FOLLOWING THE SALTMEN

Lydney Town 2 – 0 Fairford Town

Hellenic League Premier Division

21 February 2026 at Sansom Park, Lydney

February 2026 has been a bit of a non-event in Salt Nation. A combination of gaps in the fixture list and a couple of monsoon related postponements has left us without a game since beating Cribbs at Kingys on 31st January. The prospect of a third consecutive weekend without our football fix was too much to bear. So we dusted down the Futbology app to check what was on offer nearby. There was one of the lesser Worcestershire derbies on just up the road in Bromsgrove and games at Halesowen, Stourbridge and Inkberrow.

In the end we decided on the game featuring two of our promotion rivals in the Slimbridge v Corsham game. A quick stop to pick Jaddy G up and we were soon on the M5 heading south. Provisions were taken on board at Strensham services and we were soon approaching Slimbridge. Parking up in the nearby industrial estate we set off for the ground. It seemed a bit quiet. In fact, it was just over an hour to kick off and we were the only people in the area. The heavy chains on the gates into the ground told the story and a check on t’internet confirmed the game had been postponed! This left us in a tricky position. We’d come so far and at 2pm on Saturday we were struck in the middle of Gloucestershire without a game. Jaddy scanned the day’s surviving fixtures and we decided on a trip round the estuary to Lydney. At least if the game there was postponed we could walk down to Lydney Harbour to have a look at its famous Opera House and harbour bridge.

Arriving at Samson Park with ten minutes to spare, we were relieved to see the game was on and we would have to leave the sightseeing for another weekend.

I like Samson Park. I like the way it is set out. There is plenty of cover for seated and standing supporters. Best of all is the beer garden/terrace in front of the clubhouse. It’s a great place to watch football.

And the football was good too. I can’t work out why the home team are in a relegation battle. They are an impressive outfit with some very capable players. They work well as a unit and fight hard for their teammates. Unfortunately I can’t find a teamsheet so can’t name the players but we saw standout performances from both right and left backs, numbers 4, 7 and 10. Lydney dominated the first half and deservedly went in at half time with a 1-0 lead. The goal came from a decent move down the left side. The visitors could not get the ball away and a tidy finish from within the box put Lydney ahead. In truth, Lydney’s halftime lead could have been bigger. Chances were created but not taken.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first and was graced with a goal that will live long in the memory even for the two non-partisan Spa fans. The scorer may play for another 20 years but will never score a better goal than this dipping volley from 20 odd yards. It was worth the 100 mile round trip just to see it.

Lydney visit Kingys in about 4 weeks. They will certainly give us a game.

Fairford looked laboured; some distance from the level of performance we have seen in our two games against them. They make the journey to visit Spa on Tuesday evening in the Challenge Cup and will no doubt be looking for an improved showing.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS