Bushey Rangers - Moatfield

Bushey Rangers FC

The Moatfield

Moatfield Rd

Bournehall Lane

Bushey 

Hertfordshire

WD23 3JU

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1182
Tuesday 6th May 2023
Bushey Rangers 3-2 Little Heath
Herts Senior County League D2

BUSHEY RANGERS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1959. They've played local football for the whole of their history, remaining an important part of their community but never progressing to the semi-pro game. They first joined the Herts Senior County League in 1971, starting out in Division 2. After a couple of seasons, they were champions and won promotion to Division 1. Then in 1975, they were runners-up to Chipperfield, winning promotion to the Premier Division. They finished 6th in their debut season but results declined and they were relegated back after four seasons. Despite some promising finishes including 3rd in 1983, they were relegated again in 1985 to Division 2. Recovery started in 1988 when they finished as runners-up to Kodak Hemel Hempstead. In 1990, another runners-up spot, this time behind Hatfield Town Athletic saw them win promotion back to the Premier Division. Another 6th place finish followed in 1992 but three years later, they were relegated again. They spent six of the next seven seasons in Division 1 before finishing as runners-up to Hadley in 2002. The last of their spells in the Premier Division lasted six seasons but produced lowly finishes before they were relegated in 2008. They spent the rest of their time in Division 1, skipping out season 2011/12. It was a sign of things to come, for in 2014, they resigned from the league to concentrate on junior football. They re-emerged in Division 1 in 2020, playing 8 games in a truncated season with the team second bottom. Last season, they dropped down to Division 4 where they were crowned champions.

Bushey is a borough of Hertfordshire, located around a mile from Watford. It has a population of just over 25,000. Bushey is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 in the form of Bissei. Although there has been some debate, modern, scholarly commentary has concluded that the name originated as a compound of the Old English words bysc ('bush, thicket') and hæg ('enclosure'). Thus it once meant 'enclosure made of bushes'. Famous people with links to the town include Wham!'s George Michael & Andrew Ridgeley who attended Bushey Meads School. Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon was born in Bushey, as were DJ Dave Cash and politician Michael Portillo. 

MY VISIT

Trying to visit Bushey Rangers had proved far from plain sailing so far. They'd originally been due to play Little Heath on 4th April but were not able to field a side. They had given good notice to everyone though, it was just that the league had not updated the site with the postponement. I'd got to the ground to find no-one there and was impressed with the setup, so was keen to go back for a game. They'd been apologetic on Twitter when I'd tagged them and I held no grudge as I'd gone back to Amersham to see a game. Then, on Thursday 4th May, they had been due to play Cuffley Reserves but that game bit the dust too. I presume because Cuffley had a first-team game on the same night which was fair enough. This time, the league had the courtesy to update the site and Cuffley had forfeited the game altogether with the game awarded to Bushey Rangers. There were still plenty of opportunities to visit this season though and with me going a long way on Friday night, I fancied a local game on Saturday.

It was to be a double-header against Little Heath, with the 'away' game being played first at 13:30 and the 'home' game being played after at 14:45. I assumed from the timings that they would be shortened games, possibly half an hour each way. However, this was fine by me. Last week they did the same against Letchworth Garden City Eagles and had played full games, so with the FA Full Time being unreliable, I didn't know for sure. I'd originally intended to go on public transport as I wanted to visit the Pennsylvanian Wetherspoons and Wishful Drinking Micropub in Rickmansworth and the Two Trees Micropub in Watford. But no matter how much I tried to find a decent route, it was going to be a right faff and so I decided to drive.

 I had less than five hours sleep the night before the game. But this was more than enough for me, as I've never been a big sleeper. I had a bath and got dressed and was out the door just after 8.30. I walked down town, a bit of drizzle turning into heavier rain. I got all the bits I needed from Poundland and Lidl including some stuff to take with me to football. Due to the rain and time constraints, I treated myself to a bus home for £2. I was trying to ignore the Coronation as much as possible but a commemorative bus ticket was a smart touch. I had around 90 minutes at home as I'd decided to leave as late as possible due to the rain. I left around 12.30, picking Colin up at 12:45. It was a half an hour journey over to Bushey through clear but flooded roads. With the rain showing so signs of abating, it was good to see the pitch looking OK and the players warming up. It was an impressive setup and I went into the bar for a pint where myself and Colin were given a free wristband each. It was then time to head out and watch the game.

Bushey Rangers were 5th and had lost their last four games. These were 1-0 & 2-1 defeats to Letchworth Garden City Eagles U23, a 2-1 loss to Chipperfield Corinthians and a 6-1 mauling at Hinton & Finchley Revolution. Before that, they'd won 4-2 at Hatfield Athletic and 3-1 at Oxhey. Little Heath were in 7th and had travelled 13 miles from Welham Green for this game. They'd forfeited their game on Thursday against leaders Hemel Hempstead Rovers and lost their last game 4-1 against Broxbourne Badgers. They'd also lost 2-0 but drawn an exciting game 4-4 at Chesham United Youth Generals. They'd also won 3-1 at Chipperfield Corinthians Reserves and beaten Oxhey by the same scoreline.  Bushey Rangers were 5th and had lost their last four games. These were 1-0 & 2-1 defeats to Letchworth Garden City Eagles U23, a 2-1 loss to Chipperfield Corinthians and a 6-1 mauling at Hinton & Finchley Revolution. Before that, they'd won 4-2 at Hatfield Athletic and 3-1 at Oxhey. Little Heath were in 7th and had travelled 13 miles from Welham Green for this game. They'd forfeited their game on Thursday against leaders Hemel Hempstead Rovers and lost their last game 4-1 against Broxbourne Badgers. They'd also lost 2-0 but drawn an exciting game 4-4 at Chesham United Youth Generals. They'd also won 3-1 at Chipperfield Corinthians Reserves and beaten Oxhey by the same scoreline. Game one saw Little Heath as the 'hosts' and they took the lead with a great shot from their grey-haired player who I christened 'Ravanelli' after the 1990s Italy & Middlesbrough striker. They went 2-0 up when the Bushey keeper didn't get a strong enough punch on the ball and the rebound was headed home. A good move saw Bushey get a goal back to make it 2-1. They equalised with a great low shot from the edge of the area. A low ball from the left was finished from around six yards, a complete turnaround saw Bushey Rangers win 3-2.

Both games lasted an hour, consisting of two 30-minute periods. The first game had got off to a flying start but the second was a more subdued opening. Bushey Rangers took the lead with a great 30-yard free-kick although the keeper might have done better as it was dead central. They added a second before Little Heath pulled one back from the spot. A header made it 3-1 and made the game and the double safe for Bushey. It had been an excellent day and we were thanked for coming by club officials. These clubs are the pride of Britain, not some load of nonsense that a lot of the nation was fawning over today. We left and as Colin had forgotten to eat, we stopped at Asda and McDonalds in Watford. He got what he wanted whilst I had a snack and got some grapes for later. We listened to the football on Five Live until they started talking about the Coronation again, switching to TalkSPORT thereafter. I dropped the lad off around 5, getting home 15 minutes later. A few drinks were enjoyed over the evening as I planned for future games. Work was beckoning for Sunday but I had Monday off and a treble in Cheshire & Staffordshire planned.

THE GROUND

MOATFIELD is a great venue for the level. There's a railed pitch and there's also a club building painted in club colours. This provides a bit of cover from any rain. There's a small car park at the ground and there is also a fair bit of street parking. The people at the club are nice and friendly and the bar is excellent with a range of club merchandise.