Wycombe Saints - The Rye

Wycombe Saints LFC

The Rye

Bassetsbury Lane 

High Wycombe 

Bucks

HP11 1QX

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Ground Number: 1412

Sunday 13th April 2025

Wycombe Saints 3-1 Finchampstead 

TVWFL Development Division

WYCOMBE SAINTS FC & THE RYE

Wycombe Saints FC is primarily a junior football club. Established in 2013, it has evolved to cover ages from U7s up to U21s. They play on the Rye, a large multi-pitch complex & park just outside of High Wycombe on the London Road. It is home to several teams including AFC LIberal, AFC Wycombe, All Trades FC, Cressex United, Italia Unita, Hazlemere Sports Rangers, Holmer Green Rangers, Mill Lane and United, all of whom play in the High Wycombe Sunday Combination. The Ladies' team that I was off to watch joined the Thames Valley Women's League in 2018 as a U17 side. The first two seasons were a struggle as they finished bottom of the U18 Division on both occasions. In 2020 they joined the Development Division where they remain to this day. Their best season came in 2023 when they finished 5th out of 10 teams.

The main reason for visiting here was that it was Wycombe Wanderers FC's ground for the first six years of their history. The club formed in 1887, drew their first game 0-0 against Wycombe Nose Club on 24th September. A month later, their first home game was played at The Rye and they lost 3-1 to Wycombe Rovers. No league was entered in the entirety of their stay at the venue as they left in 1893 and would not enter the Southern League until 1896 by which time they had moved to Loakes Park. Wycombe Wanderers' first competitive game on The Rye came on 28th January 1889 as they beat West Wycombe Rovers 5-0 in the High Wycombe Challenge Cup. In 1890, the club started playing competitive games at High Wycombe Cricket Club. The last friendly played on The Rye was a 1-1 draw against Finsbury Polytechnic on 3rd April 1893.

Football had been played on the Rye, around half a mile east of High Wycombe since 1863, an unconventional 20-a-side game between local players. In 1871, High Wycombe FC moved in, their first game was a 0-0 draw against Marlow. FA Cup football was also played there. In 1877, High Wycombe beat Wood Grange at the neutral venue of West Ham Park, winning 4-0 despite being drawn at home. The only ever FA Cup game on the Rye came on Saturday 15th December 1877. High Wycombe crashed 9-0 in the 2nd Round to eventual winners Wanderers who were highly successful in those days and would go on to prove the inspiration for Wycombe Wanderers' name.. Space was at a premium on the Rye with several local teams having to do battle with cattle which took priority over sport. As a result, High Wycombe left The Rye in 1889 and moved to the Cricket Club. Due to rent costs and the emergence of Wycombe Wanderers FC, the club's football section disbanded although rugby continued.

MY VISIT 

I originally intended to visit the Rye back on December 8th. I started working on this blog on the Thursday before, hoping that the forecasts of gale-force winds and torrential rain would not affect the game. I had seen a couple of games on The Rye watching my brother play kids' football against Wycombe Marsh. Had I kept proper records, I'd also have seen many more matches at Holmer Green but all of them had been lost in the mists of time. In the end, the weather looked pretty grim and so I gave it the swerve. Much to my surprise, despite everything else in the area being off, the game went ahead with Wycombe Saints beating Wokingham Town 5-2. This match was decided around a month in advance as I still wanted to visit the Rye in better weather. I rarely got to do a Sunday game as I was limited by finishing work at 1 and the sparse choice of games.

From our game at Marston Shelton Rovers, I drove Colin home, dropping him off and getting home just after 9. I got my blog up and got to bed just after 10:30. I was slightly jaded the next morning. It was a good day at work though; I finalised my schedule for next week in the afternoon. Friday was harder and a disappointing sober evening with no football as the nearest new ground was a 300-mile round trip away at Rhayader. Saturday saw me go to Wycombe Wanderers v Stevenage, as the hopping options did not inspire me. The 12.30 kickoff was a pain but allowed me to visit the refurbished Wetherspoons. It was a mixed bag, the Breakfast Muffin excellent but two cider pumps out of order and no boxed ciders. I had to settle for Dark Fruits but headed off after one pint. It was a couple of cans from Tesco, but that didn't make it a hard-fought 1-0 win any better to watch than the turgid spectacle that it was.

