FOLLOWING THE SALTMEN

Hellenic League Premier Division

3pm, Saturday 10th January 2026

Cossham Street Stadium, Mangotsfield, BS16 9EN

In my little world there are two Man Uniteds and both of them have recently parted company with a senior member of their coaching team (Don’t call it Manager! – Ed). One of the clubs will probably have to lay off another 250 employees to pay their former Head Coach the remainder of his contracted salary. One of them won’t!

Both clubs are ambitious, having recently played at higher levels. Both attract the highest attendances in their respective divisions.

One club’s billionaire owners removed concessionary pricing for kids and pensioners mid season while the other offers concessions to season ticket holders at the city’s professional clubs as well as the usual concessions.

One aims to be the biggest non-league club in Bristol. It will be interesting to see which club gets to that level first.

I know which of the two models I prefer and we will be going there on Saturday.

Yep. We’re off to Bristol again. This time we visit the city’s eastern suburbs. In fact Mangotsfield is right on the edge of the conurbation. Big city one side. Open countryside the other.

It is only 5 years since United played in the Southern League and this is reflected in the facilities at the club’s Cossham Street ground. There is a large seated main stand on one touchline and covered standing on the three other sides. The new artificial playing surface means games can be played in all but the most severe weather conditions while supporters stay dry. Unlike at the other Man Utd!

The Mangoes currently sit in 11th place in the table and will hope the arrival of new manager Ollie Price will signal a push towards the play off places. Signs are positive as the first game of his tenure ended with the Mangoes winning 3-0 away at the Plums of Pershore in what is sure to become known as the Fruit Salad Derby. [The Fruit Bowl – Ed]

As indicated above, United are the only club in the division with a higher average attendance than the Saltmen. Mangotsfield’s average home attendance this season is 237 compared with the average of 229 at Kingys. Given the legendary numbers who follow The Saltmen away from home, there could be a bumper crowd at the game.

I’m really looking forward to this one. Whatever happens it will be better than a trip to the Theatre of Dreams Comedy – but probably not as funny.

See you there

Cheers

FTS

Hallen FC 0-1 Droitwich Spa

UhlSport Hellenic League Premier Division

3rd July 2026

The new year started with The Saltmen making the now familiar trip down the M5 to the northern suburbs of Bristol. It’s not been a particularly happy hunting ground this season after being held to a score draw at Cribbs and losing at Roman Glass. But our happy band of travelling supporters set off in good spirits after last week’s convincing win over local rivals Worcester Raiders.

We decided in midweek that we should give Jaddy G a day off from driving duties so, Jaddy, Len, Don and yours truly piled into the Saltmobile and were soon heading south into the January sunshine. A quick pit stop at Strensham for some essential hydration fluids and we were soon approaching Bristol. With the January sales in full swing, we were help up briefly as we left the motorway at Cribbs Causeway (still better than the Giants’ one) but by 2.15 we arrived at the ground. After parking in the overspill car park, we made our way to the ground where a cheery welcome awaited. Travelling can dehydrate a supporter so we made our way into the ground. The bar facilities available up to the final whistle are located in a small but pleasant portacabin on the touchline where supporters can buy food, soft drinks and cans of beer and cider at £4 per can. A selection of snacks was also available.

On the same side as the bar, the ground boasts a hospitality suite in a nicely converted transport container, two covered external bar areas, an impressive main stand and a covered standing area. In warmer weather, I can imagine the ground would be a great place to watch football. There has certainly been some creative thought gone into the facilities.

Sadly, today the temperature was more Baltic than Balearic. Even the passing seagulls smelled of wintergreen! So we were unable to make full use of the rehydration opportunities.

At three o’clock, a game of football broke out. The playing surface looked good but it soon became clear it was very soft and it took most of the first half for both sides to fully find their feet. Chances were at a premium and neither goalkeeper had much in the way of shot stopping to keep them warm.

Droitwich probably edged the first 45 minutes with the majority of possession and the better of the chances but it took until first half injury time for that to be converted to goals. But when it did arrive it came from possibly the best move of the game. After dispossessing Hallen in the Droitwich half, Jack Brighton and Josh Hurdman exchanged passes wide on the right flank. Josh twisted and turned his way into the Hallen penalty area before cleverly finding James Lemon whose first time shot found the top corner of the goal giving Spa a lead they would not relinquish.

The second half began with the home side looking to equalise and with a couple of minutes played, Hallen had their closest effort on goal of the afternoon as King shot narrowly wide. On the hour mark, a Ben Tilbury header was cleared off the line. Both sides battled hard but the heavy underfoot conditions made free flowing football difficult. Hallen pushed hard right up to the final whistle but Spa defended resolutely and Joe Stockton in the Droitwich goal was restricted largely to sweeping up behind his back four.

Overall a good away win on a tricky surface and a clean sheet too. Good performances all round from the Saltmen. Massive effort from lads, with excellent shifts put in by skipper James Lemon and Curtis Smith among many but this week’s Following the Saltmen Man of the Match award goes Alex Dugmore. A real battling performance from the Droitwich talisman who led the line very effectively and showed a couple of flashes of real skill.

The result moves the Saltmen back to second place.

Next time out we travel to Mangotsfield.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

It has been brought to our attention that there may have been an insignificant typo in our preview of last Saturday’s game at Royal Wootton Bassett. Apparently, we may have referred to the prestigious Marsh Challenge Cup as the ‘Who Cares Cup.’ This is clearly incorrect and we really are very sorry.
It seems we inadvertently got the prestigious Marsh Challenge Cup confused with a competition sponsored by Roger Townsend and Pete Daltrey. As fans of classic rock will know, Roger and Pete are the only remaining founder members of The Who. By way of putting something back into the community, the band’s (possible) charitable foundation “The Who Cares” have considered sponsoring a regional knockout football tournament, namely The Who Cares Cup (possibly).

Obviously, our almost plausible explanation should not be taken as a knee jerk response to The Saltmen’s reinstatement to the quarter final stage of the prestigious Marsh Challenge Cup.

Hats off to Tuffley for ‘fessing up. It must be a real choker to miss out in such a prestigious competition. I know we were absolutely gutted by our exit and the chance of another trip to the atmospheric HQ of Gloucestershire FA in the final.

The Who perform Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep during their legendary free concert at Lido Park Band Stand, 1968.

In the unlikely event that The Who do not sponsor a football knockout tournament or have a charitable foundation called The Who Cares then complaints should be sent to the Interweb Management And Terrestrial Writers Atrocities Tribunal (I.M.A.T.W.A.T.) C/O HM Department for Fun, London.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Royal Wootton Bassett 2-2 Droitwich Spa

UhlSport Hellenic League, Premier Division

20 December 2025

There are many who believe former Chancellor Otto von Bismarck to be the greatest ever German. My sixth form History tutor, Charles Rothwell, certainly thought so. It’s hard to disagree, although I’d have to say former Bayern Munich and West German goalkeeper Sepp ‘Die Katze’ Maier would give him a good run for his money. History is unclear with regard to Bismarck’s ability between the sticks and I suspect Maier’s role in Prussia’s rise to dominance in the newly unified 1870s Germany was limited by his not being born until 1944.

But as great a leader as Otto was, the oft repeated quote above shows he had a bit of a downer on one of his country’s greatest contributions to world cuisine, sausages!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that sausages were a German invention. Like Bismarck’s shot stopping prowess, history remains somewhat ambiguous as to who made the first sausage. Akkadian text from pre-Christian Mesopotamia is thought to describe meat encased in animal intestines. Sausages are regularly mentioned in Ancient Greek literature; Homer name drops a blood sausage in his best selling page-turner, Odyssey. Aristophanes even wrote a play about a sausage seller who was elected to high office. The Romans also enjoyed a banger but they pretty much copied most things from the Greeks anyway.

Fast forward to the 21st century and many nations have their own regional variations of this staple foodstuff. From Chorizo and Salami to Aussie ‘snags’ and Devon’s. They even make sausages with kangaroo meat but they are only available in a leap year.

Perhaps the world’s biggest selling sausage would be the humble wiener made famous as the interesting bit of a hot dog. Vendors in New York pay mindblowing prices for the right to park their carts in the most prestigious spots and serve New Yorkers with hot dogs, chilli dogs and even corn dogs.

There are some people, dwelling on the fringe of normality, who claim there is such a thing as a vegan sausage. Clearly those people have never looked the word oxymoron up in a dictionary.

In the unlikely event that you have managed to read this far, you may well be wondering why so many column inches have been dedicated to our beloved snorker. Well, bear with me, there are a few reasons…

Prior to yesterday’s game, the only person I have known who comes from Royal Wootton Bassett was Mr Green, my childhood best mate’s grandfather. If I recall correctly, when Mr Green returned home after fighting Nazis in the desert during WWII, he was a butcher in Wootton Bassett. I expect he made thousands of sausages for the good folk of Wiltshire during his career.

The next reason is that Following the Saltmen was entirely fuelled on free sausages for the whole trip. On arrival at the coach we were greeted by the welcome sight of Wayne handing out gratis sausage sarnies to the faithful travellers. After the game, while standing next to the refreshment kiosk at RWBFC, we were offered free surplus footlong hotdogs by our generous hosts. FTS is partial to all sausage related products and free sausage is our absolute favourite.

Finally, in all honesty, the football was not particularly interesting. A couple of goals courtesy of Sir Alex and Josh Hurdman gave Spa a deserved 2-0 lead after a first half dominated by the injury hit Droitwich side. In the spirit of seasonal generosity, the second half was marked by some rather sloppy defending which resulted in Spa gifting RWBFC two goals so the spoils could be shared.

While the result may have been disappointing it was still an enjoyable day. The coach journey was excellent and the facilities at RWBFC are second to none. The presence of two Pétanque courts(?) is something other clubs should also consider. A nice touch can be found in the form of a mural depicting the club’s storied history. I could have looked at it for a long time but as it was located outside the ladies’ toilet and the court order still in force I was unable to linger longer than absolutely necessary.

Speaking of toilets….special mention should be made of the Gents. Without being too graphic, football ground toilets can often be less than pleasant. However, it may be that the RWB gents facility are the best I have ever visited. Clean to a fault, the gents boasts a fresh mango scent making a pleasant change to some lesser facilities we have visited this year.

With plenty of spectator cover, the stadium is modern and comfortable making it a great place to watch the football. Topped off by an extensive and reasonably priced clubhouse bar, the club can be proud of their home and for the warm welcome we received from officials and supporters alike. FTS wishes all the best the club for the remainder of the season.

The much vaunted FTS Man of the Match award goes to club skipper James Lemon who worked hard throughout the game and was involved in much of the best of the Saltmen’s better first half play.

So, that’s it until Santa goes on his holidays.

Best wishes to you and yours from all at Following the Saltmen. Thank you for reading again.

See you soon

Cheers

FTS

UhlSport Hellenic League Premier Division

20 December 2025 – New Gerrard Buxton Sports Village

The Saltmen return to league action after bowing out of the Who Cares Cup last weekend, with a trip to Royal Wootton Bassett Football Club. Spa edged the ‘best of three’ reverse fixture at Kingys in October against a young RWBFC team who belied their league position to make things tricky for the home side. I think they will fancy their chances on home turf so it should be a very competitive game.

RWB has a population of around 13,500. It is a market town located 6 miles west of Swindon.

In 2011 it became the fourth English town to gain royal status in recognition of its part in the repatriation of military personnel fallen in action overseas. The other three are Leamington, Tunbridge Wells and, presumably just for a laugh – Sutton Coldfield!!

For those getting to the town well ahead of kick-off an essential visit should be made to Wootton Bassett Mud Springs where mud oozes (sometimes spurts) out of the ground. If the danger is too much to risk, you might want to wait until our away fixture at Claines Lane for a similar experience!

There are a number of pubs on the High Street. The nearest pub to the ground is the Royal. I suspect this may be a mainly foody place but there looks to be a comfortable bar at the ground for the weary traveller to ‘rehydrate.’

And finally, for reasons which may never be fully known, the Home Office has issued a Lock up Your Daughters warning to the good people of Cheltenham for Saturday evening. But good form dictates that what goes on a Players’ Xmas Do should stay on a Players Xmas Do. Hope they recover by next week!

Looking forward to this trip.

See you there.

FTS

Following the Saltmen is sorry to hear that Joe Clayton has left Droitwich Spa.

The versatile player came through Spa’s junior system and became a key member of the 24/25 promotion season. His ability and adaptability soon won the hearts of the Saltmen faithful putting in a string of great performances.

We are still to hear who Joe will be joining but we wish him luck wherever it may be….unless it’s Manchester United, of course.

Who knows, he might miss us so much that he returns some time in the future.

Thank you very much Joe for your contribution to DSFC – although you could have left your Dad at home more often. 😂

FTS

UhlSport Hellenic League Premier Division

6th December 2025 at Cinders Lane, Fairford

Attendance: 85

The Saltmen returned to Droitwich on Saturday evening with three points from this away fixture. Any victory away from home is to be savoured but this one will last in the memory longer than many.

Today’s adventure started at 12.40 when I was picked up by Len Boyd opposite the Copcut. Already in the car were Don Judley and Jaddy G and an empty child’s booster seat belonging to Len’s daughter. It seems the booster seat had become stuck in place and Len had been unable to remove it. This made the short journey to the Cotswolds a little less comfortable than usual.

An hour later we arrived in the pretty Cotswolds town and repaired to the Railway Arms. The sudden presence of a car full of oiks from mid-Worcestershire was probably a little unsettling but we were made very welcome and Don was talked into buying a ticket by the most well spoken ‘chuggers’ I’ve ever met. But they were a decent bunch, and some of them may never have ritually placed anything in a dead pig’s mouth.

The pub itself was also really nice. Stone floors and a working log burner in the Ingle Nook. There was a good choice of drinks and a round of four drinks came to less than £20. Take note publicans of Thornbury and Almondsbury!

After our refreshing libations we squeezed back into the Len Mobile for the short drive to the highly inaccurately named Cinders Lane. Considering the other excellent facilities at the ground, the lane itself is in shocking condition and would certainly benefit from a few bucket loads of cinders to fill in the potholes. I wouldn’t say they’re bad but I’m pretty sure I saw the gun turret of a stranded tank protruding from one.

After paying to get into the ground we discovered that we had to leave again to get to the bar, which we did. The clubhouse bar was very pleasant and it was good to see a number of fellow Spa supporters had already arrived.

Making sure we were suitably hydrated for maximum performance, we ventured out and re-entered the ground just in time for kick off. If we’d left it a little longer we might have missed the opening goal of the game. The hosts started strongly and took that lead on 6 minutes when the Arrows skipper Luke Hitchman managed to turn the ball home after one of those epic goalmouth scrambles. Spa battled hard to restore parity but Jack Brighton came closest. The Spa full-back judged the blustery wind to perfection with a speculative effort from wide right. It took a very smart save from the backpedaling Connor Johns to deny JB a goal on his 200th appearance for the Saltmen. In truth both sides had chances and the hosts could have doubled their lead had it not been for a strong save from Joe Stockton in the Droitwich goal.

Halftime arrived and liquids were taken onboard. For the second half, we chose to seek shelter from the elements in one of the two stands located opposite the clubhouse, but before we could get that far, Fairford did extend their lead, as Adam Corcoran converted an early corner for 2-0.

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That’s it we thought. Probably concede 4 or 5. Fortunately, nobody told that to the high priest of the penalty area, Alex Dugmore. Immediately after the restart Duggers met a low far post Jack Brighton cross and neatly converted to halve the deficit. The Spa talisman almost registered a second goal after rounding Johns only to see his shot cleared off the line by that meddling kid Hitchman.

Never one to give up, Duggers met the resulting corner and his powerful header gave John no chance and the game was level with 25 minutes to play.

Some of the Spa faithful had their hearts in their mouth as Fairford strode up the field and saw a strong headed effort strike the post and safety. As the rain got harder, Spa looked the stronger of the two sides but the game appeared to be drifting towards a draw when an injury time slide rule pass from an impressive Cory Rudd put Nathan Binner through on goal. An equally clinical finish from Nathan put The Saltmen in front and around half of the crowd went mental.

In fairness, it was a good turnout from Saltmen Nation with around 40 or so making the trip to deepest Gloucestershire so close to Christmas and those who did make the trip will not forget it for a while! The final whistle went and the players congratulated each other to the strains of “We Love You Droitwich.” Everyone clapped someone else and then we went for a pint in the Spikes Diner side of the clubhouse. I can’t personally vouch for the food as I had a curry waiting for me back at Falsam Pitts but comments were very positive and judging by the number of delivery riders queuing to take takeaways, it must be good. Special mention to the other double centurion of the day, as gaffer Andy Crowther celebrated his 200th game in charge with a memorable second half performance.
The Following The Saltmen Man of the Match Award goes to Ben Tilbury for another imperious performance in the back four. He always looks like he has loads of time when others might look flustered and hurried.
The result keeps Spa in the top three. Perhaps the most pleasing thing was the way the lads responded to going two down demonstrating levels of determination and quality which is likely be needed in the rest of the season.

Finally, a big thank you to Fairford Town. Cracking club and some nice folk too. Best of luck for the rest of the season.

Back to Cup action next Saturday as we return to Gloucestershire looking to beat Tuffley Rovers into the next round draw.

See you there!

Cheers

FTS

Fairford Town v Droitwich Spa

Saturday 6th December

Cinder Lane, Fairford, GL7 4AX

According to its town council, Fairford is renowned not only for its picturesque Cotswold stone buildings, Grade I listed church and tranquil riverside setting rich with wildlife, perfect for both hikes and leisurely strolls, but also for its vibrant calendar of events that draw visitors from near and far.

It is also renowned for its picturesque Cotswold stone RAF airbase. The base is known as the venue of an international Air Tattoo, which presumably is a bit like air guitar but with its participants pretending to engrave ink onto a limb or other body part. It is not known whether the event features a soundtrack by Yngwie Malmsteen or Blue Oyster Cult.

Not every town in the Cotswolds can claim to have its own Space Shuttle Trans Oceanic Abort Landing site. Fairford can. In fact, it was the only place the recently retired space plane could land in the entire UK due to RAF Fairford’s long (9990ft) runway and NASA-trained fire and medical crews stationed on the airfield. This is excellent news if you are travelling to the game by air, you should have a safe landing.

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Fairford itself sits on the banks of the River Coln. It has a population of around 3300. Fortunately, the residents must be thirsty folk as there are five pubs in Fairford. The nearest pub to the football ground is the Railway Arms on London Road. It looks like it is around a 5 minute walk from pub to ground.

If you’re not in the mood for such a lengthy walk but still in need of hydration, the club’s Cinder Lane stadium has a bar. It also has a diner, called Spikes, which gets good reviews on t’internet. I suspect the diner is named for the club chairman, Stuart Pike

(S Pike). It may be that he is the Sky Darts commentator of the same name; but following the maelstrom of internet bitterness and recrimination after I mistakenly said that Lydney Castle was in Lydney, I am not prepared to speculate!

So, if you would prefer some good football, good company and an all round good day out, as opposed to trudging miserably round the Victorian Fair in that city down the road, come join us cheering the Saltmen on in the Cotswolds. Because…..

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division

22 November 2025. Attendance: 110

In yesterday’s match preview, I suggested this game would be a stern test. Well, I didn’t expect it to be one that would be failed in such dramatic fashion.

The afternoon started well enough. As this week’s designated driver FTS collected passengers, Don Judley and Jihadi G (names changed to protect the innocent) and we set off for the M5. It was raining.

The journey into Gloucestershire was uneventful although there was a lot of spray. In accordance with knowledge gained on my recent speed awareness course, I moderated my speed and we were soon turning onto the Cirencester Road. It was still raining. Those who know the A417 will be familiar with the construction project taking place at the bottom of Birdlip Hill. To put the scale of the works into perspective, it makes the HS2 project look like a single storey kitchen extension. We were held up in traffic but not for long. We had arranged to meet up with some fellow Saltmen at The Golden Farm pub. After a pleasant diversion around the suburbs we arrived. Nice pub. Open fire, stone floors and £6 a pint. We only stopped for one and headed for the Corinium Stadium. It was still raining.

The stadium itself is easy to find and just a short distance from the town. On arrival we found a capacious car park with plenty of spaces. An excellent addition to the parking facility is a car wash where you can apparently get a hand job for £6! Unfortunately, I’d just had a pint at the Golden Farm so I can’t vouch for their service. Still, it seems to be good value. Anyway, it was still raining.

Entry to the excellent Corinium Stadium is via one of a cluster of five turnstiles in a row. Only one was open but that was plenty and there was no queue. The ground is all in very good order. The 4G pitch is surrounded on all 4 sides by hard standing. On the clubhouse side, there is the smaller of two covered seating areas. It has unobstructed views due to a column free cantilever type roof. The opposite touchline houses the larger covered seating area. While it has a larger capacity, the view is partly obstructed by the presence of four roof supports. One of the goal ends (the Shed End) has a cover stretching approximately half the width of the pitch. Its shelter was very welcome during the first half as Droitwich attacked this end. Because it was still raining.

The other end of the ground has no cover and is known as the No Shed End, probably.

The ground has a capacity of 4500. This has not been tested yet as the club record attendance is a still admirable 2600.

The large clubhouse is clean and very comfortable. The staff, officials and supporters were all very welcoming. If I was being hyper-critical, I would like to see some team photos or other club memorabilia on display. The Centurions have an illustrious history and it would be good see some of it on display.

We ventured out into the weather just before kick off and set up camp under the Shed End cover. The first half went quite well. Spa rode their luck a little but were very much in the game when the ball fell to Sam Hurdman on the edge off the box on 24 minutes. The young midfielder elegantly guided his first time side foot volley just inside the post and Spa had the lead. That they kept the lead until halftime had a lot to do with some very profligate finishing from the Centurion. One close range effort from close range looked harder to miss than score. But miss they did and the Saltmen took a 0-1 advantage into the break.

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Walking past the Home changing room at halftime, it was audibly clear that their coaching team were unhappy. Some of the words I heard can be found in the bible. Some of them cannot!

Whatever was said, it did the trick as the Centurions drew level with seconds of the re-start. Spa looked very uncertain at the back and lacking in ideas going forward. The hosts appeared energised while our heroes looked strangely leaden footed. It came as no surprise when our hosts took the lead.

Stung by their reversal of fortune Spa fought back and a trademark Alex Dugmore header appeared to have restored parity. The referee, who had enjoyed a pretty good game up to this point, took leave of his senses and the goal was chalked off. Certainly wasn’t anything Duggers did!

