Burghfield - Burghfield CSA

Burghfield FC

Burghfield CSA

James Lane

Reading

Berkshire

RG30 3RS

Official Website

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Ground Number: 1338
Wednesday 28th August 2024

Burghfield 0-0 Finchampstead

Thames Valley Premier

BURGHFIELD FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1989. For the first ten or so years of their existence, they were a youth team, known as Burghfield Boys. They changed their name to the present one in 2000, though this was more to indicate the expansion of the club with girls' teams as well. A Sunday League side was established soon after with this expanding to a Saturday men's team too. In 2015 they joined the Thames Valley Premier League, starting in Division 4. Their first season saw a runners-up spot behind Maidenhead Magpies Reserves which earned them a two-division jump to Division 2. They took to that division like a duck to water, winning the title in 2017. The following year, their swift ascent continued when they finished as runners-up to Richaings Park in Division 1, missing out on the title by goal difference. Their first season saw them in mid-table before results were expunged due to the pandemic. Since then, Burghfield have never dropped below 4th, finishing as runners-up behind Finchampstead in 2022.

The club has won a number of local cups. These include the Berks & Bucks FA Charles Twelftree Trophy in 2024 and the Reading Invitational Challenge Cup in 2015 as well as a host of honours for Sunday & Youth teams.  Burghfield is a village in Berkshire, located on the outskirts of Reading. It has a population of around 6,000. Burghfield can trace its history back to before the Domesday Book, and was once home to three manors: Burghfield Regis, Burghfield Abbas, and Sheffield (or Soefeld). Since the 1980s the population of Burghfield has nearly doubled with the construction of housing estates, making it a dormitory for Reading, Newbury, Basingstoke and the M4 corridor (which crosses the north of the parish). A Burh is an Old English name for a fortified town or other defended site, (e.g., at Burgh Castle), sometimes centred upon a hill fort though always intended as a place of permanent settlement.

MY VISIT

With only a couple of weeks left of early evening kickoffs, I was keen to indulge. The Thames Valley League and Burghfield were perfect in that respect - 6 PM kickoffs were great with me up for work at 5 AM. I also had Newbury pencilled in for the following week but with them returning back 'home' soon, I decided not to bother. Colin would not be joining me as he was off to South Leeds with his fellow retiree Hertfordshire Hopper. He certainly plays his epilepsy card to its full potential, grabbing all the freebies and perks that he can and only having to work 12 hours a week for an employer that treats him far better than mine does. I probably could have joined them and for a reasonable price too. But with a 4 AM alarm, I decided to stay local. The ground would be easily doable on a Saturday anyway and fairly cheaply too so I wasn't too fussed.

I did all of my research on the afternoon before. Happily, the club seemed active on Twitter and were publicising the game earlier in the week. My research also told me that there were no food places nearby, so I decided to take my own. Whilst doing my research and bearing in mind that Newbury would be returning home. I'd only need to visit Wargrave to complete the league. It was a nice easy trip back from Wiltshire the previous night, Radio 5 keeping me good company with the score updates. I still only got five hours of sleep but felt fine the next morning. It was a nice, short and happy day for me at work with the shift only six hours. It's a nice relaxing and productive afternoon before I leave at 4.45. There is slight traffic and it takes me 55 minutes to get to the ground. The main car park is cordoned off and a friendly club official directs me to a space in the ground itself. I eat my chicken whilst I wait for kickoff.

 

This was the first game of the season in the Thames Valley League. Last season, just a point separated Burghfield in 4th and Finchampstead in 5th. They only played each other in May, Burghfield winning 2-0 in the BTC Senior Cup final which was played at Reading. In the league, Burghfield won 2-1 at Finchampstead whilst this fixture was a goalless draw. The game gets going at 18:03. It's a fairly even opening but only a series of clearances off the line prevent Burghfield from taking the lead after 11 minutes. There's lots of effort from both sides. Burghfield come closest again on 39 minutes, curling a shot narrowly over the bar. With lots of effort and intent but a lack of finishing, it was easy to see how the corresponding fixture was 0-0 last season. It was a scrappy second half. A late free kick for Burghfield was well saved with Finchampstead looking like they would get the point they came for. Another chance for Burghfield saw a Finchampstead defender head over his own bar.

 

So goalless then, but it wasn't a bad game. It was Burghfield who were the better side, Finchampstead defended well and did have a few half chances. I left at 7.50, putting the sound from Sky Sports coverage of the Swansea City v Wycombe Wanderers game. The commentary was as dull as you'd imagine from someone who didn't care about the outcome. I tuned into Wycombe Sound as soon as I could and was disappointed that our regular commentator Phil Catchpole was absent. The stand-in was better than Sky though. Happily, as I got nearer home, Wycombe took the lead in Wales and I was back home in time to stream the second half. Sadly, it looked as if this would be the end of early evening kickoffs, even though the 6PM kickoffs that the Thames Valley League has would still work for a couple of weeks yet. I guess it's down to parents and kids going back to school but I will miss the early getaways.

THE GROUND

BURGHFIELD COMMUNITY SPORTS ASSOCIATION is a typical but pleasant step 7 venue with lots of potential. It's isolated location means a car is very useful but with no nearby houses and room for expansion, it could be improved. As it is, three sides of the ground feel enclosed with the official spectator area on the other side. This is also where the extensive car parking is. There is a club building with toilets and other facilities but nothing for sale that I saw. It's a friendly community club and well worth a visit. Finchampstead came closest in the second half when they charged down a goalkeeper clearance but it went wide.