Salisburywalkingfootball

09/09/2026

SALISBURY WALKING FOOTBALL - O65s & O70s v BISHOPS CLEEVE FRIENDLY

On a really wet morning at at Salisbury & South Wilts Social Club on Wilton Road on Tuesday 8 September 26, Salisbury Walking Football hosted and welcomed back Chris Brown, formerly of Salisbury WF, with his new team mates from Bishops Cleeve.

As they got stuck in traffic and were running late, we kicked off with our O65s vs our O70s. A tight game was decided by a good strike from Steve Horne with Mark Jacob’s solid at the back keeping the back door closed. 1-0 to the O65s.

The next game, the O70 s played Bishops Cleeve. The O70s moved the ball well and went 2-0 up thanks to goals from Paul Brewer and Gerhard Hellbusch. Bishops Cleeve came back strongly and tested Brian Oliver in goal who made several saves. He was finally beaten but the O70s held on to win 2-1.

Third game Bishops Cleeve took the lead against the run of play against the O65s. Richard Ramsay had hit the bar in the first minute. Mick Nicholson had several shots saved by Chris Brown. The O65s continued to dominate and two goals from Dean (Deano) McMillan won the game 2-1.

Another tight game between the 065s and O70s ended up 1-0 to the O65s with a goal from Richard Ramsay.

In the second O70s vs Bishops Cleeve, the visitors took the lead, however, the O70s managed to equalised, not sure who scored. A 1-1 draw.

The final game saw the O65s against Bishops Cleeve saw the O65s score twice through Mark Potts and Steve Horne for a comfortable win. Julie Freemantle set up the second goal with a superb interception. George Ryan our rookie keeper made some saves to keep it at 2-0. Julie F played well.

Thanks to Chris Patching for reffing the games. He knew the rules.

Over coffee and cake afterwards, friendships and pledges to continue fixtures were made. Let’s make it happen.

04/09/2026

050s Hampshire League

The Hampshire League season at Stoneham Lane Football Complex, started on Tuesday 1st September 2026. Salisbury Walking Football submitted 4 teams. Salisbury Whites in Division 1, Salisbury Reds in Division 2, Salisbury Blacks in Division 3 with Salisbury Blues (over 70s) in Division 4. All games were multi touch.

It was not a good day in the office for the Whites, Reds and Blues. Only the Blacks had a better day.

SALISBURY BLUES. The Blues suffered a setback as a couple of players dropped out leading up to Stoneham and so we were down to a bare 7 to play 5 games. Add to that one of our players Dean Cresswell had arrived direct from hospital having had a stent removed earlier.

First up were Southampton Strollers where we started quite brightly until they took the lead and then looked the better side. They grabbed a second goal courtesy of a misplaced pass. Lost 2-0.

Second up were Portsmouth Sky who we seem to have contained quite well until the final minute when another wayward pass gave them an easy goal. Another lost 1-0.

Sporting Wessex Botley were the opponents in our third game and they fielded a fairly young side and gave us plenty of problems but we stuck to our guns and seemed to have done enough to get the draw but yet again we shot ourselves in the foot by gifting them with a late winner. 3rd lose 1-0

Our fourth game was against the eventual league winners Hawk Originals who dominated the next game. We had injuries to Al Tinsey and Graham Newland. Dave Clegg was also on the receiving end of strong challenges and saw us offer little in return. Yet another lose 4-0.

The final game against Gosport Crusaders had the squad almost dead on their feet yet we battled hard and almost got our first point of the day until, once again, we slipped up in our passing for them to grab a late goal. Lost 1-0.

In the end, like a couple other of the Salisbury sides today, we suffered with a small squad and ran out of steam.

No faulting people's efforts but no side will do well not scoring and compounding that by gifting their opponents with chances.

The Blues were:

Rob Nicholls (G)
Dave Clegg
David Davidson
Graham Newland
Dean Cresswell
Alan Tinsey
Ron Lock

SALISBURY REDS. Salisbury Reds today welcomed Julie Freemantle, Paul Brewer, Ian McCubbin (G) and Rui Fidalgo into the team.