This proved pivotal. Cirencester went on to pick up three more goals after working out Spa’s Achilles heel. I’m not going to say what it is on here as there’s still a couple of teams in the division we haven’t played yet. If they want a scouting report they can send someone to watch us. Enough to say it is the same weakness we have displayed for at least two seasons.

Had it not been for a string of fine saves from Dom Rogerson, Cirencester could have run up a rugby score. Sadly, bad luck struck the Spa stopper again. Late in the game Dom got down smartly to turn a goalbound attempt round the post. In doing so, it looks like his boot got stuck in the playing surface and he suffered a twisting injury to his knee. After being helped from the field, the luckless goalkeeper was taken to hospital. FTS has no further information on Dom’s condition but it looked like the injury could keep him out of the side for quite a while. Ironically, it had stopped raining.

With no reserve keeper on the bench, Liam Livesey put the green shirt on for the remainder of the game.

The final whistle blew and the, by now, rather damp Spa Faithful applauded the lads off the field. It had been a bad day at the office but that’s going to happen from time to time. We’ve come a long way in a short period of time.

This week’s Following The Saltmen Man of the Match award goes to Dom Rogerson. This is not a sympathy vote; Dom made a series of excellent stops in conditions which were far from ideal for glovesmen. Good luck Dom. We look forward to seeing you back in action as soon as you are back to full fitness.

If you think it strange that a goalkeeper gets an MOTM vote after his side loses 5-1, I should point out that I once got MOTM after conceding nine! (For the record, it was an under 10s game in the Garforth League, 1979-80, Methley Owls 9-0 Nostell Miners Welfare). We got better.

To show we can be gracious losers [And like beer – Ed] we returned to the clubhouse after the game for some provisions before our arduous journey back to our Mid-Worcestershire haven. it was good to chat with our equally gracious host and learn a bit about their club.

A quick word to the wise: Don’t bother with the 0% alcohol lager. It is also 0% taste. If you are a designated driver like me, have a glass of pop instead.

We took our leave just in time to witness the great fire of Cirencester. Huge plumes of acrid smoke billowed from what I think must have been the snack bar. Fortunately, it stopped as abruptly as it had started. Unlike the rain, which had started again.

An uneventful journey home was punctuated by a stop to witness the Haunted Service Station Toilets of Strensham. Fortunately, there were no goolies on view but I am reliably informed by a reliable source that they were present on Tuesday evening!

Overall, a good day out, despite the result. I can certainly recommend a visit to Cirencester Town FC if you’re looking for a game to watch, if the Saltmen aren’t playing.

Tuffley visit Kingys next Saturday to face the wrath of the wounded Saltmen.

See you there

Cheers

FTS

Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division

The Corinium Stadium, GL7 1HS

3pm, Saturday 22nd November 2025

The Saltmen travel down the M5 and A417 to face Cirencester Town in the Premier Division later today.

The Centurians are a club with an illustrious history having played in the step 3 Southern League Premier Division in the mid noughties. Their impressive Corinium Stadium home reflects their pedigree, having a capacity of 4500. So there should just be enough room for the travelling Legions of Saltmen making the journey.

The hosts currently occupy sixth place in the table, ideally placed for a push towards the promotion places. They are unbeaten in their last eight league games since losing to Roman Glass in early September.

So, second placed Spa face a stern test and your support could make the difference.

Looking forward to this one!

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Wiseman Lighting Floodlit Cup Third Round

Tuesday 18 November 2025

WILDSMITH MEADOW, MALSWICK, NEWENT, Gloucestershire GL18 1HE

Spa enter the Wiseman Lighting Floodlit Cup at the third round stage when they visit the Daffs of Newent Town on Tuesday 18 November 2025.

Last season the Saltmen did the double over tomorrow’s hosts; winning 6-2 at Wildsmith Meadow in August 2024 and 5-2 in the return fixture at Kingys in December. However, Newent are a different proposition this season, sitting just behind the playoff places. They will undoubtedly want to chalk up a victory over a step 5 team to show what progress they are making.

Wildsmith Meadow was one of my favourite away grounds last season, with impressive facilities including a modern main stand and excellent clubhouse bar!

Less than an hour away, why not join us down in Gloucestershire to cheer the lads on?

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

UhlSport Hellenic League Premier Division

Saturday 15 November 2025

Attendance: 160

I’ve mentioned the naming of weather systems in previous posts. It’s unnecessary and childish. And stupid! Apparently the storm which swept across the region last week was called Claudia. What a wasted opportunity that was. Surely, Cloudier would have been better than Claudier. They should learn from this and when it gets round to the G’s again I will look forward to storm Gail.

Anywho, whatever the storm’s name, it certainly left a lot of rain behind. So much so that as of Friday evening it looked certain to be postponed. The club even cancelled the print run of the Programmes for the first time in club history. Fortunately, the investment in the pitch over the last couple of summers, paid off and on inspection at 8am on Saturday morning it was passed as playable. And so it proved as both teams served up an entertaining game with both playing neat passing football.

In truth, the game was a little one-sided. Spa started brightly and kept on creating chances. Confident goalkeeping from MacKenzie Welsh and stubborn defending from the Thorns back line kept the Saltmen at bay.

Spa even tried the experimental use of backs to break the deadlock. A long pass to Josh Hurdman was brought down and controlled by the wizard of wide using his back to wrong foot the Thorns left back. Josh then struck a cross in towards James Lemon. Inspired by Hurdman’s improvisation, the Spa skipper tried to catch the Thorns out. Rather than predictably heading the ball, Lem guided the ball towards goal with his back. And it nearly worked. Only quick reactions from Welsh prevented to ball looping into the goal.

We were also treated to an Alex Dugmore bicycle kick. Clearly being beaten to the FTS Goal of the Season award last year still stings and he was keen to put an early claim in for this year’s award. His spectacular effort was clutched by Welsh who must have his money on Jack Davies to repeat his win.

Never deterred, Duggers bagged an assist in the 36th minute as his deft ball over the Thornbury back four put Nathan Binner clear to equally deftly lift the ball over Welsh from 20 yards into the visitors’ goal to open the scoring.

The sides went into the half time break with a scoreline of 1-0 but it didn’t take long for Spa to double the advantage after the restart. A neat six yard headed finish from Charlie Tilley in the 47th minute made it 2-0 to Droitwich. While the Thorns continued to counter the Spa dominance, their star man was Welsh. The Thornbury keeper made a string of incredible saves to keep his team in the game and frustrate the Saltmen. Finally even his efforts had to give under the weight of Spa pressure. A fabulous through ball from Sam Hurdman put the charging Jack Brighton in on goal and his fierce near post strike evaded Welsh to secure the three points.

But Thornbury were not done. They looked to have pulled a goal back with a minute of going three down. The ball found the Spa net but the assistant referee’s flag meant the goal was chalked off.

A very professional performance by the Saltmen which also saw the introduction of new signing Soms Sibanda from the bench with an impressive cameo performance. I can see Soms becoming a firm favourite with the Droitwich faithful.

With so many good performances from the Spa side it is another difficult choice for the Following The Saltmen Man of the Match award. After much consideration the award goes to Josh Hurdman who’s first half torture of the opposing left back marked a welcome return to form following a lengthy injury break.

The win puts Spa in second place in the table, equal on points with Roman Glass but one behind on goal difference. Spa still have a game in hand on the Glass.

Next up, we go to Newent Town to take on the Daffodils on in the Wiseman Lighting Cupon Tuesday evening.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

UhlSport Hellenic League Premier Division

Saturday 8th November 2025

Attendance: 276

The Saltmen closed the gap on league leaders Roman Glass St George following an impressive win over the Plums of Pershore Town, in the Wychavon derby at Kingys.

Sadly, the game is likely to be remembered for a terrible looking injury to visitors’ centre back Nigel Hinkelow. The big defender fell awkwardly following a collision with one of his teammates in the Pershore penalty area. After getting up to rejoin the action it was clear that Hinkelow was struggling and seconds later he went to ground. Both sides’ medical staff went to his assistance and it appears there were concerns of a potentially serious neck injury. The game was suspended for 45 minutes awaiting the arrival of an ambulance.

I am pleased to say that, while writing this piece, I received a message that Hinkelow had been given the all clear and was eating a McDonalds. Presumably Burger King was closed.

By the time the game was suspended, Spa had crafted a 2-1 lead. The first goal was an authoritative 18th minute Ben Tilbury penalty following a nice interchange of passing between Charlie Tilley and Jack Davies, whose surge of pace took him into the penalty area where he was crudely brought down by a late tackle.

The Plums responded quickly when a smart passage of play put Harper through on goal only to see his effort miss the target. They were soon to rue the missed opportunity. Within 60 seconds, nice interplay between the impressive duo of Perry Moss and Sam Hurdman saw Pez torment the Pershore defence before hitting a low shot towards the far post. Plums keeper Cuneen managed to parry the ball straight into one of his colleagues which ricocheted into the goal.

A frenetic 5 minute period concluded with the visitors pulling a goal back. A strangely static Spa defence allowed Day to pick up the ball in the Spa box and his no-doubter gave Dom Rogerson no chance.

After the lengthy injury break the game re-started with the Saltmen taking charge. Lemon, Moss and Davies almost increased the Droitwich advantage until Lemon found himself through on goal after a flowing move. The Spa skipper needed no second invitation and his clinical finish sent the Saltmen into the half time break with a 3-1 advantage.

The early stages of the second half saw both sides cancelling each others efforts out, with the exception of a cracking distance effort from the Plums which nearly lifted the river end goal into the river (after which it is not named).

Half chances came and went for both sides before Spa made all three points safe. Returning Saltman Haydn Morris switched from being goal scorer last week to goal creator this week. His pinpoint low cross across the Pershore box looked destined for a meeting with James Lemon’s right boot. However, Lem must have received a call from Josh Hurdman, returning to the squad after a lengthy injury. Captain Lem, cleverly stepped over the ball which was met cleanly by Josh whose shot from the edge of the box showed Salt National what they had been missing.

The visitors never took their foot off the pedal and had a couple of excellent chances to reduce the deficit but just could not find the final finish to pressurise Spa late on.

After two or three lacklustre performances, this game saw Spa return to something closer to the standard they are capable of. Front to back, without exception, they were excellent. As were the contributions from the substitutes. But, the FTS Man of the Match goes to Sam Hurdman. After missing so much football over the last couple of years, while recovering from a potentially career ending injury, the eldest of the three brothers showed creativity going forward while doing his share of the hard yards without the ball. Really good to see.

Something else which was good to see was the presence of a club shop within the ground. Should be good source of inspiration for Christmas pressies for the Salt men and women in your life!

FTS would like to send best wishes for a speedy recovery to Mr Hinkelow. Hopefully, he will be back playing very soon.

Next up, on Tuesday evening we will see Worcester Raiders visit Kingys in the County Cup.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Season 2025/2026

I don’t know what is going on with our editorial team but I can see the FTS Man of the Match was missing from the match report.

Anywho, I can exclusively reveal that this week’s award goes to Jack Davies. A Herculean effort from fan favourite JD who covered every blade of grass. Great work rate and had the experience to put his foot on the ball and take stock of what was on.

Cheers

FTS

The Saltmen bowed out of the FA Vase in round one after a disappointing defeat at step 6 Radford FC.

I thought I would try something new this week. A quick match report , written on the coach back from Nottingham.

But it didn’t work. That may have been because the brand new leather appointed coach was moving and making it difficult to write legibly with my crayons. It could also be the result of a miscalculation on the liquid intake front, leaving me a little over-hydrated. Hmmm. Probably the latter!

In fairness, football aside, it was a good day out. Having narrowly avoided leaving a significant proportion of the management team in Droitwich, the trip to Nottingham in the aforementioned plush coach was very smooth with no major delays. On arrival in Radford, a number of the Spa faithful ventured to a local pub run, coincidentally, by a close family member of the late proprietor of Witton Post Office.

FTS headed straight for Radford’s excellent Selhurst Street ground and welcoming clubhouse bar where the Nottingham Forest v Chelsea game was being shown. While we were enjoying the comfortable settings, Forest boss Ange Postecoglou was busy getting himself sacked and becoming perhaps the least surprising managerial casualty so far this season. I bet he wishes he’d missed the coach.

Anywho, Nottingham’s most important game of the day started to the sound of the Radford Ultras’ drummer 🥁. But it was the visitors who made the early running and looked in control of the game until Radford suspended the good host theme by scoring the opener in the eighth minute. Nashien Isman picking up a flick on from a set-piece and confidently finding the Spa net. The Saltmen responded positively, creating a number of openings for the equaliser that would not arrive during the first period. Meanwhile, Radford took every opportunity to hit Droitwich on the break but were also frustrated in front of goal. After lengthy delays for treatment to both club captains, the first half drew to a close just before 4.00 by which time, a well known Aussie coach was submitting another claim for universal credit and the red part of Laceopolis was calling for the return of “our number nine.”

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with both sides striving to create opportunities. Neither goalkeeper was particularly troubled until on 60 minutes when Charlie Tilley received the ball on the right side of the Radford box and struck a powerful shot on goal. There might have been a hint of a deflection but the Saltmen had their equaliser. Spa manager Andy Crowther then introduced players off the bench. With Liam Livesey, Sam and Joe Hurdman joining the action Spa had a different aspect to their play and looked dangerous.

In Dimmock-Fox, Radford look to have some real quality. It was he who put Fagbemi into a shooting position that would not be wasted. The hosts had a lead which they would not relinquish despite surviving a very strong shout for a penalty when Sam Hurdman was upended in the box just as he was pulling the trigger. Sadly for Spa, the Cub Scout dressed up as a referee by the Nottinghamshire FA, bottled the decision. Neither of the juvenile assistant referees offered any assistance whatsoever.

The football authorities keep banging on about respecting referees. And I promise I will….just as soon as they send us one!

If this sounds like sour grapes, then it should take nothing away from the Radford side. They got their game plan right and took their chances very well. And that’s what cup football is about.

Good luck to The Pheasants for the next round, and the rest of their season. A cracking club with a great ground. Loads of cover and proper floodlights too. Thank you to the friendly club officials and supporters who made us feel very welcome.

As for your Saltmen, it was great to see so many Spa supporters make the trip to Nottingham. I’m not sure what the official attendance was but I suspect Spa fans made up over half of the number.

On the field, it’s back on the road next Saturday as the lads travel to the north Bristol home of Roman Glass St George in a table topping six pointer. The first fixture between the two clubs, a few weeks ago, was a great game.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

FA Vase, First Round

18 October 2025

The Spa return to Cup football this Saturday 18 October when they travel to Nottingham to take on Radford in the first round proper (accept no imitation) of the Isuzu FA Vase. So strictly speaking it’s Vase football, rather than Cup football, but you know what I mean.

Our destination, Radford is located just to the west of the historic city of Nottingham. If you’re familiar with the area, it is between Lenton and Hyson Green. If you’re not familiar with the area, it is still between Lenton and Hyson Green!

Radford was the home to two very well known household brands: Raleigh bicycles and Players cigarettes. It’s worth having a snoop round to see if any old ‘B’ Stock Grifters or Choppers have been left in skips near the old Raleigh works because they are changing hands for more than £1000 for a good one! I probably won’t go looking for any old cigarettes, although at close to £20 a packet they will soon be as valuable as on old push bike.

Another leading company which was based in Radford was Manlove, Alliott and Co. who pioneered the production of incinerators for waste disposal. Manlove subsequently relocated to somewhere called Scotland but before they left, their employees founded a football club. That club were later known as Radford Olympic presumably to commemorate Nottinghamshire hosting the 1968 games!

Wait a minute……

Anyway, after a local geography expert pointed out that Mexico City has never been a suburb of Newark* the club shortened their name to Radford FC and that’s brought us neatly back to where we started.

While this humanities stuff is all well and good, there is a football match to discuss. If you thought UhlSport Hellenic League was a bit of a mouthful, spare a thought for our hosts who play at Step 6 in the GCE Hire Fleet United Counties Football League Division One. It must take most of the first half to read out the match details. The Pheasants currently sit comfortably in mid-table with 19 points from 17 games played. They reached the first round after scoring 5 away at Southwell in the preliminary round.

Droitwich are currently in second place in the Hellenic League Premier Division behind Roman Glass due to an inferior goal difference of just one. The Saltmen benefited from a bye through the Preliminary stage as a result of reaching Round 3 last season.

Spa will be well aware that current form and divisional status means little when it comes to knockout competitions. They will need to be on top of their game if they hope to progress to round two.

For those of you travelling independently of the coach, Radford FC have kindly published the following information:

It should be a good day out and the lads appreciate your magnificent support.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

*Newark does have at least one noteworthy thing. It is the only town in the UK which is an anagram of …. [No, no, no! – Ed]

UhlSport Hellenic League, Premier Division

Saturday 11 October 2025

This Saturday sees The Saltmen return to the Forest of Dean for the second time in a fortnight. Last time, we escaped from Lydney with three points. But unlike their near neighbours, Cinderford don’t pretend to have a castle to attract visitors.

Actually, Cinderford sounds like my sort of place. Like my old home town, the area was built on coal mining. It also has Littledean, an historic prison (now a museum). Cinderford can also boast a tradition of iron works dating back to the thirteenth century. Clearly, the local population are no strangers to hard work.

Speaking of hard work, that is something the Spa side is going to need if they want to get anything out of the game. The home team sit just below the play off positions and have already recorded impressive victories over Pegasus and Corsham, two sides who have proved tricky opponents for Spa.

The lads appreciate the amazing travelling support this season so why not travel down to Gloucestershire and give em a cheer.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Worcestershire County Cup

07 October 2025

The Saltmen marched through to the next round of the County Cup after an impressive 2-0 win over Step Four SC Inkberrow at Kingys on Tuesday evening.

Spa were the front runners from minute one. The ever alert Perry Moss was first to react to a ball in behind the Inkberrow back four, beating keeper Tom Nicholls to to the ball and neatly tucking it home put Spa one up in as many minutes.

Droitwich controlled large parts of the first period, with Charlie Tilley seemingly everywhere, recycling ball and pushing the side forward. Inkberrow were reduced to one free header blazed over the bar from a well worked set piece. Spa keeper Dom Rogerson also made a couple of tidy saves to keep his part of the bargain. Tireless work from James Lemon, leading the line by example, resulted in the visitors’ back four having little opportunity to put a foot on the ball and assess their options, and were constantly harried into mistakes by the Spa skipper.

There was to be no let up after the break and following a period of sustained pressure Pez recorded his second goal. The effervescent Saltman collected a deep Nathan Binner cross before deftly chipping the ball over the desperate Inkberrow rear guard.

With Spa two up, it was left to the excellent Tom Nicholls to restrict them to the Moss double and keep the scoreline respectable. The Inkberrow stopper made a string of three or four top class saves to frustrate the buoyant Droitwich attack.

An entertaining game drew to a close with Spa thankful for their own number one, Dom Rogerson who also had a good shift. Demonstrating some exemplary glove work, the big lad from the North East kept another clean sheet while making the job look easy with his confident handling. On most weeks, this would be enough to secure the much coveted Following The Saltmen Man of the Match award but on this occasion it has to go to skipper James Lemon. His quality and work rate made him a real nuisance to the visitors’ defence, to such an extent that he must have drawn more fouls in one game than in the rest of the season put together; further proof that age and guile are better than

youth, a silly haircut and colourful boots!

The reward for all this hard work is another home tie against Worcester Raiders on Tuesday, 11 November.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

04 October 2025

It’s much easier to write about a subject when events have been really good or really bad. Today was neither. There were some very good bits and some inexplicably bad bits but largely an enjoyable game to watch.

Royal Wootton Bassett Town are a young side. Chatting with a travelling Town supporter before the game we learned that last season’s manager left the club during the summer and took a significant part of the first team squad with him. Ultimately, that might end up being a blessing in disguise. This season’s team play neat, attractive football. They have a resilient back line and decent goalkeeper. I suspect they will be a strong side in the coming years if they can keep the core of the squad together and gather a little more experience.

The game started brightly for the Saltmen creating some decent half chances and took the lead after 7 minutes as Charlie Tilley lashed a ten yard volley past House in the RWBTFC [Club initials. Not one of those new genders – Ed] goal.
Spa continued to take the lion’s share of possession but it was the visitors who looked like scoring the next goal and had it not been for Dom Rogerson’s alertness that could well have been the case as Town carved out a handful of promising opportunities but could not find a way past the Spa stopper.
In fact, it was Droitwich who scored next. On 40 minutes Spa were awarded a free kick, about 25 yards from goal and fairly central. Perry Moss beat the wall and his shot bounced awkwardly just in front of House and into the bottom right corner and Spa took a 2-0 lead into the half time break.

The second period was much more equally balanced in terms of possession and chances. The Saltmen were unable to exert the same level of dominance they had against Roman Glass in the previous game at Kingys.
shortly after the break it looked like a nice interchange between Alex Dugmore and Reiss Tailor-Randle looked to have given Spa a third goal and a fourth in consecutive games for the summer signing. Sadly, despite appearing to be behind the ball, Reiss was adjudged to have been offside and the goal was chalked off. Almost immediately Town moved the ball forward down the left side and the subsequent cross was tucked away by Kassa Anderson.
Both sides traded half chances but there were no further goals and Droitwich took all three points to extend their unbeaten run to eight games.

The Following The Saltmen Man of the Match award goes to Joe Clayton who had a strong game in the centre of defence.
The last word goes to the officials who, up to the 80th minute had managed the game very well. I’d go as far as to say they were the best referee and linesmen we have seen this season. However, with about 10 minutes to play, Spa substitute Sam Hurdman was booked for rolling the ball back to his opponents, following an infringement. Shortly afterwards , he was inexplicably shown a second yellow for what I can only imagine was time wasting. Both incidents happened right in front of your correspondent and neither warranted even a talking to, let alone a booking. One can only feel sorry for Sam who, you may recall, was booked for simulation while sustaining a season ending injury a couple of years ago.

Next up, we welcome Inkberrow in the County Cup, later today.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

Saturday 4th October 2025

Spa return to Kingys this afternoon and welcome players, officials and supporters travelling up from Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire.

Town currently sit 17th in the table with 8 points from 11 games. Their top scorer this season is Ben Cleary with 7 goals.

Sadly for them, the Air Balloon pub at the bottom of Birdlip Hill is no longer available as a handy stopping off point. Fortunately, though, both bars at Kingys will be open.

The Saltmen are on a run of 7 games unbeaten but will be fully aware of the dangers posed by the visitors after recent close run games at Cribbs and Lydney.

