Saturday 27TH July 2019
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
ROTHWELL CORINTHIANS (1) 3-0 (0) LUTTERWORTH TOWN
The UCL part of Groundhop got underway at Sargeants Lawn and it was the home side who end the day top of the league as Lutterworth Town had a taste of what to expect as they begin life at the higher level after securing promotion last April. Lutterworth started brightly but found themselves behind after just 5 minutes when Ryan Archer got his foot to a ball in from the right and it gave the keeper no chance as it looped high into the net from close range. There were chances at both ends but Town’s Zakari Adams was only a whisker away from equalising after latching on to a through-ball and steering past the outcoming keeper, only to see it go agonisingly the wrong side of the post. There were a few full-bloodied challenges going in as both sides tried to exert their physical presence on the game and occasionally these strayed outside the laws of the game and both Lee Tyers (Lutterworth) and Archer (Rothwell) were shown yellow cards.
Kieran Westbury became the second home player to be booked as tempers flared following his late challenge, but it was the home side who extended their advantage three minutes before the hour as Niall Duffy made himself enough room on the edge of the box and struck his low shot sweetly inside the keeper’s left hand post. Swifts Jamie Cooper joined those on a yellow card for a foul and on 66 minutes it got even worse for them. Over playing in their own half caught them out and they were duly punished as two quick passes saw them opened right up and Jordan Henson swept the ball past Butlin to ensure a winning start for Mitch Austin’s men. Lutterworth’s day was summed up when a great run by Adams saw him get through the centre and beat Ash Bodycote with a cracking drive, but it smacked against the bar and the Leicestershire side headed home with nothing to show for their considerable efforts today.
The attendance of 316 will almost certainly be the highest of the season at Sargeants Lawn, but let’s hope the locals stick with them as they are going to be very competitive this season after struggling for most of last. For Lutterworth it will be a bit of a learning curve as mistakes will be punished more than in Division One and they have to find a way of scoring without the services of the prolific Tendai Daire who recently signed for National League side Brackley Town.
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UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-DIVISION ONE
BURTON PARK WANDERERS (3) 4-0 (0) LUTTERWORTH ATHLETIC
It was a great start for Burton’s new gaffer James Logan as his side whipped Atho 4-0 on the Saturday night Hop game in front of a crowd of 284. The game was all but over inside the first 20 minutes as the home side shook their Leicestershire visitors with three early goals. Jordan Middleton set up Zac Allen for the 7th minute opener and he struck his shot well into the corner of the net, then Lee Thompson took over with two clinical finishes from inside the box after 14 and 19 minutes. Lutterworth regrouped and got themselves back into the game, but they were up against it again when Allen was felled in the penalty area, but their keeper came to the rescue as he tipped Middleton’s penalty onto the bar.
Lutterworth needed to get an early goal as we moved into the second half if they were to have any realistic chance of clawing this one back, but on 49 minutes they were staring into the abyss as BPW scored their fourth of the night. Dean McBride’s header from a corner was blocked on the goal-line, but Adam Dalby reacted first and his low close-range drive made sure of a winning start for the home side.
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES
Barrow Town 2-2 BIRSTALL TOWN
It ended all square at Riverside Park with Jake Robertson and Rikki Bates on target for the UCL boys in this step six Leicestershire derby.
BOSTON TOWN 3-0 Wyberton
The two-league gap showed as The Poachers cruised to a 3-0 win over Lincolnshire League neighbours Wyberton. Two goals for Fraser Bayliss and one from Alex Beck keeping up Boston’s good form as we close in on the season.
Coventry Sphinx 3-3 LEICESTER NIRVANA
It was end-to-end stuff at Sphinx Drive as the Midland League and UCL Premier clubs shared six goals. Nirvana took an early lead but Ryan Palmer soon slotted a shot under the keeper to level the scores. The visitors were back in front midway through the first half but an unstoppable free-kick from Callum Westwood just before the interval levelled again. The Coventry side went in front for the first time from the penalty spot five minutes beyond the hour, but Nirvana made the final score 3-3 seven minutes from time.
DESBOROUGH TOWN 2-1 LONG BUCKBY
After 65 goalless minutes, Ar Tarn opened up a two-goal lead with ten minutes left to play, but Buckby reduced the arrears before the end through Adam Shaw.
DEEPING RANGERS 4-0 Swaffham Town
Jordan MacLeod is in red hot form for his new side and banged in a hat-trick today as Deeping brushed aside their Eastern Counties League opponents. Jake Showler rounded off the scoring a minute from the end.
HARBOROUGH TOWN 2-6 Merthyr Town
It was a cracking game at a rather wet Bowdens Park as Merthyr Town came from behind to put six past their hosts. Taras Petranyuk found himself with time on the edge of the box and his shot wrong-footed Martyrs keeper Alex Harris to give the UCL side an 8th minute lead, but it lasted just two minutes as the home keeper came for a ball he was never going to get and it resulting in an easy finish for Ryan Prosser. The visitors took the lead after 25 when a great interception and run from Owain Jones saw him pull the ball back across the box for Gethyn Hill who calmly sold his marker a dummy before slotting home. It became three on 31 when a short corner caught the Bees out and the Merthyr man was brought down in the box. Prosser despatching the penalty low t the keeper’s right.
The second half saw Merthyr pile on some early pressure Hill was denied by a good save, but quickfire goals from Owain Jones on 56 and 59 all but put the game to bed for the visitors. The first clipping the ball over the keeper, the second a good strike across the keeper into the far corner. Harborough pulled one back 63 as the keeper hesitated as a free-kick came in and Bees skipper jumped in front of him in the six-yard box and the ball hit him on the shoulder and crept inside the post. Harris made up for his error with a great double save and Hill netted his second and Merthyr’s sixth up the other end after controlling the ball nicely in the box and slotting home on 82 minutes.
HOLWELL SPORTS 1-2 Radford
Mike Stevenson had scored an equaliser for Holwell today, but it was Radford who scored a late winner at Welby Road. Rob Manners and Scott Litchfield scoring for the East Midland Counties League team.
KEMPSTON ROVERS Res 5-2 Unite MK
March Town United 0-3 PINCHBECK UNITED
Comfortable day out for Pinchbeck at Eastern Counties League Division One March.
MELTON TOWN 5-2 Belper United
It was a good day for Melton Town as they put five past Belper United.
Potterspury 0-2 WELLINGBOROUGH TOWN Res
Goals from Calum McCall and Iman Abassi gave the Doughboys a 2-0 win at North Bucks & District League side Potterspury.
QUORN 2-7 Newark Flowserve
Quorn previous good form was blown apart by a rampart Newark Flowserve today. Ben Bradshaw twice reduced the arrears to 1-4 in the first half and 2-5 after the break, but goals from Matt Cotton (3), Solomon Miller (2), Kyle Dixon (pen) and Danny Meadows made this a real awakening for the new UCL club.
RAUNDS TOWN 4-1 Spratton
A good confidence boosting result for the Shopmates today as they beat Combination side Spratton at Kiln Park. Joe Lindley, Matt Gearing, Fernand Bass and Kwabena Amoah were all on target for the UCL boys.
RAUNDS TOWN Res 3-1 YARDLEY GOBION
RUGBY TOWN 2-1 Bedworth United
It was another impressive win over higher grade opposition for The Valley as they edged past Bedworth United at Butlin Rd. Liam Francis rose to head home Kieran Fitzgerald’s corner, but Alex Troke volleyed home an equaliser. Justin Marsden seized on a poor clearance to allow Lee Thomas to cross and it ended up in the back of the net to secure a win for the UCL club.
SHEPSHED DYNAMO 0-1 Barwell
A 20th minute strike from Ollie Brown-Hill proved enough to give Barwell a win at the Dovecote.
