🎄 ⚽️ BOXING DAY 2023 ⚽️ 🎅

May I start by wishing you and yours a very Happy Christmas. Like most people, after the celebration and over indulgence of yesterday, I needed to blow the cobwebs off and what better than a Boxing Day 'double header' of football.

It was actually great to get in a couple of new grounds as it had been over a month since my last newbie, in South Wales, so it was early start for a trip up to the North East and an 11am kick off on Teeside...

NORTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE

PHOENIX PARK, TRINITY COLLEGE 

BORO RANGERS 2-2 REDCAR ATHLETIC 

ATTENDANCE: 254

My Boxing Day double began with a very entertaining game at Phoenix Park where it was honours even in the 'A174 derby'. Middlesbrough based Boro Rangers were hosting near neighbours Redcar Athletic in the Northern League division one. 

This is Boro's debut season at this level, having won the division two title at the first attempt having gained promotion from the North Riding Football League. This was actually the sixth season in a row Boro Rangers had won a league title having won the Teeside League (2016 & 2017) and the North Riding League (2018, 2019 & 2022). Not bad for a club that only formed in 2003.

The club are based on the 3G pitch at Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough and, given the weather over the Christmas period, this was part of thinking as it was virtually guaranteed to be on.

After a fairly even opening period Redcar took the lead through Donny Holdsworth (35) but a penalty just after half time, converted by Danny Lofts (48) levelled things up. Redcar were then reduced to 10 men when Joe Ferguson (54) recieved a second yellow card but it was the 10-men re-took the lead when Lewis Riston (74) headed home. Lofts (81) then equalised for the second time, but despite late pressure from Boro a winner wasn't forthcoming. 

The draw was a fair result in my humble opinion.

From Phoenix Park it was then a 40 minute up the A19 to...

NORTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION TWO

BOLDON COLLIERY WELFARE 

BOLDON COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION 3-3 JARROW

ATTENDANCE: 144

My Boxing Day double concluded with a trip to the  Boldon Colliery Welfare Ground. I had been next door many years ago to see the now defunct Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association but this was my first visit to this ground.

Formed in 1892 as Boldon Star, Boldon CA had been mainstays of the Wearside League for over 70 years before gaining promotion to the Northern League for the first time in their history in 2021, after an appeal to the FA after the season was curtailed due to the covid pandemic.

Boldon Villa was another previous name of club, hence the signage around the ground, and 'The Villa' is the clubs nickname. Legendary Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Sam Bartram was born in Jarrow and played for Boldon Villa in his youth.

Today I witnessed a superb 'South Tyneside derby' which ultimately finished honours even in the but that wasn't half the story!

Jarrow were in complete control of the game from the off and goals from Luke Hudson (14) Lutfur Karim (32 penalty) and a brilliant strike from Chris Brennan (36) put the visitors in a commanding position. It was them imperative that the homesters scored the next goal and that is what they did through Levi Collins (39). That lifeline was well and truly grabbed!

The second half saw a complete turnaround and it was Boldon who were the dominant force. Jude Harrison (70) headed home to make it 3-2 and with the clock ticking into stoppage time the homesters were awarded a penalty of their own, which was converted by Collins (90) to bring the score level at 3-3.

A tremendous match for the neutral and a great advert for the Northern League.

🎄🎅 MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR.  SEE YOU IN 2024! ☃️🎄

AFC LLWYDCOED (The Ron Jones Stadium)

FAW AMATEUR TROPHY 4th ROUND, AFC LLWYDCOED 3-1 NEWPORT CORINTHIANS, ATTENDANCE: 34 (h/c)

The fourth round of the FAW Trophy took centre stage this weekend and, not for the first time this season, I was drawn to South Wales. The big attraction was a chance to witness a game at the Ron Jones Stadium in Aberdare where AFC Llwydcoed are playing their home games whilst their Welfare Ground is being redeveloped to meet Welsh Tier 2 standards.

An historic location having being used for various sports since the late 19th century, the stadium complex was built on the site of the old Ynys Stadium which was the home of Aberdare Athletic, who were members of the English Football League between 1921 and 1927. There is no overlap of the original pitch with the current grass pitch, an all-weather pitch is located on the site of the original football pitch, just beyond the athletics track.

