Sunday, December 08, 2013
Norwich storm through
Norwich United 3 Erith Town 0
When the draw is made, I scan up and down the list of fixtures and usually know pretty much straight away which tie I fancy. Where as last year, seemingly every Saturday had heavy rain, this year Armageddon seems to strike the area I'm planning to visit on the day before the match. A horrific storm with huge tidal surges battered the Norfolk coast and I worried that the match might be affected. Thankfully, there were no problems so off I set. Smart thinking I thought to avoid London this close to Christmas, but I hadn't anticipated the incredible amount of people at Cambridge station queuing to buy tickets. People literally couldn't get through to the ticket barriers - Carnage!
The journey to Norwich and then on to Brundell, despite only having two minutes to make my connection at Norwich, went without incident.
I had looked up my walking route on Google maps to get my bearings and was pleased to see that there was a convenience store near to the station, only when I got there it had turned into an electrical shop. There was a chippy there, but I gave that a miss as I'd decided to try the Kings Head pub in Blowfield, only when I got to that site it was all boarded up! I was dreading having to buy an infamous football ground burger, but suddenly, like a mirage in a desert, Blowfield chippy came into sight, a small little chip shop but which did an excellent jumbo sausage and chips.
The ground appears right next to a slip road from a major carriageway which was slightly hairy to cross. You then have to walk up a long driveway to the ground which was pitch black on the way out. The entrance to the ground is quite attractive, although the interestingly named 'Plantation park' sounds like it belongs more in the deep south of America. But it's quite a nice set up with a bar on the first floor which has a delightful end to end view of the pitch.
I sat down with a glass of cider to watch Mark Selby and his opponent miss some of the most open pots, even I might have made a couple of them!?!
The Erith players were in the bar when I got there, in high spirits, playing a card game where every now and then, someone had to be flicked on the back of the neck by his teammates. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on but it was very amusing.
The rest of the ground is unremarkable but perfectly adequate. One covered area on the far side with some seating and hardstanding surrounding the railed off pitch.
The match itself was no classic, absolutely frenetic from beginning to end, it was crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball. Norwich scored bang on halftime from a penalty. Don't ask me why it was given, it was a complete mystery to everyone in the crowd. Erith lost their giant second half for the second half and never genuinely threatened the Norwich goal. Norwich scored again after 72 mins and then my customary last minute goal was also dispatched.
An enjoyable trip with a comfortable home win, sadly for Erith fans, they just didn't show up.
When the draw is made, I scan up and down the list of fixtures and usually know pretty much straight away which tie I fancy. Where as last year, seemingly every Saturday had heavy rain, this year Armageddon seems to strike the area I'm planning to visit on the day before the match. A horrific storm with huge tidal surges battered the Norfolk coast and I worried that the match might be affected. Thankfully, there were no problems so off I set. Smart thinking I thought to avoid London this close to Christmas, but I hadn't anticipated the incredible amount of people at Cambridge station queuing to buy tickets. People literally couldn't get through to the ticket barriers - Carnage!
The journey to Norwich and then on to Brundell, despite only having two minutes to make my connection at Norwich, went without incident.
I had looked up my walking route on Google maps to get my bearings and was pleased to see that there was a convenience store near to the station, only when I got there it had turned into an electrical shop. There was a chippy there, but I gave that a miss as I'd decided to try the Kings Head pub in Blowfield, only when I got to that site it was all boarded up! I was dreading having to buy an infamous football ground burger, but suddenly, like a mirage in a desert, Blowfield chippy came into sight, a small little chip shop but which did an excellent jumbo sausage and chips.
The ground appears right next to a slip road from a major carriageway which was slightly hairy to cross. You then have to walk up a long driveway to the ground which was pitch black on the way out. The entrance to the ground is quite attractive, although the interestingly named 'Plantation park' sounds like it belongs more in the deep south of America. But it's quite a nice set up with a bar on the first floor which has a delightful end to end view of the pitch.
I sat down with a glass of cider to watch Mark Selby and his opponent miss some of the most open pots, even I might have made a couple of them!?!
The Erith players were in the bar when I got there, in high spirits, playing a card game where every now and then, someone had to be flicked on the back of the neck by his teammates. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on but it was very amusing.
The rest of the ground is unremarkable but perfectly adequate. One covered area on the far side with some seating and hardstanding surrounding the railed off pitch.
The match itself was no classic, absolutely frenetic from beginning to end, it was crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball. Norwich scored bang on halftime from a penalty. Don't ask me why it was given, it was a complete mystery to everyone in the crowd. Erith lost their giant second half for the second half and never genuinely threatened the Norwich goal. Norwich scored again after 72 mins and then my customary last minute goal was also dispatched.
An enjoyable trip with a comfortable home win, sadly for Erith fans, they just didn't show up.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Cove Cinque by Rye
Rye United 3 Cove 0
After very recent trips to Dover & Hythe, I found myself heading to the same part of the country yet again, it sometimes just works out like that.
I almost had nothing to complain about with my first train journey, it was only 2 minutes late and I was prepared to ignore the station guard screaming like a Banshee for people to stand behind the yellow line. But with Christmas looming and the World and his wife heading to London, First capital connect either ignored, didn't consider or weren't able to adapt to this and only ran a 4 coach train. Needless to say we were crushed in like sardines and at times like this, the British are t the best with great camaraderie and humour. I almost enjoyed it despite the crush.
