Saints and sinners - weekend match going 1st Feb

[Crystal Staples]

Borussia Dortmund v 1. FC Union Berlin

I've had a soft spot for Union since before (I knew) they were a hipster club.

Can't wait. It was a post match pint after a County win at Leamington in 2014 when a couple of us suggested we take in a bundesliga game later in the season..bit of a delay but this is it finally happening. From observing other groups on the plane and meeting Coventry and Cardiff fans tonight we're far from the only Brits over here for football this weekend, but seem to be the only ones with tickets in the away end.

Went to the Fan Shop earlier, was very tempted by a BVB mouse mat but in the end bought some socks.

[ursus arctos]

Very jealous

Enjoy one of the great experiences in European football

[Sporting]

I would imagine it's Feb 1st as it traditionally starts the first (full, I think) weekend in February.

I'm not sure if the recent introduction of occasional Friday night games has ever pushed it in to January but I can't recall one.

In 1910 the opening game was on January 1st.

[Arturo]

Newcastle United v Norwich City

One of my shortest away trips for many years and yet another last chance saloon game for us. Nice to know I'll be home at a reasonable hour for once.

[CY_Boaby]

Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory.

Red hot Glory's 6-game winning streak ended last week with a drab 0-0 draw at Melbourne City, whilst Victory (the A-League's biggest club) are having a shit season, are 6 points off a finals place and have lost their last 3 games.

Victory did secure a very impressive 1-0 midweek win in Japan against Kashmina Antlers in a one-legged Asian Champions League play-off, and I'm pretty sure the last thing they wanted when they touched down was a trip to Perth. Glory will be looking to exploit the travel-weary visitors.

[jameswba]

Winter friendly this lunchtime, my first live football for two months. Zilina B 2 Trinec 4. It's a cross-border local derby with Trinec the Czech Republic's second most eastern town and only 45 minutes or so drive away.

Zilina had a very young side out, with perhaps only two players out of their teens. The visitors were stronger, wiser and have experience of a better league. It was 1-3 after 15 minutes with all the goals resulting from mistakes or lucky bounces inside the box. The defences settled down after that, but Trinec were never going to let their advantage slip.

An unseasonably mild day for it. The Czech and Slovak leagues already have shorter winter breaks than they used to. With weathet like this, they could shorten them still more.

[Jumbo McGinnis]

A weekend of planning our whistle stop 36 or so hour trip to Bologna next weekend. Got flights for £20 return, leaving early Saturday and coming home early evening Sunday, for myself and my girlfriend. If anyone’s been and has a recommendation for something that’s good and not one of the well known places there, I’d appreciate it.

I was planning on walking the ten minutes it takes me to get to where Epping Town play whoever it was supposed to be, but their game today and their next couple have been postponed, after the bubble of the vanity project from the chairman and manager burst, they had a fall out, the players all left and the chairman and manager both resigned.

The old manager was a bloke that was rather vocal on Twitter and just come across as a bit of a flash idiot, who spoke as if he was managing Barcelona, rather than a club that play on a patch of grass with a metal barrier to differentiate it from the rest of the park. The chairman seemed to be less vocal on social media and started the club up again after it folded for a year. Between the two of them, they had this bizarre notion that they could lead a club that played in a park in front of ten to fifteen people (despite them claiming on social media that it was more like 40-50) back into “senior” football and the Essex Senior League. The bubble has burst after a year and a half, I’m not sure why but it would be a shame to see them fold again, which looks likely.

[ursus arctos]

Walk around the university and under the colonnades. Piazza Nettuno is good for people watching.

We are fans of the Caminetto d'Oro and its bistrot, but it is difficult to get a poor meal in Bologna.

If he weather is nice consider the trip up to Santuario di San Luca. Walking is best, but public transport is available.

Modena and Parma are each a short rail journey away and worth visiting.

[CY_Boaby]

Perth Glory 2 - 2 Melbourne Victory

Form book went out the window this evening as Victory controlled most of this game and were unlucky not to take all 3 points. Victory started well and took the lead with a brilliant strike from skipper Ola Toivanen from a cut back at the edge of the box and into the far top corner. Glory thought they'd equalised but Bruno Fornaroli's superb bicycle kick smashed off the post. But deep into 1st half stoppage time Glory did get their goal with Fornaroli scoring direct from a free kick from the centre of the D.