First game today was against the Hawks and we were like rabbits caught in the headlights as the they seemed to score with every shot and every shot was a screamer giving Ian McC in goal no chance. Nothing went our way as there were a couple of goals given where the scorer ran onto the ball but the Ref on our pitch seemed oblivious to. End result a 6-0 defeat.

Second game against New Milton FC was a far better team performance.
With Mick Nicholson clean through on goal the last man decided to blatantly shoulder barge him off the ball. A clear DOGSO but the Ref decided to let him off this time and we were awarded just a free kick. A back and forward game for both sides and again Mick N was clean through on goal and the same defender done the same thing. This time he was shown the blue card and all we received was a free kick again! The game ended 0-0.

Bournemouth Reds we’re our opponents in our 3rd game who decided to basically try and kick us off the park with players pushing defenders into the area, deliberately running into players and a player swinging his elbow deliberately at head height, with the ref paying no need. Defensive errors gave them 2 goals but we just tried to play football in the proper way. A 3-0 defeat.

Fourth game was against the eventual group winners Farnham Town Flares and with a different referee taking charge it was a completely different game compared to our last game. We had an early chance when Mick N hit one towards the top corner but the keeper pulled off a great save. Ian McC in goal kept us in it but when we went 1-0 down. We pushed forward in hope of getting an equaliser but paid the price when caught out too far up the pitch, losing 2-0 in the end, in a game which had no fouls or running offences against either side. Both teams played in the true spirit of walking football.

Our final game against Eastleigh was a better performance again with some great link up play at time but again ,no luck in front of goal with Paul F and Julie F trying their luck at times. A 0-0 result was a fair one to both sides. Well done to Julie F who played against some physical sides today and stood up to them. Paul B, Rui F who both did their bit for the team today and Ian McC in goal who after the 6-0 game against Hawks must have wondered what he had let himself in for 🫣🫣🫣.

There were times today (with the Ref we had in charge) where someone could have got seriously hurt. We were not the only team to say that, as Farnham were of the same thoughts, and they won it. If that is the way, they play multi touch at Stoneham, we need stronger referees who are not afraid to make decisions. It is appreciated that referees have a hard time refereeing, but today was purely dangerous at times for the Reds and 2 other teams in our Div. PS Julie played well.

The Red team was:

Ian McCubbin (G)
Julie Freemantle
Mark Jacobs
Mick Nicholson
Paul Brewer
Rui Fidelgo
Steve Farmer

SALISBURY BLACKS. This was an inaugural outing for the Blacks who saw us set up with Chris Brown in goal, Steve Jackson in defence, George Ryan left midfield, Simon Scott centre midfield, Rob Sheppard right midfield and Richard Ramsay as striker and all stuck to their tasks and all six battled well with a good, consistent team structure, playing all five matches with no substitutions.

An evenly balanced first match against Bournemouth Whites was settled by a single goal for us when Simon S played a ball through to Richard R who smashed it home.
A 1-0 Win.

In the next game against Gosport Spartans we outplayed the opposition creating plenty of chances, Richard R hitting the crossbar, a quickly taken corner from George R played across the goal to Rob S whose shot went just wide, and further shots from Simon S and others, but somehow we just couldn’t get the one goal that would have won us the game. A 0-0 draw.

Our 3rd game was against Wi******er B and this turned out be be the game of two goalkeepers. It was an evenly contested match between two well balanced teams and any spectators would have enjoyed a flurry of on target shots by both sides, but Chris B in goal was superb and saved everything they threw at us. Their goalkeeper also saved everything we threw at them including the save of the day when he superbly scrambled across his goal and saved Simon’s S equally superb shot into the bottom corner of the goal. Another 0-0 draw.

The 4th game against Portsmouth Royals was a little disappointing. George R had the only on target shot on goal for us in this match, which their goalkeeper saved, as we spent the majority of this match in defensive mode. There was no star player dribbling the length of the pitch with a multi touch twinkle toed dipping and swerving solo run of excellence, instead we were undone twice by fast paced one or two touch passing and movement off the ball and clinical finishing. Lost 0-2

Interestingly we went straight into our last match against Farnham Town Flares B without a break and our work rate and effort from battling with the best team in the division carried forward into this game and was instrumental in a good all round team performance. A couple of great saves from Chris B, a pass from Richard R to Simon S for the first goal and a pass from Richard R to STEVE JACKSON for the second goal.
NB. Capitals at the request of Steve who rounded off a great defensive display today with this superb goal. A 2-0 Win.

