September 13, 2025
These diaries had previously covered two Thame United Reserve matches when they were in the Spartan South Midlands League Division One in the 2022/23 season, but after relegation at the end of that season, they spent two seasons in the Oxfordshire Senior League.
A third-place finish in 2024/25 enabled Thame United Reserves to return to step 6, but they were allocated to the Hellenic League Division One.
Today saw a cup tie between bottom of the table versus second bottom of the table.
Thame United Reserves This Season
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Thame United Reserves had struggled on their return to step 6, and after 9 league matches they were bottom of the table with a 1-1-7 record. A 2-1 home victory had been recorded over Alcaster Town and a 2-2 draw played out at Carterton. Their last match had been a dramatic 4-5 defeat at home to Newent Town after having led 3-2 at half-time.
Thame had also already hosted Clanfield 85 in a league game and slumped to a 0-3 defeat in front of a crowd of 50. Liam Cusack was on target twice, with Josh Youngman scoring the other goal.
Tommy Gibson was Thame’s the top scorer so far with 4 goals whilst Jamieson Hunt and Taylor Goodby had both found the net twice.
From the sides Fatbear saw in 2022/23, Lewis Cross, Loik Helmer, Ryan Daly and Hunt were still playing for the reserves. Highly rated youngsters Charlie Stow and Ashley Moakes made a couple of appearances for the First XI last season and the Reserves had also benefited this season from first team players needing a run out to get full fitness, with Harry Alexander, Greg Hackett, Abu Khan, Tyrae Njogu and Lance Williams all having made one appearance in the Ressies,
The average attendance to-date was 52, with the highest being the 106 who witnessed the 0-1 loss in the opening fixture to Wantage Town.
Clanfield 85
Clanfield were founded in 1890 and after initially playing in the Witney and District league, they joined the Hellenic League in 1967, where they flitted between the Premier Division and Division One, but after relegation in 1985 the club was reformed and adopted their current name. Their official nickname is The Robins but they are usually referred to as Clanny.
Last season Clanfield finished in third place in the Hellenic League Division One table but lost a promotion play-off to Abingdon United on penalties in front of a crowd of 469.
However, with all but one player leaving the club in the summer, Clanfield had so far been unable to continue that form, and came into today’s fixture second from bottom in the table with a 1-1-6 record. Their one win had come against Thame, and 1-1 draw was achieved at Shortwood United. Last time out Clanfield lost 1-3 at home to Bewdley Town.
However, in the FA Vase, Clanfield had achieved a notable result with a 2-0 victory at step 5 Cribbs, with Charles Knight and Matt Walker on the scoresheet, and their reward was an away tie next Saturday at step 5 Corsham.
Ex-Bashley and Kingstonian striker Knight had scored 5 goals in the league, whilst Walker and ex-Wantage midfielder Cusack had both scored twice.
Clanfield’s average league attendance for this season was 88, with 105 attending the first match of the season against Stratford Town.
Fatbear had seen Clanfield play once before, when in 2012/13 they lost an FA Vase tie 2-3 at Thame. Steve Olphert and Mark Odem were on target for Clanfield, but two goals from Mitchell Meredith and one from Dan West clinched the victory for Thame.
Matchday Information
According to AA Route Planner, the journey from Clanfield to Thame is 33 miles and should normally take 52 minutes.
After a heavy shower an hour earlier, there were blue skies at the 15.00 kick-off and the temperature was around 18 degrees.
Entrance to the game was £5 for adults and £3 for concessions and Under 16s, whilst under 5s went in for free. An online programme had been produced for the match. A large cup of tea cost £1.50 but payment was card only, although cash was accepted at the turnstile.
There were no team-sheets or tannoy announcements with the line-ups, although Cranfield had posted their side on Twitter, albeit without numbers. I was able to work out most of their players from the calls/shouts made during the match. For Thame there were some guesses as to who the players were, whilst others will have to be updated when their team is listed on the League website………
Clanfield made five changes to the side that started against Bewdley, including manager Jack Wells going in goal for his first appearance this season and the return of captain Josh Richardson in midfield.
Clanfield were playing in their change kit of all blue whilst Thame were in their usual red and black shirts.
Matchday Report
Thame had most of the early play but without creating anything, until the 6th minute when Gibson blazed over the bar from 6 yards after good work by Goodby, Stow and Hunt.
Immediately after, Louis Townsend made a strong run down the left for Clanfield but a good tackle from the Thame right-back Kyle Downie resulted in a goal-kick. Thame number 4 Christian Bak then dwelt on the ball and was robbed by Kenzie Taylor but Sol Nicholson-Kempster made an important tackle to end the danger.
With 9 minutes played, Clanfield centre-forward Knight received the ball after another good run by Taylor and sent a curling short from the edge of the area arrowing into the top corner. However, Thame keeper Adam Dower made an excellent finger-tipped save to push the ball round the post for the first corner of the game.
The corner came to nothing and shortly after Taylor beat Bak 4 by the left-hand byline but his pull-back went to a Thame player rather than a team-mate.
It was against the run of play when Thame took the lead. Gibson played a through pass which centre-back Harry Winn attempted to intercept but could only get a toe on the ball, leaving Hunt with a clear run on goal, and he confidently side-footed past the Clanfield keeper to make it 1-0 after 15 minutes.
Thame should have doubled their lead two minutes later. Stow’s cross from the left found Gibson unmarked at the back post, but he was denied by a remarkable close-range reaction save from Wells.
Thame created another chance five minutes later when Ali Shaheb played Gibson into space inside the Clanfield area, who played a low ball across the goalmouth to Nicholson-Kempster, but the first touch was poor and deflected off for a goal-kick.
