Game 14: Bemerton Heath Harlequins 3.3 Romsey Town (WESS PREM) 01.09.09

As Andy and I reached Western Way the skies opened and it started to chuck it down with rain - a real contrast to yesterday afternoon! We were pleased to reach our regular spot under cover before the rain got too heavy.


Both of these teams had been in FA Cup action at the weekend. Romsey conceded five goals and some of their supporters noted that the team line-up had been revamped for this game. Bemerton had lost 1.0 on Sunday away at Highworth, the game being pushed back 24 hours due to a groundshare with a cricket team. The programmes had a new 2009-10 cover and included a new quiz question section that we ran through before the game kicked off.


Romsey have won all the league meetings between the two clubs since they were promoted back to the Wessex Premier and came close to taking the lead in the 5th minute. Their frontline pairing were making good runs to try and lose their markers and from one throughball, a Romsey player battled past the defence and headed towards goal. The Bemerton keeper was out to the edge of the area quickly and although the rising strike flew past him his actions in making the striker take a quick shot were worthwhile. The shot was just too high to hit the back of the net and smacked back off the crossbar.


Romsey were forced to make an early substition as their left winger twisted his knee awkwardly and had to be helped off the pitch by the physio. Bemerton had a couple of shots at the keeper but nothing to really trouble him. In the 20th minute Romsey took the lead from a freekick in front of the dugouts. The ball was curled to the nearside of the box and an unmarked player on the farpost placed a header low below the keeper's dive and in.


Bemerton equalised just before the halfhour. The ball was switched from the right to the left wing and then passed into the centre of the area. The Bemerton player hit a good shot that bounced off the left post. The rebound was picked up by a team mate whose follow up shot hit the right post but this time the ball crept into the net. Bemerton enjoyed a good spell of possession and put a shot over the bar when they should have scored.


There was an unusual save after 35 minutes. The Bemerton keeper had come up to take a freekick from the halfway line but hit the ball too short, allowing Romsey to counterattack. As the keeper got back to the area he stayed near to the edge of the box before turning towards the goal when a Romsey forward hit a shot from just in front of him. The ball bounced off the keeper's backside and went up in the air, allowing the keeper to collect the ball with ease.


The first half had been very open and both teams had good chances to score so it was no surprise when Bemerton took the lead after 48 minutes. The ball was played through the centre to a Bemerton striker and he managed to keep possession and run at pace into the box before unleashing an unstoppable shot to the right of the keeper. Two minutes later and it was 3.1 to the home team. Bemerton had the ball on the right side of the penalty area close to the deadball line. As the Bemerton player swivelled and tried to bring the ball back out again he went down as a Romsey player clipped his ankle and the referee gave a penalty. The keeper committed himself by running towards the left post as the kicker ran to the ball and the ball was played low to the opposite side.


Romsey were lucky not to concede two more penalties that seemed more blatent from our viewing position on the sideline. The first was in the 62nd minute when a Bemerton player was pushed to the ground. Andy's thought was that the referee would have given it if the player hadn't got back up and tried to win the ball back. The second was in the 75th minute when a Bemerton player was pushed to the ground. There was a flare up just after that when a Bemerton player was kicked while on the ground and the Romsey bench made a quick substitution to get the offender off the pitch before he was sent off.


Romsey were also lucky not to concede an own goal as their keeper was down quickly to stop a goalbound ball that had come off one of his teammates when sliding in for a tackle. Although a fourth goal would have killed the game off, Bemerton started to play the ball into the corner to try and waste time. This proved to be a poor decision as in the 84th minute Romsey managed to pull a goal back. A corner was cleared to the edge of the box only for a Romsey player to belt a shot that came down off the lower edge of the crossbar and into the goal.


Bemerton started to play deeper and deeper and their midfield allowed Romsey to push up and play without being challenged. In the final minute of injury time, this approach allowed Romsey to put a cross into the box to the back post. The ball was headed towards goal and although the Bemerton keeper made a superb diving save he wasn't able to hang on to the ball. The ball ran lose and was bundled into the net by a Romsey player to the delight of their management team, who ran down the touchline towards the Bemerton bench to celebrate. This lead to some angry scenes involving both benches and sets of players after the final whistle blew moments later.

Game 12: Whitchurch United 3.3 Andover New Street (Wess 1) 31.08.09

While my main aim for the day was to visit AFC Aldermaston for their 3pm game against Fleet Spurs, I wanted to make the most of the bank holiday and found two early kick offs en route. I decided to go to Whitchurch as it kicked off an hour earlier than the game at Tadley Calleva which would give me more time to get to Aldermaston for kickoff.

