Wombourne Allstars - Wombourne Leisure Centre

Wombourne Allstars FC

Wombourne Leisure Centre

Brickbridge Lane

Wombourne

Wolverhampton

WV5 0BA

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1387

Saturday 15th February 2025

Wombourne Allstars 4-2 Bilbrook

West Midlands (Regional) League D1

WOMBOURNE ALLSTARS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2020, originally as a youth club. They joined the West Midlands Regional League Division 1 in 2022 and have achieved consistent top 5 finishes without troubling the promotion spots. The club is based in the small village of Wombourne in Staffordshire around four miles from Wolverhampton. It has a population of just over 14,000. It is known for its nature walks. Tory MP Chris Pincher grew up in the village. He lived up to his name after being embroiled in sexual misconduct and groping allegations.

 MY VISIT

In mid-January, I took advantage of the Great British Rail Sale and booked an advance return ticket to Birmingham from Wycombe for £10. I was hoping for something at steps 5 & 6, and there were a few options. Around 10 days before the trip, I started to look. Sandbach United was one I fancied, and it was just about doable on the train. However, the cost was scandalous - nearly £35 for a 122-mile return journey - working out at 28p a mile - more than driving. I then looked at Midland Divisions 2 & 3, which produced some possibilities. Most of them were very basic grounds with clubs that didn't have Twitter accounts. However, one in there stood out and that was Wake Green Amateurs. These had their own ground and the pitch was partially railed. It was also doable on the bus and by purchasing a day ticket, I could spend the day doing some other things too. When I checked on Monday though, it was looking like a potential frozen pitch so I was going to go prepared with backups.

From the game at Preston, we left after 6 thanks to the pointless period of Extra Time. I was one of the few on the bus hoping for a Birmingham win as I wanted our league clash up there to be moved to midweek. Along with Huddersfield Town, it was the only place I fancied revisiting in our league. Only then if the Independent Supporters Club ran a coach. I'd been in brilliant company but it had not been much of a day out. The prospect of a 3.55 alarm in the morning was less than enticing too. Newcastle went through in the end, winning an entertaining game 3-2 so likely no more Wycombe aways for me now this season. The journey dragged and it was one more stop at the vile Norton Canes. Not that I begrudge the driver his rest break, it's just a shame it's such a rotten place for passengers. There's no reason why there shouldn't be more places like Gloucester and Tebay which are a highlight rather than a hindrance. Some selfish person was late back to the coach by ten minutes, personally, I'd have left them there if they were more interested in stuffing their greedy face than considering everyone else on the coach. No apology either. I was at least productive on my journey home, booking a couple more bits for my upcoming Vienna and Budapest trip after spotting a treble in the former on Saturday.

I was back home at 11, a couple of cans of Strongbow took the edge off and helped me wind down before a few hours of sleep. Thankfully work was an easy one and I was out by 11 instead adding a couple of extra hours on my Wednesday shift. It allowed me to finalise my March trip and also go up to Holmer Green v Chinnor in the Thames Valley Women's League. It turned out to be a good decision, as it was a great game with decent goals and Chinnor winning 4-1. It was the first time I'd seen a game on Holmer Green's new 3G pitch and it was a decent setup. I decided not to request it as a new ground on Futbology as I'd already been to the grass version of that pitch when Holmer Green played Chesham United in a friendly, plus several other unrecorded games watching my brother play kids football on other pitches at the venue. After checking the weather out, it seemed that Shirehampton would be possible on Tuesday, albeit it would be cold as Winter was hanging around like a bad smell.

 

I was more tired on Monday after eight hours of sleep than I was on Sunday after three and a half hours. Another good night's sleep was secured ahead of my day off. It was my usual walk down Wycombe and back with me getting some things I needed. There was disappointment when I found out that my planned Tuesday night game at Shirehampton was off but at least they made an early decision. It had been a crap February so far and with no local revisits inspiring, I decided to stay in. Wednesday saw the Football Traveller delivered by email. There were a couple of pitches on grass in Solihull - Glades v Sutton United A and Hampton Sporting v Hopwood Swifts which were a few minutes from each other. There were also some options on 3G should the need arise, Wombourne Allstars v Billbrook was probably the best option but in completely the opposite direction. I grew more optimistic about the game going ahead when I did my research into the club's history, although a little bit of rain had cropped up.

