Godmanchester Ascend To Next Round - Godmanchester Rovers vs. Newport Pagnell Town

Celebrating the second goal

FA Cup action took centre stage this weekend and my ground of choice was one I'd always talked myself out of - for travel reasons, see last paragraph - but one I really enjoyed visiting. The ground in question was Bearscroft Lane, home of Godmanchester Rovers who were hosting Newport Pagnell Town in an Eastern vs. United Counties League tie. Newport Pagnell were going to have their work cut out with Godmanchester having won both their league games so far, scoring six and conceding none on top of their four pre season wins. Newport Pagnell had their opening league game and I visited Willen Road for a league match with Spalding United.

Pre match at Bearscroft Lane

The game has an edgy start with chances at a premium. The first one comes when Newport Pagnell break out from a Godmanchester free kick and it takes a last ditch tackle to stop an effort on goal. The only real chance of the half is another Newport Pagnell effort when the forward is played in on goal and his lob over the keeper hits the top of the bar.

First half action in front of the turbines

Newport Pagnell continue to have most of the chances and the Godmanchester keeper does well to save a shot from the edge of the area. Godmanchester now begin to get more into the game and are gifted the lead when the Newport Pagnell defender handles the ball while on the floor. The penalty is put away to give the home side the lead. Godmanchester come close again as a well drilled shot hits the keeper and goes over the bar. They seal the win when the winger is able to come a long way before slotting past the keeper.

Godmanchester on the attack in the second half

The closest station to Godmanchester is Huntingdon which is around an hour from Kings Cross. As it was a nice day, I decided to walk which took nearly fifty minutes but is flat and is quite pleasant once you get into Godmanchester. There is also the 478 bus that goes from Huntingdon Bus Station to quite close to the ground. In the town is The Royal Oak which was friendly and the outside offers good views of the lake. There is also The White Hart which had a good selection of drinks. The clubhouse at the ground had the usual selection of drinks and this was a great start to this seasons FA Cup.

Another view of the stands at Godmanchester