Aylesbury United Women - St Johns Sports & Social Club

Aylesbury United Women FC

St Johns Sports & Social Club

A418

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Aylesbury

Bucks

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Ground Number: 1370

Sunday 3rd November 2024

Aylesbury United 2-2 Didcot Town* won on pens
Thames Valley Womens League Cup

AYLESBURY UNITED WOMEN - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was re-established in 2002 as the ladies' team of Aylesbury United FC. They were derived mainly from the players of Berkhamsted Ladies FC who were disbanded that summer. Their first season in the South West Combination was a struggle ending in relegation but the following year they established themselves in the  Southern Region Premier Division. A move to the Thames Valley Women's League with the club starting in Division 1. They were relegated to Division 2 in 2008 but won promotion back to Division 1 in 2010 as runners-up to Oxford United. They spent five seasons back in Division 1 with a high of 6th in 2013. However, a bottom finish in 2015 saw them relegated to Division 2 North. Though they finished 3rd in their first season, a league restructure in 2019 saw them placed in Division 3 North. They were second to Banbury United Development when the season was curtailed in 2020 but they have tended to struggle since. They won the Thames Valley League Plate in 2007 & 2015. Today they have eight teams of all age levels and over a hundred players registered with them.

MY VISIT

Ideally on this Sunday, I would have been making the trip up to Curzon Ashton for their FA Cup game with Mansfield Town. It would only be a revisit but it was a ground I'd like to go to again sometime. An FA Cup game would have been perfect. But as ever, work reared its ugly head, as with every Sunday. I see it as a necessary evil as I am obliged to work one day of the weekend and I'd much rather work a good-for-nothing day of the week than my favourite Saturday. It was also not great to have a 5 am start but that did at least open up an opportunity for an afternoon game. Sadly, despite every other women's game I had been to kick off at 2 pm, they had opted to kick all WFA Cup games at 1. I could still get my cup fix though as the Thames Valley League Cup observed the usual 2 pm start. This gave me time to get there from work and although the ground looked pretty basic, I love a cup game.

We eventually left yesterday's game at Tavistock at 6.10. It was a long journey back to Didcot but I kept myself busy finishing the blog. I then confirmed my games for the week, a busy one with six games in all. Hopefully, my next new ground after this will be Whitton United on Saturday but having suffered a postponement on my last attempt, I'll be hoping for dry weather. There was also the Northampton Town v Kettering Town FA Cup game on my tablet, a decent local derby with former Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth on the punditry team. One person on the coach had a smelly arse and it smelt like when the farmers spread manure in certain areas. The last part of the journey dragged but we were in good company. I just wanted to get home and have a couple of pints before sleep though I'd be limited with a 4 am alarm. We were back just after 9.50 in the end. Thankfully it was a slightly different route and although the roads were slow back to the M40, I dropped Colin off at 10.55. It was 15 minutes to home and I had a couple of drinks intending to be in bed by midnight. I eventually got to bed twenty minutes later than intended, then took a while to drop off, getting three hours of sleep. I felt OK the next morning but on reflection, I should have gone straight to bed when I got in. It was the usual crowded and unpleasant Sunday, like some kind of satanic bowel movement. I had my break at 12.30 getting a sarnie and a muffin. I left at 1, the game having been confirmed by the Didcot Town Twitter. It was a 35-minute journey, mainly obscure country roads but nice and quiet. I was at the ground at 1.40 and pleasantly surprised that it was quite decent.

 

Aylesbury United were 3rd in Division 3, having won three, drawn two and lost three of their games so far. In their last game, they beat Muursley United 5-0. Didcot Town were bottom of Division 2 having won two and lost five of their games. Last time out, they had lost 5-0 to Kingsclere. Didcot had the early play but resolute defending saw Aylesbury survive. Aylesbury already had a chance when on 10 minutes they took the lead with a low shot from around ten yards. Another bout of desperate defending ended up with Didcot being awarded a penalty on 15 minutes for handball. It was converted for 1-1. The standard was noticeably a big drop from last week's step 3 game but it was still good honest football, if a bit scrappy. Didcot looked like the better side but lacked the finishing prowess. Aylesbury United had defended resolutely, getting players behind the ball. But persistence paid off for Didcot on 52 minutes when they netted a rebound at the near post. They then hit the bar a couple of minutes later. Didcot looked to have gone 3-1 up following a goalkeeper parry but it was ruled offside. They were nearly pegged back around 15 minutes from time. Aylesbury were awarded a penalty for a trip inside the area but the spot kick was blasted wide. Just as it looked like Didcot were home and dry, Aylesbury headed home from a corner in injury time. Didcot had been the better side though and they eventually prevailed on penalties.

