Saturday Lunchtime : Before the Action

Arsenal are at home to Aston Villa tomorrow so I can delay any research until tonight.

Brentford are at home to Stoke today. I notice from the website that I could pay £5 to watch live video streaming from four separate cameras. The idea is tempting but I am going to get some fresh air following my local village team.

Southend United are away at Milton Keynes. Gary Waddock (I accidentally typed that as Wassock first time - time will tell) has asked his team to stop making individual mistakes. Conceding goals is what he wishes to stop. If he is true to his word and the players respond this one will finish 0-0.

Exeter City are away to Newport County which is a pleasant trip up the M5 and over the Severn bridge. Exeter are top of the league so should have nothing to fear but need to maintain their best form if they are to come away with another win.

Torquay are at home to Dagenham & Redbridge. The big news here is that there is a golden ticket to the Princess theatre for one lucky person who has bought a seat in the stand.

Weymouth and Tiverton are both competing in the F.A.Cup today and I am always drawn to that particular competition but I will simply check the results later on.

Weymouth are away to Sholing.

Tiverton are at home to Bristol Manor Farm.

Barnstaple are away at Willand Rovers. I have just checked their website and it seems that manager Aaron Harper-Penman has resigned. This could lead to renewed effort from the players or it could see the side falling away if the manager was achieving the best that the players are capable of.

Exmouth are away to Cribbs today. The website is a week out of date so I cannot provide any news.

Elmore have no match today.

I am now off to watch Liverton who are playing one of only three teams below them in the table. I hope Witheridge prove worthy of their position in the table.

Wednesday & Thursday

I did not travel to a match on Wednesday.

Tiverton took on Merthyr Town and came out 1-0 winners. The fact that it was a River Allen penalty should not detract from a very good defensive performance.

Elmore took on Torridgeside with the result being a 1-1 draw. Sadly their website still talks about this match as if it is in the future.

Arsenal started their Europa League campaign by pretending to be worse than Eintracht Frankfurt. In an open game there could have been a dozen goals but Frankfurt shot high wide and straight at Martinez whose hands were like superglue on the night. Arsenal missed several golden chances of their own but won the match with a deflected Willock shot, a marvelous Saka shot to the corner and a three on one where aubameyang kept the ball to himself to score the third.

Tuesday Night

In league one Southend United travelled to Shrewsbury and came away beaten 4-3. It is back to the red splash on my spreadsheet following that yellow at the weekend when they drew with Fleetwood. I wish to believe it was an exciting match but it seems that Shrewsbury were two goals ahead every time Southend scored.

Exeter took on Port Vale at home and remain top of the league after a 2-0 victory. Ryan Bowman scored a header from a rebound and Lee Martin scored following a deflection off the keeper. When your luck is in keep cashing those cheques.

Barnstaple took on Honiton Town in the Devon St Luke's Cup and managed to earn a 3-3 draw at home but my spreadsheet shows as red because they then capitulated in the penalty shoot out by 3 goals to 2. When you are down on your luck work harder.

Exmouth Town travelled to Almondsbury in the Les Phillips Cup. A brief message suggests that it was an away win by 4 goals to 1. Exmouth Town are flying at the moment and I have enjoyed watching them live.

Tomorrow both Tiverton and Elmore are at home. I have not yet decided whether I will go to either of those matches.

Round Up

Let us start with my village team.

Last week Liverton won their first match away at local rivals Bovey Tracey. The minor disappointment in this victory is that it was Liverton's first team and Bovey Tracey's reserves that were up against each other.

This week my boys took on Braunton from North Devon. Braunton took the lead but Liverton fought back to 1-1. Braunton took the lead once more and again Liverton fought back to 2-2. Braunton scored another and this time Liverton seemed to lose heart. Braunton went on to win 5-2 but that result is not really a true reflection of the match. Braunton should have won 10-2. They missed too many good chances to be title contenders.

Elmore took on Holsworthy in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division East. I think they will be happy with their 5-1 victory. The match report says that Bradley Kelly from the penalty spot, Jordan Casey, Daniel Tapp, Will Pinnock and Harry Butler scored.

Exmouth Town seem to have played very few league matches due to their participation in the various cups. Winning in the F.A.Cup, once via a replay has meant that four of the last eight matches have been F.A.Cup matches. Two have been Western Premier League matches and the other two have been F.A.Vase matches, the latest one on Saturday being away at Cadbury Heath. The outcome is that there will be another F.A.Vase match as Exmouth won 5-1. A comprehensive victory. I wonder who they will get in the next round ... checking ... Home against Portland United on 12th October.

Barnstaple were at home to Slimbridge having achieved a season record of 2 wins and 5 defeats. That record can now be amended to 2 wins and 6 defeats. The team lost 3-0 at home. As usual the Barnstaple website has not been updated so I have gone to the Slimbridge website for the information. Their match report suggests that Barnstaple started and finished strongly but Slimbridge did the ball playing in the middle of the match and scored all the goals.

The Tiverton match report starts with the phrase "The new look management team promised a different brand of football at the start of the season" and mentions that Hartley Wintney scored first. It was the second half performance that earned the visitors the win. An own goal was followed by goals from Jordan Bastin, Jared Lewington and River Allen in the fifth minute of eight minutes injury time.

Weymouth seems to be having a positive season with a single bank holiday blip so far. Travelling to St Albans city at the weekend they came away with a 4-1 win. Their website lists the goalscorers in a strange order but there were two goals in each half. Yemi Odubade scored after 33 minutes. Stephane Zubar scored just before half time. Shaun Hobson scored after 70 minutes and Jake McCarthy scored in the last minute. I love their website name though, uptheterras.co.uk.

Torquay travelled to Chesterfield in the National League. Torquay are mid table and Chesterfield are in the relegation zone so it has to be seen as a failure that Chesterfield ran out 1-0 winners. Torquay take on Dagenham & Redbrige next week and they are in the playoff zone so perhaps the gulls will raise their game for that one.

So to the league and you can do your own research here.

Exeter drew 2-2 at home to Leyton Orient.

Southend drew 3-3 at home to Fleetwood Town.

Brentford travelled to Preston North End and went down 2-0.

On Sunday my main team built me up with a 2-0 lead. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored from a brilliant turn and shot and a simple tap in. I am pleased that he is scoring freely but the ever present problem of the defence returned to haunt the gunners. Sokratis passed the ball straight to Deulofeu and Tom Cleverly finished cleverly. After that the whole team lost it and Watford could easily have won the game but Bernd Leno kept it to a 2-2 draw.

My life has been busy lately and I stayed up late for an online game that my team won. The effort needed did distract me from football. I have to decide where my priorities lie but winning was sweet.

Barnstaple Town

I noticed that Barnstaple have brought their away match at From forward from February 29th next year. The match was played on Saturday 7th September and the result was a 3-1 defeat for Barnstaple.

Remarkably the team are still mid table but they have played one more match than everybody else. Still, the golden rule is to have points on the table rather than games in hand.

Sunday Review

Southend United did not play as scheduled this weekend.

The reason from the Portsmouth website:

READ MORE: Kenny Jackett defends Portsmouth cancellation against struggling Southend

With Pompey set to be missing three players due to international call-ups as well as injuries to key members of the squad, the decision was made to suspend the fixture. 

The Blues would have been without keeper Craig MacGillivray, who has been called up to the Scotland squad, as well as Ronan Curtis, who is away with Republic of Ireland, and Rangers loanee Ross McCrorie, who is on international duty with the Scotland U21 squad. 

The new date has been set for Tuesday, November 5 (7.45pm kick-off). 

So we start with the long trip to Carlisle by my home town club Exeter City.

From the BBC website:

Second-half goals from Aaron Martin and Nicky Law proved decisive as League Two pacesetters Exeter maintained their unbeaten record with a 3-1 win at Carlisle.

Lee Martin had given Exeter a half-time lead which was cancelled out when Olufela Olomola equalised for Carlisle in the 61st minute.

