No.37 - Sat. 2nd February 2008; Hunts Senior Cup Quarter Final                             2.00pm at the Woodlands Sports Centre, Splash Lane, Castor, Peterborough, Cambs. (Att: 26; Prog/Admn: N/A) 

 

View matchday images  01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

AFC Fletton (2) 3  Huntingdon Town (2) 5

Town edge eight goal thriller 

What a great hobby this is! My chosen game today was the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup Quarter Final between AFC Fletton and Huntingdon Town. Apart from the prospect of visiting a new ground not too far from home, the fixture itself seemed to be rather an intiguing one and posed the question: could the minnows from the Peterborough & District League manage to overcome their more illustrious opponents from the United Counties League? Based on current form it looked more likely that the visitors, riding high in the UCL Division One, would progress into the next round. But as we all know one-off cup games can often spring surprises...   

And this one certainly did! For the neutral the game proved to be a real thriller. It was end to end action all the way with plenty of goals to whet the apetite! Town (wearing an all red strip) took control in the opening stages and were soon ahead with a two goal lead, Chris Caswell scoring after 19 and 26 minutes. His first goal was a well executed volley and his second came after the home keeper saved his initial effort. Fletton didn't collapse though and fought back hard to level by the interval with goals from Michael Sealey after 36 minutes and Stuart Eason a minute before the break. Eddie Mills put Huntingdon back in front after 54 minutes with a clever chip but Eason's second goal from a free kick saw Fletton back on terms within a minute. It was now 3-3 and really exciting stuff. James Edwards netted a fourth goal for the visitors after 67 minutes after an Adam Taylor effort was initially parried. The spirited home challenge was finally ended by Mills with a 20 yard shot to make the score 3-5 with five minutes remaining.  What a cracking cup tie. Fletton were by no means overawed and certainly played their part in a thoroughly entertaining game of football.

AFC Fletton play their home matches this season at the impressive Woodland Sports Centre which is in the village of Castor, a few miles from Peterborough city centre. Located just off the A47, the venue is bordered by open countryside with several football pitches marked out on the expansive playing fields. Both Castor and Ailsworth FC (P&DL Div 2) and AFC Fletton Reserves (Combination Division 1) also play here and at the time of our visit another game was being played on an adjacent pitch. Throughout the afternoon it is hard not to miss one of the impressive steam engines trundling along the nearby tree-lined Nene Valley Railway Line. The distant sight of thick white smoke belching from the chimney and sound of the engine driver's whistle occur at frequent intervals during the afternoon as this wonderful piece of machinery from a by-gone age travels  from Wansford to Peterbough Nene Valley and back (a 15 mile round trip). A most welcome distraction and subject of some interesting trivia*.  

A large and imposing two-tiered red brick building can be found at the end of the long driveway and this  provides both sporting and conference facilities. Although it doesn't really give the appearance and feel of a traditional sports centre, a basic changing room block on the ground floor is used on matchday by both teams as well as the match officials. A number of wooden picnic benches placed in front of the pavilion offer spectators some seating and there is a bit of cover (from the overhang of the upper floor balcony). Although this is the only shelter on site we were more than happy to watch the action from here as it protected us from the cold biting cross winds. The main football pitch which is fully roped of on all sides has an immaculate playing surface (testiment no doubt to the full-time ground staff who tend it regularly).

Like most, if not all, clubs in this league, AFC Fletton do not issue programmes. Sadly no refreshments were provided either for the match which attracted about twenty five spectators. Travellers may be interested to learn that (according to one of the Hunts FA officials present at the game) UCL side St.Neots Town could be moving into their new ground by March. Somehow I think this may be a slighty optimistic deadline but we can always hope can't we? 

The football club can easily be reached without travelling through Peterborough city centre. You can either come off the A1 at Norman Cross (A15) and follow the city ring road before taking the A47 towards Leicester or join the A47 at Wansford before heading towards Peterborough. Follow signs for Castor and on reaching the main street in the village turn down Splash Lane towards Woodlands.

A great day out. If you are simply after a decent game of football and don't mind missing out on a programme then a visit to Woodlands comes highly recommended. You won't be disappointed!             

                                                               FGIF Rating: 5* Map

* NVSR trivia - the line has been a location for a number of films, TV shows, etc. Scenes from the Bond film 'Octopussy' were shot here and Castor church can clearly be seen in the background. Same goes for another Bond film, 'Golden Eye', where a tunnel that the train allegedly goes into is in fact a small bridge over the tracks. BBC TV drama 'Casualty' has also filmed here.

Between 1977 and 1979 many sequences for the BBC's wartime drama 'Secret Army' were filmed here, principally at Wansford station, notably in the episodes: The Hostage, A Matter of Life and Death and The Last Run.

In Spring 1989 the rock band Queen shot a video at the railway called 'Breakthru' that reached number 7 in the British charts. They are filmed on a steam train that was given the name 'Miracle Express' after the title of their 1989 album 'The Miracle'.                                          

edited on 10/02/08