And Now, The End Is Near... - Weekend Matchgoing

[Ray de Galles]

Matches are few and far between, outside the top flight at least. My main sport of the weekend is one of my summer staples, the Speedway of Nations Race-Off at Belle Vue's National Speedway Stadium in Manchester.

It's the semi-final of the relatively new format of the World Cup, a pairs event where GB, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia and France compete with the top three going through to the final in Russia to meet the hosts and Poland, Sweden & Germany who qualified last week.

As I'm in the area I'm preceding it with one of the few Saturday afternoon games, Warrington Town v Kings Lynn Town in the Northern Premier League/Southern League Premier Central Play-Off Super Final for promotion to the Conference North (I presume?).

[Snake Plissken]

I will be at Turf Moor, where we host Arsenal. If, on MOTD, every time it shows Unai Emery you can hear someone shouting "You're a tiger! Grrr!", that will be me.

I fully expect to be in injury time when Ashley Barnes skies a chance into the stand over the visitors goal. Gunnersaurus throws himself to the ground and the ref awards the visitors a penalty. The shot is taken by saved by Heaton. Unfortunately, the rebound falls to Koscielny, who was standing on the six yard line when the kick was taken. He punches the ball into the goal a last minute winner. The various journalists update their match reports to show this is an indicator of Arsenals new found fortitude and ability to grind out a win. The home fans leave Turf Moor and walk down Harry Potts way past the travelling supporters - who had left five minutes earlier in order to set up the equipment for their YouTube channels.

In summary. Same as most of the last few games against them.

[Gangster Octopus]

I liked it before the lower leagues got their acts together to finish on the same day.

[Uros Predic]

To the Keepmoat Stadium on Sunday for the first leg of the League One Play-Off Semi Finals. Three ex-Premier League teams and The Likes Of Doncaster means Rovers have been given little coverage and little chance of promotion, the latter of which is completely fair as despite some excellent early season form we've stumbled into sixth place in the same way you might find your way home after a heavy night out. Glad you're there, but shocked you made it and fearing what will follow.

We've lost to, beaten and drawn with Charlton this season already so hard to call it, but the smart money will be on the visitors. Not looking forward to the post-match train journey back to London.

[Southport Zeb]

I'm going to watch Winsford Saxons v Sandbach Curshaws in the Crewe & District League. A five goal win will give the home side the league title. Afterwards I will be going to Sandbach where Barnton Wanderers will be meeting Madeley White Star in the league cup final - Madeley are the Saxons rivals for the league title.

May go to Chorley v Spennymoor on Sunday if there's any tickets left.

[longeared]

I don't care much for the Central Midlands League, but taking a rare dip into it tomorrow to see Hucknall Town v Underwood Villa. Hucknall have won the South Division and apparently are taking promotion to step 6, so this seems a useful opportunity to tick the ground off.

Monday I'm off to the Keepmoat for Liversedge v Worksop Town in the Northern Counties East League League Cup Final. Expect this to be my last match of the season.

[jameswba]

No football this weekend, but I'm going to Denmark vs France in the World Ice-Hockey Championship. It's in Kosice. I'm taking no chances - taking a night train to arrive there at 6am, with face-off not till 1215. Looking forward.

[elguapo4]

Bohs v Dundalk,only mid season here but this is second v third in the league. We're having a mini wobble with 1 point and no goals from our last two home games, another defeat and the moaners in the stand and the message board will be off.

[cantagalo]

I don't care much for the Central Midlands League, but taking a rare dip into it tomorrow to see Hucknall Town v Underwood Villa. Hucknall have won the South Division and apparently are taking promotion to step 6, so this seems a useful opportunity to tick the ground off.

Monday I'm off to the Keepmoat for Liversedge v Worksop Town in the Northern Counties East League League Cup Final. Expect this to be my last match of the season.

Been to Hucknall several times. My mate's son plays centre-back for them. Not many pubs in the near vicinity so you may have to use the club bar.

[cantagalo]

Saturday: Fluminense v Botafogo.

Botafogo have won two in a row and are in sixth place but won't stay there. Fluminense are fresh from a remarkable 5-4 win at Grêmio which, until this week's Champions League matches, was the best game I've seen on TV this year.

Sunday: Flamengo v Chapecoense

Due to the 11am kick-off, I may or may not go to this one.

