* Weather Dependent : Matchgoing May 21 - 27

[Ray de Galles]

Having planned to see some "summer" sports this week (and needing to purchase tickets in advance given reduced capacities leading to something of a scattergun approach to scheduling) I could either end up with a really packed programme of events over the next few days or a relatively quiet, if frustrating, one.

I'm currently sitting in The Oval for what is meant to be my second day of the County Championship London Derby between Surrey and Middlesex. I was surprised to see 56 overs before rain set in yesterday and was even more shocked that they managed 80 minutes play this morning. However, I didn't see them as while my train was approaching Vauxhall this morning (I had a late start due to dealing with work issues) the players left the field due to a combination of rain and bad light (the floodlights can't be fully raised due to the gale force winds). I may not see a ball bowled all day.

Luckily I also have plans this evening as I'm taking my boy to the European Challenge Cup Final at Twickenham between Leicester and Montpelier where a crowd of 10,000 is being allowed in. It's a return to the site of my last rugby match, England v Wales in the Six Nations back in March 2020, and with the chances of seeing much rugby soon pretty rare (especially as it appears it will be the last grassroots sport allowed to restart due to concerns about scrums, rucks and mauls) I'm really looking forward to it.

Tomorrow's fixture is my first speedway of the season, Eastbourne Eagles v Newcastle Diamonds in the SGB Championship (followed by a third tier meeting between the two clubs' development sides, the appallingly names Seagulls and Gems where I will probably have at least one eye and ear on Eurovision during). Tapes up are at 5pm so my hopes to see a football game prior have been scuppered. Though if any call off due to bad weather is made early (a rarity in speedway, sadly) I have a host of matches to choose from.

Sunday lunchtime is my only guaranteed football of the next week or so, Sutton v Hartlepool in the Conference. Depending on Saturday's results Sutton could go up to the Football League for the first time in their history with a win or even a draw. It's is more likely they will need a win to put them a point away from promotion though. They currently lead Torquay by three points with two games left, Torquay face whipping boys Barnet at home on Saturday and then Sutton visit The Bees on the final day.

I have tickets for Peterborough Panthers v Sheffield Tigers in the SGB Premiership on Monday night and Kent Kings v Eastbourne Eagles back in the second tier on Tuesday. Again I'm hoping for early notice of postponement before travelling to either but I do at least have back up plans for Tuesday as there is a post-lockdown friendly tournament in Kent with Lordswood v Punjab United and Sheppey United v Rochester United close enough to divert to.

I reckon I'll have Wednesday and Thursday off, truth be told.

[Capybara]

(the floodlights can't be fully raised due to the gale force winds)

I was wondering why the lights aren't up. I'd guess they were also using the heavy bails, it's that windy.

[Benjm]

I'm going to Maidenhead v Halifax. Neither team is in form but hopefully the combination of home fans and Halifax's still live play-off hopes will bring some energy to the game.

[cantagalo]

I shall be paying my first visit to the Brentford Community Stadium.

Wish me luck.

[ursus arctos]

How are Sutton viewed locally?

There was a long piece on them in The Athletic a month or two ago that was quite favourable, and I've always liked the Hawthornesque kit.

[Benjm]

I shall be paying my first visit to the Brentford Community Stadium.

Wish me luck.

That already counts as lucky. Enjoy!

[elguapo4]

Sutton played Bohs in the Irn Bru Cup in Dublin a few years ago. Most of their fans were in and out on a day trip, but the ones that stayed forged friendships with some of our fans. They seemed like a decent crowd

I'm looking after the P.A for Monday's game against Dundalk, looking like tonight's game away to St Patrick's Athletic will be washed out.

[Ray de Galles]

How are Sutton viewed locally?

There was a long piece on them in The Athletic a month or two ago that was quite favourable, and I've always liked the Hawthornesque kit.