Exeter began with a confidence befitting their league position and Lee Martin could easily have put them two goals ahead inside the first eight minutes when the game turned into a contest between the Exeter forward and Carlisle goalkeeper Adam Collin.

Collin parried Martin's first effort and then used his legs to keep out a low shot that looked bound for the bottom corner.

• 'More to come' from Exeter

After Law himself had flashed a shot across the face of goal, Jake Taylor went even closer with a low shot through a crowd of players that struck the bottom of Collin's left-hand post.

It was no surprise when Exeter took a 36th-minute lead. Randell Williams fed a ball across to Lee Martin, whose curling shot from the edge of the box left Collin diving in vain.

Saves by Collin from Williams and Ryan Bowman kept Carlisle in it after the break and the Cumbrians' equaliser came when Nathan Thomas' shot was blocked and the rebound fell for Olomola to head just inside the right-hand post.

Exeter were back in the lead six minutes later when, from the corner on the left, Aaron Martin thumped home a header from six yards and Law made certain in stoppage time, breaking on the left to fire an angled drive past Collin.

Report supplied by PA Media

Torquay United entertained Harrogate Town in the National League. From their website:

TUFC 4
(Andrews 51′, Lumbombo-Kalala 70′, Reid 73′, 80′)

Harrogate Town 2
(Stead 33′ pen, 58′)

United came from behind twice to secure victory, thanks to a marvellous last half-hour against Harrogate Town at Plainmoor.

Jon Stead’s goals, either side of Jake Andrews’ early second-half leveller, left Torquay with work to do with 30 minutes remaining. However a red card for Stead, coupled with a stunner from Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala, set up Jamie Reid’s double to seal all three points for Gary Johnson’s men.

Johnson was forced into a number of changes to the side that secured a 1-1 draw at Woking in midweek, with injured midfield trio Asa Hall, Armani Little and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans being replaced by Andrews, Robbie Cundy, for his full debut, and Ben Whitfield, who was making his home bow following his goalscoring debut in Surrey.

United began the game on top, with Whitfield carrying on where he left off on Tuesday by posing a constant threat for the Town backline. One left-foot cross on five minutes found Reid at the near-post, who fired wide.

Torquay’s other new boy, Cundy went agonisingly close later, with his 21st minute from a corner thudding against the post.

The game though, took a twist in the visitor’s favour on the 32 minutes, as Stead went down in the box under a challenge from Cundy, to win his side a penalty. The same player stepped up to send Lucas Covolan Cavagnari the wrong way and give Harrogate the lead.

goal celebrations for Jonathan Stead of Harrogate Town from the spot, during the Vanarama National League match between Torquay United and Harrogate Town on Saturday 7 Sep 2019, Plainmoor, Torquay, Devon -PHOTO: Sean Hernon/PPAUK

United’s frustration at falling behind was evident up until the interval, with Johnson having to do some fine-tuning during the break.

Just as happened last week against Hartlepool, The Gulls levelled things up in the opening stage of the second period, following a fine right-wing move.

Lumbombo-Kalala, on as a substitute, ran at the Town backline to free up Ben Wynter. The right-back delivered a fine cross into the path of Andrews, who fired home with ease to make it 1-1.

goal celebrations for Jake Andrews of Torquay United, during the Vanarama National League match between Torquay United and Harrogate Town on Saturday 7 Sep 2019, Plainmoor, Torquay, Devon -PHOTO: Sean Hernon/PPAUK

After looking to build on this, it was a real sucker-punch when United fell behind again just seven minutes later.

A deep cross into the box from the left from George Smith found Stead jostling for position at the back post, and the experienced striker edged away from his marker to fire home from the angle of the six-yard box.

Just when the former England-U21 striker might have fancied himself for a hat-trick chance, his afternoon took a turn for the worse on 63 minutes.

Having been booked earlier in the match, the referee took a dim view of a handball offence inside the centre-circle, and gave the towering front man his marching orders.

Seizing the initiative on Town’s main outlet disappearing down the tunnel, Johnson’s men started to press Harrogate back against the Babbacombe End, and a moment of real class set United on their way.

Lumbombo-Kalala, clearly in the mood to turn the game on its head, initially looked to be sizing up his options when the ball reached him on the edge of the box, before unleashing a high drive over the ‘keeper’s head and into the roof of the net to drag his side level.

goal celebrations for Kalvin Kalala of Torquay United during the Vanarama National League match between Torquay United and Harrogate Town on Saturday 7 Sep 2019, Plainmoor, Torquay, Devon -PHOTO: Sean Hernon/PPAUK

The French winger instantly signalled for the ball to be collected from the back of the net, as United set about pressing home their advantage.

In the 73rd minute, Andrews, outstanding all afternoon, drove deep into the area before being brought down. The referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot, with Jamie Reid grabbing the ball.

Reid’s penalty was well saved by  James Belshaw in the Harrogate goal, but in true poacher fashion, Reid followed up to send the loose ball into the net to put Torquay in front for the first time.

Penalty for Jamie Reid of Torquay United on the rebound, during the Vanarama National League match between Torquay United and Harrogate Town on Saturday 7 Sep 2019, Plainmoor, Torquay, Devon -PHOTO: Sean Hernon/PPAUK

United weren’t in the mood to let the game slip away now and with ten minutes to go, the points were made safe.

A delightful move across the box ended with Lumbombo-Kalala threading the ball through to Reid, who made space before belting home a left-footed effort high into the net to make it four.

goal celebrations for Jamie Reid of Torquay United during the Vanarama National League match between Torquay United and Harrogate Town on Saturday 7 Sep 2019, Plainmoor, Torquay, Devon -PHOTO: Sean Hernon/PPAUK

With depleted resources and in the face of adversity, United had emerged victorious, in what could prove to be a pivotal game for their ambitions this season.

Next up is a trip to the Proact Stadium next Saturday, as Johnson’s men take on bottom-of-the-table Chesterfield.

TUFC: 28. Lucas Covolan Cavagnari, 2. Ben Wynter, 3. Liam Davis, 4. Kyle Cameron (c), 6. Joe Lewis (16. Ryan Dickson, 66′), 9. Manny Duku (20. Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala, HT) 11. Jake Andrews (15. Matt Buse, 86′), 14. Frank Vincent, 19. Jamie Reid, 25. Robbie Cundy, 34. Ben Whitfield. SUBS NOT USED: 1. Shaun MacDonald, 23. Louie Slough.

Yellow Card: Davis (18′), Vincent (44′)

Harrogate Town: 1. James Belshaw, 2. Ryan Fallowfield, 3. George Smith, 6. Warren Burrell (c), 8. Jack Emmett (9. Mark Beck, 65′), 14. Brendan Kiernan (10. Sam Jones, 75′), 16. Jon Stead, 18. Jack Muldoon, 20. Connor Hall, 21. Scott Brown, 22. William Smith. SUBS NOT USED: 7. George Thomson, 13. Joe Cracknell, 23. Jack Diamond.

Yellow Card: Stead (40′, 63′)

Red Card: Stead (63′)

Attendance: 2,527 (59 away)

  

Weymouth Town were also at home. They took on Welling United.

From their website:

It took a late strike from substitute Brett Williams for Weymouth to finally get over the line against a highly organised, ten-man Welling outfit, a result that slides them straight back up to seventh place in the standings after ten games.

Exmouth Town could not capitalise on their victory over Yate Town as they travelled to Highworth Town in the First Qualifying Round of the F.A.Cup and went down 4-2. The match against a Football League team must wait for at least another season.

Elmore took on Plymouth Marjon at home and came out 2-0 winners. This puts Elmore onto 3 points and just above the two relegation places. Plymouth Marjon are in one of those relegation places.

In the Devon League North & East my home village team travelled all the way to the village next door. Bovey Tracey may actually be a town but I walked through the village green to get to the ground and then they made me pay. Most Level 11 matches are free but I was asked for £2 as an OAP and I am glad I paid. The facilities are in good condition although the seat next to me had been unscrewed by some bored youth in a previous match. My team then produced their performance of the season thanks to the new players signed after that 8-1 defeat.

