Cholsey United - Cholsey Pavlion

Cholsey United FC

Cholsey Pavilion

Station Road

Cholsey

Wallingford 

Oxfordshire

OX10 9PT

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Ground Number: 1596

Saturday 7th November 2026

Cholsey United 4-2 Milton United
Oxfordshire Senior Premier

CHOLSEY UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Football has been played in the Oxfordshire village of Cholsey since at least 1926, though no specific date has been ascertained. The first mention of Cholsey United came in 1946, following the resumption of football after the Second World War. They were playing in the Reading League (now the Thames Valley Premier League) at the time, possibly under the name Cholsey Sports as records show that Wycombe Wanderers Reserves beat them 1-0 in a Reading Senior Cup tie in 1950.

The Cholsey Pavilion was opened in 1970; at this time the team was still playing in the Reading & District League. However, they objected to the £2 per match charge for using it, as did the junior side Cholsey Bluebirds. It must have been around that time that they decided to move into Sunday Football, due to the less stringent rules regarding facilities. They saw success during the 1980s; in 1988 they won the Reading & District Division 1 title along with the Industrial Cup. By 1997, they had been promoted to the Senior Division, and they appear to have become a bit of a yoyo club between the top two tiers - the Senior Division and the Premier Division around this time. The last record I could find of them was when they were in the Senior Division around 2005.

After around 45 years away from Saturday football, Cholsey United joined the North Berks League in 2017. Starting in Division 3, a 4th place finish in their first season was good enough for promotion. In 2019, they were Division 2 runners-up to Watlington Town to earn their second successive promotion. The club then remained in Division 1 for four seasons before they were runners-up to Abingdon United Development in 2023. Since then, they have been in the Oxfordshire Senior League, with them winning Division 1 in 2023. They have been in the Premier Division ever since, with a high of 8th in 2025.

MY VISIT

This would be my first Saturday groundhop on public transport for over a month. Three Wycombe home games in the month of October and a couple of days away using the car had been the story of last month. Ideally, I'd have liked something at step 1-6, but everything was so far away and so pricey on the train. So, step 7 it would have to be, and I initially considered something in London due to the abundant choice available. My choice was Camden & Islington United v Sporting Club Thamesmead. However, with neither club having particularly communicative and engaging social media, I decided to look elsewhere. Cholsey United had been one I had been eyeing up for a while due to going via Reading, which has some decent pubs that I like to visit. Throw in the potential of a new Wetherspoons at Newbury, and it was looking like a no-brainer. It turned out to be a bit more complicated than that. The Newbury return train ticket turned out to be more than I thought, but that wasn't such an issue as it wasn't being added to my football costs. More annoying was the times not aligning with the buses from Wycombe, but I still felt the trip was worth the effort. It would have been far easier and cheaper to do in the car, but then I wouldn't get my day out.

After getting back at 1 am the previous night, I typed my blog whilst having a few cans of cider and some sausages. It had been 85 games since I'd last seen a 0-0 draw but PuffPuff saw a stinker at Newcastle Blue Star by all accounts. Just what he deserved for forcing an elderly pensioner to drive all of the time as he won't have his fair share of wear and tear on his car. Colin is pretty hopeless when it comes to most things, but at least his reasons are genuine and medical. I got to sleep around 3, thinking that I had a 7.20 alarm set. Obviously not, as I awoke naturally at 7.43, way off schedule. I had a freshen-up, quickly got dressed and was out the door at 7.55. Running allowed me to get my 8.06 bus to the station. It was on time, meaning I had time to stop at the small kiosk in the bus station for a samosa and energy drink. It was clear on my original bus, but very foggy on the second, a slow but good value bus to Reading at 08.30. The journey dragged and was delayed for a bit, and it was touch and go whether I'd have to alter my plans slightly. A Reading to Newbury return on the train felt overpriced, but considering it was quick, it wasn't too bad if you compare to the bus. I had to rush, but I made my train with two minutes to spare after negotiating Reading's ugly but huge train station. It was a pleasant ride to Newbury and a ten-minute walk to the Wetherspoons 556, The Hatchet Inn.