As usual, once I reached London I had no further problems and made my way down to Rye in comfort.
The moment I arrived in Rye I took a shine to it. In only a minute or two I was walking along cobbled streets with fascinating buildings around every corner. There are loads of eateries, historic churches and towers littered all over the place, quaint shops with real character and plenty of tourists lapping up the interest and exploring all the little nooks and crannies.
I selected the Mermaid Inn for lunch which is a 12th century building which was restored after an attack by the French and has rumoured smuggling connections. It is actually a hotel although there were many people just there for lunch and tourists kept walking through the archway to explore.
I ordered the Sussex best bitter and a ham hock with honey-mustard mayonnaise ciabatta and on a glorious afternoon, elected to sit outside. The bar was also serving mulled wine in half pint glasses which looked and smelt gorgeous although a little to early in the day for my taste.
The food arrived in no time and was a very nice although the mayonnaise was a little too subtle in taste for me and the meal was grossly over-priced for what it was.
I continued to explore the town for a good while after my lunch and really wished that I'd had more time.
The ground was easy to find and is situated right next to the cricket pitch and no more than a 10 minute walk from the station.
Not the greatest of grounds although I've seen a hell of a lot worse. A small clubhouse which unusually had a couple of plush looking black sofas in front of a fruit machine. There is a small stand on the far side and also a small covered standing area. The far end is tree lined and hardstanding is only along the far side. The look of the ground is spoilt somewhat by a sort of white sheet that spreads the length of the near touchline, I guess this is to stop people watching the games for free as it is right next to the open cricket field.
Interesting to see 3 Eastern Europeans officiating the game. They took absolute torrents of abuse from both sets of players, from a neutral point of view, I thought that the vast majority of decisions were accurate and sensible, this was a feisty game that very nearly got out of control but the referee kept his head and didn't show any red cards when a lot of officials would have.
Cove gave Rye a good game but were clearly second best. I did fear that fog was going to cause a problem once it got dark but it was actually smoke drifting over the far end of the pitch although nobody seemed to know where it was coming from.
Rye scored after 30 mins with a nice header and added a couple more midway through the second period.
This was ground number 403 for me and possibly the most interesting down that I have yet visited. I'm planning to take the wife for a weekend break to have a proper look around (In the off-season of course).
After very recent trips to Dover & Hythe, I found myself heading to the same part of the country yet again, it sometimes just works out like that.
I almost had nothing to complain about with my first train journey, it was only 2 minutes late and I was prepared to ignore the station guard screaming like a Banshee for people to stand behind the yellow line. But with Christmas looming and the World and his wife heading to London, First capital connect either ignored, didn't consider or weren't able to adapt to this and only ran a 4 coach train. Needless to say we were crushed in like sardines and at times like this, the British are t the best with great camaraderie and humour. I almost enjoyed it despite the crush.
As usual, once I reached London I had no further problems and made my way down to Rye in comfort.
The moment I arrived in Rye I took a shine to it. In only a minute or two I was walking along cobbled streets with fascinating buildings around every corner. There are loads of eateries, historic churches and towers littered all over the place, quaint shops with real character and plenty of tourists lapping up the interest and exploring all the little nooks and crannies.
I selected the Mermaid Inn for lunch which is a 12th century building which was restored after an attack by the French and has rumoured smuggling connections. It is actually a hotel although there were many people just there for lunch and tourists kept walking through the archway to explore.
I ordered the Sussex best bitter and a ham hock with honey-mustard mayonnaise ciabatta and on a glorious afternoon, elected to sit outside. The bar was also serving mulled wine in half pint glasses which looked and smelt gorgeous although a little to early in the day for my taste.
The food arrived in no time and was a very nice although the mayonnaise was a little too subtle in taste for me and the meal was grossly over-priced for what it was.
I continued to explore the town for a good while after my lunch and really wished that I'd had more time.
The ground was easy to find and is situated right next to the cricket pitch and no more than a 10 minute walk from the station.
Not the greatest of grounds although I've seen a hell of a lot worse. A small clubhouse which unusually had a couple of plush looking black sofas in front of a fruit machine. There is a small stand on the far side and also a small covered standing area. The far end is tree lined and hardstanding is only along the far side. The look of the ground is spoilt somewhat by a sort of white sheet that spreads the length of the near touchline, I guess this is to stop people watching the games for free as it is right next to the open cricket field.
Interesting to see 3 Eastern Europeans officiating the game. They took absolute torrents of abuse from both sets of players, from a neutral point of view, I thought that the vast majority of decisions were accurate and sensible, this was a feisty game that very nearly got out of control but the referee kept his head and didn't show any red cards when a lot of officials would have.
Cove gave Rye a good game but were clearly second best. I did fear that fog was going to cause a problem once it got dark but it was actually smoke drifting over the far end of the pitch although nobody seemed to know where it was coming from.
Rye scored after 30 mins with a nice header and added a couple more midway through the second period.
This was ground number 403 for me and possibly the most interesting down that I have yet visited. I'm planning to take the wife for a weekend break to have a proper look around (In the off-season of course).
