Great Bentley - Great Bentley Village Green

Great Bentley FC  

Great Bentley Village Green

Forge Lane

Great Bentley

Colchester 

Essex

CO7 8PJ

Great Bentley Youth Website

FA Full Time

Facebook

Ground Number: 1550

Wednesday 29th April 2026

Great Bentley - Dedham Old Boys

Essex & Suffolk Border Premier

GREAT BENTLEY FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Great Bentley Football Club was founded between 1895 and 1896, and its original headquarters were the Victory Inn public house (now a hair salon) in Great Bentley. From 1912, they were based out of the Plough public house. The club now has its own clubhouse and dressing rooms built on the site of an old World War II Nissen hut, where they have played since 1959. Fifty years later, in 2009, this was replaced with new modern facilities after the club raised £220,000. The new facilities were officially opened by Lord John Bassam of Brighton, who used to play for the club. On 8th August 2009, a friendly was played against Colchester United on the Village Green as part of the grand opening of the new dressing rooms and bar. They joined the Colchester & District League Division 2 in 1903, switching to the Clacton & District League a couple of years later. Following the First World War, Great Bentley joined the Tendring Hundred League, which they won in 1925.

Team photo from late 70's / early 80s (from Facebook Great Bentley and Local Area Recalled group) 

Following that, they joined the Essex & Suffolk League and have been members ever since. They were Division 2 champions in 1929, 1932 & 1938 before war once more broke out.  They won Division 1 in 1948 and were runners-up on several occasions. In 1958, Great Bentley won the Division 1 KO Cup with an 11-3 aggregate over Hedingham United. Facilities had held them back previously, but in 1981, they were Division 1 runners-up to Rowhedge and spent three seasons in the Premier Division before being relegated in 1984. This started a period of decline for the club, with a second consecutive relegation following in 1985. Great Bentley briefly recovered, spending between 1990 and 1992 in Division 1 before another relegation. By the 2010s, the club had made it back to the Premier Division, but they resigned in 2014 and took their Reserves' place in Division 2. They won the title in 2017, followed by the Division 1 title in 2018. Great Bentley were as high as 4th when the season was abandoned in 2021, but emerged from the pandemic in Division 2. They were runners-up to Brightlingsea Town in 2022 before being crowned Division 1 champions last season.

Great Bentley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of north east Essex, located seven miles east of Colchester. The village is scattered around an extensive level or common of 43 acres, on the eastern side of the vale of a rivulet. This common is the second largest village green in the United Kingdom, behind Duncan Down, and has won 'Essex Village of the Year' and 'Daily Telegraph Village of the Year' awards. The population is around 2,500. Great Bentley railway station provides the village with frequent rail services along the Sunshine Coast Line to London Liverpool Street, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester and Walton-on-the-Naze. The village is mentioned as far back as the Domesday Book of 1086, and at that time it was situated amongst large wooded areas. The clearing of these woods began in 1135. In its early days, the village was known as Benetlea, then as Much Bentley, and later as Great Bentley. The first part of the name, "Bent," is thought to refer to a type of grass, and the latter part, "lea," probably derives from the word "ley," meaning land sown with grass, which suggests a direct reference to the green. Great Bentley had a port at Flag Creek, which was used for importing and exporting goods. In 1557, four Protestant "heretics" from the village, including a young woman named Rose Allen, were arrested, and three were burned at the stake at Colchester Castle (the fourth died in prison). They are commemorated on a small monument alongside the Green. Their story appears in the famous Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Foxe calls the village "Much Bentley".

MY VISIT

Staying very local on Tuesday allowed me to travel a bit further on Wednesday. There were options at Chalgrove Cavaliers, Broughton, Over Sports, Meon Milton, Eye Rangers and Whaplode Drove Rovers. However, due to their proximity to each other and their role as backups, I shortlisted two in the Essex & Suffolk Border League. The fact that I also went right past Colin's door helped. The options were Alresford Colne Rangers v Thorpe Athletic and Great Bentley v Dedham Old Boys.  Both were unremarkable grounds a similar distance away, so it came down to a bizarre toe breaker. The best food place near Alresford was a pizza place, whereas near Great Bentley, it was a Chinese takeaway. Prices seemed good, and the menu had some good options, so Great Bentley it was. I even got some cash out to deal with the fact that these places have a phobia towards card payments.