The first half was an even contest and Liverton took the lead. This had happened before but now the defence looked organised rather than ramshackle. Liverton continued to create chances but so did Bovey Tracey. I felt that the Bovey shots were better as they wizzed past the base of the uprights whereas many Liverton shots cleared the crossbar by several feet. Nomatter, I am almost a Liverton supporter now and my team had some fight at last. ... Bovey Tracey equalised. I had seen this before. My team were about to fall apart.

I heard several shouts in support of Liverton and we seemed to have more support than the home team. Two coaches (or ex coaches more accurately) shouted at the blue shirts to get themselves organised and challenge for the ball. This shouting was what had been missing at the start of the season. Some of the players responded.

With five minutes to go the score was 2-2 and there were plenty of chances at both ends. This match was entertainment at its best, the result was always in doubt. One of the blue shirts that I gave top marks to shot at goal but it was straight at the keeper. Oh well. Hang on. The keeper got both hands to the ball and still let it slip over his shoulder and into the net. Clearly our striker had put spin on the ball and the keeper was not up to it.

If you have ever supported a team that loses every week you know that special feeling when you win. It may be a one off and I had made my mind up not to bother with the next home match but now I have to consider very hard whether to watch the newly manned team or pursue my selections at other levels of the pyramid. Maybe my bank balance will keep me in Liverton. That is certainly a possibility.

Now let me see how my selections from Level 12 to 20 did. Those results are nothing to do with you though.

International Weekend

The England team are in action (along with many other nations) so we have no Premier League Football this weekend. Nowadays the Championship is also held in abeyance while the Nations battle.

So with no games for Arsenal or Brentford I can concentrate on some of my minnow selections.

Southend United travel to Portsmouth and I could have made that journey but having just moved funds are much shorter than they might be. Exeter have their longest journey as they travel to Carlisle to take on the United of the far north.

Both of my National League selections are at home. Torquay take on Harrogate Town while Weymouth entertain Welling United. I shall check on those results after I return home from my local derby.

Exmouth are away to Shepton Mallet and I hope there is no hangover from that fantastic F.A.Cup win over Yate Town but I fear that there might be.

Elmore are at home to Plymouth Marjon but that educational establishment no longer holds the great fascination that it did when I had a girlfriend there a very very very long time ago.

My choice of venue is Bovey Tracey where my home village of Liverton United will be competing. This is a local derby at Level 11 and being free (good value for money) I cannot turn down the opportunity of visiting another local ground. I may even get some of my family there.

The local league, Devon & Exeter, are in cup week so teams may meet other teams a level or two above or below the level they play at. This is a chance for giant killing and choking. I will be eager to check all the results once the battling is complete.

Enjoy YOUR weekend wherever it is that YOU are watching football.

F.A.Cup Excitement

I went to watch an F.A.Cup match last night.

Exmouth Town had travelled to Yate Town at the weekend and earned a 2-2 draw which entitles them to a replay. I figured that Yate who are in the Southern League could produce a good account of themselves but they were now away and Exmouth are a competent Western League team that earned promotion last season from the South West Peninsula League.

On this occasion I left in time to reach a cashpoint machine, park my car securely and walk to the ground at Southern Road in Exmouth. There was a larger than usual crowd outside as I drove past and when I walked back they had made their way into the ground and were all around it. Most of the time there is room on one side for everybody.

When the match started it seemed to be a faster pace than I was expecting. Yate Town dominated possession but Exmouth were putting the tackles in and were good for the draw at half time. No goals but plenty of excitement and the Exmouth keeper seemed to have gloves with superglue on. Nothing went astray and everything stuck when he went for it. A fantastic shot from one of the Yate players was dipping just under the crossbar but it was tipped over for a corner. Inspiring keeping.

The second half was different but not for lack of pace. Every Exmouth player chased down the Yate men and the Exmouth defence remained solid even when the corners came in. I think all bar two headers saw the ball ejected from the penalty area and the two that went in the direction of the goal disappeared over the top. Nearer the end of the match shot after shot from Yate went high and wide including all of the free kicks that the referee seemed keen to award.

Exmouth scored early in the second half and I did feel sorry for the Yate keeper as he was abandoned and left to fend for himself against two Exmouth men. The goal was scored from what seemed like a difficult and narrow angle.

The second goal calmed the Exmouth team and they worked a disciplined seven back and three up with the midfield never tiring and ensuring that the forwards were provided with several decent chances.

This was an Exmouth that I have never seen before and if that is the standard of Southern League football then I need to seek it out.

The mood in the ground was positive but then it always is when you are winning.

I passed a fellow fan leaving the ground who suggested that Exmouth should have won by more than two goals but I have seen enough football to know that Yate provided stern opposition and on another night could well have won. The Exmouth team deserve every praise for this win.

So, as a minnow, that concludes the Extra Preliminary Round and the Preliminary Round. We now go on to the First Qualifying Round. Another four wins and we might get to face a team from the Football League. Bring it on!

August is Over

Before I talk about the weekend let us look ahead to tonight.

Southend United are away at Leyton Orient in what used to be called the Checkatrade Trophy but must now be known as the Leasing Dot Com Trophy. I give us no chance at all.

Exeter City are at home to Cheltenham Town and being league leaders in League Two must give my selection a good chance of winning this one. I live in hope.

Torquay are away to Woking in the National League and I was going to talk us up but Woking are top of the table having won seven of their eight games so far. I foresee another home win.

Weymouth who are currently in the last of the play off places travel to Oxford City who are closer to the bottom of the table than the top so I think this presents the most even contest of all tonight's matches.

Finally, Barnstaple travel to Cinderford Town in the Southern League Division One South and incredibly Cinderford are below Barnstaple in the table. Dare I predict a win? No!

So ... on to the past weekend.

Arsenal continue to show defensive frailties. Granit Xhaka has decided to take over from Mustaffi by sliding in and giving away an easy penalty. Harry Kane despatched it with ease and from that point on we had to recover the situation. Gaining a point against a side as good as Pochettino's is no simple task so I have to be content with a point. Lacazette scored a beauty and Aubameyang provided a deft touch to give us our two goals. Not paying for Sky TV puts me at a disadvantage but there are plenty of live streams on the internet which provide coverage. The added advantage is that I am notified by text that a goal is coming before I get to see the action.

Brentford got going at last with a 3-0 win over Derby County. Two goals were provided by Ollie Watkins and the other one came from Bryan Mbeumo. The season starts here!

Southend United continued their 100% record by losing at home to Rochdale. If they are not careful I will have to drop them from my selections in favour of a better League One team.

Exeter City took on Mansfield Town (we win on team name ... city beats town) and Ryan Bowman scored after 5 minutes. This proved to be the only goal of the game.

Torquay took on Hartlepool in the battle of the Uniteds. Jamie Reid scored for Torquay but it was not sufficient and Hartlepool won the match by two goal to one.

Weymouth travelled to Tonbridge Angels in the National League South and came away with a 1-1 draw. Brett Williams scored shortly after half time but Weymouth could not hold on to that lead.

Tiverton were at home to Salisbury in the Southern League South and these teams played a thriller of a 3-3 draw. All the goals came from midfield with Jordan Bastin, Steve Colwell and Michael Landricombe scoring for Tiverton.

Barnstaple were at home to AFC Totton and perhaps I should have followed my whim when I thought about making this week my first visit to the far north (of Devon). Jack Langford scored the only goal of the game in this one.

Exmouth Town were competing in the F.A.Vase and this is a competition where level nine teams can do very well. The F.A. is finally forcing the Northern League teams to accept promotion but they are still far more likely to win because of the history of the Football Pyramid. Exmouth beat Brislington 3-2 and march on to the next round.

Incidentally ... I plan to watch the F.A.Cup replay at Southern Road when Yate Town come to town.

