19/12/20 Review: Malvern Town vs Sporting Khalsa

Malvern Town 5-5 Sporting Khalsa (FA Vase Third Round) HDanywhere Community Stadium

After two more months of isolation from the beautiful game, the weekend before Christmas finally threw up the chance for me to head back out in pursuit of action and as the score line suggests, my most recent encounter made up for the lack of goals we've all had to put up with whilst Lockdown 2.0 was in full swing. For me personally, it has still been a busy time with work as I scheduled in a load of Christmas events for the people of Coventry, and then of course had the delight of having to cancel them all again. In the spirit of trying to stay positive, this year will see me have the Christmas period off from work for the first time since I was 17 and although I won't be able to do much with my time off, I am thoroughly looking forward to working on some football related projects and a little bit of chilling out too. Before that though, it was time to pick up my laptop, fill my bag with beer and jump on the almost three hour train journey from Stafford to Great Malvern's HDanywhere Community Stadium which is home to Hellenic League Division One West leaders, Malvern Town.

A long train ride calls for beer and podcast editing

Leaving the house at 12 noon for a 3pm kick-off isn't ideal, but after a stone chipped my car windscreen the night before whilst driving home from work the just over an hour drive turned into an almost three hour train ride, which in fairness was only that long because I had a fifty minute wait in Birmingham New Street. Still, at £13.20 for a return, the journey was very good value because it allowed me plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the ride through the beautiful Worcestershire countryside. The only downside was the flock of young adults boarding the train who were very openly and seemingly proudly telling the rest of us that they were taking advantage of the current situation by leaving Tier Three Birmingham to go into Tier Two Worcester in search of a substantial meal and the beverages that are associated with it. Amongst the shouting and audible farts being let out from one table of lads, I just popped my earphones in and began to edit an interview from a podcast I'm working on which will be about football clubs who have fallen over the years. I'm sure many of the readers of this Blog will be keen to listen to it when it's released- and the first season of the Podcast will premier with Aldershot F.C. as the debut episode.

For now though, it was time to get back to the good stuff... live footy!

I arrived at Great Malvern station with ten minutes until kick off and about a mile of walking to do. For anyone who's good with maths they'll be able to work out that those numbers didn't leave me with much chance of arriving in time for the game, especially when you factor in that I had no idea where I was going. Eventually I walked into the car park of the ground, about ten minutes late, and just as I entered through the turnstile of this sell out encounter I heard a small amount of cheering which indicated that Khalsa had taken the lead. I rushed in to see if I could overhear any discussions about the goal and it seemed from what people were saying it was an own goal, or at least a deflection, following the visitor's attack. Malvern 0-1 Khalsa.

Little did I know that this would be the first of twenty-one goals for the day

With the game settling down for ten minutes I was allowed to catch my breath after the hefty trip and with that I had a walk around the ground which was highly glorified by the backdrop of the Malvern hills making for pleasant viewing both on the pitch and behind it. The rest of the HDanywhere Community Stadium was fairly bog-standard really, but with the old-school main stand and a good crowd it certainly had its charm. The pitch is a decent artificial effort, with a couple of raised areas around the long-sides of the ground for standing, whilst in the far corner is a clubhouse and tea hutch, which sadly were closed for today's COVID-19 restricted affair. As mentioned, there is also an old brick main stand raised centrally about halfway across the pitch and there are also a couple of benches dotted around just outside the clubhouse. Who doesn't love a picnic bench at a non-league ground, after all?

Clubhouse and patio area, featuring big club emblem

The last time I can remember visiting a ground with such stunning scenery in the background was at Causeway Lane in Matlock back in 2016 and although that August Bank Holiday match was a scoreless bore draw, thankfully here in Malvern it would be quite a different story as in the 17th minute the hosts had a chance to equalise. A free-kick was floated in to the box and rising highest was lofty centre-back Jay Sauntson who headed the ball in off the post to ensure Khalsa were pegged back fairly quickly after taking the early advantage. Malvern 1-1 Khalsa.

I don't know how the Malvern number 7 can focus with that backdrop

Anyone who follows my Blog will know that I've been supporting Sporting Khalsa this season after the tragic collapse of my own club, Macclesfield Town, and up until my last away day with the Willenhall based side I had seen them win seven out of seven, but as with all good things my run supporting the blue and yellow army came to an end two months ago as I had to watch with disappointment at a 0-2 defeat against Long Eaton United at Grange Park. I remained hopeful that they'd be back to winning ways though on this outing and had made my usual pre-match prediction for a 2-1 win. Hopes of my score line prediction being correct were quickly dismissed as just five minutes after equalising the hosts broke down the left with Harry Clark running into the box and tucking home the ball with a shot oozing with finesse. At the time I harshly criticised Khalsa keeper Sam Arnold for not attempting to save the strike as he thought it was going wide, but in hindsight I think you have to just bow down to the opposition attacker and put it down as a quality finish. Malvern 2-1 Khalsa. With less than twenty minutes played and three goals already registered, I had to laugh as I saw Khalsa's Club Secretary walking around with his clipboard knowing that he would end up having a lot of things to write about by the end of this one!