I left home slightly later than planned - after taking a couple of wrong turns only to find the planned route was blocked by a tractor cutting down a tree I was pleased to arrive at the ground with five minutes to spare before kickoff.

After paying my £4 and discovering no programme had been issued for the game, I wandered round behind the goal that Whitchurch would be attacking during the first half. The weather was overcast and when the teams came out a few minutes after twelve it gave the game a real bank holiday feel!

I was certainly glad to have arrived in time for kick off when Whitchurch scored from their first attack. The ball was played down the left wing and a Whitchurch player ran into the box and took a shot while under pressure from a defender. The rotund Andover New Street keeper managed to get his hands to the ball but couldn't catch it. The ball rebounded out to another Whitchurch player who wellied it into the open net.

The force of the shot was strong enough to loosen the net and the connecting rope behind the goal and the referee asked that the goal was repaired before the game continued. I then realised that the referee had run the line at Chichester a couple of days earlier - it's a small world!

It took a couple of minutes to repair the goal and when play restarted Andover went straight onto the attack. They almost equalised straight away but the goal was disallowed by an assistant's flag waving for offside. In the seventh minute they won a freekick outside the penalty area and lined up to take a shot. The Whitchurch wall was prepared to block the attempt but weren't expecting the taker to pass the ball to a team mate to his right. The ball was hit first time and appeared to take a deflection off a defender to wrong foot the Whitchurch keeper before flying into the back of the net.

The excitement didn't stop there. After the celebrations the referee blew to restart the game. The Whitchurch player receiving the ball decided to try and lob the Andover keeper from the halfway line. The keeper had come a long way out of his 6 yard box and was cursing as he retreated to try and block the ball. He managed to make it to the 6 yard line before jumping up and backwards to make the save, only to see the ball dip over his hand, below the crossbar and in to the back of the net. An outrageous but successful goal attempt!

Whitchurch extended their lead in the 18th minute from the penalty spot. One of their players went down in the box and the referee waved play on only to see an Andover player kick out at his opponent on the ground. This offence was deemed worthy of a penalty. There was a quick discussion with the sideline to decide on the kicker - a good choice was made as the ball was dispatched to the bottom left corner past the keeper's dive. The New Street players complained that some of the Whitchurch team had illegally entered the box before the kick was taken but the referee ignored their protests.

Whitchurch came close to adding a fourth goal in the 25th minute when a shot hit the crossbar and was cleared for a corner. From the corner the Andover keeper had to be alert to tip the ball over the bar from a header. Despite the good save, it wasn't the keeper's day. After half an hour he kicked the ball up field only to collapse in agony and lie prone in the penalty area. After some attention on the pitch it became clear that he couldn't continue and he had to be substituted. It looked like he had torn a muscle in his leg as he hobbled off.

This left Andover with a problem as they didn't have a substitute keeper on the bench. One of their defenders donned the green jersey and they brought on a tall central defender to give themselves a full complement on the pitch. At the time it seemed like an invitation for Whitchurch to push forward and put the new keeper under pressure but they didn't really take the opportunity to test him until just before half time. On this occasion the ball beat the keeper's dive but bounced back off the crossbar to the left side of the box. A Whitchurch player tried to hook it back towards the goal but couldn't get the direction he wanted onto the ball and it was cleared.

Before the second half started I wandered round to the opposite side of the pitch as I felt that it would only be a matter of time before Whitchurch scored again. I'm not sure what was said at half time but Andover started to dominate the midfield and press for another goal. They created a couple of good chances and in the 55th minute managed to reduce the deficit. The ball was played down the left side and the Andover player jinked past the defender and crossed the ball low into the middle. The Whitchurch keeper missed the ball and the Andover player running into the goalmouth poked the ball into the net.

This gave Andover more confidence to press forward and they were unlucky not to equalise 5 minutes later when a shot hit the crossbar and the rebound was too high for the onrushing player to reach before the keeper jumped up and caught it. Whitchurch were sitting back and trying to play deep balls from the back to try and beat the defence with pace. This tactic was ineffective as Andover's sub defender was very capable in the air and was able to head the ball back into the midfield for his team mates to pick up. When Whitchurch were able to bypass this route they had a couple of shots but nothing to trouble the keeper. Andover were using the midfield to switch the ball from side to side and exploit areas with less defensive cover.

This tactic paid off in the 75th minute. The ball was switched from the right side of the halfway line to the left side halfway in the Whitchurch half. The recipient took the ball on, ran through a couple of challenges and then placed a shot past the keeper to equalise.

