Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter, we travelled to Moreton in Marsh for Moreton Rangers' clash with Hartpury University, for whom a win would clinch the title. The game took place at London Road.
It's All In The Name
Moreton is originated from Old English and means "Farmstead on the Moor," while "in Marsh" is derived from henneand mersh, which implies a marsh used by birds like moorhens. Another possibility is that 'Marsh' is a corruption of 'March,' an early English word for border. The club's nickname is The Townsmen, which means "a person from a town."
Some Notable People From Moreton In Marsh:
Nicholas Anstee- Former Mayor Of London
James Hurrell- Darts Player
Gabrielle Glaister- Actress
Guy Middleton- Actor
David Graham- Cricketer
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
The club was founded in 1997 on the London Road site of Moreton Town, who had dissolved three years before. The club began as a youth team and advanced to Division Two of the Cheltenham Football League in 2004. The club won Division One of the Cheltenham League and was promoted to Division Two of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League in 2009-10. The club finished second in Division Two in 2013-14, earning promotion to Division One.
The club was promoted to Hellenic Football League Division Two West for the 2015-16 season. The team stayed in this division until the end of the 2018-19 season, when they won it and advanced to Division One West. Moreton Rangers made their first appearance in the FA Vase in 2021-22.
Honours
🏆 Hellenic League Division Two West (Champions: 2018-19)
🏆 Cheltenham Football League Division One (Champions: 2009-10)
🏆 Gloucestershire County Senior Amateur Cup - North (Winners: 2018-19)
Matchday: Moreton Rangers 0-4 Hartpury University
We travelled to Moreton in Marsh on a chilly Friday evening as we looked forward to yet another entertaining game. It was the day of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, so we expected to hit a lot of traffic travelling over, however, somehow, we managed to avoid it and made it to Moreton within an hour or so (via pretty much the entirety of the Cotswolds).
Arriving at the ground, it was well signposted and easy to find, with lots of free parking available. I managed to meet two fellow Groundhoppers known as Deckchair Pete and Paul, who had travelled all the way from Suffolk for the game.
The entry fee was £3, and the guy on the entrance was lovely and really chatty. We put the world to rights, and discussed how the geographical nature of non league (i.e how each league should be compiled of clubs who are close to eachother) and how it is non existent at the moment.
Doing a circuit of the ground, there isn't much to write home about. There is a small stand behind one of the goals that can house around 150 people, and a larger stand down the near side of the ground that could house a few more. There is a nice club bar at the ground, which is decorated with various items and pictures from Moreton Rangers' history. It is in this bar where I managed to purchased a pin badge for £3.50.
There is food available in the bar too. A small amount of Chicken and Mushroom pies and sausage rolls were available for £3 and there were a selection of rolls available as well. For the level the club is at, this was a fair variety, with a range of people catered for.
In terms of improvements, the toilets could do with a bit of work, with the cubicle lock in the gents toilets broken (so privacy during my ablutions was at a minimum). This is a very minor point though. Also, I feel that the entrance could be a bit more organised. I mentioned this to the guy on the turnstile, but it can be very easy for people to get to the club and avoid paying, which obviously wouldn't benefit the club, so a system to ensure everybody has paid could be introduced- perhaps a wristband like Hartpury University wprovide, or a stamp on the hand.
Overall, it's a nice place to watch football, and it's incredible to think that a current EFL club (Newport County) used to play at this ground. The people were lovely, and the food was okay. I would definitely recommend this place to others.
Teamsheet
Moreton Rangers
Manager: Rory Shadbolt
Zack Loman
Tyan Hawkins
Ibrahima Gueye
Redi Keraj
Liam Manley
Ryan O'Rourke
Jake Peters
Samuel Sherpa-Moore
Sean Snelling
Harry Walters
Joe White
Substitutes
Jake Butler
Ben Coleman
Matthew Johnson
William Sweet
Hartpury University
Manager: Martin Longworth
Stephen Sarkodie
Tawana Changa
Luca Robinson
Owen Giles
Joshua Roney
Alexandre Hainault (c)
Louis Manning ⚽️
Riley McGregor
King Baidoo ⚽️ ⚽️
Luke Salter
Ben Baxter
Substitutes
George Sims
Kian Kang
Billy Osborn
Philip Kay
Michael Symons
The game start massively in favour for Hartpury University who had switched from their passing play to being more direct. It took them only three minutes to take the lead, as a cross from the right by Louis Manning was headed into his own net by a Moreton Rangers defender.
The chances kept coming for Hartpury to double their lead, and it wasn't until the 18th minute until they did so. A corner was swung in, and was met by the head of King Baidoo, the header was tipped onto the bar by the Moreton keeper, and Baidoo finished the rebound to make it 2-0.
Two minutes later, it was 3-0. Some poor defending resulted in some pin ball in the box, with the ball ultimately landing at the feet of Louis Manning, who finished well into the bottom right corner to increase the fears of a cricket score.
Hartpury University seemingly declared, and knew the job was done. They were clearly happy to sit on their 3-0 lead, which lead to a massively scrappy second half, which was hardly a spectacle. Hartpury did manage to fire in a fourth before full time. King Baidoo picked the ball up in the Moreton half and ran through their defence like a hot knife through butter, then fired in well to far corner to clinch the title for Hartpury University.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 2/10
Food and Drink: 6/10
Stadium: 4/10
Welcome: 9/10
Overall Experience: 7/10
GG
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