Especially at the rate this lot were going

Despite the fact that Malvern were facing off against a side who are currently one division higher in the pyramid, the Hillsiders would never consider themselves as true underdogs as the Worcestershire outfit are flying-high in their league- at time of writing they were twelve points ahead of second-place Thornbury Town, a side I saw just over a year ago also in the FA Vase, and despite having played three games more than most of the chasing pack, just like Khalsa they will be pleased to be ahead of the game and already have many valuable points on the board. Last season was Malvern's first in the Hellenic West having transferred from the West Midlands (Regional) and up until the virus cancellation they sat top of the pile, so you knew they were always going to give their Midland Football League Premier Division visitors a tough tie and just before half-time they grabbed a crucial third goal as Harry Clark scored his second to give his side a significant lead at the break. Malvern 3-1 Khalsa. The away side almost snatched a goal back just before the ref's whistle but ultimately the message at the interval from the Khalsa dugout would be that they need to start playing football if they want to get back into the game. The lads were struggling to string more than two passes together in one sequence of play and personally I think that with their passionately animated manager missing from the touchline, they really had their work cut out. As the old saying goes, "there's no bigger blow, than missing Ian Rowe".

No refreshments available, so I'm glad I brought packed lunch

The players came out from the changing rooms looking like they'd had a good talking to, whilst the hosts emerged to rapturous applause knowing that they had one foot in the next round of the Vase, although there was still work to be done. And that work started pretty quickly as just four minutes after the restart Joe Bates took advantage of an unusually sloppy Sporting defence as he marched forward, received the ball and then fired home with barely even a glimmer of a challenge coming in from the opposition defence. Malvern 4-1 Khalsa. At this stage I said to some of the other visiting club members that the away side had given up and for the next fifteen minutes amazingly there was to be no more goals as the hosts seemed content with their lead and in large parts were in control of the game. The big turning point in the action for me came in a crazy five minutes in which we'd see a goal-line clearance, a goal and a penalty- with this monstrous sequence starting off as Khalsa's defence desperately denied a fifth Malvern goal by a defensive effort that not only kept the side in the game but also gave them a little morale boost which would eventually lead to them going up the other end and scoring a goal of their own, which was headed in by Sporting's captain and St Kitts & Nevis international Tes Robinson. Malvern 4-2 Khalsa. Moments later the Hillsiders had the chance to restore their four goal advantage as they won a penalty practically from kick-off, but unfortunately for the hosts Matt Turner's spot-kick was saved by Sam Arnold in what would be a good practice for what was to come later on.

Get those foodlights on, there's much more action to come yet

It seems unfathomable that six goals into a match my report is yet to feature Jake Gosling but that would soon change as we approached the final twenty minutes of action. The Gibraltar international midfield maestro tends to only need one chance and although he'd had a below par game thus far he had the gusto to keep his chin up and when he eventually made a clever run to beat the high-line of Malvern's defence the number 10 ran forward, calmly waltzed around the on-rushing goalie and then tucked the ball home. Malvern 4-3 Khalsa. And as if that wasn't enough of a buzz for the visiting contingency, they'd be cheering again moments later as the ball was bundled into the the net to set up a nail-biting end to proceedings. Malvern 4-4 Khalsa. With darkness falling heavily over the game and with it some mild rain, there was to be another big moment in the game as the linesman made a decision which from my angle was arguably a wrong one. Gosling floated in a corner from right next to where I was stood and as I watched a Khalsa header meet the ball firmly, it looked to me (and everyone else but the lino stood nearby) that the strike crossed the line, but according to the man who matters it was "a great clearance" from Malvern's defender to keep things level. And that would be how things remained until three minutes remaining, when in massively dramatic fashion the hosts retook the lead thanks to Clark completing his hat-trick. It was scrappy, it was sloppy, it was a tap-in from a kindly placed deflection from a free-kick, and it seemed to be the final say on what had already been a spectacular game of football Malvern 5-4 Khalsa.

But the visitors weren't beaten just yet

As the home side desperately tried to get the ball out of their half, Khalsa kept plugging away relentlessly and deep into stoppage time they won a set piece that would lead to a limbs inducing moment. The cross came in on the back post, was then nodded towards the six-yard line and then headed goalwards. Malvern men threw their tired bodies at the ball to try and keep it out, but eventually it crossed the line and after making a tight decision earlier against the visitors, this time the linesman raised his flag to signal a goal for Khalsa and the game would go to penalties. Malvern 5-5 Khalsa. With the players taking five minutes to try and regain a bit of mental energy, it was now time to face the shootout and after Gosling fired home the first kick, Malvern missed theirs to give Khalsa a 1-0 advantage, just like they'd had at the start of normal time. That seemed like decades ago by now!