It a bit breezy out there, so dress appropriately. Full black tie will not be required as it is not an evening game. Smart casual should be fine. If you don’t know what that is, then just dress like your Dad!

Two licensed bars.

Hot and cold drinks.

Food

Merchandise (not too early for seasonal shopping!)

Ample parking!

Entertaining Football

All for £7.

Yes £7!!!!!!!!!

As Andy Crowther used to say: Come on Down! Or was that Leslie Crowther?

See you there!

Cheers.

FTS

#upthespa

#eatmorepies

#betterthanepl

Hellenic League Premier Division

27 Sept 2025 at The Recreation Ground, Lydney

Lydney Castle. Not in Lydney.

Imagine our disappointment after travelling many miles through the night, to arrive in Lydney only to discover that the main reason for our travels was just a sham; a cheap ruse to boost tourism in one of the prettiest areas of rural England I’ve visited this week.

Fortunately, all was not lost as the Saltmen were playing local heroes Lydney Town at the recreation ground. This turned out to be good news because the ground is very nice. The large, comfortable clubhouse bar has a beer garden with a raised outlook over the immaculate playing surface…a bit like the view from the ramparts of a castle.The weather was dry and all we needed was a good game of football to put medieval building anxiety to the back of our minds. Sadly, instead of a real firecracker we got a bit of a damp squib.

Spa started brightly with a number of chances in the opening minutes. Most notably Nathan Binner had a good headed attempt cleared off the line. It took until the 25th minute for the Saltmen to open the scoring when Reiss Taylor-Randle converted an excellent Jack Brighton cross to make it three from three for this summer’s new signing.

With Cory Rudd and Ben Tilbury both unavailable Spa manager Andy Crowther was forced to play one of his most potent attacking weapons at centre back. Making his 200th appearance for Droitwich, Alex Dugmore returned to his former role of stopper rather than converter. In his double century, Duggers has played in virtually every position for the team, including a cameo appearance in goal. No repeat of the customary four goal haul for Duggers but he played an important role in the rear guard.

Droitwich could and probably should have extended their lead but Lydney defended stoutly and halftime arrived with the score still at 0-1.

It didn’t take long for that to change. Within three minutes of the restart Perry Moss did what Perry Moss does best, bamboozling opponents before curling a goalkeeper deceiving shot inside the far post. At 0-2 the Saltmen were in cruise control but that wouldn’t last past the sixtieth minute. A Charlie Tilley challenge was judged to be a foul and the referee pointed to the spot. It looked very harsh from my vantage point only 90 yards away – which makes me wonder why the officials don’t just stand on the terraces rather than all that running around the field. Nevertheless, my advice was ignored and the penalty stood. The only thing between Lydney and halving the lead was Dom Rogerson in the Droitwich goal. No need to worry as Big Dom correctly read Hunt’s intentions, making an excellent save low to his right side to repel the attack….much like castle dwellers might have poured boiling oil on aggressors.

Lydney brought out the heavy arms and on 75 minutes it paid dividends. Dom Rogerson made another good save but the resulting loose ball fell to Symonds who dispatched the chance efficiently.

The final 15 minutes saw the Spa goal under siege but the valiant Spa rear guard held firm and the Saltmen managed to hang on to all three points.

It was a far from vintage performance from Spa but credit must go to the hosts at Lydney Town who will feel disappointed not to take at least a point from the game. Their second half efforts were made even more difficult after being reduced to ten men for the last half hour.

Sometimes it is necessary to win ugly and grind out a win. This was one of those days.

There were a number of good performances among the Droitwich ranks but this week’s Following The Saltmen man of the match award goes to Nathan Binner. The tireless midfielder was at the heart of most of the positive play, particularly in the first half.

A big thank you to all at Lydney Town for the warm welcome and their good humour. We look forward to returning the favour when they visit Kingys. They can even visit ….

The Castle

Next up, we are visited by Royal Wootton Bassett (no relation to Bertie) on Saturday afternoon with a 3pm kick off at Kingys.

Can they extend their unbeaten run? Come down and find out for yourself.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

27 September 2025

Back on the road on Saturday with a trip down to the West Bank of the River Severn. Not a trip to Great Whitley though, but down the M5 and A48 to the jewel of the Forest of Dean, Lydney.

For those of you who may not have been to Lydney. Read on! While the highlight of the day will undoubtedly be the game, there are other thing in the town to do before and after.

For starters there is a castle! Called, conveniently, Lydney Castle, it dates back to the 12th Century and was built to repel raiders from over the nearby Welsh border. Today it is more useful for repelling Raiders from Worcester, but that’s a different matchday.

Next, of course, is the Forest of Dean itself. A 110 hectares of enchanting woodland, it offers hiking, cycling or just ambling through glades imagining yourself to be in Grimm fairytale. I don’t know how big a hectare is, but I reckon it must a good size because the gave it a manly name. There’s no Forest of Tristan or Quentin is there? Fortunately there are no bears or wolves in the forest but it is host to some rare and beautiful flora and fauna.

If you want a museum, they’ve got one to spare. There’s the Lydney Town Museum which exhibits items from Roman times. There’s also the Dean Heritage Centre celebrating all the great Deans throughout history. Like….erm….Dean Jones, former Aussie cricketer and….. well……erm….there are probably lots. [Great research – Ed]

There are a number of pubs and eateries within a stones throw of the ground, although we don’t encourage throwing stones as it gives the club a bad name and you could have somebody’s eye out too.

Lydney Town FC may have had a disappointing start to the season but seem to have turned a corner over the last couple of weeks with wins over Royal Wootton Bassett Town in the league and Eversley and California in the FA Vase. I know we thought Holbeach was a bit of a journey last season but California to Lydney is just daft. Sort it out FA!

Spa are doing alright too. Undefeated in six games and coming off good wins over Corsham and Roman Glass SG.

Should be a good game. As ever, your support would be welcomed by the lads, so come on down and give em a shout.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

20 September 2025.

Attendance: 196

….You make Lemon-aid!

It is probably fair to say that the last couple of years have not gone exactly how club skipper James Lemon might have hoped. A number of fairly lengthy injury breaks have restricted his number of starts. When fit, the man who many consider one of the best strikers to have worn the red and black shirt, has been played wide on the left. Not his usual hunting ground. But you never get less than 100% from Lem and his perseverance has paid dividends with his return to goalscoring form.

However, today’s impressive win over table topping Roman Glass St George was far from a one man show. The visitors are clearly an accomplished side with some very capable players, so today’s game needed everyone firing on all cylinders. And fire they did.

Right out of the traps, it was evident the Saltmen were up for the challenge. The more conventional underfoot conditions might be a factor. At times this season the bone hard, bouncing pitches have made Spa’s attempts to play good football almost impossible. Today, Droitwich picked up more loose ball during 90 minutes than in the whole of season so far. Everyone contributed to the cause and Spa looked confident as the midfield engine room dominated for long periods of the first half. The Glass had their chances and came close to opening the scoring on 10 minutes as a well worked corner was close to being converted by Ward whose header can have been only inches away from the target.

The opener did arrive on 16 minutes. A deft flick from the omnipresent Charlie Tilley set up James Lemon whose powerful 12 yard shot gave Glass keeper Brown no chance. But this was only a taster for what happened 4 minutes later. Lem received the ball just inside the Glass half and noticed Brown was some distance from his goal line. In a brilliant feat of improvisation he went for goal. His clean strike had Brown back pedalling but the Glass keeper was unable to keep the ball out and the Saltmen doubled their advantage.

On the half hour Lem was at the centre of the action. Some hysterical overacting from his challenge on Brown resulted in the traditional handbags at 20 paces routines. When play resumed, Perry Moss twisted and turned and made a right pane of himself but his 41 minutes strike was straight at Brown. Then on the stroke of half time Reiss Taylor-Randle collected a ball over the Glass defence and clinically chipped Brown to make it 3-0 at the break.

When play resumed, the visitors took the game to Spa but a mixture of good defensive work, a couple of goal line clearances and some tidy goalkeeping from Dom Rogerson kept them at bay until the 51st minute when The Saltmen gifted Louis Ward a free header from a corner and the lead was cut to 3-1.

Spa boss Andy Crowther took the opportunity make changes. Alex Dugmore replaced a shattered looking Perry Moss and within minutes the goal machine had the ball in the net only to see it ruled out for an infringement. In classic Crowther style, Jack Davies was introduced to replace Lemon, who must have been chuffed to bits to be deprived of a hat trick opportunity!

The points were made safe on 73 minutes. With the Glass still chasing the game, Droitwich centre back Ben Tilbury made a goal line clearance. Excellent work from Reiss Taylor-Randle saw Spa break with pace and accuracy. Nathan Binner’s goalbound effort was parried by Brown but only as far Sir Alex, and the Kingys legend Dugmore smashed it home to make the score 4-1.

The visiting Bristolians continued in their efforts to reduce the arrears but to no avail. The officials brought the 90 damp minutes to a close and the previously unbeaten Glass had been cracked. The football gods [Not a real thing – Ed] showed their pleasure by making the sun shine on the righteous.

This was comfortably the best Spa performance so far this season and every player made a significant contribution to the outcome. There were at least half a dozen candidates for Following the Saltmen Man of the Match but the honour they all want goes to a smashing performance from the resurgent club captain, James Lemon.

The result leaves the Saltmen level on points with today’s visitors, trailing only by goal difference.

Next up Spa will look to take their good form to Lydney next Saturday.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

20 September 2025. Kick off at Kingys – 3pm

It’s first versus second in this early season six-pointer at the top of the Hellenic Premier Division, as we welcome the players, officials and supporters of table topping Roman Glass St George to Kingys.

The Glass have recorded an impressive seven consecutive wins since taking their bow from the FA Cup, propelling them to the top of the league table. During this run they have scored 19 goals while conceding just 5. Last year’s runners up have clearly started this season intent on going one better and will be a formidable opponent this afternoon.

Since their anomalous defeat to Slimbridge, the Saltmen are unbeaten in their last five games. Winning 3 and drawing the other 2 in this period while scoring 9 and conceding just once.

Will it be a case of an irresistible force against an immovable object? The only way to find out* is to get yourself down to Kingys and give the boys a cheer.

[Probably get cancelled for this next bit – Ed]

The alternative….

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

*until later

Cribbs FC 1-1 Droitwich Spa

We here at FTS enjoyed our first trip to Cribbs FC on Saturday. Hold ups on the M5 meant we missed our usual spot of cultural enlightenment at a pub near our opponents’ home and we made straight for the ground.

It looks like Cribbs share their facilities with a local school. If so, the school in question has a better sports set up than my old school. It’s got a bar for starters so I suspect it must be one of those progressive schools where the kids can sit down with Sir and discuss the double football lesson over a few pints of lager. Four football fields and a newish looking hockey field are also present on site. I believe the grounds used to be Bristol Rovers training base and they are certainly extensive enough.

The main stadium pitch is huge. It is noticeably wider than any of the other club pitches we have visited recently. It also offers plenty of cover for the supporters. Two covered seating areas are complemented by a cover for standing fans at the far end of the ground which extends the full width of the pitch.

Unfortunately, the pitch itself did not live up to the standard of its surroundings. If I was one of the tin foil hat brigade I might well think that the World is up for sale and Cribbs FC is where Amazon stuck the bar code.

In reality I suspect the series of full length bare patches are the result of the dry summer spoiling pitch maintenance work done at the start of the close season. Whatever the cause, it has resulted in a playing surface which makes close control while running with the ball something of a lottery. For a Spa side employing fast, tricky wingers, this is a bit of a handicap.

Droitwich dominated the first half in both possession and chances. Nathan Binner had the first chance to trouble the Cribbs defence but with only 10 minutes on the click Spa opened the scoring. Joe Hurdman’s cross was diverted into the path of Charlie Tilley by Cribbs keeper Godden and the Spa number eight’s powerful shot found the Cribbs net.

Cory Rudd hit a howitzer at the home goal only to see it hit the angle of the post and crossbar, which are still vibrating even now!

The Saltmen looked to have doubled their lead after 20 minutes but James Lemon was adjudged to have fouled the Cribbs centre back who looked more intent on stopping Lem than actually getting to the ball. It is interesting to note that referees have now totally abandoned the idea of penalising a player for obstruction. There really didn’t look to be anything wrong with Lem’s challenge. Sadly this would not be the last terrible decision the officials would make. More on that later.

Spa continued to create chances but with leading goalscorer Alex Dugmore sitting on the bench they lacked an attacking spearhead and conceded the aerial threat.

Cribbs equalised with a firmly converted header from a far post corner on 40 minutes and the teams left the field at half time with the scores level.

The second half was scrappy. Both sides huffed and puffed but clear cut chances were few and far between. Changes were made as the half progressed. Josh Hurdman’s replaced brother Joe and Duggers replaced Perry Moss. Spa had the ball in the Cribbs net for a third time but the referee ruled it out for a foul on the Cribbs keeper who had already lost the ball before any minimal contact occurred. The referee had been hugely inconsistent up until that point but then switched to just being consistently bad. Frustrations started to boil over and Duggers was given a spell on the naughty step, presumably for saying something the referee disagreed with. A clearly deflected shot should have resulted in a Spa corner but was missed but worse was to come. A miscontrolled ball cannoned off a Cribbs defender and crossed the goal line by fully three feet. Admittedly, the referee was not helped by his linesman who, by now, had stopped trying to keep up with play, but it really was the case that the referee was the only person in the ground who believed the ball stayed in play.

Godden had a good day in goal for Cribbs and made two or three good saves in the last 15 minutes to deny Droitwich the win. The game ended 1-1 leaving the Spa faithful who made up about 50% of the 80 strong crowd wondering whether this was a point gained or two points lost.

Another excellent performance from Joe Clayton sees him awarded the Following the Saltmen man of the match award.

Next up on Saturday, we welcome Corsham to Kingys at the start of a five game home stand for the men in black and red. A win for the visitors would put them one point behind Spa with a game in hand. Could be a cracker.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division, 5th September 2025

The Lawns, Station Road, Henbury, Bristol, BS10 7TB

Saturday sees the Saltmen back on the road. Last weekend saw us host the good folk of Hallen at Kingys. Next time out we visit their near neighbours, Cribbs FC.

As regular readers of this nonsense will realise, FTS puts an extensive amount of research into each of these previews. This one is no exception. We spent literally minutes on t’internet looking for some background about the village of Cribbs. Not a sausage. It seems Cribbs or, more accurately Cribbs Causeway, is the name of an old roadway leading north, away from Bristol and into deepest Gloucestershire. Legend had it that the road was named after Tom Cribb, an early exponent of the noble art of bare knuckle boxing, who became de-facto world champion in 1810 following a reportedly controversial win over American Tom Molineaux. History is silent as to whether the transatlantic pugilist gave his name to the soon(ish) to be formed Wolverhampton Wanderers or the even later manufacturer of household appliances. History also turned out unkind to Mr Cribb too. In the 1960’s some well meaning scholarly types discovered a map showing Cribbs Causeway in 1777; a full four years before the aforementioned Mr Cribb was born.

Today, the area is best known for the Cribbs Causeway Mall and retail park. Like its Irish cousin, Giants Causeway, Cribbs attracts thousands of visitors every week. But Cribbs is much, much better! As far as I can tell, the Giants Causeway is just a collection of coincidentally similar shaped rocks. Cribbs, on the other hand, has got everything! You name the shop and they have one. From Accessorize to Yo (no I don’t know either) 3 Mobile to Waterstones. There’s a Clarks selling shoes, Tag Heur selling expensive Sekondas. You can get oak furniture from Oak Furniture Land, fruit from Apple or trainers from JD Sports. Finally, there are some shops you might not have heard of. There’s an Oliver Bonas and a Dick Lovett but I have no idea whatsoever what they sell…..

Cribbs Causeway also has loads of interesting places to eat. There are two (count em) Nando’s and two Burger King’s. If you like pizza, you’re in for a treat. There is a Pizza Hut AND two Pizza Express’s, a Pret and a Gourmet Burger Kitchen. There’s even somewhere called FatFace which isn’t a restaurant but, in fact, a description of my selfie if I lived close enough to all those exotic eateries.

If shopping’s not your bag then why not go to the cinema, go ten pin bowling or even ice skating, the options are endless. There is even Teletubby Hill, the setting for the controversially hard-hitting children’s current affairs programme. Really. It’s at Cribbs!

Anyway, once you’ve done eating, skating and shopping, there’s the matter of a football match taking place. It’s probably fair to say that Cribbs FC have not had the start to the season they may have hoped. On Saturday, they lost 1-2 to Hereford Pegasus but were almost certainly distracted by their win earlier that week, in the only Bristol derby that really matters, racking up a 2-1 victory over a Hallen side who nearly gave Spa a shock last time out.

You can be sure the table topping Saltmen will not be taking league positions for granted and will need all the support they can get to get something from this one.

Why not make a day of it? Only an hour’s drive away. Or you could fill your boots and make a weekend of it by staying in one of the many hotels in the city.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Droitwich Spa 3-0 Hallen AFC

HellenicLeague Premier Division. 30 August 2025

This afternoon’s game saw Spa return to the top of the Hellenic League Premier division with a win over our guests from the Bristol suburbs. The 3-0 scoreline suggests the win was comfortable. Guess what! It wasn’t!

The game started well for the Saltmen. A well worked move saw the ball played into the Hallen box. Two strikes were blocked but the ball eventually reached Josh Hurdman whose improvised overhead kick found the back of the visitors’ net. Droitwich had the lead with barely a minute on the clock. From a Spa perspective things went downhill for the next 85 minutes. Spa had plenty of possession but a combination of well organised defending, some wayward passing and just plain bad luck prevented the home side making further inroads. As the half wore on, Hallen grew into the game and, had it not been for some smart reactions from Dom Rogerson in the Droitwich goal, it would have been no surprise if Hallen had gone into the halftime break on equal terms or – even better.

Surely, some well chosen advice from manager Andy Crowther would prompt a positive response from the Saltmen. Unusually, this did not happen. Instead, Hallen continued to manage the game well and had long spells of possession. Again, Droitwich were glad of some telling interventions from Rogerson who impressively managed to repel the visitors on 4 or 5 occasions.

It is hard to imagine how Hallen can be in the league position they currently occupy. They look very compact and organised at the back, have a strong ball winning midfield and probably deserved better fortune in front of goal. It would not surprise us here at FTS if Hallen see a steady rise through the table as the season continues.

Somewhat against the run of play the 85th minute saw the ball reach Reiss Taylor-Randle. The Spa number 10 then drove to the byline before clipping an inviting cross into the path of recently introduced skipper James Lemon, who tucked the ball away neatly despite being challenged by two Hallen defenders.

To complete Hallen sense of injustice, the closing moments of the game saw Joe Hurdman, on for brother Josh, sprung the offside trap and head for goal. Joe had an opportunity to shoot but, instead, he unselfishly squared the ball to Nathan Binner who finished with a plum. (This pun is five days too late – Ed).

The final score was 3-0 in the Saltmen’s favour which undoubtedly seemed hard on Hallen. There can be little doubt that the visitors will travel back down the M5 feeling very hard done by.

Today’s FTS Man of the Match award goes to Dom Rogerson, who kept Spa in the game with a string of vital saves. On another day it is quite conceivable to think we would have been looking at another heavy home defeat.

The long awaited rain arrived this week. With more forecast for the coming days it would be good to think the pitch at Kingys will continue to recover and improve.

The next few weeks sees some respite for the lads. After an opening month with at least 2 games per week, we now return to just Saturday games

Droitwich return to the road next Saturday as they travel down to Hallen’s near neighbours Cribbs.

See you there

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

30August 2025 at Kingys

August draws to a close by welcoming the reigning Western League Division One Champions Hallen AFC to Kingys in a 3.00pm kickoff.

It’s been a busy month for Spa with this being the Saltmen’s 9th fixture during that period. A return of five wins, two defeats and a draw so far during this period must be seen as a success.

Hallen, who come into the game on the back of a 1-2 reverse against Cribbs on Tuesday, have yet to replicate their success from last season. However, there is no way the men from the northern Bristol village will be taken lightly. As we have already seen, anyone can beat anyone else in this division so Spa will want to be at the top of their game at kickoff.

After the sizzling weather and performance at Pershore on Monday, conditions are set to be a bit more football friendly on Saturday. Who knows, the rain might even make the pitch green.

Looking forward to it.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Got to be a typo!

See if you can spot it.

Cheers

FTS

Match Report

Hellenic League, Premier Division

25 August 2025

What a difference six days makes. From plumbing the depths of despair to grabbing a pair against the Plums. It’s been a hell of week following the Saltmen!

Leaving aside the fact that three games in six games during August is absolute madness, Spa have been the victim of a terrible run of luck with injuries. Hang on…..let’s not leave that aside! It will be no surprise to learn there are no qualified medical professionals on the staff here at FTS but the two things could be linked. In the space of 28 days, The Saltmen have played 8 league games (and another game in the FA Cup). A 20 team division, like the Hellenic Premier, requires all clubs to play 38 league. Spa have already played 21% of their league games and we are still in August! Shirley the games could be spread out more evenly especially when they are currently being played on bone-breakingly hard surfaces and sometimes in very hot conditions. I would hazard a guess that there is a correlation between such playing conditions and the attritional rate of injuries the lads are picking up.

Anyway, it was FTS’s turn to drive as Len drove to Highworth. After driving around mid Worcestershire for hours we finally found a parking space about half a mile from the ground. It was Plum Fest in Pershore and the town was full of Plum aficionados or “stoners” as they know themselves. However, the bright lights and glamour of the festival were not why we were in Pershore. We had an appointment with some other Plums, the town’ football team.

In temperatures approaching the highest of the year both sides started positively. A decent Josh Hurdman effort introduced Cuneen in the Plums’ goal to the game. He was not unduly troubled.

On 18 minutes, Town’s Raheem Spencer looked to have been put through on goal but Spa keeper Dom Rogerson was alert to the danger and gathered the ball. In the blink of an eye the ball was worked forward and Josh Hurdman was put clear. This time it was Cuneen who was quick to react and got a strong hand on the ball just as Josh looked to have rounded him.

Five minutes later the Goalscorers’ Goalscorer, Alex Dugmore, was judged to have been tripped in the Plum box (Sounds painful – Ed) and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. High drama then ensued as the linesman indicated his disagreement and the invertebrate in the middle changed his mind, awarding Pershore a free kick. In our helpful way, FTS offered some words of encouragement and advice to the offals.

