Kennington Athletic - Playfield Road

Kennington Athletic FC 

Playfield Road

Kennington

Oxford. 

Oxfordshire

OX1 5RS

Official Website

OSL Page

Twitter

Ground Number: 1553

Tuesday 12th May 2025

Kennington Athletic 6-1 Longford Park

Oxfordshire Senior Premier

KENNINGTON ATHLETIC FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1968. They were primarily a youth side, with players going on to play for other local clubs. Up until 2013,  that was Kennington FC, but after years of playing in the top two tiers of the Oxfordshire Senior League, they left the league that year. For a few years, there was no senior side in the village. In 2016, Kennington Athletic established a senior side to allow their youngsters to continue playing for the side. They were an immediate success, winning the Oxfordshire Senior League Division 1 in their debut season. They've been in the Premier Division ever since, finishing 3rd on four occasions. Kennington bettered that last season, finishing as runners-up to Yarnton and were within two points of winning the title. They also won the OSL Presidents Cup, beating Thame United Reserves 1-0 in the final.

The village of Kennington is in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, just south of Oxford. The village occupies a narrow stretch of land between the River Thames and the A34 dual carriageway. It was in Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. It has a population of around 4,000. Apart from the village, most of Kennington civil parish is wooded, including all of Bagley Wood and West Wood to the west of the village. Kennington has a pub, The Tandem, part of the Hungry Horse chain. The village has a health centre, two shops, a post office and a pharmacist. Behind the Playfield Road field, where the club plays, lies the Kennington Memorial Field, dedicated to the six men from Kennington who lost their lives in the Second World War.

MY VISIT

After a blank midweek last midweek, possibly due to the Bank Holiday, I was back at it this week. Even though there were still lots of choices, there wasn't too much choice at step 7. I originally had a trip to Gloucestershire pencilled in, but when Kennington United came up in the Oxfordshire Senior League, that was a better option. It was far closer to home, and I could also tick off Abingdon Wetherspoons for dinner. It was a fairly decent trip back through Birmingham, with a good connection in the city. It was only a ten-minute wait for the bus in Wycombe and £3 well spent to get home an hour quicker, even if Colin did get his trip for free as usual. It was one last pint and a pizza before a late bedtime. It had been a boozy Saturday as usual; maybe I could have cut out one or two, but it had been fun. I was looking forward to at least five days of sobriety, less so the early start in the morning. I was tired, and it was a bit of a grueller at work, with so many people shopping on Sunday and very little else to do that day. I had an hour's nap to catch up in the afternoon and also an earlier night.

It was far calmer at work on Monday, though I took note that Cadent were digging up the road once more on my route home and also the potential route for the game the next day. I filled up with petrol at a station 2p a litre cheaper than work, more out of principle than to save money. Whereas before Israel and the USA's antics gave petrol companies the chance to put prices up,  it was usually cheaper at a supermarket; the difference is less pronounced now. The evening was spent relaxing and researching the club's history. Gemini was more of a hindrance than a help, completely making up the details of some of the club's history, although I always try to double-check these things. It was the usual night's sleep, with my body clock refusing to shift from its work pattern. I carried on my Football Manager 2017 save, having guided Hull United to six promotions to reach the Conference North, and moved to Grimsby Town in League 2.

I left it until after 9 to go out to avoid the kids going to school. It was a pleasant walk in sunny conditions, but it was quite chilly. I noticed that the place where I got petrol yesterday had whacked up their prices 4p a litre overnight. I spent the afternoon at home, playing Football Manager. I was concerned about Colin falling asleep and not turning up, but he was early in fact. I had to save my game and go and meet him. It was a convoluted route, the roads in Oxfordshire variable with daft 20mph zones with pervert cameras to catch the unaware as well as nonsensical traffic calming. Abingdon itself was very pleasant looking, but it too had a confusing one-way system with military precision required to avoid going around the whole thing again. At least the parking was free, and the Wetherspoons, The Narrows, was a nice pub, my 515th Spoons. The Buffalo Burger meal deal was very filling, along with a pint of Cranberry juice, it was £8.56. From there, it was a ten-minute drive to the ground where we met Martin, who had come down from Peterborough.