"Don't lose it now" was the message from the huddle

Following the miss from Malvern, the next six penalties were all converted stupendously to mean that club captain Tes Robinson stepped up with the score at 4-3 to the visitors. The defender, who in all fairness would probably have preferred a chance from a header than from the penalty spot, hit a decent strike but it was met well by Keiron Blackburn and after Joe Bates converted we were headed for sudden death. Both sides scored their first, but with the score at 5-5 by now, Josh McKenzie missed by just a few millimetres and this would give the visitors a massive chance to win the tie. Adam Sauntson, presumably the brother of Malvern's first goal scorer, was to be the hero and his penalty strike, the twenty-first goal of the game, finally decided what has to be one of the best games I've ever seen in my life.

Knowing that I had a long train ride to get home, I stuck around to cheer the players off the pitch before heading off to the station. Had the clubhouse bar been able to open though, I would definitely have stuck around for a couple of pints to celebrate because this game deserved a celebration. Even as a Khalsa supporter on the day, I could not complain about the result nor the action after a match which, in my opinion, deserved to be the Final at Wembley. I really look forward to seeing how far Malvern Town can go in the Vase and I hope they have the success that they deserve in the future.

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17/10/20 Review: Long Eaton United vs Sporting Khalsa

Long Eaton United 2-0 Sporting Khalsa (Midland Football League Premier Division) Grange Park

As most of you will have seen by now, my adopted team for the 2020/21 season are Sporting Khalsa and after seeing them home and away for their past five matches, it was time to make it six on the spin yesterday as I was back on the road over to the East Midlands for another Midland Football League Premier Division encounter, this time between the top two sides in the league so far as Khalsa took on Long Eaton United at what would be my 197th ground in total. Overall, I had seen the Willenhall based club play eight times so far and although this one would be a huge challenge, I so far boasted that I had a 100% win record when watching the blue and yellow side play. Since the first visit to the Aspray Arena back in early 2016 where I watched on as Stafford Town were demolished 0-8, I have always loved watching Khalsa play and considering their aggregate score in my company was 30-7 before this game, I'd say that must also love having me there too. Today's game between first and second would be a whole other prospect, though.

The fans piling in for the big game

This latest groundhop was a very straightforward 88-mile round-trip across the A518 from Stafford and then on to the A50, meaning that I arrived in good time for the game and had plenty of opportunity to have a wander around the ground, starting off with a mooch over to the fenced off second pitch next to the main entrance to Grange Park which was hosting an Under 16's match. I wasn't here for the kids though and so after a brief glance I headed over to the turnstile in search of the main event, meaning that it was time to mask up, check in and hand over my six quid so that I could enjoy more of the good stuff at my ninth new ground of the season and my twelfth overall in the MFL Prem.

First stop, though... the bar!

Today's hosts for Sporting Khalsa were rebranded in 1956 as Long Eaton United, following a couple of other variations before that can be tracked back to the early 1900's. The Blues have been a fairly stable non-league community club throughout time, with the best highlight I can find from their history coming as Long Eaton St Helens when they won the 1912-13 edition of the Central Alliance League. Since then, they've been known for being the club who gave the world Notts Forest legend Garry Birtles, the owners of "The Big Jim Stand", and the former club of Montserrat international striker Vladamir Santos Farrell! Last season before the league was dismissed United were a decent midtable side at best- and more significantly a whopping seventeen points off their visitors today, meaning that their stunning start to the 2020/21 season would have come as a surprise to many. The big question on everybody's lips will be whether they are the real deal and will they be the latest in a line of clubs who have pipped the likes of Sporting Khalsa and Coventry United to the post?

If yesterday's match was anything to go by, they could be

Grange Park has been the club's home since the 1950's and it is one of the best all-rounders I've been to in the division so far. No, it's obviously not as fancy and well-kept as Coventry United's Butts Park, but it has a much better atmosphere. I'd argue that it's not as rustic and classic as Gresley's Moat Ground, but it feels better in other ways in terms of facilities, pitch quality and so on. Ultimately, it's certainly one of the best for having "proper fans" and it looked as though there was a bumper crowd cheering the team on for this match. The beers (and Jagerbombs!) were flowing, the social distancing was being exercised in the clubhouse and everyone was well up a well-fought game. Roll on 3pm...