The Blacks ended up second, just a point behind the winners Portsmouth Royals and must rue what could have been if we could have scored just one goal in either of our 0-0 draws - but then again, as we say in my home county of Shropshire, ‘If my Granny had balls she’d be my Grandad!’

Salisbury Blacks were:

Chris Brown (G)
Steve Jackson (D) 1 goal
George Ryan (LM)
Simon Scott (CM) 1 goal, 1 assist
Rob Sheppard (RM)
Richard Ramsay (F) 1 goal, 2 assists

SALISBURY WHITES. There is no match report from the Salisbury Whites, who also had a bad day by losing all their games against Compton, FC, Wi******er, Warsash Wanderers, Eastleigh Blues and Portsmouth Blues.

Salisbury Whites were:

Chris Townsend (G)
Dean McMillan
Paul Daniels
Roger Batchelor
Rory Heatley
Snowy Taylor

Although the results went against our teams today, all players tried their best and enjoyed the games unless of course you were in the Reds. Well done to everyone who took part.

19/08/2026

Walking Coast to Coast for Hospice

One of our own, this mad person who is Steve Kelly is undertaking his next crazy adventure - walking Wainwright's 192-mile path from coast to coast, carrying his backpack. He wants to use the occasion as a fundraiser for Salisbury hospice, for which SWF members have recently had cause to be grateful. He has setup a GoFundMe page as a way of collecting donations - if you would like to donate even £1 to the cause (and put pressure on Steve to complete the whole path), click the link below, which takes you to Steve's page, where the "Donate now" button will make it easy to chip in:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/salisbury-hospice-who-have-helped-friends-and-famiy

One thing you should be aware of is that GoFundMe adds a "default" (17.5%) commission (tip) to your credit card bill, rather than taking it from your donation. So, if you gift £1, the hospice will receive £1 minus their transaction fee, but your card will be charged £1.17.5p. It is possible to use a slider to remove the commission - I didn't see that as I donated, but I have since emailed them a refund request. Neither Steve nor I realised that this happened and I hope it doesn't put you off supporting Steve's good intentions.

Note: Steve has since completed his walk. Well done Steve

Starting on 6th August, I am walking Alfred Wainwright's 192-mile co… stephen kelly needs your support for Salisbury Hospice who have helped friends and famiy

19/08/2026

Masters World Cup 2026.

A short report of the Masters World Cup taken from England Walking Football page.

For information, our Club Captain, Mark Potts was a member of the Over 65's England winning team.

On Saturday 15th August, after two fantastic days of international walking football, at Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC England 65s were crowned Masters World Cup champions.

With four wins on the first day of competition and two wins and a draw on the second day,
England qualified top of the group and headed into the final against the Republic of Ireland.
In a tightly contested match against familiar opposition England took an early lead. A well
constructed move from deep in England’s half ended with Peter Davenport laying off the perfect
pass for Graham Liddiard to find the corner of the net with a crisp right foot strike. Further efforts
from Peter Davenport, Ian Nicholls and Mark Potts were either narrowly off target or well saved by
the Irish keeper, Martin Sharkey. At the back Kevin Mooney ensured Ireland rarely had a sight of
goal and, on the one occasion that Mick O’Dwyer found space for a shot, Ken Hitchell produced a
fine save. Late in the game Graham Liddiard was denied a second goal by an outstanding save
from Martin Sharkey but in the end the one goal was enough for victory.
England’s captain Peter Davenport, the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, triumphantly lifted
the trophy sparking joyful celebrations among the England players and supporters.
The whole England squad deserve tremendous credit for their hard work in training and in other
competitions leading up to this event. In addition to their success on the pitch there is now an
incredible camaraderie and friendship among the group.
A massive thank you to the organisers and officials for an exceptionally well run event and an
extra special thank you to the wives, partners and players from England men’s and women’s
teams that supported us.

16/08/2026

World Masters Walking Football.

