Aberystwyth F.C.

Johnnie Lowery of FITB went up to Ceredigion in Wales to visit family, and came back having gone to 5 Welsh grounds. Here is the first one of them, Aberystwyth F.C. Each ground will be posted on a separate blog post. So, Aberystwyth F.C.

I get the feeling this ground would fail its Conference North/South ground grading simply because of the far end bank. Take a look at the many pictures we took and tell us what you think of the ground, in the comments

The turnstile upon entry

The sign welcoming you to the ground

From behind the far end goal, looking over at the large stand
behind the other goal

The grassy bank next to the turnstile

The turnstile again

Looking across towards the gantry

Opposite the gantry, the main stand

Behind the far end goal, nothing much there

The stand next to the gantry, by the corner

Looking from the pitch towards the near end goal

The main stand again

The two stands on the near side can both be seen in this shot

One of the dugouts

The clubhouse sign

Players' tunnel

Another view of the far end goal. Just a grassy bank, not even
terracing there

The seats inside the main stand

Looking over the players' tunnel

Some more seats

And the players' tunnel again

The roof of the stand

A wide shot of the main stand

Sitting towards the back, you'd lose sight of the
ball if it went too high!

The gantry and the corner stand can both be seen, as well
as the grassy bank on the far end

You can't see the goal from the back of the stand!

The close end of the ground

The far end of the ground

The middle bit

Another slightly zoomed shot of the impressive near end

The stairs to the main stand

Looking back into the main stand

And again

The far end bank

Looking up  at the main stand

The gantry

The corner stand

The other dugout

A good shot of the far end bank. As you can see, there is
not even basic terracing there

Looking from the corner to where the goal would be

Gantry again

From behind the goal, looking out

The far end bank again

Near end stand behind the goal

From the far end bank, looking across the whole ground

And looking to the other side

An advert for a local club. An odd thing to see, almost like
Nottingham Forest advertising Nottingham County F.C.

That grassy bank again

Looking across the ground

Main stand

TV in the gantry, sort of!

Stand behind the goal

Main stands again

At the top of the gantry, looking onto the corner stand

Looking to the far end bank, from the gantry

Main Stand, from the gantry

The stand behind the goal, from the gantry

The clubhouse from further back

Gantry

I don't need to explain this!

Main stand again

Stand behind the goal

From inside the corner stand

The stand behind the goal

Looking across the corner stand

Main stand and the rest of that side

Part of the stand behind the goal

Looking across the area behind the near end goal

Main stand again

Corner stand

And again

Looking out from the stand behind the near goal

Inside the near end stand

Main stand again

The stand behind the near end goal

And again

The gantry

And again

London Senior Cup Final - Kingstonian vs Bromley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nBHW1P1g1o

So a cup final for FITB to film and it wasn't a bad one, compared to the dire Surrey Senior Cup Final and the also rather dull Southern Combination Cup final. We arrived at 7.00 after the 10 minute walk from headquarters and set ourselves up in the directors box. Gabriel was on main camera giving Johnnie a chance to sit back and enjoy the game, until the presentation anyway

The game was only a minute or so old when Elliot Buchanan gave Bromley the lead with a great strike from the edge of the area which will find itself in the FITB goal of the season competition. The next clear cut chance of the game came after an error in the Bromley defence but Helge Orome made a fantastic last ditch challenge to stop the Kingstonian striker getting his effort on target. Aaron Rhule put Bromley 2-0 up in the 38th minute after a great passing move. The difference in quality, although not too great, was noticeable as Bromley looked more comfortable and composed on the ball whereas Kingstonian looked nervous and didn't really craft a move like the one that lead to Bromley's second goal. Bromley were also closing the K's down a lot better than the K's were closing Bromley down, and it was these two things that meant Bromley would go into the break with a two goal lead

Bromley should have made it 3 at the beginning of the second half after one of their forwards was put through after another good passing move but the Kingstonian keeper made a good save. After this, Kingstonian seemed a lot stronger and when Bromley had Helge Orome sent off with 30 minuted left to go, it looked like the K's could force extra-time. However, Bromley hung on after Kingstonian saw a long-range effort curl onto the crossbar and a header from a corner cleared off the line, as well as other solid saves from the keeper. Kingstonian did eventually have the ball in the net but the whistle was blown about 5 seconds after the goal, to signal full time./

Thanks to the Bromley fans for the praise we received after looking for interviews on the pitch and to both managers who agreed to do interviews. Congratulations Bromley F.C., deserved London Senior Cup 12-13 champions!