 

It was past roads at first, which spoiled the ambience of the town but the Spoons was in the far nicer pedestrianised part. The pub itself was decent; breakfast muffin, black pudding, energy drink and a pint of Black Dragon came in at £7.66. The trains were at strange times, so I was sure to plan when I left, although the train ended up being delayed by 8 minutes, which set me back a bit. At least it was a quick train to Paddington with no stops until Reading. The next leg of my journey was not so clear. Google Maps, my train booking app and GWR were all saying different things. So I decamped to The Alehouse after sending a tweet to get clarification. My chosen pub had bags of character, beautiful booths to sit in and a pretty decent cider selection. It was not as good as when I came last May but on that occasion, Colin had been with me and had been stroppy and rude to the staff when they didn't do J2o or apple juice. It was embarrassing as I loved the place and was glad to come back without my embarrassing friend in tow. A pint of Hallets PX was superb, although not a new tick. I booked my ticket through Trip.com, even though they were saying all returns were cancelled, as it saved a bit by booking an open return as opposed to the GWR app. My walk back to the station got me to platform 12 in good time and I was able to use the on train facilities and be done well in time to get to Cholsey. With time shorter than I'd have liked, I made do with a meal deal and a couple of ciders from Tesco, getting to the ground twenty minutes before kickoff.

 

Cholsey United were struggling, sitting just outside the relegation zone on three points. They had suffered some heavy beatings this year, their sole win was a 4-0 triumph over Kintbury Rangers Reserves. Last time out, their game at Chinnor was abandoned. Milton United were 6th, having won three, drawn two and lost two. Their last game was a 3-0 home defeat to Halse United. The two sides met at Milton in the Hellenic Chairmans Cup earlier this season, with Milton winning 4-0. There was a nice two-minute silence before the game, nicely observed by all but the noisy tennis players in the background. Cholsey started like an express train; after pressure and a left-sided cross, it was a 'fackin birthday goal' for the player who swept home the cross. Others were cracking open a box of Guinness, so out the cider came for some touchline refreshment. It was a lively contest; the Milton linesman made an iffy offside call, was called a 'cheating cunt' and told the player to shut his mouth. A quick break on 25 minutes, a lump forward, a good cross and a smart finish from Joe Akrill made it all square, Cholsey's dominance undone in a flash. This changed the pattern of the game; just after the half-hour, Milton were ahead, the ball turned in from close range. A brilliant save from the Cholsey keeper prevented a third; the game appeared to be heading as expected, in favour of the visitors. A few more good saves by the glovesman kept Cholsey in it, they were looking for a goal on the break. The hosts were restricted to fighting for scraps by now; the visiting defence were restricting their attacks well. One rare chance, a great header was tipped over the bar. And how games turn. A good spell for Cholsey saw them awarded a penalty on 70 minutes, this was for handball. The spot kick was converted, and then a minute later, a cross was turned into his own net by a Milton defender, giving Cholsey a 3- 2 lead. The hosts sealed it five minutes from time. They took the attack wide, the ball was swept in, and at the back post an advancing player made it 4-2 in a brilliant turnaround in the last five minutes. 

THE GROUND

CHOLSEY PAVILION is a very basic setup. A pitch is all they need. The building has nothing going on to interest the visitor; they are better off going to the nearby Red Lion or Tesco. But it is a beautifully kept place and a peaceful village. Plenty of parking and a train station mean that getting there is easy and although there isn't a massive amount going on in the village, it's got everything you need for a day out. 

