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Looking good weather for football this weekend.!!

This Saturday sees the Isuzu FA Vase Second Round Qualifying and we still have 16 teams left in the competition. There are several all UHL ties, so we will still have teams in the next round. Let us hope some of our clubs can emulate Hartpury University’s exploits of last season. (The final is the aim for this season though!!) All the best to all of our Teams. 

In the UHL Premier Division on Saturday, leaders Roman Glass St George continued their unbeaten run with a 2-0 away win at Westfields. Slimbridge, who are also unbeaten and already have a goal difference of +19 won 4-1 away v Highworth Town. Droitwich Spa, who sit in between Roman Glass St George and Slimbridge in 2^ndwon 3-0 at home v Corsham Town. Big news at the bottom saw Lydney Town getting their 1^st win with a 3-0 home win v Royal Wootton Bassett Town.  Longlevens continued their revival with a 3-0 home win v Hallen, who still remain without a win and now have dropped into bottom spot.Hereford Pegasus and Fairford Town played out a 6-goal thriller with Fairford Town scoring 2 second half goals to win the game 4-2. Thornbury Town and Cribbs ended 2-2 with all 4 goals coming in the second half. Pershore Townwon away 2-1 at Tuffley Rovers despite being 1-0 down up until the 57^th minute. Cinderford v Mangotsfield Unitedand Worcester Raiders v Cirencester Town both ended 0-0. Apologies to Westfields who I incorrectly called Westfield by a Typo in last week’s notes. (I will endeavor not to let it happen again, but I am pleased folks do read these notes!)

In UHL Division One, leaders Cheltenham Saracenscontinued their impressive form by winning 2-1 at home v Stonehouse Town coming from 1-0 down. Redditch Borough had a narrow 1-0 away win v Shortwood United. Bewdley, who are also a side in fine form won 4-1 at home v Wantage Town, Newent Town, who are on a great run themselves continued, with a 2-0 home win v Woodford United. Brimscombe & Thrupp and Malmesbury Victoria played out a 0-0 and Chipping Sodbury Town won 3-1 at home v Alcester Town.  A thrilling 6 goal game at FC Stratford saw them winning 4-2 v Wellington with some very late goals in the game. Ludlow Town won 2-1 at home v Carterton. In mid-week, Bewdley Town rounded off an impressive few days with a 2-1 home win v promotion rivalsRedditch Borough, the winning goal coming in the 94^thminute.  It is very tight at the top and equally tight at the bottom of the table. 

In the UHL Challenge Cup, Thames United Reserves won 3-0 v Clanfield 85. 

The Alliance East had 3 games over the weekend and there were plenty of goals. Eversley & California Reserves won 4-0 v Kidlington Development, Headington Amateurs won 4-1 v Penn & Tylers Green United and Marlow Reserves won 8-1 v Hambleden.

The Alliance West had 2 games with Clanfield 85 Reserves losing 6-1 at home to the University of Bristoland Mangotsfield United Development winning 5-2 v Newent Town Development. 

There were also a good range of Vets games in midweek, good to see those games being populated across the two divisions. 

 Hope you all enjoy the unseasonably warm weather – make the most of it, 

Regards, 

Ian

19/09/2025

Pitches are greening up nicely! Let us hope we do not have any postponements now!

The weekend produced a full program in the UHL Premier, Division One and 8 games spread over the Alliance East and Alliance West. The Vets kicked off in the week as well, so it’s full steam ahead.

In the UHL Premier Division previous leaders Droitwich Spa travelled away to Cribbs and were held to a 1-1 draw. Taking over top spot were Roman Glass St George who produced a commanding 5-0 home win over Lydney Town. Slimbridge continued their goal scoring spree hitting 5 without reply against Pershore Town at home. Cirencester Town beat Mangotsfield United 2-0 at home, Corsham Town won 1-0 at home v Tuffley Rovers, Westfield travelled to Fairford Town and won 2-0, Worcester Raiders won 2-0 away v Hallen, Cinderford Town travelled to Hereford Pegasus and won 2-1, Highworth won 1-0 at home in the local Derby v Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Longlevens travelled to Thornbury Town and won 2-0 with their second goal coming in the 99^th minute. Roman Glass St George sit in top spot and share an unbeaten record with Slimbridge who sit in 3^rd with Droitwich Spa in between them in second. At the bottom, Hallen sit in 19^th and Lydney Town in 20^th with both sides seeking their first wins of the season. There were three midweek games in which Roman Glass St George kept up their unbeaten record winning 2-1 away v Cirencester Town, Tuffley travelled to Lydney Town and won 4-1 and Worcester Raiders maintained their good form with a 3-1 home win v Thornbury Town.