My 81st game of the season was an entertaining one and I'll certainly be considering more games in this league, perhaps even a run in this cup competition. There had been around 30 in attendance, though not all of them understood the rules. Firstly a group complained that the Aylesbury goal had come after the final whistle, leading the ref to explain injury time to them. They then complained that he blew for full time just as Didcot were attacking. What they would have made of the famous Clive Thomas incident at the Argentina World Cup when he flew for full time just as Brazil scored against Sweden is anyone's guess. The ref was pretty decent in any case and contributed to the game's flow. I left around 4.10, taking 35 minutes to get home. The plan was to watch the FA Cup highlights and draw and grab an early night ahead of a busy week of work and football.

 

THE GROUND

The main focal point of ST JOHNS SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB is the club itself. The club has its own team, St Johns FC, which I presume is a Sunday League team and Aylesbury & District outfit AW FC also play there. The bar offers a standard range of drinks and has Sky TV. It looks like a decent place to watch a game or go for a drink. In addition, there is also a food van, although this departed at 2 PM. Plenty of parking is also available and buses pass the entrance. There are two pitches, the far one was used when I went. It was a basic pitch with no dugouts although trees enclosed three sides and it's a nice place to watch a game. There is certainly potential to expand the ground to a higher standard if the need arises. 

Tavistock - Langsford Park

Tavistock FC

Langsford Park

Crowndale Road

Tavistock

Devon

PL19 8JR

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Ground Number: 1369
Saturday 2nd November 2024

Tavistock 3-3 Didcot Town

Southern League D1 West

TAVISTOCK FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1888 and soon joined the Devon League. They were runners-up in 1890 and champions in 1901. The 1930s was a tough time for the club and they went into abeyance between 1932 and 1937 due to financial issues. In 1939 Tavistock amalgamated with three other local teams, Tavistock Comrades, Bannawell Blues United and Tavistock West End. With this amalgamation, the club changed the colours of their strips from salmon pink shirts with chocolate collars and cuffs, to the present-day red and black stripes. Following the war, the club joined the Plymouth Combination where they were runners-up in 1949 and champions in 1951.

In 1952, Tavistock embarked upon their first spell in the South Western League. Despite a 4th place finish in 1954, four consecutive bottom finishes saw them return to local football. They returned to the South Western League in 1968 and remained there until it was merged into the South West Peninsula League in 2007. Their best finish came in 2003 when they were runners-up behind St Blazey. When the SWP started, Tavistock were placed in the Premier Division but were relegated to Division 1 East in 2014 but bounced straight back as champions. This signalled an upturn in fortunes for the club as they claimed two SWP Premier titles, a runners-up spot and a 3rd place finish in the next four seasons. They went up to the Western Premier in 2019. After the two abandoned seasons saw favourable results, they were Western League champions in 2022. This saw them promoted to the Southern League Division 1 West where they remain to this day.

Tavistock first entered the FA Cup in 1948 and were regulars up until 1959. A long spell of not participating followed before they played in the competition again in 2007. They have reached the 3rd Qualifying Round twice, the last time in 2019 they bowed out 4-1 at National South side Welling United. The club battled through five rounds of the FA Trophy in 2022, losing to another National South side in Hungerford Town 2-1.Two years before, they reached the FA Vase 5th Round, losing to US Portsmouth. Tavistock won the first Devon Senior Cup in 1890 and has lifted the trophy four times in total.  They have also won eleven Bedford Cups, the South Western League Challenge Cup in 1969 and the Victory Cup in 1950. The most famous player to play for the club is Mike Trebilcock. He played for the club as a youth before moving on to Plymouth Argyle and a host of other league clubs. He was the first black player to score in the FA Cup Final in 1966, scoring twice as Everton beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 in front of 100,000 fans.

Tavistock is an ancient stannary and market town in West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy, from which its name derives. It has a current population of just over 13,000. The most famous person to come from the town is Sir Francis Drake, an English explorer and privateer best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580. The area around Tavistock (formerly Tavistoke), where the River Tavy runs wide and shallow allowing it to be easily crossed, and near the secure high ground of Dartmoor, was inhabited long before historical records. The surrounding area is littered with archaeological remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages.The pannier market(so called after the baskets that were used to carry the goods)  in the town has been running since the year 1105. It also has a fortnightly farmers market which has been voted the best in the South West region.