From the game at Harlington, it was only 45 minutes to get back to Colin. I was back home after dropping Colin off, getting in at 9.05. There was plenty of time to get my blog up before getting into bed. I was delighted to see that Holmer Green had won 3-1 at Penn & Tylers Green in the Combined Counties Division 1 Cup semi-final. I'd have liked to attend, but the attraction of a new ground and being home nice and early appealed more than getting in around 11 had I walked. It was a nice, easy day at work, and I finished after a six-hour shift. I had only decided upon this game last night, so I found out about the club history, which required some deep digging into local websites. I left at 3, but Colin was asleep when I got to his. I was able to access his flat without a key as he leaves everything unlocked so I can wake him up. We left 15 minutes late, and the traffic gods punished us with a dreadful journey. It was 6 by the time we reached our destination, 75 minutes delay. The place was a hive of activity, with a huge motorcycle convention. We headed straight for the Chinese, China Palace. It was a joy to behold, accepting card and I had Thai Jungle Curry with salt and pepper chips for £9.90. The place was busy but quite efficient. The food was a mixed bad. The Jungle Curry was tasty, but the chips a bit plainer than ideal. The portions were huge, though, and I was properly filled up. We got back to the pitch just in time for kickoff.

 

Great Bentley were 3rd in the table and were still in with an outside chance of the title. They had won nineteen, drawn one and lost five. They'd won their last five and had beaten Gas Recreation 8-0 in their last game. Dedham Old Boys were 10th and had won ten, drawn four and lost twelve. They'd lost their last three, going down 5-0 to Springfield in their last game. Conditions were very windy, and it was an even start to the game. On 17 minutes, it was 1-0 to Dedham as Tristan Moseley chased down a botched goalkeeper clearance. Great Bentley started to create chances around the half hour, forcing a couple of good saves out of the keeper and hitting the bar. Eventually, the succession of corners led to the equaliser, a header by Dale Brown from within the six-yard box on 36 minutes. A couple of minutes before the break, it was 2-1, a clearance from the corner poked home by Lewis Blanchett. We popped to the clubhouse at half-time, but a few minutes into the second half, it was 3-1, another cross, another header, this time by Ryan McMahon. The rest of the game saw the hosts have the lion's share of the game but get no further goals. Should Great Bentley win both of their games, they will be crowned champions. If they slip up, Thorpe Athletic will take the title.

THE GROUND

GREAT BENTLEY VILLAGE GREEN is a pleasant but basic setup. There is nothing in the way of a rail or furniture, but it's a picturesque setting. There is just a rope along one side. There is no car park, but plenty of street parking. The clubhouse is across the road and is full of club merch. There is also a range of cans and bottles. The village has pubs and various takeaways and is very pleasant.

Harlington Juniors - New Grounds Playing Fields

Harlington Juniors FC

New Grounds Playing Fields

Sundon Road

Harlington

Dunstable

Befordshire

LU5 6LS

Official Website

FA Full Time

Instagram

Ground Number: 1549

Tuesday 28th April 2026

Harlington Juniors 3-5 Wootton Blue Cross

Beds County Premier

HARLINGTON JUNIORS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Primarily a youth setup, the club was established in 1984, although football in the village has been played as far back as World War 2. The adult side joined the Bedfordshire County League in 2020 and were Division 2 champions in their first season. For whatever reason, they were not promoted and finished 6th in 2022. The following season saw them crowned Division 2 champions for the second time and this time, they went up to Division 1. They finished 5th in the 2023/24 season before winning the title last season. They made it a double too, winning the Bedfordshire County League Senior Cup by beating Stopsley United in the final. The two sides had been vying for the league title and it was slim margins again as the final was won on penalties. Both sides now compete in the Premier Division and are going well.

Harlington is a village located in Bedfordshire, near the M1 motorway. The nearest town is Flitwick, about 3 miles to the north. It has a population of around 2.300. Harlington has a railway station in the west of the village. It was built by the Midland Railway in 1868 on its extension to St Pancras. The station is served by Thameslink route trains. From Harlington station, you can travel north to Flitwick and Bedford, or south to Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, Harpenden, St Albans, Central London, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport and Brighton. There are several churches, including the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Harlington Methodist Church and Life Church (part of the Pioneer network of churches). There is a small parade of shops consisting of a general store with a post office counter, a dry cleaner, an estate agent and a cafe.

MY VISIT

As has been the case with midweeks recently, there has been a wealth of options. Burbage & Huncote, Corby Pegasus and Hemmingford United were all considered for this Tuesday. However, by virtue of it being closest, the winner was Harlington Juniors v Wootton Blue Cross. Two things I was slightly concerned about - the lack of any Twitter presence, although Harlington did have an Instagram account which confimed the game and venue. The other was a lack of any food places around the ground, but I solved that by being sure to take my own food.

It was a good Flixbus home from Leicester, a double seat to myself and a good drop off point at Finchley Road. I did have to wait 15 minutes for the train to Amersham, but that was set to get back just before 10. That was about right, and after a drive home, I was back around 10.25. There was time for a can before bed, in the end, I got off just after 11.30 before a 3.50 alarm. I was fine the next morning and indeed went through a very busy Sunday at work. It was only towards the late afternoon that the short sleep caught up with me. As a result, I was in bed and asleep shortly after. Monday was slightly easier at work, but I was still looking forward to my day off on Tuesday.