 

I was back home by 3.10 and so walked up Holmer Green to watch their development side play against Chalfont Wasps. The visitors deservedly won 1-0 and it was a nice way to spend an afternoon. It was a few drinks in the evening before a fairly early night. The working Sunday was typically busy but not too much of a drag. I bought some shopping and lunch before having my break and leaving. It was a ten-minute drive to the Rye. I parked across the road and walked five minutes before walking five minutes to the pitch. I got some pictures before meeting up with Colin and John for this tier 8 women's game. It was colder than yesterday and we'd had rain for the first time in a fortnight.

 

Wycombe Saints were in 6th place, and last week, they won without playing, as Goring United was unable to raise a team. They were unbeaten in the three games before that. Finchampstead Reserves were 2nd but some way behind leaders Burghfield Reserves. They lost and drew to Burghfield last week in a double-header game. Aside from that, they had some big wins lately. When the two sides met in the reverse fixture on 1st December, Finchampstead won 2-1. Wycombe Saints took the lead on five minutes when #17 curled home from around ten yards. Other than that, it was a fairly even first half with the rain making an unwelcome appearance again. It was 2-0 on 50 minutes, a curling shot from wide right hit the bar and was followed up with a finish from the edge of the area. On 75 minutes, Finchampstead pulled one back, heading home from a well-delivered corner. It was another good corner delivery from the right on 82 minutes which was headed home at the near post by #16. That was it as far as the scoring was concerned, although bright sunshine had returned as the game ended.

THE GROUND

THE RYE is a basic but pleasant to watch a game of football. It is located a short walk from Wycombe town centre and train station with a wide choice of places to visit. Parking is available on nearby side streets on Sundays or there are chargeable car parks nearby. The area is really well-kept and has a river one side and a stream the other side, making it a popular area for walkers. The pitch itself is as basic as you get, though there is a grass bank behind one goal.

Marston Shelton Rovers - Marston Playing Fields

Marston Shelton Rovers FC

Marston Playing Fields

Marston Leisure Park

Bedford Road

Marston Moreteyne

Bedfordshire

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Ground Number: 1411
Wednesday 9th April 2025
Marston Shelton Rovers 3-0 Elstow Abbey
Beds County League Premier

MARSTON SHELTON ROVERS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1898. They joined the Bedford & District League and after winning Division Two in 1933, the club were league champions for four consecutive seasons between 1936 and 1939.  Marston Shelton Rovers would join the South Midlands League following the end of the war. They finished as high as 6th in the Premier Division in 1949 but by 1952 they were relegated to Division 1. They bounced back in 1954 as runners-up to Stotfold. Relegation followed again in 1961 and the club would leave the league altogether in 1973 after finishing bottom of Division 1. They moved back to the Beds County League and won Division 1 at the first attempt. They must have suffered relegation as they were Division 2 champions in 1978. Ten years later, they won Division 1 again. In 2003 they finished 4h in Division 2, earning promotion to Division 1. However, they finished bottom of Division One in 2005 and were relegated back to Division 2. A third-place finish in 2010 saw Marston Shelton Rovers promoted to Division 1. They finished third in Division 1 in 2012 earning promotion to the Premier Division. They've been there ever since, finishing as high as 3rd in 2019.

