Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter, we travelled to South Gloucestershire for some Hellenic League Division One action as Chipping Sodbury Town took on Clanfield 85 at The Ridings.
It's All In The Name
"Soppa's fort" is the town's name in Old English. "Chipping" (from Old English ceping) denotes the presence of a market. The nickname of the club is The Sod
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
Chipping Sodbury Football Club was founded in 1885. They joined the North Bristol & District League's Division One in 1898 and finished bottom of the division in 1899-1900. The league was eventually called the Bristol & Suburban League, and the team won Division Two in 1948-49 after WWII. The following season, they won Division One, and in 1950, they were promoted to Division Two of the Western League. The club, however, left after coming last in the division in 1951-52. They later rejoined the Bristol & Suburban league before collapsing in 1954.
The club was reformed in the late 1950s and became a member of the Dursley & Wotton League in 1959. They were later promoted to the Bristol & District League. The club was promoted to Division One of the Avon Premier Combination, which was renamed the Bristol Premier Combination in 1994, after placing third in the league's Senior Division in 1990-91. They were promoted to the Premier League in the late 1990s before being relegated to Division One in 2001-02. After winning Division One in 2005-06 and regaining promotion to the Premier League, the club changed its name to its current one. After winning the Premier Division in 2007-08, they were promoted to the Gloucestershire County League.
Despite coming last in the Gloucestershire County League in their inaugural season, the club avoided relegation. After avoiding relegation with another last-place result in 2011-12, they finished third in the league in 2014-15 and were promoted to Division One of the Western League. They won Division One on their first try, winning promotion to the Premier League. The club was promoted to the Hellenic League's Premier Division at the completion of the 2020-21 season. In 2022-23, they finished last in the Premier Division and were relegated to Division One.
Honours
🏆 Western League Division One (Champions: 2015–16)
🏆 Bristol Premier Combination Premier Division (Champions: 2007–08)
🏆 Bristol Premier Combination Division One (Champions: 2005–06)
🏆 Bristol Premier Combination Premier Cup (Winners: 1992–93)
🏆 Bristol & Suburban League Division One (Champions: 1949–50)
🏆 Bristol & Suburban League Division Two (Champions: 1948–49)
Matchday: Chipping Sodbury Town 0-2 Clanfield 85
We travelled to Chipping Sodbury on a bitterly cold Saturday morning as we sought another fix of football. We arrived at The Ridings within 45 minutes of travelling from Gloucester, and we took advantage of the free parking available at the ground.
Immediately, we were greeted by a polite gentleman who worked on the ticketing booth. He was really helpful in guiding us on our way, and we promptly paid the £6 entrance fee (both cash and card taken). We then promptly went to the club bar.
In the club bar, there was a small bar (believe it or not) which sold pin badges for £4. There was a large TV screen that showed the early kickoff (Ipswich Town vs Maidstone United). One piece of constructive feedback is that I felt the bar was a little bit disorganised, with a man taking my order who didn't know how to use the card machine. It wasn't the end of the world, but it was slightly frustrating. With the Chipping Sodbury squad in there too, it was a bit tight on space, so we went for our customary circuit of the ground.
Walking around the ground, there are two stands that can house around 100 people. Annoyingly, we felt that the stands actually obstructed the view (when you are sat in them, the sides of them restrict the view). We were greeted by the Clanfield manager who recognised us from our previous visit to their club, and it was lovely to stop and chat.
After this, we went back to the club bar, where the Chipping Sodbury squad had vacated. There were a variety of rolls available (cheese, cheese and pickle, cheese and ham, cheese and cheese) for £2 each, and some hot sausage rolls also available for £2. This selection of food did the job it needed to, no thrills, but nothing wrong with it at the same time. We enjoyed playing some darts and watching Maidstone knock Ipswich out of the FA Cup, then went outside to watch the game.
The atmosphere was what you would expect at a game at this level, there was very little noise. However, at this level you don't expect there to be flares or chants. It was a massive family affair, and it was clear to see that the community of Chipping Sodbury are very proud of what they offer.
Teamsheet
Chipping Sodbury Town
Manager: James Mapstone
Jamie Ferris
Lewis Williams
Jensen Mannings
Owen Bell
Tyrese Carter 🔴
Keane Ashwood (c)
Tyler Dacres
Owen Lingard 🔴
Jordan Hickman
Charlie Davis
Callum Ball
Substitutes
George Hale
Luke Bailey
Callum Winter
Abdur Rahman Hamzat
Liam Jones
Clanfield 85
Manager: Jamie Butt
Luke Haley
Ben Weller
Nathan Simms
Karl Dickinson
Sam Elkins (c)
Cameron Pirie
Nate Robinson
Rhys King
George Seacole
Tyger Hall ⚽️ ⚽️
Nathan Kimber
Substitutes
Jack Gaul
Reuben Harry
Tom Taylor
Jozef Fullerton
Craig Connor
The first half of the match was a non event, with both sides cancelling eachother out at all times. The second half started in a similar vein, however, in around the 60th minutes, the balance of the game switched heavily into Clanfield's favour as Chipping Sodbury had two players sent off in a matter of minutes.
The first red card went to Owen Lingard as he went in for a header and lead with his elbow, leaving the referee to give him his marching orders. This caused a fracas between the two teams, and after words were exchanged, Chipping Sodbury defender, Tyrese Carter, went in for a kick that Cobra Kai would be proud of. This kick was also spotted by the assistant referee who consulted with the referee who reduced Chipping Sodbury down to nine men.
The atmosphere soured and the Chipping Sodbury defence being opened up time and time again, it was a matter of time before the deadlock was broken. The ball was played in to the box and it was poorly dealt with by the defence, with the ball landing at the feet of Tyger Hall who finished well to make it 1-0.
The second goal was a carbon copy of the first. A ball in the box, poorly dealt with by the defence and Tyger Hall finishing well to make it 2-0. In the end, it was a case of men against boys and Clanfield did well to win the game considering it turned into a case of frustration rather than football.
Scores on the Doors
Atmosphere: 2/10
Food and Drink: 5/10
Stadium: 4/10
Welcome: 6/10
Overall Experience: 5.5/10
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