Corinthian Casuals charity game

Just a brief report on this one as it wasn't a competitive fixture

The day was very well organised and began very early in the morning, although we only arrived at about 12  with the main game kicking off at 2.00. Before the main game various Corinthian-Casuals youth sides took on PBFL sides with the PBFL teams mostly coming out on top, from what I saw anyway. There was certainly a feel good atmosphere to the occasion with most of the people there either from the youth teams that had played in the morning or had gone to see some of their favourite soap stars.

The game was played to a decent standard of football considering the teams involved; A Corinthian-Casuals coaches XI and a celebrity side playing for the charity Once Upon a Smile. OUAS took the lead after a solo effort from Neil Wainwright who proceded to dominate most of the game, although he is an ex-pro and a good one at that! Casuals equalised after ex-pro Marlon Beresford was beaten in goal only for Wainwright to score another solo effort to make it 2-1 to OUAS. Corinthian seemed fired up by this and dominated the rest of the half, scoring 2 good goals to go into the break ahead.

The second half saw many changes, notably the OUAS keeper who had a very solid game, keeping the score down. The 4th goal of the game for Casuals came in a quite hilarious fashion. The OUAS keeper made a good save but his defender kicked the ball against his own face before watching it find the back of the net. Casuals continued to dominate and could have had more goals but it was OUAS who completed the scoring with a good late goal

A very enjoyable day for the FITB team and we would like to thank the club and Llew Walker in particular for allowing us to come along and film for free, even putting an advert in the programme for us! The game was to raise money for both the charity Once Upon a Smile and the club for ground developments.

Hanworth Villa vs Guernsey and Chessington & Hook vs Hanworth Villa

Hanworth showed two sides of themselves in the games we filmed. They were excellent against Guernsey and fully deserved the win but arrived at Chessington without a full compliment of substitutes and were eventually well beaten by quite a lowly side

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQd9xDM-1CQ)The Guernsey game was a great one to watch for the neutral. Hanworth were much the better side throughout and started on the front foot, although the first ten minutes didn't see a wealth of chances. Hanworth did come very close to scoring at around the 15th minute when the ball was volleyed just over the bar with the keeper beaten after a good cross. Guernsey's best chance in the first half came after a short backpass from a Hanworth player. The first shot was against the post and the rebound was somehow put wide when it would have been easier to score. The home side continued to dominate and felt they had taken the lead when a shot appeared to gone clearly over the line before being pushed back by the keeper but no goal was given, much to the dismay of the Hanworth players and fans. The two teams went into half-time level but the momentum was with Hanworth Villa and the spectators were left wondering quite how we were without a goal

The second half started in a similar fashion to the way the first one had ended. Hanworth were well on top and looked like scoring whenever they came forward. Guernsey understandably seemed to be tiring after their ridiculous fixture congestion and didn't really have the same zip as earlier in the season when I saw them at Molesey. Hanworth came close through a volley and a header just wide from a corner before finally scoring an overdue goal courtesy of Andrew Juett in the 71st minute. The goal came after a wonderful through ball and the chance was coolly finished. A goalmouth scramble in the Hanworth box followed in which at least 3 fantastic blocks kept the visitors behind and Hanworth seemingly killed off the game in the 80th minute through a Ricky Farnden header. Guernsey then rallied and put huge pressure on the Hanworth goal through many free-kicks and long throws which Hanworth somehow survived after a mix of poor finishing and strong goalkeeping. When Guernsey did eventually pull a goal back it was after a goalkeeping error in the 93rd minute but despite keeping up the late pressure they couldn't find another goal, to the delight of Egham. A mention to the referee in this one who put in another fantastic performance allowing the game to flow well and make it exciting, as well as making correct decisions throughout.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq3dN-U-XAE&feature=youtu.be)The Chessington game was a rather muted affair with Chessington needing the win a lot more than Hanworth, who had nothing to play for. This factor really showed in the match which was bizarrely stopped for 5 minutes due to problems with the weather

The game started with Chessington, fighting for their lives towards the bottom of the table, hitting the post after a corner. They continued to attack the visitors and should have taken the lead 10 minuted in but a sure contender for 'miss of the season' kept the scores level. Chessington were absolutely dominant and were unlucky not to take a lead into the break but almost gifted Hanworth a goal when a defender poked the ball past his own keeper but just wide of the post. The Chessington numbers 10 and 11 were the biggest culprits of missed chances going into half-time