Marston Shelton Rovers played one season in the FA Cup in 1950. They beat Bedford Corinthians 3-0 before losing 2-1 at Hitchin Town. A groundshare at Wooton Blue Cross allowed them to play in the FA Vase in 2017 & 2019 but they went out at the first hurdle. Locally, they have won two Bedfordshire Junior Cups, two Bedfordshire Intermediate Cups, the Aubrey Tingey Memorial Cup in 1977 and the Britannia Cup in 2017. The club is based in Marston Moreteyne, a village on the A421 between Bedford & Milton Keynes. It has a population of around 4,500. The village is served by Millbrook railway station, approximately 1 mile away on the Marston Vale Line. The place-name 'Marston Moretaine' is first attested in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 969, where it appears as Mercstuninga. It appears as Merestone in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name derives from the Old English mersc-tūn meaning 'town or settlement by a marsh'. It was held by the family of Moretaine, from Mortain in Normandy in France.

MY VISIT

I was overwhelmed with choice for the second 'silly season' game of this year. It was annoying though that everything I fancied was on Wednesday. This was the polar opposite of the normal midweek games, where everything is stuck on Tuesday. For this Wednesday, I could have seen various games in the East Berkshire League, one I really fancied was Old Windsor. The same could be said for the Surrey League, where Addlestone was a contender. However, I decided to crack on with the Bedfordshire League and Marston Shelton Rovers. Conversely, on Tuesday, the nearest step 7 option was over 80 miles away in Rotherfield of the Mid-Sussex League. That, combined with it being a basic venue in a league I was not going to complete. made me decide to have a night in watch Huddersfield Town v Wycombe Wanderers on TV. I did consider Bampton United in the Witney & District League as it looked decent. However, I decided against it due to the lack of social media - understandable for a side primarily about playing as opposed to spectating.

From the Bideford v Didcot Town game, it was a long journey home. We didn't leave until 6.10 and then we had a lengthy stop due to the abysmal service at the awful Roadchef in Sedgemoor. What should have been 15 minutes turned into 45 minutes. Then a road closure on the M4 saw us thrown off to navigate the back sheets of Swindon, adding 40 minutes to the journey. All this resulted in us getting back to Didcot at 10.15. We then had the dreadful roads from Didcot to High Wycombe although at least Daniel drove it. He had yet more time off work, whilst Colin had his usual four-day weekend. I wasn't looking forward to working but wouldn't let it ruin my night. We were back in Wycombe at 11:15 and I was home twenty minutes later. I had a nightcap to send me off and was in bed by 1. After three hours of sleep, I had an OK day at work and caught up with an extra hour the following afternoon. It was my usual day off on Tuesday and also my end of 23 years selling on eBay. Thanks to their ludicrous insistence on using their 'Simple Delivery' service, the minimum postage charge is now £2.94. With most of my items being listed at under £3, I'd be paying them to take them away, plus have the inconvenience of taking them to a drop-off point. I never agreed nor was informed about this and joined loads of angry sellers on their forums.

The evening was pleasant. I had a few drinks as I watched Wycombe win 1-0 at Huddersfield online. It was a good, controlled performance from Wycombe, with the hosts offering very little. It was nice to get an early-ish night before work. The six-hour shift didn't go as quickly as I'd have liked, but I was home by 11:30. The afternoon was spent killing time and waiting for the Football Traveller to turn up which it eventually did at 15:30. Too late to have a chance to have a proper look but I did decide to stick with Wycombe Wanderers v Stevenage on Saturday due to a lack of decent options to tempt me away. I was late leaving at 4.05 but picked Colin up on my way. He slept all the way meaning I got some peace and he was in good shape for the match. We got there at 17:35 and I eat the sausages I had bought to save money whilst I walked to the local chippy with Colin. It looked better than I expected but I was glad I'd bought my own as his small scampi and chips were £11.80. We walked back to the ground and I got some pictures of the ground before kickoff.

