A look over the weekend’s talking points which include Burghfield and Paggies Bar’s FA Sunday Cup ties postponed, promotion possibilities for Ascot United Ladies and Langley taking full advantage of what was a rare thing on Saturday – a Combined Counties League Division One fixture.
Want to catch up with all the weekend results? Those are here.
£700 to stand in the Essex cold
We’d not usually have much sympathy for ‘team travels to away game, game gets called of due to weather *cough Notts County cough*’, but when you are talking about Sunday League it’s usually just a trip from one side of town X to the other.
The FA Sunday Cup however is slightly different being a nationwide competition and as you get to the latter stages there’s every chance you’ll be on Merseyside, or Devon for example. So it’s with no little sympathy we highlight Burghfield and Paggies Bar’s trips to Essex and Suffolk respectively.
We know you could argue ‘you’ve entered a national competition, this is a risk of doing so but it’s hard not to feel for Burghfield especially, who saw their game called off because of bad visibilty.
Exhibit A
We don’t require an Exhibit B.
Paggies Bar’s game in Ipswich was also called off but there’s no official word on whether that was before or after the team set out from Newbury.
Got a talking point of your own? Let us know here in the comments below.
Consortium talks at Slough Town
We don’t know any more than what Slough themselves have put out on their website. But this seemed a sensible place to acknowledge the statement posted by the clubs Board of Directors on Monday morning: “At the present time we can confirm that we are in continued negotiations with a consortium regarding a potential takeover of the club. Subject to a satisfactory conclusion, we hope to share more information very soon and, in the meantime ask our supporters for their continued patience and trust.”
Read the full statement here.
A title race at the top of the Southern Region Women’s Football League Premier Division
A hugely important win for Ascot United Ladies at home on Sunday – one of only a handful of games to beat the weather – they thumped Oxford City 6-1 in the Southern Region Women’s Football League Premier Division with Nicole Brown bagging a hat-trick.
The nature of the eight-team division means the Yellas have just five games remaining and know that maximum points from those games would give Darrel Evans side the title.
A tall-order perhaps, especially with leaders Abingdon United and third-placed Bournemouth Sports among the fixtures yet to be played, but the Yellas haven’t been beaten by either side this season. Game on.
Langley take full advantage
With a raft of games off at the weekend, Langley took full advantage of their game at CB Hounslow United being on to take a six-point lead at the top of the Combined Counties League Division One with a 6-1 win.
Kushon Lewis-Thomas scored three while Flavio Gyawu-Kyem got a brace and Jaiden Celestine-Charles the other in the romp which means they are three points clear of FC Deportivo Galicia at the top. Beware though Sandhurst Town whose home tie with Berks County was postponed, the Fizzers have three games in hand over both teams.
Got a talking point of your own? Let us know here in the comments below.
Women’s FA Cup draw time for Reading
Reading FC Women are by no means ‘out of the woods’ when it comes to retaining FA Women’s Super League status this season but four points from their last three league games and a commendable fight-back against Chelsea at the weekend means the Royals can just about afford to look at a run in the Women’s FA Cup this season.
Which is good because Reading are in the Women’s FA Cup Fourth Round draw along with the rest of the FA WSL sides and a run could be just what is needed to put the spotlight on the action at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Two fourth-tier sides are in the draw – Cardiff City Ladies and Hashtag United – while tier three teams Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers are in the hat.
The weather over the weekend means the draw on Monday night at 7pm will include a number of games yet to be played with 13 games postponed.
Acknowledging sad demises
At times, we don’t know what to make of the Vanarama National League. Maidenhead United are 16th but just five points off the last play-off spot (and eight clear of the relegation zone), it is a graveyard of ex-Football League clubs and a springboard for upwardly mobile sides.
Oldham Athletic and Scunthorpe United are the two ‘famous old clubs’ in dire straights this season with the latter certainly seeming destined for Step 2 football next season.
Last season we saw former Step 2 side Staines Town disappear for very complicated reasons (and we can’t afford lawyers), but this season it is Hillingdon Borough who have caught our eye.
FA Vase finalists in 2006 – losing 3-1 to Nantwich Town, the Boro briefly hit the heights of the Southern and Isthmian League off the back of that period but it’s largely been a downward spiral ever since with their current location at the bottom of the CCL Division One – looking longingly upward at Bagshot, CB Hounslow and Brook House.