Friday was a fairly calm day at work but I was glad of a day off. I spent the afternoon making plans for the North West Hop including finding a better hotel option. In the evening, I made my 10th visit to Beaconsfield Town FC for the game between Windsor & Colliers Wood United. It was fairly easy win for the visitors with Windsor barely registering a shot until the final few minutes. I went home and had a nightcap before bed. Waking at 7.15, I got ready and was out by 8. I walked to the station, arriving 15 minutes before the 9.28 train which was nice and quiet. The £5 single fare was not great, the yet more rain from the one-trick-pony weather was less so. Silhill had already been called off by the time the train had reached Warwick, so I was less than optimistic about my game a few miles away. When I arrived at Birmingham at 11.05, there was still no news so I decided to head for Wetherspoons in Acocks Green which was part of the way there. I had breakfast muffin, energy drink and a pint of Stowford Press for £4.78 and it was during that time that I learned that my game at Wake Green was off.

There were not many 3G pitches available but I could get to Wombourne Allstars in time. Time and my location meant that I had to buy extra tickets but at least my train part was covered by a free offer from Uber to get to the Hawthorns, near West Bromwich Albion FC. 90 minutes after departing, I was passing through Birmingham Moor Street. I changed at The Hawthorns to the Metro, an extra £4.50 for what was a decent service which gave me options for later. It was proper degenerate central though, the dog shit-strewn streets on the way to the station had the whiff of cannabis and there was someone playing their music out loud on the tram. I put my headphones on to block out the awful noise. Wolverhampton Bus Station provided a wealth of connections but the bus was ten minutes late. I arrived in Wombourne at 2.20 and it seemed like a very nice place with lots of options for food and drink. Instead of the chippy, I went to Spar and got a meal deal. The beef and horseradish baguette was delicious and fresh and better for me than chips. It was 10 minutes walk to the ground. Entry was £4 but that did include a programme. It was a decent attendance, swelled by the spiteful weather wiping a lot of games out.

 

Wombourne Allstars were in 4th place and were in generally decent form. Their last game was a 2-1 win at PS Olympic. Bilbrook were in 6th and had won their last three, most recently a 4-1 victory at Kewford Eagles. It was the Milan Derby in terms of colours and it was Inter Milan or Bilbrook that took the lead after six minutes with a well-worked move. On 10 minutes it was all square, AC Milan or Wombourne Allstars equalising with a shot that was adjudged to have crossed the line despite a last-minute clearance. On 19 minutes it was 2-2, a sweet volley which looped over the keeper to make it all square. From there it was Wombourne asking all the questions and they clipped the right-hand post with a cross-shot. They took the lead on 32 minutes, a powerful drive from just inside the area. The second half was 8 minutes late starting.  It was an open game though, with Wombourne hitting the bar on 63 minutes. A last-minute penalty made sure which direction the game was going in as a foul resulted in Wombourne converting to win 4-2. 

The game finished and I made my way to the bus stop. I just missed the 17:07 back to Wolverhampton and had to wait for the 17:21. I reflected on what was a disappointing pre-match due to my blind faith in Wake Green in being on. The weather was still cold and wet and my initial target was The Post Office Vaults in Birmingham. The bus was six minutes late and the comparative warm gave me the chance to catch up on Wycombe's 1-1 at Crawley. The vibes were not good and didn't lift my mood on what had been a testing day. The bus was late of course but I still made good time. I was hoping for a Wetherspoons en route but the Tram avoided them. The Post Office Vaults was a decent alternative though and the plan was to stop there and assess the situation before by 19:43 train back home. It was a disappointment from the great pub it used to be. Ciders had been slimmed right down and the bottle list had gone. I ended up buying a Cherry Chouffe for £8 that I could have got in Asda for £2 50 due to mishearing the Irish Barman. I made sure I enjoyed it but February had been a bag of shit so far. I wasn't gonna stay underground for too long though as I could revisit a Spoons. That was The Briar Rose where I got wings, chips and a pint forless than my pint in the previous pub. It was then a stop at Tesco Express for refreshments as I made the train back to Wycombe by a few minutes.

THE GROUND

WOMBOURNE LEISURE CENTRE is a dull venue although you are given a warm welcome with a programme available. The £4 entry is above average but you do get a programme and a decent viewing area. No merchandise, food or drink was for sale. The pleasant village is a short walk away and the Bush Inn looks worth a visit if you have time. Otherwise, there is lots of choices including a bakery, a spar and a chippy. Regular bus connections to Wolverhampton are available and there is plenty of parking.