Summer Matchgoing - No rest for the wicked

[Merlin the happy pig]

[Ray de Galles]

Diamond League Athletics
Olympic Stadium

I think this was the whole family's first time back in one of our favourite sporting venues since the Athletics Worlds in 2017 and probably my first visit since the Major League Baseball in 2019. It was certainly the first time the stadium was being used for its true purpose post-Covid. I was a bit worried given the low-key build-up that it wasn't going to be a success but was pleasantly surprised that it was apparently a sell out,

The outstanding performances were from Ta Lou and Noah Lyles in the 200m races (with Dina Asher-Smith and Zharnel Hughes getting very impressive second places in both, the latter with a new British record), Wayde van Niekerk's continued comeback in the 400m, Femke Bol destroying the field in the 400m Hurdles, Gudaf Tsegay winning a very high class 5000m and American JuVaughan Harrison surprisingly (for me, at least) beating Mutaz Barshim in the High Jump.

It looked like it was going to end anticlimactically for the home crowd when Keely Hodgkinson pulled out of the 800m finale in what would have been her debut at the stadium but the afternoon was topped off by fellow Brit Jemma Reekie claiming a stunning win to finish the meeting on an absolute high, It was great to be watching Athletics live again and really get enthused about the upcoming Worlds next month and the Olympics a year away.

[Ray de Galles]

Point of order - I think I'm seeing an English league game this Saturday, should we restart the weekly threads?

[DCI Harry Batt]

Are we doing a single non-armchair thread for each week? Or weekend and midweek separately?

[Ray de Galles]

Oh, stick with weekly (Fri-Thu) threads surely?

[DCI Harry Batt]

I'm down with that.

[Capybara]

I concur.

[cantagalo]

Me too.

To both weekly threads and Fri-Thu.

[Felicity, I guess so]

I don't think it's a coincidence that MrLeam has showed up on OTF just as James Kelman no longer has a book contract.

You've rumbled him!

All makes sense now: Mr Ken Leam.

Indeed, ken.

A propos- I very much enjoy Mr Leam's match visits but Ms F, with family from Crossgates and Fordell, thinks he is snobby aboot Fifers.

[East Bay Canary]

Wellesley Road doesn't seem to have changed much in the last 50+ years.

[Third rate Leszno]

The New Saints 1-1 Swift Hesperange (Europa Conference League 2nd qualifying round 1st leg)



A second visit to Park Hall in the space of 6 days and a much higher quality game than Nomads v AK last week. The Luxembourgian visitors were the stronger and better side but TNS had good spells themselves. Swift Hesper were first time Luxembourg champions last season and seem well backed with manager Carlos Fangueiro (who had undistinguished spells at Millwall and Walsall as a player) moving across from F91 Dudelange in the summer.

The visitors started well and led when TNS failed to deal with the second ball after a free kick was blocked. TNS finished the first half strongly and Josh Daniels missed an absolute sitter from 5 yards. At half time I had a lovely gooey lump of flapjack from the food van parked behind the single stand and despite a watchable game and being able to snaffle one of the last spots in the car park, that was possibly the highlight of the evening.

After the break the visitors had the lion's share of the chances, hitting the post twice, having a shot cleared off the line and failing to convert a penalty when Connor Roberts made a fine save. They paid for their lack of clinical finishing when Rory Holden struck an equaliser from outside the box that the keeper should really have saved. I'd expect Hesperange to win the second leg but TNS have a sniff of a chance if they can play to their best for longer periods.

[Ray de Galles]

Wellesley Road doesn't seem to have changed much in the last 50+ years.

That doesn't surprise me one bit!

Welcome to the board EBC. please hang around and tell us your favourite biscuit and what makes up your perfect Ploughman's Lunch.

[Capybara]

Welcome East Bay Canary !

[Via Newbury Park]

I knew the South Midlands League pretty well, before its merger with the Spartan. I've played at Leverstock Green, Harpenden, both of the Colnies, Welwyn, and a bunch of others. (Personally, the most fun to play at was Gosling Park in Welwyn, since the pitch had a velodrome and athletics track surrounding it, a fairly big concrete stand and decent floodlights. A midweek match in midwinter there had quite the 'European away' vibe.)