The infamous "Big Jim" Stand in the distance

I placed myself over by the dugouts across from the main stand for most of the first-half as I expected an end-to-end affair- my prediction for the game was for a 2-3 classic which would see Khalsa extend their lead at the top to nine points, albeit still at a time when clubs have played anywhere between five and nine games before kick-off. The match began with the expected explosion of action and even the 2018/19 MFL Player of the Year Sean Williams was starting for Khalsa at right-back just a couple of weeks after he was an impact sub striker, scoring in the 6-4 win for the visitors against Selston just 17 miles up the M1. Just eight minutes had passed in the bout when Kam Campbell sprung the Khalsa offside trap to run through and slot past the underwhelmingly on-rushing Sam Arnold. United 1-0 Khalsa. Moments later it was Khalsa with a big chance and throughout large spells of the first-half it was the visitors in control despite only really making chances through set pieces. The closest they came to a goal was from Gibraltar international Jake Gosling, with the midfield maestro only being denied his third direct corner goal of the season by the crossbar, whilst at the other end Arnold made a magnificent point-blank range save after being initially caught in no man's land from a Long Eaton attack.

Ian Rowe on the touchline certainly wasn't too chuffed with it all

Frustrations started to build from the visiting team as Rikardo Reid went in to the book for a rough challenge on a Long Eaton man, but then just before the break the same player almost made amends as the forward struck a fierce drive down the throat of debutant Jake Askew in the United goal. Half-time soon came around and as I headed off to the bar to refuel the players headed down the tunnel into the underneath of the main stand to do the same, with the key difference being that I spent the fifteen minutes queuing for a packet of Monster Munch before attempting to avoid the swamp like toilet which was flooded in all areas.

Not that I'm complaining... those MM were pretty damn tasty

Feeling optimistic for more goals, I watched the second-half unfold from behind Askew's goal, which turned out to be a fairly unfortunate decision as most of the action was happening over at the other end, with the Blues looking to try and kill the game. The hosts had a really good game management plan to tackle Khalsa and they executed it well, reducing the away side to bitty chances at best, and as the half developed it felt more like a chess match with Long Eaton looking toward Kieran Walker's long-throws and Khalsa praying that Gosling's set-pieces would eventually come good- a bit like watching Rory Delap versus David Beckham!

Things just wouldn't go right for Khalsa today

I constantly felt myself clock-watching into the final few minutes as I still had the feeling that there would be another goal to come and of course it would be one that decided the game as United looked to seal the points and Khalsa looked to snatch one for themselves. As we rode into stoppage-time it would be the well-drilled home side who got the win as they broke forward on a decisive counterattack and the ball eventually was gifted to Mitchell Robinson so that the substitute could round off a perfect day in the office for the Nottinghamshire side. "We are going up" chants began from the stand as the Blues knew that they'd cut Khalsa's lead at the top to just three points, but more importantly with two games in hand AND a superior goal difference. United 2-0 Khalsa. A huge win for Long Eaton and with a home game next weekend against winless Haughmond the ball is well and truly in their court now.

They will welcome the Shropshire strugglers with confidence

As I'm only now three grounds away from the big 200 it's really hard to put plans into action in order to make it a special occasion. Locally, I'd probably opt for something like Ilkeston Town as it's one I've always fancied. Ideally, I'd be heading off to somewhere exciting abroad for it, but realistically I don't think that will be a reasonable option for me in 2020 so I am still very open to any suggestions anyone may have... and in the meantime I'll be continuing to go to as many Khalsa games as possible knowing that I won't get to a new ground with them until Boldmere St Michaels in mid-December. Good luck to both of the clubs from the game yesterday for the rest of the season, I can imagine it being a very interesting battle for top spot again this year and these two should be right in the mix come the close of play.

IF YOU ENJOY THE WRITING OF 'PINT OF FOOTBALL' 

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03/10/20 Review: Selston vs Sporting Khalsa

Selston 4-6 Sporting Khalsa (Midland Football League Premier Division) Mansfield Road

Well, it's not often that I get home from a game and have to sit in a dark room contemplating what just happened, but after this outing to Mansfield Road for my latest away day with Sporting Khalsa, that was just the case. Stay tuned for an action packed write-up which features a ten goal thriller, a very inconsistent set of officials, a high-speed car chase, a six car pile-up and cans of Guinness for a quid! Not quite the routine victory I'd expected when I set off from Stafford for another crazy afternoon of Midland Football League groundhopping.

The calm before the storm

One week on from my last trip across the Midlands to the East side, which was also for an away game with Sporting Khalsa as they overcame Heather St John's in Leicestershire, I was on the road again and this time rather than criss-crossing the region's rickety country roads, it was a much simpler (albeit longer) journey across to Uttoxeter, past Derby and then up the A38 to get to Selston. The large village, which borders Mansfield and Nottingham, would be the fifth non-league ground I'd visited in the area, having notched off South Normanton and Heanor Town in the Summer of 2017, Holbrook St Michael's in 2018 and most recently Basford United's Greenwich Avenue in December 2018. Yesterday's outing to the former East Midlands Counties Football League side would be not only a new experience for me but also for today's visitors, being as how last season's version of this game never got chance to happen due to COVID-19's closure of the 2019/20 season. If the one game they did get to play against each other last campaign- a 7-0 Khalsa win- was anything to go by then we'd be expecting goals, goals, goals. Having said that, even my pre-match prediction of 1-4 to Sporting was nowhere near the mark on this occasion and after making the 52 mile trip to Selston it would prove to be a memorable afternoon.

