EASTWOOD TOWN (Coronation Park)

Saturday 29th November 2008
FA Cup 2nd Round
Eastwood Town 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers
Attendance: 1,955

The FA Cup run continues still and there is nothing like a good old giant killing! I felt privileged to be at a packed Coronation Park for the upset of round. Wycombe were completely outclassed by Eastwood and it was very difficult to determine which was the team sitting undefeated at the top of League Two.

Goals from Lindon Meikle after 35 minutes and a Peter Knox goal in the 90th minute deservedly put The Badgers into tomorrows draw. The TV cameras were there and the highlights are well worth tuning in for. Must give a mention of the homemade steak pie on sale today, it was amazing!

FISHER ATHLETIC (Champion Hill)

Sunday 23rd November 2008
FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round
Fisher Athletic 0-2 Havant & Waterlooville
Attendance: 170

Not particularly fond of groundshares (Fisher play their home games at Champion Hill, the home of Dulwich Hamlet FC) but when there is nothing better to do on a Sunday then what the heck! The game turned out to be a comfortable away win for the Hawks. The only surprise was that they only scored the two goals and it took them until the 58th minute to get their first.

Havant dominated possession and had loads chances but failed to convert them. First goal was a Gary Elphick header from a corner (58) and second was a penalty, converted by Jamie Collins (74).

Special mention must go to the Fisher custodian, Sheikh Ceesay,  who kept the crowd entertained with his "eccentric" style of goalkeeping...or to put it another way he made Gomez of Spurs look like a safe pair of hands!



The Havant (yellow) penalty gets tucked away to make it 2-0 to the visitors

FLACKWELL HEATH (Wilks Park)

Saturday 22nd November 2008
Hellenic Premier League
Flackwell Heath 3-0 Bicester Town
Attendance: 70

Reasonable enough game between two strugglers at the bottom of the table. Flackwell Heath took the lead through Ben Chadbone after four minutes but didn't add to the total, despite having plenty of possession, until the final twelve minutes when Chadbone netted his second (78) and Alan Akerman scored deep into stoppage time.

Bicester Town had their moments, but a combination of poor finishing and poor decision making was their undoing. To be honest Bicester looked a pretty poor side and it was easy to see why they are down the bottom and if Flackwell had been a more potent attacking force it could've been at least double what they did score

Wilks Park is a cracking little ground with a sloping pitch and the clubhouse served a belting pint of Rebellion. Despite the bitterly cold chill in the air a great day out.

 

 

THACKLEY (Dennyfield)

Saturday 15th November 2008
FA Vase 2nd Round
Thackley 0-1 Shildon
Attendance: 131

An early goal for Shildon, Warren Byrne scoring after 8 minutes, settled this tie. Thackley had plenty possession but rarely threatened. Shildon were quite happy to play on the break, and indeed if they'd took advantage of the three one-on-ones they had the game would've been over by half time.

Thackley did have the ball in the net but it was disallowed, why i'm not sure...could've been a foul on keeper, handball or offside...anyhow there didn't seem anything wrong with it from where I was standing. The second half continued in a similar vein to the first half but Shildon held on for the win.

 

AFC HORNCHURCH (Bridge Avenue Stadium)

Sunday 9th November 2008
FA Cup First Round
AFC Hornchurch 0-1 Peterborough United
Attendance: 3,000

Somehow I manage to keep my FA Cup run going when the Urchins' game with Peterborough was moved to the Sunday. The game wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but Hornchurch more than held their own against their League opponents. Peterborough, naturally, had most of the play but rarelly threatened to do anything with it.

However, a goalkeeping error in the 90th minute allowed The Posh to sneak a 1-0 win, thanks to Craig Mackail-Smith, when The Urchins deserved a replay at London Road.