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Midland Football League Newsletter

17th July 2015

League News

The fixtures for the opening month of the season have been released and generated a lot of excitement across the league. Hereford at home to free-scoring Dunkirk is a mouthwatering proposition as is Sporting Khalsa at home to Coleshill. Coventry United begin their first season in Division 1 with a trip to Littleton whilst Lichfield City vs Atherstone Town features two clubs enjoying a good pre-season.

The pre-season friendlies are well under way and thank you to all the clubs that have furnished me with details of both fixtures and results.

The travels of the Press Officer

Saturday 11th July

Hereford FC 1 FC United of Manchester 0

What a day! A crowd of 4,257 welcomed football back to Edgar Street

There was a real buzz about the place before the game with everyone genuinely excited to see football again at Edgar Street. Great to hear Chairman John Hale before the game thanking everyone in getting the Bulls to this stage. Chatting to supporters before kick off, there is optimism for the season ahead tinged with a sense of realism that it will be a battle.

The atmosphere inside the ground was superb and as pre-season friendlies go, it was a decent game. Difference between the two sides for me were the respective keepers. Rivers, for the Bulls was outstanding while Culkin for FCUM has had better afternoons. I left the ground genuinely excited for the MFL season. On first showing, the Bulls will be competitive in what is a very tough division. A visit to Edgar Street will be high on everyone's agenda even though the away support will be nothing like that supplied by FC United (328).

Tuesday 14th July

Lichfield City 2 Stafford Rangers 1

Another excellent pre-season friendly with Division 1 Lichfield getting the better of Evostik South Stafford Rangers. The game was played in fine drizzle but it didn’t deter a decent crowd from turning out. Tony Clarke gave City the lead in the first half with Rangers equalising after the break. The winner came close on full time when Adam Wood beat the Rangers keeper to the ball and nodded home. An impressive performance from Lichfield who have recruited well over the summer.

Don’t be surprised to see them in the mix at the end of the season.

Thursday 16th July

Stafford Town 2 Stafford Rangers 3

Two games following my own team this week and a hard fought win for Rangers at Division 1 Stafford Town. A healthy crowd of 220 witnessed the local derby at Evans Park with Town twice coming from behind to equalise through Tom Green. Rangers superiority finally told late on in a no holds-barred ‘friendly’.

I am off to Sporting Khalsa this evening for their friendly against Halesowen but am having a day off from football tomorrow as the fast jets of The Royal International Air Tattoo beckon. I will be at a game on Tuesday, keep checking Twitter to see where I end up.

Pre- season results

9th July

Holbrook St Michaels 1 Long Eaton United 3

10th July

Boldmere St Michaels 1 Aston Villa XI 3

Sutton Coldfield Town 2 Lichfield City 0

11th July

AFC Solihull 0 Barnt Green Spartak 4 (Ellis 2, Dunkley, Milan)

Anstey Nomads 1 Atherstone Town 6 (Gray 2, Smith, Storey, White, McEnroe)

Aston United 1 Long Eaton United 2

Austrey Rangers 1 (Keeley) Uttoxeter Town 3

Aylestone Park 4 Coton Green 0

Barton United 2 Cannock United 2 (Hall, Thompson)

Basford United 0 Coleshill Town 3

Brocton 0 Romulus 2

Coventry Sphinx 1 Folly Lane 2

Coventry United 5 Brinklow 1

Eastwood 2 Sporting Khalsa 7 (Westwood 2, Reid 2, Hadley, Townsend, Hanley)

Ellesmere 2 Lye Town 0

Enville Athletic 2 Willenhall Town 2

Fairfield Villa 1 Highgate United 8 (Benjamin 2, Smith 2, Lennin 2, Curtis, Daly)

FC Stratford 4 Bromsgrove Sporting 7 (Corbett 2, Hewitt, Eminoglu, OG, Dugmore, Wills)

Gedling Miners Welfare 0 Dunkirk 5 (Bradshaw, Osborne, Green, Bopp, Ogedi-Uzokwe)

