Alton contingent and players.


Alton should have added to their goal tally with a header that flew wide from 6 yards when it looked easier to score. This proved costly as Bemerton won a free kick near the corner flag. The ball was whipped in with pace into the goalmouth and the keeper was unable to challenge, allowing a free header that the Bemerton striker put into the back of the net.


3 minutes later and it was 3.1 as Slade broke through the defence and slotted a shot past the keeper. Alton tried to get back into the game but the shots went straight to the keeper. Bemerton almost added a fourth coming into injury time but the ball came back off the crossbar.

Game 24: Salisbury City 0.0 Torquay United (Blue Square Premier) 19.01.08

After the optimism brought on from the win against Oxford, I headed up to the Ray Mac to watch Salisbury take on another ex-league club.


I was not the only one with this idea – the attendance was announced as 2,633, a record for a league match. Torquay brought around 1,000 supporters for the game and the away end looked packed out.


Torquay had the first opportunity to score when Benyon picked up the ball in the Salisbury penalty area and hit a shot that came back off the post and was cleared. Salisbury had lost 4.0 in the reverse fixture and the team seemed set up to settle for a point rather than go for a win. There was lots of effort but very few chances created by either team, not helped by the muddy pitch.


Torquay continued to press and Zebroski came close to opening the scoring after half an hour. The ball came in from a throw in and bounced over the defence to Zebroski who headed the ball past Clarke but hit the crossbar.


Five minutes later Zebroski wasted a good opportunity by choosing to shoot across goal when a pull back would have found either Sills or Benyon who were running into the penalty area.


The second half was a similar story as both teams battled in midfield but couldn’t put together a decent through ball until the 84th minute, when Robbie Matthews went through one on one against Michael Poke, Torquay’s on loan keeper. It looked for a moment like Salisbury would nick all 3 points but Poke managed to deny the goal scoring opportunity.

After the game it took me over an hour to get out of the carpark. The combination of high attendance, muddy conditions and temporary traffic lights was not the ideal ending to an entertaining afternoon!

Game 23: Salisbury City 3.1 Oxford United (Blue Square Premier) 12.01.08

This game had been in the diary as soon as the fixtures were announced. Having seen Oxford play in the higher levels of the Football League, it was a bit surreal to think of them playing against Salisbury in a league game.


Salisbury had taken Ed Asafu-Adjaye on loan from Luton the previous day and he had a good debut


Salisbury took the lead after 31 minutes when Ollie Barnes met a Jon Bass cross with a towering leap and headed the ball past Billy Turley.


Twelve minutes later and it was pinch yourself time as the Whites scored a second. The ball was partially cleared from a freekick and Marvin Brown hit the ball in from the edge of the box.


Oxford had a better start to the second half and Yemi scored with 12 minutes to go. He broke down the right wing, pulled inside and hit a shot low to Clarke’s near post which found the net.


The referee was handing out yellow cards like confetti, 8 in total of which 7 went to Oxford players.


Salisbury’s two goal lead was restored moments after the restart. Brown managed to divert the ball high over the outcoming Turley and it dipped in time to spin down and into the net rather than go over the bar.


An unexpected win in front of a crowd of 2,016!

Game 22: Shaftesbury 0.0 East Cowes Vics (Wess 1) 29.12.07

Alan and I drove down to Shaftesbury for our first visit to the ground. On arrival, it looked like the parking spaces were all taken other than a spot in the bus 'station' next door so we decided not to risk it and parked in a council car park at the bottom of the hill.

Once we had parked up, we walked back to the ground but found that it was closed to spectators so we wandered over to the club bar and watched Sky Sports for a bit before wandering back to the now open ground.

Having seen East Cowes Vics lose heavily earlier in the season, I had predicted a home win but there was little to excite us in the first half. The ball was mainly with the home team but the passing and crossing were both poor and neither side tested the goalkeepers at all. The only clear cut chance actually fell to East Cowes when the Shaftesbury keeper dropped the ball from a corner but there was no-one near enough to take advantage. The game was so dull that one of the Shaftesbury officials had his spade out and was tidying up the walkway on the far side of the pitch!

The start of the second half was a bit more promising. The crowd enjoyed seeing the referee slip over before Shaftesbury managed to put the ball in the back of the net. Unfortunately for us, the goal wasn't given as their player was offside. East Cowes had a couple of shots as both teams started to set up some attacks.

East Cowes hadn't played on Boxing Day and the rest appeared to have done them some good as they pressured Shaftesbury into giving the ball away. The game started to get a bit niggly and some strong challenges weren't being punished. It was only after the fourth attempt to take a player out that the referee decided to get his yellow card out. The Shaftesbury players and crowd started to argue with the officials over minor decisions that the officials had in fact got right (from this neutral's vantage point).

By 85 minutes we had given up hope of there being a goal in the game. As the rain started to come down, we moved to the cover behind the goal only to hear that Reading were 6.4 down at Tottenham. Alan was gutted - not just about the scoreline but the fact that he would have been there had Spurs not drawn Reading at home in the FA Cup the following week, a match he would be attending.

