Chinnor 21-17 Nottingham ( att : 2,103 ) – 2026/27 English Champ

October 30, 2026

Tonight saw the return of the popular Friday Night Lights at Chinnor for the first this season with the visit of Nottingham, who were making their third visit to Kingsey Road. The previous two meetings had also been under lights on a Friday night, and were covered in these diaries.

The Archers play all of their home matches on either a Friday night, or occasionally on a Sunday afternoon, to avoid clashes with the two football clubs in Nottingham, so they are no strangers to playing on Fridays !

These diaries reported on Chinnor’s last home game, when they were victorious 40-24 over Richmond. Since then, they had played once more and were leading at Cornish Pirates with less than 20 minutes remaining, but Pirates came back to score four more tries to earn a bonus point 48-24 victory, three of which were in the last 10 minutes after a yellow card to Chinnor. The defeat left Chinnor in 6^th place in the Champ table.

Previous Meetings

Honours were currently even after the four previous matches between these two sides, with both having one home and one away win. In December 2024, The Archers edged to a 19-15 success in front of a home crowd of 1,025, but Chinnor gained revenge in the return with a 41-22 victory watched by 1,815 spectators.

Last season the match at Chinnor was played in a torrential downpour and 40 mph winds, reducing the game to an arm wrestle, with running rugby next to impossible. Nottingham managed to score the only try of the game, from a 5-metre line-out, to go home with an 11-6 win. The return match was played on a Sunday in a mud-bath, but this time Chinnor’s pack had the edge to win a close game 26-19.

Nottingham This Season

Last season Nottingham ended in 9^th place in the Champ table, 10 points behind 5^th placed Chinnor. Number 8 James Cherry scored 21 tries, whilst fly-half Gwyn Parks accumulated 156 points.

Their start to the new season had been unimpressive, with just one win from five games. The Archers began with a 38-31 home victory over newly promoted Blackheath but subsequently lost 28-33 at Ampthill, 26-64 at home to Coventry, 24-49 at Worcester Warriors and 12-29 at home to Bedford. Consequently, Nottingham came into today’s game in 12^th place.

To be fair to Nottingham though, the last three losses had been against sides that finished in the top four last season, but a trip Chinnor would hardly be much easier as it meant a fourth game in a row against one of last season’s top 5 sides.

Nottingham Squad

The Archers lost a number of key players in the summer, with the biggest loss arguably being James Cherry, many people’s best number 8 in the Champ last season, to Worcester Warriors. Hooker Jack Dickenson also decamped to Worcester.

Centre Kegan Christian-Goss and lock Michael Etete joined Blackheath, prop Oscar Stott went to Ealing Trailfinders and had then played three games on loan at Chinnor, winger Alex Garratt signed for Coventry and hooker Ben Brownlie retired.

New hires included centre Morgan Adderley-Jones from Coventry, winger Matt Ward from Cornish Pirates and prop Oli Crane from Leicester Lions. Lock Will Ramply had joined from Nottingham Trent University and prop Oran Murphy had signed from Loughborough Students.

Hooker Foster De Witt and centre Spencer Jones have both been called up by Canada for their Nations League matches in November but would be missing tonight.

Captain and wing David Williams had scored over 100 tries for Nottingham and invariably was the danger-man for The Archers. However, he would also be absent for this game.

Fly-half Shane O’Leary was the top points scorer on 32 points whilst Ward had touched down four times, and Williams had three tries to his name.

Matchday Information

According to AA route planner, the journey from Nottingham to Thame is 112 miles and should normally take two hours 10 minutes.

Online tickets for the game were £20 for adults, £18 for concessions, £10 for full-time students, whilst under 16s were allowed in free. Tickets at the gate were £22 for adults. The usual food vendors for burgers, pizzas, crepes, Greek food and coffee were in place, and a pint of XT4 was £5.17 with the member’s 10% discount.

The weather at the 19.45 kick-off time was dry and 9 degrees, and the infamous Chinnor breeze was absent !

Nottingham made four changes to the side defeated by Bedford Blues, with ex-Leicester Tigers and former Samoa international prop Aniesko Sio, ex-Leicester Lions hooker Arthur Allen, Fijian back-forward Kody Vereti and ex-Ampthill full-back Evan Mitchell coming into the side. Sam Green, Max Pearce and Murphy dropped to the bench and as mentioned above, Williams was missing altogether.

Chinnor made four changes to the side that lost at Cornish Pirates, with the return of full-back Richie Simpson, prop Kai Owen, hooker Chris Moore and number 8 Scott Hall. Owen and Hall would be starting against their former club, whilst Stott was on the bench.

Nottingham were in a change kit of light blue shirts with black shorts and socks, but the black numbers on the back of the shirts were hard to read from a distance, so the Nottingham players would not always get identified for their good play ! Chinnor were in their usual home kit of black and white hoops.

Match Report

Nottingham kicked off attacking the Showground end and the opening play eventually saw Chinnor fly-half Liam Richman clear from inside his 22 to give the visitors a line-out on the Chinnor 10 metre line.