But the Saltmen were not too discouraged and after both sides exchanged a couple of speculative shots at goal Cuneen needed to be at his best to turn a goal-bound effort from the GOAT around the post.

With five minutes of the first half remaining the game’s real highlight arrived. With Spa stretching the Plums, Perry Moss picked up the ball on the left side, impudently beat his man, once, then twice before crossing perfectly to find Charlie Tilley unmarked at the back post and the indefatigable man from Spa’s engine room tucked his header away with ease.

The Saltmen were now rampant with wave after wave of incisive raids into Pershore territory. Only two minutes after fashioning the opener, Pez was close to doubling the lead. With all the empathy of Vlad the Impaler, Moss teased the Town full back, pulling him one way then the other before unleashing a curling, dipping effort which had it been 2 inches lower would have been the sort of goal to make the new cast of MOTD drool all the way to their Swiss bank accounts. Sadly, it hit the bar and bounced over.

Next up, goalscorer Tilley’s effort was hit with pace but really only troubled the car park attendant, slumbering in the late summer sun behind Town’s neat new fence.

With the first half almost complete Droitwich issued what would turn out to be the coup de Grace. It was a goal created by Alex Dugmore although he didn’t actually touch the ball. Having spent 45 minutes busting a gut flicking headers on for teammates who were not there, Duggers suggested to Josh Hurdman to pick up the flick from the set piece just awarded to the Saltmen. Sure enough, the ball came in, the GOAT went up and the ball ended up with Josh who smashed the ball past the helpless Cuneen. The teams returned to the changing rooms for their plum halves and Horlicks with Spa two goals up.

At the break, Droitwich full back Curtis Smith was replaced by Rohan Levy. Curtis had enjoyed an excellent first 45 minutes, combining strong defensive work with the ability to bring the ball forward, linking with the midfield very effectively. We hope he didn’t pick up a nasty knock and will return very soon.

I’ve already written far too much to retain any lingering interest you dear readers might still have. So I’ll keep the details of the second half brief.

It was pretty much all Droitwich. Cuneen made two or three top drawer saves to thwart Spa, while Dom Rogerson might just as well have had a kip in the car park. As you probably gathered, the second half was goalless. Entertaining but goalless.

The win lifts the Saltmen up to second in the table, albeit having played more games than the teams around them. After the uncharacteristic defeat last Tuesday it looks like the boys have turned the ship around.

The FTS Man of the Match award goes to Josh Hurdman. He was a constant threat to Pershore and had the wisdom to listen to the man, the myth and the legend that is Alex Dugmore, who came close to winning the award himself. To be fair, I could have given the award to just about any of the players who all had great games. Obviously, Cory Rudd is now out of the running for MOTM as I can’t spell his name right.

Hallen at Kingys on Saturday is the next instalment.

See you there!

Cheers

FTS

Eat More Plums…in pies, of course.

Following The Saltmen has been advised by sources close to the club that a number of our recent articles have misspelled Mr Rudd’s name.

Charlie Tilley

Cursory inspection A thorough investigation has been conducted and has upheld the complaint.

Lawyers acting on behalf of FTS, Messrs Tryitt & See, have advised that no matter how many times you were made to read The Grauniad at school, there is no excuse for this type of incompetence. And they should know.

It is embarrassing to make such elementary mistakes. If we can’t spell Cory Rudd correctly, what chance have we got with Rhys Tailor-Randall?

So, going forward, we will try our best to spell players’ names correctly

Sorey Cory

#uptheaSp

Pershore Town v Droitwich Spa

Hellenic League Premier Division

25 August 2025. Kick off at 3.00pm

Bank holiday Monday is going to be a warm one. But there’s no point trying to get to the coast. Traffic will be a nightmare and when/if you get there it will be choc-a-block. Nobody wants to go shopping in the heat and Channel 4 are probably running a Robin Asquith retrospective.

As anyone who’s watches local TV knows, Pershore’s weather is noted as being the most extreme in the region. They get deeper snow, wetter rain, windier wind and hotter heat. So bear that in mind before you set off for the game. It might be worth bringing some sunscreen …….and some snowshoes.

FTS is quite fond of Pershore. It is a pretty town with some historic architecture, renowned restaurants and some decent pubs. It even has the remains of the old Pershore Abbey, which Henry VIII dissoluted following his hissy fit with the Vatican. The present abbey was subsequently built on site but on a much smaller scale.

Another highly recommended attraction is the Old Bridge. As the name suggests, the Old Bridge is old and a bridge. The bridge we marvel at today was built in the 17th century to replace the original even older bridge was damaged during the Civil War.

Like Highworth, Pershore also has its celebrity residents. Cartoon punk star from the early eighties Toyah Willcox and her hubby, guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp (King Crimson) live in a flat above the chippy on the high street. Rumour has it that fashion designer and daughter of the boring one in The Beatles, Stella McCartney, also lives in the area but I can’t verify that.

One thing I can verify is that local news presenter Michael Collie lives in Pershore. I wonder if heel come by to watch the game this afternoon when the Saltmen travel to the Plums in this season’s first Wychavon Derby.

It’s a lovely day so why not take the short trip to the banks of the River Avon, look at a bridge, stalk some celebrities and then cheer on the boys in Red and Black.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

23 August 2025

The Save on Tyres Stadium

It’s a bit of a treck from Droitwich to Highworth, especially on a Bank Holiday Saturday. But it’s well worth the effort, particularly if someone else drives!

On arrival in Highworth, our driver found a parking space outside the Rose and Crown pub. It would have been very rude to walk past so, under sufferance we went inside and ordered two pints of Carling and a pint of Thatchers which came to a very reasonable price of £12.10. That’s a full 25% cheaper than the pub we visited in Thornbury!

After enjoying our refreshments we walked to the Save on Tyres Stadium, home of Highworth Town to be met with a very friendly welcome. The comfortable clubhouse served reasonably priced food and drinks and the terraced decking outside makes an excellent spot to watch a game.

The injury ravaged Spa team saw the return of Ben Tilbury, Perry Moss and Dom Rogerson to the starting lineup and a full debut for new signing Curtis Smith at right back.

I’m not going to go into detail of the game as this was not a classic by any means. The Saltmen looked comfortable and had the better of the chances. Highworth also had chances of their own but Dom’s return to the team was not particularly taxing

There was no shortage of endeavour but goalmouth chances were scarce and both defences stayed firm.

Curtis Smith, made an impressive debut for the Saltmen. The uninitiated would have been hard pressed to guess he was the newbie in the team. With Jack Brighton being unavailable for an undetermined period, it is reassuring to know we have a very competent replacement.

Ultimately, a share of the points was a fair result. It draws a line under Tuesday’s defeat to Slimbridge and this should definitely be seen as a point gained rather than two lost. Another positive was that the injury list does not appear to have got any longer.

There are two FTS man of the match awards to be awarded today. On Tuesday, I forgot to include the MOTM in the blog. The award for the Slimbridge game goes to Joe Clayton for a very solid performance in very trying conditions.

Today’s FTS man of the match award goes to Ben Tilbury. Calm and assured under pressure, Ben’s ability to recognise danger, step in and then spray 70 yard passes to all parts of the field sets him apart from many centre backs. Special mention for Joe Clayton and Jay Sauntson, both of whom had excellent games.

Another strong showing from the Spa Faithful who appeared to outnumber the home supporters among the attendance of 96.

Over all, an excellent day out.

Thanks to all at Highworth for a warm welcome to their lovely stadium.

Next up, a Worcestershire derby on Monday against Pershore Town.

See you there.

FTS

Hellenic League, Premier Division

23 August 2025

The Elms Recreation Ground

After a run of three home games, the Saltmen return to the road today as they travel down to Highworth Town in the Hellenic Premier.

Highworth is a Wiltshire market town with a population of around 8250 people (although I haven’t counted them lately). It is located on a hill, six miles north north east of Swindon and takes its name from the old English words High (meaning High) and Wrde (meaning Enclosure).

In 1645 the town suffered an outbreak of the great plague. This medieval fore runner to COVID was thought to have been brought to the formerly Royalist town when it was captured by Parliamentarians. It seems very little changes in politics!

FTS understands there have been no recent reports of plague, bubonic or other, in Highworth but you may wish to check you travel insurance is in order before setting off.

For the thirsty traveller, Highworth has at least five pubs. The Rose and Crown looks to be nearest to the football club.

The town boasts a Greggs which is conveniently found within comfortable walking distance of the ground. Although I suspect most customers will drive.

So, what more do you need. Why not travel down to Wiltshire and cheer the boys on at Highworth. If it’s good enough for pop legend Helen Shapiro, it’s good enough for anyone.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Saltmen dismantled by The Smiths

Droitwich Spa 0-6 Slimbridge

19 August 2025

The British Board of Football Classification has rated this report as an 18 Certificate due to graphic depictions of horror.

As regular readers of this old tosh will know, FTS does not usually single players out for criticism. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, the highest level anyone at FTS Towers has ever played at was the Step 6 of its day. Secondly, Football is not the primary occupation of most players and third, media criticism is very rarely constructive. So we are not going to change our policy. However, collectively, it was almost a universally poor performance.

We should also give credit to the opposition. Slimbridge are clearly significantly better than the other sides Spa have played so far this season. Even if Andy Crowther had been able to field his strongest 11, this would still have been a very tough game. The Swans were strong throughout the side and in the Jack Smith brothers they have a potent strike force with Jack W outscoring his namesake by 3-1.

With at least seven first team regulars watching the game from the wrong side of the fence due to a freak collection of injuries, Crowth’s team selection must be more about plugging gaps than strategic choices. Whether the injuries are the result of rock hard playing surfaces following the dry summer or whether they are just an unfortunate coincidence, it places the same demands on a stretched squad. The loss of Jack Brighton and James Lemon only compound the situation. With two away games over the coming bank holidays weekend, things are not likely to get easier any time soon.

But, a side coming off a four game winning streak does not become poor overnight. We all have good days and bad in life as in sport. Let’s put this down as an aberration and move on. I mean, we don’t lose 6-0 every week. In fact I’m willing to bet this is Spa’s heaviest ever defeat. It’s certainly the worst scoreline since the return to Kingys.

There was some brightness coming from the dark. Perry Moss is starting to regain his match sharpness. Rohan Levy continues his development in the first team and we finished the game with eleven on the field, including the same goalkeeper who started the game.

Onwards and upwards as we travel to Highworth on Saturday. Hope you can get there too to raise the lads’ spirits.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Droitwich Spa 2-1 Longlevens

Hellenic League Premier Division

Sat 16 August 2025.

The day this happened….

Oh…and this happened…..

There has been a lot of excitement about the start of the Premier League, this weekend. It seems that lots of people up and down the country can’t wait for the opportunity to pay more for a ticket than I paid for my first car. For that you get a cramped seat, located somewhere in the same postcode as the game, the chance to pay £10 for a half pint plastic bottle of warm Carlsberg, which you cannot consume within sight of the pitch.

Alternatively, for a fraction of the cost you could go to watch your local non-league team, have a few beers, buy a scarf and a programme and still have enough change to buy a small family hatchback. And here’s the stinger, the non-league game is likely to be just as exciting and incident packed as the game at the Rights Abuse Airlines Stadium.

Today’s game at Kingys is a good example. It may not have been a classic but there was plenty of incident to keep the 202 in attendance interested right to the end.

The visitors started the brighter of the two sides. They had two good chances within the first 10 minutes with a shot coming back off the woodwork and another attempt on goal narrowly missed the target.

The Saltmen weathered that particular storm and, with ten minutes gone, took the lead. A Dugmore flick on was spectacularly converted by skipper James Lemon with an unstoppable howitzer of a finish from fully 40 out.

Cue the Joe Hurdman Show. Replacing brother Josh in the starting line up, Joe enjoyed a purple patch of about ten minutes when nobody could lay a glove on him. Sublime ball control and some mazy runs into the box had the visiting defenders scratching their heads. All that Joe didn’t do was find the net but he came about as close as you can get. On 17 minutes he was denied by smart save from Billy Thomas in the ‘Levens’ goal. Less than a minute later, after beating all the players on the field and about half of the crowd, he slammed a shot against the angle of the woodwork.

Five or six minutes later, new signing Reiss Taylor-Randle opened his goalscoring account at The Droitwich Goal Bank. A moment’s lapse of concentration in the visitors’ defence printed Reiss with the opportunity to drive into the box and slide the ball past the onrushing Thomas for a 2-0 lead to the Saltmen. Chances came and went for both sides but the score remained 2-0 as the referee blew the halftime whistle and the players returned to the changing rooms for afternoon tea.

Not much happened in the second half.

OK! One or two things happened in the second half. Longlevens got a goal back following a spell of about two minutes where, like an idea in Keir Starmers’s brain, the ball ricocheted around without anyone getting hold of it. It eventually fell to Bradley Martin who carpe’d the diem* and halved the arrears.

The visitors showed little sign of fatigue and pushed for the equaliser. And it looked like it had arrived on 65 minutes when a relatively routine overhit through-ball turned into a calamity. Between them, Dom Hill in goal and his two centre backs should have dealt with it comfortably. Instead everyone waited for somebody else to take charge and Levens got the ball on the edge the box. The attacker was up-ended and a penalty awarded. To add insult to injury Dom Hill was shown a red card and, for the second consecutive week, The Saltmen were left without a goalkeeper! Cometh the hour, cometh the man who has played in pretty much every position for Droitwich. But not goalkeeper. Step forward our very own action man, Sir Alex Dugmore who donned the green jersey and headed for the goal line to face the penalty. He needn’t have worried though. The spot kick was blazed wide.

When he was called upon, Duggers did not disappoint making a couple of timely interventions to collect the ball safely and smother dangerous situations.

The ten remaining Saltmen managed to hang on and even forced Thomas into making one or two impressive saves.

A final score of 2-1 saw Spa extend the run to 4 consecutive league wins. Other results and FA Cup involvement meant that Spa’s 12 points take them to the top of the table, albeit having played more league games than most of the chasing pack.

The FTS Man of the Match goes to Joe Hurdman. A constant threat and not afraid to do the hard work without the ball.

FTS doesn’t know how many games Dom Hill will miss or when the suspension will begin. It seems that the club will be on the look out to get another keeper lined up.

Next up, Slimbridge at Kingys on Tuesday evening at 7.45pm.

See you there.

FTS

*Bit of Latin for a game between two former Roman strongholds.

Saturday 16 Aug 2025

Hellenic League Premier Division

More Hellenic League action at Kingys this afternoon as the Saltmen face Longlevens AFC. Kick off 3.00pm

The men from north Gloucester make the (relatively) short trip up the M5 with one win from their 4 league games; a convincing 5-1 opening day thrashing of Lydney.

Spa have grafted away to win 3 on the bounce after the opening defeat at Pegasus.

Should be a great afternoon’s football.

See you there!

Cheers

FTS

Kingys. 12 August 2025

After successive wins over Westfields and Thornbury, the Saltmen came into this Tuesday night fixture on a bit of a run. I don’t think anyone expected a repeat of the five goal win over Westfields and it was clear from minute one that Fairford had not come to Kingys just to make up the numbers. They started strongly and had the lion’s share of possession in the early stages. When Spa did have the ball the visitors closed them down quickly and stopped the home side making any meaningful progress into the Fairford half. Town came close to opening the scoring when, after 8 minutes, Alfie Presley struck the outside of the Droitwich post. Ten minutes later Joah Hall’s fierce drive from distance was only fractionally too high to trouble Dom Hill, brought in as a replacement for the injured Dom Rogerson, in the Spa goal.

By now the men in black and red had begun to work their way into the game. Reiss Taylor-Randle and James Lemon were both, in rapid succession, thwarted by last minute blocks from the Town defence.

On the half hour mark the deadlock was broken. A great ball over the Fairford left back was collected by Jack Brighton on the charge down the right wing. JBs great work saw the ball played into the danger zone. It found Corey Rudd 22 yards out. No stranger to the spectacular finish, he let fly a worldy that curled away from Town keeper Connor Johns and dipped inside the far post. I hope and expect Corey has many years football ahead of him but I doubt he will many better shots on goal than this one which completed a real good Spa move. The lead could, and probably should, have been doubled after 37 minutes when a great Josh Hurdman cross was met by Alex Dugmore, the club’s leading scorer. It was the sort of chance Duggers would head home in his sleep but to the surprise of Spa fans, his effort was off target.

The lead would, however, be doubled a few minutes later when Charlie Tilley’s clever finish back across goal found the old onion bag and Spa had a second.

With the Saltmen now looking increasingly dangerous, it took a top drawer save from Johns to deny them a third. Then with the game about to enter first half stoppage time the visitors number 6, Adam Corcoran, said something to the officials which they didn’t like and he was given a spell in the sin bin.

The second half started with Spa sitting deeper, clearly intent on defending their lead. Both sides created chances and on 59 minutes, James Lemon could not quite get to a teasing Josh Hurdman cross. Moments later Tom Chamberlain seized upon a loose ball in the Droitwich box and fired past Hill to make it 2-1. The last half hour saw Fairford chasing an equaliser. Spa hung in and while both sides created chances one of which fell to the returning Perry Moss, brought on as a second half replacement, had a great chance to seal the game. A fully fit, match practised Moss would have tucked the ball away with ease but he is understandably still a little ring rusty and scuffed his attempt at goal.

Spa survived a lot of pressure in the last half hour but hunkered down and with all of the back for having strong games they ultimately prevailed.

I could have awarded the coveted FTS Man of the Match award to any one of a number of players but this time it goes to Ben Tilbury for the latest in a long line of assured performances at Centre back.

Home again on Saturday.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Droitwich Spa v Fairford Town 12.08.2025

Hellenic League Premier Division

With league fixtures coming thick and fast, the Saltmen welcome Fairford Town to Kingys this evening. The visitors have played three Hellenic Premier games so far, claiming two points from draws with Slimbridge and Highworth. Spa have six points from their own three games, following consecutive wins over Westfields and Thornbury.

Apart from football, Fairford is famed for its RAF base. But FTS can exclusively reveal that it’s not only military aircraft flying into the town. The following photo indicates that Fairford now boasts the UK’s first landing strip for flying saucers:

So Droitwich may need to employ some laser like passing and a few rockets at goal if they want to get a result from the game.

Kick off is at 7.45pm.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Hellenic League Premier Division

09/08/2025

Mundy Playing Fields

Thornbury looks like a lovely town. Only half an hour or so from Bristol, there is definitely something of the picture postcard about its town centre.

On arrival at the ground we were greeted by two of the Thornbury players who asked how our journey had been. That is a first for me.

We decided to visit a hostelry to sample the local ‘culture’ and headed through the picnickers in the park and into town. At £6+ for a pint we only had the one and then headed back to the ground.

Mundy Playing Fields has been Thornbury Town’s home since the 1940s and it’s obvious why they stay. Located on the edge of a public park it is a pretty ground with lots of cover, seated and standing. One section of raised terracing looks like a very recent addition to the facilities. There is also a very nice clubhouse with an open, airy bar. And the drinks were cheaper than the pub in town. Sadly, as a designated driver, FTS could not take full advantage of this particular facility. We will try harder next time – in the interests of journalistic accuracy, of course!

While the surroundings are very nice, the pitch was a little bit less friendly. The hot, dry summer has not been a friend to many groundsmen this year and Thornbury is no exception. The playing surface looked hard and there were a lot of bumps making ball control a bit of a lottery. This is not in any way a criticism of the club, just the inevitable result of the good weather we have been enjoying.

The difficulty of the surface quickly became clear as the game kicked off. Both sides struggled to make meaningful visits into the final third of the field and only a limited number of half chances were created. That was until Reiss Taylor-Randle hit a long 19th minute cross which Josh Hurdman met perfectly and his header gave Clark in the home goal no chance. Spa had a 1-0 lead.

Opportunities came and went for Taylor-Randle and Alex Dugmore but on 38 minutes Town were awarded a penalty which Chalmers converted to level the scores at 1-1.

Duggers was unable to pick up the pieces after a fine James Lemon effort was parried by Clark on 42 mins and we reached halftime level.

Underfoot conditions continued to hamper the players in the second half. On 52 minutes Dugmore was given a good opportunity to enter the scoring after great work by Joe Clayton. Sadly Duggers effort was deflected to safety.

But as we’ve seen many times in the last 12 months, it’s difficult to stop the Spa goal machine aka Alex Dugmore and just before the hour mark, he restored the Saltmen’s lead, losing his markers and rising to head home a pinpoint Taylor-Randle corner with a trademarked powerful header.

This may not have been a game for the purists but there was plenty of incident to keep the crowd of 167 interested. With 25 minutes still to play, Spa keeper Dom Rogerson had to leave the action due to what I would guess has been an injury that has been troubling him for some time. With no replacement keeper on the bench, Rohan Levy drew the short straw and took the Mackem stopper’s place between the sticks. The young centre back wouldn’t have to wait very long to be involved in the action. Unfortunately, this would involve picking the ball out of his newly acquired net as a decent strike from the home side gave Rohan no chance. Quite why goalscorer Marcus Wormhole found it necessary to charge at Rowan trying to rip the retrieved ball from him like a spoiled baby will perhaps remain one of life’s eternal mysteries: particularly as there was still at least twenty minutes still to play.

What comes around, goes around as they say (whoever ‘they’ are), and Karma was restored to the world on 80 minutes when Alex Dugmore was adjudged to have been tripped in the Town box and the referee pointed to the spot. From our vantage point, FTS did think the award looked a bit harsh but the referee is always right and we must accept his decision with our usual good grace.

Anyway, Ben Tilbury kept his cool and struck the ball home to give the Saltmen the lead for the third time on the day.

Droitwich survived a last minute scare to hold on and claim the win. Not a vintage Spa performance by any means but an away win when playing some way below potential will encourage the supporters who again travelled in significant numbers to bolster the crowd of 167. Something else which will encourage the faithful was the sight of Perry Moss at the game. This rover’s return will be as popular in Droitwich as it is in Weatherfield!

Despite saying the game was not a classic, there were still some impressive performances from the men in their new gold (not yellow) away kit. Lewis Phillips was faultless but the fact that he missed the game due to injury left me with no choice but to give the highly prized FTS man of the match award to somebody else. On this occasion, in recognition of the latest in a string of dominant performances the award goes to Corey Rudd. Both combative and creative, the Spa midfielder is currently playing as well as I’ve seen him play. Special mention must also go to Ben Tilbury who continues to impress at centre back and to Rohan Levy who had the stones to put the gloves on and step out of the comfort zone.

Thanks must go to Thornbury who were gracious hosts at their very nice ground. Best of luck for the season ahead.

