Home advantage

 Friday 12 January 2024, Wootton Blue Cross 5 Wootton Blue Cross Reserves 3 - Weston Road, Bedfordshire Intermediate Cup

Spotted this game  and liked novelty of same club having 2 sides play each other in the cup and a ground that does not have too many mid-week games.

Ground is outstanding for a Step 9 side, fully railed, hard standing on 2 sides, low brick stand with seats on back of dressing rooms/club house plus brick dug outs other side, close to all amenities, chip shop right by gate and ground tree lined to give it a fully enclosed feel. Cracking crowd and even with Local Premier side, Luton on the tv in the clubhouse, most people were watching this game and it was a cracker!

1st team started on top but it was the Reserves who came closest to scoring after 15 minutes, this gave the 1st team a nudge to increase the tempo and they went ahead after 17 minutes,  but two minutes later the Reserves were bac level and then took the lead themselves after 33 minutes only to be pegged back to 2-2 after 35 minutes. Hard at time to work out who were the Reserve team, and the tackles were going in hard and goals celebrated like it was a cup final.

Second half was much like the first plenty of chances', some skill by both sides an hard tackle- 1st team went in front after 49 minutes with the goal of the game, but the reserves came back with an own goal after 66 minutes. It was only in the last 10 minutes that the 1st team began to dominate the game and they added the two winning goals in the 83rd and 92nd minutes.

Fantastic game but after Saturday at Cranfield, it must be a Bedfordshire thing, as again had over 10 minutes of added on time in the second half.