From buns to bunnies: Easter Weekend Football

[Bored Of Education]

Bath City 5 - Gloucester City 1

After Welling calling off the away game on Saturday 6 minutes before kick off (I didn't go), this was the only Romans match over Easter. We started slow (or so I was told, we were our usual 15 minutes late) until our latest ex-pro Sean Rigg went off with what looked like a nasty injury. Without being overly unkind, it was fortunate as Rigg hasn't seemed 100% since he has joined us and Antoine Semenyo - one of our Bristol City loanees - came on. Although we were 1-0 down from a spawny wind-assisted free kick that eluded everyone. After that though, we dominated the rest of the game going in 2-1 up at half-time and finishing off 5-1. Still talks of the play-offs but, while we are relying on loanees, I can't see it.

[Nefertiti2]

Shrewsbury just about managed to beat Oxford 3-2, hanging on at the end having squandered several chances to put the game out of sight. Dismal weather, poor football, lots of effort on both sides.

The referee, Sebastian Stockbridge, was a farcical clown. Utterly inconsistent, penalising Shrewsbury players but not Oxford players. Clearly doesn't understand that being held by a defender is not a foul by the attacker. Or that being jumped into by two players is not a foul on both of them. Shrewsbury did well to win in spite of him. An utter nincompoop.

I remember going to the same game last season and criticising the repeated thuggery of Shrewsbury players and the soft treatment they received from by the referee. I did not get a warm reception on here.

Thread here

[Uros Predic]

Lewisham Borough 1-8 (eight) Holmesdale

As Uros says Lewisham were truly awful, they had no pace, movement, defensive organisation or communication. Holmesdale were seven up early in the second half then eased off, Lewisham put together a few moves and scored a nice goal. Can't say I'm terribly impressed with this division, the pair of games I've seen have had an average winning margin of seven and a half goals.

I mean I live ten minutes away from the ground, so least I've a reasonable excuse for turning up to watch them. The most remarkable thing about Borough at the moment is that they're not bottom of the table. They had a few good results and encouraging performances early season, but each new manager (they're on their third) has a habit of stripping out the players that were there and bringing in their own. The one decent player they have now, limped off about 10 minutes in yesterday, the rest looked clueless - not incapable footballers, but just continued to make poor decision after poor decision after poor decision.

And yep, it isn't a strong division; it's very rare that a team coming up into it finishes outside the top six or so. Lewisham have hung around this long purely due to the perseverance of the four people who run it, and other clubs either at this level or above either folding or moving leagues.

[Ray de Galles]

I’m picturing a poignant vignette of Uroš and Longeared standing alone in separate spots at Ladywell Arena while torrential rain lashes them. Both of them watching Lewisham’s capitulation with shared ennui but never quite connecting to externalise it.

It’s shot in black & white in the French New Wave style and is titled ‘Catford Nous Appartien’.

[Patrick Thistle]

I remember going to the same game last season and criticising the repeated thuggery of Shrewsbury players and the soft treatment they received from by the referee. I did not get a warm reception on here.

Thread here

Boohoo you. The Oxford players did moan to the referee and were a grabby, clingy lot once they realised they could get away with it, but I wouldn't say they were thugs. Shrewsbury last season did have a few thugs like Adam El Abd, who thankfully got binned off in the Hurst revolution.

[Patrick Thistle]

I couldn't see much wrong on that thread, either, Nef.

[Southport Zeb]

On Tuesday night I watched Alton v Fawley in the Wessex League. Not the best of starts by Fawley as, in the first ten seconds, one of their defenders headed back to the keeper. Unfortunately he was not there and Alton had the lead. After that early set back Fawley played quite well and had some decent chances. However the home side managed to score a couple more towards the end of the half. The second half was similar, with Fawley failing to convert chances while Alton did. Towards the end the visitors did finally convert one of their opportunities, but they still lost 7-1 in a game that they were the better side for long periods.

On Wednesday I tried to find a game on between Portsmouth and Southport, and in mid-afternoon Loughborough University seemed confident that their game would be on. They were still confident about 7pm when I paid to get in. Unfortunately at 7:20 the referee decided that the pitch was unplayable - it looked fine to me and both sides seemed happy with it. So I headed home listening to the Champions League on the radio, sadly spoiled by the presence of Robbie Savage.