 

Marston Shelton Rovers were in 2nd place and had an outside chance of the title if results went their way. They were in mixed form but had won their last game 5-1 against Flitwick Town. Elstow Abbey were in 6th place and had only won one of their last six. Last time out they lost 1-0 at Queens Park Crescents. Marston Shelton Rovers started the brightest but it was Elstow Abbey who clipped the crossbar after five minutes. The hosts volleyed home after 11 minutes but the fine strike was ruled offside. After 31 minutes, Marston Shelton Rovers took the lead. An excellent delivery from a left-sided corner was firmly headed home at the back post by #11 Harry Baker. The hosts continued to dominate and the same player put them 2-0 up from the penalty spot on 40 minutes. Right on half time, it was 3-0 after a lot of headed pinball in the box was finished off by Lewis Steele. It was a seven-minute halftime before we got going again. The second half saw Elstow Abbey have a lot of possession, but not so many chances. They did have a header against the post just after the hour though. The visitors continued to dominate the second period but it wouldn't go in for them as they hit the post on 77 minutes. There were no further goals on a chilly evening. There were around 35 in attendance, as with these events there were many groundhoppers with some having travelled from as far away as Leicester.

THE GROUND

MARSTON PLAYING FIELD is a nice setup which has a natural enclosure on three sides with the cricket side on the 4th. There's a hard fence behind the goal and a rope down one side. There's a nice club building alongside the cricket Pavillion. Plenty of parking is provided. Less than ten minutes walk away is a shopping park with a large Co-Op and a chippy. It is a pleasant venue to watch a game at, aside from the noise from the nearby A421 which at least provides easy access to the village. 

Bideford - The Sports Ground

Bideford FC

The Sports Ground

Kingsley Road

Bideford

Devon

EX39 2NG

01237 474974

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Ground Number: 1410
Saturday 5th April 2025
Bideford 2-1 Didcot Town
Southern D1 South

BIDEFORD FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was officially formed in 1947, although a previous club, Bideford Town played in the town from the 1890s up until the war. They spent a couple of disappointing seasons in the North Devon League before joining the Western League in 1949. They were Division 3 champions in 1950 and Division 2 champions in 1952 to see them rise to the top tier. A 4th placed finish in 1953 was a promising start. From 1961, the league was reduced to a single division. During that time, Bideford won the title in 1964, 1971 & 1972. After the latter of these wins, they would spend three seasons in the Southern D1 South before returning to the Western League. They went on to win the title another six times but it wasn't until the last of these wins in 2010 that they'd return to the Southern League. This time they were Division 1 South & West champions in 2012. After narrowly avoiding relegation in 2013 they would enjoy their record finish of 8th in 2014. In 216, Bideford were relegated back to Division 1. They've finished mid-table ever since with 8th in 2018 being the best since returning.

Bideford have reached the FA Cup 1st Round on four occasions. The most notable run happened in 1973 when they played a massive thirteen games in the competition. A 4-1 victory over Penzance in the 1st Qualifying Round was followed by a 6-1 Replay win against Newquay in the 2nd Qualifying Round. It then took five games for them to overcome Falmouth Town in the 3rd Qualifying Round with Bideford winning 4-1 in the 4th replay, played at Plymouth Argyle. It was just the four replays to beat Trowbridge Town in the 4th Qualifying Round, the 3rd replay was won 3-2 away from home. Their run came to an end as they lost 2-0 at home to Bristol Rovers in the 1st Round. Their best run in the FA Trophy came in its inaugural season when they reached the 2nd Round before losing to Weymouth. The FA Vase Semi-Final was reached during the 2003/04 season before Bideford lost 7-3 on aggregate to Winchester City despite an exciting 3-3 draw in the hone leg. Local cup wins include four Western League Cups, two WFL Alan Young Cups, six Devon St Lukes Bowls and nine Devon Professional Cups.

Several notable players have turned out for Bideford including Torquay United defender Robbie Herrera who is currently youth team manager at Plainmoor. Their record attendance of 5,975 came for a 1949 FA Cup game against Gloucester City. Bideford is a port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon. The population is just over 18.000. The Bideford witch trial in 1682 involved three women, Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles and Susannah Edwards, accused of witchcraft which resulted in one of the last hangings for witchcraft in England. Sadly for Bideford, both Katie Hopkins and Rose West were raised in the town.