Mark Potts of Salisbury Walking Football was honoured to represent England over 65s in the World Masters attended by 70 teams from all over the world.
The England team won six of their seven group matches including victories over Switzerland, Scotland and Wales. Top goalscorer was ex Man Utd and Notts Forest striker Peter Davenport. They progressed to the Final and beat Ireland 1-0 to win the trophy and become World Masters Champions

The Trophy was named in honour of Laurent who was a pioneer of walking football in France. He sadly passed away recently.

14/08/2026

Our own Mark Potts getting his England over 55 World Cup Cap presentation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚽️

07/08/2026

Wiltshire Over 65 league. Salisbury Walking Football (SWF) entered 2 teams in the final games of the season on Thu 6 Aug 26:at the Wiltshire Football Development Centre, Calne.

The Salisbury Whites. The match report comes from our on pitch player and reporter Mark Jacobs.
The SALISBURY WHITES
The Whites team was:
Dave Dunsford (G)
Mark Jacobs
Dean Cresswell
Roger Batchelor
Paul Brewer
Andy Jackson

The Whites played with a much changed lineup this time out. This caused a problem for our Captain, Roger Batchelor (Roger B) ,who seemed to be a little confused with the starting line-up positions. This did improve as the morning progressed

The first game was against the eventual league winners Swindon (Yawn). A very dubious decision by the referee led to the first goal for Swindon. Apparently, if you run into someone, you get a free kick. We continued to push hard and forced good saves by the Swindon keeper and hit the post twice. As is normally the case, chasing the game led to their second on the break. So, we finished with an undeserved 2-0 loss.

2nd game against Highworth, and more position changes trying to find a team structure that suited everyone led to a 3-0 loss. This was our worst performance as a team. We all played as badly as we played well in the first game. A game to forget.

The third game was a derby against Salisbury Reds. If the Reds are honest, and I know they are, they would admit they were outplayed by the Whites who really should have won the game. Missed chances and good goalkeeping led to a 0-0 draw.

The fourth game led to the Whites first goal. With team positions cemented an improved performance led to a very unlucky 1-0 loss. The whites first goal was an expertly taken own goal by Roger B. Dave Dunford (Dave D) tried to save it, but Roger B took it very well. So, a 1-0 loss to Trowbridge with more missed chances by the Whites.

The final game against Calne was witness to probably the best goal scored by anyone. A long-range effort from halfway into the top right-hand corner of the goal by Mark Jacobs. Please forgive me, but it was a good goal. (Well Mark you wrote the report). Really good play controlling the ball and great defending by everyone looked like the first win was on the way. Unfortunately, a speculative shot by Calne in the last minute led to a 1 all draw.

The Whites played very well in periods and didn't really get the results they deserved. However, the eventual winners Swindon (yawn) did say that the Whites were the best team they played today.

Well played Dave, Mark, Dean, Roger Paul and Andy we deserved so much more

The SALISBURY REDS
The Reds team was:
Ken Baker (G)
Mike Farmer
David Davidson
Mark Potts
Stephen Jackson
George Ryan
Steve Horne

This match report comes from our off pitch reporter Chris Patching.

Welcome to a Sunny but breezy day in Calne

Today is a big test for the Squad in there final league games of the season and are missing key players like Dean McMillan, Chris Brown, Chris Patching and Richard Ramsey, but welcome new squad members, Ken Baker (G) & Mike Farmer. Dave Davidson had also been drafted in from our over 70's team.

Salisbury Reds v Highworth.

Highworth started quickest off the blocks with a early shot which was high and wide, Mike F making his debut was unsure of the pass back to keeper rule and was penalised for doing just that, fortunately the resulting free kick came to nothing. This time it was Salisbury's turn for a free kick which George R fired wide. Highworth always looking dangerous on attack almost went ahead when their No7 hit the bar from close range. Mark P and Steve H worked really well together backing up the solid Steve J in defence. Highworth came close again when hitting the bar for the second time. At the other end a good combination between Steve H & Mark P resulted in Mark getting a good shot away. Once again Highworth gained another free kick near the edge of Salisbury's D only for Mark P to superbly block the goal bound shot. A 0-0 draw