Baglan Dragons - Evans Bevan Playing Field

Baglan Dragons FC

Evans Bevan Playing Field

Pinewood Terrace

Baglan

Port Talbot

SA12 8BG

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1595

Friday 6th September 2026

Baglan Dragons 2-1 Ynyshir Albions

Cymru South

BAGLAN DRAGONS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1950 as Red Dragon & Baglan. They played in local leagues, such as the Port Talbot & District League. The 1970s show the clubs operating individually rather than as a union, and a Red Dragon side also won the South Wales Alliance Division 2 in 1993. The first confirmed records, though, are when they joined the South Wales Amateur League Division 2 in 1999, winning the title in 2003. They changed their name to Baglan Red Dragons in 2004 and competed under that name for five seasons, finishing 3rd in Division 1 twice. In 2009, they changed their name to Baglan Dragons, but two seasons of struggle followed, leading them to be relegated back to Division 2 in 2011. They came straight back up with a 3rd place finish. In 2015, the South Wales Amateur League and Senior League merged to form South Wales Alliance. Baglan Dragons were placed in Division 1 of the new competition. The first season saw them finish as runners-up to Canton Liberal to win promotion to the Premier Division. In 2022, they were Premier Division champions, winning promotion to the Ardal South West. In their first season here, Baglan finished as runners-up to Caerau Ely. Following a 2-0 win at Risca United in the promotion playoffs, they were promoted to the Cymru South, where they remain to this day.

Baglan Dragons were FAW Trophy runners-up in 2022 when they lost 1-0 to Mold Alexandra in the final at Caersws. Baglan is a village in South Wales, near Port Talbot. It was named after Saint Baglan, a 6th-century hermit who lived in the area. It has a population of just under 7,000. Baglan is on the side of a steep hill and surrounded by two hills, Mynydd-y-Gaer to the north and Mynydd Dinas to the east. The moors and Baglan Bay are to the southwest. The village contains a number of historical buildings such as Baglan House, St. Catharine's Church, and St. Baglan's Church. The first St. Baglan's Church is now a shell after a fire in 1954. Baglan is home to four sporting associations; in addition to football, there is Baglan Rugby Football Club, Baglan Cricket Club and Tyn-Y-Twr Bowling Club. Famous people with links to Baglan include comedian Rob Brydon, who was born there, and actor Michael Sheen, who grew up in the village.

MY VISIT

I'm always keen to see some Friday night football, and this one boiled down to two options. I'd have preferred something nearer, but it was not to be. Baglan Dragons was the option that was further away, but at least it was on good roads. It also was one of two that I needed in the Cymru South, the other being Pure Swansea, which has deliberately been left until last due to its distance and the fact that it is a poor athletics ground. The only negative about Baglan was the takeaways with poor reviews and very little choice. Still, at least it was better than the other option, Bungay Town. It was a ground I'd fancied visiting for a while, but it was in the middle of nowhere with no places to eat nearby. Also, it had no backups in the event of something going wrong, whereas South Wales always has a reasonable amount of Friday night football.

I'd had a great and very boozy day during my revisit to Birmingham City on Sunday. I was on a day's holiday from work and had originally planned on going on a pub crawl to Reading. However, I'd had plenty over the weekend, so I decided to abstain. Instead, it was a walk down Wycombe and back, which I repeated on Tuesday, getting over ten miles in my legs two days in a row. There was no football for me on Tuesday. I didn't fancy any local revisits, and the nearest new ground listed was a dull 3G in Bishop Cannings near Devizes. It was only around 8 pm on Tuesday that I realised that Westfields FC near Hastings were at home in a county cup game. This was annoying as it was one of two new grounds that I was able to do midweek, so it was annoying to miss out, especially as it wasn't listed when I checked on Saturday morning. I had been doing my research for this ground, delving into the history of Holmer Green's women's side, which called the pitch home. The Development XI appeared to alternate between the two pitches. I was back to work on Wednesday and eased back into the routine despite a 3 am alarm. The rest of the week was rather dull, with no football and no booze until it came to Saturday. Thursday and Friday were a slog, and I was looking forward to my day off.