In the last minute there was the chance of an upset. Shaftesbury had committed too many players forward and one of the East Cowes subs took a long ball forward and had a one on one opportunity against the keeper. It looked like he would score but his shot went wide of the post. We trudged back to the bar to check the fulltime results then rushed back to the car in the rain to avoid a ticket as our alloted time had almost run out.

Game 21: Salisbury City 1.1 Weymouth (Blue Square Premier) 26.12.07

After spending last Boxing Day on another island in the Atlantic, it was good to have the option to partake in the traditional post Christmas feast game again.


The two teams had met in the Setanta shield a few days before and Weymouth had won that match 2.1. From the opening passage of play it was clear to see why as they started very well. Beavon had a shot that was cleared off the line and the follow up shot was just wide.


Salisbury were under a lot of pressure and at times it was only Ryan Clarke who was keeping them in the game. Weymouth made some good chances to score and Beavon in particular looked dangerous. He had one shot well saved and played a superb back heel to a team mate to put him clear, only to see the shot go wide of the post.


When Salisbury finally managed to get a breakaway attack, Herring was unable to make it count as the Weymouth defence got back and Critchell made a good block tackle to stop the Whites man in his tracks. Beavon had to go off just before halftime with an injury, which was good news for Salisbury.


Even better news was a goal in the first minute of the second half against the run of play. Herring’s throw found Wayne Turk who played the ball into Marvin Brown to volley in. This knocked Weymouth and Salisbury went in search of a second. Robbie Matthews was unlucky not to get it a few minutes later when he hit the post with a shot.


Weymouth were not done and got themselves back into the game after 53 minutes from a Vernazza long throw. The ball fell to Jombarti who slipped it past Clark from a couple of yards out. A soft goal to concede and Weymouth now continued their domination of the game.


It fell to Ryan Clark to protect Salisbury’s point with a superb reaction save near the end. Salisbury were lucky to get anything from the game, as Weymouth had been the better team.

Game 20: Laverstock & Ford 4.0 Totton & Eling (Wess 1) 01.12.07

With tonight's Slade gig attendees in town, it was a full car that Andy drove to Laverstock & Ford (via the Duck). Although the weather forecast was for sun until 4, the sunshine didn't last more than a minute or two before kickoff. Paul and I left the car for a few minutes but soon the heavy rain forced us to seek cover in the car with Rob and Andy.

There was little to talk about in the first 20 minutes until a rainbow appeared in front of us. A moment later, Laverstock won a corner and when the ball was swung over from the far side, a couple of shots were blocked on the line - the final one being a clear handball from the defender. There seemed to be some confusion whether the referee was going to award a penalty or give a goal but after some discussion with the assistant on the far side, the goal was awarded.

5 minutes later and it was 2.0. A cross came in from the left which was missed by all of the defence and allowed a striker to move in from the far side and score from a tap-in. Paul and I had just got out of the car as the rain subsided but the conditions weren't helping the players. There were a number of sliding tackles missing the ball and the Totton keeper had a number of difficult backpasses to deal with, one of which he missed completely (luckily for him the ball went wide of the goal!). In the final minute of the half, Totton managed to put the ball into the net but it was disallowed for offside.

The second half started much better than the first, with the ball flowing from end to end. The Totton players were unhappy with some of the decisions that were going against them and the decisions that the referee was making - only giving a booking for a handball on the last man (which the assistant explained to the bench was the correct decision). Both teams had chances from free kicks but both were hit straight to the keeper. On 49 minutes McGregor (ex Salisbury City) had a clear chance but hit the ball over from 8 yards when it seemed easier to score.

On 60 minutes Laverstock extended their lead to 3. As the ball was played forward into the channel, the defender challenging from the ball slipped and fell over, allowing the striker to take the ball unopposed into the penalty area and shoot along the ground, across the keeper and into the back of the net. Three minutes later and it looked like McGregor was going to be in on goal only for the last defender to wrestle him to the ground. McGregor reacted badly to this and got up and tried to push the defender down. This multiplied as players ran into assist their team mate and started their own scuffles. The referee managed to calm the situation and gave the original protagonists a yellow card each for their troubles. Totton then tried to get McGregor to react again - 3 players surrounded him with the ball and one slid in with a deliberate attempt to play the man instead of the ball. McGregor kept his cool but there were a couple of other flash points before the end of the game that could have seen him sent off if his teammates hadn't pulled him away in time.

Laverstock finished the game off on 86 minutes with another well taken goal. A long ball from the middle of their half found a striker who then ran past 2 defenders before shooting past the keeper.

Game 19: Bemerton Heath Harlequins 2.1 Hamble ASSC (WESS PREM) 27.11.07

Another trip up to the Heath, this time to catch a league game. Bemerton had lost their last two games in the last minute (conceding a 4th goal against Romsey on Saturday to lose 4.3 after their Vase exit to Bideford) so we wondered if they could keep going to the end tonight.


It was however a question of if / when the game would start as the assistant referee requested some work on one of the nets which took about 10 minutes to resolve. Once the game finally started, Hamble took control and won a corner in the 11th minute - much to the disappointment of the crowd and Bemerton players who felt that the ball had gone straight out from the attacker. From our viewpoint, the ball clearly took a deflection off the Bemerton defender's shin as it went through to the goalline so the decision was correct. From the corner, a Hamble player headed the ball high and looping over the keeper to put them in the lead.

