Caversham United - Mapledurham Playing Fields

Caversham United FC

Mapledurham Playing Fields

Upper Woodcote Road

Caversham

Reading 

Berkshire

RG4 7LB

Official Website

Twitter

FIB Page

FAFT Page

Ground Number: 1431
Saturday 24th May 2025

Caversham United 5-1 Old Windsor Reserves
East Berkshire League Division 1

CAVERSHAM UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded in June 2015, although in previous guises they have been known as AFC Palmer,  RBC Unison, FC Brettle and Miah's. They had three adult football teams at the club, including two men’s sides in the Reading and District Sunday League, Divisions 2 and 4 respectively, and a women’s side in the sixth tier nationally, in the Southern Regional Division 1 North. That was until this season when they joined the East Berkshire League Division 1, which sits at step 9 of the Non-League Pyramid. They are in the promotion hunt and so are looking likely to win promotion to the Premier Division, which feeds into the Thames Valley Premier League, facilities permitting.

The Goats – as they are known (originally the Billy Goats before establishing a women's team) have been making waves off the pitch, have 20,000 followers on Twitter and have used that to raise well over £5,000 for charity. Caversham is a large village and suburb of Reading, located directly north of Reading town centre across the River Thames. Notable landmarks include Caversham Court, a public park and former country house; Caversham Lakes; and part of the Thames Path national trail. The population is just under 24,000, with women's footballer Fran Kirby hailing from the village.

MY VISIT

This game was decided upon around ten days in advance when I received the final Football Traveller of the season. Although it was the dying embers of the season, there were still 18 options available, and that was after excluding anything more than around 80 miles away. After visiting London last week, I was less likely to do anything that was in that area or, indeed, anything that went through it. That only left one option, really, and it was a good value option. That was the East Berkshire League, and I had two options - either FC Bracknell or Caversham United. I opted for the latter due to their prominent social media presence. It was also nice and easy on the bus, albeit it took ages compared to the car. But the cost was less on the bus, and there was a great range of pubs in Reading too. Plenty to keep me on the bladderation trial both before and after. There was even the possibility of getting the Newbury Wetherspoons ticked, if I was willing to fork out for a train and allow time to travel. Though with such a good range in Reading, it was gonna be put off until another day.

From Central London, luck was not on my side, and I had to wait 25 minutes for the tube back to Amersham. Had the bus fare cap been £2, I'd have gone out for an hour or so in London as the train stopped on the way to London Bridge, near one of my favourite pubs. I'd have only had to spend a tenner, and the government would have got back the difference from the old cap in VAT, but that lot ain't the sharpest tools in the box. Back in reality, the increase had meant I'd driven and so, had to be responsible. I was back in Amersham at 7 and home 20 minutes later. I had some food and drink at home, far cheaper, but not as fun. I didn't get the greatest night of sleep as I never get two good nights in a row. Sunday was standard at work, the bliss of an empty store for four and a half hours, followed by the gradual building of the busiest day of the week. The rest of the week dragged with no midweek game, something I'll no doubt have to put up with until July. At least I had a double revisit to Basford United on 14th June with cheap Flixbus tickets secured. Also on Wednesday evening, I completed my research for this blog.

It had been a long week at work without midweek games, so I was glad to have a rest and a few drinks. I was in bed by 10 and got a decent night's sleep despite being woken up by rain. The weather had taken a turn for the worse in the past few days with me having to scrape frost off of the windscreen on Friday morning and rain was scheduled for the day of the game. After having some breakfast, I left at 8 for the walk to the bus station. It was a pleasant morning and a walk with me meeting Colin at 9.20. We got the bus to Reading with a rare case of the £3 cap providing great value for money. The journey was nice at first with some lovely architecture in Henley, but as we got closer to Reading it started to fill up with individuals who are the reason why I'm not a people person outside of football or pubs. People playing music out load and generally being too noisy, so with Colin asleep, I put my headphones on. It was a good decision to come to this game as opposed to FC Bracknell, as the latter's Wetherspoons was closed for refurbishment.

