We’re nearly there. Nearly at the end of what must feel like a marathon fortnight slog for the managers, players and volunteers at clubs across the Hellenic League – not to mention the supporters.
Two more league games each as for Bracknell Town and Binfield including this evenings Uhlsport Hellenic Premier Division ties where the Robins host Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Binfield visit Ardley United before a final round on Saturday.
And then a couple of cup ties. No bother.
So what do we know about tonight’s teams?
Binfield are depleted
Boss Roger Herridge is without captain Carl Withers, Alex Walton, Jemel Johnson, Mark O’Connell and Jack Broome but he does have Toby Nowell back in contention.
The Moles can still hit fifth place in the league with two wins for their final game but Herridge will surely be more focused on the race to the Madejski Stadium when Binfield and Wokingham & Emmbrook clash in the quarter finals of the Reading Senior Cup on Monday night.
Bracknell should continue to rest players
Bracknell started youngster Ben Poynter on Tuesday night (a County Cup finalist with his Sunday League side Whitegrove) and he repaid the faith with equaliser against Thatcham Town after Shane Cooper-Clark opened the scoring and he should start again tonight – Bracknell like Binfield are fully focused on their forthcoming cup competitions and Mark Tallentire will want the likes of Adam Cornell and fit and ready when they travel to Didcot Town Reserves on Monday in the Supplementary Cup semi-final.
What about the supporters?
The last fortnight of relentless football will have taken it’s toll on the clubs, but will supporters be out in force tonight for what are effectively a set of meaningless ties and with managers unable to field what they would call full-strength ties.
Having already been out and about Saturday/Tuesday/Thursday in recent weeks attendance figures tomorrow morning will tell a story of the fixture congestion off the pitch.
Bracknell’s tie at Larges Lane this evening kicks-off at 7.45pm. Binfield’s visit to Ardley kicks-off at 7.30pm. Ardley have a curfew on floodlights. Apparently the local residents didn’t expect football to be played in the evening when they moved in next to a floodlit football pitch.
Main photo credit: Carl Withers by Neil Graham.