Elmore travelled to Brixham in the South West Peninsula League East but came away with a 2-1 defeat. At least this match was completed though.

Liverton took on Alphington in the Devon League. I figured this would make a pleasant afternoon watching my local team compete against a team from a small area of Exeter. When we went 3-0 down all my hopes had dried up. I got talking to two committee members and there are serious problems at Liverton. Alphington eventually won 8-1. This is a new low for my home team.

There were mixed results in the local league including a match abandoned because of stones in the goalmouth but that does not concern you.

Roll on the winter. When the wind and rain come I can hide at home and watch through the marvelous medium of the internet.

Twitter

The wonders of twitter.

I tracked down a picture of the pitch to be used for the Level 18 match between Elmore 3rd team and Bradninch. The referee called the match off before a ball was kicked because there were too many stones in the goalmouth area.

There HAS been a lot of heavy rain recently. It is what makes Devon so green.

Facebook

Facebook has its uses.

I just found out before any of the other results are officially published that my Level 20 pick won by 4 goals to 3. It could have been a good game.

Westexe Park Rangers 2nds beat Kenn Valley United. The whole nation should rejoice.

Interesting Week

Wednesday night and I travel to Tiverton to watch Elmore take on Bovey Tracey in the South West Peninsula league. I arrive late and hear a great roar as I park the car. That roar was Elmore scoring a home goal. I get several minutes of football in then a Bovey Tracey player goes down with an injury. The match is held up while the man with the sponge attends and then we hear the call for an ambulance. A fan next to me tells me that the last time that happened no ambulance appeared and the ambulance service phoned back asking the football club to get the injured player to the hospital.

After a good half hour of delay the decision was taken to abandon the match. A player mentions that the injured man cannot be moved as the foot has clearly become detached (at least the bone) from the rest of the leg. This is a serious injury. I hear that the ambulance has to come from Exeter. I head for my car, phone my wife to let her know I will be home earlier than expected and set off home. Twenty minutes later I am approaching Exeter and I see an ambulance with blue lights flashing heading north. There were no other flashing lights visible on my journey home. I work out that the injured player will have been lying on the pitch for an hour and a half before the ambulance gets there. Tories will tell you that this is an efficient use of resources. Any decent human being will tell you that this is FAR TOO LONG.

So, although unusual and unexpected, I got to see something special and different. I also got a brief look at the Bovey Tracey team. They play about 10 minutes from where I live so it is further than the Liverton United ground which is 2 minutes away but I will have to visit them before too long.

Liverton United themselves were in action on Tuesday night. They were taking on Newtown who beat them 5-1 in the opening game of the season. I got there in time for kick off and I am glad I did as Liverton took the lead. This was the first time I had seen my local team up in any match. Not to worry though as two quick goals from Newtown restored my expectations for my home team. There were a few tough tackles as the game progressed and then, although I missed the incident, I saw the referee in a long discussion with the linesman. This resulted in a young Newtown player seeing the red card and leaving the field.

I genuinely thought that Liverton had a chance of winning at this point but the card seemed to galvanise Newtown and they produced a third goal to take a commanding lead in the match. The Liverton team did not give up the fight this time and continued to press missing a couple of good chances.

I got chatting and mentioned that the Liverton number six seemed to be a cut above and I was informed that he also plays for Barnstaple. I think I need to get myself up to the far north (of Devon) and watch him play at that higher level. Last time I felt he did not want to put the effort in but this time with a chance of victory there was a new determination that had been lacking. He still got himself out of position, though, like all the other Liverton defenders.

I have nicknamed the back four "The Evaporating Defence" or TED for short. Whoever is coaching this lot needs to work on discipline at the back.

This was the third different goalkeeper in three matches and if I was a goalkeeper I would not feel safe having to cope with the sudden evaporation of every defender every match.

Bank Holiday Monday

Three defeats and a draw for my lot on Monday.

I spent the day enjoying watching three kids splash about in a paddling pool and then slide down a plastic slide with a hose attached that kept a little pool at the end of the slide. It has to happen and one of the kids jumped on the slide right beside the hose nozzle and the plastic split but they had fun until that happened and then we had to hold the hole closed for another 15 minutes before putting it away. Gaffer tape or Duct tape needed to fix that one I feel.

Meanwhile, Torquay travelled to Barnet and earned a 2-2 draw. The match report states the Torquay were 2-0 up at half time through Jean-Yves Koue Niate and Armani Little. Apparently Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala came close to scoring a third. Whatever happened to John Jones and Sam Smith? Barnet came into their own in the second half and equalised in the 88th minute.

 Weymouth entertained Wealdstone in the National League South and just lost out in a seven goal thriller. The goals came from Yemi Odubade, Abdulai Baggie and Brett Williams so we have one English name out of three. The other two are not too difficult to spell either. This time it took Wealdstone until the 89th minute to score the winner.

In the Southern League Tiverton travelled just up the road to Taunton and came away with a 3-1 defeat, their first of the season. Not surprisingly there are many match reports written from the Taunton perspective but I have not found one from Tiverton.

Finally Barnstaple travelled to Mangotsfield United (I imagine a field full of maggots) and lost by the margin of 5 goals to 1. Barnstaple have a lot of work to do to stay at this level for another season. Maybe they should drop down and rebuild.

Tonight I watch level 11 again.

Total Win

I do have to tell you that the teams I have chosen to follow that are not part of this blog had a magnificent day or days at the weekend:

On Friday night Lympstone beat Winchester 1-0 in the Devon & Exeter Division One.

On Saturday my other selections also all won:

Premier: Cronies beat Bampton away 4-3.

Two: Elmore 2nds beat Honiton Town 2nds 6-1. (To match Tiverton Town)

Three: Westexe Park Rangers beat Halwill 2nds 3-2.

Five: Broadclyst beat Bravehearts 7-3.

Six: Elmore 3rds beat Silverton 4-2.

Seven: Lympstone 2nds beat City Raiders 3-1.

My other teams were not in action so this was a total win.

Sunday Reflection

So I had a look at what my day could be and I decided to go local. Liverton is where I live so Liverton is the team I shall follow. This could bring me down as I watched an even first half turn around after Exwick Villa had a player sent off. This seemed to galvanise them and they ran out 3-0 winners on the day. Three matches and three defeats for Liverton.

Exmouth Town were in the F.A.Cup away at Yate Town and they earned a creditable 2-2 draw which means, should I choose to do so, that I can see the deciding match of the round back at Southern Road. At the moment I fully intend to attend that match.

Tiverton Town were the pick of my Pyramid Selections. Tiverton beat Beaconsfield Town by a whopping 6 goals to 1. A quick check on the website tells me that the crowd was 204 strong and that the scorers were Noah Smerdon (2), Jared Lewington, Chris Shephard, Olaf Koszela and River Allen from the penalty spot.

Weymouth in the National League South travelled to Chippenham Town and went down 1-0 which seems a reasonable score away from home. I must do some more research on my newest team to follow.

Torquay United took on Aldershot Town in the National League and the match was shown on BT Sports so I had the pictures showing while I listened to the Arsenal match. The goals were scored either side of half time by Jamie Reid and Opi Edwards. Good to watch and maybe next time I will listen as well.

 Levels 4,5 and 7 produced the wins this week which means you can stop after the next paragraph if you only want positive vibes.

Exeter City travelled to Morecambe but did not get lost on the sands as they came away with a 3-2 win. Jake Taylor and Lee Martin scored the first two goals before the Morecambe substitute came on and scored two to equalise. Nicky Law got the late winner to secure three points.

 Southend United travelled to Wycombe Wanderers (how did they find them if they are still wandering?) and scored early through Brandon Goodship. Stephen Humphrys then scored from over 20 yards out to put Southend in a strong position. An own goal saw the lead cut in half but Stephen Humphrys got a second shortly after half time. 3-1 should be a winning position but this Southend side threw away three goals and lost the match 4-3.