In UHL Division One, leaders Malmesbury Victoria lost 2-1 at home v FC Stratford, Redditch Borough held on for a 3-2 home win v Wellington, despite them being 3-0 up in the first half. Newent Town continued their good form with a 5-4 away win v Thame United Reserves. The full story of this match is pretty impressive with Newent Town going 2-0 up early in the first half, Thame United Reserves leading 3-2 at half time, Newent Town pulling back to 3-3, Thame United Reserves going 4-3 up, Newent Town coming back to 4-4, then Newent Town winning 5-4. A hat-trick and match ball for Newent Town’s Kyle Taylor. What an advert for UHL Division One football. Cheltenham Saracens returned to winning ways and won 2-1 at home v Alcester Town. Brimscombe & Thrupp travelled to Carterton and won 2-0. Bewdley Town travelled to Clanfield 85 and won 3-1. Ludlow Town won 3-1 at home v Shortwood United. Stonehouse Town won 3-1 at home in the local Derby v Chipping Sodbury Town. Woodford United drew 2-2 at home v Wantage Town. There was one midweek game which saw Cheltenham Saracens pick up a narrow 1-0 home win v FC Stratford to move into top spot in the table.

The Alliance East had 5 games over the weekend with one on Friday night. The Friday night game produced an interesting result with Hungerford Town Reserves beating Hambleden 16-1. Message from Hambleden stating Hunderford Town Reserves may be too strong for this league will be interesting to observe in the upcoming weeks. Upon checking with Bill B and Brian K this is not a record result in the Hellenic League, and we have had 17 goals scored by one team in the past. The other games produced wins for Banbury United, Headington Amateurs, Marlow FC Reserves and Eastington Sports Development.

The Alliance West had 4 games with wins for Clanfield 85 Reserves, Highworth Town Reserves and Wantage Town FC U23 with another goal fest to report with Carterton Development winning 5-4 away at Evesham United Reserves.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to Clive Baker, Club Vice President and former Chairman of Brimscombe & Thrupp FC. Clive was a legend at the Club and part of the band of great people who always look after everyone visiting so very well. The recent news of the passing of Clive is truly sad and we all offer our condolences to Clive’s family, friends and all at Brimscombe & Thrupp FC. RIP Clive. 

Yours in Sport, 

Ian

12/09/2025

The first Team of the Month awards for the new season have been confirmed, recognising outstanding performances both on and off the field.

In the Premier Division, Roman Glass St George have been named Team of the Month for August. A strong start to the campaign, marked by consistent results and impressive displays, has set the tone for their season. Their on-field success reflects the hard work and commitment of everyone involved at the club. The award was presented by League Chair Bill Beach at their recent fixture with Cirencester Town, where Roman Glass ran out 2–0 winners in a thrilling contest.

In Division One, the award goes to Malmesbury Victoria, who have enjoyed an excellent opening month. Their performances on the pitch have been matched by the positive way the club continues to represent itself, highlighting the standards expected both during matches and around the ground. Craig Davenport headed down to Brimscombe & Thrupp to catch the action and present Malmesbury with their award.

These awards are based primarily on on-field performances, but the broader picture of how clubs operate and conduct themselves off the pitch is also recognised. Both Roman Glass and Malmesbury have shown themselves to be excellent ambassadors for their divisions, and their achievements in August deserve this recognition. Well Done to both teams and all the volunteers at these clubs.

Emirates FA Cup

It was a mixed afternoon for Hellenic sides in the FA Cup. Worcester Raiders battled hard but bowed out after a narrow 2-1 defeat away at Coleshill Town, while Fairford Town were edged out 2-0 by Southern League visitors Sholing.

Banbury United needed just a single goal to see off Mangotsfield United, while Dorchester Town grabbed a late 1-0 victory against Slimbridge.

The tie between Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Torpoint Athletic was delayed until 4pm and ultimately ended in a rare “L-L” left lingering with no conclusion when the results were sent out, however we now know it was a loss for the royal town 1-3.

Hellenic Premier Division

Plenty of goals on offer across the top flight. Cirencester Town hit the road and hit form, thumping Cinderford Town 4-1. Westfields were also clinical in front of goal, leaving Corsham Town on the wrong end of a 4-2 scoreline.

Hereford Pegasus produced an excellent 2-1 win away at high-flying Cribbs, while Droitwich Spa were dominant at home with a 3-0 win over Hallen.

Pershore Town lit up the division with a commanding 4-0 victory over Lydney Town, Archie Thurston stealing the headlines with a first senior hat trick.

Elsewhere, Roman Glass St George edged out Longlevens AFC 2-1, and Thornbury Town came from behind to beat Tuffley Rovers 2-1.

Hellenic Division One

Drama and goals galore. Bewdley Town and Malmesbury Victoria shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw, while Brimscombe & Thrupp edged Alcester Town 1-0 in a tight affair.

Chipping Sodbury Town enjoyed an away-day delight, sneaking past Cheltenham Saracens 3-2, while FC Stratford were comfortable 3-0 winners over Carterton.

Newent Town saw off Clanfield 85 3-2, while Wantage Town were among the day’s biggest scorers with a 5-2 victory at Shortwood United.

It was the same scoreline for Redditch Borough, who overpowered Thame United Reserves 5-2. But the real fireworks came at Stonehouse Town, where they slotted 9 past Wellington, the visitors bringing their shooting boots in some style! What a score line. 2-9

Woodford United and Ludlow Town served up a six-goal thriller, sharing the points in a 3-3 draw.

Alliance East

A quieter affair as Marlow Reserves and Hungerford Town Reserves cancelled each other out in a goalless draw.

Alliance West

The University of Bristol proved too strong for Highworth Town Reserves, running out comfortable 3-0 winners.

Image Credit @PeteKinsella69