Chinnor lock Jamie Campbell was able to get a tap to the Nottingham throw and Chinnor gathered the loose ball. Scrum-half Callum Pascoe kicked high but one of the Archers back three made an excellent catch, but the clearing kick went straight into touch to give Chinnor a line-out just outside the Nottingham 22.

Hall won the line-out for Chinnor and the home side launched several attacks for the try-line but the defending was good and Chinnor were penalised for crossing. However, the referee had been playing an advantage, and the penalty was kicked to 5 metres.

Chinnor won their line-out but the rolling maul was halted short of the line, but another penalty was awarded. History was repeated with a 5-metre line-out and the Chinnor rolling maul being well defended, but this time Nottingham forced a penalty.

The Archers cleared to their 22-metre line where captain Jay Ecclesfield secured their line-out ball. A short period of kick-tennis followed until Chinnor knocked on to give Nottingham a scrum on the Chinnor 10 metre line.

O’Leary played a cute chip over the advancing Chinnor defenders but the ball bounced unkindly for Adderley-Jones, and Chinnor regained possession. Flanker Harry Dugmore set off on a strong run towards the Nottingham 22 but Mitchell made a tremendous tackle when it looked like Chinnor wing Jack Metcalf seemed certain to score.

Pascoe made a break from the base of a ruck and fed Wharton, who was denied by another good tackle but Chinnor had forced another penalty which took them back to 5 metres from the try-line. Campbell won the line-out, Pascoe made a snipping run, but several drives from the home side were halted. However, the pressure told and Dugmore dived over the whitewash from close range. From close to the posts, Richman added the extras to give Chinnor a 7-0 line after 13 minutes.

Nottingham were pinged at the restart enabling Chinnor to take play to the Nottingham 10 metre line. Chinnor won their line-out but failed to make any in-road against the solid Nottingham defence and infringed, and The Archers kicked the penalty to just inside the Chinnor 22.

Chinnor nearly stole the line-out but the tap back was poor and a big Nottingham forward, possibly Ecclesfield, gathered and stormed towards the try-line only to be brought down just short. With the Chinnor defence scrambling, O’Leary spread play to Addersley-Jones, whose floated pass sucked in the Chinnor last man to enable Ward to canter over in the corner. The attempted conversion from O’Leary slid just past the far post, so it was now 7-5 with 17 minutes played.

Shortly after the restart Chinnor were awarded a penalty, possibly for taking a player out in the air, which took the home side to the visitors 22 metre line. Campbell won the line-out and the Chinnor rolling maul progressed 10 yards before Nottingham were penalised for being off their feet at the ruck. The subsequent penalty gave Chinnor a 5-metre line-out and the rolling maul was illegally stopped, resulting in another penalty and a yellow card for Ecclesfield.

Campbell predictably won the line-out and this time the rolling maul rumbled over with hooker Chris Moore being credited with the score. Richman struck a fine conversation, extending Chinnor’s lead to 14-5 with 24 minutes on the clock.

From a Chinnor scrum, Metcalf kicked long forcing Nottingham to touch down in their in-goal area for a goal-line drop-out. The kick gave Chinnor possession but again several attacks were denied, forcing a grubber kick to be played, bouncing into touch close to the corner flag.

Nottingham won their line-out and were awarded a penalty for offside as Chinnor tried to charge down scrum-half Will Yandell’s clearing kick.

The Archers kicked to their 10-metre line but their line-out throw was judged to be not straight, to give Chinnor the scrum, from which they won a penalty and were again camped inside the Nottingham 22.

In a case of deja-vu, Campbell won the line-out, the rolling maul was illegally stopped and the penalty advantage came to nothing. However, Chinnor clumsily knocked the next 5-metre line-out forward to give Nottingham a scrum 5 metres from their line-out. Despite being under heavy pressure, O’Leary was able to find touch.

Hall won the line-out for Chinnor but the Chinnor attack was forced into touch close to the corner flag. Nottingham again defended their lines well and cleared from the line-out.

Chinnor butchered their line-out but Yandell’s clearing kick was partially charged down. Metcalf was able to jink past two would be tacklers in midfield but again the cover defence was good, leaving Richman little option to kick, and he sent a splendid kick bouncing into touch deep inside the Nottingham 22. Unfortunately for the home side, the referee had seen enough for the first period and blew for half-time.

Chinnor were pinged during an aerial challenge at the restart and Nottingham kicked to half-way. Campbell tapped back the Nottingham line-out, but after some scrappy play Nottingham knocked on to give Chinnor a scrum. Centre James Bourton made a break but after Chinnor coughed up possession, the visitors launched a high kick and won a penalty as Chinnor wing Ben Currie collided with Nottingham winger Harry Simpson.

Nottingham were now on the Chinnor 22, and Vereti did well to win the line-out ahead of Campbell, but after losing possession another session of kick-tennis ensued. Finally, the ball was kicked out to give Chinnor a line-out which Nottingham unexpectedly stole and gathered, and kicked high. Chinnor returned the favour and in a case of what might have been some revenge, Simpson pushed over Currie but the referee waved for play to continue, until Nottingham knocked on to give Chinnor a scrum on their 10-metre line.