Taylor had a half-chance for Clanfield, running into the Thame area, but keeper Dower was quickly off his line to make a block as the Clanfield forward was in the process of shooting.
Goodby then went on a strong run but when tackled, the loose ball fell to Gibson, who could only shoot out of the ground from the edge of the area. A minute later Hunt got to a left-wing cross before the Clanfield keeper, but his glancing header bounced a foot wide of the far post.
Thame were now on top and Stow did well to hold off Winn, but his shot from the edge of the area went narrowly over the bar. Thame were then gifted a second goal when Clanfield captain Richardson played an appalling back pass straight to Goodby, who only had the keeper to beat, and he slid the ball past the advancing Wells to make it 2-0 after 29 minutes.
Goodby was injured in the act of scoring, getting clattered by the Clanfield keeper, and so needed treatment, but after a short delay he was able to continue. Indeed, he was soon playing an incisive through ball to put Stow clear on the left, but the Thame winger decided to pass rather than shoot, but his square ball went behind Hunt and the chance had gone.
Thame's Nicholson-Kempster cut out an intended through ball and played a pass for Moakes to run down the left-hand channel but the pass into the Clanfield area found Hunt in an offside position.
Taylor won a corner for Clanfield when Downie halted his run with a sliding tackle, Winn, beyond the far post, couldn’t get his header on target. Clanfield this created their best chance of the game so far when Kian Burrows ran across the 18-yard line and teed up Zach Morey, whose effort crashed against the top of the bar and over.
Thame's Nicholson-Kempster then passed straight to Burrows, who unwisely decided to shoot from distance, and his effort sailed yards over the bar. The wayward passes continued as keeper Wells passed direct to Stow, who controlled on his chest and then went for goal from 35 yards, but the attempt went 20 feet wide.
The final action of the half saw Hunt receive a long ball from Nicholson-Kempster, hold off Winn but the shot was weak and Wells was able to make a regulation diving save.
A few drops of rain fell during the interval but cleared up shortly into the second half. Clanfield made two changes at the start of the second period and initially looked a lot more dangerous. Cusack played a long cross-field ball to put Burrows in space near the right-hand corner flag but the cross was headed away by Bak. Burrows was in action shortly after, reaching a long ball out of the Clanny defence, but this time his cross was over-hit and beyond the Clanfield attackers.
At the other end Hunt looked to have put Goodby clear, but Winn made an excellent sliding tackle to stop the danger.
Clanfield then created another great chance in the 51st minute. Substitute Walker beat his marker on the left and crossed along the 6-yard box to Taylor arriving beyond the back post, but Dower made a top save, making himself big and blocking the shot with an outstretched arm.
The awful passes out of the Clanfield defence continued as Tyson passed straight to Hunt, but the Thame centre-forward strangely decided to shoot from 25 yards when he could have ran into the penalty area, and his effort lacked power and Wells made an easy save.
Stow then got past Cusack but was halted by another splendid sliding tackle from Winn.
The visitors made two more substitutions as they attempted to get back into the game, and the lively Walker ran at the Thame penalty area but was well shadowed by Downie before being crowded out. Walker then skipped past Downie but sent his 20-yard shot went well wide.
However, Thame were not finished as an attacking force, and Gibson ran onto a through ball, twisted and turned, before shooting into the side netting. Gibson then ran through two would be tacklers and could have laid off to the unmarked Stow, but instead decided to go for glory but his 20 yard left-footed effort was too close to Wells, who made another competent diving save.
With 69 minutes played, Clanfield won another corner, but Bak headed away ahead of substitute Samba. Walker again got to the left-hand byline and cross but the first touch at the near post by Cameron Williams was poor and went off for a goal kick.
Thame substitute Flynn Livingstone showed good pacy to chase a long ball down the right-hand channel but his first time low cross was intercepted by Winn at the expense of a corner. Thame took a short corner and Gibson received the ball back to swing a left-footed cross to beyond the far post, where Stow’s header struck a nearby defender.
In the 76th minute Thame won a free-kick in a central position 30 yards out. Gibson took left-footed over the wall but Wells stuck out a hand to make a save and then caught the loose ball. The overworked Winn then made another fine tackle to stop Stow’s run inside the penalty area.
With 7 minutes remaining, Gibson sent a delightful low ball into the Clanfield area but Stow, 8 yards out, made poor contact, and the ball trickled narrowly wide of the far post. It looked easier to score !
The rain returned as Thame contrived to mess up more chances. Stow cut in from the left and saw his shot saved at the near post by an outstretched boot of keeper Wells. Stow, now on the floor, managed to play the rebound over the prone keep for the on-rushing Livingstone, who with the goal at his mercy, somehow hit the post from 6 yards, and Gibson sent the rebound into the side netting.
The charmed life of the Clanfield goal didn’t last though as the increasingly influential Gibson ran into the area past several flimsy challenges and this time did tee up Stow, who swept home into the opposite corner from 10 yards. 3-0 after 89 minutes
Thame hadn’t declared and Stow ran onto Dower’s goal-kick, stepped inside and shot from just inside the 18-yard line, but Wells made the save with an outstretched leg. Bak then headed just over the bar from the corner.
Clanfield’s day was just about summed up when Walker got to a long ball from Cusack ahead of keeper Dower, but before the Clanfield player could capitalise, Dower had dived on the ball to make the save.
Thame United Reserves : Dower – Downie, Bak, Nicholson-Kempster, Moakes – Gibson ( Ndiaye Seye ), Shaheb Ali, Helmer – Goodby ( Saidy ), Hunt ( Livingstone ), Stow
Clanfield 85 : Wells – Burrows, Winn, Tyson, Cusack – Townsend ( Williams ), Richardson ( Asiedu ), McCarthy, Morey – Knight ( Walker ), Taylor ( Samba )
