WEEKEND HEADLINES
Goals galore as Leighton Town score eight on the road. Harefield United and Raunds Town both hit six while Flackwell Heath net five.

Saturday brought about 92 goals from the 22 games (an average of 4.18 per game). Fabian Driffill (Flackwell Heath), Adam Speight (Raunds Town) and James Younger (Langford) all netting hat-tricks

Saturday Stats: 22 games played of which 11 were home wins, 10 were away wins and 1 draw.

Without A League Win to date: Burton Park Wanderers.

Without A League Draw to date: Aston Clinton, Broadfields United, Codicote, Risborough Rangers Development, Sarratt, and The 61FC (Luton).

Without A League Defeat to date: Risborough Rangers.

Saturday’s Highest Attendance: 165 Risborough Rangers v Harpenden Town, 132 Flackwell Heath v Dunstable Town and 127 Stotfold v Sharnbrook (Beds Senior Trophy).

Season’s Highest Attendances to date (Premier Division Clubs): 449 Leighton Town v Aylesbury Vale Dynamos, 435 Dunstable Town v Leighton Town and 418 Leighton Town v Harpenden Town.

Season’s Highest Attendances to date (Division One Clubs): 317 Stotfold v Letchworth Garden City Eagles, 283 Stotfold v Langford and 257 Stotfold v Amersham Town.

Season’s Highest Attendances to date (Division Two Clubs): 175 Bovingdon v Berkhamsted Raiders 130 Totternhoe v Old Bradwell United and 128 Milton Keynes College Football Academy v Berkhamsted Raiders.

Saturday 30th October

PREMIER DIVISION
No changes for the two teams at the top of the Premier Division as both recorded wins, leaders Leighton Town recorded their best away win since defeating Stotfold 8-1 in the Dudley Latham Cup back in November 2017 as they hit at Holmer Green while second placed Risborough Rangers overcame visiting Harpenden Town 3-1. Leverstock Green took full advantage of the Harps defeat to replace them in third place as they won the ‘Green’ battle with a 4-1 win over Crawley Green at Pancake Lane (more on this later in the Ramblings). At the bottom of the table Tring Athletic remain rooted after narrowly going down by the odd goal in five at Milton Keynes Irish while Baldock Town climbed out of the relegation one with a 1-0 win at Aylesbury Vale Dynamos. Flackwell Heath enjoyed a 5-0 win at home against Dunstable Town, a result that sent the visitors into the bottom two while Harefield United went one better as they recorded a 6-0 home success against London Colney. Elsewhere there were away wins for New Salamis (2-0 at Arlesey Town) and Hadley who edged out Broadfields United by the odd goal in three. Full results and goalscorers are listed below.

0-2 Arlesey Town v New Salamis (H Georgiou, Tandon) Attendance: 93
0-1 Aylesbury Vale Dynamos v Baldock Town (Hay) Attendance: 69
1-2 Broadfields United v Hadley (Rogers) / (J Edwards, Ofori) Attendance: 81
5-0 Flackwell Heath v Dunstable Town (Driffill [3], Eaton, Howell [pen]) / Attendance: 132
6-0 Harefield United v London Colney (McCorkell, White, Mangan, Pacquette, Bircham, Austin) Attendance: 57
0-8 Holmer Green v Leighton Town (Morgan [2], Towell [2], Parkinson, Dunstan, Bryant, Campbell) Attendance: 76
4-1 Leverstock Green v Crawley Green (Collins [2], Mooney, Wilkes) / (Andrews) Attendance: 54
3-2 Milton Keynes Irish v Tring Athletic (Lawless [2] [1 pen], Dummett) / (Hercules, Turner) Attendance: 82
3-1 Risborough Rangers v Harpenden Town (Marum [2], Wyllie) / (Rickman) Attendance: 165

OXFORDSHIRE SENIOR CUP First Round
Ardley United travelled to Oxford Senior League Premier Division side Charlton United in the First Round of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup and came away with a slender 3-2 win to progress in the competition. Full result and goalscorers are listed below.

