October 9, 2021
Princes Risborough is a market town in
Buckinghamshire, 8 miles from High Wycombe, 9 miles from Aylesbury and 7 miles
from Thame. Despite living so close,
this was my first visit to Windsors, as the BEP Stadium is more commonly known.
It was also the first Spartan South Midlands League ( SSML ) match I had ever
attended as sides in Oxfordshire often get my attention when it comes to
considering non-league football !
Princes Risborough were promoted into the SSML Premier
Division after an unbeaten season in the curtailed Hellenic Division One and
moved leagues as part of the annual non-league geographical reallocations.
Princes Risborough had played several seasons in the lower levels of the SSML
before being moved to the Hellenic for two seasons, but have now been moved
back to the league. I believe this is the highest level they have ever played
at.
Rangers went into today’s match in second place in the
table with a 6-1-0 record. After drawing their first match 1-1 at Leighton
Town, wins have since been recorded over Broadfield United ( H ) 7-0, London
Colney ( A ) 4-0, Aylesbury Vale Dynamos ( H ) 4-0 , Dunstable Town ( H ) 2-1,
Ardley ( H ) 3-2, Hadley ( A ) 5-0. Including matches in the Hellenic league in
previous seasons, Rangers were unbeaten in 40 consecutive league games.
In the FA Cup, Lydney were beaten 1-0 at home before
bowing out to Ascot United in a replay 2-3 in front of a crowd of 257 after a
1-1 home draw. In the FA Vase, Rangers have beaten Edgeware Town ( H ) 3-2 and
AFC Hayes ( A ) 3-0 and will host Suffolk based Long Melford of the Eastern
Counties Premier League in next round.
Many of the Risborough squad have had spells at Thame
United. Former Thame captain Ben Sturgess has just signed for Risborough,
whilst 33 year old striker Liam Enver-Marum is by my count with his 23rd
club after a brief spell with Thame at the start of this season. His times at
Stevenage, Forest Green, Crawley and Ebbsfleet are perhaps the high points of
his career. He scored a hat-trick in the 5-0 win at Hadley in Rangers’ last
match but he still has some way to go to beating Jefferson Louis’ total of
clubs though, and Rangers were indeed the first club Louis represented. Striker
Marcus Wylie had 11 goals in all competitions to-date for Rangers.
Risborough’s highest attendance so far this season was
170 for the local derby with the Aylesbury Vale Dynamos, with the lowest being
102 for the game against Broadfields United.
I have seen Arlesey Town play once before, when they
lost 0-3 at Oxford City in February 2012 in the Southern League Premier
Divison, with Wayne Blossom, Steve Basham and Aaron Woodley getting the goals
for the Hoops.
Arlesey’s most notable achievement is winning the FA Vase
in 1994/95, where ironically they beat Oxford City at Wembley. Perhaps
Arlesey’s most famous ex-player is former Reading, Stoke and Portmouth Premier
League striker Dave Kitson, who is strongly rumoured to be the author of “The
Secret Footballer” series of books. Kitson is now Chairman of the club where he
started his career.
Other players who played for Arlesey before going on
to greater things include Scotland international Craig Mackail Smith (
ex-Brighton, Peterborough, Wycombe amongst others ), Pat Kruse ( ex-Brentford
centre-back ), Jack Midson ( ex Oxford United and Wimbledon striker ) and
ex-Walsall and Bristol Rovers midfielder Stuart Sinclair.
Arlesey have been in the SSML since 2018/19, and
haven’t exactly set the league alight, finishing 8th, 16th
and 15th since being relegated from the Southern League. They were 10th
in the table going into today’s match with a 3-2-3 record from 8 games, scoring
18 goals but conceding 19, with an average of 4.6 goals a game. With Risborough’s
matches averaging 4.3 goals a game, a goal-fest could reasonably be anticipated
!
Arlesey’s three wins have been against Ardley ( A )
2-0, Oxney Jets ( A ) 6-4 and Leighton ( H ) 3-2 whilst the draws were with at Harpendon
Town and Crawley Green, both finished 1-1. All three defeats were at home, Holmer
Green 1-2, Harefield 2-6 and Leverstock Green 2-3, so Arlesey possessed an
unbeaten away record.
In FA Cup, Arlesey won two home matches, eliminating Thetford
Town 4-3 and March Town 3-2 before bowing out to Bowers & Pitsea 0-5 in
another home tie. They were eliminated on penalties by Deportivo Galica after
4-4 home draw. Archie Sayer had scored 12 goals in all competitions, Jalen
Miller had scored 5.
The visitors faced a 38 mile journey from Bedfordshire
to Princes Risborough for the first ever meeting between the two clubs. Entrance
to today’s match was £7, with concessions charged £4, and U18 £1. Risborough
publish a free on-line programme, with a free 4 page team sheet available at
ground. The weather at kick-off was sunny, with the temperature a warm 17
degrees after a chilly start to the day.
Risborough’s ground is located down a country lane, adjacent
to the cricket club and behind the tennis club. The car park is fairly small,
but arriving 40 minutes before kick-off I managed to get a space inside the
ground. The bar is also small, and there didn’t seem to be any beers on tap,
although there were several different cans of beer for sale for £3 and cider
was £3.50. There was a large TV screen, on which the WSL Manchester derby was
being shown.
