Higher Walton

Higher Walton Recreation Ground is currently the home base for Euxton Corinthians, a relatively new club who are climbing quickly through the Lancashire Evening Post Sunday League, now challenging at the top of Division Two after successive promotions from Division Four and Division Three.


The venue is a typically basic council facility, with just one of the two pitches in use this morning, but is another example of the autumn colours providing a particularly attractive setting at this time of year.


The hosts face a real test of their credentials in this Lancashire FA Sunday Trophy Third Round tie, their opponents being Devonshire Arms of the Blackpool and Fylde Sunday Alliance Premier Division, who reached the semi-finals of this competition last season.


Greg Anderton comes close to giving Euxton a shock lead with a shot from fully 30 yards that hits the bar, but the visitors are firmly in control at the interval as Dave Cram scores twice in the space of three minutes just past the half hour mark.


Liam Bradshaw sets Dave Cram away to complete his hat trick on 54 minutes, but despite having centre half Rick Wood dismissed for a second yellow card Euxton refused to let their heads drop, and they pull a goal back after 70 minutes, a Tom Eckersley shot finding the net via the far post.


Devonshire Arms are now struggling to lift their game again, having perhaps assumed the tie was won, and ten men Euxton put them under quite a bit of pressure. However, substitute Alan O'Loughlin wraps the tie up once and for all with a 89th minute strike, before Craig O'Neil adds a second Euxton goal in stoppage time to give a final scoreline of 2-4.

Glenfield Town

Today I am on the outskirts of Leicester at the Glenfield Sports Ground for a Second Round tie in the Leicestershire and Rutland FA Intermediate Cup. The tree lined venue is surrounded by a mass of autumn colours at this time of year.


Hosts Glenfield Town have made an excellent start to the season, sitting atop the Premier Division of the Leicester and District League, so they start the afternoon as favourites against a Shepshed Amateurs team who lie in sixth place in the North Leicestershire League Premier Division.


Nevertheless, Shepshed took the game to their hosts from the off, and were rewarded with a 5th minute goal, a free kick from skipper Chris James can be seen bouncing awkwardly just in front of Glenfield keeper Jake Greaves as it finds its way straight into goal.


A shock result looks likely after 23 minutes as Nathan Gordon makes it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Carl Brooks is tripped by Chris Smith, but perhaps crucially Glenfield pull one back right on the half time whistle, Jamie Aston heading home from close range after Andy Payne's cross is knocked down.


Glenfield's reserve team are also in action in their respective county cup competition on the second pitch at the complex.


Glenfield get on top after the interval, but it takes them until the 73rd minute to find an equaliser, Sam Craig heading home a Danny Piper corner. Both sides then come close to finding a winner, Glenfield skipper Andrew Henderson getting back to deny Darren Slater after his shot beat the keeper, whilst for the hosts a Sam Craig shot crashed back off the post.


2-2 then at the end of 90 minutes and extra time is required. Great credit all round that two hours of a hard fought cup tie pass without any cards issued, not least an excellent refereeing performance from Noel McKenzie, who here defuses one of the few flash points.


Extra time turns into something of a goal rush, Mat Parry putting Glenfield ahead direct from a right wing corner on 93 minutes, Chris Coe rounding the keeper from a Carl Brooks long ball to equalise just four minutes later, only for Jamie Aston to get in behind the Shepshed defence and head the hosts into a 4-3 lead from Mark Woolman's cross after 100 minutes.


The second period of extra time finally sees Glenfield take control, Sam Craig converting a deep Mark Hughes cross after 108 minutes, and Darren Abell unfortunately heading into his own goal after a Danny Piper cross came back off the bar just two minutes later. Chris James did pull one back for Shepshed with a neat finish to give a final scoreline of 6-4 to a thoroughly entertaining game.

Carmarthen Town

Today is the final set of matches in Group One of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship Qualifying Round, and with hosts Wales almost certain to claim one of the two places available in the draw for the Elite Round, this game between Iceland and Turkey will decide which country joins them.


