SLOUGH TOWN (Arbour Park)

SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION, SLOUGH TOWN 2-1 HAYES & YEADING UNITED, ATTENDANCE: 1,401

I was witness to a small part of football history today as Slough Town played their first ever game at Arbour Park. This brought to an end a 13 year exile from the town after they left their previous home, Wexham Park, in 2003.

Slough Town FC first moved into Wexham Park Stadium in 1973, after vacating Dolphin Stadium and played there until 2003, when the lease wasn't extended due to disagreements over rent between the then Slough Town chairman and the owner of the Stadium.

This was a culmination of a events that began with Slough's ejection from The Conference in 1998. The official reason is the issue of the lack of seats, but there has been much conjecture that there were severe financial irregularities at the Club and that these were the real reason for the Conference expelling the Rebels. 

The old Wexham Park ground was left to rot whilst the club moved away and ground-shared at Windsor and, for the past 9 years, at Beaconsfield.

Plans for Slough's football stadium (and community sports site) were approved last year and construction began in late 2015. Today's homecoming was the culmination of phase one of the project which was the the installation of the pitch (which is 3G and FIFA approved) a covered stand for 250 spectators and the car park.

Phase two will feature the construction of the main stand, which is due to be finished before the end of the current season. The actual location of the football ground is on the playing fields of a local school, so part of the project is the building of a new sports hall and allowing the pupils access to the pitch.

The capacity of the ground will eventually rise to at least 2,000 but for today's sold-out-all-ticket affair the capacity was capped at 1,400. The is plenty of room for expansion and, despite the large crowd, it was easy to move around and was very comfortable in terms of space.

The teams entered the field to the strains of Thin Lizzy’s "The Boys are Back in Town" and, on a baking hot day, produced a fine spectacle.

Hayes and Yeading were quickest out of the block and took the lead after 10 minutes, the honour of the scoring the first ever goal at Arbour Park falling to Lloyd Macklin.

Slough were level after 20 minutes when Lee Barney was played in and he smashed his effort into the roof of the net. Cue celebrations.

The match was end to end and the scoreline could have been anything such was the chances both teams created. The respective goalkeepers, Slough's Mark Scott and Hayes' Louis Wells, were in fine form and pulled off some top saves.

The Rebels though were not to be denied their fairytale result and with 15 minutes remaining substitute James Dobson's low shot found the bottom corner of the net. Cue pandemonium.

Arbour Park is a very impressive set up, and I must have a revisit once all the work is completed. Hopefully being back in the town will mean the club will be able to go from strength to strength. Perhaps even a return to the Conference? I wish them good luck.

Celebrations at the final whistle

GILLINGHAM TOWN (Hardings Lane)

FA CUP PRELIMINARY ROUND, GILLINGHAM TOWN 2-0 AFC TOTTON, ATTENDANCE: 144

The next step on the road to Wembley once again took me south as I headed to "the oldest club in Dorset" as Western League Gillingham Town hosted Southern League AFC Totton.

The football club were founded in 1879 and the trip gave me a chance to visit the current set up at their Hardings Lane home. In the very near future the club are due to move off this site to a pitch further down the lane. The timescale is still a bit up in the air but the pitch has been laid and the hard standing is in place, but funds still need be secured to complete the project, so it is unlikely they will moving this season.

The chap I spoke to about the project was keen to point out the it's not a ground move as such but an expansion of the clubs' facilities. The current pitch is the only pitch in the town and once the move happens it will still get used by other teams. 

I liked the set up at Hardings Lane, there is small seated stand on the half way line (which proved a godsend when there was a torrential downpour in the second half) and a pre-fab stand near the top corner of the pitch. The busy social club also served up an Exmoor ale, which was an added bonus, and a sly half of 'Fox' went down a treat.

After scoffing a delicious pasty it was time for the main event as step 5 Gillingham went into battle with step 4 Totton and it was the lower ranked homesters who got off to a fantastic start.