Next up, three home games in a row. First, Fairford Town visit Kingys on Tuesday, 12th August. Kickoff at 7.45pm.

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

PS: Found out who ‘they’ are :-

05 August 2025

Hellenic League Premier Division

Teamsheet

After what seems like an age, The Saltmen returned to competitive football at Kingys. And what a return it was!

Two narrow defeats in the opening week of the season were quickly consigned to history as Spa recorded an emphatic first win of the 2025/26 campaign.

Droitwich started the game very positively. In the first minute Josh Hurdman tested Jack Oxenham in the ‘Fields goal. Spa were dominating the early going and a James Lemon flick was cleared off the line. Next Oxenham was called upon to tip an Alex Dugmore effort over the bar. But the Spa goal-scoring machine that is Alex Dugmore wouldn’t wait long to break the deadlock. After a sustained period of pressure, a trademark Dugmore header from Josh Hurdman’s cross gave the Saltmen a lead they would never relinquish.

On 13 minutes, the visitors Adrian Clark’s effort was comfortably dealt with by Dom Rogerson in the Spa goal. With Westfields starting to make inroads into the Saltmen rear guard, a Droitwich break led o James Lemon sending Duggers through on goal. Spa’s prolific marksman made it two for him and the team with a well place lob over the on rushing Westfields keeper on 23 minutes.

The goal re-energised the Saltmen and two minutes later as a rampant Droitwich side saw Taylor-Randle one on one with Oxenham, who pulled off a smart save with his feet.

The visitors had a decent chance to reduce the deficit on 30 minutes but Rogerson was able to make a tidy stop. At the other end, a great cross from Jack Brighton gave Taylor-Randle a chance to extend the lead but he was unable to guide his 5 yard header on target. On the stroke of half-time Rogerson got down quickly to thwart Clark again.

After the teams had finished their orange quarters and rub downs with last week’s Standard, the second half began with Westfields seizing the initiative. Clark was twice denied chances by the impressive Ben Tilbury making very timely interventions within the Droitwich box. The home side rode the pressure and on 53 minutes Duggers completed his hat trick. James Lemon was the provider with a big assist, turning the Fields centre back in and out before setting up his teammate with a straight forward tap in.

Not content on just being a finisher, Duggers turned provider on 63 minutes. His dogged determination saw his cross reach Charlie Tilley who volleyed home for 4-0.

Both sides continued to press forward. Joe Hurdman tested Oxenham on 81 minutes. On for skipper Lemon, Joe cut in from the right but his strong shot was well saved. A couple of minutes later he teed Dugmore up with a deep cross. On this occasion the target was missed but Duggers was not done. On 88 minutes he chased a ball played over the Westfields back four, nicking it past the approaching but now airborne Oxenham whose foot struck the Spa star’s chest, knocking him to the floor and preventing a shot at the open goal. For those of us old enough to remember the 1982 World Cup, it was reminiscent of German keeper Harold Schumacher’s horror challenge on France’ Patrick Battiston. Without question, the visiting stopper would be off. There was no question. Even the most avid Westfields supporter must have expected him to be given his marching orders.

The referee showed him the yellow card.

A spot of GBH is not enough to put Alex Dugmore off and he had the last laugh. With 90 minutes on the imaginary clock, Duggers was on the end of the move of the match. Excellent build up play by Sam and Joe Hurdman ripped the Fields defence apart and Sir Alex did the rest. Four goals on the night and a 5-0 win for the Saltmen.

A top quality performance from Droitwich has announced their arrival in the Hellenic Premier division. It’s difficult to find fault with anyone in the red and black, so I won’t bother.

And so to the FTS Man of The Match. This was more difficult than usual. For a start, Lewis Phillips was injured and didn’t play. This reduced his chances by about 25%. The back four were all superb as were the midfield and widemen. It’s very hard to look past a man who has repeated his, now annual, four goal August game. But, I’m going to do that and award the honour to Jack Brighton. Rock solid at the back and a constant danger going forward, Jack offers an alternate attacking option and a reliable lay off to the midfield.

A great display by the Saltmen lapped up by the 306 in attendance.

Who’s going to Thornbury on Saturday?

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

Match Report

Racing Club Warwick 2 – 1 Droitwich Spa FA Cup – 02 August 2025

If there was anyone left in Droitwich yesterday afternoon, then it must have been quiet. It seemed like half of the town had taken a drive to Warwick to see the Saltman make their debut in the world’s favourite knockout competition.

FTS took the coach that Steve Charlwood had arranged for the Spa Drinking Team (I think). The trip from a The Old Cock to Townsend Meadow took 45 minutes which left FTS plenty of time to check out local brewery’s Pilsner lager. At £2.50 a pint it would have been rude not to. Good pint too.

As kick off approached, the number of Spa fans entering the ground increased steadily and it was soon apparent we significantly outnumbered the home supporters. The stadium itself is impressive, with covered standing at both goal ends and covered seats along both touchlines. The only slight criticism I would make would be the bar facilities became a little swamped by the demand. The bar staff were great but I’m guessing the club did not expect the number of visiting supporters. I didn’t try the food but have it on good authority that it was very good. The burgers got rave reviews from a number of the Spa fans who tried them.

The game kicked off on a warm summer afternoon and the first goalkeeper called into action was Spa stopper Dom Rogerson, who had to be quick to close down a Racing break and using his feet to block a good strike from the dangerous looking Tyrell Skeen-Hamilton.

It was the Saltmen who broke the deadlock after 14 minutes. Nathan Binner struck a perfectly flighted free kick from wide on the right to the back post where it was met by exactly the Spa player you would want on the end of a cross. Alex Dugmore’s header looked a little too near Sam Lomax in the Racing goal. In what the giant keeper will probably not consider the highlight of his career, the ball ended up nutmegging the big fella giving Spa the lead and Alex Dugmore will forever be the first Spa player to score in the FA Cup.

James Lemon looked to have doubled the Saltmen’s advantage just before the break his deft header looked bound for the bottom corner until the lofty Lomax dropped to his left and pawed the ball away to complete a fabulous save.

Droitwich came out for the second half clearly intent on protecting their one goal advantage and appeared to set up deeper. Sadly, they could only protect their one goal lead for 8 minutes when Aaron Opoku converted a knockdown with a clinical finish into the bottom left corner. Spa struggled to impose themselves on their higher league opponents. Dom Rogerson made two great saves as Racing looked increasingly dangerous. The dam finally broke after 79 minutes Opoku picked up the pieces after a goalline scramble and completed what may prove to be the easiest finish of his career.

Racing had the ball in the Spa goal again a couple of minutes later but that was chalked off as the linesman had flagged for offside.

To lose by the odd goal in 3, away from home, against a side playing in a higher league, is not a bad result. It was a gutsy performance by a Spa team who haven’t quite hit the straps yet. But it is very early in the season and there are still players to join/return to the squad.

The Following The Saltmen Man of the FA Cup Match goes to Dom Rogerson. He has had better games but made 4 or 5 top drawer stops which on another day could have been the difference between win or defeat.

Next up, Spa’s first home game of the season as Westfields visit Kingys in the Hellenic League Premier Division. Kick off 7.45pm.

See you there

Cheers

FTS – As seen on TV

Racing Club Warwick v Droitwich Spa

Saturday 2nd August 2025, Kick off 15.00.

Townsend Meadow, Hampton Road, Warwick CV34 6JP

So here we are. Perhaps the biggest day so far in the story of Droitwich Spa FC. The club’s debut in the world’s best known domestic knockout competition, the FA Cup!

Five years ago, the club was groundsharing at Stourport while Kingys was being transformed into one of the best facilities you will find at Step Five. Last season’s championship winning exploits mean the club now qualify to join the long road to Wembley.

Townsend Meadow. The fabled white grass of the neighbouring racecourse can be seen in the distance.

Today’s trip to face Step four Racing Club Warwick has generated a great deal of interest in the town. The club’s debut has attracted two visits from BBC Television. On Thursday the club was featured on Midlands Today. This morning it will be the subject of Mike Bushell’s sports report on BBC Breakfast, after he spent most of Wednesday in the town. The highlight may well be Lewis Phillips’ singing of “Oh when the Spa go marching in.” Certainly won’t harm his chances of getting another Following The Saltmen Man of the Match award.

Our hosts will definitely be tough opponents. Six months ago the two clubs were two steps apart in the pyramid. The gap has narrowed but the difference in league status will make Warwick firm favourites to progress to the next round against the winner of the Lye Town v Hereford Pegasus tie. But the Saltmen have a history of beating higher ranked teams and as we know, anything can happen in a cup tie!

See you there.

Cheers

FTS

https://www.churchfarmbrewery.co.uk/our-beers/

if you needed any more encouragement to watch the Saltmen in their first ever FA Cup appearance then you might want to consider that Church Farm Brewery will be at the match with beers at £2.50. That’s right £2.50!

As a keen teatotaller, I have no idea how good they are but it looks like they have a good range of brews for everyone from the hippest Hoxton hipster to the layabout lager lovers like us here at FTS.

See you there

cheers

FTS

#upthesaltmen

28 July 2025 (Yes, July!)

Pegged Back

If I’d been asked just before kick off whether I would be happy if the boys scored four goals in the game, I would have taken that gratefully. Going away from home and scoring four goals in the first game of the season would usually see you taking all three points. If you factor in the number of first team regulars unavailable, yesterday’s result was still surprising.

For various reasons the Saltmen started their first game in the Hellenic League Premier Division without Jay Sauntson, Jack Brighton, Perry Moss, Matt Jackson, Sam Carey and Cory Rudd. Into the side came new signing Reiss Taylor-Randle and Rohan Levy, from last season’s Under 18 squad, who was making his full debut for the first team.

Even with a full strength team, the first game at a higher level was never going to be easy. Hereford Pegasus are a strong club firmly embedded in Step 5. But Spa did not look overawed or outplayed in the opening stages. A number of half chances were created in the first half. Charlie Tilley was thwarted, James Lemon narrowly missed the best of the chances and Josh Hurdman worked the Pegasus keeper. The closest Spa came to a goal in the first period was a typically unorthodox Alex Dugmore header which left the keeper stranded in no man’s land, only for the ball to strike the woodwork before being shovelled away to safety. Pegasus were quick to take advantage of their escape. Within a minute a left sided move resulted in a strong angled strike finding the bottom corner and the Saltmen were one down.

Undeterred, the lads worked hard to level the scoreline. Josh Hurdman was a constant danger and a strong burst into the Pegasus box saw his shot narrowly miss the target. A good free kick from Nathan Binner could not break the home defence and Spa racked up a number of corners, keeping up the pressure.

The Peggies had been restricted by a long period of Droitwich pressure until the 42nd minute when they managed to extend their lead with a decent close range finish to take the score to 2-0 at half time.

It only took the Peggies four minutes of the second half to take their lead out to 3-0 and Spa looked done. At this point, many of us just hoped the boys could avoid a real drubbing. At three down, manager Andy Crowther decided it was time to freshen his side up. He introduced Joe Hurdman at the expense of Joe Clayton in a change of strategy which also required Alex Dugmore to move into the centre back role and skipper Lemon to move to lone striker.

Now I don’t know if the gaffer is a tactical genius, just lucky or a lucky genius. Whatever, it worked a treat. Joe Hurdman made an immediate impact. His pace, control and strength clearly rattled the Peggies back line, seeing off multiple challenges and sending a number of tasty crosses into the path of his teammates.

Within 5 minutes the Saltmen pulled a goal back. Fine work from the Hurdman duo pulled the Hereford side from touchline to touchline and Ben Tilbury converted a cross with a neat headed finish.

Two minutes later Josh Hurdman ruthlessly smashed home a loose ball and at 3-2, the gap was reduced to a solitary goal. Unfortunately, that would not last long as Pegasus struck back immediately. Alex Dugmore was penalised for a challenge in the Spa box. The resulting kick was dispatched with ease. From my vantage point 90 yards away, it looked like a harsh decision but I’m willing to accept that the referee was a bit closer to the action.

So, at two goals down again, Reiss Taylor-Randle and Jack Davies swapped places. The oncoming Droitwich legend quickly helped the lads start to control possession and after 70 minutes Josh Hurdman ruthlessly put a killer ball into the box finding brother Joe who managed to evade oncoming defenders before crashing a no-doubter into the home team’s goal.

The Saltmen piled forward and a couple of minutes later James Lemon was caught by a tackle so late that it’s still possible it will push the last games of the season back by a few weeks.

The resulting penalty was tucked home efficiently by Ben Tilbury to level the scores at four all to complete a remarkable comeback after being 3-0 down. The drama was not finished yet though. There was still enough time for Joe H to be denied by a cracking save from the Peggies keeper. At the other end, Pegasus had an effort cleared off the line and then were reduced to ten men for reasons that, again, were not apparent from the other end of the ground. To their credit, rather than parking the bus for the last 5 minutes, Pegasus took the game to Spa. The game entered stoppage time with Pegasus controlling the ball which was manoeuvred to their left flank from where the ball was launched towards the Spa goal. If it was a deliberate shot on goal it was a moment of shear brilliance as it stranded Dom Rogerson and soared into the top corner from fully 30 yards. Some miserable old sods might argue that it was a cross that fluked its way into the goal. I’m not sure*

So the game finished at 5-4 to Hereford Pegasus but the Saltmen really gave them a scare on the way. Even in defeat, some consolation can be taken from scoring 4 goals. The character and resilience on display was brilliant. It would have been easy for the lads to have given up and accepted a real spanking. The strong performance from Rohan Levy on debut was very encouraging. Joe H has shown that, like Sam and Josh, he has all the ability to prove a very effective addition to the team. In light of his form over pre-season and the Pegasus game he has made a strong case to start at Warwick in Saturday’s FA Cup game.

Honourable mentions go to Nathan Binner who was involved in most of the good stuff and Lewis Phillips who was strong alongside a reshuffled centre back partnership. But the Following The Saltmen man of the match must go to Josh Hurdman who, from the first minute to the last, looked dangerous every time he had the ball and created a hatful of chances for teammates and himself and tracked back to good effect. Really good all round performance.

It’s on to Warwick on Saturday for the club’s first ever appearance in the FA Cup!!

See you there

Cheers

FTS

Bewdley Town 1 – 6 Droitwich Spa

Pre-season Game. Ribbesford Meadow, Saturday 19 July 2025

There can be few better places in the country to watch two teams prepare for a new season than Ribbesford Meadow. On the banks of the River Severn, ambling lazily south into central Worcestershire, the Saltmen faced a Bewdley Town side who they have already played three times in the last 18 months.

It has already been a tumultuous week for our friends in Bewdley following the rare birth of baby red pandas at the West Midlands Safari Park. A pre-season game was never likely to rival this news but we arrived at the ground hoping for an entertaining afternoon.

The hosts started the game strongly, pinning Spa back in their own half but were unable to trouble Dom Rogerson in the Droitwich goal. Gradually, the visitors found their feet and grew in confidence, matching Bewdley’s energy and endeavour but the most notable incident in a goalless first 45 minutes came with an impromptu bout of wrestling between Spa skipper James Lemon and the Riversiders’ number 6. The officials restored order and both players were shown the yellow card.

In accordance with pre-season law, both sides rang the changes during the half time break. The introduction of Cory Rudd and Charlie Tilley as the midfield spine, gave Spa the edge in the centre of the park and that was telling. The deadlock was broken on 47 minutes as Alex Dugmore turned an accurate cross into the home goal. With Town now chasing the game, play opened up and the Saltmen took control. Within five more minutes Josh Hurdman was felled in the box while rounding the Bewdley keeper and the referee had no hesitation pointing to the spot. Despite the Spa faithful baying for Jay Sauntson to take the kick, his fellow centre back, Ben Tilbury calmly converted the kick to reinforce the lead.

At this point it became the Hurdman Show. Following his introduction to the game, Joe Hurdman matched elder brother Josh in endangering Bewdley’s rear guard. Both grabbed a brace as Spa stretched the game. The pick of the bunch would have to be the first of Josh’s goals. Collecting the ball deftly and with one movement splitting the Town back four, then powering an unstoppable strike home this was comfortably the goal of the game. That rarest of treasures, a Josh Hurdman headed goal, followed some tenacious work from Joe who provided a great cross into the box met perfectly by big bro. Not to be outdone, Joe found the scoresheet twice to crown an impressive second half performance. His hard work, mazy runs and neat finishing were a constant danger to the home side.

The afternoon’s scoring was completed in the last minute. Town’s Alec Price received the ball about 20 yards out and his impressive angled strike flew unerringly into the Spa goal.

Impressive performances all round, including two trialists. Had he played for the full 90 minutes there’s a good chance that today’s Following The Saltmen Man of the Match Award would have gone to Lewis Phillips but alas he only played for 45. The award therefore goes to a very deserving Rohan Levy. Impressive at both centre back and later at left back, Rohan put in a great shift, his aerial prowess extinguishing a number of threatening Bewdley advances and he still found time to make some dangerous surges forward.

Next up a trip to the old stamping ground when the Saltmen travel to Walshes Meadow on Tuesday evening to play the Stourport Swifts in the last pre-season fixture before the serious business starts.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Pre-season Game. 12 July 2025.

As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, that a family holiday in Cornwall means I am missing The Saltmen’s games against Smethwick Rangers and Kidderminster Harriers. Nevertheless, my commitment to quality journalism remains firm and, like the Droitwich Standard, I won’t let not actually seeing the game prevent me from writing a report.

It was very hot at the Boldmere home of Smethwick Rangers. So hot, in fact, that the grass had changed to plastic and the soil had become a type of rubber crumb stuff. That’s global warming for you, eh Greta?

In preparation for Spa’s Hellenic Premier opener in front of the Sky cameras at 7.23am on a Friday morning, it was decided that today’s game would kick off at 12.00 noon. There are rumours circulating which suggest this was at the request of West Mids Police keen to prevent the travelling hordes from Droitwich going to the pub before the game and then indulging in sectarian singing in favour of Rangers deadly rivals, Smethwick Celtic. If so, it worked.

Spa dominated the first half but were unable to trouble the chaps in the scorers’ hut. Halftime arrived with the game goalless.

The deadlock was broken by Spa skipper and club legend James Lemon who scored a goal. A little bit later the Saltmen notched a second through midfield stalwart Corey Rudd. Sadly a calamitous decision by the officials meant the goal was credited to the home side. With the scores evenly balanced at one apiece each, star of last year’s Under 18s championship winners, Harry Griffiths popped up to grab the winner for Droitwich, proving conclusively that not all young people are spice taking hoodlums, hell bent on the destruction of society. Apparently that’s now the job of Parliamentarians!

Due to my physical (if not spiritual) absence, today’s FTS Man of the Match was selected by fellow Spa fan, Len Boyd who selected skipper and Droitwich legend James Lemon who Len said had a great game. Thanks to Len and Lem.

Best wishes to Rangers for the coming season. Hope you have a good one!

Next up former football league club and near neighbours Kidderminster Harriers come to town on Tuesday evening for Spa’s first home game since lifting the Hellenic League Division One trophy. The club expect a decent sized crowd at Kingys, so get there early.

Won’t see you there.

Cheers

Steve

Pre Season game. Tuesday 8th July

Arrow Valley Sports Centre, Redditch

I’ve never really understood the idea of a ‘friendly’ match. It suggests that both teams are playing at less than 100%. In my, admittedly, limited sporting career I always played with maximum effort. Whether it was a cup final or a kick around with mates, a school sports day or a game of darts in the pub, I always wanted to play my very best game.

At times this evening’s game may have lacked quality at times but it never lacked endeavour. No quarter was taken by either side. The Romans started very brightly and made more of the early going. Buoyed by last season’s promotion to Step Six, they created the bulk of the chances in the first period and deservedly took the lead with a well worked passage of play and a neat finish. A strong Spa lineup struggled to create chances and can have no complaints when they went in at half time one down.

Both managers shuffled the packs during the break and the Saltmen gradually worked their way into the game but not before a great effort from the Romans struck the woodwork and bounced to safety. Spirited work from Sam and Joe Hurdman enlivened the whole side but frustratingly they could not find the killer touch. Enter Jack Davies, a man who seems to enjoy away games in Redditch. As it was starting to look like Spa would never break their duck, a neat lay off found the Spa midfield enforcer 25 yards out and Jack Davies did what Jack Davies does when Spa play in Redditch and hit a trademark blockbuster strike which gave the Alcester keeper no chance.

With time running out, a decent spell of possession ended with the ball reaching Joe Hurdman whose sharp strike found the bottom corner and gave Spa a lead they would hold until the final whistle.

In truth, it was a disjointed Droitwich performance. This may have been partly due to the venue being switched. The pitch at Arrow Park did look to be very small and left the Saltmen struggling to find space.

Hats off to our hosts, who looked comfortable and held a free scoring Droitwich for almost all the game. If they perform like they did tonight, I can see Alcester being successful in Hellenic League Division One.

At the risk of becoming repetitive, the FTS MOTM goes to Lewis Phillips for the second time in four days. Lewis carried on where he left off on Saturday. Strong in defence and appeared to help his less experienced teammates out as much as he could.

Next up your Saltmen travel to Boldmere for an early kickoff against Smethwick on Saturday. Then they host Kidderminster Harriers next Tuesday. Sadly FTS will be on holiday for these two games so there is likely to be some radio silence for a week. I’ll be back for the final two pre-season games.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Tuesday 8th July, 2025. Kick off: 7.45pm

Venue Address: Arrow Vale, Matchborough Way, Redditch, B98 0GF

Following Saturday’s impressive performance at Studley, The Saltmen return to pre-season action on Tuesday 8th July against an Alcester Town side recently promoted to Step 6.

Sadly, the game will NOT be at Alcester Town Football Club but will be played at Arrow Vale, Matchborough Way, Redditch, B98 0GF. We understand that facilities at Arrow Vale are limited so don’t go expecting a bar and hot food as I suspect it may not be available.

I’m sure the lads would appreciate your support so why not pop over to Redditch and give them a cheer.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Pre-season Game

Spa returned to action today for the first time since lifting the trophy on the last game of the 2024-2025 season. This pre-season game pitted the Saltmen against long established Midland Premier League team Studley FC.

We arrived at the Beehive about an hour before kick off. A lot has changed at the ground since I last visited. The main stand has gone and the pitch moved 60 or 70 yards over from the its previous location. The playing surface is now 3G or 4G and is overlooked by a small covered seating area and a short covered standing area on the same side as the dugouts. The other three sides of the ground are uncovered hard standing areas. The clubhouse bar is a good size and most importantly, reasonably priced.

