Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Beggars can't be chosers
Stotfold 0 Long Buckby 3
04/12/10
I examined the draw for this round of the Vase & for once made an instant decision. I’d go to Cadbury Heath in Bristol. Yeah right! The cold weather arrived, followed by frost, followed by ice, followed by snow, followed by more snow and with ridiculously low temperatures, I didn’t stand a chance. The one saving grace was that the game was called off on the Friday. To be honest, I’d given up finding anywhere that was on & I wasn’t far wrong. Matches fell on the Friday & Saturday morning left, right & centre. The Saturday itself was a lot warmer than it had been with a balmy 4 degrees rumoured and a gentle thaw was in place. And then a miracle occurred. At about 10:30, a Vase match passed a pitch inspection and the ground in question was Stotfold, a mere 18 miles from home. This turned out to be the only game that beat the freeze. My wife had suggested we go to see Harry Potter & I got the “Oh, for God’s sake” look when I asked who he played for. But to be fair, she kindly offered to drive me if there was a pub lunch in it for her. I looked out the Good pub guide before she had finished her sentence & found the nearest pub we had yet to visit. This turned out to be the Three horseshoes in the village of Hinxworth about 5 miles from the ground. This was a charming place with thatched roof, roaring open fire and a nice selection of food & beer. The welcome could not have been bettered and I started to worry that I’d be late for the game as the barman was so chatty. I had a superb ultimate BLT club sandwich which also had cooked chicken & mayonnaise on the freshest bread I think I’ve ever tasted and all held together with a kebab skewer. It seemed apt to choose a pint of ‘Fireside’ which slipped down very nicely. I highly recommend this pub if you ever get a chance to visit.
Thr ground was easy to find with the lights visible from over a mile away. There is a medium sized stand and another covered standing area. A good clubhouse which was very warming at half time with hot drinks available from the tea hut. It was nice to see a photographer friend of mine who had been re-directed from Vicarage Road to cover this match, clearly the game of the day then!
Gentle drizzle gave way to heavy rain and murk on a desperate afternoon for football. Puddles in the centre circle took me back to the 1970’s., difficult to play in but it’s always amusing when the ball sticks in the water.A reasonably even start and it stayed that way until Long Buckby scored. The first came on 19 mins. A ball over the top through the right channel saw a striker get there just in front of the defender and lob the ball over the keeper. The second came on the half hour and was a nice goal. A nifty one-two on the edge of the area freed the initial passer to niftily loft a finish over the diving keeper. The last goal came on 38 mins as a shot from the right of the area caught a deflection, popped up and was headed into an empty net. The pitch deteriorated in the second half, both sides did well to keep coming although the quality was understandably all over the place and only a couple of handy saves by the two keepers kept the score as it was.
No classic and a ground I’ve visited before but with the conditions we were experiencing, I was grateful for anything.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Old Boys Bustled out.
Bustleholme 2 Barton Town Old Boys 0
I took a leaf out of my wife’s book when choosing the game for this round. I often give her a list of FA cup fixtures at the beginning of the season & ask her to select a game. She always picks a name that she likes. That’s kind of why I selected Bustleholme. An unusual name in a league that I rarely seem to visit. So off I set and encountered a different variety of train woes on the way. Firstly the ticket barriers at Kings Cross were about 25 deep. Honestly, the rail network for a major city in the World is plain embarrassing at weekends. Then on boarding my Virgin train at Euston, we were informed that the computer had stuck and seat reservations had not downloaded. Absolute chaos as people were obviously sitting anywhere & those that had booked seats were not happy to find others in their seats. It didn’t come to blows but there were a couple of near misses. My attempts to read on the journey to Wolverhampton were thwarted by the constant chatter from the couple behind me. I can’t really complain as they were only talking but their conversation was dull beyond belief. The only amusing moment came when we pulled into Coventry & the man stated that he’d been there before. “Oh yes” said the lady. “Yes” said the man, “Melissa sent me to Coventry, Angela sent me to Coventry & Rosie sent me to Coventry”. There was a pause and the lady said, “Why do you always bring Angela into the conversation?” Finally we had an awkward silence for about 5 minutes.
I reached Coseley station and from there it is a straightforward 25 minute walk to the ground initially along some pleasant, quiet roads. On reaching the high street I soon bumped into ‘Frydays chippy & diner’ and had an excellent pie and chips sitting inside and on a proper plate – An excellent lunch. Amusingly there is a newsagents opposite called ‘Fags and mags’, I love bumping into places like this on my travels.
