October Already

A chill in the air, getting darker in the evenings and the end of the cricket season...it's October already.

Bexhill United share The Polegrove with the local cricket club which means no weekend matches early in the football season so they have reduced prices for this Saturday's return to action with the visit of Horsham YM.

It's football for a fiver, £3 concessions, £1 for U18's and free for accompanied U12's.

Pictures of The Polegrove show a very attractive looking grandstand and there is a nice page on the history of football in Bexhill on the club website. 

See Benfica at Wembley

Special offers this coming Saturday for a Combined Counties Football League clash between Wembley FC and Sport London e Benfica, a club affiliated with the Portuguese giants.

Adult entry at Vale Farm for a 3pm kick-off is priced at £5 but admission is free for students (with a free pint also on offer, children with a paying adult and other concessions.

Terms and Conditions

This pre-match picture, of the players warming up prior to Hallam FC against Blyth Spartans at Sandygate on Saturday, doesn't do justice to the conditions, which started badly and got progressively worse as the rain teemed down in Sheffield.

But full credit to everyone involved, the Hallam volunteers, the match officials and, of course, the players from both sides who ensured that 585 of us were thoroughly entertained by a 1-1 draw.

Blyth took an early lead that they were good value for, kept hold of it thanks to some great goalkeeping and last-ditch defending midway through the first-half but couldn't keep Hallam out completely as sustained pressure from the home side as they went down the slope after the break finally paid off.

The Countrymen continue on their upward journey after two promotions in recent seasons and good to see such a famous name as Blyth slowly rebuilding, thanks to the work of the Spartans Trust.

A Saturday at Church

Founded in 1906, Penistone Church FC celebrate both their past and the role of the South Yorkshire town in the development of the game with a superb history section on their website.

Plans are afoot to mark next year's 120th anniversary but, before then the club are trying to get 1,000 spectators through the turnstiles for the NCEL Premier Division game at home to Golcar United on Saturday 18th October.

The fixture is 'pay what you want' admission and there is plenty going on both before and after, with junior matches, entertainment and market stalls.

Penistone Station is served by hourly trains from Sheffield.

Moors the Merrier

A good value few days at Solihull Moors FC, starting this coming Saturday when born-again Morecambe are the visitors in the National League.

Ticket prices have been reduced to £12 for adults and over-65's with concessions available.

And for the National League Trophy visit of Burnley's U21s on Tuesday 16th (kick-off 7pm), tickets are completely free.

Easy Peasy

The UEFA Women's Europa Cup makes it debut this season, a new competition introduced to sit below the Champions League and open up European participation for more clubs across the continent.

Scottish club Glasgow City FC were the first names out of the hat when the draw for the First Qualifying Round was made and will face Ireland's Athlone Town over two legs for the right to progress onwards.

Ticket prices have been frozen in a bid to pack out Petershill Park (The Peasy) on Wednesday 10th September (7.35pm kick-off) with a Family Pass (2 adults and up to 4 youths) available for £20 and Mates Rates (four tickets of any kind) on sale for £25. 

Molineux Nights

Last December marked the 70th anniversary of the famous floodlit game between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Honved of Hungary, the culmination of a series of matches under lights from September 1953 onwards that marked the Wolves out as pioneers in the game and set events in tow for the introduction of European club competitions.

An article on the official club website from last year tells the story.

The club's Under-21 side get their chance to play under the Molineux lights on Wednesday 10th September and there can be no greater opposition than Real Madrid, the visitors for a Premier League International Cup tie.

Tickets are free for season-ticket holders and under-17's with regular adult tickets priced at £5.