Margate Women 7 Woodcoombe Ladies 4 Sunday 17th September 2023 South East Counties Womens Football League Premier Division Day three of the my south east journey gave me the chance to catch up with my friends at Hartsdown Park. I visited early last season and found the whole setup at Margate to be very friendly and welcoming. They are the epitome of one club all working together with the board are making huge efforts to make all the teams mens, women’s and all the junior teams feel included and valued. A great outlook and one which is already starting to bear fruits. The weather on Sunday morning wasn’t quite as welcoming, a cloudy start with the threat of heavy showers and thunderstorms was forecast, so I made the short journey by train followed by a walk along the seafront. Luckily the rain help off as I made my way to the ground, making sure not to take the short cut through the park to get my steps total up! In keeping with the previous day’s events, there would be a delay to the kick off time, the game being pushed back to 3.30pm due to a medical emergency in an earlier game at Hartsdown Park, causing the late running of the youth game before the ladies match. The coincidences didn’t stop there after seeing a familiar face in the stand, it was the line official from the Whitstable game and he’d be refereeing this game. It was lovely to catch up once again with Steph Meek, one half of the Margate management duo, and also Margate superfan and all round legend Terry Scott. Also great to have the opportunity to talk to Ryan Day, one of the directors at Margate, and it was interesting to find out more about their plans for the future. The game kicked off with the newly promoted visitors taking the initiative. They passed the ball around well and seemed to be a yard quicker than their opponents who, for their part, suffered a somewhat sluggish start and struggled to retain possession. Woodcoombe forced a string of early corners but couldn’t capitalise on their dominance with the Margate defence holding strong. The closest they came was a snapshot by Alanna Jeffrey which was well blocked by Lily Kemp. The hosts slowly got a bit of a foothold in the game and a nice ball over the top from Abigail Greetham found Paige Godden in space and she hit an early shot which just went wide of the far post. At the other end Francesca Veal forced a smart save from Margate custodian Jasmine Wood after finding space in the area. Wood was in action again moments later, bravely diving at the feet of Maddy Titshell. Jessica-Jay Speller made a great run down the left and played a great ball through to Rebecca Niblett who got a touch to send it goalwards only to see Lillie Jones in the visitors goal save well. In this end to end affair it was the visitors who took a deserved lead on 26 minutes. Veal latched onto a ball down the right flank and sent a deep cross into the box which sailed over Wood’s head and lodged in the back of the net. 0-1 This finally seemed to spark some life into Margate, Godden was played in but again saw her effort saved well by Jones low to her left. From the resulting corner Niblett sent a great ball into a dangerous area with Nicole Adams reacting quickest, getting up to head home and level for the hosts. 1-1 Margate finished the half strongly with Speller gambling on a long ball from Shannon King reaching her but could only find the side netting with her snapshot. Soon after a Speller free kick to the far post was met by Godden and she got enough on it to give the hosts the lead. 2-1 Four minutes before the break, Niblett picked up a lovely through ball from Greetham and fired Margate’s third into the roof of the net. 3-1 On the stroke of half time Margate added a fourth. A long Lily Kemp clearance down the field was picked up by Niblett once again, a great first touch took her clear and as she bearing down on goal, she stroked the ball past Jones into the far corner for her second in four minutes. 4-1 A good end to the half from Margate, although the scoreline flattered them a little and was probably a bit harsh on Woodcoombe after their early superiority. H- T: Margate 4 Woodcoombe 1 The second half began in a similar fashion to the first with the visitors looking sharper and with the hosts looking like their minds were still back in the dressing room. Just a minute into the second half Woodcoombe were back in the game, Chelse Meaney found space in the area and lifted the ball over Wood and into the top corner. 4-2 Once again this sparked a reaction from The Gate and in the 53rd minute substitute Ruby Mann played a nice pass down the right flank, Paige Godden showed good strength to hold off a Woodcoombe defender before firing nicely past Jones to restore their three goal advantage. 