 

We were in Reading at 11.10 and it was a short walk to my first stop of the day, The Alehouse in Reading. This was a mecca for me and I had a pint of Reading Press from Seven Trees cider. An excellent local pint of cider although Colin wasn't too happy with the soft drink range. He wasn't happy with the food prices at either of the next pubs too, but I was happy enough to head to Wetherspoons. The Big Smoke Burger was great for £11.72 with all the trimmings and a pint of Black Dragon. A good example of a Wetherspoons for sure, albeit a revisit for me. The place was packed but the service and drinks range was excellent. Then it was over to Siren. Sadly no Irn Bru Beer as intended but a new cider tick in the form of Red Fin Fresh Apple, which was OK. Finally, Colin was happy after he deemed his hot chocolate in Wetherspoons not chocolately enough. It a cracking place with good vibe and great music. My favourite though of pre-match was The Alehouse, a remarkable place. It was 50 minutes walk to the ground, across the Thames and a bit of a knackerer uphill, but it had all been in a good cause.

 

Caversham United were 3rd in the league and had won fourteen and lost five of their games so far this season. They'd won their last four games that they had played, beating Prospect 8-1 last Saturday. Old Windsor Reserves were 4th, having won eleven, drawn two, and lost five of their games. They were unbeaten in three and had drawn 2-2 at FC Bracknell in their last game. Caversham were the better side and they took the lead on 13 minutes with a close-range finish. The hosts also hit the right-hand post on 21 minutes. They extended their lead a couple of minutes later thanks to a good through ball and tidy finish. Windsor reduced the arrears on 25 minutes through Spires, although the keeper got a hand to the shot from around 15 yards. A player apiece was sent off for their part in a scuffle on 38 minutes - Luck for Caversham and George for Old Windsor. Caversham were unlucky not to score after they chased down a goal kick just before half-time. A dog stealing the corner flag provided a halftime highlight. Five minutes into the second half, a header made it 3-1 to Caversham. A hat trick for Doran. Then on 75 minutes, it was 4-1, a fantastic strike by Mole from 30 yards that sailed past the keeper. In injury time, it was 5-1, Abery turned the ball home from a right-wing cross from within the six-yard box.

 

That was it as far as goals were concerned. It had been a proper hoppers convention with them making up a good proportion of the 30 or so there. Brekk and Laurence were good company and provided many a good tale. Though it was a basic venue, it was a good day out, and I regret not embracing it earlier. From there, it was around 50 minutes walk to the Nag's Head, the two isolated locations meant it wasn't worth getting the bus. Colin headed off home as he didn't fancy the Nag's Head. The place was superb, I got a seat, but my blog would have to wait. First up was my second Seven Trees cider, a half of the locally made Royal County. The pub had a fair few Sunderland fans in it, and they were delighted when their team got a late winner to see them return to the Premier League at the expense of Sheffield United. They only had one of the two needed left, so I had a pint of Kicking Goat whilst a Mackem cracked open some champagne. I could have gone to many more places, but opted for moderation. I was still in a fit state to type my blog and had enjoyed a great day. Via a back alley to relieve myself, which judging by the stench was a well-used place, I was at the bus stop well on time. Another noisy mob on the way home, but with alcoholic anaesthetic imbibed, it was not as irritating as the morning bus.

THE GROUND 

MAPLEDURHAM PLAYING FIELDS is a basic but pleasant setup. There is a building, sadly, no signage for Caversham United. The complex has multiple pitches with no railing or dugouts. Parking is plentiful and there are bus routes nearby. 

Crofton Albion - Crofton Albion Sports & Social Club

Crofton Albion Football Club

Crofton Albion Sports & Social Club

Weigall Road

Kidbrooke

London

SE12 8HF

0208 856 8385 (Clubhouse)

Official Website

Facebook

Twitter

Ground Number: 1430

Saturday 17th May 2025

Crofton Albion 6-0 OLAHM FC

Bromley & South London League John Cooper Premier Division

CROFTON ALBION FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1967 by former pupils of the Forest Hill Comprehensive School. They primarily came from two teams - Lewisham Engineers and Old Colfeians. As a number of the players were Charlton Athletic fans, they adopted the initials CAFC with the Crofton part coming from the fact that some players were from the Crofton Park area. They won the London & Kent Border League Division 4 in their first season and also reached the Semi-Final of the League Cup. Early homes included Footscray Road in Eltham, various pitches in Blackheath and the Glentworth Club in Dartford, currently home of Kent Football United. They moved to their current home in the 1980s, purchasing it to secure a permanent home for the club. The pavilion is named in honour of the first Chairman, the late Ted Davis, who gave so much unstinting time in the early days at their home.

