Hellenic League

Author: Craig Davenport

  • Weekly Update 3/4/26

    Weekly Update 3/4/26

    The season continues to provide excitement and drama as the last month of league games arrives.

    The Isuzu FA Vase semi-finals first leg took place last Saturday and UHL team Hallen played AFC Stoneham of the Velocity Wessex League Premier Division. AFC Stoneham scored 3 first half goals to go into the 2nd leg which will be played this weekend down in Hampshire. All the very best to Hallen in their attempt to turn things around. 

    In the UHL Challenge Cup Final on Sunday hosted at Hereford Pegasus a very healthy crowd of 612 watched a fascinating game unfold which turned into a 5-goal thriller. Hereford Pegasus took an early lead before Droitwich Spa came back and led 2-1 at the break. Two second half goals for Pegasus sealed the win and the trophy 3-2, but it was a very close affair, played in a great atmosphere and hosted superbly. Hereford Pegasus’s new hospitality suite was opened for the game and all invitees enjoyed the facilities and refreshments on offer.

    In the UHL Premier Division last Saturday, league leaders Slimbridge hit Cribbs for 6 with 6 individual goal scorers including one own goal. 2nd placed Worcester Raiderswere held 1-1 at home and had to thank Jordan Murphy for their 92nd minute equalizer. Roman Glass St Georgeretook 3rd place with a 2-1 home win v Royal Wootton Bassett Town; their winner coming in the 93rd minute through a Harvey Tierney goal. Play off hopefuls Corsham Town and Cirencester Town shared a 2-2 draw, even though Corsham were leading 2-0 up to the 70th minute. Fairford Town travelled to near neighbour’s Highworth Town and won 1-0. Cinderford Town travelled to Longlevens and also won 1-0. Droitwich Spa and Hereford Pegasus played in the cup final as detailed above. In mid-week we had a very significant result seeing Slimbridge v Droitwich Spa ending 3-0; Slimbridgescoring their goals in stoppage time in the first half and late in the second half (86th and 87th minutes) to gain a valuable 3 points. Fairford Town and Longlevens shared a 0-0 draw, UHL Challenge Cup winners Hereford Pegasustravelled to Thornbury Town and won 1-0 and Highworth Town beat Hallen 3-0. Double fixtures over the bank holiday weekend will surely prove the defining moments in an enthralling season. 

    In the UHL Supplementary Challenge Cup Final on Sunday hosted at Hereford Pegasus, Shortwood Unitedplayed Newent Town and the 269 watching enjoyed a very entertaining game which resulted in a 2-1 win for Shortwood United. Right at the end of the match an attempt on goal for Newent which would have taken the game to penalties looked to have gone in, but the ball looped over the top of the net. Shortwood have been on a real punishing run of games, playing 3 times a week to catch up with games, so their effort in the final was great to see. 

    In UHL Division One on Saturday, the top three FC Stratford, Wantage Town and Bewdley Town had no games. Cheltenham Saracens travelled to Alcester Townand lost 2-1, Stonehouse Town travelled to Woodford United and were winning 1-0 until a 92nd minute equalizer saw the game end 1-1. Malmesbury Victoria hosted Carterton and won 5-1, Redditch Borough lost 3-0 at home to form side Brimscombe & Thrupp, Ludlow Townhosted Chipping Sodbury Town and lost 3-1 to a Callum Cannings hat trick with his goals coming in the 4th, 8th and 12th minutes. In mid-week leaders FC Stratford gave a commanding performance in their 4-0-win v Redditch Borough. In a battle for the play-off places, 3rd placed Bewdley Town travelled to Stonehouse Town and were beaten 3-1. Malmesbury Victoria, sat just outside the play-off places won 4-1 v Newent Town, Alcester Town beat Shortwood United with two second half goals, Woodford United made the long trip to Clanfield 85 and won 2-0. Bottom side Thame United Reserves hosted near neighbours Carterton and won 2-0. As per the Premier Division, the double bank holiday fixtures should give us a real sense of title winners and play-off places, but there is still time for change with fixture catch-up still going on for some. 

    In the Batemans Sport Alliance Chairmans Challenge Cup on Saturday, we had wins for UDA Glos Dev, Eversley & California Res and Wantage Town U23. 

    In the Alliance East on Saturday, Banbury United Dev beat Marlow Res 3-0 and Hungerford Town Res beatHeadington Amateurs 3-1. Hungerford Town Res are unbeaten in this division and have a 3-point lead overHeadington Amateurs as we go into April. In midweekBanbury United Dev and Hungerford Town Res finished 1-1. 

