With many clubs in the Middlesex County Football League now issuing match day programmes for their home games on a fairly regular basis, the decision was promptly made to attend one of the fixtures in this competition on Saturday morning. Our chosen game was, in fact, an Alec Smith Premier Division League Cup tie between Newham Borough (SECP) and the current league leaders Park View FC.

An untypical, hassle-free journey along the surprisingly half empty M11 motorway and the connecting A406 South Circular Road made it easy for us to arrive at the London Borough of Newham with plenty of time to spare before the designated 2pm start.

When you realise that you are going to watch a football match at a ground with such a wonderfully named title as Flanders Field, lots of heart-warming thoughts quickly spring to mind…a desirable countryside location perhaps…one where poppies form a deep red carpet of colour around you and an intermittent burst of sunlight appears through the tall canopy of trees overhead…a picture postcard setting no less. Dream over! Sadly such awe-inspiring ideas are quickly dispelled as you approach your destination. In reality the place is totally different from what you would first have imagined it to be like. The cue here is to read between the lines if you see what I mean.

Flanders Field in East Ham is basic to say the least. I don’t know about you but first impressions can often tell you quite a lot about a place. As we arrived at the ground I became increasingly concerned that we would need to park our car somewhere on site rather than leaving it abandoned down one of the many adjoining side roads. Once we had worked out where, on the sports field, the game was going to be played we hastily found a ‘suitable’ place in the car park in which we could leave the Wraymobile II. This strategy meant that we could watch the game and keep an eye on our vehicle at the same time! Method in the madness I know. As it turned out there wasn’t any real need to worry. Our initial thoughts were probably a bit irrational as there wasn’t any problem with security. Mind you hindsight is a wonderful thing as they say!

Newham Borough Football Club (SECP) was formed in 2004 by the South East Circular Projects (hence the suffix) which is a non-profit making organisation dedicated to excellence in sport, education, civic and personal development, for young people. Previously the club has played as South East Circular AFC in the London League in 2002-2003 and Danson Furness FC in the Kent Suburban League in 2003-2004. More recently, it had the proud distinction of being the divisional champions of the Essex Business Houses League in 2007-2008 before making a successful application to join the Middlesex County League. This positive move enabled the go-ahead club to play at a potentially higher standard of football. So far they have made an encouraging start to life in the MCL and currently find themselves in fifth place in the table with an unbeaten playing record and with two games in hand over their closest rivals in the Premier Division. It's amazing also to think that all the first team players are aged 21 and under. Incidentally the club run a second team (Under 17's) who play matches on the adjoining pitch.

Today the league debutants were up against the present league leaders, Park View FC, a club based in or around the Tottenham area. The kick off was delayed by almost thirty minutes when it became apparent that the visitors had turned up for what they had assumed was going to be a 3pm start. A bit of a scare when we arrived to find only one team warming up!! Best to leave such chilling moments for Halloween!

The game was a thoroughly entertaining affair played in a competitive spirit for most part, played on what was a flat, well-grassed pitch in front of a dozen or so spectators. With little more than the width of an old Rizzla fag paper to separate between the two sides it was Newham who opened the scoring when the tricky frontrunner Isaac Aubynn (7) netted from close range following a free kick on the edge of the box. The lead was doubled fifteen minutes later when Kunie Mustapha (22) beat the keeper with a well-placed header. You could just tell that the Park View boys didn’t like defending in such numbers and it wasn't long before several of the younger players lost their cool. With the tackles flying in left, right and centre (of the field) referee John Nobleman, to his credit, did really well to calm things down and see the game safely through to half-time.

After the interval the visitors, dressed in an all white strip (a bit like Leeds United before they added the yellow and blue trimmings), quickly re-grouped and soon pulled one back. Influential midfielder Kofi Oti-Atakoran (50)turned his marker and unleashed an absolute stunning strike from a full thirty yards out – a bit like that new Brazilian Tiger Geovanni – well I am bound to say that aren't I? The next goal would certainly be crucial to deciding the final outcome but neither side could take advantage of their chances. Despite a few scares in the closing stages Borough held on to victory and made progress into the next round. It had been a keenly fought, physical but fair encounter overall. Just like many games I have seen in this league in recent years it offered many ‘unexpected’ flashes of skill and flair from a number of 'flamboyant' youngsters keen to impress. It certainly didn’t disappoint.

A brief ground description follows. After negotiating the myriad of one-way streets in the vicinity we managed eventually to find the entrance at the end of a cul-de-sac on Melbourne Road. The playing field is bordered tightly on all sides by the long rows of residential terraced houses which back onto the site from neighbouring side streets. After passing through the park gates there really isn’t much room to find a space inside the cinder-based car park. Phrases involving the swinging of cats come quickly to mind but don’t tell our vet that the thought ever crossed my mind.

The only real ‘buildings’ on site comprise of three large and rather ugly rusted metal containers painted in a green coat of Hammerite that are used for temporary changing accommodation only. It’s not aesthetically pleasing on the eye shall we say. There's some hope on the horizon though with a planned overhaul due soon (that's according to the programmme notes at any rate). Apart from these functional steel boxes and a tiny worn floodlit tennis court, there are no other club buildings, spectator cover or player dug-outs to be found here. The main pitch, one of three marked out, is the furthest one away from the entrance and wasn’t even roped off for this game. We watched most of the match from the Ranelagh Road end where some disused outbuildings served as a wind-break. So when I say it's basic I mean it! It would be advisable given the lack of spectator comfort to attend a game here in more favourable weather. And don’t forget to bring your own corned beef sandwiches. Is that still traditional fayre for travellers by the way? I prefer chicken salad myself.

Although travellers may well be disappointed with the basic set up pitch side we were impressed by the welcome given to us. It was no trouble at all for any of the committee members to provide us with the team line ups, names of goal scorers and a routine check on their correct spelling (when you realise that many of the players’ names are totally unpronounceable). The secretary even went back over to the 'changing rooms' to dig out a couple of programmes for us. Today our copy was made up of two A4 pages printed in purple and black and folded in half. The main content, which is given away free, includes all the important match details, a brief welcome to both teams and the officials, a club history and the full team squad lists. Isn’t it amazing how a couple of sheets of photocopying paper can warm the cockles…they needed to because by the end of the game the wind had strengthened and the air temperature had started to drop quite markedly. Brrr.