5-2 The hosts were now hungry for more goals with a sixth duly arriving on 62 minutes and it was stunning individual goal. Esmee Kew-Stroud stole to ball off a defenders toe and drove into the area, turning two opponents inside out before taking the ball around Jones and sidefooting the ball into the empty net. A wonderful example of skill and control. 6-2 A seventh nearly followed shortly after, a great ball down the left was picked up by Abigail Greetham in space who squared it across the boz for Godden to get on the end of but her flick drifted agonisingly past the far post. The seventh wasn’t long in coming though as a Greetham corner was swung in, Jones tried to punch away under pressure and a despairing attempt at a clearance at the far post rebounded off Kew-Stroud and into the net. 7-2 Margate were now catching Woodcoombe on the break, creating several clear chances as the visitors carried on pushing forward and only some brilliant goalkeeping from Lillie Jones stopped the Gate adding to their lead. To their credit Woodcoombe kept pouring forward and in the 88th minute got their reward when a quick break gave Alanna Jeffrey time in the area and she took the ball around Wood and stroked the ball into the empty net. 7-3 There was still time for one more goal, the visitors won a free kick on the edge of the area which Ella Taylor launched into the roof of the net with the final kick of the game. 7-4 F-T: Margate 7 Woodcoombe 4 A thoroughly entertaining game played in good spirit by two attacking sides. Margate were worthy winners but they knew they were in a game with Woodcoombe making them battle for the whole 90 minutes. Abigail Greetham would take my player of the match for an impressive all round performance and my stand-out player for Woodcoombe was Rachel Cockell, an assured defender who reads the game really well. Putting my goalkeepers union hat on for a moment, I’d like to give a shout-out to both keepers. Both looked confident with ball to foot, brave in diving out at players feet and both making a string of good saves. In a game where there was eleven goals scored it possibly seems strange to talk about the goalkeepers but both impressed me. Lillie Jones at times kept the visitors in the game and Jasmine Wood in the Margate goal looks a find. She’s young, only just moved up into the first team, looks to have plenty of development and progression in her and will hopefully have a good future ahead of her. Good luck to both sides for the rest of the season and I’v no doubt our paths will cross again at some point! So, not a bad way to get back into the swing of things after my slow start to the season and I think I would have found it hard to find an more event-filled couple of games to pick for my return! Roll on the rest of the season…

Alton 1 Cowes Sports 2 Saturday 23rd September 2023 FA Vase Second Round Qualifying Another trip back to a club I enjoyed visiting last season in Alton, a 39 mile journey but with the vagueries of train travel the journey involved three changes and a 15 minute walk to change line to get there! Once there I had a chance to take a look at the lovely old platform which serves the Watercress Line and their steam trains, I’m beginning to get worried now, all these journeys to the football seem to be turning me into a bit of a train enthusiast! I was warmly greeted upon reaching the ground, £6 entry and £2 for a programme, and also managed to catch up with Lisa Woodward, the secretary of Cowes Sports and someone I’ve chatted with on Twitter (or whatever you want to call it now!). A quick pint of Henneys cider (very reasonably priced at £3.50) and a wander around the ground and it was time for the game. It was a very tight opening few minutes, two teams who looked well matched, probing to try to find an opening. The first of note came to the visitors, a long ball over the top was misjudged by the Alton defender leaving McKie to run onto the loose ball but he could only head the ball into the arms of Mees in the home goal. The opening goal came in the ninth minute. The hosts crossed from wide on the right and, after a bit of head tennis in the area, the ball fell to Sowden and he laid it on to Luke Perkins on the right hand side of the area and he fired a fierce shot across Hatt into the opposite corner. 1-0 The Brewers were on top and pushed on looking to try to double their lead but a mixture of good defending and poor finishing kept the scoreline as it was. In a rare breakaway, a crossfield ball was well chested down and controlled by McKie and his lay-off found Triggs but his shot went just wide of the left hand post. Alton went straight down the other end and Hoppitt had a good effort from a tight angle but saw his shot go just wide of the far post. Next, a contentious moment. From a ball over the top, Archie Larkham’s weak header back to the keeper was latched onto by McKie and he raced into the box where he appeared to be clipped from behind. The referee took a look but waved away the Sports penalty claims. The final chance in the half came again from the hosts, Louis Russell made a great run to the byline and pulled the ball back towards the near post where Scott Sanderson was running in but the ball was slightly behind him and he could only manage to flick it wide. A decent half from two closely matched sides where Alton will feel they didn’t make the most of their chances but still went in at the break with a goal advantage. H-T: Alton 1 Cowes Sports 0 The visitors started the half well and fashioned a chance when, following a nice move down the right, McKie found himself in room just outside the right corner of the six yard box and attempted to lift it over Mees but just couldn’t get enough elevation to beat the keeper’s outstretched arms. At the other end an inswinging corner looked destined for the far corner of the net but Hatt pawed the ball away from just under the crossbar. Alton again went on the front foot, forcing a succession of corners which were defended well by the visitors. At this stage both sides were finding it difficult to break the other defence down as the game flowed from end to end. Ito the last fifteen minutes and Cowes were throwing men forward looking for an equaliser. Mumford made a great run down the right to the byline which took him past two defenders but he couldn’t pick out anyone in red in the box and the ball was cleared. In the 85th minute Russell was sent clear and it looked like his shirt was being pulled back but the referee waved play on and, from a quick breakaway, the visitors levelled. George Carter-Knight received the ball just outside the area and hit a rocket which crashed back off the crossbar, he reacted quickly, picking up the rebound and coolly slamming the ball into the right corner. 1-1. Alton pushed on again and Russell once again beat the offside trap and headed into the area but he delayed shooting as the keeper advanced giving a defender time to slide in and block his effort when he finally pulled the trigger. Both sides were now going for the win and Cowes had the next chance. Carter-Knight put a lovely chipped pass in to Phillips at the far post but Larkham blocked his effort away for a corner. The smash and grab from the visitors was complete in the 90th minute. Phillips was sent sprawling in the area when poised to shoot and this time the official had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Jez Conway stepped up to take the penalty and stroked the ball into the left corner sending Mees the wrong way. 1-2 Alton threw everything at the visitors in the ten minutes of added time but couldn’t find a way through despite a couple of surging overlapping runs down the right flank from Larkham. The defence held out and Cowes took the place in the first round. F-T: Alton 1 Cowes Sports 2 A cracking hard-fought game of football between two well matched sides. Alton will be rueing missing too many good chances and ultimately paid the price whereas Cowes will be delighted with their day’s work and looking forward to the draw for the next round. Good luck to both teams for the rest of the season.

Woodley United Ladies 2 Eastleigh Ladies 0 Sunday 24th September 2023 Southern Region Women's Football League Premier Division It’s always a pleasure to visit Woodley United Ladies and this was a match I’d been looking forward to since the release of the first few SRWFL fixtures. I’d seen Eastleigh in the final of the SRWFL League Cup against Ascot United in April so knew they were a strong team and one which would provide a good challenge for the Division One North champions on their return to the Premier Division. So to a windy Bulmershe Pavilion I went, via the Three Tuns for a cheeky cider after being forced into an early start with South Western Railways inability to run a rail replacement service. It was a typical autumn day, one minute the sun was out and it was nice and warm, the next it clouded over and there was a distinct chill in the air. Pretty good conditions for a game of football although the gusty wind sweeping across the pitch would prove a test for both teams. The game started at a high tempo with both sides looking to assert some sort of authority on the game. The hosts had the first chance of the game, a free kick on the right hand side around 35 yards from goal was launched in towards the far post by Ellen Surtees but agonisingly it fell between Sarah Lawrence and May Hamblin at the far post with neither able to get a touch which allowed keeper Sarah Kelsall to see the ball out for a goal kick. Woodley started pressing and were creating early chances. Mollie Haines and Lawrence linked well down the right flank with the latter sending a decent cross into the area. This was cleared but