2pm 23 December 2023
Spartan South Midlands League, Division Two
Aston Clinton 0 Old Bradwell United 0 (att 32)
Even if there’d been no football to watch I had to drive from Manchester to London, for pre-Christmas reasons, so a slight diversion to Aston Clinton was a welcome groundhopping opportunity.
Pitch-hopping rather than groundhopping perhaps. I last visited Aston Clinton Park in 2010, when the football club played on the furthest of two pitches from the car park. In the years since they've moved to the other pitch, so by my rules a return was required.
There’s a pair of permanent dugouts, and the playing area is roped off around all four sides. The biggest change to the venue is a smart new pavilion, including a café from where I was able to buy a welcome coffee and hot snack before the game.
Football wise it remains a basic venue, but one that's perfectly adequate for the seventh level of non-League football.
Sadly it wasn’t a game that will live long in the memory. The players weren’t helped by the state of the pitch and a strong and cold wind that blew across the park.
There were few clear chances for either team to break the deadlock, and shots on target were rare. Old Bradwell had looked the more likely to score, but squandered the chance of three points by having a player sent off with about 15 minutes left.
Aston Clinton tried to make the most of their numerical advantage, aided by a generous amount of stoppage time, but were unable to do so. A late sin-binning meant Old Bradwell finished the game with just nine men.
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