Last night I headed to Whitworth Valley but their game was off. Instead I went to Chadderton v Prestwich Heys. It looked like a fairly comfortable win for the visitors as they led 2-0 at half time. Chadderton pulled one back early in the second half but Prestwich regained their two goal lead almost immediately. That appeared to be it until injury time when Chadderton scored a second. They had one final attack in which they found the back of the net. Unfortunately for them the referee blew for full time more or less at the same time as the ball left their players foot.

[N est à?]

Being on the mersey riviera over easter, I'd got a pass on Easter Monday to go to either Bootle-City of Liverpool or Southport-Salford, both rained off.

Descriptions of the Lewisham Borough game make me want to visit the Ladywell arena, in an extremely perverse way. Although I suppose ~90% of the matchgoing in these threads is motivated by extreme perversity, so what's new.

[Sash]

Might as well...

Palace 1 Liverpool 2

Like going to Selhurst Park. Missed last season's 4-2 due to the birth of my son.
Went in the away end as the observer seats my mob get at Palace are rubbish. Didn't regret it. Pretty positive atmosphere, despite the fact that Liverpool didn't play well (apart from Andy Robertson who's always wonderful). Bedlam when Salah scored. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Palace should really stay up.

Chelsea 1 Spurs 3

Alonso got abuse from the away end from early on about "killing" someone (in a car crash in 2011). I was at the reverse fixture at Wembley and didn't hear any. This is what scoring a brace gets you? Charming.
I'd say Lloris's position at Spurs has to be looking shaky now after another error. Caballero did try to outdo him by looking and playing like an old man.
Spurs comfortable winners. Pochettino couldn't care less about "28 years".

Was in Malta the other week, so popped over to see Floriana-Naxxar Lions @ Hibernians stadium in Paola. Enjoyed the journey by ferry across the harbour from Valletta and the wander past the shipyard on the way to the ground; however, easily the worst standard of football I've ever paid to see. Shocking! 8 EUR gets you 2 games, mind, but I didn't stick around for the Sliema Wanderers match that followed.

[Sash]

Arsenal 4 CSKA 1

A game that felt like a pre-season friendly, rather than a European QF. Emirates half-empty (official attendance: 58,285), I somehow ended up with 2 tickets and had four seats to myself, which was nice as my back's playing up.

Thought Golovin didn't do his reputation any harm, though could've tracked a bit more. Felt sorry for the old men in CSKA's central defence as the wing-backs and Natcho totally failed them. Thought Pontus Wernbloom up top was reasonably entertaining, even nearly managing to do a goal!

CSKA's press officer seemed desperate for some questions from English journos after the game. Didn't have the heart to tell him that they don't really care, mate.

[Ray de Galles]

Bracknell Town 2 Windsor 1

Took the chance of a week working from home to pop down to Larges Lane and meet Mirko Bolesan for this Hellenic League Challenge Cup Semi-Final. Barry Haynes turned out for Windsor again and clocked in a full 90+ minutes one month short of his 46th birthday but couldn’t drag the visitors’ grizzled veterans past Bracknell’s callow semi-reserve side.

Hayley did score the opener after three minutes after he robbed The Robins’ first choice keeper as he tried to dribble the ball out of defence one time too many and the striker powered in to an empty net. Bracknell’s more cultured football gradually led to them dominating the rest of the first half on their 3G pitch and they got their reward after an uncharacteristic long ball left their centre forward one on one and easily converting with a minute or so left before the break.

The second half was pretty even but Bracknell got the winner midway through after bringing on their top scorer who promptly nicked in ahead of a dozing visiting keeper and defence to convert a seemingly aimless free kick in to the box. The home keeper then redeemed himself with one of the saves of the season in injury time after relentless Windsor pressure.

[imp]

Bit of a late report, I have to admit. But on this particular weekend I went to see Shanghai Shenhua play Hebei in the Chinese Super League. And enjoyed it so much that I went back to see them play Kashima Antlers in the ACL a few days later.

[ad hoc]

Bit of a late report, I have to admit. But on this particular weekend I went to see Shanghai Shenhua play Hebei in the Chinese Super League. And enjoyed it so much that I went back to see them play Kashima Antlers in the ACL a few days later.

Very nice. But my inner pedant (ok, outer) is screaming at me to point out that supporters in Shanghai would be very unlikely to be speaking Cantonese

[imp]

That's not pedantry, that's accuracy - and proves that I don't even know what my own daughter's studying. Good thing I haven't sent her the link yet... (and thanks).