Greatness Awaits

The superfan is back in the routine of watching five games in a week and another five have taken him up to a lifetime total of 5,693. This time there was action in the League Cup, FA Cup, FA Women’s Premier League, Combined Counties League and Isthmian League.

All five away teams scored one goal, the results being QPR 2-1 Accrington Stanley, Dulwich 1-1 Sevenoaks, Barnet Ladies 5-1 Reading, North Greenford 3-1 Wembley and Hendon 4-1 Aveley.

As I came away from Rangers’ ground on Tuesday night, I heard a chap say to his friend : “That was awful!” Most of the excitement occurred in stoppage time, when QPR made it 2-0 and Stanley quickly pulled one back, their goal warmly applauded by the home fans. It only cost a tenner to get in and I’ve definitely seen worse.

Sevenoaks Town FC was founded in 1883 and Saturday’s FA Cup Preliminary Round tie at Dulwich Hamlet, four-time FA Amateur Cup winners, may well have been the biggest game in its history. The Kent League side rode their luck in the first half, conceding just once when a Hamlet player called ‘Ming’ scored with a merciless left-footer that nearly took the ‘keeper’s hand off.

Dulwich failed to build on that slender lead, despite a succession of corners and free-kicks, and Sevenoaks equalised to delight a sprinkling of travelling fans. They replay at the aptly-named Greatness Park tonight.

Two unbeaten teams, Barnet Ladies and Reading Women (no, not women with books in front of them), clashed at Hanwell in a Southern Division fixture on Sunday afternoon and for most of the game they were very well matched. When the Bees went 2-1 up, the question was whether they could hang on for the three points. But the wheels really came off for the visitors in the last few minutes as Barnet added three more goals.

There was a ‘double header’ on Bank Holiday Monday and I was at Berkeley Fields, home of North Greenford United, for an 11.30 kick-off. A Wembley player was injured in the first couple of minutes and was later taken away in an ambulance that was driven onto the pitch. A Wembley official told us in the stand that the player had ‘done his ankle’.

This entertaining game had two penalties, one for each side and both converted, and a North Greenford 25-yard free-kick that no goalie on Earth would have saved. A Martian might just have flicked the ball over the bar with one of its tentacles. Stoppage time of about 20 minutes made it impossible to get to Hayes on time, so I plumped for Hendon instead.

Visiting Aveley, third in the Isthmian Premier table, were comfortable at 1-0 until they had a player red-carded after half an hour or so at Vale Farm. Then Hendon scored four and hit the bar three times. I watched the second half with a former FA Council Member who invited me to join him in the boardroom for refreshments afterwards. Hendon put on a very good spread.