Hall picked up at the base of the scrum and made 10 yards but again the Nottingham cover defence was impressive and forced a penalty, and some backchat gave them a further 10 yards. The penalty was kicked to midway inside the Chinnor half and after a poor tap was retrieved by Yarnell, O’Leary chipped towards the corner flag, but Richie Simpson was covering and was able to kick to mid-way inside the Chinnor half.

Another poor line-out tap saw Yarnell scragged by two Chinnor forwards, but Nottingham were again able to keep possession and a long kick from Adderley-Jones forced Chinnor to touch down in their in-goal area as Simpson threatened to get to the ball.

Chinnor’s drop-out was kicked long but O’Leary was flattened by a tremendous tackle as he attempted to spread the ball, which ended up bouncing into touch near the half-way line.

Play was now becoming attritional with neither side able to make much impression. A long Nottingham kick went into the Chinnor in-goal zone, which was cleared for a line-out just outside the Chinnor 22. Nottingham won their line-out and looked to move the ball wide. A long-pass was well caught by Levi Roper, who did well to stay on his feet and then scampered over the line close to the posts. Surprisingly, O’Leary put the straightforward conversion wide of the uprights so the score became 14-10 with 54 minutes played.

Nottingham had now ventured into the Chinnor 22 twice but had scored on both occasions to demonstrate their clinical efficiency close to the red zone.

More tight play continued until Nottingham kicked straight into touch to give Chinnor a line-out midway inside the Nottingham half, only for Chinnor to knock-on at the line-out to give a scrum to Nottingham. Chinnor then won a scrum penalty to have a line-out inside the Nottingham 22, only to be penalised for the throw not being straight.

Neither side could get a grip on what was now a very even match. Both sides were playing safe by launching kicks high into the air, until Nottingham’s Simpson was bundled into touch. Chinnor won the line-out and Nottingham conceded a penalty. The kick-tennis continued until Nottingham tried to move the ball from right to left then back again without being able to make any yardage and ultimately knocked on. From the scrum just inside the Chinnor half, the referee awarded a free-kick to the home side, which was sent into orbit and was allowed to bounce inside the Nottingham 22. The Archers were able to eventually gather but conceded a penalty at a ruck.

Chinnor kicked to 10 metres, and after Campbell won the line-out, the Chinnor pack produced a tremendous rolling maul to crash over the line, with substitute Alun Walker getting the credit for the score. Richman added a super conversion to take the score to 21-10 with 76 minutes on the scoreboard clock.  

Nottingham were now playing to get within losing bonus point range and sent a kick bouncing into touch close to Chinnor’s corner flag. Chinnor strangely opted to throw low to the front of the line-out, which didn’t seem to be expected and Nottingham took possession. The Archers pressed for the try-line and had a penalty advantage but the chip to the corner was well caught by Currie.

The subsequent penalty was kicked to 5 metres and the rolling maul forced it was over the line with substitute Lawrence Adedirian being announced as the scorer. This time O’Leary was successful from the tee, bringing the score to 21-17 with 80 minutes on the clock.

Play continued and Nottingham number 8 Jacob Wright dropped the restart inside his 22. A flare up followed, and a Nottingham player clearly thumped Dugmore in the face right in front of the linesman. Fatbear didn’t see the number of the culprit but the linesman bottled the decision by not getting involved.

Chinnor won a penalty at the subsequent scrum and kicked to 5 metres. The Chinnor rolling maul was forced into touch by more good defensive work by Nottingham, but the referee blew the whistle for full-time.

After a number of basketball scores in the Premiership and to a lesser degree in the Champ, it was quite refreshing to see a game where defences were highly effective,

 even if it forced the attacking team into making errors. Fatbear would much rather watch a 21-17 game rather than 60-45 !

For the efforts tonight, Nottingham deserved their losing bonus point, whilst Chinnor would take the win and look to move on to next week’s trip to Hartpury.  

 

 

 

Thame United Reserves 3-1 Shipston Excelsior ( att : 25 est ) – 2026/27 Oxfordshire Senior League

October 24, 2026

Storms Austen and Boelo meant Fatbear decided to stay close to home for his Saturday afternoon entertainment, with Thame United Reserves chosen for today’s game.

Thame United Reserves Update

Fatbear had seen three Thame United Reserves games and remarkably was yet to see them lose despite their struggles in recent seasons.

The last game reported on was in September 2025 when they beat Clanfield 85 3-0, but that was to be a rare bright spot in a tough season that saw them relegated from the step 6 Hellenic League Division One back to the Oxfordshire Senior League.

The two other matches had been in the 2022/23 Spartan South Midlands Division One when Amersham Town were beaten 2-1 and a 1-1 draw was played with Ampthill Town. However, these were not enough to prevent Thame from finishing bottom and being relegated to step 7.

They then spent two seasons in the Oxfordshire Senior League but a third-place finish in 2024/25 enabled Thame United Reserves to return to step 6. The OSL Premier Division allows one side to be promoted to step 6 on the condition they finish in the top 5, and as the two sides finishing above them, Yarnton and Kennington Athletic, either did not apply to be promoted or did not meet the step 6 ground criteria, the Reserves were promoted.

Oxfordshire Senior League

The OSL Premier Division looks this season to be a much harder division to get promoted out of, with a number of sides potentially looking to make the move up to step 6. In addition to Thame United Reserves, Abingdon Town, Launton Sports, Milton United, Witney and Chinnor would all be capable of making the step up if they wished to, whereas in previous seasons the only candidate was usually Thame United Reserves.