    In the Alliance West on Saturday Bourton Rovers Dev v Newent Town Dev finished 3-0 and Carterton Dev v Clanfield (85) ended 2-2. University of Bristol who are currently 7 points ahead of the pack in this division travelled to Evesham United Res on Tuesday evening and won 7-0. 

    In the Vets Premier Division Rotherfield United v Icarus Masters finished 1-0.

    Team of the month for March has just been announced:

    Premier Division – Cinderford Town

    Division One – Cheltenham Saracens

    Alliance – Headington Amateurs

    Congratulations to you all and you will be presented with your trophies in the near future. 

    Enjoy the bank holiday weekend and the bumper fixture schedule, 

    Regards,

    Ian

  • Neutral View….

    Neutral View….

    Matthew Rickwood was in attendance for the recent clash between Slimbridge and Droitwich Spa, offering a grounded, observer’s perspective on a game that turned dramatically on its head. Watching closely from the stands, he had the best view of the night.

    Have a read of his report!

    Droitwich suffer Slimbridge blues!

     

    Slimbridge continue promotion form.

     

    Slimbridge, on a six-game winning run before start of play and free scoring with a total of 23 goals in total. Currently, they are six points clear at the top of the table ahead of second place Worcester Raiders. 

    The visitors, Droitwich Spa, have had an excellent debut season in the Hellenic league. However, they have had mixed fortunes in their last six games collecting 10 points from a possible 18, making them lose ground on the teams around them. 

    The two teams played recently in the UHL challenge cup with Droitwich coming away with a 1-4 win. The reverse fixture resulted in a 0-6 win for Slimbridge back in August.

     

    The game started with the visitors showing some early signs of intent with captain James Lemon having a shot over the bar. The first five minutes Slimbridge were struggling to settle as they showed nervous signs on the ball. 

    The home side grew into the game over the next five minutes or so to even up to the tempo Droitwich had started with. 

    In the 13th minute the away side showed their first good bit of play with James Lemon with a great run and shot towards goal, luckily it was straight at Stephen Sarkodie in the Slimbridge goal.

    In the 21st minute the game got stuck in a rut with both teams seeming to turn to the long ball, which resulted in a compilation of head Tennis. However, this resulted in Slimbridge showing their first attack with Jack W Smith having a good run and cutting inside the full back but fired his shot wide of the goal. 

    The best chance of the game fell to the visitors in the 33rdminute with a long throw into the box, a miscue header from Slimbridge full back Bogdan Mara, fell kindly for Alex Dugmore who tried an overhead kick but it just went over.

    The deadlock was broken in first half stoppage time with Olly Sully. A fantastic individual effort in weaving in and out of four Droitwich defenders to fire past Joe Stockton in the Droitwich goal. 

     

    The second half took a while to get going with the first chance coming from the home side six minutes into the half. That man Olly Sully got free down the right and whipped a great ball into the box but unfortunately there were no takers in the centre.

    Just before the 60-minute mark we had a bad challenge on the Slimbridge goalkeeper by Perry Moss which resulted in a yellow card. This seemed to lead to a bit of ill discipline from the visitors and another two yellow cards followed shortly after. 

    With twenty minutes left of the game Shiyak Sutherland created a great individually chance with quick feet but he fired straight at the goalkeeper. The home side continued to try and find the second of the game with great play with intricate passing resulting in a volley by Sam Blackie, which was well blocked by the Droitwich defence.

    However, the second goal did come in the 84th minute with that man Shiyak Sutherland showing his quick feet to turn the centre half inside out and fire a shot into the goal. No sooner had we kicked of and the third goal followed a minute later. The Droitwich defence all at sea let a through ball from Joe Stokes go unchallenged and Jack Smith runs one on one with the goalkeeper and calmly takes it round him to pass into an empty goal.

     

     

    Slimbridge line up: 

    Sarkodie, Mara, Matthews, Kang (C), Giles, Haswell (Hitchings), Sully (Blackie), Stokes, Smith (Barnes) W Smith (Bell), Sutherland. Unused Rodgers.

     

    Droitwich Spa line up:

    Stockton, Brighton, Phillips (Levy), Rudd (Jackson), Saunston, Tilbury, Moss (Taylor-Randle), Tilley, Dugmore (Baldwin), Binner (Dallaway), Lemon (C)  

     

    Attendance: 248.

    Slimbridge 3-0 Droitwich Spa 

    Written by Matthew Rickwood

    @Mattrickwoo1

     

  • Weekly update 27/03/26

    Weekly update 27/03/26

    A full fixture list completed over the past weekend, mainly in glorious sunshine!