I had another decent night's sleep on Monday, getting a couple of hours extra compared to usual. It took me a while to get up and get ready, and it was 8.45 by the time I set off for my walk to Wycombe & back. Lidl was visited for some rolls and chicken drumsticks for tonight's game, amongst some other things. I was back around 12.30 and spent the afternoon at home resting. I left at 4.10 to meet Colin. Google Maps avoided the traffic but took us a right crappy route down terrible roads, but we were there at 5.40. Parking was in the village hall, and the entrance to the ground was just at the end of that. We had brought our own food, and I had some chicken and a cheese pretzel roll while we waited for kickoff. It kicked off at 6.25, ten minutes late. It was nice to be in the company of Dave for the match, who had come over from Luton.

Harlington Juniors were 7th in the league and had won twelve, drawn six and lost eight. They were in mixed form and had drawn 2-2 against Marston Shelton Rovers in their last game. Wootton Blue Cross were in 8th place. They had won twelve, drawn three and lost eleven. They had only won one of their last five games, and last time out had lost 3-1 to Cranfield United Reserves. The hosts were ahead within 90 seconds, a quick attack catching the visitors by surprise. On six minutes, it was all square, a beautiful strike from the #5 which curled into the top corner from the edge of the area. On ten minutes, Wootton took the lead, a great long ball out to the left, the winger controlled it well and crossed it into the centre for the striker to finish. Harlington pushed for an equaliser, having several chances. They equalised on 29 minutes, an attack down the left and #7 finished from a tight angle. A ball over the top found #12 on 38 minutes, and he blasted over the keeper to make it 3-2. The second half saw Wootton equalise, a good ball into the area found the #5, who got his second and his team's equaliser by blasting into the net from around the penalty spot. Shortly after the Harlington #8 was sent off after being sin-binned for dissent, but continued his tirade to the referee who sent him off. That turned out to be a frenetic couple of minutes as #5 curled home to complete his hat trick. It was then 5-3 on 64 minutes, a quick goal on the break. The sending off had hampered the hosts, but they still forced a good save out of the keeper with around fifteen minutes to go. No scorer details were available at the time of publishing this blog, but it had been a great game.

THE GROUND 

NEW GROUNDS PLAYING FIELDS is a basic but decent setup. There is plenty of club signage and a club building, although the facilities are for players rather than fans. The pitch itself is roped off, though there are no proper dugouts. There is a small car park at the village hall. The village has a train station and a couple of pubs, but I'm not sure about food.

Magna 73 - Meadows Sports Ground

Magna 73 FC

Meadows Sports Ground

Countesthorpe

Leicestershire

LE8 5QW

Facebook

Twitter

Ground Number: 1548

Saturday 25th April 2026

Magna 73 0-3 Loughborough Students Dev

Leicestershire Senior Premier

MAGNA 73 FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

As the name suggests, the club was established in 1973. The club’s name is often associated with the local Magna Park or the "Great" (Magna) community spirit of the Countesthorpe area. They started in the Leicester & District Mutual League, staying until 1984. They then moved to the Leicester City League, staying until 1993. Records for these two leagues appear to be nonexistent.  They gained their first recorded honour after moving to the Leicester & District League, lifting the Division 1 title in their first season, 1993/94. The following season saw them finish as runners-up to Cosby United in the Premier Division. The club continued to finish around the top places, as runners-up behind Thurmaston Town in 1998.  Results worsened in the 2000s with consistent bottom-half finishes, the exception being 4th in 2005, although finishes improved towards the end of the decade. Magna remained ever-present in the Premier Division until 2018, their last finish being 5th. They made the decision to step up to the Leicestershire Senior League and finished 4th in their first season. Results over the two pandemic seasons were good enough for promotion to the Premier Division once football resumed. They are now in their fifth season at that level, their best finish of 6th coming last season.

In 2023, the club reached the final of the Leicestershire Senior League Cup but lost 3-2 to Burbage & Huncote in the final at Loughborough Dynamo.  Countesthorpe is a large village and civil parish in the Leicestershire district of Blaby, with a population of just over 6,300. It lies to the south of Leicester, and is about 6 miles from the city centre, but only two miles south of the suburb of South Wigston. The name Countesthorpe originates from the 11th century when the area was part of the marriage dowry of the Countess Judith, niece of William the Conqueror. The 'thorpe' part of the name is a variant of the Middle English word thorp, meaning hamlet or small village. The village is twinned with the town of Mennecy in France. Former Leicester City players Harvey Barnes & Ahmed Musa lived in the village whilst playing for the club.

As usual, the FCHD helped out with researching history, but the Leicester & Rutland Football History site filled me in on the Leicester & District League days.