Originally a Sunday League side, they added a Saturday team some time ago. Early days were spent in the Bromley & District League, with Crofton Albion winning Division 1 in 1989, the Memorial Cup and Division 3 double in 1993 and the Charity Cup in 1995. They then moved to the South London Football Alliance, winning Division 3 in 2003, Hospital Cups in 2005 & 2006, and the Premier Division in 2008, following a quick club up the divisions. They spent some time back in the Bromley & District League after this before the two leagues merged to form the Bromley & South London League in 2017. Crofton Albion were placed in Division 1 but finished bottom in their first season. A break for the COVID-19 pandemic followed a couple of unremarkable seasons in Division 2. A 3rd place finish in 2022 saw the club promoted to Division 1. Last season, they won the Jim Hampson Division 1 title, earning them promotion to the John Cooper Premier Division for this season. 

MY VISIT 

The choice of games was even less at this point of the season, with almost all of step 7 packed up for the season. There was the Essex Olympian League still going ahead, but there was only one top-level game going ahead. That was Toby, and as they had not played in weeks, I assumed that the league's basement side would not be playing this. However, they corrected me on Twitter and said that they would. There was a lot of CBA-itis in that league, and so it proved as Harold Wood Athletic pulled out of the game. The game against Catholic United was brought forward a week, but even so, it was a tricky one on public transport, and I fancied a day out on the train after driving last week. When the Football Traveller arrived on Wednesday afternoon, I picked out ten choices and narrowed them down to two favourites. They were Kew Park Rangers v London Hibernian in the Surrey South Eastern League, and Crofton Albion v OLAHM FC in the Bromley & South East London League. There was a reasonably functioning Twitter for London Hibernian and Crofton Albion, as I was wary of late cancellations. There had been a flurry of them last FA Cup Final day, and I'd ended up having no game after my original game and two backups all suffered a case of one side being unable or unwilling to fulfil.

After less than five hours of sleep, I was quite tired when I woke up by my alarm at 3.50 in the morning on Sunday. In my tired state, I decided later that I wasn't going to do my usual walk to the Wycombe game as I'd have to fork out £12 to get home. Instead, I'd drive and park two miles away, trying a new takeaway. I'd still be able to have a couple of cans due to it being 3-4 hours before I had to drive, and I'd get home easier and just as quickly. Ultimately, I left work early at 11, making up the hours on Wednesday. I was glad as people were pouring into the store like ants, and it's never nice to be in when it's so busy. I spent a few hours at home, but it was just killing time until it was time to leave. I wouldn't have minded a few drinks either, but I had to think about driving later. Whilst I was waiting, I found out that my planned Liss Athletic v Denmead game on Wednesday had been cancelled, with it being the last scheduled game of the season, it wasn't too much of a shock as not bothering is the easy option at this time of year and is frustratingly rife. I left for the Wycombe game at 4, parking around 40 minutes from the ground to try a Doner Calzone from Giant Pizza. It was well priced at £6.50 and very nice too. A second can was consumed on the way to the ground, where there was a decent atmosphere. It was a battling performance from Wycombe and a great improvement from a few weeks ago when we were thumped 4-0. The 0-0 was a poor football spectacle, though, a real war of attrition. The decision to drive worked, and I was home by 9.30.

Even though I got a fairly early night, I was still quite tired the next morning. I got through work, coming home and discovering that the fixture I was planning on in the Aylesbury & District League had moved ground. The next closest option was in Milton Keynes with a 7 PM kickoff. It was a stormy Monday afternoon, but I decided there and then that it would probably be just Saturdays for the rest of the season. Tuesday was a pleasant day off, and Wednesday was a decent day at work but the week dragged with no football. I learned on Wednesday afternoon that next midweek would be a blank one too. Thursday was a real grueller at work, and I stayed on an extra hour to help clear the backlog. A late decision could have been made to go to the Charlton Athletic v Wycombe Wanderers game, but the club took tickets off sale early. Probably for the best work-wise, as I feel tired in the morning as it is. Instead, I killed time waiting for the TV coverage to start by looking forward to this weekend, thinking that a trip to Crofton Albion would be a good day out. There was a potential Vets game before, and a backup in the same league just around the corner. I watched the Charlton Athletic v Wycombe Wanderers game on Thursday evening. A few drinks were required to watch the atrocity that is Mike Dodds' Wycombe Wanderers. The players and fans were all heroes and did brilliantly, but the negative style of football was abhorrent. We didn't manage a single shot on target for the entire last two hours of the two-legged tie and lost to a scrappy goal. It was what the tactics deserved, and what looked to be a glorious season at the turn of the year has been flushed down the toilet thanks to our egomaniac 'Chief Of Football' Dan Rice.