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Curse of the Sphinx
Pelsall Villa 0 Coventry Sphinx 2
19/10/13
We had been invited to a friends 50th birthday party several months ago which was being held on this particular Saturday in Sutton Coldfield. I very much wanted to go but also didn't want to miss another Vase round. So I suggested to my wife that we drive up early, take in a pub for lunch, go to a game, make it to the party and then stay overnight in a hotel. She didn't take much persuading, so I eagerly awaited the Vase draw.
The nearest game that I could find was at Pelsall Villa, so routes were planned and an itinerary put together.
For a change, the motorways were behaving themselves and we arrived at our chosen pub in good time. We usually select a pub from The Good pub guide and our chosen venue was The Red lion in the village of Crick. It is literally, 2 mins off the M1 and is just in Northamptonshire. It's not much to look at as you pull up but has plenty of room inside. We received a warm welcome and found a pleasant spot to sit. The menu had a good choice of home made food all for only £5. I've never seen mince and dumplings on a pub menu, chose that in a heartbeat and when it came I had a large portion with chips, carrots, cabbage and a nice gravy. All washed down with a pint of Bombadier, this was a fabulous lunch.
The rest of the journey was fine although the area of Great Barr seems to have an obsession with speed bumps.
We arrived at the ground which is set in a surprisingly leafy area and my wife elected to stay in the car and read for a couple of hours whilst I watched the game, I thought it best not to mention the possibility of extra-time.
There is a seated, covered area behind the near goal, a tiny covered shed on the near side whilst corrugated fencing surrounds the pitch. The tea hut was basic but efficient and there is a clubhouse with bar across the car park. This pitch had probably the steepest slope that I'd seen in a good many years and must be tough to play off. The 6 yard box at the far end at the bottom of the slope looked quite boggy and I would imagine there are a fair amount of postponements.
The kick-off was delayed for a few minutes as one of the goal nets was not secured properly. Why do officials not check this on their warm-up? This problem occurs several times in a season and could so easily be avoided.
The first half was less than inspiring. At the risk of causing offence, it reminded me of watching a school game with players accidently kicking the ball with their wrong foot, miss-placed passes and the ball constantly being passed out of play. The ball was also deliberately kicked away at least 5 times in the half and irritates the hell out of me, the sooner it is stamped out of the Brittish game, the better.
The second half started in the dsame manner and to add insult, it started raining, it then started raining heavily and it was all under the seated stand.
Finally, on 68 mins we got a goal. A Pelsall clearance was fluffed, a low cross in went under the foot of the giant centre half and a Coventry striker placed his finish well.
After this, it was all Pelsall who suddenly looked a different team and had waves of attacks. One shot was blocked on the line and I'm still not quite sure how.
But on 78 mins, Coventry made it safe when they shot home from the left of the area.
No classic and not a ground that I really warmed to, but it had its unique points and is certainly worth a visit.
19/10/13
We had been invited to a friends 50th birthday party several months ago which was being held on this particular Saturday in Sutton Coldfield. I very much wanted to go but also didn't want to miss another Vase round. So I suggested to my wife that we drive up early, take in a pub for lunch, go to a game, make it to the party and then stay overnight in a hotel. She didn't take much persuading, so I eagerly awaited the Vase draw.
The nearest game that I could find was at Pelsall Villa, so routes were planned and an itinerary put together.
For a change, the motorways were behaving themselves and we arrived at our chosen pub in good time. We usually select a pub from The Good pub guide and our chosen venue was The Red lion in the village of Crick. It is literally, 2 mins off the M1 and is just in Northamptonshire. It's not much to look at as you pull up but has plenty of room inside. We received a warm welcome and found a pleasant spot to sit. The menu had a good choice of home made food all for only £5. I've never seen mince and dumplings on a pub menu, chose that in a heartbeat and when it came I had a large portion with chips, carrots, cabbage and a nice gravy. All washed down with a pint of Bombadier, this was a fabulous lunch.
The rest of the journey was fine although the area of Great Barr seems to have an obsession with speed bumps.
We arrived at the ground which is set in a surprisingly leafy area and my wife elected to stay in the car and read for a couple of hours whilst I watched the game, I thought it best not to mention the possibility of extra-time.
There is a seated, covered area behind the near goal, a tiny covered shed on the near side whilst corrugated fencing surrounds the pitch. The tea hut was basic but efficient and there is a clubhouse with bar across the car park. This pitch had probably the steepest slope that I'd seen in a good many years and must be tough to play off. The 6 yard box at the far end at the bottom of the slope looked quite boggy and I would imagine there are a fair amount of postponements.
The kick-off was delayed for a few minutes as one of the goal nets was not secured properly. Why do officials not check this on their warm-up? This problem occurs several times in a season and could so easily be avoided.
The first half was less than inspiring. At the risk of causing offence, it reminded me of watching a school game with players accidently kicking the ball with their wrong foot, miss-placed passes and the ball constantly being passed out of play. The ball was also deliberately kicked away at least 5 times in the half and irritates the hell out of me, the sooner it is stamped out of the Brittish game, the better.
The second half started in the dsame manner and to add insult, it started raining, it then started raining heavily and it was all under the seated stand.
Finally, on 68 mins we got a goal. A Pelsall clearance was fluffed, a low cross in went under the foot of the giant centre half and a Coventry striker placed his finish well.
After this, it was all Pelsall who suddenly looked a different team and had waves of attacks. One shot was blocked on the line and I'm still not quite sure how.