Venue for the game at the end of a beautifully sunny autumn day is the Richmond Park home of Carmarthen Town.


It is a traditional town centre venue, with a large seated stand alongside one side of the ground.


The dominant structure on the other side of the ground is the building that houses the changing rooms on the ground floor, whilst the social club above these on the first floor enjoys excellent views across the pitch.


A draw will be enough to guarantee Turkey's progress, and they will be reasonably satisfied at half time after enjoying the majority of the possession, albeit that the scoreline remains 0-0.


Iceland have to go for a win, and they make the ideal start to the second half, taking a 48th minute lead as Andri Rafn Yeoman sets up Kristján Gauti Emilsson for a shot that finds the net via both posts.


Turkey respond quickly, with skipper Muhammet Demir equalising on 57 minutes from an Ömer Ali Şahiner knock down, and things go from bad to worse for Iceland just a minute later, Tómas Guðmundsson guilty of going into a challenge on Muhammet Demir with his studs showing, and receiving a straight red card from the Czech referee.


Turkey have chances to then make the game safe, most notably when Icelandic goalkeeper Árni Freyr Ásgeirsson touches an Ömer Ali Şahiner shot on to the bar, but Iceland's ten men are unable to create enough pressure to seriously threaten to get back into a winning position.


Deep into stoppage time Turkey secure a 2-1 win that guarantees top spot in the qualifying group, Orhan Gülle putting Ömer Ali Şahiner away on the break, with his pull back turned in by substitute Hasan Ahmet Sarı.

Ebbw Vale RUFC

A Second Round game in the FAW Youth Cup gives the opportunity to visit the Eugene Cross Park home of Ebbw Vale RUFC.


Set right on the valley floor, with the River Ebbw flowing behind the stand, it is a spectacular location hemmed in by the steeply rising valley sides.


The massive bank of terracing opposite the stand is an impressive sight.


Looking back towards the stand from the opposite side.


The far end of the ground backs on to the home of Ebbw Vale Cricket Club, a venue that has staged county matches for Glamorgan.


The hosts today are Gwent County League side RTB Ebbw Vale, and they are up against the holders of the competition, but in the build up to this tie the minnows have made great play of the fact that they won the Welsh Youth Cup in 1979, claiming the scalp of Cardiff City on route to their success.


Visitors Swansea City have enjoyed a good start to the season in the Football League Youth Alliance, and not surprisingly the hosts are soon having to fend off wave after wave of attacks. RTB keeper Ryan Wookey makes several good saves, and they do enough to pose the visitors some threat on the break, particularly through the pace of Lewys Thomas.


A headed clearance by Bradley Harris from a Ben Davies cross rebounds to safety off his own crossbar, and Swansea are again denied by the woodwork when skipper Matthew Whatley crashes a header against the bar, but RTB reach the interval having kept the scoreline goalless.


Swansea make the breakthrough on 50 minutes, Adam Hurrell heading on a free kick at the near post to leave Matthew Whatley with a simple finish at the far post, and they effectively seal their place in the next round on 66 minutes, substitute Gwion Edwards with the pull back for Henry Jones to finish from close range.


A third goal follows after 77 minutes, Jandir Zola setting up Gwion Edwards, who was pulled back by Nathan Morgan, with Jordan Smith stepping up to convert the penalty.


Swansea are denied a further goal when a Gwion Edwards shot hits the post, but the 3-0 result adequately reflects their superiority, whilst allowing RTB Ebbw Vale to look back on the day and be proud of their efforts to bridge the massive gulf between the two clubs.

Cambrian and Clydach Vale BGC

My first visit to the Rhondda valley today for a top of the table Welsh League Division One fixture.


Usually I take most of my photos in the first half of a game, but I make an exception today, with wet weather in the first half giving way to much brighter conditions later.


There are stunning views across to the far side of the Rhondda.