Albeit not the most inspirational of grounds

On many an occasion, a sodden Saturday afternoon game at a ground that isn't much more than a field with a tuck shop would be considered a poor outing, but this would not be one of those occasions. The village team, who share the ground with the cricket club, have a very typically basic facility at Parish Hall on Mansfield Road and overall I'd say that the place as a classic "village team" vibe going on. Growing up in the small East Yorkshire village of Flamborough Head, I myself feel very homely at places like this and so I thought I'd help out the local economy by heading straight for The Don Basdell Bar to grab myself a bit of pre-match fodder. The selection of hot pastries was far superior to the beer possibilities and although they were serving tinnies I decided to resist the £1 a can Guinness offering and instead treated myself to a sausage roll. It didn't quite rival the Samosas being served up at The Aspray Arena, but I suppose that's just something I'm going to have to learn to accept when following Sporting Khalsa on away outings. With kick-off looming I had a quick natter with Joe and a few of the other visiting members, before circulating around the cricket green until it became a football ground. As I walked around, I got the sense that the home fans were feeling a little nervy for this bottom versus top encounter and one even approached the lino on his way towards the pitch and jokingly said to him "come on liner, we need a big game from you today, lad!"

Good selection of merch in the tea bar...

...although the decommissioned beer fridge is questionable!

For any fellow groundhoppers reading this, you must by now be thinking "but what about the stands? I must know more about the stands" and to you I will now dedicate a few sentences and even a photo to the wall of undercover seating and standing areas, which would house most of the 82 folk in attendance for this one. First up in the Ikea non-league club range we have the seating stand, featuring three rows of customised blue and black seats that are bolted into the concrete floor. This delightfully cosy package is ideal for rainy days and is used primarily by the family friendly home fans, but don't worry if that isn't your deal because stand number two is an all standing effort located just about on the halfway line and makes for a perfect place to stand, look cool and drink bargain Guinness. Finally, completing the collection, is the area that I'm going to call the "away section" because that's primarily where the visiting fans and officials went. This stand is a bit of a "best of both worlds" affair as it includes some seating and some standing areas, suitable for the whole range of travelling fans!

The best you can achieve when you groundshare with cricket

Although I have seen some fairly glamorous adaptations on these football-cricket double whammies, such as Sandygate in Hallem, on today's occasion I was just relieved and thankful that the game was not postponed, but also that there was somewhere dry to enjoy the action from- and yes, there would be plenty of that to come! Despite being the bottom side in the league so far and also last season before the cancellation, the hosts came out all guns blazing and although Khalsa made a couple of early initial half-chances, the first big one came for the Parishioners in the twelfth minute as Kenan Layton eventually finished off a good attack which left the away team looking unusually flatfooted and shell-shocked. Selston 1-0 Khalsa. This early setback appeared to give Ian Rowe and the Khalsa lads the kick in the nads that they needed and as the hosts continued to unsettle their lacklustre efforts to attack in the early stages, they did eventually carve out a chance as Rikardo Reid was the target of a cross into the box and he gratefully watched as his header evaded Brandon Meehan and landed in the back of the net. Selston 1-1 Khalsa. By this stage we hadn't even hit the half-hour mark and I'd already forgotten that it was raining as I walked away from the shelter to get a good view from behind the goal. Selston pressed again to restore their lead and they were rewarded against the visitors' three man defensive setup as Layton once again crept away from the eyes of Adnan Yussif to give himself the time and space so that when he was played in he could strike home his second of the day in the 29th minute. Selston 2-1 Khalsa.

Tes Robinson having too much of the ball for his liking 

Khalsa's club captain and former St. Kitts & Nevis defender Tesfa Robinson, who I've seen many times for Khalsa by now, was understandably fuming at how the game had panned out so far and his thoughts were echoed by Ian Rowe in the dugout, with particular frustration being unleashed on the linesman who was inconsistent at best. Throughout the match, we'd see the guy hobbling up and down the muddy line giving all sorts of weird and wonderful calls against both sides. A particular highlight was when he eventually got a decision right and raised his flag, only for it to fly out of his hand and into a nearby bush. Meanwhile, back on the pitch we'd see a fourth and final goal of the half as Lee Chilton slotted home to cap off a great move by Khalsa. It was good to see "Chilli" scoring a goal after having watched him run his legs off just a few days ago as a lone-striker for Sporting against Stourport Swifts. When I interviewed the gaffer post-match on Tuesday he was very proud of his ten men for winning the game, and gave particular praise to the attacker, who would again be a shining light. Selston 2-2 Khalsa.