The tea hut was doing some good trade, with burgers at
£3.00, cheese burgers £3.50, bacon roll £2.50, with chips at 1.50. Tea/coffee and
soft drinks were £1.00. Raffle tickets were £1 each, with the prize being £96.
I was four numbers away from winning !
The ground is rather quaint. On the far side was the
Richard Woodward Stand, which in reality was a small red hut with a bench that
might have seated 6 or 7 people. Behind one goal was the Derrick Wallace stand,
which is also a small red hut that may also hold half a dozen or so spectators.
The clubhouse was located in the middle two-thirds of one side, in-front of
which were two rows of seats under cover. There was also a distinct slope to
the pitch, going downhill from the Cricket Club End. There was also a strange
looking tower, which on inquiry I was informed was the camera for recording the
game for training purposes. It was apparently one of these ball-tracking based devices,
which earlier in the season infamously focused on the bald head of the linesman
in a game in Scotland mistaking it for the ball…….
The Arlesey squad for the game contained a number of
players with foreign sounding names, in particular Brazilian or Portuguese, and the
tannoy announcer had much difficulty reading out some of the names. He was much
more assured with the home side’s line-up though…..
The match was being covered by Christofer Walker of
MottysMic fame, and it was good to introduce myself to him and have a brief
chat before the game, before he had to concentrate on getting set-up for his coverage
for CW Sport Radio.
Arlesey started brightly with left winger Herculano
Carvalho immediately catching the eye, and three corners were forced, but the
first real chance of the game fell to Rangers in the 6th minute when
Wylie set-up Liam Enver-Marum who should have scored from 6 yards but hit the
bar instead. Arlesey’s reprieve lasted barely a minute though as a long ball
from Squires-Adam down the right channel was laid back from the by-line to give
Marcus Wylie a simple side-foot to open the scoring.
It got worse for the visitors two minutes later when
midfielder Asher Yearwood sent a chip from just outside the area over the motionless
keeper into the top corner for 2-0 after less than 10 minutes.
Arlesey were in disarray at the back, seemingly
playing a back three, with Derek Feyi built like a prop forward playing at either
left back or the left side of a back three, being regularly exposed and given
no supporting cover from midfield.
Arlesey were being over-run and keeper Hilliard made
one impressive full length diving stop from Enver-Marum and Yearwood had a shot
blocked after a probing run through the centre of the Arlesey defence.
The tide was briefly halted in the 19th
minute when the ball fell to Arlesey’s leading scorer Archie Sayer but he shot
weakly at the Risborough keeper. However, the Arlesey players and bench
complained furiously that a penalty should have been awarded for a foul on Carvalho,
but the referee appeared to say he played advantage as Sayer had a great chance
to score. Perhaps he should have awarded a penalty after the chance was missed
?
To rub salt into their wounds, Arlesey found themselves
0-3 down in the 22nd minute. An aimless long-ball should have been
easily claimed by the Arlesey keeper, but a communication breakdown saw
centre-back Orenaike also go for the ball and the two players collided.
Enver-Marum forced the ball over the line in the ensuing scramble.
It could easily have been 4-0 after 28 minutes when
Coles pulled the ball back to Wylie 12 yards out but he sent his left footed
error wide when he at least should have hit the target.
Arlesey’s Carvalho made another impressive run and
after playing a one-two with Sayer looked to be in on goal but Kedzierski made
an important clearance to deny him.
Arlesey made a necessary tactical change in the 35th
minute when the unfortunate Feyi was taken from the field and replaced by right
winger Jalen Miller, and the formation was reshuffled. The changes seemed to
give some stability to the visitors although in added on time at the end of the
first half, Wylie cut back in from the left and sent a rasping effort across
the face of the goal and just wide.
Arlesey were grateful to get to the interval only 0-3
down as they had been outplayed, tactically out-witted, and appeared to be
lacking discipline. In comparison, Risborough looked strong in all departments.
Arlesey made another change at the break with another
defender, Si Lei, being replaced, but Rangers nearly scored in the first minute
of the second half when Enver-Marum ran onto a long ball over the top but put
his effort just wide of the post.
Just when Arlesey seemed to be getting back into the
game, Risborough scored a remarkable fourth goal in the 55th minute.
There appeared to be little danger when the ball bounced towards Schmidt 10 yards
inside the Arlesey half but seeing keeper Hilliard a long way off his line he
sent a shot over the keeper’s head and into the empty net.
The home side seemed to relax from this point and
Arlesey had the better of the rest of the game. A lovely long ball down the right-hand
channel released Sayer but his shot was deflected and gathered by keeper Brooker.
Two minutes later Mendoza sent a good cross from the right wing but Sayer
headed straight to Brooker.
Twelve minutes from time Arlesey had a triple chance to
grab a consolation. First Sayer hit the underside of the bar from close range, from
the rebound Miller saw his shot well saved, and Brooker followed that save by
saving from Carvalho.
Arlesey continued to press and Carvalho, who for me
looked the best player on the pitch, shot wide. However, Arlesey did finally
get the goal their play in the last 30 minutes deserved when Miller cut in from
the left and sent a low shot between keeper Brooker and the near post to give
the final score-line a modicum of respectability.
With 5 goals in the match, both sides further increased
their goals per game ratio. On today’s evidence Risborough look to be in with a
good chance of another promotion, whilst Arlesey look strong going forward but
weak at the back. At least they should continue to be entertaining to watch.
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