With Abingdon United Development withdrawing for the league, there are 13 sides in the Premier Division, who will play each other twice for a 24-game season, with Yarnton the defending champions.

Thame United Reserves This Season

Thame came in to today’s game in 5^th place with a 3-2-1 record.

Their season began with a 1-1 draw at Launton Sports, which was followed with a 2-1 home win over Abingdon Town. A 0-2 loss was then recorded at newly reformed Milton United, but they bounced back with a 4-0 win at Longford Park, a 1-1 draw at Chinnor, then last time out a 9-1 thrashing of Cholsey United.

Thame had exited the President’s Cup with a 2-4 home loss to Division One Bicester Town Colts.

Attacking midfielder Antonio Sisi was the top scorer with 7 goals so far this season, followed by forward James Bonwick and winger Joshua Russell with three goals each.

Shipston Excelsior

Shipston Excelsior are based in Shipston-on-Stour, which is actually located in Warwickshire, 9 miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon. The club were founded in 1903 and play at the Shipston-On-Stour Sports Club. There is a small covered stand by the half-way line that provides some protection against the elements.

Shipston spent most of their recent life in the step 8 Midland League Division 3 until 2020/21 when they were level transferred to the Hellenic League Division 2 West. Another level transfer was made at the end of the 2023/24, when they move to the step 8 OSL Division One. A second placed finish at the end of 2025/26 saw Shipston promoted to the step 7 Premier Division.

Finding details for Shipston Excelsior on the internet isn’t easy as their website hasn’t been updated since 2022 and their Twitter account only made weekly posts on the forthcoming weekend’s fixtures, but the last post was on September 24^th this year. However, the Facebook page is more active and gives results and very brief match reports. The only place where team details are given is the Oxfordshire Senior League FA Full-Time website.

Shipston This Season

Shipston arrived at the ASM today in 11^th place in the table with a 1-0-4 record. Shipston began their season with a 0-3 loss at strongly fancied Abingdon Town but bounced back with a 5-2 home victory over Chinnor. Since then, three consecutive league defeats had been suffered, 1-2 at Chalgrove Cavaliers, 0-4 at home to Halse United, and 1-2 at home to Yarnton.

In the Birmingham FA County Cup, Shipston had eliminated Birmingham Albion 1-0 at home before exiting the competition with a 1-3 loss to fellow step 7 side Gornal Colts of the West Midlands Regional League Premier Division. The Presidents’ Cup had seen a 2-1 victory over step 9 Woodstock Town in extra time.

Three players were level with two goals each this season, Joe Godson, Jake Harris and Scott Rogers.

Previous Meetings

These two sides had never met before but last season Shipston were in OSL Division One, the same division as Thame United A. Thame’s third XI won 2-1 at home in January whilst Shipston won 3-0 in April, which went a long way to securing promotion.

Matchday Information

The journey from Shipston on Stour to Thame is 45 miles and should normally take an hour via either the A44 or M40.

As Thame United’s Southern League match last Tuesday had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, and with another game scheduled for this Tuesday, it was decided to protect the main pitch at the ASM and play this match on the 3G pitch.  

It was raining at the 14.00 kick-with the temperature around 11 degrees, whilst 40mph winds were forecast for later in the game. Unfortunately, there is no cover at the 3G pitch, although there is a small covered stand for the grass pitch where Thame United B were playing. Fatbear was unaware of the change of location until he arrived at the ground, and had failed to bring an umbrella !

 

Entrance was free and both team coaches helpfully provided Fatbear with their line-ups for the game. The bar in the clubhouse was open but Fatbear decided a cup of tea was the best option with the early kick-off, which cost £1.50.

Thame made two changes from the side that thrashed Cholsey United with left-back Edward Richardson and ex-Aylesbury Vale Dynamos and Long Crendon centre-back Nathan Broadsword coming in for Ikenayi Ejmofor and Tom Gibbons.

Shipston made six changes from last week and Fatbear was informed they had 14 of their first team squad missing through injury. In came forward Patrick Fetherstone, defenders Joe Marston, Scott Rogers and Jay Drew, midfielder Matt Toms and keeper Kieron Payne.

Shipston were playing in a change kit of blue and black striped shirts, white shorts and blue socks whilst Thame were in their usual red and black stripes.

Matchday Report

The rain was getting steadily heavier as the game commenced.

The first attempt on goal came in the 2^nd minute from the visitors, but Fetherstone’s long range effort went high and wide. A minute later Sisi repeated the same for Thame.

With 5 minutes played, a long ball was played out of Thame’s defence over the Shipston backline. Keeper Payne was slow to come off his line and Bonwick was able to get to the ball first and go round the keeper, but his attempt on goal lacked power and Shipston captain Will Gorski was able to get back and clear off the line.

The best move of the game to-date came in the 9^th minute as Brandon Bray-Sackey showed good control near the half-way line and then played a neat pass to send Richardson racing down the left-wing and deliver an inviting cross to the Shipston 6-yard line, but Bonwick managed to put the ball over the bar when it looked easier to score.