ST ANDREWS 6-1 Rothley Imperial
St Andrews have found the net a few times lately and this time it was Leics Senior League side Rothley who were on the receiving end of six-of-the-best.
TRING ATHLETIC 3-2 O.N CHENECKS
Chenecks are in a run of pre-season defeats and went down again to Tring Athletic at the Pendley Stadium, Joe Naylor scoring the home side’s winner.
WELLINGBOROUGH TOWN 1-4 Daventry Town
Matt Long was on target for the Doughboys but it was the current UCL champions who came out on top at the Dog & Duck.
Sunday 28th July 2019
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
COGENHOE UNITED (0) 0-1 (1) LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
Loughborough University enjoyed a winning start to their life in the UCL as they edged a tight affair at Compton Park. Adam Speight went close early on for the Cooks when he met Nicky Charlton’s cross with a powerful header that went inches over, but it was the home keeper Adam North who would be the busiest over the ninety minutes. He had already made good saves to deny Connor Smith (twice), Jordan Connor and Ronan Silva before he was finally beaten on 32 minutes. The games only goal was scored from close range by Kel Akpobire, but a lot of the credit must go to Merlin Ferrinho who’s run took him deep into the box on the right before cutting the perfect ball back to Akpobire.
Cogenhoe had plenty of play after the break but couldn’t find a way through a well organised Scholars defence, although Charlton stung the keeper’s hands with his shot at the near post while Silva had a hooked effort cleared off the line down the other end. Not a great spectacle for the 262 watching, but a pleasing day for the University boys.
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-DIVISION ONE
IRCHESTER UNITED (2) 3-3 (1) WHITWORTH
It was a very sad occasion for Irchester as long serving Chairman Geoff Cotter sadly passed away the previous day. Geoff had put an incredible amount of time and effort into Irchester United Football Club and was a genuinely nice person who will be sadly missed by the footballing world. Thoughts go to his family and close friends at this sad time. He would have wanted this game to go ahead and the players duly obliged with a real cracker of a local derby against Wellingborough Whitworth.
The Romans grabbed the lead after 7 minutes when Ty Clark’s bobbling shot from just outside the box completely fooled the rooted keeper, but a minute later it was 1-1 when Remy Brittain ghosted in unmarked to head home a corner from point-blank range. The Flourman grabbed the lead for the first time on the stroke of half time when Jason Crawley hit a low shot from the edge of the box that took a bit of a deflection and gave the keeper no chance.
The goals continued after the break and on 72 mins it was level again, substitute James Ball heading home at the far post from a Clark cross. Ball was the hero again on 81 mins as he ran through to finish a fine solo effort that looked like it might have clinched the points, but another sub was to grab a 90th minute equaliser for the Flourmen. Jonny Hazell has been a mainstay of Whitworth for several season’s now and he hit a cracking twenty-yard volley that gave the keeper no chance at all and made it a 3-3 draw and round off a very entertaining afternoon for the crowd of 328.
WHITTLESEY UNITED (0) 1-2 (0) HUNTINGDON TOWN
The final game on the weekend came at newly promoted Whittlesey Athletic, but it proved to be a disappointing start for them as Huntingdon Town took the points. The deadlock wasn’t broken until the 68th minute when Sean Roberts followed up to net from close range after the Whittlesey keeper had failed to hold on to a Chris Jones free-kick, but two minutes later the home side had their first goal back in the UCL. Matt Heron knocked down an Aaron Warrener cross and Matt Ilsley fired home the equaliser. The joy was short loved though as a real cracker from Chris Jones won the game for the visitors. Seizing on a ball 25 yards out, he hit a vicious drive that moved in the air and screamed into the roof of the net. 340 watched this one as the GroundhopUK weekend came to an end.
The Uhlsport United Counties League would like to extend it’s thanks to GroundhopUK, AKA Chris Berazai and Laurence Reade, for making these weekends a reality. Thanks to all the football fans who attended the games and a massive well done to all the clubs involved for embracing this idea and for the hard work in planning and manning it on the day.