Bustleholme share grounds with Tipton and play at the local leisure complex. It has a running track around the pitch which I hate as it is so difficult to find a good viewing spot. But the facility is fabulous with an excellent building housing a bar and function rooms, several synthetic football pitches and tennis courts and seemingly plenty more besides. This club does everything the right way. They are family/community based and were set up by a group of people who wanted a local team. Their roots are still firmly in the community and a new team has started up every year with the Bustleholme name since its inception. The kids team that warmed up on a separate part of the pitch to the main team before the game had a great time playing on the huge mound behind the far goal during the game & another group of youngsters made excellent ballboys. The PA announcer interviewed both chairman on the pitch before the game with a roaming mic. I think I’ve only seen this sort of thing at Conference level before.
We were treated to a lovely, sunny day although the temperature plummeted when the sun went down. The ground has a reasonable sized stand and an imposing mound towers over the whole far side of the pitch. There was a small portakabin where tea drinks were sold and the ladies did an excellent job. The promised burger van didn’t arrive as it crashed on route & the PA announcer wittily announced that there was plenty of hot food on the M6 if required. To be fair to Bustleholme, they quickly arranged burgers etc to be available in the leisure club on order. Nothing seems to face the officials here!
The game itself was okay without being outstanding. Bustleholme scored on 15 mins when a player was tripped running to meet a low cross but he fell on the ball and it trickled over the line. Barton got more into it and had a lot of possession without looking particularly dangerous. They threw the kitchen sink at Butleholme in the last 15 minutes but fell to the sucker punch counter attack as Bustleholme doubled their lead with literally the last kick of the game.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to a club that seems to do everything the right way.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Vick beat Wick
Wick 0 VCD Athletic 2 aet
The Sussex county league is one of my favourites with scenic views and interesting countryside never too far away. So when this draw came out at the beginning of July, I was keen to choose a new ground in the area. Now I may sound like a stuck record, but once again a simple journey across London was turned into a mad rush as the whole Victoria line was closed for maintenance. When is this weekend disruption ever going to end? There was a direct train from Victoria to Littlehampton although you had to be careful as it split at Haywards Heath and I could have ended up in Portsmouth. The most enjoyable part of the journey was a young lad with his Dad sitting behind me with the boy testing his father’s football knowledge with a quiz from a book. Needless to say, I sat there & tried to answer the questions myself- I have to say I didn’t do too badly. The ground is a 20-25 minute walk from Littlehampton station but is very straightforward. I have recently become the proud owner of the Good pub & Good beer guides and was pleased to tick off the ‘Dew drop inn’ with a pint of Seafarers that barely touched the sides. It amused me that I was drinking Seafarers served by a barman who looked remarkably similar TO Captain Birdseye. The pub was a little ‘homely’ with only a handful of locals playing bar billiards. I was getting slightly concerned as the rain had started to fall. It had rained all day Wednesday & was torrential on the Friday before the game. But the game was on and the pitch was absolutely fine although there was standing water on the goal line. The ground was nice enough although it didn’t have the stunning views of some Sussex grounds. There was a covered area on both sides with some bench style seating on the near side. Fir trees stand behind the near goal and there is a good sized kitchen/tea hatch. You have to go up a flight of stairs in the clubhouse to reach a bar that overlooked the pitch. This set-up reminded me a little of Newark Town. The game itself was extremely even although scrappy early on. The tie improved once the Wick manager was sent off for dissent. Both sides had great chances to score with both keepers equipping themselves well. So extra time arrived & VCD finally broke the deadlock in the second period of extra time, a second was added with the last kick if the game.
A bit of a damp squib but any new ground ticked off cannot be bad.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Raynes Park send opponents West
Raynes Park Vale 3 Westfield 0
I have a history with Raynes Park having almost got there once before, but not quite. The story goes like this. I had planned to visit Chessington & Hook only on arrival at the ground to discover that the match had been rained off. A couple of other hoppers were there & one suggested we re-rout to Raines Park as he knew the way. We hurried to the station & caught a train with just enough time to make the game. We left the station at Raynes Park and our leader led the way with a purposeful stride. After about 10 mins, he ground to a halt and announced that we had gone the wrong way. We re-traced our steps and set off down another road. A recreation ground loomed with just 2 minutes before kick-off but once again proved to be the wrong location. I trudged home despondent at having a wasted Saturday. On getting home, I discovered that the match had been called off anyway. Only on this trip did I realise how we Had Gone wrong. The Londonbound platform & Surreybound platform are about 200 yards apart and have different exits. I’m guessing that our leader set off to find the ground thinking he was at the exit he had used before, but he wasn’t! Anyway, I have had a bee in my bonnet ever since wanting to get this ground ticked off. As I was due at a silver wedding party in the evening, I couldn’t go far & Raynes Park fitted the bill perfectly.