But on 78 mins, Coventry made it safe when they shot home from the left of the area.
No classic and not a ground that I really warmed to, but it had its unique points and is certainly worth a visit.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Odd do a number on Wootton
Odd Down 7 Wootton Bassett Town 0
What with Easter, minor illness and holidays, this was the first Vase match that I'd managed to get to for over 6 months! It had been way too long since I'd been to the Western league and having always loved the city of Bath, this seemed like an ideal destination.
Huge improvements and upgrades are being made to many London stations, Paddington is one of these and you wouldn't recognise the exit from the circle line platform compared to a year ago. I was in good time and on seeing a way-out exit I'd never seen before, I decided to go for a little explore. I was shocked to find myself standing next to the Grand union canal. I've been travelling through London for 30 years and had no idea that this canal was right next to the station. I was fascinated to see a floating book shop on a barge, London as a city is never boring.
My excitement continued as a boarded my train to discover that all the seats had a mini-TV screen such as you gets on planes. Admittedly, the choice of programmes wasn't of the highest standard but that's only to be expected. I found an episode of Miranda and spent the next 30 minutes chuckling away and getting funny looks from the guy who had sat himself next to me.
I got to Bath in very good time and decided to have a nose around the city in search of some lunch. I actually had my pleasant memories of this lovely city shattered somewhat as the place seemed to be full of drunks milling around with cider cans. After about 10 mins, I found nothing to tempt me and decided to make my way to my destination to see if there was something in that area more appealing. I jumped on a number 14 bus that runs every 15 mins and has a stop about a 3 minute walk from the ground. I easily found the ground and decided to walk the streets in search of some lunch. The first road I chose turned out to be solely residential so I re-traced my steps, crossed the main road and headed up the road opposite. I first spotted a pub but it looked a bit ropey so I continued walking, next up was a curry shop but that would be an absolute last resort. 100 yards past this was the groundhoppers best friend, a chippy! One lady was ahead of me and quickly ordered chips with a jumbo sausage. The young lady serving scooped some chips and proceeded to sprinkle vinegar onto them. "I didn't want salt & vinegar" the lady said. The young girl stopped in her tracks with a look of horror on her face. After about 30 seconds, she looked at me, "Did you want salt & vinegar?" She asked. I replied that I was quite happy with this although the young lady still seemed perplexed. "I'll do you a few more chips" she said, despite the fact that it already looked a good portion. I couldn't believe my eyes as she added another 2 scoops. When I then asked for them to be left open, the young lady again froze in her tracks, she asked me to repeat my request three times and clearly didn't seem to know what 'leaving chips open' was. Eventually the manager came over, snatched them from the young lady and poured them all into a box. It was quite simply the biggest portion of chips that I've ever been given. The brilliantly named 'Cod Down chippy' was always stick in my memory.
I walked back down the road and soon found a little quiet area. The hedge was at exactly the right height, I placed my chips on them and ate my lunch with a stunning view of the Mendips. It took a good 10 minutes to eat and I waddled back up the road with a very full belly.
As I walked through the car park, a guy in a car with his daughter asked me for directions to a local school where a hockey match was taking place. It always gives me pleasure when I've just arrived in an area for the first time ever to accurately direct someone, admittedly I'd walked past the school about 2 minutes earlier.
I bought a cup of tea and sat in the large clubhouse to watch the last 30 minutes of Norwich v Villa. Premier league does little to me but it passed the time and wasn't a bad game, although the screen kept freezing every 7 or 8 minutes and then when it started again, the players were running at cartoon speed for a few seconds.
The ground itself was okay, a stone wall surrounds the pitch but don't lean against it as you end up with chalk all over your trousers. There is a covered area behind the near goal and a seated stand on the far side. Hard standing surrounds three sides of the ground although it is just grass behind the far goal.
The match itself was as one-sided as the score suggests, from the moment Odd Down scored with a miss-hit cross after 9 mins, there was no looking back. 3 up at half time, they could easily have hit double figures and Wootton despite having a couple of half chances, were never really in this tie at all.
A memorable trip for many reasons, this turned into a bit of a Vase classic hop for me.
What with Easter, minor illness and holidays, this was the first Vase match that I'd managed to get to for over 6 months! It had been way too long since I'd been to the Western league and having always loved the city of Bath, this seemed like an ideal destination.
Huge improvements and upgrades are being made to many London stations, Paddington is one of these and you wouldn't recognise the exit from the circle line platform compared to a year ago. I was in good time and on seeing a way-out exit I'd never seen before, I decided to go for a little explore. I was shocked to find myself standing next to the Grand union canal. I've been travelling through London for 30 years and had no idea that this canal was right next to the station. I was fascinated to see a floating book shop on a barge, London as a city is never boring.
My excitement continued as a boarded my train to discover that all the seats had a mini-TV screen such as you gets on planes. Admittedly, the choice of programmes wasn't of the highest standard but that's only to be expected. I found an episode of Miranda and spent the next 30 minutes chuckling away and getting funny looks from the guy who had sat himself next to me.