    The Isuzu FA Vase semi-finals are taking place tomorrow with pride of place for the UHL in the hands of Hallen. These games are played over two legs with Hallen at home v AFC Stoneham in the first leg and away next Saturday in the second leg. AFC Stoneham play in the Velocity Wessex League Premier Division and currently sit top of the table having only lost two league games. Hallen have raised their game in this competition so far and we wish them all the very best to do the same over the two legs. A day out at Wembley Stadium is very much within their grasp. 

    In the UHL Premier Division last Saturday the league leaders and the chasing pack all maintained their places although Cirencester Town swapped places with Corsham Town to move into the last play-off place. Current leaders Slimbridge won 2-0 away at Thornbury Town with the 2ndgoal coming in the 94th minute.  Droitwich Spa hosted Highworth Town and won 1-0, Worcester Raiderstravelled to Royal Wootton Bassett Town and won 2-0 with two first half goals. Cirencester Town travelled to play Hereford Pegasus and led 1-0 at half time. A second half triple with goals in the 61st, 64th and 67th minutes saw them win 4-0. Corsham Town travelled to Mangotsfield Unitedand drew 2-2 with a healthy 305 in attendance. Fairford Town were held to a 1-1 draw away at Hallen and Cinderford Town continued their good form with a 2-1 home win v Westfields. Longlevens v Cribbs ended 1-1. In midweek Slimbridge continued in pole position with a Jack W Smith hattrick to thank in the 5-goal thriller at home v Corsham Town. Worcester Raiders travelled to Cinderford Town and won 3-1 to continue in 2nd place and 3rd placed Droitwich Spa were held at home 2-2 by current bottom of the table Lydney Town. Fairford Town drew 1-1 at home v Pershore Town, Tuffley Rovers travelled down to play a resurgent Hallen and lost 3-0. Mangotsfield United and Hereford Pegasus shared a 2-2 draw. Games are now catching up and it is still very much in the melting pot as to the Divisional Winner position and the play-off positions. 

    In UHL Division One on Saturday, leaders, FC Stratfordhosted Ludlow Town who were mid-table and the game finished 1-1.  2nd placed Wantage Town travelled to fellow play-off placed Cheltenham Saracens and won 2-0. Bewdley Town hosted Thame United Reserves and won 4-1. Stonehouse Town travelled to Clanfield 85 and won 2-0. Newent Town travelled down to Chipping Sodbury Town and regular goal scorer Dylan Hart scored two goals in the 3-0 win. Malmesbury Victoria travelled up to Alcester Town and won 1-0 with an 8th minute goal. Redditch Borough hosted Carterton and the game was evenly poised at 2-2 at half time. The game ended 4-3 to Carterton with an 89th minute own goal settling matters. Brimscombe & Thrupp won 4-1 at home v Woodford United with 3 of their goals coming in the 2nd half. Shortwood United continued their climb up the table with a 2-0 away win v Wellington. In Midweek, only Cheltenham Saracens of the current top 5 played. They travelled to Redditch Borough and won 3-1, Newent Town travelled across to Carterton and drew 2-2, Malmesbury Victoriatravelled to play Shortwood United and drew 0-0, Alcester Town hosted Woodford United and won 6-0, Brimscombe & Thrupp travelled to Clanfield 85 and after their 4-1 win on Saturday, they hit another 4 to win the game 4-0. Woodford United made the long trip to Shortwood Unitedon Thursday evening and won 3-2. 

    In the Batemans Sport Alliance Chairman’s Challenge Cup on Saturday, we had wins for Marlow Res, Easington Sports Dev, Banbury United Dev and Wantage Town U23. 

    In the Alliance East on Saturday, Ardley United Res won 4-3 v Eversley & California Res. In midweek, Hungerford Town Res v Ardley United Res finished 6-1. 

    In the Alliance West in midweek, Bourton Rovers Dev v University of Bristol ended 0-1. 

    In the Vets Premier Division we had wins for Didcot Town Old Boy and Watlington Town Wanderers. 

    In the Vets Division One, we had wins for Bicester Town, Henley Town and Watlington Town Old Boys.

    In the GFA Challenge Trophy in midweek, the all UHL Derby between Stonehouse Town in D1 and Longlevensin the Premier ended 2-0 to Stonehouse Town. The other UHL team playing in midweek; Roman Glass St Georgeone 2-0 away v Bitton of the Western League. 