Brentford travelled across London to take on Charlton Athletic. The club website indicates that the Charlton team were under severe pressure from Brentford but then scored with their only chance to win the match 1-0. It does look as though Neal Maupay is a big miss for Brentford.

Arsenal took on Liverpool at Anfield and high hopes were dashed when Liverpool scored from a corner. Defending set pieces is not an Arsenal specialism. David Luiz then gave away a penalty with some blatant shirt tugging. He was also liable for the third goal when he failed to close down Mohamed Salah who went on to score. Lucas Torreira came on as a substitute to get Arsenal a goal as a consolation prize. Hope of the top four but little hope of the top two.

Saturday Morning 24th August

My daughter has had her surrogate daughter over this week so my time has been taken up trying to get the hosepipe fixed to the tap, finding the cats so that she can stroke them and then the visit to Exeter to travel on the ferry at the quay together with a delightful lunch at the Puerto Lounge.

So what have my selected teams been doing in the meantime. We are watching much less TV since moving and trust me this is a good thing. Wall to wall Brexit is very bad for the human condition. Brexit is bad for the economy, but following Europe down the wrong path is arguably worse.

Southend United took on Peterborough United and lost 2-0. That means four defeats out of four in the league at the start of the season. The club are clearly concentrating on the Carabao Cup which saw their only win, 2-1 against Stevenage.

Exeter travelled to Oldham Athletic and managed a 0-0 draw which cannot be seen as a poor result away from home. Following the 1-1 draw at home to Swindon last week and two early victories the league form is reasonable with no defeats so far. The only loss was 4-1 to Coventry City in the Carabao Cup.

Barnstaple took on Bristol Manor Farm at home and managed to lose 2-1. This matches the form I saw when I watched them lose 1-0 in the F.A.Cup. The shock for me is that 4-3 win away from home at Basingstoke Town. I expect the team to blow hot and cold and colder this season.

These first three matches took place on Tuesday and there were four matches that took place on Wednesday this week.

Brentford travelled to Leeds United who are hurting from their failure to be promoted last season.The result was a 1-0 defeat. I have not yet searched for a You Tube precis of the match.

Exmouth Town, who I expect to watch several times this season as the experience has always been a good one with friendly helpful staff, suffered their first defeat of the season in the Western League Premier Division. Plymouth Parkway scored the only goal of the game on their home ground. This league is new to Exmouth following promotion last season so I do not expect miracles but the team I have watched already this season look like a solid outfit.

Elmore earned a 2-2 draw at home to Ivybridge Town and until I visit the team I shall say not more about the result and the chances of Elmore to advance up the leagues.

I did visit my local team Liverton United. It is a long walk so I drove into the ground and saw what I perceive as a club in decline. The ground has clearly seen better days and needs an injection of capital if the club are to progress. This may not be the right time as I stayed until half time and watched the defence abandon their keeper while Teignmouth banged in three goals. Checking the internet I see that the defeat was by 5 goal to 1 so the second half was a better if losing performance.

What I will say is that the Liverton team seemed to be enjoying their football and I can take that. The Teignmouth side turned out in Tottenham kit, white tops and black shorts, so I thought it would be easy to hate the opposition but to be fair they were the better team and I think the result was accurate.

I very nearly went to see a local league team, Lympstone, last night, but I stayed home to update my spreadsheets which got behind while I moved house. Lympstone produced the only win on my Excel data this week by beating Winchester 1-0. Good on you Lympstone. I need a bit of good news.

Today I intend to return to Liverton as they are playing my old local team Exwick Villa. I currently refuse to fund Rupert Murdoch's attempt to make Britain American so I may not get to see Arsenal this evening. Sky Sports have a business model which does not maximise profits but their intention is to break all other service providers so I am doing my little bit to destroy the evil empire.

Match of the day will be essential viewing as long as I withhold money from Sky Sports.

Results - The Morning After

We will start at the top, i.e. the highest level, which following my research this morning is Level 12.

Higher levels are not online just yet and may appear as the week draws on.


Level 12 = Devon & Exeter League Premier : Cronies 2 Whipton & Pinhoe 1

The report suggests that Cronies are going to be one of the stronger teams this season.


Level 11 = Devon County League North & East : Newtown 5 Liverton United 1

It seems that my local team suffered a bit of a thrashing on the opening day of the season. Should I get my old boots out of the attic?


Level 10 = South West Peninsula League East : Elmore 1 Cullompton Rangers 1

The second one all draw in two weeks suggests a solid defence but sufficient in attack to score.


Level 9 = Western League Premier Division : Bitton 0 Exmouth 1

Exmouth Town are playing well and could well be the team to follow up through the leagues. The town itself is large enough to support a team higher up the pyramid but the team needs to keep producing these results. I do love the name of their main striker though, ... "Ace High".


Level 8 = Southern League Division One South : Basingstoke Town 3 Barnstaple Town 4

I find this hard to believe and the way the scorers were listed it could well be the other way round in that Barnstaple may have lost 4-3 which would make more sense given their dismal recent history. We will see as other sites update their results on Monday and Tuesday.


Level 7 = Southern League Premier South : Walton Casuals 1 Tiverton Town 3

A good result for my team at this level. I must make a determined effort to watch them early on this season. I cannot shun Tiverton forever in spite of the rumours about three eyes and six toes.


Level 6 = National League South : Weymouth 3 Dartford 1

The newest addition to my team list started the season well with a win. It is also a departure for me to support a team that play in light blue. I had always previously associated the colour with losers like the old Manchester City and Coventry City. Now, though, Manchester City are top of the tree and the colour can no longer be associated with defeated teams.


Level 5 = National League : Dover Athletic 1 Torquay United 2

A good away win for a team that were promoted last season and should carry that confidence for the early part of the new season. The National League is a tough ask, though, so I do not expect miracles.


Level 4 = League Two : Exeter City 1 Swindon Town 1

I am fairly confident that Swindon is bigger than Exeter so it must be the presence of a Cathedral that gives Exeter the superior nomination. The football result is one of those "Meh" scores that satisfy neither team but neither is it a disaster. We were expected to win because we were the home team but I am not sure how much of an advantage that is in these days of easier travel.


Level 3 = League One : Lincoln City 4 Southend United 0

I fully expected Danny Cowley to organise his team in such a way as to take advantage of all Southend's weaknesses. It seems that he did get things right and we will have to make the most of matches against teams with weaker management.


Level 2 = Championship : Brentford 1 Hull City 1

There seems to be some magic missing with the loss of Neal Maupay. I must get into their website and see who they have brought in to replace him. This is a slow start but the heading is definitely mid table rather than top or bottom.


Level 1 = Premier League : Arsenal 2 Burnley 1

I watched this match on BT Sports and I am very pleased to see Danny Ceballos running the match. Banger Yang scored the winner after Lacky Zett turned and scored whilst surrounded by four Burnley defenders and a goalkeeper with open legs. Sean Dyche looked suitably frustrated after keeping his 100% losing record against us. During the match my mate played me a Bob Mortimer sketch taking the mick out of the Dyche gravelly voice called "The Burnley Way". It is not brilliant but well worth a listen ... which reminds me I need to check Sean Dyche's playing history.

CHECKING

.....

I found Nottingham Forest on his C.V. but I could find no mention of Kettering ... listen to "The Burnley Way" by Bob Mortimer.

Saturday 17th August

So ... serious work on my spreadsheet allows me to tell you that my teams are in action as follows:

Liverton are away to Newtown and the idea of lunch at the Beer Engine followed by a football match is very appealing but I have followed this through and timings may not allow this.

Elmore are at home to Cullompton Rangers. I know and love their ground with the smallest stand that I ever sat in, seating about 100 people, 50 each side of the tunnel.

Exmouth are away to Bitton and I have not researched enough to know how far they have to travel so this match was never on my agenda.

Barnstaple are away at Basingstoke Town and as I have an Uncle and Aunt who live there I should by now have visited that ground but it remains a mystery to me. I hope to change that before too long.