The inability of Welwyn Garden City or Hatfield to be able to cobble together a decent non-league team was one of the minor frustrations I felt during my younger years.

Excellent. Harpenden and the Colnies are on the list of places I seem to be able to get to and that I’m hoping to visit this year. A shame that there seems to be no good reason to visit Gosling Park, if an image search is anything to go by the track, velodrome and stand all seem to still be in place, surrounded by grass banking to boot.

Hatfield Town seem to have had a very turbulent existence if the Wiki page is anything to go by. I hadn’t even been aware that there was such a team until the end of last season, and was then disappointed that they were playing at Letchworth. They seem to have moved to Hertford this season which still seems a bit of trek for the Herts Senior League.

[Via Newbury Park]

Dagenham & Redbridge 1-1 Leyton Orient
Friendly
Att: Doesn’t seem to have been written down anywhere but it was announced as just over 1000, 350 away

Daggers were the better side in the first half and deserved the lead, a good finish from Sydney Ibie, his new shirt ripped from a earlier challenge, off a free kick that Orient defended in a very Dagenham-like manner. Orient improved after the break. We’d just been commenting on how well Elliot Johnson, often a target for the crowd, had been doing well against a tricky opponent when he scuffed a clearance to a lurking forward, and while the initial effort was saved the defence was all over the place and Orient were able to follow up; goal by Moncur, assist by my stupid mouth. The draw probably a fair result, encouraging signs for the season ahead.

This year’s exciting new off-pitch development is two ruddy great supports for the new gantry which have been erected near the halfway line, at least partially obstructing the view of nearly everyone on that side of the ground. I did write an extended rant about this, but I’m keeping it to myself until the first proper home game in case they’re still working on it and the supports disappear.

[East Bay Canary]

That doesn't surprise me one bit!

Welcome to the board EBC. please hang around and tell us your favourite biscuit and what makes up your perfect Ploughman's Lunch.

Biscuit - dark chocolate digestive or a chewy oatmeal raisin
No perfect Ploughman's - as it would need to include sharp cheddar, fresh Acme bread, and Adnams bitter (Acme & Adnams don't coexist on the same continent).

[Patrick Thistle]

Caldicot Town 3-2 Shirehampton FC
Friendly
Jubilee Way
Att: c.30

A second game in a row that I've watched played in pissing rain. I went because the lad I know who plays for Caldicot said he was in the line up. He had a good game and got an assist.

The game kicked off 15 minutes after the scheduled time because Shirehampton were late arriving - a trait they carried on into their tackling. They quickly scored 2 goals from a direct free kick and a corner. Caldicot settled and scored before half time and then twice early in the second half. Several more chances followed for both sides but the scoreline was still 3-2 when the ref blew dead on the 90 minute mark.

[Patrick Thistle]

Point of order - I think I'm seeing an English league game this Saturday, should we restart the weekly threads?

Based on the weather I've experienced the last two games I've been to, summer is over.

[Southport Zeb]

Yr Wyddgrug 3-8 Plas Madoc (North East Wales League Championship)

The second tier of the North East Wales League kicked off last night. I watched a match between two now entrants to the league - Yr Wyddgrug are a side mostly made up of ex-pupils at Mold's Welsh language high school (the club name is Mold's Welsh name), whilst Plas Madoc have reformed after an earlier version of the club failed to survive Covid. Despite their Mold roots, Yr Wyddgrug are currently playing a few miles away in Northrop Hall, using a local recreation ground. The pitch is railed but that's about it - there is some cover from surrounding trees, which came in handy on a damp night.

The first half was a bit odd, with the home side playing reasonably well but finding themselves 6-0 down at the break. Just about every shot that Plas Madoc took ended up in the goal, with Nicky Williams scoring a twelve minute hat trick. The second half gave a fairer reflection of the balance of play, with the hosts getting their first ever goal soon after the break. Williams got his fourth of the night from a retaken penalty, having seen the keeper save his first effort but being judged to have come off his line. Plas Madoc got their eight late on, but there was still time for Yr Wyddgrug to score twice in the last three minutes to win the half.

Despite their big win, Plas Madoc only find themselves third in the nascent league table - Acton are top after beating Skippy 8-1, with Gronant second after a 9-3 victory over Holywell United.