I was OK on Friday morning initially after going to bed at 11, but was knackered by late morning. I had a relaxed afternoon and evening at home, going to sleep at 9.30. A good night's kip was had for once, and I woke up at 7. It was just a matter of killing time and having breakfast until it was time to leave at 8.50. I opted for my Whitchurch Alport bag and my Abertillery Bluebirds shirt. I would have preferred to have taken the bus, but with the 50% increase in fares, it was uneconomical. Instead, I drove, parked near Amersham station and got to the platform ten minutes before my 09:22 train. It was an easy change at Finchley Road for the Jubilee Line, and I was ahead of time. A delay at Waterloo ate up the time saved, but I got off at Canary Wharf. A pleasant walk later, I got the DLR to Cutty Sark for Wetherspoons 403, The Gate Clock.

 

It got its name from the world-famous clock is mounted on the wall by the double gates leading into the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Installed in 1852, the gate clock is ‘the public face of Greenwich Mean Time’. The map of the area drawn a few years earlier, in 1869, shows that there was a brewery behind the site of these premises. The malt kilns were a long-standing local landmark. Arriving just after 11, Breakfast Muffin, a Monster to take away and a pint of Stowford Press came in at under £5. A pleasant, secluded table was secured, although I was behind time now, but in a relaxed mood. It was a 45 minute walk to 404, The Brockley Barge. The name of this pub recalls the barges which plied their trade on the Croydon Canal. Opened in 1809, the canal was replaced (in 1836) by the railway line, which was laid along the same course. With no new burgers, nor Shawarma Wrap, I had to settle for wings, chips and a pint of Black Dragon for £9. I was slightly behind, leaving at 12.40. A ten-minute walk to the bus stop and a four-minute delay had me arriving bang on kickoff for the vets' game. The game kicked off ten minutes late, or at least for the purposes of this blog it did. I'd had a dump before getting a pint of Strongbow for £4.50 and going outside to the patio. The Crofton Met Yellows bundled home from a corner after 35 minutes. That was it as far as my records were concerned, 50 minutes in, it was over to pitch two. It was later made 0- 2 and then 1-2, 1-3 and  2-3 from what I could tell. Though officially, it was a draw, so I must have missed something.

Crofton Albion were 3rd in the league, having won eleven, drawn three and lost just one of their games so far. Last time out, they had thumped Farnborough Old Boys Guild 5-0, although that was three weeks ago. OLAHM FC were 5th, having won seven, drawn one and lost eight of their games. Last time out, they lost 5-0 to Farnborough OBG. The hosts had won 2-0 at OLAHM earlier in the season and also 3-2 at home in the Queen Mary Cup Quarter Final. I had no idea how the team got their name, but they were established in 2021 and played a few miles away at the Coldharbour Leisure Centre in Mottingham. The game kicked off five minutes late due to four home players needing a piss. It was a small attendance compared to the 40 or so that watched the Vets game. OLAHM had the better of the opening period but Crofton Albion took the lead on 10 minutes, a drilled shot from the edge of the area. An excellent corner from the left and a firm header from within the six-yard box made it 2-0 on 18 minutes, though it was harsh on the visitors. Just before half time, OLAHM had a man sent off for pulling down the last man. In the second half, Crofton made it 3-0 when #8 beat the offside trap and slotted past the keeper. Both sides hit the post, but it was 4-0 around fifteen minutes from time, not that I think it crossed the line, but it was given. The final score on FA Full Time was given as 6-0 however. The game died out after that and was over around 4.20. From there it was to Kidbrooke Station via a meal deal at Sainsbury's and the 16:47 train into London.

THE GROUND

CROFTON ALBION SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB is a decent setup. It has plenty of parking and a bar and a decent food menu. It also shows TV football. The pair of pitches are fairly basic with no railing or dugouts. It's a nice, friendly club to visit, and the standard of football in the Bromley and South London League is decent.