Tiverton are away at Walton Casuals and like the Exmouth match I have not checked to see how far they are travelling and this match remains well off my watch list.

Weymouth are at home to Dartford and I do intend to make the journey to Weymouth at some point this year. It is just over an hour away but probably an hour and a half when you take traffic into account.

Torquay are away to Dover Athletic and as I have no plans to hop on a ferry to Europe I am not going to make the journey to the opposite end of the country.

Exeter are at home to Swindon Town but I have stopped going to League Two matches there as I found the cost to be well above the entertainment value. I used to go once a season but I was given the same experience every year. High prices and low entertainment value.

Southend United, my old home town club, travel away to Danny Cowley's Lincoln City and I feel that I owe more loyalty to Danny who came from Non League Football than I do to a team that always let me down when I watched them on a regular basis.

Brentford are at home to Hull City and after a disappointing start to the season I hope to see the home side start to perform to the standards that they have been approaching for the past few seasons.

Arsenal are my main team and are at home to Burnley. What is more they are on BT Sports and we have at long last persuaded BT to connect us up. They gave us a new telephone number but could not get it to work so they connected as back to the old one for the previous owner. The BT Sports package is also connected but we found that with two boxes we could not watch the same channel in two separate rooms. Why is that? Does anyone know?

Wife is calling. I have to find her a power cable. Enjoy the weekend all you football fans.

Selections 12 to 20

Although I have rarely been to watch local league matches I will continue to pave my blogging path with good intentions. The local league here is the Devon & Exeter League. This ranges from the Premier League with promotion I now have to believe to the newly formed Devon County League, right down to Division Eight.

Level 12 = Premier = Cronies

Level 13 = One = Lympstone

Level 14 = Two = Elmore 2nds

Level 15 = Three = Westexe Park Rangers

Level 16 = Four = Cranbrook

Level 17 = Five = Broadclyst

Level 18 = Six = Elmore 3rds

Level 19 = Seven = Lympstone 2nds

Level 20 = Eight = Westexe Park Rangers 2nds

If I get to watch one match with one of these teams it will be a positive move.

BUT - These teams are not really part of this blog.

Level 11 Selection = Liverton United (Devon County League North & East Division)

The life of a blogger ... I lose the internet for a month and they go and start a whole new league without telling me. The South West Peninsula League has been reduced to a single level (Level 10) with two divisions, one in the West for Cornwall and one in the East for Devon although teams may cross the border if numbers demand it.

Previously the subsidiary divisions in that league were level 11 and therefore entitled to enter the F.A.Cup although most adventures are short lived for teams at the bottom of the pyramid. I always thought it was unfair that because we had a regional league stretching down to level 11 no county or area leagues were allowed to enter because we had a regional league. Other areas of the country stopped at level 10 allowing many county teams to enter.

The change during this summer is that the Devon County League has reformed. It existed in the past but merged with the South West Peninsula League in what I saw as a perfect bridge between amateur and professional football. I know the rules are blurred now and there is no clear distinction but in theory the South West Peninsula League is the lowest professional league and the Devon County League is now the highest amateur league.

I moved to Liverton this summer so I feel that I should support my local team. I can walk to the ground taking my life in my hands as there are no footpaths and no pavement and we heard the shouting last week from our garden so we know there is a level of support beyond the minimum.

Liverton are in the North & East Division and the only other division is the South & West Division. This means, I assume, that each of these divisions supplies a team to the East Division of the South West Peninsula League at the end of the season. We shall see as nowhere online can I see this stated explicitly.

I hope that the local Football Authorities are happy with this. I was not happy when I saw that the F.A. has insisted on destroying my favourite league but I am a little happier with the Devon County League sitting just below it. Effectively I have four divisions to follow instead of the previous three.

It took a while to find the fixtures for Liverton United and I have still not got a complete list. My daughter found a list that takes me through to February and if they print a program I can pick up the full list on my first visit to watch my local team.

This season could turn out to be a good one.

Level 10 Selection = Elmore (South West Peninsula League East)

Elmore have a special place in my memory as they were my happy discovery when I was looking for a low level professional team to support.

They asked me for a Fiver to enter the ground and I was able to watch Exwick Villa for £3 and this gave me a very firm impression that value for money is so much better at this level. Things may change but Level 10 is the lowest professional (semi-professional) league and from Level 11 the County rules apply and no entrance fee should be charged.

I hope that the F.A. have not destroyed West Country football by removing one level of the South West Peninsula League. In my mind it gave teams the chance to move from amateur to professional football within the same league so that they could get the support needed to make the transition. Now clubs will have to move from another amateur league straight into the professional game where rules are so much more stringent and costs can quickly mount up.

I expect to watch Elmore a few times when they are playing midweek and perhaps I might make the odd weekend match too.

Level 9 Selection = Exmouth Town (Western League Premier Division)

The decision at this level was whether to stay with Buckland Athletic or replace them with promoted Exmouth Town. I have been to watch Exmouth more than Buckland so Exmouth it is.

There are two results that I have found on the Western League website. At this level club websites are very much hit or miss and you cannot rely on them for up to date information.

Exmouth beat Bridport 4-1 in their first league game and beat Barnstaple 2-0 in the F.A.Cup.

I look forward to many visits to the Southern Road ground.

Level 8 Selection = Barnstaple Town (Southern League Division One South)

Another "Why change?" here.

I thought I would need to pick another team when Barnstaple finished in a relegation slot but they have been reprieved and so I can continue to follow them and I hope to take that romantic trip up on the Tarka Line train to the market town so my wife can shop and I can watch football. We shall see.

The only result on the website is the 2-0 defeat to Exmouth Town in the F.A.Cup Extra Preliminary round. I saw from the Tiverton Town website that Barnstaple lost 4-0 at home to them so this season seems to be as bad if not worse than last season.

This weekend sees a trip away to Basingstoke Town.

Level 7 Selection = Tiverton Town (Southern League Premier South)

Why change?

Tiverton Town are slightly further up the road now but it is still not far.

I could have let Weston-super-Mare be my team at this level for the coming season. Other possibilities were Poole Town, Taunton Town, Wimborne Town or Truro City but Tiverton are the sitting tenants at this level and maybe, just maybe I will actually get to watch a live match this season.

The friendlies started with defeats to Tavistock and Exeter City but that was followed by a 5-2 win over Wellington (Somerset). Torquay United then visited Tiverton to inflict a 1-0 defeat on the Yellows (so I can add that result to my Torquay page). A good 4-0 win away to Barnstaple probably says more about Barnstaple than Tiverton and a 3-1 win over the Royal Marines shows commitment to the local community. Two 1-1 draws against Mousehole and Cullompton Rangers concluded the friendlies before the real action began.

The first two league matches resulted in a 2-2 draw at home to Hayes & Yeading United and this was followed by an away win 2-1 at Poole Town. Next up are Walton Casuals.

Level 6 Selection = Weymouth (National League South)

Weston-super-Mare have been my choice at this level for so long now that I have to make a selection to replace one of my staple clubs. Weston were relegated to the Southern League so I have looked to the table for inspiration.

I remember playing cricket at Billericay and Braintree, and I enjoyed watching Ice Hockey at the Ice Rink in Chelmsford. Bath was always a favourite as our cricket club had its tour their and we stayed in a hotel with a swimming pool. Happy days. Concord Rangers is a club that had Danny Cowley as a manager. Dulwich is where I played some cricket for my London team. Eastbourne is down the road from my mother's place. Slough Town are out because my uncle and cousin support them. Wealdstone is another place with a nice cricket ground (short boundary for a late cut through the slips).

Geography has determined my choice. The nearest club are Weymouth so I hope to get to a couple of fixtures as the season draws on.

The strip is Light Blue so that bring some variety. The club website is excellent and has a full list of friendly fixtures. The club has started with a Norwich City set of results. No red, just yellow and green. Three wins against Hamworthy United, Portland United and Wimborne Town were followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Southend United. I would have been there but that was our moving day and I was overstretched.