[Guy Profumo]

ODC semis at Trent Bridge and the Rose Bowl on Sunday for anyone interested

[longeared]

Been to Hucknall several times. My mate's son plays centre-back for them. Not many pubs in the near vicinity so you may have to use the club bar.

Cheers. I was going to go to the Station for my pre-match pint (yes I know it's a bit of a walk from the ground, don't mind that) along with buying a tram day ticket and visiting a variety of other pubs in Beeston and north Nottingham.

[cantagalo]

Cheers. I was going to go to the Station for my pre-match pint (yes I know it's a bit of a walk from the ground, don't mind that) along with buying a tram day ticket and visiting a variety of other pubs in Beeston and north Nottingham.

The tram is great. And Beeston and North Nottingham do have a lot of pubs.

[Merlin the happy pig]

Completed the Welsh Premier League last night by attending Newtown 1-2 Bala Town in their Europa League play-off match. Newtown had a couple of goals disallowed for offside.

I'll be heading to Port Talbot later today to see them play Cambrian & Clydach Vale. May go to Chorley on Sunday.

[CY_Boaby]

Perth Glory 3-3 Adelaide Utd (after extra time) - Glory win 5-4 on penalties.

Last night it was the first semi-final of the A-League Finals, Glory having home advantage for finishing top of the league, up against 4th-placed Adelaide Utd. And what a game it was.

Glory took the lead against the run of play in the 29th minute when captain Diego Castro scored, and they looked home and hosed when Castro doubled the lead in the 74th minute. Surely the team with the meanest defence all season would be able to see the game out and reach the Grand Final? It got a bit bervy when Adelaide got one back in the 81st minute when Glory failed to clear a corner, and when the ref signalled 4 minutes of injury time the collective groan from the 17,868 crowd was deafening. And so another Adelaide corner, up came the 'keeper and with 6 seconds of injury time remaining, the Glory defence once again panicked and Adelaide scored. Utter silence enveloped the ground, apart from the tiny band of Adelaide fans and players going mental.

And so to extra time. Glory found their composure and retook the lead 1 minute before the break. Surely the team with the meanest defence all season would be able to see the game out and reach the Grand Final? But no, with 5 mins left Glory once again failed to clear their lines and Adelaide equalised. I'm sure I've written this before! The final whistle blew and I would finally get to lose my "witness a penalty shoot out in the flesh" virginity.

Adelaide's first penalty was a Penenka, which was scored. The first to miss was the Glory captain, Castro, and things looked bleak for the home side when Adelaide rammed home the advantage to take a 3-1 lead. Adelaide missed their 4th penalty with a fine save from Glory 'keeper Liam Reddy, who then took the ball and smashed home Glory's 4th penalty, a-la Kevin Pressman, to even things up.

And now we had sudden death. Both teams scored their 5th penalties and it looked like we could go on for a while. But Adelaide missed their 6th. Surely Glory weren't going to let this opportunity go? Saved! Up stepped Adelaide; Saved! Surely Glory weren't going to let this opportunity go? Saved! It was now getting silly. On to penalty number 8, up stepped Adelaide - Saved!! And for the third time of asking, the Grand Final was Glory's if they wanted it. And score they did score and the placed erupted.

Glory now await the winner of the other semi-final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory, who play on Sunday. Glory get to host the Grand Final and will be switching the game to the 60,000 capacity Perth Stadium, which is a huge oval-shaped ground designed for AFL and cricket but not football. A big crowd is guaranteed, but I'd prefer they stayed put.

[ad hoc]

Is Perth Stadium the WACA?

[longeared]

It's weird to go to a pub and recognise it from a BB&F report, so shout out to the Star in Beeston for its beer board signifying colour and strength. Beeston is very much a place that punches above its weight in pub terms, this is my third pub here (and my third pint of mild) and this is the least best place. I've had Saturdays this season where this would have been easily my pub of the day!

[Capybara]

It's weird to go to a pub and recognise it from a BB&F report, so shout out to the Star in Beeston for its beer board signifying colour and strength. Beeston is very much a place that punches above its weight in pub terms, this is my third pub here (and my third pint of mild) and this is the least best place. I've had Saturdays this season where this would have been easily my pub of the day!

