NAUGHTONS DOUBLE STRIKE SECURES BEDWORTH A SHARE OF THE SPOILS

BEDWORTH UNITED FC 2 V BEACONSFIELD SYCOB FC 2
EVOSTIK SOUTHERN CENTRAL DIVISION @THE OVAL 14 MARCH 2015 3PM

THE MUCH PHOTOGRAPHED MAIN STAND AT BEDWORTHS THE OVAL

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Alex Naughtons brace for Bedworth secured a point for the home side against a determined Beaconsfield who had taken a second half lead and looked to be popping back down to Berkshire with all three points for a while.
So as ever the day started with a station departure and it was a rather full service to Leicester for the Cross Country service to Nuneaton which by past experience is always a two carriage packed and standing affair, no change today!
Dash to platform one at Nuneaton for the five minute change and on arrival I finally located the train.....it was one carriage.  So from 5 cariages to 2 and now finally 1 compartment, still on the plus side a seat was secured for the five minute meander to Bedworth.

CHAMBERLAINE ALMSHOUSES

On arrival the station is well ...just a couple of purpose built platforms and nothing else there did look like work was ongoing to extend the length not sure why with todays carriage allocation on this service that just pops down to Coventry and then returns.
Thankfully Bedworths station was very close by the town centre unlike some of our expeditions this season, however that's were the positives stopped.  The town is an uninspiring gathering of 1970's type commercial premises with a stilted 'T's' dominating the skyline and raising to the same heights of the The All Saints Church just across the square.
The one saving grace in the town centre is the wonderful Almshouses named after rector of the town for over 50 years Nicholas Chamberlaine the other added saving grace is the large Miners Welfare Park which our end destination Bedworth Utd's The Oval is situated by. 

NICE TOUCH WITH A WELCOME ONTO THE NEW 3G PITCH AT THE OVAL

The park was well populated and has a superb cricket pitch along with a nice café and community garden centre, sadly I found the café too late on a second circle.
The Oval has two entrances the 'town entrance' from the edge of the town is a smart floral gated approach entrance to the turnstiles before dropping down to pitch side.  Our entrance for today is the main one for all motor traffic and upon entrance the ground opens up with car parking to the right and left for officials and spectators.
There has been a big change since last summer to Bedworth's home base with the addition of a £600,000 state of the art 3G pitch thanks to part funding from various bodies however big credit must go to the clubs Chairman Mr Rayson Randle who dropped in nearly £250,000 to the deal. 

NICE AND NEAT

It looks lush and very green and as I have seen from visits this season to other clubs it really is the way forward getting games on and community usage of the facilities another benefit.  People at the club were rightly proud of it and a few said how good the surface was and they were sceptic, but not know.
Alongside the new pitch we have the obligatory neat tight meshed green fencing around the pitch perimeter and the behind the spectator walkway a higher fencing of the same make up securing the ground into a tighter area than of old.
Most shots of The Oval feature the main stand and its difficult not to as it is the striking feature of this neat and tidy ground, it has base seats of green in colour with yellow for the directors although they seem to stop on the club house side and view from the roof of the social club. 

DEB'Z SHED

The changing rooms are under the stand and behind are a set of toilets who double up as WC's for the park too although this access is closed when games are scheduled.  The new modern dug outs are also in front of the stand with to one side 'Deb'z Shed', it is a shed whether its Debs in there I didn't find out but at half time I managed to sample a Bovril from the quaintest of small plastic cups.  Behind both goals are uncovered with the end by the main entrance a area reserved for car parking.  Opposite the main stand is the clubs social facilities which are nicely decked out with the live TV game playing. 

To one the end opposite the main entrance is a club shop situated in and old changing room and by the side of this another snack bar.  So before the game I decided to continue the challenge of what to call a chip cob depending on where in country you are we've had bap, roll, balm well my friends here in Warwickshire its 'chip batch'!  Of course one was sampled along with a coffee all at very reasonable non league prices as usual.  We are now by the 'town entrance' turnstile and sloping walkway that meet the pitch side by this second snack bar.

The roof of the social club seems to be used for viewing and to the one end is a small building which seems to house the directors and guests for a commanding view of proceedings.

Todays action is a Central Division game and The Greenbacks visitors are Beaconsfield SYCOB Fc and yes I had to look it up.  I guess mainly due to this being only my third Southern League game of recent times, years ago I managed to take some games in at Ilkeston and Burton, before St Neots and Rugby this season.  SYCOB Slough Youth Club Old Boys and that's the last time I hope to type it in this report in either full or as an anacronym.
Bedworth took the lead on 20 minutes when a sharp shot across goal in off the right hand post from Alex Naughton bulged the net.  Two minutes later the game could have gone away from Beaconsfield when Daniel Creaney powered a superb header against the bar from 12 yards.

It was 1-1 on 25 minutes when Elliott Carey turned the ball in from close range and you could feel the sighs echo around The Oval at disappointment from the Bedworth supporters.
The second half was an industrious affair with the visitors battling away hard and giving very little in ground as Bedworths attacks continued to fall at the final hurdle.  The inevitable happened a hard low cross the six yard box was deflected into his own goal via Kyle Cartwright after 70 minutes.

Thankfully parity was restored ten minutes later when Naughton again fired home with confidence from 14 yards past Sam Bunting in the visitors goal.  Indeed only moments later the Bedworth number 11 found himself in the same position but this time he could not beat Bunting had he done so it would probably have been an injustice on the visitors and over all the draw was the correct result.  The last 20 minutes following the Beaconsfield second goal certainly produced the best action of the game and with 9 minutes stoppage time played for an early injury there were one or two tense moments for both sides.
A share of the point was though the outcome when just short of five o clock Mr Gudger blew his whistle for full time.

Back to Bedworth 'central' for the one carriage to Nuneaton, a delayed Leicester train looked likely to thwart a connection but by some fantastic opportunity a quick hop over the adjoining platform got me on the East Midlands train just as it pulled away from Leicester station.
Todays overview was of a nice ground neat and tidy with a superb new playing surface, two nice snack bars complimenting its social club.  Don't go too early though there's very little to keep you in the town centre better still make straight for The Oval and enjoy!
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BEDWORTH STATION ON THE ONE CARRIAGE '153'