Graham Street Prims 2 Bardon Hill 4

Harrowby United 1 Shepshed Dynamo 1

Heath Hayes 1 Rushall olympic 3

Hereford FC 1 (Hughes) FC United of Manchester 0

Hucknall Town 3 Heanor Town 2 (Hawkins, Shaw)

Jaguar Daimler 0 Knowle 1 (Torryn)

Kenilworth Town 1 Nuneaton Griff 10 (Baxter, Harris 2, Slinn 2, Moore 3, Willow, OG)

Littleton 0 Alvechurch 1 (Edwards)

Paget Rangers 5 Continental Star 0

Pershore Town 1 (Hall) Redditch United 1

Quorn 3 Hinckley AFC 4 (Ebanks 3, Roberts)

Racing Club Warwick 3 (Langmead, McKenzie, Deenin) Gornal Athletic 3

Rocester 0 Port Vale XI 1

Rostance Edwards 1 Warstone Wanderers 2

Shenstone Pathfinders 3 Burntwood Town 2

Smithswood Firs 1 Alvis Sporting 4

Stourport Swifts 1 Kidderminster Harriers 0

Studley 1 Chasetown 6

Walsall Wood 1 Hednesford Town 1

12th July

Droitwich Spa 2 Southam United 0

13th July

Eastwood 2 Heanor Town 1

14th July

AFC Wulfrunians 3 (Anslow, Sedgemore, King) Hednesford Town 3

Bardon Hill 2 (Papparozzi) Grantham Town 2

Broadwell United 1 Westfields 5 (Bendall 2, Cuss, Jones, Tambling)

Coventry Sphinx 1 Chasetown 2

Coventry United 7 (Mussa, Moyo, OG 2, Galdins, Kelly 2) Paget Rangers 0

Cradley Town 2 Alvechurch 3 (Priest, Huckfield)

Darlaston Town 1874 1 Sporting Khalsa 6

Hereford FC 0 West Bromwich Albion XI 6

Hinckley AFC 0 Tamworth 3

Kimberley Miners Walfare 0 Dunkirk 7 (Green 2, Westcarr 2, Lang, Wilcox, Ogedi-Uzokwe)

Lichfield City 2 (Clarke, Wood) Stafford Rangers 1

Newport Town 2 Stafford Town 0

Quorn 4 Holbrook Sports 2

Racing Club Warwick 1 (MacKenzie) Leamington 4

Rocester 0 Leek Town 4

Romulus 4 Studley 1

Rugby Town 8 Continental Star 2

Walsall Wood 1 Rushall Olympic 4

15th July

Smithswood Firs 4 Barnt Green Spartak 0

Wolverhampton Casuals 1 Sporting Khalsa 3 (Bannister 2,

Westwood)

16th July

Atherstone Town 4 (Smith 2, Gray, Latham) Tamworth XI 2

Droitwich Spa 2 Redditch United 7

Shawbury Town 4 AFC Wulfrunians 2

Stafford Town 2 (Green 2) Stafford Rangers 3

Kimberley MW 1 Heanor 3 (Debrouwer 2, Clarke)

Heather St Johns 1 (Yonwin) Aylestone Park 2

Friendlies Required

Received an enquiry from STM Sports AFC

I was wondering if you knew of any of your teams that needed a game on the 8th August 2015.

We are willing to travel or if anybody fancied a trip to sunny Cardiff we could entertain them.

We play in our Welsh League Division 3, which is a very good standard and I am sure would be similar to yours.

Nigel Bircham

Secretary & Vice Chairman

STM Sports AFC

11 Clos Cwm Creunant

Pontprennau

Cardiff

CF23 8LA

Home - 02920 540973 Mobile - 07813 170556 www.stmsportsafc.co.uk

Request from Hereford FC

Hereford FC have a blank date for a MFL Premier fixture on Saturday August 29th and, that due to having four away matches already in the month, we would be looking for a home fixture for that date if any clubs found themselves at a loose end after the first round of FA Cup fixtures.