In the second minute a long ball found it's way to Aiden Chainey who lobbed the advancing Steve Mowthorpe to give the home side the lead. The game settled down and both teams played some good football, despite the strong blustery wind blowing across the pitch. Chances were few and far between but Gillingham deserved their interval lead.

I was fully expecting Totton to come out all guns blazing after a half time talking to, but it was Gillingham who attacked from the off and they were rewarded with a second goal after 57 minutes, when Will Agbo fired home.

The Gills had chances to extend their lead, and could have been left to rue those missed opportunities as Totton finally applied some pressure in the closing stages, but Gillingham held on and will now meet Cirencester Town in the 1st Qualifying Round

The AFC Totton dreams are dashed in the downpour.

FAWLEY AFC (Waterside Sports & Social Club)

FA CUP EXTRA PRELIMINARY ROUND, FAWLEY AFC 0-3 AFC PORTCHESTER, ATTENDANCE: 72

After a tremendous evening sampling the delights Salisbury had to offer, I made my way down the A36 and A326 to Holbury, where the Waterside Sports and Social Club is located.

The Waterside is the home of AFC Fawley and that is where I would be completing my Wessex League FA Cup double this weekend. The game was taking place today as the facility is shared with Fawley Cricket Club, and they had a fixture on Saturday so the football game was moved to this afternoon. This was the first ever competitive first team fixture Fawley had played on a Sunday, so it was a small piece of history today.

The ground is enclosed with a seated stand on one side of the ground and a couple of covered stands on the other side of the ground. They look like they were built by members of the football club, which adds character to the ground.

Fawley is famous for the Esso refinery, which is one of the largest in Great Britain. The complex dominates the landscape and you can see the towers from the football ground.

The football club was formed in 1923 as AGWI United and they joined the Hampshire League in 1930. The club changed their name to Esso Fawley in 1949 and competed in the Hampshire league until 2010 when they won promtion to the Wessex League.

By this time the club was now known as Fawley AFC, having changed their name once again in 2002.

This afternoon was an all Wessex Premier League cup tie as Fawley hosted Porchester, who are managed by former Arsenal and England player Graham Rix (pictured right). The sunday fixture brought out a few other groundhoppers and I spent the afternoon in the company of a well known 'hopper from Shropshire.

The game was entertaining enough but Porchester always seemed to be in control. There were plenty of chances but no goals in the opening 45 minutes.

The second half was a different story as goals from Steve Ramsey, Tom Froggatt and Joe Bye ensured Porchester's passage into the next round, where they will be home to Mangotsfield United.

BEMERTON HEATH HARLEQUINS (Western Way)

FA CUP EXTRA PRELIMINARY ROUND, BEMERTON HEATH HARLEQUINS 1-0 KEYNSHAM TOWN, ATTENDANCE: 56 (h/c)

Today 368 teams set out on the road to Wembley as the FA Cup got under way with the Extra Preliminary Round. 

With plenty of tasty looking ties to choose from, I headed to Salisbury for the Wessex v Western League tie between Bemerton Heath Harlequins and Keynsham.

The Club was formed in 1989 as an amalgamation of Bemerton Athletic, Moon FC and Bemerton Boys, with the aim of achieving Wessex League football. Having successfully achieved this target the club have been mainstays of the top division, including two successive runners up spots in 2011 and 2012.

The club play their home games at Western Way in Bermerton, which is a couple of miles west of Salisbury city centre. The ground is fully enclosed by trees and there is a seated stand and a small terrace. I never bothered going in the clubhouse today as there was a kids party taking place. I did sample the snack bar though and I have to say the hot dogs were excellent!

The game was a tight affair with little to choose between the teams. The match was settled just before half time when a superb free kick from Jake Rawkins found the top corner of the Keynsham net (pictured below).

The visitors from Bristol pushed forward in the second half, which made them vulnerable on the break, but they could not find an equaliser, nor Bemerton a second goal, and the tie ended 1-0.

Bemerton will now travel to play Amesbury Town in the next round.