Local Politics

Mountsorrel Amateurs  2  Leicester Medics  0

Leicestershire & Rutland FA Saturday Trophy – First Round

Admission / Programme – No / No

Matters of an ecclesiastical nature had been dealt with earlier that morning, so it was time to exit the diocese of Chilwell and head South to the village of Mountsorrel, which sits on the A6 betwixt Loughborough and Leicester.

So what, pray tell, was taking us to the sleepy sanctuary that is Mountsorrel?

The Leicestershire Senior League of course, a league that at one point was a competition that produced a good number of new clubs every season, in fact one season I think it was about eight newbies, and that kept us busy until around Christmas. Nowadays things are a little more uniform in the Fosse County with the more recently formed Leicestershire County League providing a direct feeder into the LSL, so any up and coming clubs need to earn the right as opposed to just be accepted as was seemingly the case in the past.

As a result of this you might only get one or two, which is probably not a bad things as the Notts Senior League seems to have taken on the mantle of accepting any old shite these days, and that often ends badly in some cases. That said though, the LSL had a torrid time last campaign with an unusually high number of clubs withdrawing either just before the season started, or, in a few cases, during the course of the season.     

Local politics and constitutional matters to one side, Mountsorrel Amateurs earned the right to gain promotion to the LSL with a fourth placed finish in the feeder league last time out, along with second placed St Patricks. You might ask why the top side (Houghton Rangers) or indeed the third placed side (Old Aylestone) didn’t get promoted? Well, I can only assume they didn’t apply, and for that matter, maybe they didn’t want to join a league where the previous season a large numbers of clubs disappeared from view and had results expunged.

Right, Mountsorrel Amateurs, now an LSL club, playing down Little Lane at the back of the Soar Valley Leisure Centre. The ground is officially named Mountsorrel Playing Fields, and to start with, I’m going to have a whinge, about trying to drive through Loughborough on a Saturday afternoon.

Having spent what was effectively a Saturday morning at church, we exited the M1 and trundled along past the University only to hit Epinal Way and the chaos that it brings. It took an absolute age trying to get across the various roundabouts and traffic lights, before eventually heading out of the town made famous by Ladybird Books, into the more sedate areas of Quorn and Barrow Upon Soar.

Mountsorrel was accessed via the A6 and up over a humpbacked bridge which crosses the River Soar, before bringing you out on the main road. I have to say though, logistical challenges aside, it did look to be a very nice village. That said, I was talking to a colleague of mine recently who hails from Loughborough and actually lived in Mountsorrel for a period, and apparently, the residents of both Barrow and Quorn look down their noses at Mountsorrel, as not being quite as nice!

Stuff Quorn and Barrow, Steve and I thought it was nice, and once parked at the ground we had a wander round the corner for a quick pint at the Waterside Inn where some of the highest quality Carling's were on sale along with some of the quirkier brews from LSL sponsors Everards.

Suitably, refreshed, and having had a full debrief about our church related antics that morning, it was back round the corner for the big game in the Leicestershire & Rutland Saturday Trophy, where Leicester Medics were the visitors to Little Lane.

The ground is a large expanse, flanked at one end by the leisure centre and it’s facilities, it has a good sized pavilion building that houses a bar, a tea bar and of course the dressing rooms. No furniture exists around the pitch, but two sides are lined with trees, while the venue also serves as the home for the local cricket club.

The game, if we are being honest, wasn’t the greatest of spectacles, but it was competitive, with the hosts taking the lead five minutes before half time thanks to Louis Abel. The second and the decisive goal came with just ten minutes remaining when Jake Folwell netted to put Mountsorrel into the hat for the next round where a ding dong derby against neighbouring Rothley Imperials is not out of the question with them having also made progress.

As long as they don’t have to play Barrow or Quorn, could get a bit feisty!