Thame were upping the pressure and after Casey Price’s shot straight at keeper Payne was fisted away, Russell lashed the rebound against the post and off for a goal-kick.

A rare Shipston incursion into the Thame half saw a right-wing cross met beyond the far post by Nick Walker, whose half-volley was deflected wide for a corner.  A scramble inside the 6-yard area followed the corner but Thame were eventually able to clear.

However, this was only a temporary respite for Shipston as Thame continued to press. Russell saw his goal-bound effort blocked and Max Cowling’s volley from the rebound went just wide with the keeper a watching spectator. Bray-Sackey’s attempted through ball for Bonwick was well read and intercepted by Gorski. Sisi then sliced wide from 20 yards and hurt himself in the process and had to be substituted.

Russell went on a strong run into the Shipston area but his left-footed effort from a tight angle was saved at his near post by Payne. Bonwick was then found inside the Shipston area but he was crowded out by the Excelsior defenders, but the attempted clearance struck a Shipston player and ricocheted narrowly wide for a corner.

At the other end a right-wing cross from Jake Harris bounced across the Thame penalty area but no-one was up in support to get on the end of it.

The opening goal of the game arrived in controversial circumstances. Bray-Sackey ran onto a through ball and looked to be a yard or two off-side. Most of the players stopped and belatedly the Shipston linesman slowly raised his flag. However, the referee waved for play to continue, and Bray-Sackey strode forward into the area and calmly placed the ball past Payne. The referee awarded the goal despite the protests from the visitors. 1-0 with 28 minutes played.

Thame almost immediately doubled their lead when Payne’s punch at a corner was poor and Bonwick prodded the ball towards the goal, but Gorski for the second time in the match cleared off the line. Price then sent a long-ranged left-footed shot at Payne, and the keeper saved at the second attempt.

There didn’t seem to be any danger as Thame tried to build from the back until Richardson played a terrible back pass to no-one in particular. Fetherstone nipped in to get to the loose ball before Thame keeper George Collingwood and put the ball into the empty. 1-1 with 35 minutes on the clock.

Thame appeared to be stunned by the equaliser and several sloppy passes went astray. Loik Helmer and Collingwood then both left a ball into the Thame area to each other, and Fetherstone again pounced onto more slack defending but his left-footed effort smacked against the crossbar and away to safety. It was a lucky escape for the home side.

The wind was now howling and the rain became even heavier, so Fatbear’s notepad was getting increasingly wet, as was Fatbear !

Thame regained their composure and Bonwick shot from 20 yards, but straight at the keeper. A corner for Thame was headed wide by Brownsword, and with half-time approaching Lewis Cross chipped a 30-yard free-kick onto the top of the crossbar and over.

The final action of the first half, saw a Shipston corner headed away by Brownsword, and when possession was recycled, the cross back into the Thame area was headed a couple of feet wide by Fetherstone.

With the half-time whistle the hardy handful of spectators retreated to bar to shelter from the rain and dry out a little. Some took the opportunity for a quick pint !

Thame must have been given a dressing down in the changing room during the interval as they came out for the second half with intent. Bray-Sackey made a dancing run into the Shipston area but Rogers made an excellent tackle to end the danger.

The Shipston defenders appeared to back off as Helmer ran from half-way towards the edge of the visitors’ area and he sent a low left-footed shot into the far bottom corner with Payne motionless. 2-1 after 47 minutes.

Thame were now dominant as Toms made yards towards the Shipston area and passed sideways, but Bonwick, stretching, could only shoot over from the edge of the area.

Shipston full-back Drew made a good run down the left-hand touchline from inside his area to the edge of the Thame penalty box but Brownsword halted the danger by taking the ball away from the Shipston player.

Russell then had two opportunities to spread the ball wide to Cowling in space on the right-hand touchline, but on both occasions he opted to turn the other way to run into trouble and lose possession. His team-mate were not impressed to say the least !

With 60 minutes played Fatbear was close to turning into a drowned rat, and with the notepad now resembling papier-mache the towel was thrown in and he called it a day. This was a shame as it had been an enjoyable game to watch, but the foul weather prevailed.

In the final 30 minutes Thame added a third goal by Price and went onto win 3-1. This result took Thame up to 4^th place in the table, whilst Shipston remained in 11^th place.  

Thame United Reserves : Collingwood – Cowling, Helmer, Brownsword, Richardson – Russell, Price, Cross, Bray-Sackey, Sisi ( G Toms ) - Bonwick

Shipston Excelsior : Payne – Drew, Rogers, Gorski, Marston – Harris, Walker, Godson, Sutton, M Toms - Fetherstone

 

 

 

Thame United 2-1 Welwyn Garden City ( att : 104 ) – 2026/27 Southern League Division One Central

October 17, 2026

Two weeks ago, these diaries covered Thame’s FA Cup tie against step 3 Eastbourne Borough, when they fell to an 89^th goal to exit the competition.

Having been narrowly defeated in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy to step 3 opposition, there was an expectation that Thame would replicate that good form and start progressing up the Southern League Division One Central table with their games in hand.

