WEST COUNTRY FOOTBALL

Tag: Western League Division One

  • In Reserve.

    In Reserve.

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    – Wednesday 13th March 2024
    – 19:30 Kick Off
    – Attendance: 30
    – Distance Travelled: 65 miles
    – Full Photo Gallery

    – Western League – Division One
    – The Lawns, Bristol
    – Weather: Cloudy, Windy
    – Admission: £6
    – Programme: Online only

    Intro

    Cribbs Reserves are enjoying a fruitful first season in the National League System after being promoted from the Gloucestershire County League last season. Currently they are just 6 points off top spot in 3rd position. Despite this lofty position it would appear they would not be eligible for promotion, presumably due to the First Team’s current standing in the NLS. At the weekend Cribbs actually suffered a rare home defeat – going down 4-0 to 7th place Wells City. The reverse of this fixture, back in August, finished in a 1-1 draw down in south east Bristol.

    I saw AEK Boco get held to a 2-2 draw with Bradford Town at the end of February. Since then they have played just one match – a narrow 1-0 win over struggling Cheddar. They lie in 8th position, 6 points behind Brislington who occupy the final play-off place. Boco faced Cribbs Reserves in the Les Phillips Cup (the Western League’s cup competition) in November – a game which went to penalties and had Cribbs coming out on top 4-3.

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  • Two-All A Good Night.

    Two-All A Good Night.

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    – Tuesday 27th February 2024
    – 19:30 Kick Off
    – Attendance: 49
    – Distance Travelled: 42 miles

    – Western League – Division One
    – Greenbank Road, Bristol
    – Weather: Drizzle
    – Admission: £6
    – Programme: £1

    Intro

    AEK Boco currently occupy 8th position in the Western League Division One. On Saturday their game against Wells City was postponed due to recent heavy rain. Boco started the season well enough, with just one loss in their opening 7 matches. In the FA Vase, they took Hellenic Premier side Tuffley Rovers to a penalty shootout, which Rovers won 4-1. With recent performances being generally underwhelming, they’ll be looking for a big showing tonight to keep up with the teams in and around them.

    Bradford Town have had a quiet season since their relegation from the Hellenic Premier (and subsequent lateral movement back to the Western League). They currently sit in 12th with an impressive +18 goal difference, thanks in part to 5-0 and 8-0 wins over bottom club Bishop Sutton. Like today’s hosts, Bradford forced a penalty shootout in their opening FA Vase match, but also lost – in this case to Longwell Green Sports. This came after a strong start to the season which saw the Bobcats win their first 5 league matches including a 3-1 victory over the aforementioned Longwell Green. At the weekend Bradford made another trip to Bristol but lost 1-0 to Bristol Telephones, a result which saw Phones leapfrog Town in the standings.

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  • Win-canton.

    Win-canton.

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    – Saturday 30th December 2023
    – 15:00 Kick Off
    – Attendance: ~80
    – Distance Travelled: 54 miles
    – Line Ups

    – Western League – Division One
    – Moor Lane, Wincanton
    – Weather: Rainy, windy
    – Admission: £6
    – Programme: £1

    Intro

    Wincanton Town start the day in 6th place and, thanks (I presume) to restrictions in how far up the pyramid Cribbs Reserves are allowed to progress, occupy the final play-off place in the division. 2 days before Christmas they managed a morale-boosting 2-1 away win over Shirehampton after something of a topsy-turvy run of results. That run included a heavy defeat at mid-table Middlezoy Rovers and an impressive 3-2 win over 2nd place Radstock Town. Last season the Wasps did make the play-offs, only to lose out in a marathon penalty shootout to Oldland Abbotonians, who were eventually promoted to the Premier Division.

    Wells City find themselves in 10th position, but with at least 2 games in hand over their close rivals in the league. This is thanks to their exploits in the FA Vase where they reached the 3rd Round proper. This game against Hamworthy Recreation of the Wessex League was supposed to take place on the 2nd of December but thanks to the weather didn’t happen until a fortnight later. A narrow 2-1 defeat put an end to the Somerset side’s impressive run which included wins over higher-placed opposition in the shape of Welton Rovers, Laverstock & Ford, and Portland United. In the league, Wells are in a pretty rich vein of form with recent wins over Middlezoy, Gillingham Town and Keynsham Town.

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  • Call it a Draw.

    Call it a Draw.

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    – Tuesday 22nd August 2023
    – 19:45 Kick Off
    – Attendance: 32
    – Distance Travelled: 42 miles
    – Full Photo Gallery

    – Western League – Division One
    – BTRA Sports Ground, Bristol
    – Weather: Sunny, mild.
    – Admission: £6
    – Programme: £1

    Intro

    Saturday saw Bristol Telephones beat Hallen 1-0 in an away win that was the latest result in a topsy-turvy beginning to the season for the south Bristol club. Currently 8th in the league, the Phones have won 4 and lost 3 of their 7 games so far. A home win over Odd Down was swiftly followed by a 4-3 loss to Cribbs Reserves as the season began with a bang. A slightly concerning loss to struggling Gillingham Town is probably the low point of the season so far.