On leaving my station, I was standing next to a hen party group with the bride fitted with a veil, L plates & badges. I was tempted to follow to them to see what they got up to but the bridesmaids & bride only looked about 14 years old. There was the usual bundle for seats on the train & I boarded a carriage with a first class section in the middle. This was deserted as usual apart from one person. At the next stop, a bunch of people got on and many of them sat in the first class area. Needless to say a ticket inspector arrived just as many of those seated were leaving the train. It left an Asian couple & another Asian lady. The inspector checked the tickets and promptly fined the couple for having the wrong ticket much to their disgust. The lady spent most of the time ignoring the fact that she was in the wrong & instead, asking why nobody else was fined. She pointed at the lady sitting alone who was then also fined. What a classy act – Not!!
On arrival at Raynes Park, I went on the hunt for food. I was on the verge of selecting a chippy, when I spotted an arch through to more shops. I decided to have a look and came face to face with the Raynes Park Tavern. I went in to check-out the menu and immediately saw a blackboard advertising a 5oz rump steak with chips, tomato & peas for £3.25. I ordered this before having second thoughts and it arrived promptly and was great. Washed down with an IPA, I took an immediate liking to this place. I found the entrance to the ground easily enough which is next to an enormous playing field. I counted nine football pitches which all had games going on. When one game finished on a pitch, another started. I sat there on a warm day for about 45 mins thinking that I was probably entitled to tick off 9 new grounds!
Raynes Park Vale’s ground itself is looking a little in need of repair. There are broken hoardings, ripped netting & hoes lying around all over the place. Despite all this, I kind of liked the place. There is a covered stand with bench style seating, a clubhouse in a portakabin with a bar and tea, coffee & filled rolls that had been poured and prepared in advance of half time. Brilliant! The pitch has an end to end slope but looked in quite good condition.
The game itself was Premier against first division as two Combined counties teams clashed. Raynes Park were always the better side despite looking potentially vulnerable to a counter attack in the first half. Raynes Park got a goal after 15 mins and then another two in the second half that killed the game off.
I went home delighted to have got the Raynes Park monkey off my back and what a great day I had.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Wroxham at Whits end
Whitley Bay 6 Wroxham 1
The annual trip to Wembley is starting to become a bit of a routine now. My mate arrives about 11am, we drive to Stanmore & spend an hour in the pub – This year the GBG recommended ‘Man in the moon’ & then head off to the game. Our original plan had been to park at Stanmore station & then catch a tube to Wembley Park. But the parking charge at Stanmore was a ridiculous £10 – Why do people always try to rip you off? So having local knowledge, we drove to Northwick Park where there is plenty of on street parking only a 2 minute walk from the station followed by a two stop trip on the tube.
A cooler day than the last couple of years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen as few people milling around outside the stadium. This time I did allow myself to be ripped off, buying a cheeseburger outside the ground at a staggeringly inflated price.
We bought our tickets from an empty ticket window and made our way inside the stadium. I don’t care about all the complaints about the pitch, I love this place and we had a great view looking along one of the goal lines. The crowd wasn’t great at just over 9000 with Wroxham having a particularly poor turn-out.
Nobody could ever have predicted the start as Whitley Bay scored within 21 seconds as the Wroxham keeper and centre half had a communication breakdown. Wroxham did equalise on 12 minutes but then promptly put through their own net 3 minutes later. Whitley Bay played some delightful stuff as Wroxham were either overwhelmed by nerves or just didn’t perform. Whitley Bay scored again just 50 seconds into the second half and then another 13 minutes later, the first of these an exquisite move and finish. Salt was rubbed into the wounds with two goals in the last two minutes as Wroxham’s will was broken.
Whitley Bay were worthy winners but I’m sure all neutrals hope that there will be different finalists next year – The last thing we want in the FA Vase is the Man U, Chelsea scenario.
Once again I thought back nostalgically at the end over my vase trail. This year there were several bus trips including a breakdown on a dark lay-by in Witney and like everyone else, I was severely hampered by dreadful weather. All part of it though & I look forward to the draw at the beginning of July.