2-3 Charlton United v Ardley United (Wilson, Wyatt) / (Osborne, Convey [pen], Benjamin) Attendance: 65

DIVISION ONE
In a depleted Division One programme due to County Cups and pitch availability there were just four games, Raunds Town being the day’s biggest winners with a 6-1 success at struggling Kidlington Reserves while Rushden & Higham United also enjoyed success on their travels with a 3-1 win at Long Crendon. Buckingham Athletic overcame visiting Amersham Town 4-1 while the day’s other action saw Bedford held 1-1 at home against Penn & Tylers Green. Full results and goalscorers are listed below.

1-1 Bedford v Penn & Tylers Green (Bamford) / (Opponent Own Goal) Attendance: 25
4-1 Buckingham Athletic v Amersham Town (Faulkner [2], Power, Brazier) / (Clifford) Attendance: 56
1-6 Kidlington Reserves v Raunds Town (Unknown) / (Speight [3], Waple-Moors, Randall, McBride) Attendance: 15
1-3 Long Crendon v Rushden & Higham United (Hawkes) / (L’Anson, Matiyenga, Aidulis) Attendance: 44

BEDS SENIOR TROPHY Second Round
It was a 100% day for SSML clubs in the Beds Senior Trophy Second Round with three sides reaching the quarter-finals although only two had to do it on the pitch, Shefford Town & Campton receiving a walkover after their opponents could not raise a side. Stotfold defeating visiting Beds County League Premier Division side Sharnbrook 3-1 while Langford were also victorious at home against Beds County League Premier Division opponents winning 4-1 against Marston Shelton Rovers. Full results and goalscorers listed below.

4-1 Langford v Marston Shelton Rovers (Younger [3], Basra) / (Baker) Attendance: 58
3-1 Stotfold v Sharnbrook (Kersey [2], Amaning) / (Barron) Attendance: 127

LES UNDERWOOD JUNIOR CUP Second Round
Irchester United saw their Les Underwood Junior Cup dreams end in the Second Round as they suffered a solitary goal home defeat at the hands of United Counties Reserve Division side Wellingborough Town Reserves. Full result and goalscorer listed below.

0-1 Irchester United v Wellingborough Town Reserves (Uka) Attendance: 25

DIVISION TWO
New Bradwell St Peter moved back into second place with a 3-0 win at Aston Clinton and later in these ramblings there is a detailed match report from League Committee man Bob Flight. In a division that just six points separates the top seven clubs two of the met on Saturday as Bovingdon welcomed Milton Keynes College Football Academy with the hosts edging it by the odd goal in three. At the other end of the table the bottom two sides both enjoyed much welcomed wins, The 61FC (Luton) defeating visiting Sarratt by a solitary goal while bottom club Tring Corinthians AFC overcame their visitors Buckingham United 3-2 to leave the battle at the bottom just as tight as the title race. Full results and goalscorers listed below.

0-3 Aston Clinton v New Bradwell St Peter (Winch, Hawkins, Bradford) Attendance: 60
2-1 Bovingdon v Milton Keynes College Football Academy (Beckwith [2]) / (Asante) Attendance: 94
1-0 The 61FC (Luton) v Sarratt (Gouldbourne) Attendance: 12
3-2 Tring Corinthians AFC v Buckingham United (Scott, Banks, Hill) / (Davis, Gordon) Attendance: 20

HERTS SENIOR CENTENARY TROPHY First Round
Codicote’s hopes of Herts Senior Centenary Trophy success were brought to a quick end when they fell at the first hurdle as they were beaten 3-5 at home by Essex Olympian Football League Premier Division side Bishops Stortford Swifts. Full result and goalscorers (where known) listed below.

