Willen FC
Milton Keynes Village Pavilion
Worrelle Avenue
Milton Keynes
Bucks
MK10 9AD
Ground Number: 1069
Wednesday 20th April 2022
Willen 3-2 Pottersbury
North Bucks Premier
Wednesday 20th April 2022
Willen 3-2 Pottersbury
North Bucks Premier
WILLEN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was established in 1989 and for the first 24 years of its history, played Sunday League football. In 2013, they made the step up to the Spartan South Midlands League. It was a big gulf in class and it showed with them finishing bottom and second bottom during their time there. Their placing of 15th out of 16 in 2015 at step 7 is the best they could manage. At that time, they played at the Willen Pavilion but since they've moved to the one in Milton Keynes Village,a few miles away. The club dropped into the North Bucks League and the third tier Division 1, finishing as runners-up to Wing Village in their debut season of 2015/16. This won them promotion to the Intermediate Division where they finished as runners-up once more in 2017. For whatever reason though, they dropped back down to Division 1, and again finished as runners-up in 2018. They were champions in 2019 and also led the Intermediate Division when the season was declared null and void in March 2020. The same was true when the plug was pulled again and so for this season, they were uplifted to the Premier Division. This sits at step 8 of the non-league pyramid and feeds into the Spartan South Midlands Division 2.
In terms of local cups, Willen won the North Bucks League Intermediate Cup in 2017. Willen is a district of Milton Keynes and is also one of the ancient villages of Buckinghamshire to have been included in the designated area of the New City in 1967. It has some pleasant countryside and a Peace Pagoda as well as a historic church. The club now plays three miles away in Milton Keynes Village, the place that gave the larger city its name.
You can read about fellow hopper Laurence Reade's visit to Willen's previous (and in my opinion, better, home HERE
MY VISIT
What with there being far more choices of games available now that the evenings were getting lighter, I was keen to take advantage of this and there were plenty of options to choose from. Milton Keynes based hopper Chris was keen to join me and so I gave him a list of options. We both agreed that Newhall United was the best choice and it won out over options at Hilton Harriers, Mickleover RBL, Awsworth Villa and Calverton MW. I started my planning on Sunday and found that there was a well-located Chinese takeaway which always seems to suit us both. After an extremely boozy and unhealthy Easter weekend, I was glad to have one more day off before I had to get back to work. I walked down town and back in the morning, lazed about and had a nap at home in the afternoon and walked up my local club for a game in the evening.
For my 152nd game of the season, I headed to my local side Holmer Green for my 11th visit to Watchet Lane. Holmer Green were just outside the two relegation places with Leverstock Green in 8th. The visitors started brighter and they took the lead on 10 minutes when Rawn Seale headed home from a corner. Holmer Green improved but didn't seem to have their shooting boots on. They did equalize on 48 minutes when a free-kick from the right was headed home by Oskar Evans. Leverstock Green quickly retook the lead when Rawn Seale played a square ball to Jamie Calvin who finished with a low shot from six yards. Holmer Green got a deserved equalizer on 79 minutes, a tremendous 25-yard lob by captain Alex Dimitrijevic after he spotted the keeper off his line. Leverstock Green bought on former Wycombe man Scott McGleish but Holmer Green looked the most likely to win. The draw sends Holmer Green into the relegation zone with a crunch game against Baldock Town on Saturday which they need to win to stay up and hope that Crawley Green don't win.
I was back at work on Wednesday, and it didn't get off to the best of starts at home as a slipped fixing a blind and bruised my rib cage. It mean the return of having to deal with the general public and all that goes with it. It was a fairly easy day though and I was out at 3. For once, the M25 and M1 was fine and so I went the long way around and made good time. As I was coming off the motorway I heard a pop from behind me. When I got to Chris at around 4.10, I discovered a screw in my tyre. I tried to change the tyre but the jack was not was easy to use as the one on my old Renault. We both decided to abandon the trip and I made my way to the nearest garage, Formula One Auto Centre to get a new tyre. I only just made it as the back wheel was making a right noise as the tyre had completely deflated. Luckily, it was a friendly and helpful place and they sorted me out with a new tyre for the best part of £62. Not the cheapest, but I was in a fix and it was cheaper than I'd paid for fancy ones when I had my car serviced last June. It's not been a great year for my car, with various things going wrong with it, but hopefully, the extra miles done will offset the cost per mile. After all that stress, I was starving and so headed to a Chinese takeaway. The first one, Yummy's in Fenny Stratford had police cars outside and the parade of shops was taped off. Later I looked and found no info as to what had happened. I headed to Golden Palace around the corner. This was a bit of a mixed bag, che chips with chill peppercorn salt were excellent but the Thai Green Curry was mediocre. Chris had recommended me Willen v Pottespury as a replacement game and so I headed there. The latter got added to my football costs as a consequence. I then made my way to the ground, 15 minutes away. I initially parked in the Village Hall car park, but mindful of my experience earlier this season when I got it locked in at Wingate & Finchley, I moved it out onto the road. It was a multi-pitch complex, not really my cup of tea. I did think about heading for home, but the hosts gave me a friendly welcome on Twitter so I decided to give it a chance.
Willen were in excellent form and had won their last five since losing to Hanslope on 5th February. This included three 3-2 wins and a 12-0 thumping of Yardley Gobion away from home in the cup. Potterspury meanwhile were in mixed form, having drawn 2-2 at AFC Towcester on Saturday. They'd also drawn 1-1 at Great Horwood in recent times. They'd won 2-1 at Hanslope and beaten Marsh Gibbon 2-0 but lost 3-1 to MK Irish Athletic. Willen lined up in red, whilst the visitors Potterspury were in black and white stripes. The hosts started the better side but lacked quality upfront. Potterspury improved and finished the first and started the second half well. The break was very short and we were soon underway. Willen had the first real chance of the game, hitting the top of the bar with a lob. The visitors took the lead on the hour, a low ball from the right saw the ball put home from close range. Five minutes later, it was 1-1, the post was hit from an open goal and the shot was followed up from ten yards. The visitors were the better side though and they took the lead on 74 minutes. It was an excellent corner by #12 and a firm header from around six yards. Straight away though, Willen equalised. I didn't have the best view as I was up the other end but it was a lob over the keeper from distance. A minute from time, the hosts found a winner, an excellent lob from 30 yards and a worthy goal to win any game.
It had been a bit of a mixed day and the game had started quite slowly. I was beginning to think that I might have been better heading home but the game really came to life in the second half and I saw some decent goals. There had been around 20 watching the game, played on the middle pitch with a kids game going on either side. I left around 8.10 and listened to BBC Five Live. I stopped at Farmfoods in Aylesbury to pick up a few bits and was back home by 9.30. The Football Traveller had arrived and I had hoped for a game on Friday. There was nothing inspiring though and so I'll have to wait until Saturday for Wycombe Wanderers v Sheffield Wednesday. I stayed up until just after 11 getting on with my blog but with me having to do all my research again, I completed it the following afternoon.
THE GROUND
MILTON KEYNES VILLAGE PAVILION is as basic as it gets. Part of a multi-pitch venue, the middle pitch was used for this game. It would probably be better if one of the side ones were used to give it a more enclosed feel. The adjacent pavilion gives the venue it's name and this has a bar with sports TV and a decent looking food menu. There is a small car park and plenty of street parking. Overall, a very basic venue but in a pleasant place.
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