The stadium was opened and named in honour of Ron Jones, who still remains one of Wales' greatest athletes having won 12 national sprint titles between 1956 and 1970. He competed at three Olympic games and was part of the Great Britain 4x110 yards relay team that set a world record in 1963.

Outside of athletics, he became Chief Executive of Queens Park Rangers in 1976, the first Managing Director at Cardiff City in 1980 and then Managing Director at Portsmouth in 1988. Ron Jones was inducted into the Welsh Sports 'Hall of Fame' in 2013 and passed away in December 2021, aged 87.

This afternoon's trophy tie pitted AFC Llwydcoed, of the Ardal South West League, against Newport Corinthians, of the Gwent League Premier Division. An interesting match up for the neutral as despite the difference in status, Llwydcoed are down near the bottom of the table and in a bad run of form whilst Corinthians sit top of their league, having lost just one game all season.

It suggested an upset but in truth Llwydcoed were always in control of this tie but after creating plenty of chances they were only 1-0 at the interval, thanks to a goal from Ricky Carter after 14 minutes.

It seemed Llwydcoed would pay for their profligacy when Newport equalised within seconds of the restart, Nathan Perkins scoring the goal. The goal, obviously, lifted Corinthians but they couldn't find that second goal and eventually Llwydcoed recovered and once Dewi Abbruzzese restored their lead on the hour, they never looked like losing the tie. Carter scored his second on 75 minutes and that was game over. 

AFC Llwydcoed will now be at home to another Newport team, Newport City, in the next round on 16th December.

BERKHAMSTED FC (Broadwater)

SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CENTRAL, BERKHAMSTED 0-1 TELFORD UNITED, ATTENDANCE: 252

The beauty of this groundhopping lark is that it is fluid so, on some occasions, you never know where you may end up. Today was one such occasion.

When I left the house this morning, I was actually heading to Somerset but just before I was about to take the junction onto the M5, my passenger checked the app formerly known as Twitter and saw our intended fixture in the FA Vase had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

As my passenger has done a heck of a lot more grounds than I have, this created a bit of a problem as it would be difficult to find a ground we both could agree on. We pulled into the services and began to scan the fixture lists. In the end we came up with a plan where we could each do a ground we both needed. Instead of heading down the M5 to Nailsea, we were now on the M6 south to Hertfordshire.

After dropping my passenger off at Leverstock Green, which I had visited way back in 2011, I continued with my journey to the town of Berkhamsted, where Berkhamsted FC were hosting Telford United in a Southern League clash. 

Founded by supporters in 2009, as a successor to Berkhamsted Town which was dissolved due to it's outstanding debts, Berkhamsted FC play their home games at Broadwater, which is adjacent to the Great Union Canal.

The Comrades, named as such as the original club was founded in 1919 by servicemen returning from World War I, began life after reformation in the Spartan South Midlands League Division Two before winning back-to-back promotions.

The club earned promotion to the Southern League in 2018 after finishing second in the Premier Division behind Welwyn Garden City. In 2020 they were top of the Southern League Division One when the season was declared null and void due to the Covid pandemic. In 2022 they were runners up before losing out in the play-offs but in 2023 they were finally promoted to Step 3 as Champions, winning all bar one of their 23 home games (the anomaly a 0-0 draw).

The opposition this afternoon, Telford United, were relegated from the National League North. So far this season The Bucks are in the mix for the promotion places whilst The Comrades are struggling to adjust to the higher league and are in the relegation places.

The game went to form but Telford were made to work hard for their 1-0 victory. The winning goal was scored by Jared Hodgkiss after 76 minutes when the full back was on hand to fire home from the edge of the penalty area.

The closest Berko came to a goal was through a lack of communication between Bucks defender Sam Whittall and goalkeeper Brandon Hall when Whitall's headed back-pass ran wide, just, of Hall's open goal.

An unexpected Southern League tick this afternoon and another completed division. Just the three left now to finish off the entire League.