only to Katie Hudson whose shot was headed out for a corner. The resulting set piece was taken short and after a quick one two, a dangerous cross into the six yard box evading everyone until finally reaching Hudson but she didn’t have time to react with it looked to come off her with the ball looping up over the bar. Eastleigh were weathering a bit of a storm and soon after Hamblin was put through on goal by a lovely through ball from Bonnie Messitt on the left of the area and her well struck shot was well saved by Kelsall at her near post. The visitors thought they had scored when Noemia Baptista latched onto a ball over the top and lifted it nicely over Sophie Cheadle in the Woodley goal but the flag was raised for offside. This seemed to spur on Eastleigh, a lovely ball through the defence by Sheree Bell-Jack again found Baptista but the defence managed to clear away for a corner. Sarah Bradshaw sent in a great inswinging cross which was met by Baptista but she couldn’t direct it goalwards and her header drifted wide. Woodley hit back with Hamblin running in on goal and her drive was tipped over the bar by Kelsall. Back came Eastleigh and they were getting some joy with balls played over the top into the left wing channel for Baptista to chase. Bradshaw finding Baptista in space but she was well closed down by the covering Surtees. Fantastic link up play between Maddie Sawyer, Charley Evans & Sarah Lawrence down the right flank led to Lawrence sending a dangerous cross into the box where it was met by Hamblin but her header went narrowly wide. Hamblin was again in action soon after running into the box with her shot this time rebounding off the bar. The hosts were now on top and putting the visitors under pressure. Charley Evans made a great run taking it past three defenders before seeing her effort blocked, the ball falling kindly for Sajunae Turner and her snapshot went narrowly wide. Next another excellent run down the left from May was followed by a whipped in cross which Kathryn Littleboy managed to deflect away from Lawrence but straight into the path of Turner who fired into the left corner. 1-0 Eastleigh again responded in this end to end first half, first Bell-Jack managed to make some space for a shot from the edge of the area which went just wide. On their next attack Bell-Jack played a lovely pass through the home defence but Baptista was again adjudged to be in an offside position. Woodley hit back and had the visitors under pressure winning a couple of corners, the second of which from the left was missed by everyone but with Lawrence picking up the pieces on the right and firing in another cross which Eastleigh struggled to clear. The ball eventually fell to Hamblin and her shot was adjudged to have hit an arm “in an unnatural position” and a penalty given. Hamblin stepped up to take but, after being delayed by the over fussy official, hit the ball down the middle where it was easily saved by Kelsall. The home side had a shot from the edge of the area which the Kelsall seemed to struggle to get down to with the post saving her before Eastleigh had one final chance in this pulsating half with Baptista again causing all sorts of problems for the hosts defence, turning a defender and crashing a shot against the post. H-T: Woodley United 1 Eastleigh 0 Woodley came out of the blocks quickly in the second half and they doubled their lead early on with the best goal I’ve seen so far this season. Charley Evans took control of the ball on the right of midfield and, in typical Charley fashion, made a driving run at the visitors defence. Her pass to Hamblin wide left was swept across the six yard box finding Lawrence at the far post who finished beautifully. A cracking goal. 2-0 The hosts were now in control, Lawrence and Haines linked up well again down the right flank before a cross from the latter was controlled well by Evans but this time Kelsall was equal to her shot, saving well. Evans was involved again shortly after, running onto a lovely pass from substitute Pippa Humphrey and setting up Hamblin but her left foot shot went just wide. Gemma Sims was sin-binned for ten minutes following a disagreement with a decision and subsequent choice comment to the line official. With the hosts down to ten Eastleigh could smell a way back into the game, a fantastic surging run down the right from Siena Millen ended with her shot being well saved by the legs of Cheadle. Maddie Sawyer and Mollie Haines linked up well down the left where Haines was unceremoniously brought down on the edge of the area. The free kick was clipped into a great area with the visitors defence doing well to clear. Minutes later more nice link up play led to a great cross from Messitt looking for the inrushing Haines, she threw herself at the ball but just failed to make contact. At the other