However, in their two subsequent league games they had suffered two defeats, firstly going down 2-3 at home to lowly Leverstock Green, before then suffering a 0-4 loss at bottom of the table Flackwell Heath, for which Thame’s Twitter account used phrases such as “shocking performance”, “lost for words” and “a very painful watch”.

Consequently, Thame were now in 16^th place in the table with a 3-1-3 record, albeit with games in hand on the sides above them, but a visit from Welwyn Garden City was far from being the ideal next opponent to reverse the bad run.

Not only were Welwyn Garden City arriving in 4^th place in the league table, but they had also been a bit of a recent jinx on Thame at the ASM, winning 1-0 in desperate dire matches on their last two visits.

Welwyn Garden City Background

Welwyn Garden City is a city in Hertfordshire and is unique in being both a Garden City and a New Town. Its population has been estimated at being just under 50,000.

The town’s football side were founded in 1921 and are known as The Citizens. They play at the 3,000 capacity Herns Way.

After winning the Spartan South Midland championship in 2017/18, Welwyn GC have stayed in the Southern League Division One Central, with their best season being in 2021/22, when they finished in 5^th place but were denied a place in the play-offs on ground grading criteria. They were in 4^th place when the 2019/20 season was terminated due to Covid. Last season they ended up in 8^th position, missing out on the promotion play-offs on goal difference.

Previous Meetings

In the last two seasons, The Citizens have come out on top at the ASM, winning both games 1-0, and Fatbear reported on both. The double was achieved last season with a 4-3 home victory.

In total, results between these two sides in eight seasons they have been together in the Southern League Division One Central had given Welwyn a slight edge, with 7 wins for Welwyn, 4 wins for Thame and 4 draws in their 15 meetings.

Welwyn Garden City This Season

Welwyn came in to today’s fixture with a 6-2-2 record in the league. They started the season with three away wins, 3-1 at Hadley and Barton Rovers, and 3-0 at Ware. Their first home match saw a 1-4 loss to Didcot, after which a 1-1 draw was played out at Biggleswade Town, before a 5-0 home crushing of Stotfold.

These results were followed by a 1-1 home draw against Royston Town, a 3-2 victory at Flackwell Heath, before an unexpected 1-2 home reverse to Winslow United. In mid-week, Welwyn returned to form with a 5-3 home win over London Lions.

The Citizens crashed out of the FA Cup in their opening game of the season, losing 0-2 at step 5 Enfield FC. However, two ties were won in the FA Trophy, eliminating sides from the step 4 Isthmian North Division, Mulbarton Wanderers 3-0 and Walthamstow 2-1, both at home. In the next round Welwyn travelled to step 3 Eastbourne Borough and exited the competition after a 2-4 defeat. A week later Eastbourne knocked Thame out of the FA Cup !

Welwyn Garden City Squad

Gavin Kelsey was appointed the coach of Welwyn Garden City during the summer after having been in charge of Cockfosters, where he led the step 5 Spartan South Midlands side to an FA Vase Final at Wembley, where they lost on penalties to Hampshire side AFC Stoneham after a goalless draw.

Kelsey had brought a number of players from Cockfosters with him up to step 4, including forward Kendall Gyamfi, midfielder Luca Gordon, winger Tyreece Robertson, midfielder Teddy Stacey, keeper Connor Sansom and defender Jay Lovell. Defender Reece Mosanya joined in the summer from Wormley Rovers, but was previously with Cockfosters, and midfielder Malik Nosike also had Cockfosters on his CV.

The four top scorers in the league for Welwyn were all with the club last season. Portuguese forward Evaristo Mendes, ex-Cockfosters winger Ethan Rookard and ex-St Albans City striker Nick Ralfe had all found the net four times, whilst ex-Real Bedford midfielder Eddie Corbit had scored three times.

Defender Keiron Gaulthier and forward George Sippetts had signed from St Albans City, centre-back Frankie Impey had been in the academies of Hull City, Millwall and Stevenage Borough, and midfielder Ryan Hayes played last season at Barwell Town.

Midfielder Luis Cantello was the grandson of West Bromwich Albion legend Len Cantello, and had played for Bury, Chadderton and Droylsden.

Matchday Information

The journey from Welwyn Garden City to Thame is just over 45 miles and should normally take an hour via the A1M and the A41. Around 25 Welwyn supporters were in attendance to swell the spartan crowd.

The weather at the 15.00 kick-off was cloudy with the temperature a chilly 13 degrees.

Attendance was £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £3 for Under 16s. The programme was online but free team-sheets were available at the turnstile. A cup of tea cost £1.50.

Thame made two changes from the side that crashed badly at Flackwell Heath with Curtis Brown and Roger James replacing Ethan Lack and Ed Daffern.

Welwyn Garden City made just one change from midweek as Cantello came in for Corbit.

Welwyn were playing in turquoise shirts, with blue shorts and socks whilst Thame were in their usual red and black stripes.

Match Report

Welwyn kicked off attacking the ring-road end, and almost immediately Robertson was put clear down the left but the linesman’s flag was raised for off-side.

Welwyn keeper Sansom quickly established a reputation for being ridiculously gobby after loudly complaining to the linesman in his half about two decisions not given to Welwyn deep inside the Thame half, for which the linesman would have no ability to influence the referee !