I got to Bath in very good time and decided to have a nose around the city in search of some lunch. I actually had my pleasant memories of this lovely city shattered somewhat as the place seemed to be full of drunks milling around with cider cans. After about 10 mins, I found nothing to tempt me and decided to make my way to my destination to see if there was something in that area more appealing. I jumped on a number 14 bus that runs every 15 mins and has a stop about a 3 minute walk from the ground. I easily found the ground and decided to walk the streets in search of some lunch. The first road I chose turned out to be solely residential so I re-traced my steps, crossed the main road and headed up the road opposite. I first spotted a pub but it looked a bit ropey so I continued walking, next up was a curry shop but that would be an absolute last resort. 100 yards past this was the groundhoppers best friend, a chippy! One lady was ahead of me and quickly ordered chips with a jumbo sausage. The young lady serving scooped some chips and proceeded to sprinkle vinegar onto them. "I didn't want salt & vinegar" the lady said. The young girl stopped in her tracks with a look of horror on her face. After about 30 seconds, she looked at me, "Did you want salt & vinegar?" She asked. I replied that I was quite happy with this although the young lady still seemed perplexed. "I'll do you a few more chips" she said, despite the fact that it already looked a good portion. I couldn't believe my eyes as she added another 2 scoops. When I then asked for them to be left open, the young lady again froze in her tracks, she asked me to repeat my request three times and clearly didn't seem to know what 'leaving chips open' was. Eventually the manager came over, snatched them from the young lady and poured them all into a box. It was quite simply the biggest portion of chips that I've ever been given. The brilliantly named 'Cod Down chippy' was always stick in my memory.
I walked back down the road and soon found a little quiet area. The hedge was at exactly the right height, I placed my chips on them and ate my lunch with a stunning view of the Mendips. It took a good 10 minutes to eat and I waddled back up the road with a very full belly.
As I walked through the car park, a guy in a car with his daughter asked me for directions to a local school where a hockey match was taking place. It always gives me pleasure when I've just arrived in an area for the first time ever to accurately direct someone, admittedly I'd walked past the school about 2 minutes earlier.
I bought a cup of tea and sat in the large clubhouse to watch the last 30 minutes of Norwich v Villa. Premier league does little to me but it passed the time and wasn't a bad game, although the screen kept freezing every 7 or 8 minutes and then when it started again, the players were running at cartoon speed for a few seconds.
The ground itself was okay, a stone wall surrounds the pitch but don't lean against it as you end up with chalk all over your trousers. There is a covered area behind the near goal and a seated stand on the far side. Hard standing surrounds three sides of the ground although it is just grass behind the far goal.
The match itself was as one-sided as the score suggests, from the moment Odd Down scored with a miss-hit cross after 9 mins, there was no looking back. 3 up at half time, they could easily have hit double figures and Wootton despite having a couple of half chances, were never really in this tie at all.
A memorable trip for many reasons, this turned into a bit of a Vase classic hop for me.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Walsall pact bags for replay
Walsall Wood 0 Guernsey 0
It starts getting difficult at quarter final stage to find a reachable game and particularly a ground that hasn't already been ticked off. The good news was I need three of the grounds. Shildon, Spennymoor & Walsall Wood, Tunbridge Wells I have already ticked off. I had talked myself into visiting Spennymoor, I was even prepared to leave at silly o'clock in the morning to get a cheap rail fare and quite fancied the idea of looking around Durham for a morning. But once again our rail network threw a spanner in the works. A replacement bus service on the return leg between Durham & Darlington left next to no time for unforseen road delays and I just couldn't risk it.
I decided on Walsall Wood. Not the easiest of journeys but possible. The return tickets were not overly cheap. Here's my tip for the day for anyone who doesn't already do this. Try breaking the journey down when buying your tickets. I got reasonably priced advance tickets between Euston & Birmingham. A return from Birmingham to Walsall bought on the day was only £3 and using my network railcard from home to Euston meant that I got very reasonably priced tickets for £20 cheaper than any advance tickets I could find for a journey from A to B.
The journey was very straight forward with no incident of note. The clouds had parted around the Coventry area and as I arrived in Walsall, for the first time in months, I was greeted with a cloudless sky and a pleasantly warm sun on my back. There was a busy around the town centre, the good weather bringing out the crowds. No sign of a declining High street either with all the usual stores open and a thriving market.
I found the bus station and joined a fairly lengthy queue waiting for the number 10 or 10A. It arrived after about 5 minutes and everyone started making their way on board. "Did you see that lady with the pushchair push in" a voice behind me shrieked. Seconds later her shopping trolley crashed into the back of my legs. "Sorry duck, didn't realise you'd stopped" She said and continued to push the trolley into my legs until I thankfully got on board.
I overhead 2 guys behind me discussing a football ground and one of them saying that he knew which stop to get off at. I hoped they were visiting the same game as me and I followed them off the bus. Thankfully, I was lucky as I hadn't really a clue where I was and it was only a couple of minutes walk to the ground.
A reasonable stand offered some cover (Not that it was needed), there was also a compact little club house and an interesting view over the fence of a monument for the old Walsall Wood colliery. As well as a burger than, the local ladies had knocked up pork and stuffing rolls and a gorgeous chilli with rice that was worth the visit all by itself. Lots of work is going on which meant that you were required to stand on hard compacted, rutty mud. I believe a training pitch is being made which should be a good facility.