Stewkley - Stewkley Recreation Ground

Stewkley FC

Stewkley Recreation Ground

Soulbury Road

Stewkley

Leighton Buzzard 

Buckinghamshire

LU7 0HN

Official Website

FA Full Time

Twitter

Ground Number: 1429

Saturday 10th May 2025

Stewkley 4-0 MK City
North Bucks & District Premier

STEWKLEY FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1946, following the end of the 2nd World War. They were long-time members of the Aylesbury & District League, which they won in 1979 and 1991. They also won the league's Thomas Field Shield in 1964 & 1967. They are currently long-time members of the North Bucks & District League, where they won the Premier Division in 1993 and the Premier Division Cup in 1995. They were also Premier Division runners-up to Potterspury in 2017. Recently, they won the Marsworth Cup in 2020 and have five Oving Cups to their name, including back-to-back titles in the past two years.

The village is about 5 miles east of Winslow and about 4 miles west of Leighton Buzzard. The toponym Stewkley is derived from the Old English for woodland clearing with tree stumps. The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Stiuclai. Alastair Cook, England cricket captain, was married at the Methodist Chapel on 31 December 2011. Darren Gough, a former England cricketer, previously lived in and played football for the village.

MY VISIT

This game was only decided the evening prior, as very few teams in the leagues that were still playing had a reliable social media presence. I had tweeted the likes of Bromelians and Norsemen, which would have provided a day out on the train as well as ACD United in the Essex Olympian League, but had no response. So, my preference was to do something in the car, so if the game was off, I could go elsewhere. I stumbled upon a bit of luck, having already decided to go to Wing Village for the 2 PM game as they had posted about it on Facebook. Due to today's sides playing in a reserve game Cup Final at Buckingham, their game was rescheduled to 4 PM. It was perfect with only a six-minute drive between the villages. It also meant that I could go to the Farmfoods shop in Aylesbury to stock up the freezer, an opportunity I'd not had since December.

At the Wing Village game, I had met a hopper called Roland who was here on public transport from London. Like a fellow hopper had helped me and Ollie get between two games in the North West, I offered to help out once I realised he was a hopper. It was six minutes to Stewkley, and as the car park was full, I had to park on the road. I was parched by now, so I got myself a pint of Magners for £4 from the clubhouse. A reasonable price and a cider I had not had for ages. Absence did not make the heart grow fonder, and I'll not miss it if I don't have it for years again. At least it killed my thirst. I was able to find out the results of some games that I'd considered going to. I was right to bin off the ACD United game as it was called off. That league has more flakes than an ice cream van at this time of year, so it's one to avoid. The players observed a minute's silence before the game. My game here kicked off late at 16:08.

Stewkley were 2nd in the league and could win the title if they kept on winning. They had suffered a blow in their last game, going down 2-1 at leaders MK United, but had been in good form, winning their four league games before that. MK City were in the relegation zone, having only won three games all season. They'd lost ten games in a row, including a 3-0 defeat to Wing Village last time out. When the teams last met on 26th October, they gave a good account of themselves, going down 3-2. I did have a more detailed assessment of this game but thanks to a malfunction on my notes app, I am having to rely on memory. Stewkley took the lead around eight minutes in, a header at the back post. It was then a stubborn rearguard action from relegated MK City as they offered little going forward, but luck and hard work prevented the score from being added to. A penalty was awarded halfway through the second half, which was converted to make it 2-0. MK City then had a man sent off for talking back to the referee. In the final ten minutes, two more goals were added, one where the keeper failed to gather a high ball and another where the glovesman's parry was followed up.

It wasn't the best game, and although MK City showed great resilience, they offered little going forward. Most of the other games I had considered went ahead, but with no social media confirmation, I was happy with my choices. From the ground, it was 20 minutes back to Aylesbury Shopping Park, where I dropped Roland so he could get his train home. My target, FarmFoods, was not as good as it was back in December, but I still got plenty to take home. As ever, though, it attracted parents with extremely noisy and unruly children, but at least the prices were excellent. It was around 35 minutes back from there with me getting in at 7.15. I got some hot and spicy popcorn, which was as good as it could be for a quid. I'd done most of my first blog, but this one took a while. I had a few drinks to help me unwind whilst watching the 100% Club on ITV. The plan was to get to bed around 10.30, ahead of work and the Wycombe game tomorrow. 

THE GROUND

STEWKLEY RECREATION GROUND is a multi-sport venue where the main thing is cricket. This has a nice clubhouse with reasonable prices and an electronic scoreboard. The other side is an area with space for two football pitches. On this occasion, it was the far side, and as it was quite hemmed in, you get a sense of enclosure on three sides. On the nearside is a rope and some advertising boards, although no permanent dugouts. Overall, it's a decent place to watch a game with enough street parking for a busy day.