Milton - Collingtree Road

Milton FC

63 Collingtree Road 

Milton Malsor 

Northamptonshire

NN7 3AU

01604 238050

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Ground Number: 1100
Wednesday 24th August 2022
Milton 2-1 West Haddon Albion
Northamptonshire Combination D1

MILTON FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

As ever with teams at this level, information on their history can be very scarce. There is evidence that there was a team in the village as early as 1888. They spent their early years in the Central Village League which they won in 1921. Following the end of the second world war, the league was renamed the Mid Northants Football League. In 1952, the leagues merged into the Northamptonshire Combination, which is still going to this day. Milton have seen great success here, winning the league three times in a row between 1992 & 1995, and then again in 2003. They finished mid-table in the Premier Division in 2016 but despite this, they dropped down to Division 1. Worse was to come in 18 when Milton finished bottom of Division 1, however, they were not relegated. They've finished in mid-table placings ever since. Local cup wins include the Northamptonshire Combination Knockout Cup in 1975 and 1992.

Milton moved to their current ground in 1970 when the ground was reclaimed from a sandpit at the club’s own expense. Developments included the building of changing rooms and club room. The club has a dedicated floodlit training area. The club currently rent the ground but is fortunate to have some long-serving members, for example, Len Mackintosh has been secretary for over 40 years and brother Jim, Treasurer for over 30. The club is based in the village of Milton Malsor which is located four miles south of Northampton. It has a population of around 750. It has several historic landmarks including Milton House which dates back to 1777 and has a doorway with Tuscan columns.

MY VISIT

With more step 7 leagues starting up, the fixtures were becoming more abundant. With the options limited in the above leagues, this was great for me, the early kick-off being a real bonus too. The Northamptonshire Combination has a few decent options, notably Roade which has been eluding me for some time. Scrolling through the fixtures last Wednesday and checking the grounds on Google Maps, Milton stood out. It was a nice railed pitch with what appeared to be its own clubhouse. Chris agreed and so I had a passenger. I also had a decent food place lined up in the American Diner 81 Hamburger Heaven. I also looked ahead to Friday, provisionally planning Diss Town v AFC Sudbury Reserves with Colin.

Elsewhere, I'd been looking for a new job following a change of circumstances which would lead to me having to work later. However, there wasn't a lot about - all low pay and unsociable hours. Not too different to my current job, having to work every single Bank Holiday but at least I like and respect the managers. I used to only have to work four, but thanks to the lack of employment rights in this country I have to like it or lump it. In the evening, I went to Amersham Town v Holmer Green, a local derby near me. Amersham recorded a whopping 7-0 win against my local team with them being 6-0 ahead at the break. There was more disappointment when I found out that Wolves Casuals had lost their game and so all of the FA Cup options for me on September 3rd involve a mammoth journey if I want to visit a new ground.

 

The day at work was a mixed bag with it being busy but at least it went quick. There were the usual noisy kids but seen as the local population seemingly knock out sprogs as quick as McDonald's knock out burgers, it was no shock. I was away quickly at 3 and as the M1 was knackered, I went the back route through Aylesbury. There were still several sets of roadworks though, of course with no sign of anyone actually working. I was with Chris at 4.30 and we got on our way to 81 Hamburger Heaven, arriving at 5. I went for the large Tex Mex burger. It was excellent, esp with the Pretzel bun and I'd highly recommend it. I then filled up with petrol at the BP next door, 164.9 was the cheapest I've paid in some time We had to go back on ourselves, due to the utter eyesore that was more roadworks. We were at Milton by 6 and had a bit of time to rest and get pictures before the game.

Visitors West Haddon Albion had not yet played a game but Milton had, drawing 2-2 with Wollaston Reserves on Saturday. It was hot at kickoff but soon cooled down. In my usual game of matching the colours to more famous teams, it was Cameroon v Wolves. The hosts had the better of the first half hour and they took the lead on 27 minutes with a low shot in the bottom left-hand corner. It was 1-1 on 30 minutes, a ball from the right and a close-range finish from a few yards out. Milton retook the lead on 34 minutes, a corner from the right was headed home from close range. It was a fairly short half time and the second period got underway at 7.24. Again, it was the home that were asking all the questions in the second half. Indeed they struck the post on 75 minutes. However, there were no further goals and it ended 2-1.

Leicester-based John Main joined us during the game and we had a good catchup. It had been a pleasant evening and we left at 8.15. I'd hoped to listen to the Wycombe commentary on the way home but had to make do with the PSV Eindhoven v Rangers game on BBC Five Live. I dropped Chris off at 8.45 and headed for home. Due to hoping to tune into local radio, I had to use my car sat nav which is not the best. It didn't cope with the road closure well and sent me a strange route through Bletchley. Even so, there was a bit of cheer when I heard on the radio that Ali Al-Hamadi had equalised for Wycombe against Bristol City. However, by the time I got back to a place where I could pick up our local station, we were 3-1 down. It turned out to be for the best as we'd have gotten a rotten draw of Lincoln at home. I was in at 9.50 and spent time uploading this blog and catching up on TV.

THE GROUND

COLLINGTREE ROAD is an excellent setup for the level they play at. Railed on two sides and with a decent clubhouse is better than most in this league. The clubhouse provides plenty of outdoor seating and some cover for wet weather. There's a decent-sized car park which should suffice for most games if not there is plenty of room on the road outside. One side has the backdrop of a train line but overall it's a nice, quiet and pleasant place to watch a game.