    Great to see Westfields winning their midweek HFA Challenge Cup Semi-Final v Bromyard to progress into the Final. 

    We have chosen Brimscombe & Thrupp FC to host our Chairman’s Cup and Presidents Cup Finals on Saturday 25th April. These games will kick off at 1.00pm and 4.30pm. Thanks to all clubs that made the offer to host, we do try to move the Finals around to different venues to give all clubs the opportunity to host. 

    Finally, it is of course the UHL Challenge Cup and Supplementary Challenge Cup Finals this Sunday. They are being hosted at Hereford Pegasus. The Supplementary Challenge Cup Final kicks off at 1.00pmand features Shortwood United v Newent Town. The Challenge Cup Final kicks off at 4.30pm and features Hereford Pegasus v Droitwich Spa. Come on down for what will hopefully be two really good games. 

    There is so much football going on at the moment, I apologize if I have missed anything. 

    Time to catch my breath, 

    Regards, 

    Ian

  • Team of the Month Awarded!!

    Team of the Month Awarded!!

    Our Secretary Ian was out and about and headed down to Brimscombe and Thrupp to see Lewis Topp and present him with Feb Team of the month award.

  • 🏆 DOUBLE THE DRAMA: HELLENIC LEAGUE CUP FINALS DAY SET TO THRILL IN HEREFORD! 🏆

    🏆 DOUBLE THE DRAMA: HELLENIC LEAGUE CUP FINALS DAY SET TO THRILL IN HEREFORD! 🏆

    Get ready for a football spectacle as the Hellenic Football League brings you an unforgettable Cup Finals Day, where passion, pride, and top silverware are all on the line.

    In partnership with principal sponsor uhlsport, this blockbuster event promises two electrifying finals in one incredible day, showcasing the very best talent the league has to offer.

    The action kicks off at 13:00hrs with the Supplementary Cup Final, where both sides will be battling to lift coveted silverware and etch their names into league history. Then, as the anticipation builds, all eyes turn to the main event…

    At 16:30hrs, the stage is set for the Challenge Cup Final, the headline clash where glory awaits and legends are made. Expect intensity, drama, and moments that will live long in the memory.

    Both showdowns take place at the fantastic KGD Stadium, right in the heart of Hereford,the perfect venue for a day celebrating grassroots football at its finest.

    And the best part? One ticket gives you access to both finals, delivering unbeatable value and a full afternoon of edge-of-your-seat entertainment.

    Bring your friends, bring your family, and immerse yourself in a festival of football, because this isn’t just matchday… it’s Finals Day.

    Challenge Cup Final 2026

    Supplementary Cup Final 2026

    Be there. Feel the energy. Witness the champions

  • Team of the Month Tuffley

    Team of the Month Tuffley

    Neil Musto the manager of Tuffley Rovers was on hand today to receive team of the month award from league secretary Ian Hamilton. Tuffley had been on a decent run I. This mid part of the season. With everything ticked off and completed.

    Well done to all at the club from the player, the management and the volunteers.

  • Weekly up date 13/03/26

    Weekly up date 13/03/26

    The only games we lost the past weekend were from teams not being able to field a team due to lack of available players., which is quite surprising, especially at Step 6 of the NLS!

    In the UHL Premier Division last Saturday, Roman Glass St George continued their pursuit of the title by holding 1stplace with a 2-1 home win v Tuffley Rovers. With Worcester Raiders, Slimbridge and Droitwich Spa all in cup action, Corsham Town had a chance to make ground on the top 4; they were in fact held at home by Hallen in a 1-1 draw with Corsham’s equalizer coming in the 90thminute. Cirencester Town kept up their play-off place chase with a 3-1 away win v Fairford Town after being 1-0 down in the game. Longlevens hosted Mangotsfield United and in a very even game with few chances won 1-0. Cinderford Town won 2-0 at home v Royal Wootton Bassett Town, Highworth Town travelled to Pershore Town and won 3-0, Westfields v Thornbury Town ended 2-2 with all 4 goals being scored in the first half. In the battle of the bottom two, Cribbs travelled to Lydney Town and won 3-0. Other teams could be dragged into the relegation places as it’s very tight down at the bottom. In midweek action, Cinderford Town hosted a resurgent Hallen and it finished 2-2 with all goals being scored in the first half. Cribbs hosted Westfields and that one ended 0-0.

