22 June 2019
Khalsa Football Federation Tournament at LCC Employees' Sports Ground, Leicester
I hoped this year's Khalsa tournament in Leicester might allow me to watch games on different pitches after last summer's enjoyable visit, and I got lucky with most games being played over the road at a different ground.
Three pitches at the LCC Employees' Sports Ground were in use this year, as well as the Aylestone Playing Fields and GNG FC's ground. All are on Braunstone Lane East, which was busy with players, officials and spectators.
The fixtures were organised in a way that meant I could watch three games, one after the other, and ticking all three pitches at the Employees' Ground. That plan was nearly scuppered when unsavoury incidents after the opening matches caused delays.
Khalsa Football Federation Tournament at LCC Employees' Sports Ground, Leicester
I hoped this year's Khalsa tournament in Leicester might allow me to watch games on different pitches after last summer's enjoyable visit, and I got lucky with most games being played over the road at a different ground.
Three pitches at the LCC Employees' Sports Ground were in use this year, as well as the Aylestone Playing Fields and GNG FC's ground. All are on Braunstone Lane East, which was busy with players, officials and spectators.
The fixtures were organised in a way that meant I could watch three games, one after the other, and ticking all three pitches at the Employees' Ground. That plan was nearly scuppered when unsavoury incidents after the opening matches caused delays.
9.30am
Division Two, First Round
GSA Youth 4 FC Panjab Sandwell 2 (att 30)
This year the Khalsa Football Federation has split its tournaments into four grades. Division Two is the lowest, but this tie pitched the winners of the last two competitions and the standard was higher than previous bottom tier games I've seen.
There certainly seemed some needle between the sides, and when GSA went 3-2 ahead with less than 10 minutes remaining it boiled over. Panjab Sandwell claimed there had been a foul in the build up, but as every school-age player learns you play to the whistle, and Panjab didn't.
I'm not sure why the referee didn't simply insist on restarting, but the game didn't get back underway for seven minutes, with coaches as well as players having over-long discussions with the officials.
Once play finally restarted GSA got a fourth to rub salt into Panjab's wounds. The late finish, with more arguments after the final whistle, hampered the teams who wanted to warm up for their match that was due to follow on the same pitch. The drama wasn't over though.
11.45am
Premier Two Division, Quarter-Final
AFC Coventry Lions 1 GSA reserves 3 (att 50)
At the conclusion of the first game we moved to what the Khalsa Football Federation had designated as 'pitch three', where a tie scheduled to begin at 11.15am. But while the game on the other pitch was over the action was far from finished.
I was too far away to see what caused it, and whether any individuals or clubs were to blame, but a mass brawl involving players, club officials and spectators must have been an embarrassment to the competition organisers.
Police arrived, but it still took some time before tempers were calmed. On our pitch GSA's second team's pre-match preparation included a sprint onto the adjacent pitch where their GSA Youth colleagues were involved in the scuffles.
Coventry Lions' players looked on bemused, as did those of waiting for this game to begin. At one point it seemed GSA reserves might even pull out and forfeit the tie, but eventually common sense prevailed and we got underway.
It wasn't a great match. GSA were much too strong for the Lions and won comfortably, with all the goals in the first half. Coventry Lions' goal is worth a mention though, a fantastic free kick which gave them brief hope when they pulled the score back to 1-2.
1.15pm
Premier Division, Quarter-Final
Derby Singh Brothers 1 Smethwick 1, 4-1 on penalties (att 45)
With the earlier game running so late we got lucky that the preceding game on what the Khalsa FF called 'pitch four' went to a penalty decider. It meant this tie, my final game of the day, started a minute or two after GSA reserves had wrapped up their win.
The top division of Khalsa football is usually a good standard. To be fair there was some decent football in this game, but the sides cancelled each other out and it wasn't a great game to watch.
Derby Singh Brothers were ahead early on, and might have regretted missing a clear chance to double their lead in the second half when Smethwick equalised soon after. In the penalty shootout Smethwick never got going, and when Derby scored their fourth spot kick out of four it was enough to win the tie.
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