3-5 Codicote v Bishop’s Stortford Swifts (O’Dell, Gutzmore, Serebour) / (Unknown) Attendance: 53

COMMITTEE AWAYDAYS
On a fine sunny day it was a battle of the ‘greens’ that caught my eye this afternoon…one team four from the top, one team four from the bottom. With Crawley Green joining the ever increasing ‘Managerial Movement Club’ how would they fare on the well prepared pitch at Pancake Lane. Levvy had no such worries and pushed their opponents onto the back foot with some mazy wing play and were immediately rewarded with the opening goal as early as the 2nd minute. 1-0 then. But Crawley had other ideas, broke away up the hill and a fine shot ended up in the top left hand corner 1-1. This equaliser clearly stung the home team, who pushed and pushed down the flanks, giving the visiting full backs little respite. That it took until the 23rd minute for Leverstock to get their noses in front once again was surprising, but again the numbers 7 and 11 left the visitors chasing shadows and the poor goalie was picking the ball out the back of the net once again 2-1. Sensing greater things might be achieved, Levvy continued to push with pacey moves down the hill and were duly rewarded with two more fine goals before the break (Half-time 4-1). I suspect that the Crawley management had plenty to say during the break and to the neutral observer they played with far greater resolve and determination in that second period. The score remained as it was at half time, the visitors offering much more…perhaps they liked running downhill? In the end Leverstock finished three from the top and Crawley three from the bottom. The other three were of course the Match Officials…competent and consistent so no complaints there. Thank you to both clubs and their respective management teams for a welcoming, pleasant afternoon’s entertainment, without any petulance or rancour!!!
The Roving Ref

SSMFL Board & Committee member Bob Flight travelled to leafy Buckinghamshire to watch Aston Clinton take on high flying New Bradwell St Peter in a Division Two match. He also wanted to show his, and the Leagues, respect to Aston Clinton secretary Dave McArdle, who had sadly passed away during the week, by joining a well-attended minute of applause before the kick off. He also took the opportunity before the game to belatedly present New Bradwell St Peter with their Team of the Month award from August. In an entertaining game played in bright sunshine and before some 60 spectators, Aston Clinton dominated the first half but without breaching the resolute Peters defence and Peters were fortunate to end the half all square. The second half started in similar fashion but Peters began to grow into the match. It was from a breakaway that Peters scored when Jack Bradford shot in from close range on 60 minutes. Ten minutes later it was two when defender Nathan Hawkins blasted a thirty yard free kick into the corner of the Aston net. Whilst Aston tried to respond, they were once again caught on the break when Michael Winch scored on 78 minutes. One had to feel sorry for Aston as the score line did not really reflect the whole game but whilst they could not score, Peters had three shots on target and scored from each of them! This result was testament to the attitude of the Peters team who just had the bare eleven men and no subs and now remain second in the table behind local rivals Old Bradwell United.

AND FINALLY
It Would Never Happen In A SSML Game – Referee makes a mistake. At the start of the second half in the League Two game between Leyton Orient and Hartlepool United Referee Alan Young realised he had taken the players off too early at the end of the first half, he corrected his own error by arranging for the two sides to come out after the half-time interval and play the missing four minutes before then swapping ends to immediately kick off the second half.

The Tweets of the Day this week goes to Harefield United and Arlesey Town for these gems – 4-0 Richard Pacquette (sorry missed that one while having a swim) and Goal Salamis. Not sure what happened, I’m todays programme seller.

The result of this week’s Team of the Day Poll with 197 votes cast is:-
Harefield United 41.6%
Leighton Town 35.0%
Raunds Town 13.7%
Tring Corinthians AFC 9.6%

Don’t forget that every Sunday afternoon the Non-League Show on Three Counties Radio (Herts, Beds & Bucks), a show all about local non-league football. The popular show presented by Ollie Bayliss has been increased to two hours each week and is the perfect opportunity to catch up with our local non-league scene at all levels. For those who missed it then you can catch up here:-

Ollie Bayliss Non League Show