Roll on the second-half!

Despite resisting a pre-match beer, I caved in and popped over to the bar at the break to grab a can to help calm me down, if nothing else. The game had been everything I'd hoped for and although the weather was horrid, I think that it's impact on the pitch made the game much more open than anyone would have expected. To quote my pre-match notes "sometimes the weather erases the form books" and that was exactly the case. I hung around to hear any half-time conversations that might be going on and the one that stood out for me was the last thing I heard as the players reappeared. Gibraltar international midfielder Jake Gosling, accompanied by a Khalsa coach, was told to "do what ya do" and these words will no doubt have played a part in what would follow. Before that though, Selston would go close to a third of the day as a strike in the aftermath of a corner was deflected on to the bar by the saviour Yussif. The lad had a stinker of a first-half in my opinion, but he really came into his own during the second. At the other end of the pitch we'd finally see Khalsa take the lead for the first time as Gosling was gifted the ball by his opposing left-back and even though he still had a lot to do, the goal was never in doubt as he ran in on goal, rounded Meehan and then slotted yet another goal to add to his incredible tally this season. That's six now! Selston 2-3 Khalsa.

Believe it or not, we're only halfway through

With still over thirty minutes left to play, I was starting to wonder whether this game may be in with a shot of taking the 'Pint of Football' record for most goals in a game and although it didn't go on to eclipse the twelve goals seen between Florence FC and Redgate Clayton back in 2017, it would definitely be the biggest score line I've seen at this level! Just one minute after the fifth goal of the afternoon, we had a sixth and this time it would be Panjab international striker Gaz Singh who did really well in the box, wriggling and battling away from the Selston defenders before picking his spot and striking a sweet left-footed goal. The relief and celebrations said it all and as someone from the away end shouted "can I cash out now?" it felt almost as though the points were heading back to Willenhall. Selston 2-4 Khalsa. Selston refused to go down without a fight though and whilst Meehan made a crucial save to deny Gosling a second goal at one end, their visitors seemed unable to cope with the long ball game of the home side from the other, with simple balls up to the forwards causing chaos for an extremely high line of defenders. Jordan Black this time found himself with the ball in a dangerous area and he played in Layton once again. The number 11 made no mistake as he rounded Sam Arnold and tapped the ball home for his hat-trick. Selston 3-4 Khalsa.

The battle brews on

By now we'd made it to 64 minutes of the match and we were on the verge of goal number eight. Khalsa responded, again, to their latest goal conceded as they won a corner. Using their height advantage, the visitors crammed players into the box and as Gosling's corner was met by Matt Fulloway, it was up to Meehan again to make another point-blank save and unfortunately for him his efforts were not rewarded as Reid was eventually able to stab the ball into his net after a bit of pinball in the box. Selston 3-5 Khalsa. Someone broke the actual net during the goalmouth scramble, which led to a couple of minutes delay- and a chance for me to catch-up on my notes! Thankfully for my near-frozen hands, there would be a ten minute break until the next goal as Selston got themselves back into contention yet again. The last goal from the home side had seen Black release Layton and this time the hat-trick hero turned provider by setting Black on his way. Selston's number 10 had far too much time to run in on goal before chipping a lovely striker over Arnold to set up a tense final fifteen. Goal of the game in my opinion. Selston 4-5 Khalsa. The thing that really surprised me about today's game was how leaky Khalsa were defensively- especially after seeing them put in a fantastic display on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Stourport Swifts WITH TEN MEN FOR MOST OF THE GAME! Maybe it was that gut busting display that took it out of them, perhaps it was the weather, the difference in pitch at Mansfield Road, or even the fairly lengthy commute, but ultimately none of this can excuse such a poor defensive display. However, I'm sure that the one thing that would be of huge reassurance to Khalsa's backroom staff after yesterday is that even when they weren't playing as well as they can defensively, they were still scoring plenty at the other end. After Selston looked to have levelled in the final five minutes, the offside flag saved Khalsa's blushes and that inevitably would be the final warning they needed to shut up shop and see out the win. Sean Williams, who'd arrived in the game somewhere in and amongst the flurry of goals, had been very good for Khalsa since coming on and it was the attacking right-winger who would have the final say in the game. As the hosts pushed for a late equaliser, they would be hit on the break as Williams mugged Jake Paylins at left-back before dashing into the box to score the final goal of the game with literally the last kick of the game Selston 4-6 Khalsa. Men of the match for me were the two number 11's on either side. Layton for his involvement in all four Selston goals, and James McGrady for his constant hunger, aggression and pace on the Khalsa left-wing.