 

Kennington Athletic were 7th in the table and had won 8, drawn 6 and lost 9. They were seven games without a win, having gone down 5-2 at Chalgrove Cavaliers on Saturday. Longford Park were in 12th, just above the relegation spots. They had won 3, drawn 4 and lost 16. They were in mixed form and had lost 6-3 at Brill United on Saturday. It was a fairly even opening. On 18 minutes, it was 1-0 to Kennington, a decent lob over the goalkeeper. On 23 minutes, it was 2-0, the keeper parried the ball, but it was followed up. On 40 minutes, it was 3-0, a header from fifteen yards. It was all one-way traffic by now, the hosts smashed the bar with a rocket of a shot just before halftime. The onslaught continued into the second half; it was 4-0 around 55 minutes, and a corner from the right was headed home from ten yards. A few minutes later, it was 5-0, a curling shot from the edge of the area by #9. On 75 minutes, Longford Park pulled one back on the break, a placed shot into the bottom left corner from just outside the area. Both sides had chances after this, including the visitors hitting the post. It was 6-1 right on full time with a low shot into the corner.

 

THE GROUND

PLAYFIELD ROAD is as basic as it gets. Just a pitch with two goals, although three sides feel enclosed. It's a nice, quiet area in a residential area. There are only facilities for players in the changing room block. Seating comprises a couple of benches. Parking is on the surrounding streets, of which there are plenty.

Oldbury United - York Road

Oldbury United FC 

York Road

Oldbury

Rowley Regis 

West Midlands

B65 0RR

Official Website

FA Full Time

Twitter

Ground Number: 1552

Saturday 9th May 2026

Oldbury United 1-3 Wyreley United

West Midlands (Regional) Premier

OLDBURY UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1958 and was initially known as Queens Colts. They joined the Oldbury League upon formation and won Division 2 in 1962, after which they changed their name to Whiteheath United. They then had a three-season spell in the Warwickshire and West Midlands Alliance. In 1965, they merged with Oldbury Town to become Oldbury United. A year later, they joined the Worcestershire Combination, which became the Midland Football Combination. Oldbury were runners-up to Alvechurch in 1972 and Sutton Coldfield in 1979. Despite only finishing 5th in 1982, they were admitted to the Southern League - Midland Division. A 6th-place finish was a great achievement in their debut season, but this was followed by a couple of mid-table seasons before relegation in 1986.

Successful seasons followed in the West Midlands (Regional) Premier, where the club were runners-up to Atherstone United in 1987 and Tamworth in 1988. Oldbury United then won the title in 1993. A year later, they joined the Midland Alliance with mixed results. Oldbury were relegated from this league in 2009 and folded due to a legal dispute, forcing them to vacate their ground and share at Tividale. The club was briefly resurrected in 2017, playing in the WMRL D2, but folded partway through the following season. The current version of the club was established in 2022 and has seen steady progress. They were promoted from Division 2 in 2024 after a 3rd place finish. Last season, a 4th-place finish was good enough for promotion to the Premier Division at step 7 of the pyramid.

Oldbury United have played several FA Cup campaigns. Their most notable campaign came in 1986 when they beat Eastwood Hanley, Rossendale United and Buxton to set up a local derby against Halesowen Town in the 4th Qualifying Round. Despite gaining a 2-2 draw away from home, they lost the home replay 2-2. The FA Amateur Cup matched them against my own team, Wycombe Wanderers in 1971. They beat Newquay 2-1 to set up the tie, and although our local newspaper appeared to take it lightly, the Chairboys triumphed 4-0 in the 3rd Round. The FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round was reached in 1984. Their 1977 debut in the FA Vase was also their record progress. Ibstock Peinstone Rovers, Wigston Fields, Boldmere St Michaels, and Halesown Town were beaten before a thrilling 4-3 loss to Irthlingborough Diamonds in the 5th Round.

Local cup wins include the Walsall Senior Cup in 1983, the Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1988 and the Midland Alliance League Cup in 1989. Oldbury United have played at York Road since 1973. Floodlights were installed in 1982, with a friendly against European champions Aston Villa marking the occasion.  The club represents Oldbury, population 13,500 to 25,500 depending on what metric you use. Comedian Frank Skinner lived there as a youngster. The ground itself is in Rowley Regis, which has its own station, a Wetherspoons, several other good pubs and a population of around 50,000. The delightfully named King Cnut reigned here from 990 to 1035. In more recent times, England footballer Carlton Palmer was its most famous resident.