MY VISIT

This game was earmarked back at the start of September when I went on the Kidlington FC coach to Exmouth Town. It was a great way to save money on expensive train fares and petrol and a good day out. The only drawback was having to drive over to Oxfordshire to get the coach and also having to wait for the team after the game. However, it was still worth it so I started to look at potential games I could do with Didcot Town. They were unlucky to be the most Easterly team in the Southern League D1 West but it did present an opportunity. I needed five teams in that league so I started earmarking some games I could do with them. The first of these was Tavistock and so I kept an eye on their Twitter. New Milton Town and Uttoxeter Town were the other possible options for this weekend. Happily, on Monday, Didcot confirmed that they were indeed running a coach and it would be available at the bargain price of £20.

This was great news for me, especially when Colin agreed to come with me. As well as being company for the day, it would halve the cost of getting to Didcot. We also agreed on Basildon United on Friday, a revisit for me. Tuesday was my usual day off and I put to use the Dhansak kit I bought on eBay. It was a bit of a faff but I managed to make a decent curry for a fraction of the cost from a takeaway. In the evening I went up Holmer Green for my 26th visit to Watchet Lane as my local side beat Brook House 3-2. On Wednesday I received confirmation that we had both secured a place on the Didcot coach so started planning the weekend. It was a bit sparse for cider pubs in the small town, disappointing but not surprising, they did at least have a Wetherspoons. Sadly the farmers market, often good for that sort of thing, was not on that week. Otherwise, I enjoyed delving into the club and the town's history and was looking forward to the weekend.

 

From my game at Basildon last night, it was a far better journey home, taking 80 minutes as opposed to the 2.5 hours it took to get there. The reason was roadworks, as usual with the UK, carried out by a single shift of workers at a sloth-like pace. I still got in around 11 though and had a couple of pints whilst typing my blog. After some sleep, I got up just before 7. After getting dressed and having breakfast, I left to meet Colin at 7.50. We were immediately halted by a road closure by sewage spilling scumbags Thames Water so I had to head back the way I came. Aside from a short spell on the M40, it was small tight roads all the way. We got to Didcot at 8.55, shortly before the coach. Everyone was on time and we left promptly at 9.15. It was an unventful journey for the first leg with is stopping at the utterly dull and fuctional Taunton Dene services. It was then around 90 minutes to the ground with us arriving around 1.25. It was straight to the Queen's Head Hotel Wetherspoons where I had wings, two portions of chips and two pints of Black Dragon. Impeccable service and a well-kept pub, though sadly not much local cider. There was however local cider at an excellent shop called Roots and Vines where I got some of the good stuff. I was at the ground at 2.50, luckily able to dump my stuff on the coach and swap it out for Irn Bru. It was £10 entry and the same for a pennant was the same so I decided against as I am running out of space.

It was a real mid-table clash, with Tavistock sitting in 14th. They'd won three and drawn three of their six home games so far. Their last result came on Tuesday, as they won 2-1 at Mousehole. Didcot Town were in 11th, having won one, drawn one, and lost three of their away games so far. In their last league game, they lost 2-0 to Exmouth Town. Tavistock had the better of the game and took the lead on 4 minutes, Ben Steer netting a rebound after Didcot couldn't clear their lines. On 27 minutes Connor Barratt equalised for Didcot with a drilled low shot much to the delight of the Didcot contingent we were now standing with. It should have been the cue for Didcot to get a foothold in the game but a farcical mix-up between keeper Bedwell and two central defenders allowed Steer to grab a very easy second. On 37 minutes, Didcot equalised, Cameron McNeill netting after a flicked header from a corner. In the last few minutes of the second half, Tavistock were ordered a questionable penalty. It was converted to see Tavistock lead 3-2 and the home officials threatened to throw out a Didcot fan who disputed the decision. Overall, they didn't across as a friendly club and seemed very insular. It was a shame as it was a pleasant if small town. It was an even first half, Tavistock could have gone further ahead. But on 73 minutes, a great through ball found Barratt who finished well for his second and the equaliser for 3-3. On 84 minutes, Tavistock hit the post and the Didcot keeper Bidwell was happy to grab the ball and preserve the draw. Seven minutes of injury time and Didcot had a couple of chances in the opening minutes. After the final whistle. We chatted with a friendly Tavistock fan on the way to Morrisons. We both got some stuff for the journey home before heading back to the coach.

THE GROUND

LANGSFORD PARK is a basic ground for step 4. There is one small terraced stand, which holds around 100. Then two metal pre fab stands with around the same capacity. The rest of the ground is open. Food is burgers and hotdogs from one hatch and pasties and snacks from another. The clubhouse is across the car park and does the job. There's also a club shop with a decent range. Parking is plentiful and the town, a 20 minute walk away has a decent Spoons and other nice shops.

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