BIGGLESWADE TOWN (Langford Road)

SOUTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE, BIGGLESWADE TOWN 2-0 LEAMINGTON, ATTENDANCE: 320

The first leg of my Good Friday led me cross country to Bedfordshire where Biggleswade Town were hosting Leamington in a Southern League encounter.


As the business end of the season fast approaches, the only thing riding on this encounter was a mathematical chance of Leamington winning the title. However, at the start of play, The Brakes were 8 points behind leaders Chippenham Town with three games left to play. However, clinching runners up spot would guarantee Leamington home advantage in the play-offs.

Biggleswade's play off hopes faded around February/March time with a run of one win in seven games. The side have recovered well after this run, winning five games out of six, but are currently in 9th position, 13 points adrift of 5th placed Merthyr. 

It looks like another season of consolidation for Biggleswade after they were promoted to the Southern Premier League in 2013 after defeating Rugby Town in the play-off final. The club joined the Southern League in 2009 after winning the Spartan South Midlands League title.

This championship coincided with The Waders first season at the Carlsberg Stadium. The club had left their previous home, Fairfield Road, in 2006. The ground, on Langford Road, has been known as the Carlsberg Stadium since it was built and has a capacity of 3,000.

It is another fine example of a modern non-league football ground with a large seated main stand and a couple of additional pre-fab terraces. It was on the terrace behind the goal that the 'Green Army' congregated in the first half and they certainly made themselves heard!

The home side had a couple of early chances, and the better of possession, but the match had an end of season feel to it with neither side really troubling the respective 'keepers. However, in the 35th minute, The Waders took the lead when Connor Hall was on hand to prod the ball home, at the second attempt, after his initial effort was saved by Tony Breedon (pictured below left). It was probably no more than they deserved.

 The second half was just four minutes old when a corner was whipped into the six yard box and Tony Burnett was on hand to flick the ball into the back of the net (pictured below).

This was effectively game over. Leamington did their best to try and get themselves back into the game but they found it difficult to get past a resolute Biggleswade defence. This result continued The Waders fine recent form and no doubt also sparked scenes of celebration down in Chippenham, as they were confirmed as Champions.

PELSALL VILLA (The Bush Ground)

MIDLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE,
PELSALL VILLA 4-1 BOLEHALL SWIFTS, ATTENDANCE: 63

On a beautiful sunny afternoon I made my way down the M6 for what I thought was to be a "vulture job" as it was announced earlier in the year that Pelsall Villa would be leaving their Bush Ground at the end of the season.

However, after having a quick word with an official of the club at the ground, I was told an agreement was in place with the landowners for the club to play there next season and probably the season after next. All good news.



Pelsall is a small village near Walsall and The Bush ground has been home to Pelsall Villa since the mid seventies and is named after the adjacent public house The Old Bush, which is now derelict. The is a covered stand behind one of the goals but the most noticeable aspect of the ground is the sloping pitch.

The club were reformed in 1961, after the original Pelsall football club were founded in 1897. The club joined the West Midlands (Regional) League in the 1980's and were promoted to the Midland Alliance in 1996. The club subsequently dropped back to the WMRL before joining the Midland Combination in 2009. The Midland Alliance and Midland Combination merged in 2014 and Pelsall Villa were placed in Division One of the new set up, where they remain to this day.

However Pelsall are currently in a battle to stay in Division One, finding themselves second bottom of the table and in their last game out they were hammered 10-0 by Bromsgrove. There was a definite need for a reaction from the Villains.

Bolehall Swifts were the visitors today and it was they who started the game brightest. After 22 minutes they took the lead when a cross from the left was slotted home by Ben Brookes. However just five minutes later the game was all square when Swifts failed to clear a corner and the ball fell to Osiris Robertson in the six yard box and he turned to fire the ball home.

In the second half Pelsall began to take control of the game as their defence withstood anything Bolehall could throw at it. Kicking down the slope they were also looking very potent on the counter attack. After 61 minutes Pelsall got themselves in front when Tom Green was on hand to finish off a good passing move.

In the final stages, as Bolehall pushed for an equaliser, they were caught on the break twice and Green (89) and Tan Katsukunya (90) added some gloss to the scoreline. However then can be no argument it was a deserved, and much needed, victory for Pelsall.