MY VISIT

There were around fifty options at step 7 for this weekend. My requirements for a Saturday game are for it to be on public transport unless it is two games or better. Also, a good day out that, of course, involves pubs. Thirdly, I wanted a day that was reasonably priced on public transport. This was probably the hardest aspect, as normally, it is cheaper to drive. A fourth complication was that I had custody of Colin again, but as we both liked ticking Wetherspoons, albeit with different drink requirements, that seemed like a sound bet. I had plotted all of the options onto a map to try to help. It was the last of those options, Oldbury United, that I initially favoured on Tuesday, as there was potential for up to five new Spoons, plus it looked like a great ground. I would have a further look at the Football Traveller when it came to see if there were any better options.

After arriving back from AFC Shirley, I discovered that Colin had left one of his bags in my car. That boy really has the brain of a rocking horse, as at the start of the journey, he left his phone on my car roof. About the third or fourth time, he's done it, before remembering when we had started our journey. One pleasing result of the day was that Hearts had beaten Rangers to stay top of the Scottish Premiership. It's been 41 years since someone other than the Old Firm won it and 61 years since the Tynecastle club last won it. I have no foot in any camp in Scotland, but it's nice to see a change. Tuesday was my day off and was the usual chilled day. It was disappointing to have no midweek football, though. I started to finalise my plans on Thursday. When I checked the fare, it was a disgraceful £40 return, so I was only going to do it if Colin came along with his railcard. It was shocking that it was cheaper to drive solo, and it sums up this ridiculous country pretty well, where trying to do the right thing by keeping cars off the road is punished. But that is where Twitter came in useful. A helpful person informed me that I could get off a stop early and save £6 with the price looking a lot fairer that way. Friday was more work, but also a few drinks in the evening and a lot of enjoyable research into the club's history.

It had only been three drinks on Friday night, but it was strong stuff so I went to bed around 10 in a relaxed mood. I was in bed by 9.30 and, disappointingly, woke up at my normal work time. It was a few hours of watching YouTube and having breakfast before leaving at 7.50. Colin insisted on walking down with me, so I only got to listen to my podcasts for ten minutes. We were there at 9.15 and got our return tickets to Rowley Regis for £22.55 with Colin's disabled Railcard. It is frustrating that I can't get one for myself, up to 21 and old folks I understand, but offering after that and not including everyone smacks of discrimination to me. We were in Solihull at 10.55 and walked the ten minutes to the Spoons. A strange town, from what we saw, with just a parade of shops, but pleasant and some interesting food options. Wetherspoons 512 was the White Swan, where a breakfast muffin, black pudding, energy drink and a pint of Old Rosie was £7.18. From there, we managed to get an earlier train, despite Colin's dawdling. We were in Rowley Regis at 12.15 but had to wait 25 minutes for a bus due to traffic. Colin got his free, for me it was a return ticket for £5.20. The money was well spent. Roberto's Bar was supposed to be a bonus but it turned out to be fantastic with an incredible range of cider. I shall 100% be returning at some point in the future and it took the place as pub of the season for me. From there, to Wetherspoons The William Shenstone. This did for chicken Jalfrezi, chips and Aspalls for £6.50. From there, a bus to the ground, where it was £5 entry and £4 for a bottle of Thatchers Gold. I then met some lovely people who read my blog. My mission is to record memories and get people visiting new places, so I was glad that the latter had occurred. 

Oldbury United were in 8th and had won 13, drawn 7 and lost 12. Form was patchy; they had lost 2-1 to Wrens Nest on Tuesday and 3-2 in the reverse fixture recently.  But discounting those results, they'd won seven in a row. Wyreley were four places lower in 12th and had won 12, drawn 6 and lost 13. They were in worse form; their win in the corresponding game was their only victory in ten games. The hosts took the lead on 13 minutes, following up a parried shot. Both sides had chances, but I was fairly pissed by this point, as opportunities to visit great pubs do not come along that often. Colin had a snooze in the second half, disappearing, his head down as I sobered up. The away side had come back to win 3-1 by now, with some well-taken goals. It was deserved on the balance of play as the hosts lost their way. From there, it was a lengthy 25-minute walk to the out-of-town Wetherspoons. Colin was urgent to get home despite winning 2-0 on the day off.s the lucky boy, a black dragon and some wings did me. Colin had to wait for his due to some error, his usual sense of entitlement coming to the fore. I myself was in a good mood as we headed for a well-timed connection back home.

 

THE GROUND 

YORK ROAD is an excellent facility with cover on three sides. It could probably be a step 3 ground with little adjustment. It's located around 15 - 20 minutes from the station and the same from the Wetherspoons on the edge of town. A small range of drinks is available at the ground, but not food.