Both sides started brightly but we had to wait well over two minutes for Spa to open the scoring. A great Lewis Phillips cross was met by the club’s current Golden Boot holder Alex Dugmore, who rose above the home back four and guided an inch perfect header into the top corner.

The Studley side clearly contains some very accomplished players but The Saltmen never looked overawed or outplayed. Some slick passing moves and excellent decision making were proving to be a handful for the Bees. It came as no surprise when a blatant push in Duggers’ back resulted in Spa being awarded a spot kick which Ben Tilbury dispatched confidently for a 0-2 lead. The third Droitwich goal came courtesy of a little more largesse from the home side. A calamitous misunderstanding between keeper and defender resulted in a back header finding the net.

Studley did find the target once before half time, through some neat interplay in the Spa box and a cool finish giving Dom Rogerson in the Spa goal no chance.

Both coaching teams used the half time break to make wholesale changes, handing opportunities to some of the younger squad members. The second half spoils went to Studley who made up the two goal deficit with an absolute screamer of a finish and a far post header which probably could have been defended more effectively. There were promising signs from two debutants, whose names I won’t mention until formal announcements are made by the club.

I would imagine that Droitwich boss Andy Crowther and his coaching team will be very pleased with what they saw. There was certainly plenty to be encouraged by. It is easy to read too much into pre-season results but calm, intelligent and accurate passing football from box to box; penetrative attacking and sure-footed defence bode well for the coming season.

Following The Saltmen Man of the Match goes to Lewis Phillips.

Solid defensive work. Dangerous delivery of crosses and consistently made himself available for teammates to find.

Good start.

See you at the Alcester game.

Cheers

Steve

Lock up your lawnmower. Bin the barbecue. Heave the holiday. Why? Because proper football is back. That’s why.

Stop crying your heart out, on Saturday 5th July 2025 your Saltmen begin their 2025/2026 campaign with a pre-season game at near neighbours Studley FC. with kick off at 3.00pm.

There’s absolutely nothing else going on this weekend of any cultural, artistic or sporting significance. So why not roll with it over to The Beehive, stand by me and the rest of the red n black army. It’s hardly half a world away and you won’t need to travel at Supersonic speed to get there. In fact, you won’t even have to do it in a helicopter.

Little by little, Andy Crowther’s side are preparing the masterplan for an assault on Step Five against a club with bags of experience at this higher level. It will be an interesting indicator of the progress the club is making and providing they don’t acquiesce should be a very useful run out for both the players and the coaching staff.

With the transfer window only opening this week, I can’t tell you much about the Studley side. But I do know Studley is steeped in football history. It is a well known fact that Studley is named after a pioneer in the field of sports footwear. Born in the Redditch area in 1875 Sir Reginald Studd invented his patented system designed to stop players and officials from slipping and sliding all over the field. Initially known as cleats they quickly gained popularity with players all around the world and soon took the name of their creator. Now the sporting world knows them simply as ‘Reg’s.

So don’t look back in anger when you wake up on Sunday regretting that you missed the game. Cum on feel the noise and support your local football.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Football is officially back. Forget the UEFA Under 10s thing. Forget the shambolic World Club Championship (sponsored by GreedIsUs Inc). Forget the vital international friendlies against the Scilly Isles.

Yes, the Saltmen are back in training for the new season. The lads assembled at Kingy’s this evening for what appeared to be some ritual, torture by running challenge. They may also have done some ball work but by that time, exhausted by watching physical exercise, I had returned to the bar to rehydrate.

While two or three players were absent due to holidays and work commitments, it looks to me like pretty much the whole squad has been retained. There were also a few new faces I didn’t recognise. I’m sure we will hear more in the coming weeks.

There club has lined up seven tasty looking pre-season games for us to look forward to, and we don’t have to wait long for the first:

Studley FC – 3.00pm Saturday 5th July at The Beehive, Abbeyfields Drive, Studley, B80 7BF

Alcester Town – Tuesday 8th July at Stratford Road, Alcester, B49 6LN Kick off time TBA

Smethwick Rangers – Saturday 12th July at Boldmere St Michaels FC, 18 Warden Avenue, Sutton Coldfield, B73 5SA. NOTE: Kick off at 12.00 Midday.

Kidderminster Harriers – Tuesday 15th July at Kingy’s. Kick off 7.45 pm

Bewdley Town – Saturday 19th July at Ribbesford Meadow, Bewdley. Kick off at 3.00pm

Stourport Swifts – Tuesday 22nd July at Walshes Meadow, Stourport, DY13 0AA. Kick off 7.45pm

SC Inkberrow – Saturday 26th July at Kingys. Kick off 3.00pm

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

After two weeks of deliberations, the publishers of Following The Saltmen (me) are now ready to reveal the football world’s soon to be most cherished awards.

We had originally intended to invite a celebrity to present the awards but in these days of financial belt tightening, we found out we couldn’t afford Dave Bradley. In fact, we couldn’t even afford Dan’s fee. Hopefully, promotion to Step Five will allow hangers on like us to monetise the blog, so next year I expect we will book Ricky Gervais.

So, without further ado, on with the awards!

Goal of the Season

Spa have been prolific scorers this season. In the league alone they hit the target 107 times. That’s 27 more than the second highest scorers or very nearly a goal per game. So we had a lot to choose from with quite a few worldies among that number. But ultimately it came down to a choice between two. The runner up was Alex Dugmore’s fourth goal of the day. A Marco van Bastenesque volley from an acute angle in the season’s opening game at a stiflingly hot Newent.

But the winner is the Jack Davies winner away at Redditch Borough. An absolute piledriver from thirtyish yards out. It was a fitting climax to one of the most entertaining matches you could ever see. Jack struck the ball so sweetly that it tracked like a frozen rope into the Redditch net. First Bus could have lined two double deckers up on the goal line and they still wouldn’t have kept it out. The fact that it was the deciding blow in an 11 goal, top of the table local derby six pointer, just ices the cake.

Congratulations Jack. The first ever Waynie is yours.

Link to Craig Newton’s video of the goal:

https://youtube.com/shorts/iGpVyAQY-TE?si=h1z8pCuOfVjbZexU

It’s not just scoring goals that creates a championship team though. It is equally as important to stop your opponents. Again, Spa topped the defensive stats in the division. Conceding just 33 league goals, the Saltmen had the meanest defence. Next in the stinginess stakes were our friends at Redditch who conceded 37 goals – a quarter of which were scored by Droitwich Spa FC.

This brings us clumsily to the second award of the night….

Most Improved Player: Dominic Rogerson

I must confess that I was a bit surprised that the club did not recruit a new goalkeeper last summer. Other young keepers had not been able to seize the number one jersey following Matt Oliver’s retirement and Dom had missed most of the previous season through injury. But manager Andy Crowther placed a lot of faith in the young Mackem and that faith proved to be very well placed. The Spa stopper has gone from strength to strength and produced a string of quality performances despite being little more than a spectator in a fair number of games. Once or twice, there were games when one or two Spa fans touched the ball more times than the big fella in goal. There have been occasions when men of lesser character would have ducked away from situations in which Dom stood stoically firm. There won’t be many other keepers who started an away game in the third round of the FA Vase with a fractured elbow! For the sake of good taste I won’t dwell on the affliction he overcame at Kidlington. But it’s not just bravery which Dom has brought to the party. There have been some breathtaking saves. The point blank reflex save at Ashby will long remain in my memory as will a similar worldly at Shortwood on the day Spa secured the title. Congratulations Dom.

And so to the real biggy…..

Player of the Season 2024 -2025

It will come as little surprise to learn that the first ever Following The Saltmen Player of the Season award goes to the Man With the Golden Boot…..

For me, Duggers represents the soul of the team. His lung busting runs, his willingness to put his body on the line and his head (including teeth) in places of real danger has endeared Alex to the Spa faithful. A goal per game record for the season has helped too!

When he moved up into the forward line, at the end of the 23-24 season, we assumed it would be a temporary change. But this season he led the line from the start. His four goals in the opening game at Newent confirmed his value as an out and out striker as he topped the division’s scoring stats all year.

You know what you’re going to get from Duggers. Soon, so did our opponents but that didn’t mean they could stop him – and the goals kept coming.

Other awards go to:

Best Haircut: Jack Brighton

Best Liqueur: Limoncello

Best Suit: Sam Carey

Best Song: Six-Five on Your Big Day Out

Worst Service Station Toilets: Evesham Services (almost certainly a crime scene)

Finally, a huge thank you goes to everyone at the club. Fellow supporters, players, coaches, officials and volunteers who have made this Non-Monner feel so welcome at Kingys. This season I set out to do something I’ve never managed to do: go to every first team game, home and away. I’ve come close in the past, following my old hometown rugby league club, but always missed a couple of away games. I’m pleased to say that with the help and encouragement of those mentioned above, I managed to see every Spa game this season. It’s been an absolute joy and I hope that has been reflected in the posts on this blog. The team’s performance and conduct on the field have been amazing and certainly made those 150 mile round trips that bit easier.

Next season will present a new set of challenges. I’m definitely no expert but from what I have seen, the club has all the right people in all the right places, giving huge amounts of time and effort building on the success of recent years. The club has a bright future and I hope I can continue to support the club in my small way.

I can’t wait for the pre-season games to arrive.

See you there

Cheers

Steve

Roll over Oscars. Take a back seat Grammys. Have a day off SPOTY because the awards they all want to win will be be announced soon.

That’s right. The first ever Following The Saltmen Annual Awards will be announced soon.

Watch this space…!

Preview: Droitwich Spa v Tytherington Rocks.

Hellenic League Division One

Where: Kingys

When: 3.00pm, Saturday 12 April ‘25

Welcome to the last match preview of the season. It doesn’t feel like eight months since we got the mini bus to a sweltering Newent for the club’s first game in the Hellenic League. But what an epic journey it has been!

And now to the grand finale. It is fitting that after a sequence of seven consecutive away league games the lads come back to Kingys to receive the trophy they so richly deserve.

But before the celebrations begin, there is the matter of a game against Tytherington Rocks. It looks like weather conditions will be a bit better than those the reverse fixture was played in, back in November. What looked like an excellent playing surface was rendered almost unplayable. Due to days of persistent rain over previous days, the pitch was so wet it could easily have been mistaken for a rice field. In contrast, the pitch at Kingys hasn’t seen any significant rain for weeks. Fortunately, the club now has the ability to water the pitch but it is still likely the playing surface will be pretty firm.

Tytherington go into the game with no relegation threat hanging over them, already assured of a mid-table finish. With the Saltmen also having secured the division title we could be in for an entertaining encounter.

The club has arranged various events after the final whistle including the presentation of the league winner’s trophy and various best player awards. The game will also be attended by a number of local dignitaries and, it has been reported that our local MP will be present too. Nevertheless, the club expects a bumper crowd at Kingys, Get there early to avoid disappointment.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Clanfield 85 FC 1 – 0 Droitwich Spa FC

Hellenic League Division One. 5th April 2025

We’ve had a lot of fun travelling to see the Saltmen over the past nine months. It was fitting then that our last away game of the season should be played in similar conditions to that first game at Newent back in August. Not a single cloud cast a shadow on proceedings.

Sadly for the hundred or so Spa fans who made the journey to the excellent Radcot Road ground at Clanfield, the game was a bit of a disappointment. It came as no great surprise that the boys might ease up now the division title has been assured. The early loss of Perry Moss to injury didn’t help matters but, in fairness, neither side posed much threat in front of goal. Spa came closest when the legend that is Duggers’ speculative headed effort glanced the outside of the far post. Dependable Dom Rogerson made a couple of smart saves to thwart the home attack but it certainly wasn’t a classic encounter.

The game looked to be drifting to a goalless draw when a Clanfield player went to ground in the Spa box. The referee pointed to the spot and the penalty was dispatched efficiently. From my vantage point, about 120 yards from the incident, it looked a bit of a home-town decision but I accept that the referee had a closer view than me.

There were a couple of fractious incidents in the latter stages, one resulting in a straight red card for Jack Brighton.

The game ended in a 1 – 0 win for Clanfield who maintain hopes of making the playoffs. With only one of the places secured (by Redditch) four clubs are challenging for the remaining three.

It’s a shame Spa couldn’t complete the season unbeaten away from home, while breaking a run of scoring in games stretching back to Victorian times. But let’s not dwell on negatives. If we’d been offered this year’s achievements before kickoff at Newent we would have bitten your arm off. Records are great but results are what matter and that league table tells us all we need to know.

The prestigious Following the Saltmen man of the match award goes to Steve Charlwood for services to the Spa travelling massive. Thanks Steve.

So that’s that. It’s back to Kingys for the Tytherington Rocks game and season finale on Saturday. It could be a day to remember.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Match Preview: Clanfield 85 v Droitwich Spa

Hellenic league Division One. Saturday 5th April 2025.

So, the hard work is done. The title secured and promotion to step 5 awaits. We can just go through the motions for the last two games.

No. I don’t think so.

No sportsman worth his salt, wants to lose. Cross the whitewash and all the periphery falls away. Good footballers want to win every game. It doesn’t matter if it’s the FA Vase final or a kickabout on the local rec with mates. After last weekend’s festivities at Shortwood, manager Andy Crowther suggested he would pick full strength lineups against Clanfield and Tytherington. The Saltmen owe it to the sides Clanfield are up against in the race for the playoffs to play as hard and competently as they can. In addition the supporters will demand nothing less than 100%.

Above all else, Spa will not want to be embarrassed by a Clanfield team making a very strong surge for the playoffs. Since losing at Chipping Sodbury on 1st February, our hosts have gone unbeaten in nine games, drawing 2-2 at Ludlow and winning the rest in a most impressive run of form. They currently sit in fifth place in the table, equal on 58 points with Abingdon but with a 4 goal advantage over Abingdon in the goal difference column. Both sides have two games remaining.

The Saltmen can certainly expect a well motivated opponent with plenty of ability and will have to be at their best to protect their unbeaten away record.

Spa will expect another great away following. In addition to those who travel independently, a supporters coach will also be making the trip to Oxfordshire.

This the last away game of the season. Come down to Clanfield and give the boys your support in the spring sunshine.

See you there.

Cheers.

Steve

Saturday 5th April

£10 each

Leaves Droitwich at 12.00 midday.

Return journey leaves Clanfield 5.00pm.

The club advises there are around 10 remaining places available on the Supporters Coach for the trip to Clanfield.

It really is the best way to travel and I imagine the atmosphere will be quite ‘relaxed.’

Contact Steve Charlwood on 07967 031906 to book.

I’ve already booked but don’t let that stop you….!

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Saturday 5th April

£10 each

Leaves Droitwich at 12.00 midday.

Return journey leaves Clanfield 5.00pm.

The club advises there are around 10 remaining places available on the Supporters Coach for the trip to Clanfield.

It really is the best way to travel and I imagine the atmosphere will be quite ‘relaxed.’

Contact Steve Charlwood on 07967 031906 to book.

I’ve already booked but don’t let that stop you….!

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

‘Nuff said! 😀 🥳

Cheers

Steve

Shortwood United 0 – 2 Droitwich Spa

29 March 2025

What a day! And what a great place to do it.

The Saltmen secured promotion to Step Five of the non-league pyramid this afternoon, at the excellent Meadowbank Stadium, home of Shortwood United, courtesy of two 2-0 away wins. Spa travelled to rural Gloucestershire needing just one point to effectively guarantee the Hellenic League Division One title or for Abingdon to take points off Redditch Borough. Not wishing to leave anything to chance, Spa seized the initiative by recording another impressive away win and Abingdon took home all three points home from their visit to Redditch.

The Droitwich men were made to work hard for their win. Quite rightly, Shortwood were in no mood to do Spa any favours and the opening stages of the game were evenly contested. The Saltmen looked nervous and a little too hurried but gradually found their feet. Then on the half hour, Perry Moss looked to have put Spa ahead, only for his neat finish to be ruled out as the linesman raised his flag after spotting a handball. The disappointment was only short lived. Within a minute, more excellent work by Moss saw him selflessly feed the ball to Nathan Binner who slotted the ball home and put Spa 1-0 up.

The lead was stretched to two on 42 minutes as that man Alex Dugmore rose to nod home a perfect Binner cross.

It was not all one way traffic though and just before the break the visitors had goalkeeper Dom Rogerson to thank for preserving their lead. His stunning reflex save just before the break preserved Spa’s clean sheet.

The second half was dominated by the Saltmen enjoying some great spells of possession and keeping our hosts pinned back in their half. News of Abingdon’s lead at Redditch filtered through and the huge contingent of Spa fans got ready to celebrate and started to exercise their singing voices. The referee finally called time and the celebrations began properly.

A quick pint and then we hit the M5. Next stop the Clubhouse at Kingys, where the players, officials and supporters could relax with a few pints and whatever Matt Fusco had in that yellow bottle.

A really enjoyable day and it was good that so many Spa fans managed to get to Shortwood to join in the celebrations. Our Following The Saltmen man of the match goes to Nathan Binner.

Droitwich travel to Clanfield next week.

See you there

Cheers

Steve

Hellenic League Division One

29 March 2025

The Saltmen travel to Shortwood for their penultimate away game of the season, needing just one point to secure the title and automatic promotion to Step 5. At the same time, nearest rivals Redditch Borough entertain Abingdon. Should Boro fail to win, then the title goes to Droitwich, regardless of the score at Shortwood’s storied Meadowbank Stadium.

Droitwich have been in SPArkling form over recent weeks, with a run of six consecutive league wins starting back in February with a 3-1 victory against The Wood at Kingys. The other five wins were secured on the road including Tuesday night’s 4-0 win just up the road from Shortwood, at near neighbours Stonehouse.

United also won on Tuesday, beating Tytherington 2-1 at the Meadowbank. That result means they still have hopes of making the playoffs and will certainly give them plenty of motivation to rain on Spa’s parade or do something nasty to their chips.

We may be in for a rollercoaster ride but if the lads can reproduce Tuesday’s form, it could become a momentous day in Droitwich Spa FC history.

Chips and rollercoasters sounds like a good day out to me. Who would want to miss that!?

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Hellenic League Division One. 25 March 2025

The Saltmen have recorded some impressive results this season but I can’t remember a better performance. Spa were utterly dominant at the Ben’s Takeaway Stadium, sweeping aside a Stonehouse side who, back in November, inflicted Spa’s first of only two league defeats so far this season.

From the first minute it was a performance fit to deliver a division title but as Redditch beat Wellington, concurrently, that part of business will be a bit delayed.

It was perhaps fitting that the game’s opening goal would go to a player yet to score this season! On 3 minutes Schofield, the Stonehouse keeper, did well to keep out a powerful header from the Right Honourable Lord Dugmore, but his parry was met by the head of Jamie Sauntson who converted the chance to join the pantheon of Droitwich goalscorers.

The main threat from the home team came from their pacy wide players but they found themselves carefully shepherded to safety by the Spa full backs who both out in dominant shifts.

The effervescent Perry Moss struck the woodwork but went one better on 35 minutes. The Spa playmaker latched onto a chipped ball over the home back line and neatly lobbed the rapidly advancing Schofield in a carbon copy of his goal at Kidlington four days earlier.

Half time came with the score 0 – 2 in Spa’s favour.

There was no let up as the second half started with more Droitwich pressure. The Saltmen were sharp. They seemed to be first to every loose ball and Stonehouse were frustrated by Spa breaking down any spells of possession the home side created, with ease.

Droitwich pressure was converted into a third goal on the hour mark. Lewis Phillips, who was enjoying another ironclad outing, struck an aimless hoof downfield / incisive defence splitting through ball (You decide!) which found the one true Sir Alex Dugmore who converted like a man who has scored thirty odd goals already this season, to make it three. With Duggers and Pez in such great goalscoring form, it may be that Jamie Sauntson will have to wait until next year to claim the club top scorer award.

It had been a relatively quiet night for Spa keeper Dom Rogerson until the game entered stoppage time. An uncharacteristic slip at the heart of the Droitwich defence allowed Harris clean through on goal. Dropped right in the sticky stuff the selfless custodian took one for the team bringing Harris down. Needless to say, some were surprised that Spa were not reduced to ten and were spared the decision of who goes in goal for the last knocking of the game. To rub salt into Stonehouse wounds, Dom comfortably gathered the effort from the resulting free kick.

That just left time for Matt Fusco to turn a nice Josh Hurdman far post ball back across Schofield, finding the net in style.This was Spa’s 100th league goal of the season.

It was an accomplished performance all-round. Every player made positive contributions, including those coming on from the bench. I could give the FTS man of the match to any of the team but, on a day in which the Spa midfield looked invincible, it must go to Nathan Binner. His tireless running, ball winning and creative play were of the highest order.

Plaudits too to our hosts for their friendly welcome. There has clearly been a lot of time and money invested in the facilities at their excellent stadium. They are still in with a shot of making the playoffs and hopefully we can do them a favour or two in our next two away games against their two closest rivals in that race.

A win at Shortwood on Saturday would seal the title for the Saltmen. Given the superior goal difference over Redditch, a draw would probably be enough. But, if the boys continue as they have in the last 6 league games, I see no reason why they can’t win all three remaining games.

Finally, it was another great turnout by the Spa faithful who pretty clearly outnumbered the home club’s supporters in a crowd of 142. We are the extra man.

See you at Shortwood. It might be a special day!

Cheers

Steve

Hellenic League Division One

25 March 2025 at the Ben’s Takeaway Stadium

The Saltmen travel to Stonehouse Town FC on Tuesday evening needing 4 more points to effectively clinch the Division One title. At the same time Redditch Borough, the only side who can now catch Spa, travel through Narnia to face Wellington. If Redditch fail to take all 3 points from their game, a Spa win will be enough see Droitwich promoted to Step 5, automatically.

Easy then…? Well….no! Stonehouse are one of only two sides to beat Spa so far this season. So we know how dangerous they can be. Their recent run of poor results will count for nothing when the players cross the white line. Stonehouse can still reach the Divisional Play-offs and their team will not want to give anything away.

In contrast, Spa are on a run of 5 wins and a draw from their last 6 league games, scoring 23 goals and conceding just 4 goals in the process.

It’s going to be a tough test for the Saltmen to gain revenge for their earlier defeat at the hands of Stonehouse but with our support it can be done.

I’ve never been to the Bens Takeaway Stadium but I understand facilities for supporters are excellent. I’m really looking forward to this one and hope you can take the short trip down the M5 to join us.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Kidlington Reserves 1 – 5 Droitwich Spa

Hellenic League Division One. 22 March 2025

The Saltmen took a big step towards securing the division title today by taking all three points from their encounter with Kidlington Reserves. To do it in front of the hallowed Mike Gradwell Stand, populated by Spa Faithful, was icing on the cake.