Salisbury Reds v Calne

Once again it was the opposing team who started the quickest with their No9 hitting the post. George R tried to nutmeg a Calne defender but it was blocked for a kick in. Steve H had a shot blocked. Ankther good pass from Steve H found George R in space who shot wide. The luck was with Salisbury when a Calne player received the ball out wide unmarked, only to fall over himself. Mark P was again in a great position to block a shot after Steve J gave away a free kick. Dave D was unlucky after he turned his man only for it to go out off the defender for a corner. More good work from the Reds when Mark P finds Dave D who lays it off for Steve H only for his shot to be deflected for another corner. Another effort, this time its Mark P who shoots into the side netting. Salisbury now on 3 running offences had to be careful not to give a penalty away, but thankfully Manager Al kept barking at them like a dog that's been left at home, and hung on until the last kick of the game when Calne's No9 flicked the ball up to squeeze a shot between Steve J & Mark P to score. An unlucky 1-0 defeat.

Salisbury Reds v Salisbury Whites

The Whitesget the first chance when George R fouls Andy Jackson but the chance comes to nothing. This time its the Whites who give away a free kick when Roger Batchelor fouls George R. Mark P plays it to Steve H and Whites keeper Dave D saves well pushing it around the post, Roger B has a shot nearly hitting a passing satellite. The White's were now dominating the play with everything coming out from the back from the outstanding Mark Jacobs who always looked comfortable on the ball. In midfield Andy Jackson, Dean Cresswell and Paul Brewer were linking up well with each other, and it wasn't long before Roger B had another shot just wide. The White's finishing the game with a shot from Paul B which was saved by Reds keeper Ken Baker who's confidence has been growing with each game. A 0-0 draw.

Salisbury Reds v Swindon

This game was totally dominated by Swindon (who came out as League Winners) with slick passing and movement, but Manager Al continued to bark like a dog at the team (obviously his owners weren't home yet) instructing to keep it tight at the back, and they didn't let him down, Swindon had two good shots well saved by Ken B. Every Salisbury player was putting in 100% not to concede, The best chance for Swindon came when their No2 shot from close range only for another great save from Ken B to keep it level. What a great team effort against the team at the top. Another 0-0 draw.

Salisbury Reds v Trowbridge

The Reds make a good start, Mark P takes a quick free kick to Steve H whose shot hits the bar. Some great work down the wing from Steve J and George R which caused Trowbridge problems. Mike F made a block and eased the ball through to George R to slot it home 1-0. The Reds are looking comfortable in midfield, with Mark P, Steve H and Mike F (who now looks very much part of the team) and this comes to fruitation when Mike F plays a nice pass down the line for George R to find Steve H in space who hit a solid shot giving their keeper no chance 2-0. Trowbridge had a late assault on Salisbury's goal and came close hitting the post. Another good save from Ken B. The game ends with a convincing 2-0 win.

Salisbury Reds v Highworth

This game is a add on because of Melksham pulling out. Highworth attack first with a shot way over the bar. The match reporter was wondering where the sniper had gone since the last league games. It was established he was somewhere in hiding, because Dave D broke away from his defender to find himself in space. He didn't hear the gunshot but Dave D hit the floor like, well a sack of something. Okay he actually caught his studs on the ball. It was becoming a bit of a Cat & Mouse game. Mark P shoots wide, and at the other end. Ken B was called upon again to make a couple of good saves. Yet another 0-0 draw..

A great team effort, but a special 👏 for our 2 new Squad players, Mike Farmer and Ken Baker who were tremendous today. For info Ken B had never played in goal before these matches and to only let in 1 goal in all the matches is an achievement.

Special thanks to Al (who's owners have obviously returned) for supplying the sausage rolls made by his lovely wife.

Oh......Julie done well.

A special thank you to the referees and the lovely lady who helped organise the day.

04/08/2026

It is with great pleasure that I announce that the club captain of Salisbury Walking Football, our very own Mark Potts has been selected to represent England in the over 65s competition in this, the biggest walking football competition ever held, with 70 teams and over 800 players from different continents. Teams travelling from Europe, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. It shows how much the game has grown and spread. Less than two weeks away now. It promises to be a great event.
Well Done Mark. Make us proud.