Thame keeper James Callan was nearly embarrassed in the 7^th minute when his attempted clearance was charged down by Robertson, and with the keeper out of his goal, the Welwyn winger attempted to cross to Mendes rather than go for goal from a narrow angle, but Thame centre-back Fin Murray made a vital interception.

Two minutes later Sansom needed to come out of his area to head away to prevent Thame winger Greg Hackett from getting to a long cross-field ball from James. A minute later Sansom again had to venture out of his area to stop James getting on the end of a through ball from Harry Alexander and conceded a throw in.

As Thame attacked, the influential Nosike robbed Thame midfielder Jack Tutton just outside the Welwyn area and made a strong run into the Thame half, and spread the ball wide to Robertson, but Tutton redeemed himself by cutting out the low cross into the Thame area, and then sent a long ball forward for Brown to run on to. Sansom was caught in no-mans-land as Brown got to the ball first but rather than going for a chip over the stranded keeper, the Thame forward opted to try and drill the ball into the far corner, but put his effort horribly wide.

The visitors should have taken the lead in the 13^th minute. Thame centre-back Dan West carelessly lost possession and Robertson ran clear into the Thame area but with just the keeper to beat, his left-footed effort was screwed wide of the far post. It was a great chance squandered.

The referee was trying to let play flow and both sides were frustrated as a few potentially soft fouls were not given, but the man in black was at least being consistent.

The referee did award a free-kick to Welwyn when Robertson was brought down close to the left-hand touchline, but Mosanya’s free-kick was met by Hayes, whose header from the edge of the Thame area went harmlessly wide.

Welwyn right-winger Moses forced a corner off Thame left-back Joshua Stranks, but the delivery was a regulation catch for keeper Callan. Hayes then went down easily on the edge of the Thame area, and again the referee allowed play to continue.

Robertson pressurised Thame right-back Callum Hall to concede a corner at the left-hand byline, but Welwyn were penalised for a foul at the set-piece.

Welwyn were getting on top but failed to creating anything with their possession, and Mosanya sent a cross from the left-wing into the hands of the Thame keeper.

The first shot on target finally arrived in the 33^rd minute. After Tutton brought down Cantello, the referee played a good advantage as Moses ran clear down the right-hand channel and then cut-back inside, but his fierce left-footed drive was straight at Callan, who fisted away.

Shortly after Robertson scythed down Hall near the half-way line, but the only sanction was a free-kick to Thame.

Tutton won the ball near the half-way line and charged forward, then released James down the right wing, but the cross from close to the corner flag was just too high for Hackett at the far post.

A few spots of rain were starting to fall and although Tutton fell to the floor, the free-kick was awarded to the visitors. Thame cleared the ball into their area, and when it fell to Hayes his shot was blocked on the edge of the penalty area.

Out of the blue, Welwyn took the lead with a move of real quality out of keeping with the game so far. Hayes played a delightful pass to Nosike, who was clear on goal, and he calmly rounded Callan as he came out to narrow the angle, and placed the ball into the empty net. 0-1 with 38 minutes played.

Shortly after, Mendes headed on a long throw but Callan made an easy save. Thame were then awarded a free-kick close to the half-way line after Brown was fouled, Tutton spotted keeper Sansom out of his goal, but his long range attempt sailed a couple of feet over the bar.

With half-time approaching Impey head a long ball off for a throw-in, then put his arm around the neck of Hackett and threw the Thame winger to the floor. Other referees may have brandished a red card to the Welwyn centre-back for this action, but play continued with just the throw-in to Thame.

The game was now very niggly but the referee continued to let the game flow rather than be whistle happy, until Tutton brought down Cantello, after which Alexander and Ntege had a minor flare-up. A minute later Cantello hit the deck far too easily, and again the referee waved for play to continue.

With the last play of the first half, Tutton attempted to run into the Welwyn area but the ball struck the arm of a Welwyn defender. Thame appealed for a penalty but the referee rightly ignored the claims as it was ball to arm rather than arm to ball.

At the half-time whistle, Welwyn headed to the dressing rooms with a one goal lead, which on the balance of play was fully deserved, as they had looked the more dangerous, whilst their keeper had not yet been called upon to make a save.

After their dismal first half performance, Thame started the second half much brighter. Hall and Tutton exchanged passes to send Hall racing down the right-wing but the cross from the byline was cleared. Robertson then chopped down Hall wide on the right, although the Welwyn supporters sitting near to Fatbear didn’t agree with this straightforward decision. The free-kick was sent to beyond the far post which Welwyn defended well, but the clearance hit the referee, who then tumbled to the floor as he lost his balance. Sadly, the official didn’t give himself a yellow card for simulation, and play restarted with a drop-ball to the visitors.

Alexander then played a cute chip over the Citizens back line for Brown to run onto but again his shot across goal went wide of the far post.

Confusion then arose as Welwyn attempted to take the goal-kick. The linesman flagged for an offence and the referee, not having seen the incident himself, went over to consult with his assistant, and then awarded a penalty to Thame. Fatbear also did not see the incident but according to one of the Welwyn supporters, the ball was on the ground inside the six-yard area and keeper Sansom passes the ball across the goalmouth to Gaulthier, who then stopped the ball with his hand so he could take the goal-kick.