    We had the UHL Challenge Cup Semi-Finals on Saturday with a place in the finals up for grabs. Hereford Pegasushosted Worcester Raiders and won 4-0 which included a Jordan Williamson hattrick. Slimbridge hosted Droitwich Spa and went in at the break 1-0 up. Droitwich Spa came out in the 2nd half, scored 4 goals to win 4-1. So, it’s a Hereford Pegasus v Droitwich Spa final which is currently due to be played on the 29th March. 

    In midweek we had the Wiseman Lighting (UHL) Floodlit cup Semi-Finals with a place in the Final due to be held at Stonehouse Town on Tuesday 17th March. In the first game on Tuesday evening Worcester Raiders hosted Longlevens and in a very tight affair, Longlevens won 1-0. In the second game on Wednesday evening, Malmesbury Victoria gave up home advantage due to pitch issues and Hungerford Town Reserves hosted and won a 5-goal thriller 3-2.  Good luck to both Longlevens and Hungerford Town Reserves in the final next Tuesday, please feel free to pop down to Stonehouse Town to witness what is likely to be a very entertaining game hosted at a great facility. (7.45pm kickoff!)

    In UHL Division One on Saturday, we had the 1st v 2ndplaying each other which resulted in a 5-goal thriller; FC Stratford hosted Wantage Town and were 2-0 down at half time; they rallied in the second half and went on to win 3-2 with their winning goal coming in the 92nd minute. Bewdley Town made the long journey to Brimscombe & Thruppand went home with a 3-0 win. With Stonehouse Townhaving no game, Cheltenham Saracens took advantage to draw closer to them with a narrow 2-0 home win v Carterton. Newent Town v Alcester Town finished 1-1, Malmesbury Victoria closed the gap with an impressive 4-1 away win v Redditch Borough. Chipping Sodbury Town and Clanfield 85 shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw, Ludlow Town made the long journey to play Thame United Reserves and it finished 0-0. Its looking interesting at the bottom, but there is still going to be plenty of movement, especially with a few teams with lots of games in hand over others. In midweek action Bewdley Town travelled to Redditch Borough and won 2-0 to maintain 2nd spot. Alcester Town hosted Clanfield 85 and won 3-1.

    In the Batemans Sport Alliance Challenge Cup on Saturday, Clanfield 85 Res hosted Evesham United Res and it was 3-3 in normal time with Evesham winning 7-6 on penalties.

    In the Alliance East on Saturday, we had wins forHeadington Amateurs, Marlow Res and Easington Sports Devs. In mid-week, it was good to see Ardley United Res in action and they duly won 2-1 v Kidlington Dev. 

    In the Alliance West on Saturday, UDA Glos Dev v Bourton Rovers Dev finished 2-1.

    In the Vets we had wins for Faringdon Town Vets in the Premier and wins for Henley Town Vets and Marcham Vets in Div 1. 

    Good luck to Thame United Vets who are through to the County Cup final and play that next Thursday. 

    February Team of the Month awards are out; Congratulations to Tuffley Rovers in the Premier Divisionand to Brimscombe & Thrupp in Division 1. Look out for presentations shortly. 

     Have a great weekend and let us hope the sun keeps shining, 

  • Hitting the net not once, not twice but three times!!

    Hitting the net not once, not twice but three times!!

    Bonsa Teshome scored Highworth’s first hat-trick since April 2024 in their 5–0 victory away at Alcester Town in the Uhlsport Hellenic League Floodlit Cup.

    He opened the scoring after 19 minutes, heading home a Jerome Daniel cross at the far post. Twenty minutes later he doubled his tally, cutting in from the right before calmly slotting past the home goalkeeper. Early in the second half, Teshome was brought down in the box and, after picking himself up, confidently converted the penalty to complete his hat-trick.

  • He’s collecting balls this lad!!

    He’s collecting balls this lad!!

    Jordan Williamson following his hat-trick in the UHL Challenge Cup semi-final against Worcester Raiders on Saturday 7th March 2026.

    Jordan opened the scoring in the 30th minute before adding his second eight minutes later in the 38th minute. He then completed his hat-trick early in the second half with a goal in the 49th minute, helping guide the team to the final on 29th March.

  • Ramzi wins the match ball!

    Ramzi wins the match ball!

    1st Goal – A well-worked team move. Ryan slid a perfectly weighted pass into the channel for Charlie Edwards, who ran onto it and delivered a first-time cross across the face of goal. Ramzi timed his run superbly to arrive in the box and calmly slot the ball into the bottom corner.

    2nd Goal – Ramzi picked up the ball on the edge of the area, showed great composure to beat his defender, and then delicately lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.

    3rd Goal – Ramzi completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, confidently converting to cap off a fine performance.