Two more friendlies saw wins over Poole Town and Gosport Borough, then the real action started.

Maidstone United suffered home defeat on the opening day with Weymouth winning 2-1. Bath City earned a draw as Weymouth could only manage 1-1 at home. Chelmsford City went down to a 4-1 defeat on their visit to the west country and Slough Town managed a 1-1 draw when Weymouth visited them. This is a good start to the season and I will enjoy following my new found club.

Level 5 Selection = Torquay United (National League)

The first real decision has come at Level 5, Step 1 of the Non League game.

Last season I followed Eastleigh which I think was because they were the nearest team geographically to Exeter. Their internet coverage was poor to begin with but improved as time passed. I could have carried on following them but their owner moved up north and new management usually takes time to bed in.

A team that I have followed in the past is Yeovil. They dropped from League Two and I could have gone for them as their ground is just over an hour away. Their Green kit would make a change from the red and blue I have at the top end of my selections.

In the end I went for a team on the up. Torquay United have been promoted from the National League South and their Yellow kit is an equally substantial change. Also, when I went to my spreadsheet I had already typed in the Torquay fixtures so I must have picked them as my selection earlier in the summer.

A 2-1 win at home to Boreham Wood was followed by a 3-0 defeat away at Solihull Moors. A creditable 3-3 draw at Bromley has been followed by a 2-0 home defeat to Maidenhead United. It was in fact Maidenhead United that I saw in my only live match at Plainmoor, but this season I hope to pop in more that once to watch National League football.

Torquay United it is, despite the intense rivalry with Exeter.

Level 4 Selection = Exeter City (Football League Two)

I have a full list of friendly fixtures for my home town club, although with my recent move I now live just outside the town. The results are not that easy to find, however, and I may trawl through various blogs to get the data but not tonight.

Exeter have decided to concentrate on the league and not on the cup. In a set of result to reverse the Southend United set Exeter have won both their opening league matches 1-0 at home to Macclesfield and away to Stevenage. Come the Carabao Cup and a 4-1 defeat away to Coventry was the order of the day.

A short trip along the M4 and down the M5 lies in wait for any Swindon fans that want to travel to St James Park on Saturday. Next Tuesday Exeter travel to Oldham.

The mood is positive in the town but it always is at the start of each season.

Level 3 Selection = Southend United (Football League One)

This was my home town team when I was a teenager. I remember doing a "do you remember" test on Southend United players a few years back and I remembered the players from 25 years previously although I could not name the then current squad. My memories are of Ron Pountney, Alan Little and little Kevin Cunningham with that header against Queens Park Rangers.

When I started my Football Pyramid research this was the obvious team to get back in touch with from League One so I did so and I keep an eye on them every season now.

I could not find a list of friendly fixtures but the league has started with two defeats, 1-0 away at Coventry and 3-1 at home to Blackpool. Never mind, they must have said, we can concentrate on the cup. The Carabao first round saw us beat Stevenage 2-1 away from home.

This weekend coming sees us travel to Lincoln to take on Danny Cowley. My money is on Danny.

Level 2 Selection = Brentford (Football League Championship)

My original reason for picking Brentford was the Woijciech Czszesny connection but I have loved following the form of Alan Judge and Neal Maupay as the team have battled and remained firmly in the Football League Championship.

This season the friendlies started with a 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon. Two draws followed, one at home to Dynamo Kiev and one away at Wycombe Wanderers which saw two goal scored by both teams. The best result was undoubtedly a 3-1 win away at Norwich City and the friendlies ended with a 3-1 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth.

The season has started with a 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham followed by a 1-0 win away at Middlesbrough. The Carabao Cup First Round tie ended 1-1 but unfortunately Cambridge United won the match 5-4 on penalties.

This coming weekend sees a home match against Hull City. Home form needs to be improved.

Level 1 Selection = Arsenal (Premier League)

This team has been a constant in my selections. My heart tells me to keep picking them as I have been a fan for as long as I remember. It may be that I chose them rather than be beaten up in the school playground but I could not have picked a more reliable club.

The friendlies opened with a 3-3 draw at Boreham Wood with Arsenal fielding a young side. Three wins and a draw followed as my boys beat Colorado Rapids 3-0 in a friendly then Bayern Munich 2-1 and Fiorentina 3-0 in the International Champions Cup. The last match in that tournament saw us draw 2-2 with Real Madrid.

An Arsenal side beat Barnet 3-2 on the same day that we were drawing with Real Madrid which shows strength in depth, not something Arsenal have shown over the past few seasons.

Our first defeat was in the Emirates Cup. Lyon beat us 2-1 and this was the men not the women so that club clearly are doing things right. A draw 1-1 away at Angers was followed by defeat to Barcelona in the Joan Gamper trophy. We lost thanks to a Suarez goal in the last minute of the match.

The league season has started with a 1-0 win away at Newcastle. I appreciate that start as I well remember a certain 4-4 draw. Our next match is at home to Burnley.

The transfer market has seen us participate actively and I am looking forward to seeing our new stars bring their skills to the Emirates Stadium. I look forward to our challenge for the Champions League places.

Long Summer

It has been a long summer. I have moved home and anyone who has done so knows the time and effort involved, and how exhausting it all is when you are trying to co-ordinate a number of diverse personnel to achieve a single goal.

The worst aspect of all was British Telecom who cancelled our internet order five times and then when they did turn up left us with a completely dead telephone line. There is no point getting angry as their telephones are manned by people who know how bad their own company is and we have had to accept many apologies although we are now pushing for some form of compensation.

In all that time the football season has started and I have not yet specified by selections. My spreadsheets are also behind due to lack of internet so I hope to catch up, bring you all up to date, and entertain both of you who enjoy this blog.

My first live match of the season was the F.A.Cup Extra Preliminary Round match between Exmouth and Barnstaple. I have followed both teams in the past and may keep both in my selections so the match was a MUST for me. Exmouth of the Western League (Level 9) beat Barnstaple of the Southern League (Level 8) so it could be seen as a bit of an upset but I expected that result as Exmouth were promoted from the South West Peninsula League and Barnstaple were reprieved from relegation due to lack of suitable replacements. 2-0 and Exmouth were well worth their win.

Hope to get time now to blog a bit more ... no promises.

National League Playoffs

So now the National League Season is over we have some more National League matches to play.

In the old days the league was the league and that determined final positions.

These days if you finish 7th you are in with a chance of promotion.

My team Eastleigh finished in 7th.

Assuming they are going to be promoted they have to :

1) Beat Wrexham.

2) Beat Salford City in the semi-final.

3) Beat the other semi-final winner in the final.

The second semi-final is between Solihull Moors and AFC Fylde or Harrogate Town.

The odds are against it but I will be following with interest.

It starts on Thursday.

Season End Approaches

Saturday morning and it is pouring with rain so I may as well blog as go for a walk.

How has the season gone and where are my picks at the end of the long and gruelling challenge?


ARSENAL (1)

Losing at home to Crystal Palace (unforgiveable) and losing away to Wolverhampton Wanderers (Half Expected) has left that possible third place out of our own hands. This team seems full of players who are happy to pick up a fortune and not so keen to battle in the trenches. Unai Emery needs to start replacing them this summer and I hope he is given the budget to do so.

I would like us to finish fourth because Chelsea have to play Manchester United but I have a feeling that we will finish fifth and that may prove beneficial as we have no chance of winning the Champions League but the Europa League is perfectly achievable.


BRENTFORD (2)

Brentford have fallen victim to the Bolton Blues as Bolton are on strike. The Bolton v. Brentford fixture has been cancelled or postponed so the lads can have a rest this weekend. With Bolton in financial crisis the match may never take place so I am glad that the mid table position means that whatever happens there is no major impact on the club.

Brentford are firmly established as a Championship Club and with a new stadium being built are on the verge of great things (we hope). I think my Championship choice this season will be remain my Championship side next season.