The second half was full of incident but it seemed that Hanworth Villa were either tiring a great deal or just were not bothered because of the lack of anything to play for. However the first big chance of the half fell to the visitors but the Hanworth striker tripped when he needed to get a shot off and the Chessington keeper gathered the ball easily. Chessington then took the lead 10 minutes into the second half after a corner wasn't properly cleared and the ball was put back into the box before being headed home from 6 yards. The Chessington number 10 missed another fantastic chance after being put through on goal but tried to take it round the keeper who stopped him. The Hanworth keeper almost gifted Chessington a second goal when he miskicked a clearance straight to a Chessington forward but they managed yet another unbelievable miss. The second goal finally came when a free-kick was hit from a wide position, in the strong hail, into the bottom corner, a very good goal. Play was then stopped for 5 minutes due to safety reasons, or more specifically due to the strong hail that was falling. You may think that this was a 'soft' decision but whilst play was stopped I stood out from under my cover into the hail and it felt like being shot by pellets from a BB gun, it really wasn't pleasant. Hanworth then went down to 10 men after their goalkeeper was injured and they didn't have a substitute to bring on. Chessington then beat the outfield player in goal for their third after the Hanworth midfield just didn't have it in them to chase after the Chessington side who were breaking and the chance was well finished. More chances followed for the home side against the tiring visitors but it did finish 3-0

The Easter Period
A busy Easter period for Fox in the Box began in Tooting, filming the South London Derby between Tooting and Mitcham and Dulwich Hamlet. The game was a very passionate one won by the away side thanks to two second half goals, the first of them scored inside the first 20 seconds of the second half. Tooting looked dangerous on the break but Dulwich were the better team and clearly deserved the win. Dulwich were very comfortable on the ball and played a neat passing game and although Tooting were also pretty good they just didn't have the quality of title chasers Dulwich, who looked like they could be a force in the Ryman Premier if promoted at the end of the season. The game will probably be remembered best by the Fox in the Box team though because of the Dulwich fans who never stopped singing throughout the whole match, really giving the game a derby spirit. After this match the team interviewed Liverpool and Chelsea target Dan Carr to get his view on the speculation about his future

On Easter Monday, Gabriel went up to visit family in Stockport, leaving Johnnie on his own to film games in the South. Johnnie went to film at Raynes Park Vale in their local derby match against Colliers Wood whilst Gabriel went to try to film Stockport but was turned down at the gate. The Merton Derby in the Combined Counties Premier Division was a classic end to end game at that level that makes you wonder why more people don't go to watch games in the Combined Counties League. Raynes Park dominated the early stages and looked like inflicting yet more pain onto struggling Colliers Wood but is was the Wood who took the lead from a well-struck free-kick and they shocked the Raynes Park players and fans by scoring a controversial goal that put them 2-0 up at half-time. Raynes Park came out to the second half with a job to do but despite pulling a goal back from the penalty spot, never really looked like equalising and conceded a third straight after their first goal. The game was back on again after Raynes Park scored a second goal, making it 3-2, but it was Colliers Wood who scored the final goal and won 4-2. No time for post-match interviews as Johnnie had to rush off to watch Sutton United vs Boreham Wood, being a huge Sutton fan.

Johnnie got down to Kingstonian the very next day after editing and uploading highlights of the game the day before with the help of relative newcomer Otto. The game was a bit of a non-event compared to the other games that were filmed in the Easter period and only 1 goal was scored. The first half was ridiculously dull; there was really only 1 chance which Kingstonian fired wide. The game really sprung to life after the K's had taken the lead through a good finish from Matt Pattison. Met Police then threw absolutely everything at Kingstonian and had a goal disallowed for offside in the final few minutes of the match. They then missed an absolute sitter and had a few more chances before the final whistle but the K's hung on for another victory. Not a great advert for the game, especially in the scrappy first half, but the passion was there and the night wasn't completely wasted for the FITB team.

Johnnie's final game of the Easter period before a much needed holiday up to Ambleside came at the Beveree as out-of-form Hampton and Richmond played fellow mid-table dwellers Enfield Town. Enfield took the lead and looked to add more misery to Hampton's pool of despair but Hampton came back fantastically and led 2-1 at half-time thanks to a cracking Joe Turner goal and a cool finish from Mo Bettamer after a great Powell through ball. Hampton then added a third after the break but Enfield made it 3-2 straight after the restart from the penalty spot. Enfield never really put any great pressure on Hampton in the dying moments of the game and indeed it was Hampton who scored a late goal after a breakaway in the 89th minute. A good exciting game to film to conclude the Easter period for Johnnie

On Saturday Johnnie was travelling up to Ambleside but Gabriel went to film Bishop Auckland vs Spennymoor Town in the Northern League. The game turned out to be a fairly dull 1-1 draw in front of a large crowd but Spennymoor had top scorer Gavin Cogden shown a controversial straight red card, meaning he could miss the side's FA Vase final at Wembley. Luckily, Gabriel caught the incident on camera and Spennymoor have appealed to the FA. The highlights of the game will be up by Thursday

5 games to show from a week isn't bad at all for FITB and we hope it makes up for the lack of highlights in the last few weeks