1.FC HEIDENHEIM (Voith Arena)

2.BUNDESLIGA, 1.FC HEIDENHEIM 0-2 SpVGG GREUTHER FURTH,
ATTENDANCE: 12,000

For the final game of this particular weekend I headed, from Stuttgart, to the town of Heidenheim an der Brenz, for another 2.Bundesliga game as 1.FC Heidenheim welcomed SpVgg Greuther Furth to the Voith Arena.

The town of Heidenheim is famous as the headquarters of Voith industries and it is they who sponsor the football ground. The ground is a fair distance from the train station but, adjacent to the train station, there is also a bus station. There are several buses running to the ground before (and after) the match, so I was quite happy to jump on and save my legs!

The ground is a purpose built football ground, meaning the fans are right on top of the pitch, and now has a capacity of 15,000. It was opened in 2010 and is built on the site of the old  Albstadion. The ground is another fine modern stadium, it also put me in mind of my visit to NEC Nijmegen a few years ago.

If you look at the club badge, you would think 1.FC Heidenheim were formed in 1846, many years before football as we know it today was actually created, which we all know was 1992.

However, like most German clubs, the date refers to the formation of the sports associations of which football was one of the departments. Heidenheim's history can be therefore (tenuously) be traced back to the mid 19th century but the football department wasn't actually founded until 1911.

The football department went its separate way from the association in 1922 with the formation of TV Heidenheim before renaming itself VfL Heidenheim in 1936. After the war, football in the city was played by both VfL Heidenheim and the original parent association, who had been joined by various other clubs in the 1930's, and went under the banner of TSB Heidenheim.

A merger in 1972 brought both clubs together under the original association name, from 1846, of Heidenheimer Sportbund. The football club once again went it's own way in 2007 under the name 1.FC Heidenheim 1846.

After years in the the lower reaches of German football the club won the Regionalliga Sud in 2009 and promotion to 3.Liga. The club had consistent top ten finishes before winning the title in 2014 to reach the second tier for the first time in their history. They have had comfortable mid-table finishes since and look on course to continue that trend once again this season.

Unfortunately for Heidenheim today wasn't their day as Greuther Furth produced a text book away performance. Despite Heidenheim making most of the running and creating most of the chances, the visitors were happy to sit back and play on the counter attack. It worked an absolute treat.

Two well worked breakaway moves were finished off by Robert Zulj (21 & 68) to ensure the points went back to northern Bavaria.

Post match the buses were plentiful and I was back at the train station very quickly after the game finished. There was lots of time for a beer before beginning the journey home, another excellent German adventure over. Until next time.... 

Until next time, Danke!

SV SANDHAUSEN (Hardtwaldstadion)

2.BUNDESLIGA, SV SANDHAUSEN 0-0 VfL BOCHUM, ATTENDANCE:5,465

After collapsing into bed before midnight, I managed wake up and drag myself onto the 0827 train from Dusseldorf to Sandhausen, which involved a change at Mannheim.

It was a raucous carriage as it was full of Werder Bremen fans en-route south to Freiburg. The drink was flowing (they did kindly offer me a bottle but, in my fragile condition, I had to decline) and the music was blaring out classic hits such as Ma Baker, Rock me Amadeus and 99 Luftballons. All good fun but I'm not sure the couple sitting opposite me agreed judging by the look on their faces!

From Mannheim it was a short regional train to St Ilgen-Sandhausen and I arrived in the town about 1 hour before kick off. It took about about 25 minutes to walk to the ground, which is on the very outskirts of the town. The Hardtwalstdion is a mixture of stands which have clearly been built as the club as progressed up the respective leagues.

The population of the town is around 15,000 and SV Sandhausen is the smallest professional club in the second tier of German football.  Sportverein Sandhausen were founded in 1916 and spent most of their history in the lower leagues until before qualifying to be a founder member of 3.Liga in 2008. Sandhausen won 3.Liga in 2012 and promotion to 2.Bundesliga where they have remained thanks to consistent mid-table finishes.

The game finished goalless. I always try to be positive but this was definitely up there as one of the worst games I have ever seen and, as an Everton fan, I watched the Walter Smith era! 

The game was stop-start with lots of fouls and never really got going. There were half chances but, in truth, neither goalkeeper was truly tested as both teams effectively cancelled each other out.

Nonetheless, it was pleasing to get in a visit to the Hartwaldstadion. The only slight downside, for me, is the ground operates a card system, which I don't like to get involved with, so I couldn't even have a beer to numb the pain! Fortunately Kraftpaule in Stuttgart, which was my base for the night, made up for that with some excellent beers on tap.