THE INANE RAMBLINGS FROM UP NORFF #8

MIDWEEK HEADLINES
Hadley and Broadfields United book FA Cup Second Round Qualifying dates. Oxhey Jets and Flackwell Heath exit. Stotfold march on at the top of Division One with a 6-0 win on the road. Bedford go one better by winning 7-0 on the road, the club’s biggest away win since beating Stony Stratford Town 7-1 back in February 2015.

Midweek Stats: 14 games played of which 7 were home wins, 6 away wins and 1 draw.

The 14 games produced a total of 54 goals, an average of 3.86 per game. Temilola Akinbusoye (Stotfold) and Ashley Windridge (Langford) both netting hat-tricks.

100% league record to date: Stotfold and New Bradwell St Peter.

0% league record to date: Baldock Town, Dunstable Town, Flackwell Heath and Codicote.

Midweek Highest Attendance: 323 Leighton Town v Dunstable Town, 267 Flackwell Heath v Weston Super Mare (FA Cup) and 144 Ampthill Town v Shefford Town & Campton.

Season’s Highest Attendances to date (Premier Division Clubs): 350 Harefield United v Hastings United (FA Cup), 337 Leighton Town v Risborough Rangers and 323 Leighton Town v Dunstable Town.

Season’s Highest Attendances to date (Division One Clubs): 317 Stotfold v Letchworth Garden City Eagles, 176 Stotfold v Buckingham Athletic and 175 Ampthill Town v Langford.

Season’s Highest Attendances to date (Division Two Clubs): 130 Totternhoe v Old Bradwell United, 112 Bovingdon v Sarratt and 109 Eynesbury United v Pitstone & Ivinghoe.

THE EMIRATES FA CUP First Round Qualifying Replays
The SSML can now boast three clubs in the FA Cup Second Round Qualifying as two of the four replays went their way, Broadfields United returned victorious from their trip to Isthmian League South Central Division side South Park winning 2-1 to step up a home tie with Hastings United while Hadley required extra time to see off the challenge of Essex Senior League side Enfield, the SSML side winning by the odd goal in three to earn themselves am away day at Enfield Town. Alas it was not to be for our other two sides in their battles against clubs two steps above them in the footballing pyramid but both can hold their heads high from their performances, Flackwell Heath were beaten by a late solitary goal at home against Southern League Premier Division South Weston-Super-Mare, the goal coming in the 84th minute, the visitors got a contentious looking goal from a free kick that the assistant referee initially flagged, but the referee let stand while Oxhey Jets kept current Isthmian League Premier Division leaders Kingstonian at bay for another forty five minutes going into the break just one goal down before their legs gave out and the hosts showed why they are pushing for National League football winning 8-1 to record the Jets heaviest FA Cup defeat a statistic somewhat unjust given events that have happened at the Hertfordshire club over the past week. Full results and goalscorers are listed below.

0-1 Flackwell Heath v Weston Super Mare (McCootie) Attendance: 267
1-2 South Park v Broadfields United (Aziz [pen]) / (Brown, Opponent Own Goal) Attendance: 137
2-3* Enfield v Hadley (Miles [2]) / (Ofori [2], Davis) Attendance: 162
8-1 Kingstonian v Oxhey Jets (Ajakaiye [3], Buchanan [2], Sow, Banton [pen], Murrell-Williamson) / (Giordmaina) Attendance: 251

PREMIER DIVISION
The Premier Division midweek action brought about just the two games, Leighton Town went top of the standings on goal difference after battling to a 2-0 win over visiting bottom side Dunstable Town while it was also 2-0 at Holmer Green where the hosts edged their way past visiting Harefield United. Full results and goalscorers are listed below.

2-0 Holmer Green v Harefield United (Thompson, Daio) Attendance: 45
2-0 Leighton Town v Dunstable Town (Parkinson, Murphy) Attendance: 323

DIVISION ONE
Can anyone stop Stotfold, the Bedfordshire club made seven from seven as they ruthlessly despatched their hosts Rushden & Higham United 6-0 with a dominate first half display that saw them turn around five goals to the good. Fellow Bedfordshire side Bedford went one better by winning 7-0 at bottom side Burton Park Wanderers. Ampthill Town jumped one place to second as they edged out visiting Shefford Town & Campton by the odd goal in five in a highly competitive fought Bedfordshire derby while twenty four hours later Langford made it a great week for the county as they swept past their guests Raunds Town 4-0. At the other end of the table London Tigers, having gained their first points of the season on Saturday made it back to back wins as they won 2-0 at Long Crendon while Irchester United can look forward to finally playing in front of their own fans after losing their sixth of seven games on the road when being beaten by a solitary goal at Letchworth Garden City Eagles. Elsewhere Northampton Sileby Rangers dropped to third after being held 1-1 at home by fourth placed Wellingborough Whitworth and Buckingham Athletic were beaten by the odd goal in five at Thame United Reserves after leading 2-1 at the interval. Full results and goalscorers (where known) are listed below.

3-2 Ampthill Town v Shefford Town & Campton Attendance: (Butler, Beasley, Cerminara) / (Unknown) Attendance: 144
0-7 Burton Park Wanderers v Bedford (Bamford [2], McLeod-Bentley [2], Barron, Bunker, Boughton) Attendance: 71
1-0 Letchworth Garden City Eagles v Irchester United (Rusev) Attendance: 64
0-2 Long Crendon v London Tigers (Unknown) Attendance: 50
1-1 Northampton Sileby Rangers v Wellingborough Whitworth (Olowoyo) / (Thompson) Attendance: 107
0-6 Rushden & Higham United v Stotfold (Akinbusoye [3], Clarke [pen], Simms, Bagge) Attendance: 43
4-0 Langford v Raunds Town (Windridge [3], Cyrus) Attendance: 58
3-2 Thame United Reserves v Buckingham Athletic (Unknown) / (Faulkner [2]) Attendance: 52