If this description was accurate, it was a clear and obvious handball, identical to those awarded against Tyrone Mings for Aston Villa against Club Brugge in the Champions League in 2024, or against Leah Williamson for Arsenal Women against Paris FC earlier this month in the Women’s Champions League, and a few others in the past couple of seasons. Clearly the golden rule of always stopping the ball with your foot rather than with the hand had been ignored.

Play was held up for over 5 minutes as the furious Welwyn players argued against the decision, and a few of the Welwyn supporters shouted it would be embarrassing when the match video was reviewed, but according to the way the incident had been described, the embarrassment was more likely the lack of understanding of the laws by the Welwyn captain. Obviously Fatbear will retract these statements if the video actually reveals the action was different to how described !

Despite the fury of the Welwyn players, bench and fans, play eventually continued, and Alexander stepped up to send Sansom the wrong way from the spot. It was now 1-1 with 54 minutes on the clock.

Welwyn seemed to be in a state of shock after conceding the penalty and Cantello was lucky to escape any sanction after a wild lunge on James after the Thame player had failed to keep the ball in play.

Mendes then had a flicked header from a long throw easily saved by Thame keeper Callan, then the Welwyn players and supporters were further incensed when a handball was not given against Hackett when the ball rose from his foot and struck his hand near the corner flag, but just like Thame’s penalty appeal in the first half, and in line with current guidelines, the referee allowed play to continue. Hackett was then cynical fouled but the referee again kept his cards in his pocket.

Thame thought they had taken the lead when Riddick stole in at the far post to head home a free-kick, but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside, and at least one of the Welwyn supporter had the good grace to say “Linesman, I take everything back !“.

Moses showed good skill to control a cross-field pass on the right-wing touchline, but spoilt it all by sending his cross sailing harmlessly well wide of the far post.

James became the first player to see a yellow card after late tackle on Monsanya.

In the 68^th minute, Brown was able to get to a long ball out of the Thame defence ahead of Sansom, who had charged outside of his area, only to be bundled over by the Welwyn keeper. As Brown had been heading away from the goal, only a yellow card was shown to the Welwyn keeper, which was again incredulously received by the Citizens supporters. The free-kick was struck low, but cleared after a bit of a scramble.

Two minutes later a Welwyn long throw was cleared by the Thame defence and Tutton made a 60-yard break, but his low cross was cut-out.

After the first round of substitutions, Alexander played a flick over the Welwyn back-line which James latched onto but with Sansom charging off his line, the attempted lob drifted wide of the near post.

A few spots of rain were again falling, but the Thame substitutions were having a bigger impact on the game than Welwyn’s.

Riddick’s flick put Hayden Beadle clear down the left, but his first-time cross was cleared, then Alexander played a smart pass for Hall to run on to, but his first touch was poor and Welwyn cleared. Daffern then tried to wriggle his way into the Welwyn area, and the rebound flew up for Lack to volley from 18 yards, but Sansom produced a smart save at the base of the goal post diving to his left.

Welwyn’s Ralfe was tackled just outside the Thame penalty area, and the home side set-off on a swift counter-attack as Lack made yards, then released Daffern on the left, whose low cross was met by the on-rushing Alexander at the near post to slam past the helpless Welwyn keeper for a splendid goal. A few Welwyn supporters claimed there had been a foul of Ralfe, which was quite laughable. 2-1 with 84 minutes on the clock.

Welwyn made further changes but as they pressed forward, Thame’s pacey youngsters were exploiting the gaps, and it looked more likely that Thame would score the next goal. Lack won two corners as Thame broke from inside their half, and Impey saw yellow for bringing down Charlie Bacon after another sizzling break by Thame.

Daffern, Lack and Bacon then exchanged passes on the edge of the Welwyn area, and with many of the crowd expecting Daffern to head towards the corner flag, he cut-back inside the area and passed to Lack, whose shot from 10 yards was blocked on the goal-line, and then cleared.

Welwyn had one last good move, but a ball across the 18-yard line saw a shot go closer to the corner flag rather than the target.

At the final whistle Thame had deservedly taken the three points. Although Welwyn were the better side in the first half, Thame improved after the break to dominate the second period. Whilst the opening goal for Thame may have been controversial, Welwyn only had themselves to blame for their careless play.

Sansom and Gaulthier surrounded the referee at the end of the game and launched a tirade of abuse at the official, which only made them look even more pathetic given their lack of knowledge of the laws ( assuming, of course, the description of events by the Welwyn supporter was indeed accurate ! )

One final mention has to go to some of the Welwyn supporters, whose one-eyed and ignorant comments were comedy gold. It is a long-time since I had laughed so much at a game of football.

Thame United : Callan – Hall, West, Murray, Stranks – James ( Bacon ), Tutton ( Beadle ), Riddick, Hackett ( Lack ) – Alexander ( Ulas ), Brown ( Daffern )

Welwyn Garden City : Sansom – Ntege, Impey, Gaulthier, Mosanya ( Dixon-Smith ) – Moses, Cantello ( Barrett ), Hayes ( Sippetts ), Nosike, Robertson ( Ralfe ) – Mendes ( Rookard )