    League newcomers Middlezoy Rovers – who won the Somerset County League last season – started life in the National League System with two wins. A 4-1 win away at Hallen gave them the perfect beginning and they followed that up with a 1-0 win over Bishop Sutton in south Somerset. They were brought back down to Earth with a couple of defeats to Bradford Town and Portishead Town, before beating Cadbury Heath. Their last game, at the weekend, was a 1-0 loss to Shirehampton, and Rovers currently lie in 12th position.

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  • Green About The Gills.

    Green About The Gills.

    The Intro
    The Ground
    The Match
    The Photos

    – Saturday 5th August 2023
    – 15:00 Kick Off
    – Attendance: 32
    – Distance Travelled: 49 miles
    – Full Photo Gallery

    – Western League – Division One
    – Woodwater Lane, Gillingham
    – Weather: Rain
    – Admission: £6.50
    – Programme: £1

    Intro

    An inauspicious start to the burgeoning season has seen Gillingham Town lose both of their 2 matches so far, conceding 4 goals on both occasions. The Gills hosted Shirehampton on the opening day and lost 4-0, while midweek they travelled west to Cheddar and fared little better – a 4-1 loss this time.

    Cadbury Heath travel down from Bristol today looking to continue their quest for an immediate return to the Premier Division of the Western League. The opening day of the season had the Heath visit Portishead; the hosts won that close encounter 1-0. The Bristol club then won a 5 goal thriller in midweek over last season’s 3rd place finishers Wells City.

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  • A Last Hurrah.

    A Last Hurrah.

    Oldland Abbotonians 2 – 1 Portishead Town
    Western League – Division One
    Saturday 30th April 2022
    Aitchison Playing Field, Oldland Common (view on map)

    Attendance: 42
    Admission: £6
    Weather: Sunny

    View the full photo gallery HERE

    The Season So Far:

    The final game of the season for both of these teams – no chance of the play-offs for either, however Oldland should be pleased with their season, after struggling somewhat in recent campaigns. Win today and they will finish 10th – by leap-frogging Bishop Sutton – and avoid a negative goal difference. Another highlight was the Abbots’ FA Vase run which saw them beat Combined Counties side Eversley & California on their own patch. The reward was a home tie against Helston Athletic from the league above. The match finished 2-2 and the lower league team beat the odds to win on penalties. Another Western Premier Division side awaited in the next round – Street FC. Again Oldland held their own over 90 minutes – 1-1 the score in Somerset. Their luck ran out, however, at the Cobblers won 5-4 in the shootout. It was a high-scoring affair when Oldland met Portishead in the reverse fixture back in October. Portishead were on the right end of a 4-3 result that day.

    If my maths are correct, the highest Portishead can finish is 13th this season. They would obviously need to win today in order for that to happen, and as mentioned previously they did beat Oldland earlier this season. That was on home turf, though so who knows what might happen. They are on a pretty decent run of games including draws with 3rd place Wincanton Town, and 4th place Welton Rovers. I saw Portishead play out a 2-1 loss at Radstock Town last month. An impressive couple of home games in March saw Posset beat struggling Bishops Lydeard and then play-off-seeking AEK Boco. There was no such joy in the FA Vase though – falling at the first hurdle at home to Royal Wootton Bassett Town.

    So, hopefully today won’t be a damp squib with neither side having anything to play for other than the pride of winning on the day. I for one am hoping for the seven goals that these sides provided in October.

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  • Bish. Bash. Bosh.

    Bish. Bash. Bosh.

    Bishops Lydeard AFC 0 – 3 Bishop Sutton FC
    Western League – Division One
    Saturday 9th April 2022
    Darby Way, Bishops Lydeard (view on map)

    Attendance: 59
    Admission: £5
    Weather: Sunny

    View the full photo gallery HERE

    The Season So Far:

    The collective noun for a group of bishops is an episcopate and so if I learn nothing else from today’s visit then at least I’ll be able to shoehorn this little nugget of information into a conversation in the near future. The hosts today find themselves destined to face a possible relegation as they find themselves 2nd bottom, with the bottom 3 in the League possibly being relegated to County level. Presumably this depends on the status of any teams vying for promotion to the Western League. According to my admittedly underwhelming maths skills this is not completely certain, though. However, with 18 potential points to win over their remaining 6 games, and being 13 points from definite safety, this is all but inevitable for the home side. And indeed they have lost their last 10 league matches, having not drawn since early February (away at Cheddar), and not won all 3 points since defeating Gillingham Town in mid-January. The reverse of today’s fixture actually saw Bishops Lydeard coming away from Lakeview with the W back in August after a 2-1 away win. This might give them a glimmer of hope of getting something from today’s clash.