In truth it was a thoroughly professional performance by Spa. Deprived of the services of top scorer and one man medical casebook Lord Duggers, this was one of those banana skin scenarios where the underdog spoils the party.

Matters were further complicated by the gastroenterological woes of goalkeeper Dom Rogerson, necessitating former Spa keeper turned coach Matt Oliver to dust off his gloves just in case. I would imagine Matt was pleased to ultimately not be required.

After struggling a bit in front of goal at Carterton it didn’t take long today for Droitwich to hit the straps. Josh Hurdman would prove a thorn in the host’s side for most of the game. On 8 minutes he delivered an inch perfect cross for Perry Moss to slot his first goal of the his goals home. Ten minutes later Pez notched his second with a tidy finish into the bottom corner after one of his trademark mazy runs.

A 30 yard Cory Rudd piledriver clipped to top of the crossbar on 30 minutes by which time the Saltmen looked like scoring on every attack. And score again they did on 32 minutes. Perry Moss picked up a loose ball outside the box and carried it forward before lobbing the ball delicately over the advancing Kidlington keeper and into the onion bag. Hat trick completed.

The second half opened with a good spell of play by Kidlington . They are a side who clearly like to play a neat passing game. As at Kingys, earlier this season they continued to play out from the back and on other days this might bring greater success. But it was Spa who scored next. Good work from Josh Hurdman laying the ball off to Nathan Binner whose curling strike from 15 yards found the top corner and Droitwich had four.

On 63 minutes Kidlington capitalised on a poor Spa clearance and reduced the deficit to 1 – 4.

The afternoon’s scoring was completed on 83 minutes when skipper James Lemon latched onto a Ben Tilbury flick and dispatched a clinical first touch effort into the Kidlington goal.

Barring a series of freakish scorelines by Redditch, combined with a total defensive breakdown by Spa, four more points from the last four games should secure the title for the Saltmen.

Another great turnout by the Droitwich faithful. With most of the Kidlington supporters at their first team’s game, it was almost like a home game.

Thank you to all at Kidlington who welcomed us to their excellent Yarnton Road stadium and allowed us to stand on the Gradwell.

The FTS man of the match goes to Perry Moss. A 32 minute, first half hat trick doesn’t come along every week. Special mention also to Jihadi G, whose ball retrieving skills impressed us all!

See you at Shorthouse on Tuesday. Or is it Stonewood.

Cheers

Steve

It may not have been as pretty as the two previous away wins but it was mission accomplished for the Saltmen as they left Carterton’s impressive ground with all three points.

Those expecting a cricket score for Spa were to be disappointed as it soon became clear that Carterton are made of much sterner stuff than the side who lost heavily at Kingys earlier this season. The pattern of the game soon became clear as Spa dominated their hosts in the early exchanges – and pretty much the entire game.

Numerous chances came and went as Carterton dug in and defended stoically. Just as it started to look like it was going to be one of those games, the deadlock was broken. Who got the goal? None other than the division’s leading scorer Alex Dugmore. A teasing cross from the industrious Josh Hurdman was met by the Spa striker who leapt like a salmon and guided his header home (unlike a salmon) and Droitwich had a lead they would never relinquish. The half chances created by The Saltmen are too numerous to list in a short blog. On the odd occasion that Carterton broke past the Spa midfield, the back four stepped in and extinguished the threat. Dom Rogerson in the Spa goal was little more than a spectator.

The second half followed the first half and so did the pattern of play. Spa continued to dominate but couldn’t find the killer touch. As frustration looked likely to set in, talisman Dugmore was brought down in the penalty area on 81 minutes and the referee pointed to the spot. It was a soft penalty to concede, as Duggers was moving away from goal and may well have already lost possession. The spot kick was dispatched in style by Perry Moss and this appeared to put an end to Carterton’s hopes of picking up a point or more from the game. They played with a level of commitment and tenacity which belies their league position.

So, no scoring records were broken but we are 3 points nearer promotion than we were at 3.00pm on Saturday and that means job done in my book.

FTS Man of The Match goes to Lewis Phillips who had a big game for the Saltmen and spared a couple of his colleagues some blushes with some timely interventions.

On to Kidlington.

See you there

Cheers

Steve

Taking results from today and last Saturday into consideration FTS believes the race for the 2024/2025 Division One title is now effectively down to two clubs. The Saltmen and Redditch Borough.

Seven more points from the remaining 5 games should be enough to secure the title for Spa due to a much higher goal difference.

Let’s get as many of us down to Kidlington to make it a home away from home for the players.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Cup

8th March 2025 at Kingys

Credit to Hartpury, they scored one more goal than the Saltmen. It could easily have gone the other way but didn’t.

Decent enough game, played in front of 200+ sun drenched supporters and the free hat was much appreciated.

The game’s unofficial FTS man of the match goes to Joe Clayton who put a sterling performance in.

Back to the serious business at Carterton on Saturday.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

#UTS

While Spa were making their gracious exit from the “Who Gives a Feck Cup“ on Saturday, there was also a lot of action in the Hellenic League Division One. As you might imagine, this has had an effect on a number of clubs with eyes on the title.

The table above shows that two of the clubs who last week still had a theoretical chance of finishing first, Stratford and Shortwood, have now been eliminated from the title race as they cannot equal Spa’s current points tally even if they were to win all their remaining games.

A win for the Saltmen at Carterton this Saturday would take Spa’s total out of reach of Clanfield and, barring some freakish scores, Wantage – due to Spa’s large goal difference advantage.

There’s still a lot of points up for grabs, particularly for Redditch who could reach a total of 74 points. So Spa still need three wins and a draw and for Redditch’s opponents to avoid conceding a cricket score or two.

I’m off for my tea now.

Cheers

Steve

Droitwich Spa v Hartpury University

Marsh Challenge Cup. 8th March 2025.

Kingys. 3.00pm

Spa’s own most noted academic

When I were a lad, being a student was all about drinking cheap beer in the Students’ Union, going to gigs and ousting “Thatcher’s evil Tory government.” There was very little emphasis on sport (although former footballer/manager Steve Coppell and Great Britain rugby league captain Phil Clarke are both fellow alumni.)

Things seem very different now. Loughborough University has long been renowned for producing excellent athletes. Bath Uni had a successful non-league football team and now Hartpury University appears to have been passed the baton. Their Rugby Union team sits fifth in the Rugby Championship, the second tier of elite rugby in England. Now the football team are making a charge.

After winning the Hellenic League first division last season, Hartpury have taken that form forward and now head the Premier division. They stand equal in points with Mangotsfield United but have 5 games in hand on their closest rivals!

The Saltmen go into the gamed buoyed by recent emphatic away wins at Chipping Sodbury and Wellington. Having already beaten Step 5 teams Ashby Ivanhoe and Westfields, Saturday’s opponents will not intimidate the Droitwich men.

It remains to be seen whether both promotion chasing managers will choose to select full strength squads. This game could be seen as a distraction to their respective promotion aspirations. However, even if MARSH is an acronym for Might Aswell Rest Several Heroes, Spa’s strength in depth will assist manager Andy Crowther with whatever selection he makes.

Should be an interesting encounter.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

4th March 2025

Hellenic League Division One

History often repeats itself. This is certainly the case with Droitwich Spa FC and unlikely final scores. Back in August, Spa recorded three 6-2 wins, against Newent, Nuneaton Griff, and Bewdley. Is it possible that now, at the other end of the season, the Saltmen are developing a new habit? Recent results would suggest they are developing a liking for winning by a 6-1 scoreline.

Saturdays’ win by this scoreline at Chipping Sodbury was no fluke. To prove it, Spa went and repeated the feat at Wellington.

Another sizable contingent of Spa fans braved sat-nav directions. I’m sure our party used roads last crossed by Dick Turpin and Black Bess. Eventually, they made it through the wilds of the Worcs-Hereford border lands. They reached the pleasant village of Wellington. They were greeted by friendly faces of Wellington FC officials. These faces bore the words few weary travelers want to hear. “There’s no bar!!” Undeterred, the Spa faithful enjoyed hot teas and coffees served in proper mugs, which you don’t see everywhere.

The first thing to note when entering the tidy Recreation Grounds is the pitch, which was in remarkably good condition. Credit must go to the groundsmen, as it looked to be the best playing surface we have seen in months.

Droitwich boss Andy Crowther sent out the same starting eleven he selected at Chipping Sodbury. Spa started brightly and enjoyed good spells of possession. However, it was soon clear that Wellington were prepared for the expected onslaught. The home side set up with what looked like a back 4 plus sweeper and bus driver. Their attacking ambition seemed limited to winning possession then pumping the ball upfield for the effervescent Otto Parry to chase. On nine minutes, this tactic paid dividends. Spa lost possession in midfield. The ball was sent up to the right wing. An inch-perfect cross was delivered, and the header left Dom Rogerson in the Spa goal with no chance.

The setback did not deter the Saltmen who immediately went back on the offensive. Perry Moss had a strong effort deflected just wide. The Tangerines threw bodies in the way of a number of goal-bound efforts. Two of these blocks being on or very near the goal line. On 29 minutes, Spa finally made the breakthrough. Josh Hurdman kept the ball in play then crossed the ball for Alex ‘No Gumshield Required’ Dugmore to restore parity between the two sides. Jay Sauntson hit the post and Wellington keeper Jack Oxenham made a great save from Josh Hurdman but we reached half time with the score 1-1.

As you might already have guessed, the second half was almost completely dominated by Droitwich. Within 5 minutes of the re-start, Nathan Binner lifted a shot over the bar from 12 yards. Next up was the impressive Cory Rudd, whose long range effort looked destined for the top corner, only to be denied by a breathtaking save from Oxenham who managed to get enough on the ball to divert it for a corner. Hurdman’s corner was met by wing commander Dugmore who soared above the Wellington defence to glance the ball unerringly inside the far post. Spa had the lead.

Two became three when Josh Hurdman’s shot was stopped on the line only for Ben Tilbury, who was first to react, following up and thumping the loose ball in from inches. I suspect it was a frustrating evening for Ben, so it is good to see him continue to chip in with goals.

With ten minutes to play and Spa cruising, substitute James Lemon won a penalty after being tripped inside the box. Perry Moss made no mistake from the spot. A couple of minutes later Josh Hurdman struck the ball from 20 plus yards. Oxenham looked to have it covered but the ball took a wicked bounce over the luckless stopper’s dive for 5-1.

Within seconds of the re-start a fabulous improvised flick from Matt Fusco sent Lemon clear again. The club captain’s classy finish completed the scoring for Spa.

While a 6-1 score sounds easy for the visitors, there have been times this season when Spa struggled against teams that set up like Wellington. The last two results were encouraging for the team’s promotion hopes.

The team performed well. All eleven starters and the substitutes contributing to achieve a great away win. That makes it trickier than usual to choose the ‘Following The Saltmen’ man of the match. From a strong field of contender’s the award goes to Josh Hurdman who was a constant thorn in the side of the Wellington side.

Inspired by Sunday’s Oscars Ceremony there is a special accolade for ‘Best Supporter in a Supporting Role’ which goes to George and the boys for special services to Flags.

Next up is the Marsh Cup tie against Hartpury University which will be played at Kings on Saturday 8th March

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

#UTS

Hellenic League Division One

Tuesday 4th March 2025

Tomorrow sees The Saltmen take a trip to Herefordshire where they will meet Wellington FC at their Kensal ground.

This season has been difficult for the Tangerines. They currently sit in 15th position in the division, just within the relegation zone, with 22 points taken from 24 games. They have, however, two games in hand on Cheltenham Saracens who also have 22 points. A result against Spa would see them move out of the bottom three, so there will be no shortage of motivation to push the Saltmen hard. And the Tangerines are no slouches in front of goal. In January they beat Ludlow 5-0 and we know how difficult Ludlow can be to break down.

Spa will no doubt take encouragement from recent performances indicating a return to their early season form. If they carry the form over from Saturday’s convincing win at Chipping Sodbury, we could be in for a good, competitive game.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

#UTS

Most of The Saltmen’s main promotion rivals were in action this weekend. It left me wondering what the Spa still have to do to secure promotion. So after driving down to Portishead (the place, not the band!) to comb the beach for sea glass, I decided I would try to work it out when I got home.

Now, please bear in mind that I have never professed to be a mathematician or accountant but I did manage to persuade the Joint Matriculation Board that I was worth an ‘O’ Level in Maths. And I’m glad they did because hardly a day goes by without me needing algebra, logarithms and trigonometry. So, the following table should be accurate, but I can’t absolutely guarantee it.

The table above shows the clubs who could potentially pip Spa to the post. Your Saltmen have taken 61 points from 25 games played, with a goal difference of +53. They have 7 league games remaining which could yield another 21 points, but probably won’t.

If we are to accept the possibility that one or more teams may win all their remaining games we need to reach a points total nobody can match.

The team with most potential points to win from their remaining games is Redditch Borough. They have 11 games still to play which theoretically could leave them with a final haul of 74. Abingdon come next with a potential total of 73, Stonehouse could reach 70 and… well you get the idea.

As of now, to guarantee winning the league outright Droitwich have to take 14 more points from their last 7 games. This would give a total points tally of 75.

In reality, the likelihood of any of the sides winning all their remaining games is pretty slight but if the Saltmen can win 5 out of their last 7, nobody could stop them taking the title. I suspect 70 points would probably be enough.

See you at Wellington on Tuesday.

Cheers

Steve

#UTS

#NATIONOFSALTMEN

Chipping Sodbury 1-6 Droitwich Spa

Hellenic League Division One. 1st March 2025

Today was always likely to be pivotal to Spa’s hopes of promotion to Step 5. With four of their closest rivals in action against other top sides, the trip to Chipping Sodbury offered Spa the opportunity to capitalise while those rivals took points off each other. Not that victory for the Saltmen was a given. The “Sods” can give anyone a game and came close to getting something from their trip to Kingys earlier in the season.

Chipping Sodbury is one of those quintessentially pretty Cotswold towns. The type of place that overseas visitors must think the whole of England looks like. All pale golden Cotswold stone. Even the Citroen dealers up the road is built in keeping with the local aesthetic. So after a short drive down from our own oasis of beauty in mid-Worcestershire it would have been churlish not to sample some of the local hospitality. A five minute walk from the football club takes you to the historic high street, lined with hostelries enticing the weary traveller to sample their fayre. We chose the historic George Hotel, a large but friendly pub with a large open area to the rear. Mind you, when you are charging £6 for a pint, you can afford to be friendly.

Having done our bit for cultural relations, we walked back to the football club, which was just as friendly and much more reasonably priced!

The game started well for but it soon became clear that the playing surface was not as good as it initially appeared. Clearly, the poor weather has taken its toll and the pitch created plenty of opportunities for players to look silly due to its inconsistent bounces and bobbles. The Saltmen quickly got to grips with the conditions and strong play from Alex Dugmore nearly paid immediate dividends but his effort was deflected narrowly wide. The travelling Spa faithful didn’t have to wait long though. Josh Hurdman got behind the Sods’ defence to collect a flick on from Dugmore. He stayed calm and slotted the ball beyond the reach of Maggs in the Sods goal. A few minutes later Josh was foiled by Maggs who scrambled away his goalbound strike. Hurdman would not be bowed and on 13 minutes, he dispossessed Maggs who had been given a hospital pass by a teammate who really should have done better. Josh took the ball of the unlucky keeper and dispatched the ball into the open goal giving Spa a two goal lead.

While Spa dominated the half, Chipping also created chances, but apart from collecting a few crosses, Spa keeper Dom Rogerson was largely a spectator. At the other end, Maggs was again called into action midway through the half and got down smartly to thwart Ben Tilbury in a one on one chance for the Spa man. Injury of the day occurred in the 26th minute when goal machine Dugmore rose to challenge for the ball, only to catch a loose arm from his opponent which managed to take one of Duggers’ front teeth. Fortunately the tooth was recovered – but more on that later. The impromptu extraction didn’t distract the prolific Droitwich icon. His persistence on the half hour put Josh Hurdman clear on the right side. He then put a great cross into the near post area where Ben Tilbury neatly headed the ball home giving our heroes a 3-0 lead which they took to the half time break.

The second half began with Droitwich firmly in control. Chances for Dugmore, Nathan Binner and Perry Moss came and went then on 58 minutes the dentally deprived Dugmore met a near post cross and gave Maggs no chance and it was 4-0.

On 62 minutes, Jack Brighton put a great cross into the box which Duggers converted classily.

A minute later Spa were awarded a penalty. In clear breach of club policy, Josh Hurdman had been allowed to remain on the field despite having already scored twice. With regular penalty taker Nathan Binner just replaced, Josh took the ball and efficiently dispatched the spot kick for a 6-0 scoreline and completed a deserved hat trick.

The hosts grabbed a consolation goal after 83 minutes when Towler struck an excellent free kick into the top corner. This concluded the scoring.

The players left the field to a massive ovation from the Spa support further buoyed by news from Abingdon and Redditch. We made our way to the clubhouse only to be confronted by the sight of Droitwich physio attempting to relocate Duggers’ errant tooth, sadly without much success.

It was a great performance from every one of the players. Collectively, they look to have returned to early season form. Particularly impressive were Alex Dugmore, hat trick Hurdman and Jack Brighton but the pick of the bunch and FTS man of the match goes to Cory Rudd whose overall work rate and neat distribution were key to the win.

It’s over to Wellington next, on Tuesday evening.

See you there!

Cheers

Steve

Match Report

Hellenic League Division One – 22 Feb 2025

It has been a good weekend for the Saltmen. It started well before a ball was kicked when the recalculation of the table due to the demise of Southam United gave Spa an additional three points lead over close rivals Abingdon.

Nevertheless, when 3.03 came round all thoughts were on the task at hand. Today’s opponents Shortwood are a dangerous proposition with a good record against sides in the top five. All credit to Shortwood, they came to Kingys to play football rather than spend 90 minutes practicing their bus parking skills. The Woods are clearly a side with a number of highly capable players, front to back. They started positively and stretched the home defence with some pacey, accurate passing moves, faltering only in the final third of the field where they were unable to find the killer ball to unlock the Droitwich Defence. On the one occasion they did break through, they were thwarted by Dom Rogerson in the Spa goal, who made a fantastic reflex save to keep out a deflected United strike. As the first half went on, Spa incrementally seized control of the game and in the 22nd minute they broke the deadlock courtesy of a smart 20 yard effort from Perry Moss which bounced just in front of the Shortwood keeper who was unable prevent the mercurial Spa star from opening the scoring.

The Woods continued to make inroads throughout the first half but tenacious defending from the home side managed to nullify the threat and just before the break the Saltmen doubled their advantage. Josh Hurdman had been a constant threat with probing runs down the right side and the Spa danger man neatly tucked his opportunity away.

The second half was dominated by the Saltman and a third goal arrived on 71 minutes. A great ball from Sam Carey set Josh Hurdman away down the right flank. He cut inside and delivered an inch perfect cross to the waiting Alex Dugmore who made no mistake converting for a three goal lead.

Shortwood registered a deserved consolation goal in injury time but the spoils went to the Saltmen.

In summary, a great return to early season form for Droitwich.

There were a number of contenders for the FTS Man of the Match but this week it goes to Sam Carey who just edged it over Cory Rudd and Jack Brighton.

Next up, a trip to Chipping Sodbury.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Match Preview

22 Feb 2025. Hellenic League Division 1

This Saturday’s game at Kingys is the first meeting of the season with the Woods of Shortwood United, despite it being the last week of February. We’ve played everyone else at least once. One club has even managed to cancel two fixtures with us at late notice.

Anyway, if Shortwood’s results against other top five placed clubs are anything to go by, it should be a cracking game tomorrow. Both sides have lofty ambitions with an awful lot to play for in the next few weeks.

Shortwood sit just outside the playoff places, three points behind Gloucestershire rivals Stonehouse, who they have beaten twice and drawn with once this season. They also took all three points from their game at Abingdon and a couple of weeks ago held them to a goalless draw at the Meadowbank Stadium. Keen observers will note that Stonehouse and Abingdon are the only two clubs to beat your Saltmen so far this season.

Spa come into the game with the benefit of a ten day break with last weekend’s opponents sending in a note from their mum, excusing them from PE.

No such malingering from the Woods. While we were all down Morrisons, they were giving Wellington a proper 8-2 hiding. Then, on Tuesday they bowed out of their County Cup competition losing narrowly to higher league opponents, Slimbridge, which I understand was a bit hard on the Wood.

The Saltmen’s last outing was also against Step 5 opposition, Westfields, with our heroes coming out 2-0 winners and the opportunity of a late season game with Hartpury Uni. Let’s hope it’s Rag week!

All the usual matchday attractions will be available including the latest public address announcers clash, with MC Dan coming under some considerable pressure from Tammy Rimes to remain the voice of Kingys. A choice of bars, hot and cold food, Saltmen merchandise. Honestly, it’s even better than a trip to the supermarket.

Let’s get behind the Spa and give them the backing they deserve. Remember: only one more home left game after Saturday!

See you there.

Cheers!

Steve

Tomorrow’s game has been postponed.

As per the official club site.

https://www.dsfc.news/news/club-communication-2901184.html

Reasons are a little unclear at present.

Preview: Southam United v Droitwich Spa

Hellenic League Division One – 15 Feb 2025

Spa find themselves in the unusual position of being the away team at their own ground when they take on Southam at Kingys on Saturday (15 Feb).

It is probably safe to say that this season has not been easy for the Saints. They sit firmly at the bottom of the table having taken just seven points from their games to date. Equally troubling will be the fact that they have scored only seven goals. Problems don’t seem to be restricted to on-field matters. The Saints are currently unable to use their impressive and still relatively new Bobby Hancocks Park stadium. I’m not here to speculate on the reason behind this situation but let’s hope it can be resolved as quickly as possible.

On paper, this fixture would be one the Saltmen should win comfortably. But things have not always gone smoothly for Droitwich since Christmas and they must guard against complacency setting in. Other than the long term injury to Matt Jackson, boss Andy Crowther is expected to be able to select his side from a full squad, no doubt bolstered by Tuesdays impressive win over Stage 5 opposition Westfields in the cup.