MY VISIT

This game had long been on the list as it completed the Southern League D1 South. There were six grounds in this league that I'd needed this season and I had been to Tavistock and Willand Rovers with Didcot previously and it had been a great day out and saved me money. Sadly, they didn't go to either Helston Athletic or Mousehole so I had to make my way to Thatcham to get their coach. They were equally friendly as were Kidlington when I went with them to Exmouth Town for their FA Trophy game. I had been with Colin for both of my Didcot trips and thanks to Braintree-based hopper Dan's employer being overly generous with his holiday allowance, he was coming too. I'd be the only one of us working the next day as he had booked it off. It would have been a very late night for him and I'd get a lift with him at least part of the way, allowing me to get home quicker.

From our game at Queens Park Crescents, Colin & I made good tracks home with me dropping him at 9 and getting home 15 minutes later. A great start to 'silly season' and I was able to get my blog done before bed. Thursday was not such a bad day. Due to having to choose my holiday at work a year in advance, I played them at their own game and booked Easter 2026 off before they could realise. I also attempted to cancel my holiday for mid-June as I had trouble finding anywhere decent and good value to go. Friday was a slog at work and I was glad it was the weekend. Rather than a few drinks, I had some Friday night football in the form of a Sunday League Cup Final at Langford FC. I also put an order in with my favourite cider firm in Ross-On-Wye. If I can get it in time for Huddersfield Town v Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday, I could be tempted to stay in and watch that.

It was an easy journey home from Langford with me getting home within an hour including dropping Colin off.  After updating my blog I was in bed and asleep by midnight. I woke at 6.30, well before my alarm. After getting dressed and having breakfast, I left at 7.35. I got petrol at ASDA before meeting Daniel and Colin for the lift over to Didcot. We were there at 8.50 with the coach leaving at 9.20. It was a nice trip down with a twenty minute stop at Weston Super Mare Services although Colin slept most of the journey having overslept this morning too. Dan had to go and pick him up from home after initially telling him to meet at Rickmansworth Station. The second half of the coach journey saw us watch Reading v Wycombe Wanderers with the Chairboys dominating the early stages. There was some beautiful countryside as we got nearer the ground. We arrived around 1, though it was tricky for the coach to park in the narrow streets. It was around five minutes to Wetherspoons 400, The Rose Salterne. It excellent with a good range of cider and a nice pub. I stayed in the pub to watch the Wycombe game whilst Daniel and Colin went down to the river. I soon joined them after downing my second pint of Stowford Press. It was a glorious place, a cider stall where I got a pint of Medium and a pouch of dry cider from Green Man. Also a superb Tandoori Bad Boy Scotch Egg and a mint chocolate chip cookie from another stall. All on the credit card to worry about later, it had been a brilliant pre-match beating the previous winner Tavistock. The welcome was lovely compared to the surly welcome at Tavistock and it was a great ground too. The tea bar looked great so the cookie went in the bag for later.

 

Bideford were in 15th place. They were unbeaten in three, having drawn 3-3 against Shaftesbury on Saturday. Didcot Town were in 10th and were in mixed form. On Saturday they had beaten Bristol Manor Farm 2-1. The match started evenly but Bideford headed home from a corner on 11 minutes. On 23 minutes, it was 1-1 with Didcot poking home from a corner against the run of play. The game was even from then on. Ten minutes from time, Bideford retook the lead, beating the offside trap to finish well  That was it as far as goals were concerned. Bideford deserved their win and it had been a good day, bar the Wycombe result. It had been a good day but we had to wait for the players. We eventually left just after 6 with me not especially looking forward to the 3.55 alarm earning less than minimum wage that day. It never happened under the scumbag Tories but the Labour Camp party had subjected me to this for a couple of weeks at least.

THE GROUND

THE SPORTS GROUND is a nice venue, albeit an oval one due to other sports being played there. There are two stands. One is an elevated stand holding around 150 media and club officials. The other side is a stand holding around 350, a combination of seating and standing for around  350. The rest of the ground is open and parking is quite limited. The nearby town is served by buses and has a great range of places to eat and drink.