Both teams must go again on Tuesday night

As soon as the Referee blew for the end of the game, he was approached by the home side's manager who called out the inconsistency of the officials. I did tend to agree that there were a host of crazy decisions all afternoon and although there was no biased towards either side, it still made for uncomfortable watching at times. Anyway, having seen so much action I headed back to my car ready for what would hopefully be a quiet and easy drive home to Stafford. Nope- as soon as I approached Derby I would end up being party to a car chase which saw a Land Rover speedily weaving in and our of cars and followed by five police vehicles. I'd seen similar scenes all afternoon watching Khalsa's defenders chasing Layton to be fair, so this was nothing new to me on this occasion. And then to top it all off, when I got back into Stafford there was a pile up of crashed cars on the outskirts, meaning that my drive home took the best part of an hour and a half. Thankfully, it didn't appear as though anybody was seriously hurt. That's it, I'm done... let's see what Tuesday brings as I attend the local derby between Khalsa and AFC Wulfrunians.

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26/09/20 Review: Heather St John's vs Sporting Khalsa

Heather St John's 1-3 Sporting Khalsa (Midland Football League Premier Division) St John's Park

Hello folks, I'm back again and creeping towards the big 200 ever so slowly. At the moment, my efforts to get to a "biggy" to mark my two-hundredth seem likely to be limited to wherever the heck I can get to, so it's time to just embrace the fact that I can get to games at the moment and my short-term plan leads me towards following Sporting Khalsa's 2020/21 campaign after the depressing demise of my beloved Macclesfield Town. Since living in the Midlands, I've always had a soft spot for the Willenhall based club and when I first visited Noose Lane's Aspray Arena back in January 2016 I knew that it wouldn't be my only visit. Having made a second trip in November 2017, I'd say that so far I've been a lucky omen for the club after seeing 8-0 and 3-0 wins, as well as a couple of away day victories too, and after almost three years of not visiting the Aspray I made my triumphant return last Tuesday night to watch a brilliant 3-2 game against Racing Club Warwick, the club who I'd visited on my last outing.

It's an away day for me on this occasion, though

Trying to fill the Silkmen shaped gap in my life, I made plans to utilise my weekend off work by heading off for Khalsa's latest away match as they would hope to keep a hold of their unbeaten start to the Midland Football League Premier campaign. My visits with Macc Town had been as luxurious as cup games at West Ham's London Stadium and the KC Stadium in Hull, with more localised fixtures being at the likes of Tranmere, Chester, Stockport and Burslem, and although my away days with Sporting are going to be on a much smaller-scale, I was still very much looking forward to going to new places that I'm yet to explore, with yesterday's trip to St John's Park in Heather, Leicestershire, kicking things off. Of the nineteen grounds in the division, this would be my tenth tick, and in what felt like a new chapter of my footballing life I was delighted to be being accompanied by Sophie for a rare outing to a ground.

First stop, PINT!

Although kick-off wasn't until 3pm, we left our Stafford abode at noon with the intention of getting to Leicestershire with plenty of time spare to allow for a walk around Sence Valley Forest Park. The less said about our efforts the better really, but after a hellish drive down all of the back roads across the Midlands, we finally arrived at half one and were so desperate for the toilet that we had to forsake the woods walk due to the facilities being closed, meaning that instead we'd make it to the Queen's Head. On the plus side it meant that I was able to enjoy a couple of pre-match pints, but overall it was a disappointing start to the day out in Heather. Thankfully though there would be nothing that could ruin the big game for me and with time almost approaching 3pm we made our way over to St John's Park. The first impressions of the ground were good, as they often are with MFL grounds, and it was nice to see the place looking fresh and ready to welcome crowds back. It certainly wasn't the best ground I'd ever been to at any level, but with a bold blue lick of point on the doors, a modern and stylish clubhouse around the back and what I imagine is old Filbert Street seats populating the covered areas, the place was looking in good nick and had a proper "village team" vibe going on. After making our way through the gates, along the one-way system and into the bar, we grabbed a seat inside the spacious clubhouse. There were less than 100 people in attendance today, so there was plenty of space to sit and mentally prepare for a cold afternoon in the stands cheering on the Khalsa boys.

Can always guarantee a Union Jack or two at small Midlands grounds!