02/08/2026

Salisbury Walking Football decided to have a World Cup Sweepstake as football wouldnt be football, without the World Cup. The World Cup is now over for another four years with Spain crowned as Champions but the real winners were the SWF sweepstake winners and it was time to pay out and to find out who won. Due to the high demand of SWF players wishing to take part, we held 2 sweepstakes. The winners were as follows:

The three worst teams won £10 each:
Tunisia - Andy Jackson and Giles Lewis
Uzbekistan - Rob Daley and Graham Dance
Iraq - Steve Riddell and Frank Topley

Semi Finals losers £10 each:
England 🥲 - Jen Coulson and Steve Riddell (lucky boy)
France - Ty Pearce and Julie Freemantle

Runners Up £30 each:
Argentina - Ron Lock and Graham Dance (him again)

Winners £40 each:
Spain - Les Ward and Mark Jacobs

Ron Lock, Julie Freemantle and Graham Dance are clubbing their winnings together to buy the Saints a new striker.

Mark Jacobs has already spent his on ice cream.

Congratulations to the winners and commiserations to the Non Winners.

It was fun and we’ll do it again in four/two/one years time or whenever.

02/08/2026

Salisbury Walking Football (SWF) took part in the Over 65’s Wiltshire League on Sunday 26 July 2026 on a warm and sunny day in Devizes.

SWF entered 2 teams, Salisbury Whites and Salisbury Reds

THE SALISBURY REDS

The Reds first game was against a very youthful looking Salisbury Whites team who kicked off the game. The game was a bit slow and it took until the 4th min for the first shot on goal by Richard Ramsey (Richard R) which forced a good save from the Whites keeper Rob Nicholls. The Reds kept pressing and Dean McMillan (Deano) had forced 2 more great saves from Rob Nicholls. 10 mins in Reds were awarded a penalty after Paul Brewer stepped into his goalkeepers 'D' which Deano tucked away. Slowly the White's were taking control of the game with neat passing which was rewarded when Roger Batchelor fired in a cross/shot which Reds keeper Chris Brown (Chris B) unfortunately lost control with his hands to cross the line. A 1-1 draw.

The Reds v Highworth

This was a bit of cat & mouse game which produced 3 running offences for the Reds. Discipline was the key now, it payed off when Mark Potts (Mark P) received the ball and with great feet got to the edge of their D which forced the Highworth defender into his own D. “Penalty" called the Ref. Up stepped no other than our own Deano to slot it home. Reds started to play some great triangle passing in midfield between Mark P, Deano and Richard R. Steve Horne (Steve H) was great in defence along with Chris B in goal who pulled off some great saves to keep us in the game. A nice 1-0 win.

The Reds v Swindon

Swindon started the strongest and would have taken an early lead if it hadn't been for Chris B to pull off a great save.

It wasn't long before they showed what a good side they are when their No10 spun Steve H on the edge of the box to make it 0-1. George Ryan (George R) managed a powerful shot which squirmed off their keeper for a corner which came to nothing. The Reds pushing forward lost the ball and on the break down the wing their No2 cut inside releasing a powerful shot to finish the game. A 2-0 defeat.

The Reds v Melksham

This time the Reds started quicker of the 2 sides and with his back to goal Deano slotted a lovely ball with the back of his heel into the path of Richard R whose shot was saved. George R passed across field to Stephen Jackson (Steve J) in a great position but had his shot blocked. At one point during this game we were concerned there was a sniper hiding. Richard R and Steve J both fell to the ground on separate occasions as though they had been shot? Deano from out wide won the ball from his opponent and slotted home 1-0 Steve H slotted a great ball down through the middle for Deano which was saved. Steve H had 2 shots saved before right at the death, then Richard R passed to Deano to score and make it 2-0 The closest Melksham got was hitting the post. A 2-0 win.

The Reds v Calne

Early chance for the opposition as their No9 ex Blackburn player Perry shoots wide, he continued to be a threat but Steve J soon adapted at the back and the No9 was becoming frustrated, Steve H had a shot saved after a good ball from Richard R. On attack again the Calne No9 nutmegged Mark P but couldn't get past him, wanting the ref to give obstruction and not getting it. He was sent off for dissent. Despite constant pressure the Reds were unable to take advantage of the extra player. A 0-0 draw.