With only a few home league games left, this change of venue to Kingys is a bit of a blessing for supporters planning on travelling to the long string of away days which will mark the last phase of the league campaign. Hopefully, Spa will be able to make the most of the opportunity.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Marylebone Cricket Club Round 3

11 February 2025

As new boys in the Hellenic League, Spa started this season as an unknown quantity. The decision to move the Saltmen from the Midland Football League came relatively late in the day and none of the other clubs were particularly familiar with our heroes’ strengths and weaknesses. For the first few months this gave Spa something of an advantage over some of the clubs who have played in the division for a few years. However, when the return fixtures started coming around, the opposing sides had learnt who our danger men are and took action to nullify the threat.

You would have got pretty long odds from the bookies for anything but a home win against a Cheltenham side we’d beaten comfortably twice already this season. But, they had done their homework and stuck to what appeared to be an effective game plan.

On Tuesday night, we went back to being an unknown quantity to the visiting Westfields side who are well established in the Premier Division, a step higher than Spa. It was noticeable from the kickoff that Westfields had more quality than most of the teams we have seen in recent weeks. Their confidence and ability on the ball was significantly better, as was their ability move the ball quickly and accurately. However, Spa were not overawed by their higher ranked opponents and took the game to Westfields. There was a purpose and direction to Spa’s football. The long ball was used sparingly but effectively and the threat coming from Josh Hurdman on the right side was a constant.

The first real talking point came on the left side though. Majestic marksman Alex Dugmore was put clear of a flat footed Westfields back four only to be scythed down by visiting keeper Shay Sterry as Lord Duggers nudged the ball round him. Sterry was very fortunate to receive only a yellow card when stronger match officials may have sent him for an early bath. (Copyright: Eddie Waring 1974)

Sterry was back in action on 35 minutes when he made an excellent save from a well crafted effort from Josh Hurdman. Westfields’ best chance of the first half came when an unusually hesitant Dom Rogerson failed to cleanly gather the ball at the edge of the area. The loose ball was seized upon by Dan Stoneman but he was unable take full advantage and sliced his shot at the open goal, in one of those ever so popular YouTube blooper moments. An entertaining first half ended with the deadlock unbroken.

Westfields came out of the second half traps quickly and must have thought they had taken the lead when Stoneman almost made amends for his first half miss but his powerful effort struck the bar and rebounded to safety. This clearly stung the Saltmen back into action and they then dominated most of the next 30 minutes. On 55 minutes,Nathan Binner showed great vision in sending an inch perfect pass from central midfield to Josh Hurdman in the outside right position. Josh then took the ball to the byline before finding who else but the prolific Alex Dugmore, six yards out. The Spa man craftily let the ball run across him, allowing Lord Dugmore to beat the defender and fire the ball back across Sterry to open the scoring. Chances and half-chances came and went until, in the 72nd minute, another Josh Hurdman cross was weakly headed away but only to Nathan Binner waiting unmarked at the edge of the penalty area. The tireless midfielder calmly took the ball down on his chest and gave Sterry no chance with his stylish strike.

To be fair to Westfields they continued to take the game to Spa and forced a very smart save from Dom Rogerson at his near post. The effort expended by the Droitwich keeper in protecting a clean sheet clearly took its toll. He bravely carried on, regardless of the fact that every time he claimed the ball until the final whistle he ended up falling to the floor. People don’t always appreciate how exhausting it can be for goalkeepers. [Yes, I still have my Keepers Union card. Although it did expire over 20 years ago!].

The game came to a close with Spa claiming a deserved win and an away trip to Hartpury University, who have opened up a clear lead in UHL Premier Division, with games in hand over their nearest rivals. While Hartpury may not have faced the Saltmen before, they have done their homework and a representative was present at Kingys for the Westfields game. It will certainly be a tough test for Spa.

There were strong performances throughout the Droitwich team but the FTS man of the match goes to Matt Fusco who I reckon had his best game so far for the Saltmen, just pipping the attacking work of Josh Hurdman.

The next test comes on Saturday when Kingys stages our relocated “away” game against the currently nomadic Southam United.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

UhlSport Hellenic League Division One

08 February 2025. Kick off 3.00 pm at Kingys

With games now coming thick and fast, next up we welcome Cheltenham Saracens back to Kingys for what will be the third meeting of the clubs this season. Spa have had the better of the two previous games, winning 3-1 in the league at Cheltenham back in one of those long distant balmy August evenings. The clubs met again in the Marsh Challenge Cup in October. This fixture was at Kingys and the Saltmen won 5-1.

The Saracens arrive at Kingys sitting in 14th place in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone and with games in hand on teams around them they should comfortably avoid the drop. Before losing at Chipping Sodbury on Tuesday evening the Saracens were on a run of three consecutive wins in league and cup. We already know that all the teams in this division are capable of belying the form book and beating higher placed rivals, so the Saltmen will need to be on their mettle if they are to secure the points.

It should be a good contest and with the weather now set fair for Saturday, why not wrap up warm and come down to Kingys to support your local team?

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Hellenic League Division 1

4th February 2025

Returning/New signing Ben Tilbury marked his home debut at Kingys with a goal which put the icing on a first win in 4 games for the Saltmen.

In truth, it was a game which could and should have been put to bed well before Ben took to the field as a second half substitute. Spa started strongly with wide men Moss and Lemon creating havoc in a nervous looking Wellington defence from minute one. The opening goal came in the fifth minute. A Perry Moss cross was flicked by Alex Dugmore to Charlie Tilley who lashed the ball home mercilessly.

Stung by falling behind the Tangerines began to find their feet and played some swift passing football but were unable to find an end product.

Cory Rudd came close to adding a second Spa goal but his well struck effort was blocked on the line. With Saltmen queuing up to hit it, the loose ball did its best impersonation of a pinball. Numerous shots rained in but the ball would not make it to the onion bag.

Spa finally doubled their lead after 19 minutes. Some tidy build play set the one true Sir Alex Dugmore (not the old purple nosed Glaswegian) free and he lashed the ball home mercilessly.

The two goal lead would not last until half time as the visitors sprang the Spa offside trap and Carlos Moreira neatly lashed the ball home mercilessly.

The second half started brightly but Spa could not add to their tally until the 60th minute when Spa managed get numbers into the box and Charlie Tilley put himself on a hat trick as he pounced on the loose ball and lashed the ball home mercilessly.

In accordance with club policy (I think) as this was his second goal of the game, the Spa number 10 was immediately replaced by Ben Tilbury. Skipper James Lemon, who survived an attempt to take his leg bone apart, was also replaced, by Josh Hurdman.

The game became quite frenetic with both sides creating some very good chances. Jack Oxenham was the busier of the two goalkeepers and as the game entered the last quarter he made a string of excellent saves to keep the Tangerines in contention. He finally conceded a fourth goal on 85 minutes when a good cross from Josh Hurdman was met by Ben Tilbury who lashed the ball home mercilessly from six yards out.

And that’s how it finished. Spa chalk up another three points in their title bid and have now opened up a nine point lead over the chasing pack.

While I am tempted to give the FTS Man of the Match to Joe Clayton for his cameo role on the right wing, it really has to go to Charlie Tilley for his two goals and tireless work in behind Sir Alex.

Next up, Cheltenham Saracens make their second visit of the season to Kingys.

See you there.

Steve

#UTS

Hellenic League Division One

Tuesday 4th Feb 2025. Kingys – 7.45 Kick off

There probably aren’t many football teams named after former Prime Ministers but this evening’s visitors are one. In fairness, he is better known for dispatching a short Frenchman to a life in exile on a Mediterranean island, which sounds like quite a soft punishment to me.

Anyway, Wellington FC are going to need all the fighting spirit their famous namesake was known for. They come to Kingys sitting one place above the relegation spots, albeit with a couple of games in hand on their rivals. They’ve had a bit of a mixed season so far. Only three weeks ago Wellington whipped Ludlow 5-0, a Ludlow side the Saltmen struggled against only a week later. There have been other impressive wins but they have been cancelled out by some indifferent results too. They arrive at Kingys on the back of successive away defeats to Cheltenham and Kidlington.

Spa come into the game in the unusual position of having failed to win any of their last 3 games since the 11 goal thriller at Redditch, although one was in the Who Gives a Toss cup against higher league opponents.

Tonight is the first of a run of 5 games of which 4 are home fixtures. If Spa are to remain favourites for promotion it will be important to make the most of the upcoming games as they are followed by some tricky looking away days, including the return fixture against Wellington.

We look forward to welcoming Wellington and their supporters later today, but it would be good if the Saltmen could ensure the visitors meet their Waterloo.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Ludlow Town 1 – 1 Droitwich Spa

Hellenic League Division One

25 January 2025

If you have got one of those mobile phones with multiple clock features, try starting the stopwatch function and just sit there doing nothing else until the display reaches 12 minutes. Feels like a long time, doesn’t it? Then try and imagine what type of game would attract such an amount of stoppage time at the end of the game. You might expect it to have been a dirty game with bookings and dismissals galore, or that one of the players had to be stretchered off. But we had none of those things at Ludlow today. No lightning strikes or spillages of hazardous chemicals. Not even a streaker! So why in the wide world of sports did the referee add twelve minutes on to the end of the ninety?

Twelve!

I say this because by the time Ludlow snatched an equaliser, a little after 4.55pm, we should have been half way down our post-match pints in the clubhouse, discussing a slightly underwhelming but welcome three points away from home. There is absolutely no conceivable way there can have been stoppages totalling more than five minutes at most.

In the end we had to discuss a slightly underwhelming score draw and only one point from our trip to Shropshire. But things had looked much brighter in the first half in which Spa were utterly dominant. Ludlow’s game plan was simple but relatively simple. Park the Bus with a 5 man backline and then hit Spa on the counter.

The Saltmen made all the running and must have had at least 65% of the possession. Unfortunately, they were unable to convert the possession into goals. There were a number of near misses. James Lemon came close on a couple of occasions and a Charlie Tilley header was brilliantly clawed out of the top corner by Zach Venables in the Town goal who seems to enjoy playing against the Spa.

The second half started as the first half ended. But all the huffing and puffing came to nothing. Mr Venables made a right nuisance of himself in foiling the few real opportunities created by the visiting Droitwich side.

Town had clearly done their homework. Their tactics of sitting back and soaking up the pressure with their five man back line were enough to blunt Spa’s attacking edge. Frustration was starting to set in so with 66 minutes on the clock Andy Crowther decided it was time to shake things up. In a double substitution Kyonn Evan’s and Ben Tilbury were introduced at the expense of Josh Hurdman and Nathan Binner. The replacements quickly found themselves in the middle of the action but further chances came and went.

Time marched on and it started to look like it would not be Spa’s day. Then, after 76 minutes Charlie Tilley collected the ball on the right side of the Town box. His acutely angled surge towards goal was ended by a last ditch tackle which floored the Spa man. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty and, with regular penalty taker Nathan Binner having been replaced, Perry Moss stepped up and neatly dispatched the spot kick and the Saltmen led 1-0.

The goal changed the pattern of the game dramatically. Town changed tack and threw men forward looking for what had previously looked a rather unlikely equaliser.

Spa dealt with the threat relatively comfortably and, as we entered stoppage time, it looked like they would hold out for an important away win.

However, we were blissfully unaware that someone had inserted a Duracell battery into the referee. He just went on and on. Either that or he was confused by the hours of daylight getting longer. Whatever the reason, with ten minutes stoppage time already having passed, the inevitable happened and the Droitwich defence was finally breached following a bit of a goalmouth scramble. The Spa protests of offside went unheeded and it was “even Stevens” again.

The referee was happy that there was still time left to play and another two minutes passed before the final whistle sounded at 5.00 pm.

The players are now enjoying a ten day gap between fixtures after a hectic January. But there can be little doubt that the run in to the end of the season is going to become increasingly difficult. Our opponents are becoming increasingly familiar with the way the team plays and are coming up with ways to counter the attacking style which has led to scoring over 100 goals already. FTS understands that top scoring Alex Dugmore may be unavailable for quite a while, which compounds the difficult task ahead. The rest of the season is going to be very interesting. There will be highs and the inevitable lows too. The travelling support was amazing again, comfortabl the home side’s supporters again. The boys are going to need all the support we can give in the run in so let’s help them out.

See you next time!

Special thanks to Ian Stevens.

Cheers

Steve

Hellenic League, Division 1

25 January 2025

I can’t remember which one it was but I’m pretty sure one of the bigger radio stations used to run a feature in which listeners rang in with examples of commonplace activities that they had never done e.g. Never seen Star Wars.

Well I have seen Star Wars and all its many sequels and prequels. I’ve never watched a second of Big Brother or that thing in the jungle. But my Star Wars example would have to be that I’ve never been to Ludlow. I can’t think why not. Ludlow has been described in the national press as being the best place in the country to live! If you are going to get an accolade, then that’s the one to get. I know you shouldn’t take everything you read as being correct (except on this website) but the evidence is there in plain sight. Actor John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools and Horses, lived in Ludlow until his untimely death. As did Oscar nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite. Ludlow is now home to famous TV impressionist Alistair MacGowan who is also a Patron of the Ludlow Fringe Festival. If you ask me it’s about time there was a festival to celebrate hair cuts!

Anyway, now we’ve established that Ludlow is very des res, what about the football? Well, Ludlow started the season strongly and were right on Spa’s toes for a few weeks. Results trailed off a little but Town have run a number of the top 5 clubs very close in recent weeks. Last weekend Town suffered a bit of a tanking at Wellington, losing 5-0. I would expect they will want to put that behind them by getting a result out of a Spa side who, for the first time this season, go into a game on the back of two consecutive defeats.

New signing Ben Tilbury is expected to join the matchday squad on Saturday and should prove an excellent addition as he returns to his Droitwich alma mater. I’m looking forward to seeing him play.

So, let’s hope the Ludlow area doesn’t suffer badly from the stormy conditions and the game goes ahead as planned.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Wiseman’s Lighting Cup

21 January 2025

Such is the construction of Pershore Town’s Community Stadium home, it is possible to watch their home games for nothing. Given their early season form, it could be argued that it was still too much to pay. Things have improved on the field and results have also improved dramatically over recent months. For those of us who would rather avoid reliving that 1980s experience of watching a game through a fence, you can pay £7 and also benefit from the bar, catering and toilets – none of which are available anywhere else in this pleasant historic town. FTS chose the paying option, like many others making up a good travelling contingent.

After parking the car behind the goal the first thing that struck me was the standard of the playing surface. I’ve played snooker on tables bumpier than the Pershore pitch. The grass was cut very short on a large and level surface which may be the best surface we have seen this season. This allowed a pacy game with lots of quality periods of possession and, at times, some slick passages of play from both sides.

It was the hosts who struck first and took the lead with barely a minute played. A powerful strike from the edge of the box looked to take a deflection off one of the Spa defenders, wrong footing Dom Rogerson and leaving him with no chance. The Saltmen initially looked a bit hesitant but soon started probing the Plums defence. Hurdmans, Sam and Josh looked dangerous and Perry Moss made life increasingly difficult for their opponents. This paid off in the 12th minute when Josh cut inside from wide on the right, drew the Town keeper to the front post before squaring for Perry to slide in at the far post and guide the ball home.

Pershore remained a constant threat. A host of chances came and went due to a combination of strong defending and some profligate finishing. Spa remained competitive but the weight of pressure from the hosts eventually told. On 30 minutes a strong goalbound shot was parried away by Spa keeper Dom Rogerson, returning from injury. The ball fell kindly for Town and they recovered the lead with a straightforward finish. A few moments later, 2-1 became 3-1 from a smart finish inside the box and that’s how the score line remained until half time.

The second half saw the usual refereeing inconsistencies appear. A late challenge from a Spa player correctly drew a booking yet moments later and a similar challenge drew nothing more than a free kick.

Spa conceded a free kick from a perfectly legitimate shoulder charge. Our referee forgot that shoulder to shoulder contact is not outlawed in football. The free kick led to Town’s fourth goal.

Spa hit back almost instantly. A mix up in the home defence resulted in the loose ball being lashed home by Perry Moss and the 4-2 score remained unchanged until the end.

The result reflected the difference in ranking of the two teams but it was entertaining and there was plenty of good football on show from both sides. Spa did not look out of place and having already repeated their annual slaying of a Step 5 team (Ashby) will lose very little sleep over their exit from this competition.

Weather permitting, the Saltmen return to the serious business of Hellenic League football at Ludlow on Saturday where the squad will be joined by new signing Ben Tilbury who rejoins Spa from….erm…Pershore Town. While we may have have been knocked out of the cup, like Little Jack Horner, we still managed to pull out a plum!

Good luck to Pershore. It would be good to see them win the trophy.

See you at Ludlow!

Cheers

Steve

Wiseman Lighting Cup Second Round

7.45 – Tuesday 21 January 2025

We are now in the business end of the season. Games are coming thick and fast.

Next up is another local derby, away at Pershore Town in the Wiseman Lighting Cup.

It will be interesting to see how the respective club managers approach the game. Town’s form has picked markedly after a slow start to the season and are now in with a real chance of making the playoffs. Likewise, the Saltmen find themselves in the midst of a promotion race. Both sides have important games at the weekend and it may be that some regular starters are given an evening off. Nevertheless, cup games are often exciting affairs and with the added local interest I’m looking forward to visiting Pershore for the first time.

Whatever the lineup, I’m sure the players would welcome your support.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

Droitwich Spa 1 – 2 Abingdon United

For the second time this season Spa had their pockets picked by those rascals from the Northcott. Back in September, United scored deep into injury time to ensure the spoils were shared. In the return fixture, they finished the job off and took all three points.

It was very much a case of “after the Lord Mayor’s Show” at Kingys on Saturday. The astonishing events at Redditch earlier in the week cast a shadow over proceedings. However, it didn’t prevent the Saltmen starting the game brightly. In a first half dominated by the home side, clear cut chances were at a premium. Plenty of neat, patient approach play presented several half chances for Spa but none could be converted, with Abingdon’s admirably hirsute goalkeeper Cavanagh remaining largely untroubled. That was until the 39th minute when a hopefully hoisted ball into the box was misjudged by the bewhiskered custodian; the ball bounced over him and who else but league leading scorer Alex Dugmore was at hand to thread the ball between two covering defenders, putting Spa one up.

Abingdon had created little in attack and, as we enjoyed our half time refreshments, everything looked set for a fairly comfortable late afternoon.

The second half got underway and while Spa enjoyed plenty of possession, there was no killer final ball. Nathan Binner came closest to extending the lead on 59 minutes but his visciously whipped free kick had just a fraction too much curl and hit the near side netting.

Spa then made what I assume was a tactical substitution that I don’t fully understand. Josh Hurdman, who had been unable to influence the game in the way he would have liked, was replaced by Kyon Evans who took on the central striker role. In turn, this moved Alex Dugmore into Josh’s wide position. Now, anyone who reads these pages regularly will realise I am a huge Duggers fan. For me, he is the epitome of all that is great about non-league football. The way in which he switched from centre back to centre forward when the team was down to bear bones, late last season, has been an absolute joy to watch. To then go on to record a goal per game record, this season, has been even better. But I don’t think his strengths lie as a winger. And it didn’t work!

I would love to know the thinking behind this switch. Kyon played well and linked nicely with his teammates but why remove the threat posed by your proven goalscorer, particularly with Perry Moss unavailable? If Josh was injured then why not replace him with Jack Davies or Matt Fusco and move Nathan Binner into Josh’s wide attacking role?

Anyway, as the game went on, Abingdon began looking more threatening and moving the ball forward at every opportunity. In the 82nd minute a high ball into the box drew Spa keeper Joe Stockton and in challenging for the ball was judged to have infringed. It looked harsh from our position 90 yards away, behind the Canal End goal but I would grudgingly admit that the referee probably had a better view than FTS. The resulting penalty was dispatched and the scores were level.

A fairly frantic last ten minutes followed until the visitors were awarded what again looked a very soft free kick. Spa were unable to clear the subsequent high ball into the box and the United player manager bagged a winner and consigned Spa to a second defeat of the season.

The defeat was not the biggest surprise. There was bound to be a hangover from Tuesday nights memorable win at Redditch and Abingdon are a decent team who are almost certain to make the playoffs if they don’t win the league outright.

From a Spa perspective, we have played 3 consecutive games against top 5 opponents, and come away with 6 points from a possible 9. The rest of the season involves a lot of travel to away games, none of which are gimmes, so there’s a lot of work still to do. Nevertheless, if someone had come to me and suggested the Saltmen would be 8 points clear after 21 games then I would have bitten their arm off (figuratively, of course).

Keep the faith!

Cheers

Steve

The FA Full Time website offers some useful information. Just for fun, I have crudely ripped off a couple of tables from the site. Some of the information surprised me.

No great surprise that Spa top this table with 102 goals. What is surprising is that Redditch have only scored half as many with 51. They have played fewer games but having seen them play 3 times this season I would have thought their tally would be higher. They certainly weren’t goal shy on Tuesday night.

Fairly self explanatory this one.

This does surprise me. It has always felt like Spa were awarded an unjustifiably large number of bookings. This table suggests otherwise.

I wouldn’t have expected Stratford to have received the most red cards – although Sam Carey’s chin might say different.

Stats quoted were correct as at 17 Jan 2025.

Cheers

Steve

Hellenic League Division One.

18 January 2025

On Saturday, Kingys will host Spa’s third consecutive game against opponents in the playoff places. The last two have been settled by the odd goal in one and the odd goal in eleven respectively. It would take a brave person to suggest the forthcoming game will anything other than a close affair as well.

Abingdon represent another stern test for your heart stopping, table topping Saltmen. United were the first team to take points from Spa this season, when the two met at Northcott Road back in September. While it’s fair to say that Spa started the game with five first team regulars unavailable and then played for over an hour with 10 men, it was clear that Abingdon are a quality outfit capable of playing excellent football.

Spa are pretty good too!

Another double figure aggregate score cannot be guaranteed but if you are of a nervous disposition you might want to bring extra medication with you. Alternatively, you could try something from either of the two bars, the snack hut or the food van available at the ground.

Abingdon are a well supported club and we look forward to welcoming our off field visitors from Oxfordshire to Kingys. Hopefully, matters on the field will be slightly less accommodating.

See you there.

Cheers

Steve

It should probably not come as a great surprise as Spa score plenty of goals but to have four Saltmen in the top ten is some achievement. For that to include the top two is amazing.

Alex Dugmore remains top of the table but Perry Moss is chomping at the bit just behind. Honourable mentions to Josh Hurdman and Nathan Binner who are also troubling the scorers on a regular basis.

All this despite what appears to be unofficial club policy to substitute anyone scoring two in a game before they can complete the hat trick.

See you at Kingys on Saturday.

Cheers

Steve