As in the first half, Whitchurch reacted quickly to an equaliser. They had brought on a young striker and after some buildup play from the kickoff he received the ball 2 yards out from goal. He should have scored but didn't connect properly with the ball which allowed the keeper to tip the first effort back to him. The second effort was struck better but his aim was off and the ball sailed past the post for a goalkick.

In the final minute Andover almost scored again. The ball was played to the left side of the penalty area and the player hit a shot across the goal and just past the right hand post.

Game 13: AFC Aldermaston 0.4 Fleet Spurs (Wess 1) 31.08.09

After leaving Whitchurch I drove up the backroads to Aldermaston although a missed turn just outside Whitchurch that led me towards the A34 caused some confusion! Aldermaston's ground is found in the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment complex. While entrance to the sports ground doesn't need security clearance, discovering the gate to the carpark was locked up was a surprise.


I drove round the roundabout again and headed towards another possible entrance which to my relief was open. This led into a big car park and I was able to park up with 20 minutes to spare before kickoff. After a quick bite to eat, I wandered towards the entrance to the pitch and managed to snag one of last programmes. I was glad that I didn’t go to Tadley as it would have been a shame to miss out on the programme for my last new Wessex League ground.


There are two pitches at Aldermaston and the nearest pitch to the clubhouse was used for the game. The sun had come out and the sky was a gorgeous bright blue. I spent a bit of time reflecting on the grounds that I had visited in the league and the pleasure I've had from watching football at this level. I'm sure that I will be enjoying revisiting some of those grounds again in the future.


Neither of these teams have enjoyed a good start to the season. Looking at the league table in the programme Aldermaston were bottom having lost all their games while Fleet Spurs were three places higher having won one game.


Fleet opened the scoring in the third minute. They won a freekick near the touchline just in front of me and the ball was floated into the penalty area. As players from both teams ran into the box, one of the Fleet players wasn't picked up by his marker and he headed the ball past the keeper.


Fleet almost doubled their lead ten minutes later from a corner. The ball was played in and hit towards goal. One of the Aldermaston players had stayed on the goalline and managed to get in the way of the shot. The ball span backwards off him and looped up in the air before dropping down, bouncing on the top of the crossbar twice and then falling into the top of the netting behind the crossbar.


Aldermaston created a couple of chances and had a good opportunity to equalise from a freekick that went just wide of the post. An even better opportunity was gifted to them by the Fleet keeper in the 35th minute. He took a goalkick but mishit the ball so it didn't travel far and found an Aldermaston player who took a shot towards the unguarded goal. The keeper scrambled back to try and cover the shot but didn't have to worry as the ball flew well wide of the post.


Fleet Spurs had been the better of the two teams in the first half and it was no surprise that they started the second half well. Within a minute of the restart a well executed pass found a Fleet player running into the box. His chip beat the keeper but rebounded off the crossbar and was cleared away.


In the 48th minute Fleet doubled their lead. They spread the ball well to the left wing but when the ball was crossed in it appeared that the Aldermaston keeper would cut it out. He was challenged in the air for the ball by a Fleet player and both of them missed it. This left an open goal for a Fleet player to aim at from the centre of the six yard box and he didn't miss the ball, tapping it into the back of the net.


Fleet Spurs scored again in the 62nd minute with another cross from the left and another unmarked player in the penalty area. On this occasion the keeper didn't come out for the ball and the cross just needed a controlled header which it got. The ball was glanced to the right and bounced down and then up into the side of the net.


In the 72nd minute the visitors added a fourth goal. Their keeper took a freekick following an Aldermaston offside and punted it forward into the Aldermaston half. The ball was headed forward and straight to a Fleet Spurs striker who ran into the box and struck the ball well into the right of the goal.


Fleet were now totally dominant and Aldermaston were often pinned back into their half although to their credit they still attempted to play the ball to feet and switch play from wing to wing. In the 80th minute Fleet were denied a fifth goal by another goalline clearance and in the 85th minute it was the Aldermaston keeper who kept the scoreline down with a superb double save.


The drive home was more straightforward now I had a better understanding of the route, helped by Radio 1's bank holiday takeover with the Wurzels, Status Quo and the Lemonheads replacing the normal chart fodder.

Game 11: Chichester City 1.3 AFC Totton (FA Cup) 29.08.09

Decided to head down the south coast to the FA Cup preliminary round game at Chichester. After wandering round the town centre shops for an hour I wandered up to the far end of North Street and found the ground on the other side of the road.