Monday, March 15, 2010
All's well at Barwell
Barwell 3 Norton & Stockton 0
My other hobby is amateur dramatics and my run in 'Noises off' was so successful that an additional matinee was fitted in on FA Vase quarter final day. I was therefore probably the only non-league fan skipping and jumping as bad weather decimated another Saturday's fixtures as I was able to make this re-arranged fixture. A train to Coventry went without incident and my connection to Nuneaton arrived on time although I cannot remember ever travelling on a single carriage train before which was what I was presented with for this leg of the trip. Still, not a problem and I arrived in good time and headed off to the easy to find bus station for the final leg of my journey. I wasn't sure which stop to head to but you always know things are going to work out well when the bus you require suddenly swings round the corner and pulls up almost next to you. Local ladies were all apologising for standing in front of me and assured me they were not pushing in but were just sheltering from the wind. When the bus doors opened there was an almighty bundle and I patiently waited at the back with an amused inner smile. The bus driver had obviously taken a course in driving very slowly and then pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. Several other drivers were not amused and I was witness to several hand gestures and mouthed 'advice'.
But I reached Barwell in good time on a sunny but chilly afternoon and enjoyed a portion of chips on a bench in the centre of the shopping area. It was quite a nice little place although there was a congregation of the local youth mafia who eyed up everyone's comings and goings with snide remarks and giggles. It was just a 5 minute stroll to the ground which is set in an area that also houses a cricket pitch and indoor/outdoor bowls facilities. There is a traditional covered stand and a covered standing area next to this. The rest of the pitch is surrounded by a white rail and there is netting at various areas to stop the ball flying into gardens. The pitch has an end to end slope but wasn't in bad condition considering the elements it had contended with over the last couple of months.
Barwell had not lost a league fixture all season and were clear favourites for this tie. Norton recognised this and to the neutral, appeared to turn up intent on not conceding. The first half was short on chances with the Norton keeper making a good early save but neither side putting many good moves together although Barwell had most of the possession. The game turned early in the second half as the Norton keeper flew out of his goal and scythed down an attacker running across the area. The penalty was well converted. This forced Norton to chase the game and suddenly they looked a useful side, why did they not play like this from the beginning? A 30 yard volley dipped just over the bar rippling the top of the net and giving one of those optical illusions so that half the crowd and the shooter thought it had gone in. But Barwell weathered the storm and killed the tie with two excellently finished goals in the last 10 minutes by their gangly striker.
I had an enjoyable trip back to London on the bus and train talking to a fellow hopper from the Southmpton area.
All in all, a very satisfactory trip.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Teesiders & Seasiders cannot be split.
Whitehawk 1 Marske United 1 aet
When the draw was made, it boiled down to a choice between Royston and Whitehawk. With the snow causing havoc in the draw, Royston’s opponents had still not been decided so I was left with a visit to the Sussex coast.
The train journey was incident free all the way. A very simple journey on a quiet train with no conversations to listen into and no incident to speak of. All I had to do when arriving in Brighton, was find the bus stop for the final leg of my journey. Well I knew the journey was going to well. On leaving the train station, I found the bus stops which seemed to include a stop for every bus except the one that I wanted. I wandered round in circles around the streets for a while hoping to bump into my bus stop, but after 10 minutes of aimless wandering I was getting nowhere so returned to the train station to start again. I kept looking at the map outside the station but couldn’t make head or tail of where my bus stop was. I had a sudden flash of inspiration and decided to ask inside he station travel station. It turned out that my stop was the solitary stop at the rear of the station by a little traffic island. I walked parallel to platform 8 and finally found where I was supposed to be. It was only after the even when re-checking my directions that I noticed that my print-out specified the stop at the rear of the station. As my wife said “Why do men never read anything properly”.
The bus journey was excellent. Up steep hills and round steep corners. The double decker number 81 seemed to constantly be at hair-raising angles but the views were spectacular and I enjoyed seeing a bit of Brighton racecourse. The bus driver overshot my stop by 50 yards. He apologised profusely although it made little difference to me. He was very excited as nobody had ever asked to get off at this stop before on his shift. He had a satisfied smile on his face as he disappeared into the distance. I found the entrance to the sports ground extremely easily and was in good time. This has to be the longest drive into a sports ground I’ve ever come across. The walk took at least 15 minutes and seemed never ending. Fortunately, I went past several other football pitches and most had a match going on. I enjoyed watching a few snippets of play although have you noticed whenever you walk or drive past a game in progress, there’s always a corner kick about to be taken.