SOUTHEND UNITED (3)

Southend are flirting with relegation at the moment so they may drop off my list at the end of the season if they do eventually go down. Southend and Plymouth are on 47 points, one above the next two clubs. AFC Wimbledon and Scunthorpe United are on 46 points and are set to be relegated if they do not win at least one of their last two matches. Walsall need to win at least one and Bradford City are already down.

Fixtures away to Rochdale and home to Sunderland suggest that the away fixture is our best chance as Sunderland are in the playoff places and will be fighting to the end of the final match.


EXETER CITY (4)

Exeter are hanging on in the playoff positions and currently sit 7th in the table. The top six are guaranteed their playoff or promotion places but we have to look behind us to Colchester, Carlisle, Stevenage and Newport County. These four are on 64 points with Exeter on 66 points.

The remaining fixtures are Oldham Athletic at home and Forest Green Rovers away. The home match is the best chance of three points but that playoff place will probably require at least a point against Forest Green.


EASTLEIGH (5)

Eastleigh are safely into the playoffs having made 7th place assured. If Harrogate lose then 6th place is possible but we would need to beat Boreham Wood away to obtain that lofty level. Stranger things have happened but promotion from 7th place is perfectly possible and you have to use whatever system is in operation and make the most of it.

"I would love it if" (Kevin Keegan ... and it never happened) Salford were beaten by Eastleigh in the playoff final. That would be a major high for me following a long season where Eastleigh dropped off for a while but have returned to challenge at the end of the season.


WESTON-SUPER-MARE (6)

Mostly positive news up until now but here it stops. Weston have been relegated from the National League South and will be playing in the Southern League next season. The final fixture is at home to Dulwich Hamlet.


TIVERTON TOWN (7)

Tiverton have gone from challenging for promotion to flirting with relegation. This is highly unlikely as in order to go down four teams below us would have to win. Could Basingstoke, Gosport, Hendon and Walton Casuals all win? If that happens and Tiverton lose at home to Beaconsfield Town then the club would be relegated but that would require a five match accumulator to come in and how often does that happen?

I think Tiverton are safe in the division for another season.


BARNSTAPLE TOWN (8)

Barnstaple are the second of my selections to be definitely relegated. When I say definitely I have seen so many reprieves and transfers and fiddles as clubs go out of business that anything could happen but in the normal course of events I would expect to see Barnstaple in the Western League next season.


BUCKLAND ATHLETIC (9)

My current Western League pick are at home to Shepton Mallet today but are safely in the middle of the table and will be back in the Western League next season.


EXMOUTH TOWN (10)

The final game of the season for Exmouth is an important one and I will try and find out the result as soon as possible after the match. Tavistock are on the same number of points at the top of the table with a better goal difference.

Exmouth are away to Bodmin and need to win to give themselves the best chance of taking the South West Peninsula League title. Tavistock are away to Plymouth Argyle. This is the reserve team but they have access to first team players and I hope one or two first teamers are coming back from injury as that would make Plymouth stronger and make the Tavistock task that much tougher.

Good luck Exmouth but at least I would not have to change my selection if you remain in this league.


ELMORE EAGLES (11)

Elmore are away to Bovey Tracey. Bovey Tracey are second in the table with Elmore in fifth place. It looks like Stoke Gabriel will be the team moving up to the Premier Division from Division One East. The restructuring proposals in the Non League Paper suggest that the East and West Divisions will be kept but the Premier Division will be disbanded. I hope the Football Association are not as stupid as I have them down as but they have screwed up football all over the country in the past.

The F.A have spoken and it means F.A.

I have watched the F.A. try and force their plan on local clubs year after year and they usually end up upsetting everyone without necessarily improving the overall situation.

The Midlands area has undergone myriad changes over the years although I have not gone back to read about how many were F.A. plans and how many were local leagues vying to become lead dog as the pyramid became "a thing" and leagues wanted to be as high up the ladder as they could be.

I read in this week's Non League Paper that the South West Peninsula League will have two teams promoted from each of its two divisions. The South West Peninsula League has THREE divisions and there was no explanation of what will happen to the Premier Division. I hope the F.A. know but I could not find it in the report.

If, as is implied, the East and West Divisions are regraded category 6 then the Premier Division must be regraded Level 5. Will it operate alongside the Western League? "Two leagues in the South West" suggests perhaps but in the pictures it looks like the two subsidiary divisions only so the Premier Division just disappears.

The current league works well in the area and few teams are promoted to the Western League. If the F.A. impose promotion then club after club will go bankrupt travelling to Bristol every other weekend. I spoke to the Club Chairman of Elmore before they moved from the Western to the South West Peninsula League .... before they went bankrupt and the reserves became the first team. They were not happy having to travel all the way to Bristol every other week.

The F.A. of course do not care. They just want a simple pyramid that is easy to administer and that means 2-4-8-16 even though the country is geographically a triangle and 3-9-27 would allow a lot more teams access to the pyramid as well as having fewer lateral moves as promotion and relegation would iron out a lot of the fiddling necessary to keep leagues roughly equal in size.

I also see that the Football League has had undue influence in standardising the divisions at 24 teams when a few years back the trend was down to 22 or 20 teams in a division. I think 20 teams allows for bad weather interruptions and other competitions can fill the weeks when no matches are scheduled.

I would add the text straight from the paper but it made no sense when I read it. The words seem designed to be flexible and flaky so that after the event the F.A. can say that whatever happens is actually what they meant. The pictures show areas for each league but they are not touching so there is plenty of room for fudging when it comes to allocations.

I have made the decision to let it all happen and then see how it turns out. After all, what choice do I have? The Pyramid is changing and it will never be the same. There will be winners and losers as there always are but I hope football in the South West is not bankrupted out of existence.

Half Time 6th April

The scorelines look to favour my teams at half time.

What could possibly go wrong in the second half?

Arsenal take on Everton on Sunday.

Brentford 2 Derby 2

Fleetwood 0 Southend 1

Cheltenham 0 Exeter 1

AFC Fylde 1 Eastleigh 2

Weston-super-Mare 3 Dartford 0

So at this point four wins and a draw with Weston performing way above bottom of the league.

Now this is where it all starts to go wrong ...

Basingstoke 2 Tiverton 0

Evesham 1 Barnstaple 0

Buckland 1 Brislington 1

Torpoint 0 Exmouth 1

One win, a draw and two defeats in the last four.

Roll on the Second Half.

Results March 23rd

From the bottom up.

Elmore lost at home to Brixham. The scoreline was 1-0 but conceding and not scoring results in defeat.

Exmouth beat Sticker 3-1. The first two goals were penalties and as I went to watch this one I can tell you that the referee almost lost control. Several Exmouth players were booked for complaining about the Sticker players sticking it to them. My favourite Sticker player was No.7 ("Boots") who looked very like a beer barrel on legs and spent a lot of time talking to the crowd. I heard him say at one point "Relax! We're doing alright!" which they were at the time. My favourite moments of the game, though, came early on when I was joined by a mother and child. She started shouting "DAD DEE DAD DEE DAD DEE". I have no idea who she was supporting but I hope her Daddy is proud of her.

Buckland Athletic lost their yellow and green page by losing 4-2 to Cribbs earning themselves a red stripe. For them it is Cadbury Heath at home on Tuesday next up.

Barnstaple's red page got a green stripe last week but we are back to normal this week with a 5-0 thrashing away to AFC Totton.

Tiverton travelled to Farnborough and came home with a narrow 3-2 defeat but it is still a red stripe.

Weston earned their red stripe with a 1-0 home defeat to Welling United.

Eastleigh were scheduled to take on Leyton Orient but they were too busy winning their F.A.Trophy semi-final to bother turning up for a league match.

Exeter travelled to Notts County and left it late to score but the 1-0 win earns them a green stripe.

Southend made it another red stripe by going down away at Peterborough United.

I think I will watch a little Rugby Union with Exeter Chiefs tomorrow.