Didcot Town 2 Ledbury Town 0

Didcot Town 2 Ledbury Town 0

22/01/05

Little did I know just how well I’d get to know Didcot’s team over the forthcoming months.
Another very easy ground to reach. You can literally see the station from the ground.
Didcot is famed for its railway museum. On reaching Didcot parkway, I was trying to find my friend who claimed he was in the back car park and inadvertently went in the museum entrance. Not my cup of tea, but I raised a smile as I thought of all the ‘Anoraks’ who must have paid this a visit.
We decided to visit the local Sainsbury’s for lunch in their café. The surrounding site was clearly in the later stages of re-development and the hardest thing was finding how to reach the entrance. After what seemed a heck of a long walk around the outside, we found a way in. I didn’t fancy anything on their menu and asked the waitress whether they could do me sausage, chips and beans. This caused a major staff conference. Eventually, she returned and told me that I would have to order all 3 things separately as they didn’t do this as an actual meal. I agreed to this and asked if all three items could be put on the same plate. This was agreed to and my sausage, beans and chips turned up and was very nice. Interestingly, when I returned a few weeks later and ordered the same thing, the very same waitress took my order without problem. (Maybe, the people of Didcot have something to thank me for). The third time I returned, the order went through again but turned up with double baked beans for the same price, clearly they were starting to enjoy this.
Anyway, the walk from Sainsbury’s to the ground is short. Didcot is a quiet sort of place and there were not hoards of people to follow. We stopped an old boy and asked him if we were taking the correct path. He seemed genuinely shocked that anyone would want to visit the town football club but pointed us in the right direction (I wonder if he went to the final?)
The ground is reasonably new. The pitch was in excellent condition. The only cover is one reasonably sized stand. There is a pleasant backdrop with a large sized hill that overlooks the ground. We visited the clubhouse for a drink, which was quite busy. The walls were decorated with framed football shirts, a nice touch.
The game itself was not bad. I ended up seeing Didcot four times in the Vase this season and they were always pleasing on the eye. Ledbury played well in the first half and the Didcot keper had to make one flying save. Didcot finally got on top in the last quarter. First, Concannon timed a nice run into the six yard box to side foot home a free kick and then Powell broke into the box and cut the ball back for Ward to hit a delightful first time finish.
A brave effort by Ledbury.
A sleepy sort of town but very pleasant. Only the freezing conditions and second half sleet spoilt an enjoyable trip.