Which Hawthorns kit(s), the early ones with brown featuring prominently? Sutton have been disappointingly poor on featuring the chocolate side of their nickname in recent years and even their amber has got closer to plain yellow at times. When I first started occasionally watching them (with a mate who worked for long time local sponsors Securicor which got him free tickets) they were resplendent in quartered shirts of their proper colours.

I think they're viewed pretty positively locally, unless you're of a Kingstonian persuasion (though the Ks ire seems more aimed at Wimbledon nowadays). Their was a historical rivalry with Wimbledon in both clubs' amateur days but it was always pretty friendly, so much so that Sutton hosted The Dons in their first match after the regeneration.

Their artificial pitch is pretty unpopular (though it will have to be ripped up if they're promoted) and I thought the instigator of it, previous manager Paul Doswell, was a relatively unsavoury character. That was partly due to his anti-football (as I've mentioned elsewhere, they literally kicked Wimbledon out of the Cup on their run in the competition a few seasons ago) and partly due to his continued employment of muppet keeper/coach Wayne Shaw despite his moronic actions like jumping in to crowds to fight opposition fans and take part in in-match stunts in the pay of The S*n and their bookie company.

That is all minor stuff and in the past though, I'm really hoping they go up. A new London club in the League will be an excellent development.

[ursus arctos]

I was thinking more of older ones. We don't see them over here (yet).

I also tend to think of that brown as being too light to be chocolate. Did it used to be darker?

The Athletic piece argued that the pitch was a valuable community resource and allowed them to keep the lights on financially. They would like to try to keep it ( and the technology has improved immeasurably), but I doubt that would be allowed to happen.

[Ray de Galles]

Older Sutton kits or WBA ones? I'm a little confused.

I always think of brown and chocolate being interchangeable in kit terms, the latter just being a more attractive term. Will have to have a think on that.

[Simon G]

Evesham United Robins U10s v Tewkesbury Town Pumas U10s

No league game for us this week so we're playing a friendly at Evesham. It'll be an early start as it's a 9:00 kickoff due to when Evesham could get the pitch.

Most importantly, it's my boy's first 9v9 game, so there will be some new things for them to learn. They'll be playing offside for the first time, no halfway line retreat at goal kicks and no more foul throws. Also, game length increases by 5 mins per half to 30 mins each way. Goal and pitch size also increases, so the goals will now be 7ft high rather than 6ft and 16ft long instead of 12ft, so our keeper is due to be tested.

I'm really looking forward to it - I believe we've got a strong first 9 and I'm hoping we can go into it with a bit of confidence. We've played Evesham 3 times this season, lost twice and beat them once, but in all three games I think we've been the better team. If we start well I'm confident we can get a positive result.

[ursus arctos]

Ray, Hawthorn the Aussie Rules club

[Ray de Galles]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Hence my confusion.

[ursus arctos]

In any event, looking at this



makes me think that Sutton have been quite faithful to the "chocolate" end of the spectrum.

Hawthorn (AFL) have verged on black recently, but their "classic" to my mind was a softer brown

[Artificial Hipster]

I've got to take the youngest to a party in a park at 12 on Saturday. Mrs H has an earlier appointment with the eldest from which I've got my fingers crossed she'll be back in time for me to bike to Denton for their Cheshire League Division One game with Newton Athletic. If the worst comes to the worst I should still have time to drive.

[Ray de Galles]

In any event, looking at this



makes me think that Sutton have been quite faithful to the "chocolate" end of the spectrum.

Yeah, that's the classic from the mid/late nineties I was referring to upthread but such adherence is sadly a rarity since the eighties at least, as this small selection shows (ignore the erroneous claret & blue one).

One other advantage of them being elevated to the EFL would be a historicalkits.co.uk entry, actually,

[Third rate Leszno]

No football for me as I'm finally able to dust off my Oulton Park season ticket and will be spending tomorrow at the MG Car Club race meeting, where I'll also get a chance to play with my lockdown purchase of an 80-400mm lens for my Nikon, which will open up some new photographic possibilities as it's double the zoom of my other 'proper' lens.