end, captain Chelsea Bates struck a powerful effort from the edge of the area following good play from Baptista but it just whistled over the bar. Woodley had the final effort with a good run and shot from 30 yards from the all-action Sarah Lawrence which flew over the bar. F-T: Woodley United 2 Eastleigh 0 A cracking and very entertaining game of football with both sides giving everything, a great advertisement for women’s football. The only downside from this game for me was the referee who, in Mike Dean fashion, seemed to want to make the game all about him. I won’t go into it any further as referee’s do an incredibly difficult job but if I reach my target of 70 to 80 games in 23/24, I hope to do so without seeing his name on any of the future teamsheets. I usually give a player of the match but it is really difficult with this one, you could make a case for at least half a dozen! For Woodley this was a total team performance. Sarah Lawrence was superb, chasing after everything and finishing the lovely move for the second goal, I have no idea where she gets her energy from! Charley Evans looked dangerous every time she went forward and defended well, Katie Hudson was a rock playing just in front of the defence and distributed the ball superbly and Shannon Hobson played well on the left after coming on as a substitute. Woodley have a really strong bench this season and Michelle Quinn, Pippa Humphrey, Ashleigh Powell and Sajunae Turner, who at just 16 looks a great prospect, all played their part. For Eastleigh, Sarah Kelsall played well in goal, Sarah Bradshaw looked solid at left back and Siena Millen looks a pacy direct player who will cause defences propblems. Without a doubt their stand-out player was Noemia Baptista who had a great game and gave the home defence problems with her pace and eye for goal. Good luck to both teams and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you both again during the course of the season. Photographer Andy Wicks covered the game and you can check out his fantastic gallery by visiting his website.

Camberley Town 0 Jersey Bulls 3 Saturday 30th September 2023 Combined Counties Premier Division South My first double header of the season and, thanks to the train strike, I had to find an alternative route to Camberley. One painfully slow bus ride and a fifteen minute walk and I found myself at the gates of Krooner Park for this 12.30pm kick off. As I’d heard really good things about the food at Camberley that was my first port of call. The 6oz burger was amazing and pretty much every morsel of food I saw people with looked really good. For more info check out my new Matchday Fayre food page where I’ll be reviewing all the food I try on my football travels this season. I managed to catch up with Christofer Walker, better known as @mottysmic on Twitter and for his great non-league commentaries every weekend on CWSportRadio.com. Check him out if you can, a great supporter of non-league and the women’s game. It was then that we found out the kick off would be delayed to 12.45pm, something I’ve been used to this season especially on my visit to Kent, because of travel problems for the Bulls. At the start of the game Jersey were sitting top of the division with Camberley in 15th. The first action saw a free kick from near the left touchline floated towards the far post where Jack Boyle managed to get his head to the ball but it drifted harmlessly wide. During the first fifteen minutes Jersey were definitely on top and seemed a yard quicker to the ball than the hosts but neither side really threatened to open the scoring. In the 25th minute Jay Giles whipped in a cross from the left which Lorne Bickley headed goalwards but over the bar. Max West got down well to a shot from the edge of the area as the pressure started to build on the Krooners goal. In the 31st minute the visitors took the lead. Jonny Le Quesne won the ball inside the Camberley half and after a quick passing move cut it back into the area where Bickley was on hand to fire left footed past West and into the bottom right corner. 0-1 On the stroke of half time Bickley made it two. James Carr played to ball to Bickley with his back to goal, a swift turn followed by a right foot shot into the left corner was enough for the visitors to deservedly double their lead. 0-2 H-T Camberley Town 0 Jersey Bulls 2 The second half started in a similar fashion with the Bulls on top and it took them just seven minutes to increase their lead. Bickley picked up a loose ball midway inside the Camberley half and drove on, shrugging off a challenge before playing a lovely ball into the path of James Carr. A great first touch with his right foot took him clear of Luke Benton and a smart finish with his left made it three for the visitors. 