The clubhouse in the corner of the ground was quite busy as a number of Totton supporters had made the journey across to Sussex, some sporting their pink FA Vase final special shirts from a couple of seasons ago. The sun was shining out occasionally through the clouds and there was a strong breeze across the pitch.


While the teams warmed up I had a read through the programme and found a 4 page insert with a replica programme from 1909 - two programmes for the price of 1! There was a wipeboard on the side of clubhouse and one of the club officials was writing up the lineup's - not just the players but also the managers, assistants, directors of football.


One Totton wag put himself forward as Fan no 1 and asked when the names of the gateman and the PA announcer would appear. He might have been waiting a while as there was no PA at the ground! It was interesting to note that seven substitutes are now permitted in FA Cup games to fit in with the Premier League. While Totton were able to field seven alternatives, Chichester stuck with the regular five.


I decided to watch the first half in the shelter of the terraced stand to get some protection from the wind. Before the game kicked off there was a one minute silence but there was no indication of who it was for in the programme. I was later advised that it was for one of the league's stalwarts who had recently passed away. If anyone complains about the younger generation having no respect, I'd point them towards the group of elderly men in the corner of the stand who continued their loud discussions throughout this period of contemplation.


Totton play in the Southern League which is one step higher than Chichester who play in the Sussex County League. This difference was soon evident when Totton took the game to Chichester and forced five corners in a row in the first three minutes. None of these corners led to a goal thanks to some well timed defensive clearances and an acrobatic save from the Chichester keeper to push one shot over the crossbar.


It was no surprise when the first goal came early but it was a surprise to see the home team score in the 9th minute against the run of play. The ball was played into the box and deflected kindly off a defender into the path of a Chichester player on the right side of the penalty area. He took the ball into the box, held off a challenge and put his shot past the keeper.


Two minutes later and the home team should have scored again. On this occasion Totton were caught napping at the back and didn't mark all of the Chichester players in the box. A good cross found one unmarked player who headed the ball on target but straight at the keeper who had taken his position in front of him. It was one of those chances where if the ball had gone to either side, the keeper wouldn't have been able to stop it.


Totton continued to put pressure on the Chichester back line and this paid off in the 16th minute. A Chichester player lost possession in midfield and the Totton player who won the ball used his pace to push the ball forward, run it into the box and take a low shot that skimmed past the keeper and in. A goal from nothing to the disappointment of the home fans.


The rest of the half was mainly Totton pressure but they were unable to convert the chances that they created, not helping themselves by committing a number of fouls in the home team's penalty area. Chichester were restricted to occasional counter-attacks but almost retook the lead just before half time. One of their players took the ball through the Totton defence and just had the keeper to beat. He delayed his shot which allowed the keeper to advance and smother the shot. The ball skidded to the right and was pushed out for a corner.


Just before half time there was an unsavoury incident as the Totton goalscorer took out some frustration on the home keeper. Both players were challenging for a low through pass and when the striker left his boot in and caught the Chichester keeper when he had time to avoid the collision. The referee agreed as he booked the forward but there were some arguments between the supporters to my right as to who was at fault.


During the half time interval I wandered around the pitch as the wind had died down a little and the sun had come out. A number of supporters headed for the bar in the clubhouse and took their time over their drinks which meant that they missed the next goal.


In the first minute of the half, a Totton player hit a long high ball forward and the Chichester keeper decided that he would act as the sweeper by running out of the box and heading the ball away. It turned out to be a poor decision as he miscalculated the flight of the ball and missed his header completely. The ball sailed past him and allowed a Totton player to run past him, collect the ball and pass it into the back of the net.


Totton increased their lead in the 60th minute from a corner. When the ball was cleared, it fell to the edge of the box and a Totton player connected with a great half volley. It was one of those rare occasions where I was inline with the shot and the goalmouth and could see it was going to hit the target before the ball had reached the goal. The keeper had no chance to reach it and the Totton player celebrated his hat-trick.


Totton were now well in control of the game and started to play some good pass and move triangles to keep possession and wear down their opponents. The assistant referee nearest me commented that with the sun out the windscreens of the cars behind the far touchline were causing a problem as the glare from the sun was in his eyeline. I suggested that he went with the colour of the car which may not have helped that much as there weren't any blue or white coloured cars in that section! I had to agree with his comment that the game had got scrappy towards the end and a couple of players were booked as the referee lost his patience with some repeat offenders.


This was Chichester's first defeat of the season but on this showing against higher league opposition they should have a good campaign.