Your weekly round-up of the weekend’s big talking points as clubs benefit from a series of post New Year staggered kick-off times while Jed Ward does himself no-harm and Ben Harris still knows where the goal is while Tyler Robinson makes it a happy 300 for Windsor boss Mick Woodham.
Over 350 watching Step 7 football
You don’t often get three figures worth of people watching Step 7 football, let alone over 300, which is a shame as there’s some really good football on show if you know where to look.
Arguably – and Burghfield will likely disagree – but the top two sides in the Thames Valley League Premier Division played out 90 minutes in front of what some are saying was 350, others 400, at Sean Deveraux Park as Yateley United came from 1-0 down to beat reigning champions Finchampstead 2-1.
Yateley have come a long way in a short period with groundworks and a 100% record this season that points to a hopeful promotion to Step 6 on the English Football Pyramid. Certainly inflicting a rare defeat on the back-to-back league champions is a big step in the right direction.
No let up from Langley
Talking of clubs with promotion hopes, there was no sign of a New Year hangover from Combined Counties League Division One Langley who beat Brook House 5-0 at Arbour Park.
The Slough side have racked up 71 goals already this season in 20 games and look set to battle it out with Sandhurst Town all the way to May for the division title that would see the winners automatically promoted to Step 5 – a level ambitious Langley have never competed at in the club’s history.
Crowds flock to Bracknell Town
It was a day for big crowds at the weekend. A number of games were off to the weather while there was an array of kick-off times on offer meaning eager supporters could easily take in two games in a day across the county.
Bracknell Town certainly benefitted with over 500 in at Bottom Meadow to witness them take apart Hartley Wintney – bossed by former Sandhurst chief Ian Selley – who remain in the Southern League Premier Division South relegation zone.
The Robins though now have games in hand over all their play-off rivals and if current form is anything to go by, should be entrenched in the top five once they’ve caught up – the addition of former Slough Town striker Ben Harris isn’t going to slow them down.
Jed Ward’s double penalty saves
Hungerford Town’s Bristol Rovers loanee did his blossoming reputation no harm at the weekend with two penalty saves in the Crusaders 2-1 defeat to Farnborough in the Vanarama National League South.
George Smith had got Hungerford off to a dream start but Farnborough levelled before half time and then took the lead through Mason Bloomfield on the hour.
Ward’s two penalty saves came either side of Farnborough’s second goal and earner the young stopper the Man of the Match award as his side continue to search for a foothold in their relegation battle.
300 up for Windsor’s Mick Woodham
He’s been there and done it with Windsor, but it’s fair to say it wouldn’t have mattered a jot to Mick without three points as Sunday’s 3-2 win over Hilltop marked the Royalists boss’s 300th match in charge at Stag Meadow.
It’s taken two spells and countless hours, but the likeable boss got his side over the line in second-half injury time thanks to a Tyler Robinson hat-trick with Woodham saying simply “the boys found a way to win”.
What was your weekend highlight? Let us know in the comments below.