This was my first experience of Guernsey football club. I spoke to a few of their fans before the game and I have to say they were all an absolute delight. I was quick last season to critisise Herne Bay fans after their semi-final game, it is only right that I should praise fans from both Walsall Wood & Guernsey. There was singing and chanting but it was all good natured banter with bad language at a minimum. The whole occassion had a lovely feel to it.
Sadly, the game didn't quite live up to it. It was always interesting, but the pitch was a great leveller due to it being surprisingly hard and bumpy. Walsall had the better chances with the Guernsey keeper making a couple of excellet stops and one dinked effort hooked off the line by a defender. Guernsey hit the bar in the second period of extra time, but you couldn't really argue with a draw.
Great to experience the Guernsey band wagon, I hope to bump into them again before too long.
It starts getting difficult at quarter final stage to find a reachable game and particularly a ground that hasn't already been ticked off. The good news was I need three of the grounds. Shildon, Spennymoor & Walsall Wood, Tunbridge Wells I have already ticked off. I had talked myself into visiting Spennymoor, I was even prepared to leave at silly o'clock in the morning to get a cheap rail fare and quite fancied the idea of looking around Durham for a morning. But once again our rail network threw a spanner in the works. A replacement bus service on the return leg between Durham & Darlington left next to no time for unforseen road delays and I just couldn't risk it.
I decided on Walsall Wood. Not the easiest of journeys but possible. The return tickets were not overly cheap. Here's my tip for the day for anyone who doesn't already do this. Try breaking the journey down when buying your tickets. I got reasonably priced advance tickets between Euston & Birmingham. A return from Birmingham to Walsall bought on the day was only £3 and using my network railcard from home to Euston meant that I got very reasonably priced tickets for £20 cheaper than any advance tickets I could find for a journey from A to B.
The journey was very straight forward with no incident of note. The clouds had parted around the Coventry area and as I arrived in Walsall, for the first time in months, I was greeted with a cloudless sky and a pleasantly warm sun on my back. There was a busy around the town centre, the good weather bringing out the crowds. No sign of a declining High street either with all the usual stores open and a thriving market.
I found the bus station and joined a fairly lengthy queue waiting for the number 10 or 10A. It arrived after about 5 minutes and everyone started making their way on board. "Did you see that lady with the pushchair push in" a voice behind me shrieked. Seconds later her shopping trolley crashed into the back of my legs. "Sorry duck, didn't realise you'd stopped" She said and continued to push the trolley into my legs until I thankfully got on board.
I overhead 2 guys behind me discussing a football ground and one of them saying that he knew which stop to get off at. I hoped they were visiting the same game as me and I followed them off the bus. Thankfully, I was lucky as I hadn't really a clue where I was and it was only a couple of minutes walk to the ground.
A reasonable stand offered some cover (Not that it was needed), there was also a compact little club house and an interesting view over the fence of a monument for the old Walsall Wood colliery. As well as a burger than, the local ladies had knocked up pork and stuffing rolls and a gorgeous chilli with rice that was worth the visit all by itself. Lots of work is going on which meant that you were required to stand on hard compacted, rutty mud. I believe a training pitch is being made which should be a good facility.
This was my first experience of Guernsey football club. I spoke to a few of their fans before the game and I have to say they were all an absolute delight. I was quick last season to critisise Herne Bay fans after their semi-final game, it is only right that I should praise fans from both Walsall Wood & Guernsey. There was singing and chanting but it was all good natured banter with bad language at a minimum. The whole occassion had a lovely feel to it.
Sadly, the game didn't quite live up to it. It was always interesting, but the pitch was a great leveller due to it being surprisingly hard and bumpy. Walsall had the better chances with the Guernsey keeper making a couple of excellet stops and one dinked effort hooked off the line by a defender. Guernsey hit the bar in the second period of extra time, but you couldn't really argue with a draw.
Great to experience the Guernsey band wagon, I hope to bump into them again before too long.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Shildon to the four
Brantham Athletic 1 Shildon AFC 4
I'm feeling positively spoilt. Two Vase matches on consecutive Saturdays at new grounds. I could probably try again next Saturday with all the postponements, but will leave it until the next round.
About a minute before leaving home, there was a knock at the door with two Jehovah's witnesses itching for a discussion. I let them down politely, "Do you follow a different faith??" they asked, "No, I follow the FA Vase" was my slightly cheeky reply.
Once again my first train was 6 minutes late, then all the way into London, a door between two carriages kept swinging open every time there was a slight jolt. It ended up with a guy leaving his foot there to try and keep out the howling gale. Still, fares keep going up and this is the shocking service that we have to put up with.
I went via Highbury & Islington to Stratford, where I caught the connection to Manningtree. It was piddling down with rain at Stratford, so I was pleasantly surprised when arriving at Manningtree to see there was barely a cloud in the sky. Mind you, I nearly missed my stop as I was so gripped reading 'Scarecrow' by Matthew Reilly. If you've never read any of his books, give them a go. Thrill a minute stuff!
A brisk 20 minute walk from Manningtree station to the ground mostly along a busy A road. I actually thought that Brantham was in Essex, but it's just over the Suffolk border in a quiet little area with a nice looking Chinese restaurant which seemed somewhat out of place to me.
Lunch was a cheeseburger and chips from the busy clubhouse. Not bad although the chips were slightly undercooked. However, the ladies behind the hatch were working their socks off.