The views are fairly spectacular in every direction, and the ground would certainly figure highly on anyone's list of most picturesque venues.


Look left of centre at the top of the next photo, and you can see that the rugby ground of Cambrian Welfare - the name Cambrian comes from the area's colliery - is sited even higher up Clydach Vale.


The hosts lengthy name is a result of a merger between amateur side Cambrian United and the youth set up of Clydach Vale Boys and Girls Club. They have made a remarkably quick rise through the ranks to this the second tier of Welsh football, and they top the table with a 100% record after five games, and in fact boast a 22 game unbeaten run in all competitions stretching back into last season.


Today's visitors are Bridgend Town, and with four wins and two draws from their opening six games they are lying in second place. The local rumour mill suggests Bridgend are the big spenders in this division this season as they try to secure a place in the Welsh Premier League.


Bridgend make a flying start, Steve Conaty laying back a corner for Dale Price to drill in the opening goal from 25 yards after just 10 minutes, and two minutes later it is 2-0. Bridgend have an astonishing five on two breakaway from a Cambrian free kick, and although the shot from Robbie Walters hits the post, Scott Seldon's hastily attempted clearance hits team mate Liam Williams on the back for an unfortunate own goal.


The hosts manage to steady things down a little after such a bad start, but they could have conceded again just before the interval, Rameer Outlaw heading against the post from point blank range, perhaps having taken his eyes off the ball as he was in danger of crashing into the woodwork himself.


Cambrian come out for the second half determined to protect their long unbeaten run, and a fine individual goal from Dane Williams on 56 minutes sets up a thrilling end to the game.


Rameer Outlaw heads a Michael Waters free kick into the net for Bridgend, but the flag was already raised for offside, and less than sixty seconds later Huw Bowtell hits a spectacular 74th minute equaliser, a shot from the edge of the centre circle dipping over the bracktracking keeper Leon Cosker. Both sides end the game looking for a winner, but after such a thrilling game the 2-2 outcome is a fair one.

Bridgend Town

The Brewery Field, traditional home of rugby in Bridgend, is now also a regular football venue with Bridgend Town sharing here, and tonight stages a Qualifying Round fixture in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship between Turkey and Kazakhstan.


On a dull evening weatherwise, the 5pm kick off time just allowed time to get some photos of what is a very impressive venue before darkness fell.


A reminder that this is first and foremost a rugby venue, with the name picked out on the roof of the stand over the covered terrace.


From close up the terracing is perhaps more substantial than it appears from the other side.


A view of the main stand, under which are some impressive social facilities.


This is the second round of games in the group, with Turkey looking to bounce back after two stoppage time goals saw them held 3-3 by hosts Wales in their opener, whilst Kazakhstan are very much cast as the minnows in this company, and had lost their first game 4-0 to Iceland.


Kazakhstan clearly have not read the script, enjoying the better of the early stages, and they fully deserve their 38th minute lead, Baurzhan Baytana given a surprising amount of time in the penalty area to control Abzal Beysebekov's pull back and find the target. Turkey respond with a spectacular effort from Orhan Gülle bringing a fine save from Aleksandr Kalendar, and perhaps crucially Engin Bekdemir levels the scores just before the interval, drilling home a half cleared corner at the near post.


Turkey look a different team after their half time team talk, and show the quality expected of them with three goals in the opening 13 minutes of the second half. Ömer Ali Şahiner sets them on their way with an effort from wide on the right hand side, Orhan Gülle achieves the difficult feat of driving a shot through the massed ranks on the goal line after the keeper had been penalised for handling a back pass, whilst skipper Muhammet Demir provides a fine header to turn in Engin Bekdemir's free kick off the post.


Kazakhstan are denied from pulling a goal back when Abzal Beysebekov's half volley clips the top of the bar, but Turkey round off an impressive 5-1 win on 82 minutes, Engin Bekdemir curling home a free kick from five yards outside the penalty area.