Glory started brighter in the 2nd half but it was Victory who regained the lead with a fast counter-attack and Andrew Nabbout beautifully passed the ball into the bottom far corner. Victory controlled the game, slowed the pace right down and the buggers looked like they'd got their mojo back. But having conceded at the end of the 1st half, they then did the same right at the end of the 2nd half. A lovely cross from the right was swung in and Nick DÁgostino lept above the static defender to head home. It was DÁgostino's first start for the Glory and capped off a fine week for the young lad having scored the winner for the Olyroos last Saturday against Uzbekistan to secure Olympic qualification.

In fact it could have finished even better for DÁgostino when deep into injury time another great cross from the right saw his header just clear the bar. Had Glory snatched the win it really would have been a steal as up until the late equaliser they hadn't laid a glove on Victory in the 2nd half.

[Gangster Octopus]

Kick off is delayed as there aren't any corner flags and the nets haven't been sorted out...

[Gangster Octopus]

Wembley start very positively. Eventually. Oh, and it's a local derby against Edgware Town.

[Gangster Octopus]

Bollocks. Edgware score first.

[Gangster Octopus]

Pently Wembley.

[Gangster Octopus]

Just about scored...

[Gangster Octopus]

1-1 at half time.

[Gangster Octopus]

Apparently Scott McGleish, Wealdstone reject, is playing for Edgware. Isn't there a thread for that sort of thing?

[Gangster Octopus]

Good hustling from Edgware is rewarded by a goal. Bugger.

[Gangster Octopus]

If football was equal at all levels, Wembley would be equal in this game.

[Gangster Octopus]

Wembley equalise with one of those wonderful long range shots that you get in non-league football which would be drooled over at any level.

[Gangster Octopus]

And it's a Desmond.

[HORN]

Newport play well.

But they lose to a 5th minute goal (scored by an ex - Newport loanee).

[Paul S]

Won 24-8 in an excellent game of rugby played on a decent pitch with two sides who remembered that rugby is a game of evasion and not big hits. The only downside was a referee who was being assessed and that means they pick up on everything....but not this one, who let the game flow nicely. I played hooker and had a good game if you're interested.

[Arturo]

Newcastle United 0 Norwich City 0

Jesus Christ, how did we not win that? Chance after chance spurned against a dismal Newcastle side who were booed off at the end.

Our whole season in a microcosm. Pretty football, plenty of effort, but just falling short with an ultimate lack of punch. Watching our manager bringing on three midfielders while a striker who scored last week sits on the bench was rather grating.

[longeared]

Bridlington Town 1-0 Knaresborough Town

We used to have regular family holidays to Bridlington in the 1980s, so despite not having set foot in the place for about 20 years I was pleased to be able to remember how to navigate around the town. It has changed a bit though, they've rebridged the harbour, the motorboating place has gone and I couldn't find where we used to stay. My memory also remembers the beach as being bigger than that, and there's a backdrop of lots of wind turbines. Some well nice birds on the beach as well, Sanderling running fucking everywhere as usual and some Turnstone near the Spa. Phwoar!

Brid has somehow acquired five Guide pubs this year and I did all of them thanks to arriving at 10am. The spoons contained folk reading the Express and Sun (Brexit Britain gonna Brexit Britain) and I bizarrely bumped into someone I know. Took a nice walk up the cliffs to tick off the Ship in Sewerby which wasn't really worth the effort and there was a huge headwind coming back. The Marine was a typical seaside bar where old folk go to die. Liked the Pack Horse in the old town, very much a local pub for local people, then to the Board which was dying on its arse. Post match I got to have an excellent pint of Midnight Bell in the Telegraph, then having misread the train times I realised I'd get home an hour earlier than expected so debated ticking a couple off in Beverley. This dilemma neatly solved itself by me going to sleep and awaking to find the train pulling out of Paragon.

Ground was nice, a big stand down one side with a mix of standing and seating. The other side looked like a miners welfare with a rugby pitch behind it. The wind affected proceedings a lot and neither team used it properly. Was on the opposite side of the pitch from the benches so didn't get to hear much of the Knaresborough manager whose contributions largely drifted away on the wind, though he's evidently still gobby enough for the ref to go over and speak to him. Good crowd of 202.

[Sits]

Won 24-8 in an excellent game of rugby played on a decent pitch with two sides who remembered that rugby is a game of evasion and not big hits. The only downside was a referee who was being assessed and that means they pick up on everything....but not this one, who let the game flow nicely. I played hooker and had a good game if you're interested.

Well played Paul, look after those knees.