Colden Common v Liphook United

The entrance to the Boyes Lane complex at Colden Common.

Twitter. Sometimes I don't know whether I love it or hate it. It can be annoying or it can be useful. It's certainly useful for football fixtures. I follow most of our local clubs and often it will be the first place I hear their news. Where is the next game to be played? What time is kick-off? If the weather is poor, has the game been postponed?

I'd not been to Colden Common before and I wasn't sure if they still played at Main Road or if they'd moved permanently to Boyes Lane. Twitter told me to go to Boyes Lane and that the kick-off would be at 3pm (non-floodlit grounds will have earlier kick-offs from next weekend due to BST ending). Useful!

Twitter is also good for polls. If someone I know posts a poll, I'll generally have an opinion and vote for my preferred choice. Democracy in action. Last year, I voted in Richard Osman's World Cup of Crisps. Pickled Onion Monster Munch won and I was in full agreement with the electorate, which almost never happens.

Last week, I posted a poll of my own. There were four Hampshire Premier Football League grounds that I'd not previously featured on HAH which had first team fixtures scheduled for Saturday. 176 people voted and it was very close between the top two - Athletico Romsey obtained 35% of the vote, but they were pipped by Colden Common on 40%. As I respected the result of the poll, I went to Colden Common FC for their league cup game against Liphook United. As it happens, it was a very good choice, so I thank the 70 or so Twitter followers who voted for this option.

Liphook had won the initial fixture between the two clubs in the league in August by 9 goals to 1. The way they started, kicking uphill, it looked like there might be a similar result. George House capitalised on some hesitation in the Common defence after 11 minutes, snaffling what I thought would be the first of many for the visitors.

But Common didn't buckle and gradually fought their way back in to the game. Dave Paskins tucked in their first on 31 minutes. The game was suddenly as even as the scoreline suggested. Another 10 minutes passed before Maciej Marcinkowski looped a header over Joshua Bird in Liphook's goal. Paskins then scored his second and Common's third two minutes later with a diving header from close range.

It was cold, so a warming cuppa from the clubhouse was welcome at half-time. I chatted with one of the club volunteers and volunteered my own opinion that Common would need another goal yet, as I thought Liphook were more than capable of scoring at least twice more - and so it proved. Bird was sent off for handball outside of his box after 58 minutes. A fellow spectator who had a better view than mine thought it was a harsh decision, but Bird didn't complain (indeed, both sides were very well behaved throughout).

Liphook midfielder James Liddiard, who was by far the tallest player on the pitch, powered in a header after 58 minutes, and then scored again from close range as the ball rebounded off a post in to his path. 3-3 with 15 minutes to go! This was a cup match, and it looked like we were heading for penalties...

Then the masterstroke by Common's manager Ben Thomson, who brought himself on with five minutes remaining. Within a couple of minutes, his through ball was met by Paskins twelve yards out, who smashed in the winner, much to the home team's delight.

As I said, thank you to my Twitter followers for sending me to Boyes Lane. You were right!

Autumn Panoramic View no1.

Details:
Colden Common FC (3) 4 v 3 (1) Liphook United FC
Saturday 27th October 2018
Hampshire Premier Football League Cup 2nd Round (last 16)
Attendance: Approximately 20
Admission: None
Programme: Yes! £1, and very good it is too, full of statistics and club news.
Colours: Red / black / red v All blue
National Grid reference: SU4822

Colden Common on the attack...

The Common won't be at Boyes Lane for very much longer. At some point during 2019 (probably at the start of next season), they will be moving across the River Test to Otterbourne FC's old ground. The committee are currently sprucing the ground up and making sure the various safety certificates are in order, so if you haven't been to Boyes Lane yet and you want to go, there aren't many more opportunities for you to do so.

Common have a superb social media presence for a club this far down the pyramid. A match report (with photos) can be found on their website here.

There will be another 40 or so pictures on the HAH Facebook page.

...But here come Liphook in this ding-dong battle.

Autumn Panoramic View no2.

Yes, there is a cameraman here and he did capture this rabona (or whatever it's called!)

Coaching staff and fans watching from the sidelines (no dugouts here).

Autumn Panoramic View no3.

The excellent Chloe-Ann Anderson gives out her autograph to this Colden Common player.

Goal number 3 for Liphook and it's anybody's game with 15 minutes to go!

But it's Colden Common who score the winner in the 88th minute. Dave Paskins in the middle of the bundle after his hat-trick goal.

And here's this week's quirky pic. A bucket of tools behind the bottom goal.