The ground really reminded me of Littlehampton where I'd been earlier this season. A raised gallery over the clubhouse and no hard standing on the near side where both common features. There was a stand on the far side and a covered seating area behind one area of the near goal, I understand there seats came from the old Layer road.
The PA was blasting out disco music, being a kid of the 70's, I was foot tapping and singing along to myself quite happily. A word here for the PA announcer. He was absolutely hillarious throughout the game with his good spirited quips and banter whenever the opposition scored. Great fun!
As so often happens when Northern teams travel at this stage of the Vase, they brought a lot of fans with them. Much beer was drunk but everyone thankfully behaved themselves and was in good spirits.
The game was never really in doubt. Brantham couldn't take a couple of early half-chances, but were actually out-played, out-thought, out-fought and generally well beaten by a team that seemed to get to every ball first and just wanted it more.
They scored on 17 mins from a header and got 2 more early in the second period. Brantham did pull one back but then immediately gave away a penalty which was converted to restore the 3 goal cushion.
All in all, a satisfactory trip complemented by some football chat with a couple of other travellers on the train back to London.
I'm feeling positively spoilt. Two Vase matches on consecutive Saturdays at new grounds. I could probably try again next Saturday with all the postponements, but will leave it until the next round.
About a minute before leaving home, there was a knock at the door with two Jehovah's witnesses itching for a discussion. I let them down politely, "Do you follow a different faith??" they asked, "No, I follow the FA Vase" was my slightly cheeky reply.
Once again my first train was 6 minutes late, then all the way into London, a door between two carriages kept swinging open every time there was a slight jolt. It ended up with a guy leaving his foot there to try and keep out the howling gale. Still, fares keep going up and this is the shocking service that we have to put up with.
I went via Highbury & Islington to Stratford, where I caught the connection to Manningtree. It was piddling down with rain at Stratford, so I was pleasantly surprised when arriving at Manningtree to see there was barely a cloud in the sky. Mind you, I nearly missed my stop as I was so gripped reading 'Scarecrow' by Matthew Reilly. If you've never read any of his books, give them a go. Thrill a minute stuff!
A brisk 20 minute walk from Manningtree station to the ground mostly along a busy A road. I actually thought that Brantham was in Essex, but it's just over the Suffolk border in a quiet little area with a nice looking Chinese restaurant which seemed somewhat out of place to me.
Lunch was a cheeseburger and chips from the busy clubhouse. Not bad although the chips were slightly undercooked. However, the ladies behind the hatch were working their socks off.
The ground really reminded me of Littlehampton where I'd been earlier this season. A raised gallery over the clubhouse and no hard standing on the near side where both common features. There was a stand on the far side and a covered seating area behind one area of the near goal, I understand there seats came from the old Layer road.
The PA was blasting out disco music, being a kid of the 70's, I was foot tapping and singing along to myself quite happily. A word here for the PA announcer. He was absolutely hillarious throughout the game with his good spirited quips and banter whenever the opposition scored. Great fun!
As so often happens when Northern teams travel at this stage of the Vase, they brought a lot of fans with them. Much beer was drunk but everyone thankfully behaved themselves and was in good spirits.
The game was never really in doubt. Brantham couldn't take a couple of early half-chances, but were actually out-played, out-thought, out-fought and generally well beaten by a team that seemed to get to every ball first and just wanted it more.
They scored on 17 mins from a header and got 2 more early in the second period. Brantham did pull one back but then immediately gave away a penalty which was converted to restore the 3 goal cushion.
All in all, a satisfactory trip complemented by some football chat with a couple of other travellers on the train back to London.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
4th round seen on Borrow. time
Borrowash Victoria 0 Ascot United 3
As mentioned before, I have two main hobbies. Non-league football and amateur dramatics. Occassionally, one gets in the way of the other. Due to performing the play 'Table manners', I was going to miss the FA Vase 4th round and any potential replays. But then the snow came! As annoying, irritating and dangerous as the snow and ice is (I fell over twice last week), it actually did me a favour. So many matches were postponed from the two Saturday's that I missed, I was able to get in this 4th round tie.
For some strange reason, when buying my advance tickets online to get a cheaper price, I could only get a return to Derby, it wouldn't allow me to buy advance tickets to Spondon. So I decided to buy a return from Derby to Spondon once I reached Kings Cross. I approached the tickt desk and asked for this return. "Where" bellowed the ticket clerk. I spelt out Spondon for him, "Never heard of it" he said staring me straight in the eye as if this was some kind of crime. I just shrugged at him as he typed it into the computer. "Well it does exist" he finally said almost begrudgingly. I paid my £3 & left the clerk starring suspiciously at me.
The train from St Pancras to Derby was 3/4 empty and due to the unusual peach and quiet, it verged on the civilised.
At Spondon station, just me and a guy in a blue wooly hay got off the train. He's a hopper I thought as he stared up and down the road for some kind of inspiration on which route to take. I had examined the walk on google maps satellite view, so knew where I was going.
I quickly stumbled across a chippy where I bought a steak & kidney pie with chips. Very nice, but it should just be called a steak pie as you can never find any kidney for love nor money. No complaints though, the further north you go, the more generous the porton of chips. I enjoyed it as I walked along the road about 100 yards behind the guy with the wooly hat. Now I'm not sure if he was going to the game but if he was, he missed theturning to Borrowash road.