Saturday saw me headed to Wycombe Wanderers v Burton Albion. I headed out later than usual, past 11 am. A pint of Old Rosie at Spoons kicked me off, followed by a pint of Strongbow at the Rose & Crown. A great chicken curry at a local shop was under a fiver, but cost was irrelevant as far as football costs were concerned. Wycombe beat Burton 2-0, so I wrote off my costs in the joy of victory. One more £2 pint at Wetherspoons was enjoyed before home, a pizza and more booze. I was in bed around 9. On Monday, I was at Adams Park again, this time for the academy team's game against Brentford U21. It was a bargain £3 entry, making for a cheap night out. Both sides fielded a few first-team players, and it was a good contest. Wycombe lost their way after Emre Tezgel went off and, in truth, Brentford were good value for their 2-1 win. With no football for a few days, the week dragged, but work was a bit calmer than usual. Colin was his usual self, taking a while to confirm and initially offering a vague 'okay' when I sent him details. I managed to get an answer in the affirmative eventually, but I can never be 100% confident he will turn up.

 

Friday was, as usual, the busiest day of the week at work, with so many people seemingly having extended the weekend to three days now. This was especially annoying, as I only get Saturday, but at least it made the time go quickly. I was out at 12 and went home, and had some lunch before going out for a walk. I was back at 2.30 and had around 40 minutes to kill before leaving. I was pleasantly surprised when Colin turned up, having heard nothing from him all day. We got going at 3.15 and had a good journey, arriving in Baglan at 6.30. Texaco was first up; I needed petrol to get home due to the distance, and it was a whole 7p cheaper than home. Then, I drove to Superfry Chinese takeaway where I had chicken with peppers and salt and chilli chips. It was £11.90, and happily it took card. Most Chinese places are cash only, so it's nice to see some embracing modernity. We got to the ground 25 minutes before kickoff. I paid £6 to get in and £5 for a pint of Aspall's. The chips were bland, but the chicken was amazing, and the service was excellent. It was disappointing to see that I could have eaten at the ground and given them my money, but there were no details on the website. I snapped a picture of the menu for my blog and hope that it encourages others to spend at the club.

 

Baglan Dragons were 6th on 17 points. They were in mixed form and had lost 1-0 to Treowen Stars in their last game. Ynyshir Albions were 5th on 19 points. They were on a good unbeaten run and had beaten Pure Swansea 4-2 in their last game. It was a fairly tepid opening, but Baglan looked the better side. Ynyshir had Christian Bethel sent off in the 32nd minute for a rash tackle. There were no goals in the first period, but Ynyshir had a good spell at the start of the second half, pinning the home side back for the first five minutes. Baglan had a few chances but they were all wasted. Ynyshir took the lead in the 56th minute through a Scott Jones penalty. In the 61st minute, it was all square with Baglan equalising through a Tom Randall penalty. Finally, we had a goal from open play, a peach of a right-sided cross from Osian Williams and a good header from Tobias Jones. The game ended at around 9.25, and it should have been a simple jaunt down the M4 to home. But the Highways Agency, in their infinite wisdom, had decided to close three separate sections of the M4. I appreciate that this is the best time to do works that need to be done, but three at once?. As a result, we were sent up to Merthyr Tydfil, across a load of places I've never heard of, into Herefordshire, and onto some terrible roads around Gloucestershire with most of the journey fog-bound. Then down to Cheltenham, the welcome sight of Oxford and finally Amersham at 1 am. I was back home ten minutes later, glad to be home safely after being up for 22 hours.

THE GROUND

The EVANS BEVAN PLAYING FIELD is a smart and functional setup. There's a well-kept pitch area, shared with cricket, so there's limited hard standing. There are the standard couple of metal drop-in stands, holding around 200. There is a decent tea bar inside the ground, though they should shout about this more on their site and social media. Outside is a pleasant Sports Bar. Aspalls is a good choice for cider drinkers, but it's sad to see an absence of Welsh products. There's a small car park at the ground or plentiful street parking. A chippy, a Chinese and a Premier Inn are all close by.