[Gangster Octopus]

A new London club in the League will be an excellent development.

Er, why?

[jameswba]

I'm hoping to be one of 500 season-ticket holders allowed in to Zilina vs Zlate Moravce today. It is the last scheduled league game of the season, and will mean nothing in terms of league positions - the sides will finish 4th and 5th respectively regardless of the result, and may meet again next week in the final of a 4-team play-off to decide who takes Slovakia's last EL place. Still, it'll be my first live game for 8 months. I've missed matchgoing a lot less than I'd feared, but am looking forward to it. Just have to get there early enough...

[HeavyDracula]

Eastbourne off, Ray de Galles

[Ray de Galles]

Yeah, saw that as I had them on tweet alert but thanks. Glad they made an early call and I have tickets for their meeting with Poole next Saturday as back up anyway.

Off to see an amateur cup final featuring Chaterhouse's old boys team and then back to Twickenham for the Champions Cup Final at Twickenham instead as I really enjoyed last night's Challenge Cup Final.

Will mean I get to see Eurovision too.

[Sporting]

Will mean I get to see Eurovision too.

That's good?

[Ray de Galles]

Oh yeah, I loves Eurovision I do. One of the sporting highlights of the year.

[Simon G]

Evesham United Robins u10s 4-4 Tewkesbury Town Pumas u10s

For a first game at 9v9, it was certainly exciting this morning. My boys started slowly and a couple of goalkeeping errors saw us 2-0 down in the first 10 mins. On 15 mins I made a couple of subs though and we seemed to push forward a bit more and get a foothold in the game. As a result of this extra pressure, we worked the ball into the box and our number 4 was able to lob the keeper from the edge to pull us back into it. With our tails up, we attacked a bit more and almost on the stroke of half-time we had a throw down the left. It was touched forward by our number 4 to our number 6. He then played the ball across beautifully for our number 12 the smash in from the edge of the box. Probably our best team goal of the season so far and it's 2-2 at half-time.

The second half the boys started with a bit more confidence, but Evesham nicked a third against the run of play when, following an innoccuous ball into the area, our left back cut across our keeper and touched it past him. I initially feared a drop of heads, but our boys attacked from the off and less than 2 mins later our number 9 was out on the right and saw the keeper off his line. He passed the ball into the goal and it was 3-3. Not long after, the most controversial moment of the game happened when following an injury on the edge of the Evesham box, the ref gave the ball to their keeper to roll out to their defender to play on. Not realising this, our number 12 beat the defender to the ball and knocked it in. The goal was given and the Evesham coach refused for us to let them score as he wanted their players to learn to be more switched on. 4-3 to us. We held on well and it looked like we were going to see the game out, alas Evesham had one more attack and the striker hit it across the goal and it found it's way to the post and in.

A definite learning experience for the boys, but they played fantastically. The new rules were a bit alien at times but they picked them up quickly and I think we were only caught offside once or twice ourselves.

We have one more 7v7 league game next week, then a couple more friendlies before the season's end. For a first year in coaching, it's definitely been an experience.

[CY_Boaby]

I'm still undecided if I'll head along to Perth Glory v Macarthur tomorrow evening. 6.15pm on a Sunday evening isn't the best time and last week my son (any myself if I'm being honest) was very tired when we got home from last week's win over WSW, which kicked off at the same time.

However we may get free tickets for this one as the cleaner at my work says she gets free tickets as her son plays for a club (maybe Perth Glory U10s) and he's a half-time mascot every week. She says the team gets loads of free Glory tickets for every home game, but very few parents take them up on the offer, so she said she'll let me know tomorrow morning (after her son's game) if she can get me a couple.

Glory are on a 4-game winning streak and are now well in the mix for a finals place, but their rivals all won earlier today so anything less than a victory will probably end their season.