    Bishop Sutton come into this game off the back of an impressive 1-0 win over 4th place Warminster Town last weekend. The past couple of months has been a bit of a rollercoaster for the Chew Valley side: the 5-0 away win over mid-table rivals Tytherington Rocks sitting uncomfortably next to the 2-2 home draw with bottom side Devizes Town. There have been enough good times, however, to ensure that they sit in a comfortable 12th place. One particular highlight for the season is surely their 2-0 FA Vase win over Premier Division side Ilfracombe Town in September. The following round saw them lose to Wendron United in Cornwall – a fair reflection of their season as a whole it would seem.

    If I was a betting man my money would be on Sutton, but I am never one to rest on his laurels, and Lydeard have already shown their near-namesakes what they are capable of earlier in the campaign.

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  • A Miner Inconvenience

    A Miner Inconvenience

    Radstock Town 2 – 1 Portishead Town
    Western League – Division One
    Saturday 5th March 2022
    Southfields, Radstock (view on map)

    Attendance: 67
    Admission: £5
    Weather: Cold, windy

    View the full photo gallery HERE

    The Season So Far:

    5th place Radstock Town, occupying the last play-off spot in the Western League Division One, were game-less last weekend (presumably due to the odd number of teams in the division this season). The newsworthy storms put pay to their game against Oldland Abbotonians the previous week so we have to go back to the 12th February for the Miners’ last league fixture: a somewhat surprising 2-0 home loss to mid-table Hengrove Athletic. Recent form has been pretty inconsistent: a 6-1 defeat here, a 7-1 victory there, but they remain well placed for the play-offs and potential promotion to the Premier Division. Les Phillips Cup action midweek at home to Gillingham Town was called off due to a waterlogged pitch so today is the Miners’ first game in 3 weeks.

    Today’s opponents are down in 17th position (out of 21) but with a handful of games in hand over several of their near rivals. They are probably safe from relegation, however, being 9 points clear of Bristol Telephones who occupy the highest relegation spot (although even these teams aren’t necessarily doomed to relegation). An impressive 4-1 win over Almondsbury last weekend was followed by a 3-0 defeat away at Premier Division Ashton and Backwell United in the Les Phillips Cup on Tuesday The reverse of today’s fixture, back in September, saw Radstock emerge victorious at Portishead’s Bristol Road ground. Radstock may be a tad rusty having not played a game in 21 days, while Portishead come into today’s match off the back of a heavy defeat.

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  • Beat The Odds

    Beat The Odds

    Almondsbury FC 2 – 1 Odd Down AFC
    Western League – Division One
    Saturday 23rd October 2021
    The Field, Almondsbury (view on map)

    Attendance: 16
    Admission: £6
    Weather: Overcast

    View the full photo gallery HERE

    The Season So Far:

    With Odd Down having taken voluntary demotion ahead of this season, they come into this game as favourites, particularly as their hosts are struggling at the wrong end of the Division One table. Almondsbury had to wait until Match Day 4 before picking up their first point away at Longwell Green, and then remained on a solitary draw until mid-September when they beat Gillingham Town. Last weekend Almondsbury succumbed to a 4-2 loss at Cheddar. Today’s visitors sit in 8th position with a mixed record so far – an impressive 5-2 win over league newcomers Tytherington Rocks sits alongside heavy defeats to Warminster and, in the FA Cup, Alresford Town. 7 days ago Odd Down beat Portishead 3-1 in Bath – revenge for the mirrored result earlier in the season against Portishead.

    With all this in mind, my money would be on the away side taking all 3 points today. However Almondsbury will be looking to spring a surprise and kick start their season with a strong performance today.

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  • All’s Wells That Ends Well

    All’s Wells That Ends Well

    Wells City 6 – 0 Godolphin Atlantic
    FA Vase – 1st Qualifying Round
    Saturday 19th September 2020
    The Athletic Ground, Wells (view on map)
    Attendance: 77
    Admission: £6

    The Season So Far:

    The Cornish visitors started their South West Peninsula Premier West season with a couple of heavy away defeats before earning a point away at St. Dennis this time last week. Against Bodmin Town in midweek they returned to losing ways, but by all accounts gave a good account of themselves. They’ll be looking to the FA Vase to find their form. The home side lost away to Southern League Bideford in the FA Cup last time out, and have had a full week to prepare for this game. Having played just the one league game – a 2-1 home win over Bishops Lydeard – Wells City will want to prove their cup competition credentials against this relatively unknown opposition. The teams play at the same level – Step 10 of the football pyramid – so on paper this should be a close match. However, as we know, things are rarely that straight forward; particularly in knockout tournaments. Before Covid-19 put pay to last season, Wells were flying high in the Western League Division One – sitting in 4th and with a definite chance of promotion. Godolphin were bottom of their league and potentially facing relegation to the recently formed St. Piran league.

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