The ground is right next to Graham Street Pimms FC. I find it hard to understand how 2 clubs can be literally right next to each other and both continue to exist and pull in support. Graham Street were also at home, if they'd brought their kick-off forward by a couple of hours they would have picked up a decent crowd as double headers are always popular.
Have to say, this is my kind of ground. It's the raised banks that always floats my boat and these gave this ground a sort of bowl feel. There is a stand on the near side and also a seated area behind the near goal. Hard standing surrounds 3/4 of the pitch. A reasonable clubhouse that was positively heaving with people, the tea hut was also very efficient. The toilets are in a block on the far side next to the players changing rooms. It has the most vast urinal area that I've ever seen at a club at this level. Through me for a brief moment, not the sort of thing I like to make a decision about!
Despite arriving at 13:55, the club had run out of problems. The printers had apparently let them down. One official was taking names and addresses and kindly offered to post a copy on to people. A programme is not life or death o me. Listening to some conversations in the clubhouse, you would think that some people had had their life savings swindled from them. Some of the comments I heard, I'm guessing from fellow groundhoppers made me shake my head with bewilderment. I don't think enough appreciation is given to clubs that really struggle to get volunteers on board. One guy was even complaining about the bad reception he had received on bursting into the boardroom to ask for a teamsheet. Yeah, I wonder why that might be!
So to the game, Ascot were easily the better team. They actually played some delightful stuff with 2 or 3 outstanding individual performances. Borrowash haad a couple of good chances but really cannot complain about the result. Ascot scored halfway through the first half and then got aother 2 in the last 20 minutes, the last one a penalty. The Borrowash keeper made a couple of blinding point blank saves which made up for the most erratic kicking display I've seen in quite a while.
The nice thing is, there should be another Vase match next Saturday, weather permitting......
As mentioned before, I have two main hobbies. Non-league football and amateur dramatics. Occassionally, one gets in the way of the other. Due to performing the play 'Table manners', I was going to miss the FA Vase 4th round and any potential replays. But then the snow came! As annoying, irritating and dangerous as the snow and ice is (I fell over twice last week), it actually did me a favour. So many matches were postponed from the two Saturday's that I missed, I was able to get in this 4th round tie.
For some strange reason, when buying my advance tickets online to get a cheaper price, I could only get a return to Derby, it wouldn't allow me to buy advance tickets to Spondon. So I decided to buy a return from Derby to Spondon once I reached Kings Cross. I approached the tickt desk and asked for this return. "Where" bellowed the ticket clerk. I spelt out Spondon for him, "Never heard of it" he said staring me straight in the eye as if this was some kind of crime. I just shrugged at him as he typed it into the computer. "Well it does exist" he finally said almost begrudgingly. I paid my £3 & left the clerk starring suspiciously at me.
The train from St Pancras to Derby was 3/4 empty and due to the unusual peach and quiet, it verged on the civilised.
At Spondon station, just me and a guy in a blue wooly hay got off the train. He's a hopper I thought as he stared up and down the road for some kind of inspiration on which route to take. I had examined the walk on google maps satellite view, so knew where I was going.
I quickly stumbled across a chippy where I bought a steak & kidney pie with chips. Very nice, but it should just be called a steak pie as you can never find any kidney for love nor money. No complaints though, the further north you go, the more generous the porton of chips. I enjoyed it as I walked along the road about 100 yards behind the guy with the wooly hat. Now I'm not sure if he was going to the game but if he was, he missed theturning to Borrowash road.
The ground is right next to Graham Street Pimms FC. I find it hard to understand how 2 clubs can be literally right next to each other and both continue to exist and pull in support. Graham Street were also at home, if they'd brought their kick-off forward by a couple of hours they would have picked up a decent crowd as double headers are always popular.
Have to say, this is my kind of ground. It's the raised banks that always floats my boat and these gave this ground a sort of bowl feel. There is a stand on the near side and also a seated area behind the near goal. Hard standing surrounds 3/4 of the pitch. A reasonable clubhouse that was positively heaving with people, the tea hut was also very efficient. The toilets are in a block on the far side next to the players changing rooms. It has the most vast urinal area that I've ever seen at a club at this level. Through me for a brief moment, not the sort of thing I like to make a decision about!
Despite arriving at 13:55, the club had run out of problems. The printers had apparently let them down. One official was taking names and addresses and kindly offered to post a copy on to people. A programme is not life or death o me. Listening to some conversations in the clubhouse, you would think that some people had had their life savings swindled from them. Some of the comments I heard, I'm guessing from fellow groundhoppers made me shake my head with bewilderment. I don't think enough appreciation is given to clubs that really struggle to get volunteers on board. One guy was even complaining about the bad reception he had received on bursting into the boardroom to ask for a teamsheet. Yeah, I wonder why that might be!
So to the game, Ascot were easily the better team. They actually played some delightful stuff with 2 or 3 outstanding individual performances. Borrowash haad a couple of good chances but really cannot complain about the result. Ascot scored halfway through the first half and then got aother 2 in the last 20 minutes, the last one a penalty. The Borrowash keeper made a couple of blinding point blank saves which made up for the most erratic kicking display I've seen in quite a while.
The nice thing is, there should be another Vase match next Saturday, weather permitting......
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