The Reds v Trowbridge

The Reds start well with a fine ball from George R to Mark P which is blocked for a corner. The corner is taken and George R received the ball back and shot just wide. A nice ball from Steve J finds Deano who unfortunately steps into their D. A chance comes when Trowbridge give away a penalty for 4 walking offences. Deano stepped up and a powerful shot central and high was saved. Trowbridge then had luck when the Reds lost the ball which gave them a goal. Steve H came on for the last few minutes and thought he had scored, but was disallowed for stepping in the D according to the ref? Debatable. A 1-0 defeat

The Reds v Whites

Good start for Whites as Chris B had to pull of a good save from Paul Brewer. Mark P intercepted a missed place pass by the Whites to set up Deano to score. 1-0. George R collects the ball out wide and shoots, Rob Nicholls saves only for the ball to come back out to George R who this time shoots wide. Up the other end Roger Batchelor forces a great save from Reds keeper Chris B. Richard R and Mark P had shots saved from their keeper. Next came the pass of the day. George R puts a fantastic diagonal ball across the pitch splitting the defence open to find Richard R in a great position but had his shot saved. George R who is now on fire and has 2 more shots, one wide, the other saved after a good ball from Deano. George R is at it again and gets in a good position only to shoot over the bar. A player Whites came on late for the Whites and made no difference at all. MOTM George R. A 1-0 win.

Congratulations to Deano who scored all 5 goals.

Julie F done well.

A big thank you to Al for turning up and managing the side, but more importantly his missus for the sausage rolls as well as Chris Patching’s wife Lorraine for coming along to support both teams.

The Salisbury Reds team was:

Chris Brown (G)
Richard Ramsey
Stephen Jackson
Dean McMillan
Mark Potts
Steve Horne
George RyaN
Al Tinsey (Manager)

THE SALISBURY WHITES

The Whites perspective. The Whites took 7 players to Devizes. 2 of the squad were over 70 and Chris Davey-McLean (CDM) was struggling with his knees so not ideal as we had to play 7 matches.

Salisbury Reds bookended our games so were our opening fixture and had them starting better before we got into our stride and looked to be reasonably comfortable until we were punished for a defender in the box to give away a penalty and gift the Reds the lead. Towards the end Roger Batchelor (Roger B) put a ball across the Reds goal which somehow found the back of the net. A 1-1 Draw.

The League leaders Highworth were next and no real complaints as they scored twice with clinical finishes from one on one's. A 2-0 Defeat.

The Whites third game was against Trowbridge and was quite tight, however, we did ourselves no favours by committing 4 running offences so they had a penalty from which they scored the only goal of the game. Another defeat 1-0.

The fourth game against Swindon’s no better It got no better, who were on a 3 game winning streak and we never really looked like changing that as they ran out winners again. Another defeat 2-0.

The Whites game against Melksham was pretty low key with both sides struggling in the heat, so not surprisingly a 0-0 draw.

The Whites took on Calne who had us under early pressure in our penultimate match with a number of indirect free kicks around the penalty area. Their forward was a danger and a misplaced kick by the Whites ended up at his feet and he made no mistake in slotting home a goal. The Whites then had a penalty but the Calne keeper made a good save to keep out Roger B’s kick. At the death a good move saw Roger B make amends when he scored. A 1-1 draw.

To end the day the Whites faced we the Reds again. The Whites started well in an open game with chances falling to both sides. Once more they did ourselves no favours with another misplaced pass, allowing the ball to be fed to Deano who finished it off. George Ryan had several efforts towards the end. A 1-0 defeat.

In summary, the Whites, could/should have come away with more points but at this level any slight mistake tends to get punished and we probably made at least 4 so lessons to be learnt.

The whole squad kept plugging away despite these setbacks all morning and never let their heads drop.

The Salisbury Whites team consisted of:

Rob Nicholls (G)
Chris Davey-McLean
Rob Sheppard
Dean Cresswell
Paul Daniel
Roger Batchelor
Paul Brewer