In previous games this season, Bemerton have looked like a team with some purpose and invention but this was lacking this evening. Passes were overhit, played to the wings rather than into the box and the few attacking chances were easily dealt with. Hamble hadn't won a game since September but it was difficult to see why as they looked dangerous each time they went forward. The assistant referee on our side made a couple of errors to bring play back for offside when Hamble attackers had gone through the offside trap fairly in my opinion, so a couple of 1 on 1's didn't work out. The game didn't really have much to offer other than an opportunity for Andy and I to discuss the usual hotchpotch of work, pubs, tv, footie and music.

In the second half Bemerton made Hamble pay for some slack defending (and for their subs using the goalmouth for practice at halftime, ignoring Steve Slade's requests not to) by scoring from a cross on the right in the 49th minute. This time a header was placed down into the wet turf and bounced over the keeper from close range. There had been a light rainfall in the first half and for a short period this drizzle got heavier, causing a few spectators to vacate the area behind the goal for the stand.

Hamble still looked the most likely team to grab an winner. They had two big shouts for a goal following a goalmouth scramble that the assistant on the far side ruled had not crossed the line and a legitimate claim for a penalty after 70 minutes when the ball struck a Bemerton player's arms. Bemerton managed to apply some pressure in the last ten minutes and a good run from a substitute striker managed to beat the offside trap, allowing him to toepoke the ball past the keeper on 84 minutes. This time it was Hamble's turn to complain to the assistant referee on the nearside about the decision, which they felt was offside, but again he had got the big decision right as the player making the most noise was actually the player who played Bemerton onside. The substitute almost added a third on 90 minutes when he chipped the keeper from the edge of the box but the ball went just wide of the far post.

Not the greatest game but it did mean that a 3 goal tally to add to the 1,5, 6 and 8 goal hauls from previous visits this season.

Game 18: Bemerton Heath Harlequins 2.3 Bideford aet (FA VASE) 17.11.2007

After a couple of weeks in the soaring heat of Texas, it was reassuring to be back in England for a 'proper' cold November day and a shorter trip to Bemerton Heath with Andy for this FA Vase tie.

Bemerton took the lead after 15 minutes when a breakaway attack down the right saw the ball crossed into the middle of the penalty area for a Bemerton player to chest it down to a team mate to shoot past the keeper. Both teams created some good chances in the first half and it was down to both keepers that there were no more goals after 45 minutes. Bideford had a couple of shots that went just wide, a clear one on one chance that the keeper saved and a good penalty shout turned down while Bemerton had a couple of efforts from free kicks that the Bideford keeper seemingly flew across the goal to keep out.

Bemerton edged the first half but the second half was dominated by Bideford who had brought a vocal bunch of supporters up from Devon. They had a goal disallowed after 50 minutes when the ball trickled past the keeper from a corner and might have gone in, only for an offside player to try and make sure and get penalised in the process. Bemerton kept trying to break on the counter and on 75 minutes were again denied by the Bideford keeper who pulled off another stunning save. Andy reckoned that it would take a low daisycutter shot to beat him as anything in the air was not getting past him.

The away support was starting to get frustrated with the number of times their team were getting caught offside but on 80 minutes, as a Bemerton midfielder lay injured from a 50/50 tackle, Bideford pushed forward and from the resulting cross, the ball was headed low past the Bemerton keeper.

Back came Bemerton and on 86 minutes another counter-attack found it's way through the Bideford defence. Perhaps they had been listening to Andy as a crisp, one touch passing move found Sanger in the box and his low shot beat the keeper to give what seemed to be the winner to Bemerton. All credit to Bideford, they continued to try and get back into the game again and with a minute to go it was 2 all. A free kick was played into a melee of players in the box and the ball broke to a Bideford sub to poke it in.

As this was an FA Vase game, there was some debate about whether the game would have extra time and penalties or just extra time. Looking at the number of Bideford supporters who left the terracing on the final whistle, you wondered whether they had realised that there was still more to play for. Most of them were back shortly after the extra time started so it was probably the search for a pint to steady the nerves that was the priority!

In the first half of extra time, Bemerton had a goal disallowed from a corner while Bideford had another good shout for a penalty turned down by the referee. The second half of extra time built up to a frantic finish. With 4 minutes to go, Bideford's no 12 went past his man and into the box for a shot that looked to be heading in but finished up going just wide. Bemerton then broke away but Bideford's keeper saved the point blank shot.



Just as everyone started to prepare themselves for a midweek replay, Bideford's sub took a last minute shot along the ground with plenty of power from 20 yards, through a melee of players and the Bemerton keeper's hands to trickle into the goal. While the Bemerton players collapsed to the ground in disbelief, the Bideford supporters and players went crazy. There was just enough time to kick off after the goal before the final whistle was blown.

A very entertaining game for the neutral and one played in a good spirit as there were no bookings or sendings off throughout the 120 minutes.