MY VISIT

Once again, I was struggling to find a match to go to on this Saturday. All of the teams that I needed. The top option was Rotherfield v Reigate Priory, which would mean a nice day out in Tunbridge Wells. This would mean buying a railcard, though, to get the best fare, something that I'd probably not use that often. I'd also been hoping to go to Worksop SJR on Friday. However, all my options for a passenger were otherwise engaged. I did consider making an overnight stop and going to two games on the Saturday at Field AFC and Knaresbrough Town Reserves. However, this would mean a 445-mile trip and a £45 hotel. These were costs that I could not justify paying when I could save them for another time. I had spotted good coach fares to Leicester when looking at games a couple of weeks ago. However, most of them dropped off on the edge of Leicester, rather than in town. A fortnight later, I was less fussy. By the time the Football Traveller came out on Wednesday, National Express had raised its prices. Flixbus were still playing a fair game, though, and I was able to book return tickets from Finchley Road to Leicester for £13.98. It allowed me time to get to and from Fosse Park, plus have some time in town for a few pints. It boiled down to a choice of two games - either FC Khalsa GAD v Aylestone Park Reserves or Magna 73 v Loughborough Students Development. I valued social media updates, so it was frustrating that both clubs were second-string sides rather than proper clubs. Although Khalsa was better located, Magna offered better social media updates, so I went for that game.

From Oakley, I drove Colin & I home, dropping him off at 9.10 and getting home ten minutes later. I got my blog up before going to bed, but dropped off later than ideal. I was fine at work the next morning, though, even if it was another hard day. A lot of planning was done on Thursday, sadly my plans after the match took a hit thanks to bus connections and it being too much of a risk to make the coach back in time. Friday brought an unexpected overnight frost. This was a pain as I had no idea where my ice scraper was. I ended up using my clocking-in card from work, which split, rendering it useless. The supervisor who was in was most unhelpful and just barked at me to start work. Thankfully, others were more helpful later in the day, and it was pretty much sorted. I had a couple of drinks in the evening whilst I looked forward to next week's midweek options, but kept it light. A couple of pints of the cider I brought back from Somerset last week and a Bacardi and Irn Bru later, I was in bed around 9.30. Though I awoke at 5.30, it wasn't the night's sleep I'd hoped for. After getting up and getting ready, I left at 8. I drove to Amersham and parked up near the station.

The 08:22 train was taken from Amersham to Finchley Road. It arrived half an hour before my coach departure, so I went in Aldi for a chocolate muffin and some rice crackers. The Flix was on time and filled to capacity, but was clean, comfortable and peaceful. It was around ten minutes early into Leicester too. Stopping at Fosse Park Asda, just off the M1, I had to walk 8 minutes to Sainsbury's for the 50 into the City. This was £6.20 for the ticket, which would get me three buses today. The bus passed through some multicultural areas with an array of interesting-looking takeaways, which made me peckish. However, the first Spoons was more limited in its drink range. So, the High Cross was good for a £1.99 pint of Stowford Press; it did the job without much fanfare. I walked past the strangely named Las Vegas fish bar and the tempting Vietnamese Street Food. Construction works delayed me for Spoons 509 - The Corn Exchange, where I had a buffalo burger meal with a pint of Black Dragon for £12.02. Then a few minutes' walk to the excellent Blue Boar, where I had a pint of Hecks Vintage Medium for a fiver, solid value in a great pub. Then less than a minutes walk to the Two Tailed Lion, another great place. Due to time constraints and booze levels, takeout was a wise and reduced-price option. The 87 to Countesthorpe was reliable but very warm. I had a pint of Aspalls at the ground, a fiver to the club in place of free entry.

 

Magna 73 were 8th in the table and had won ten, drawn seven and lost eleven. They'd not won in six games, drawing 3-3 at Leicester Athletico last time out.  Loughborough Students were top of the league and had won 20, drawn 7 and lost 2. They'd won three out of their last four, winning 3-2 at Burbage & Huncote in their last match. The students looked a cut above, opening the scoring on 9 minutes, a rifled shot into the bottom right-hand corner. Then on 16 minutes, a right-sided corner was headed in at the near post to make it 2-0. Magna offered little and it was 3-0 on 24 minutes with a well-worked move. The second half was a bit of a non-event. When the game ended, I had the option of waiting until 5 30 for the bus, or walking for the sake of ten minutes delay. The walk got the vote; it was a long and warm one. But I was at the stop well in time. The coach was sparsely populated on the way back, even with the 'you're in my seat' mob. It was on time for the journey south, too, as I headed back to Finchley Road.

 

THE GROUND

MEADOWS SPORTS GROUND is a decent railed pitch. It is linked by hourly buses and has a large car park. There was no food, but the bar was pretty decent. It's around a mile into the village, but there is nothing around the ground.