The ground when I reached it was worth the wait. Not for the facilities, although a snug bar, small stand and adjoining covered standing area were reasonable. Not for the pitch was sloped somewhat from end to end and was surrounded by a basic white rail. But for the view of the downs which rose imposingly over the far touchline nad were positively stunning. We were treated to a sunny afternoon without a cloud in sight although the temperature which started low, plummeted rapidly as the afternoon wore on.
Marske brought a creditable number considering the length of journey and graced the covered area with a wide selection of flags. They sang all afternoon and created a good atmosphere.
Lunch was sausage and chips from a mobile burger bar. The hot dog was okay although the chips were undercooked and the whole meal was instantly forgettable.
The game itself was almost a mirror image of the previous round when I’d been to Armthorpe. Both goals were scored within two minutes of each other late in the first half. The match was fiercely competitive although sportingly played and despite near misses and extra time, the sides could not be separated.
Sussex is one of my favourite counties for watching football and this ground did not disappoint.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Draw a 'fare result
Armthorpe Welfare 1 Wroxham 1 aet
23/1/10
Due to a mixture of rain, Christmas, snow & visiting relatives, I hadn’t managed football on a Saturday for 6 weeks. Having not seen my parents over Christmas, the only time I was able to visit with my family was the date when this round of the FA Vase was scheduled. Just for once, the snow did me a favour as the game was postponed and I was able to manage the re-arranged date.
I ordered my train ticket a few days in advance to knock a chunk off the price and set off for Doncaster. At the station where I was leaving, a group of lads had assembled with BMX bikes and were buying tickets for a couple of stops down the line. They were obviously going to a known track and were trying to talk one of their number into doing some fancy manoeuvres. The lad was clearly uncomfortable although he was attempting to put a brave face on it and was assuring his mates that he’d be trying this Evil Knievel style stunt. The urge to check my local A & E department on the way home was almost overwhelming as I’m pretty sure it all would have ended in tears.
The trip to Doncaster was simple enough although I once again had a seat adjacent to the loudest person on the train. This time it was a Geordie lady who sprawled herself over a row of three seats and insisted in talking, continuously for the whole journey to her companion at a volume which would have been suitable if her friend had been in the next carriage.
On arriving at Doncaster, I had to find the bus station. I have to give this station top marks as directions were clear, concise and entirely accurate. I found myself in a large bus station with busses zipping either side of this building with barely a gap between them. I was slightly overawed when I went in there & hadn’t a clue which stop I should be at. But after wandering aimlessly for a while, I cam across a large electronic board that listed all routes and the stop you needed to board from. I found this easily & only had to wait a few minutes for a bus. The journey only took 10-15 minutes & I followed the stops on the pocket route plan available at he bus station. This helped me alight at the right point and I was at the ground with a couple of hours to spare.
I stepped off the bus and was immediately confronted by Robert’s fish bar boasting award winning food. I felt it would be rude to ignore this claim & I strolled down the road happily munching on my hot and tasty sausage and chips. I fancied a kit-kat after this (I know how to live!) and popped in a corner shop. Just ahead of me was a little girl I’m guessing about 7 or 8 years old. “Two 1p sweets please” was her request and the shopkeeper without raising an eyebrow, handed them over. This was just the sweetest thing I’d seen in ages. If you asked for two 1p sweets round my way, you’d be laughed out of town.
I found the ground to check that the game was on & asked if they had a clubroom. I was instead directed to the Wheatsheef just over the road. The ice cold Guinness was gorgeous and this time, the ear-shattering juke box music from the Tap bar I found strangely enjoyable. I spent a happy half hour here reading the paper before adjourning to the ground.
The ground itself was a little basic with a medium sized covered stand on the near side and a small covered standing area behind the far goal. A white rail surrounds the pitch and there is a view of residential roof-tops. I understand that Armthorpe are hoping to secure a new pitch and I wish them well. The pitch was perfectly playable although a copy of the corner areas were extremely wet.
This was a hard fought contest with nothing between the two teams and no player ever having any time on the ball. Armthorpe scored on 16 minutes with a delightful low volley hit on a ball dropping from a great height. Wroxham equalised 6 minutes later with a shot blasted into the roof of the net.
After this we had near misses, woodwork hit, clear cut chances hit straight at the keeper and Armthorpe cleared a shot off the line at the end of extra time.
A draw was a fair result and although basic, I thoroughly recommend a trip to Armthorpe.
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