0-3 On the hour, an outswinging corner was met by Luke Campbell, his header was blocked but fell into the path of Fraser Barlow who poked the ball towards the goal but straight into the midriff of West. Substitute Sam Freeman picked up the ball wide right for the home side before cutting in past two defenders and tred a curler to the far post but Sammy Sutcliffe was there to block. In the later stages of the game the pace of Miguel Carvalho carved open a couple of changes for Jersey. A good run down the run and cut back from the byline found Carr but he smashed it over the bar. The final chance came at the death, McColgan played in Carvalho who made space for himself and, with the goal seemingly at his mercy, took the power option and blasted the ball over the bar with West beaten. F-T: Camberley Town 0 Jersey Bulls 3

Frimley Green 1 Cove 2 Saturday 30th September 2023 Vitality Wessex League Division One The second game of my double header meant hightailing it from Krooner Park to Frimley Green for their local derby with Cove. I made it in time for kick off by the skin of my teeth. £6 entry to the ground and £1.50 for a printed programme (something that wasn’t available at Camberley) and I took my place in the stand and was set for game two of the afternoon. Cove started quickly and were getting some joy with the ball over the top for their pacy forwards to run onto. Nathan Connolly latched onto one such ball and bore down on goal with just the keeper to beat but inexplicably decided to pass the ball across the area instead of shooting and the early chance went begging. Connolly again beat the offside trap and on this occasion did decide to pull the trigger but Frimley captain Chris Harris made a good save to his right. A snapshot from Ben Clark went straight to Harris before Connolly played a nice ball to Ashley Hawes and he put the ball in the net only to be flagged for offside. Frimley began to haul themselves into the game and had their first chance when Tommy Whitby hit a long range effort which was gathered well by Aiden Upward in the visitors goal. Moments later Whitby was again freed by a nice through ball, raced into the area and slotted the ball past Upward to give the hosts the lead. 1-0 The game was now end to end but with neither side getting close to scoring in this frenetic local derby. H-T: Frimley Green 1 Cove 0 After the half time whistle had blown there was a fracas involving virtually all the players as they were leaving the field. It took the referee and linesman some time to get control and sort it out. Frimley’s Toby Harris and Cove’s Josh Stepney were called out of the dressing room and shown a red card each with Frimley’s Daniel Bone receiving a yellow. The second half started in a lively atmosphere and again it was Cove who looked the more likely to score early on. Hawes thought he was in but Harris raced out to bravely dive at the forwards feet and smother the ball. Armani Riley swung a great corner into the near post where Connolly flicked a header goalwards but Harris was again equal to it with a smart save to his left. In another chance for the visitors, Connolly raced onto a long ball only for Harris to beat him to it but cleared the ball against Connolly sending the ball spinning in the area. Connolly reached it first but a heavy touch took him wide and the chance had gone. On 70 minutes Cove were level, A repeat of the corner routine with Riley sending the ball to the near post where Connolly had lost his marker and headed home to level the scores. 1-1 Cove now went looking for a winner and a long clearance from Upward caught on the wind and Connolly was the quickest to react, getting a shot away but again Harris saved well down low. At the other end Whitby ran onto a through ball and tried to lob Upward but put his effort wide. The visitors were given a golden chance to take the lead in the 85th minute when Connolly took a tumble in the area and the referee pointing to the spot. Connolly stepped up to take it and fired down the middle only to see the ball rebound off the legs of Harris, the ball looping up in the air with Connolly first to it but he could only head into the arms of Harris. Looked a soft penalty but good work from Harris to keep it out. At the other end Frimley could have snuck it when Sam Lynam curled the ball towards to top corner only to see Upward claw the ball away. It was now end to end as both teams went for the win and Cove struck to take the points at the death. Connolly picked up a crossfield diagonal pass and, after taking it around the defender, played it into the path of Riley who stroked the ball into the net to complete the comeback. 1-2 Frimley threw everything at Cove in added time but came up short. A sometimes scrappy but always full blooded battle of a game finished with Cove, probably deservedly, taking the local spoils. F-T: Frimley Green 1 Cove 2