Continuing our walk around the ground, we made our way back outside and over to the main stand, which is located about the half-way line on the far side of the entrance area. We plonked ourselves down as the game began, with Khalsa donning a grey outfit and Heather in a smart all-blue number, ready to see if the visitors could continue to strengthen their grip on top spot in the early stages. At the start of the day, HSJ were 12th in the table after one win and one defeat from two matches prior, whilst Khalsa had managed to already chalk off five matches before this one, winning four and drawing one. It has been an expectedly funny old start to the MFL campaign so far and even though we are less than a month into the season there are already some teams whay ahead of others in terms of games played. Coventry United, for example, were playing just there second league game at the weekend, compared to Khalsa who were on to their sixth. These two teams were top of the pile before the nullification of the 2019/20 season, so it'll be interesting to see whether they will be up there again. Both will have felt that they had a huge chance to win the division last season, but with COVID-19 taking hold of most league's in the world in some shape or another, everyone out there today will have just been grateful to be back playing in front of their adoring fans. Soppy stuff aside though, this was a big game for both sides and if Khalsa are to finally escape the division in which they have finished in the top five of for the past five years since their arrival in 2015, they need to be winning sticky away games like this and if the early signs were anything to go by, this match would be exactly that- a tough, sticky, game against a team who aren't here to make up the numbers!

Let the game begin

Heather St John's, nicknamed The Saints, are a fairly new team to the Premier Divison of the MFL having won Division One just two seasons ago. In their debut to the top flight, they sat in a very respectable position of 5th before the season was halted and they were in fact only five points off 2nd place Khalsa in the prematurely concluded 2019/20 table. Today was their first league game at home and after a slim 1-2 defeat to Cov United, followed up by a 2-0 win over in Selston, it was hard to imagine them rolling over and letting their visitors take the points without a fight. My pre-match prediction was for a 1-3 win for Khalsa today, which I am pleased to say is the first time I've correctly guessed a score on a groundhop for a long long time. Khalsa started the game off slightly better in terms of chances, although it was an explosive end to end opening, as a tenth minute header evaded the flailing Saints keeper only to be denied the opening goal by the woodwork. At the other end, the hosts made some great attacking moves down either wing, with their left-back in particular looking like a class act. It looked as though it would be down to an individual piece of magic to break the deadlock after Gaz Singh was the latest to test Heather's shot stopper, which would be the cue for Gibraltar international and former Bristol Rovers winger to jump in the hot seat as he has done so many times already since arriving at Sporting Khalsa. Stood over the ball for a corner, the man who up until last year was his country's joint-top scorer with two goals in twelve caps, hit a sweet left-footed drive into the box which ended up deceiving everybody and landing in the goal of its own accord. Some will have called it a fluke, but those of us who know Gozza will know that he meant it as the number 8 scored his second direct corner goal of the season- his fifth overall. Heather 0-1 Khalsa.

So far so good for the guys in grey

Believe it or not that wasn't the best corner I'd seen from the 27-year old, and I'm sure he'd agree with me that the set-piece specialist's in-swinger at Wembley for the Gas to set up an Ellis Harrison equaliser in the National League Playoff Final in 2015 will always top that list. The rest of the first-half would remain as cagey as you'd expect from two decent teams both fighting for goals, with the next one coming from practically the last kick of the half. Yahiya Todd, formally of Highgate United, was the man to grab an equaliser for the home side as his low and bobbling strike bounced in off the post to set up what would be a very interesting second-half here in Leicestershire. Heather 1-1 Khalsa.

Getting nippy now

Being a British groundhopper I can't help but talk about the weather and as Soph retreated back to her car to warm up, I stood alone for the next hour in my shorts looking like a deranged loony. Usually at this time of the year I will consider the thought of jeans for a midweek evening match, but Saturday afternoons are categorised as Summer season until December in my eyes, so it was time to grab another beer, stick the hood up and stand in a sheltered part of the ground ready to enjoy an eventful end to proceedings. The lads came back out fired up and ready to do battle again, but not before the tannoy announcer shouted out the local scores from Premier League downwards- something that I thought was an excellent touch for this level!

Call me sad, but I also highly rate a club that plants conifers around the ground

The second-half, much like the first, started off well and there was again an early rattling of the post, this time from the home side who were only just denied taking the lead for the first time. They would live to rue their luck as this would ultimately be a turning point in the match in a case of "what could have been" if the Saints had gone ahead, as the next massive chance would fall to the visitors and it was one that they did not miss. Khalsa had made a couple of personnel changes throughout the half and when they were awarded a penalty it would be one of them who took the chance to put Khalsa one step closer to three more points. Heather 1-2 Khalsa. And in a game that would see both sides continue to look for goals, the forth and final strike of the day would fall to the same sub striker again as the away side's goalkeeper of all players would bunch a big ball up to his forward. Some calamity at the back allowed the ball to fall kindly into his path, meaning that the result was all wrapped up and ready to take back to Willenhall. Heather 1-3 Khalsa.

The end of a busy second-half for this lino

Next up for Heather St John's on Tuesday night is an away trip to Long Eaton United, whilst Khalsa are back at home for the arrival of Stourport Swifts and that is also the destination for my next match. I now sit just five new grounds away from 200 and with October plans to check out Nottinghamshire's Selston and Long Eaton grounds, as well as a ground in Leicester on the 10th, I should find myself very close to the big anniversary. The big question is, where will I be celebrating? Keep tuning in to find out!

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