Woo. My old stomping ground. In those days the Star was a Shipstone's pub and the choice was Mild (dark, 3.4%) and Bitter (light brown, 3.8%)

[CY_Boaby]

Is Perth Stadium the WACA?

No, the Perth Stadium, also known as the Optus Stadium (a telecoms company) opened in January 2018. Built by the State Government and costing us something like $1.6 billion, it's primarily used by the two AFL teams - West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers. It was hoped to have been ready in time for last year's Ashes, but continual delays meant they just missed it - so it offically opened for the One Day International instead.

The WACA's still there but now mainly used for domestic Sheffield Shield & One Day games - basically any games where a big crowd isn't expected. The WACA did say that Test matches would still be played there not involving England or India, but they've just announced the upcoming Test with New Zealand in December will be played at the new stadium.

I suppose the new stadium does put Perth on the sporting map a bit more now. Last July, Chelsea came over for a friendly with the Glory which I think was Sarri's first game in charge. Watching Chelsea reserves on a cold, wet Monday evening didn't interest me, but 55,000 others disagreed. And now Man Utd are coming over this July to take on Glory and then a few days later Man Utd take on Leeds Utd at the same venue. Again, not games that interest me but sure to be a sellout.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Poulton v Turton in the West Lancs league. None of your fancy French suffixes here.



The inevitable adjacent train actions, with summer pendos on the newly electrified Blackpool branch.

[Southport Zeb]

Madeley White Star and Winsford Saxons have absolutely dominated the Crewe & District League this season, only dropping points against each other. In curious scheduling Madeley finished their league schedule last weekend whilst Winsford were playing a cup final. The situation was reversed this weekend, with Winsford having their final league fixture and Madeley in a cup final.

This situation meant that Winsford knew that they needed to beat visitors Sandbach Curshaws by at least five goals. They didn't mess about, scoring the first goal after five minutes and getting the crucial fifth just before half time. They kept going in the second half, eventually winning 10-0. This game may have seen the earliest example of a goal scorer grabbing the ball out of the net to get it quickly back to the centre circle, with this being done on at least the first three goals.

I had planned to go and watch Madeley in their cup final, but decided to go and watch Manchester United Women finish off their season against Lewes. With them already having won the title it was a celebratory day with Manchester United being just too strong for the visitors, winning 5-0 in the end. Around 3700 in attendance.

[longeared]

Hucknall Town 4-2 Underwood Villa

During the first half there was a dog behind the far goal that looked as if it was losing the will to live. I knew how it felt as the first half hour was absolutely dreadful. It was a game that very much needed a goal, Hucknall scored it and things were better after that, though the standard was, not to put too fine a point on it, shit. Each side's second goal was their best, Hucknall's a whipped cross glanced home by the right back. Villa's came when their sub drew the keeper and lobbed it into the empty net over a defender. Hucknall had been four up which led to some remarks about general events in the week. Overall the game though did nothing to dispel my belief that non-league in the East Midlands isn't very good. After the game they displayed the league trophy they'd won (presume it had been formally presented at an earlier date) which I cheerily photographed and sent to a Liverpool supporting friend.

The ground is rather shabby, though I assume has been entered for some sort of vegetation contest considering how much there is. Apparently they're moving before too long.

However what the football taketh away their pubs giveth back. Seven pubs visited, all at least very good, and I got to have seven pints of mild along the way, including Shipstones Mild at the Lion In Basford (near the old brewery). The superb Crown in Beeston even gave me a sticker as Nottingham Camra are having some sort of mild trail. The Station at Hucknall had rubbish service but the baby shower in one of the rooms appeared to have Jacqueline Wilson in attendance.

Still, a top day out. This is a day I'll do again, give it a couple of seasons for the Good Beer Guide to refresh the available pubs and when there's a new ground to do.

[Southport Zeb]

I think Hucknall were meant to be moving soon when I visited fifteen years ago.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

The ground was extraordinary in their previous guise as Hucknall Colliery Welfare in that it was entirely built out of portakabins, with two and three storey efforts randomly distributed amongst the touch lines.

Since they have freed themselves of the shackles of NCB cast offs, they did acquire non-leagues tackiest facade, which was some industrial corrugated steel on a couple of posts.

i haven’t been in thirty years so I’m not sure if either survive.

[ursus arctos]