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.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Almondsbury meet Wit's end
Witney United 4 Almondsbury 0
05/12/09
Probably due to being under the weather for a week, I felt decidedly uninspired when the draw for this round of the Vase was published. I looked the fixtures up and down several times, half-heartedly looked up the directions to a few of them but kept turning my nose up. I decided to sleep on it, picked the list up the next day and felt an urge to visit the Hellenic league, Witney United being the choice.
So off I set at 10am. My other hobby is amateur dramatics and on boarding my first train, I sat down only for a pretty young lady to come bounding up to me to say hi. This did my self-confidence no harm at all and I enjoyed the open mouthed expressions of other guys sitting near me. Thinking back, I’m delighted that this young lady is looking so well & I was delighted that she wasn’t embarrassed to come and say hi, it gave me a glow for the rest of the day…and boy, did I need it?
We had a short delay at Reading due to a problem with the door lights and a longer delay near Didcot when we stopped at a red signal. This all culminated in a 10 minute delay arriving at Oxford. The next 15 minutes were taken up trying to find bus stop B2 where the S2 bus stopped. After a few wrong turns, I found my way but had missed the bus by 5 minutes. A therefore had a 25 minute wait for the next bus, add on another 25 minutes as this bus was late and I was standing on the street being bustled by hordes of Christmas shoppers for 50 minutes. When the bus did arrive, it got to Witney fairly quickly as most of the trip is along a duel carriageway. The bus driver kindly helped me with the correct stop & I set off along Downs road to the ground. Downs Road is a strange affair, it’s desperately long, completely straight and yet hardly any traffic goes along it. When you first saw a car in the distance, it was about 2 minutes until it passed you. I finally reached the ground at 2:45. It is called the Polythene stadium which makes you wary of leaning against the walls in case you put your finger through it. However, there is a cracking stand with functions rooms and a tea bar at the top level. There are also large covered, standing areas behind the near goal and along most of the far side. This is possibly the nicest Hellenic ground I’ve been to so far and the special, bumper edition FA Vase programme was a nice touch and well presented. Having had no lunch, I was delighted to see a large sign saying CHIPS on the tea room window. I went in, asked for chips but unfortunately there were none made up and I couldn’t face standing around for another wait. So I ordered a sausage roll. It was nice but was gone within 2 bites. The queue for tea at half time was horrendous so I ended up going home a little hungry..
The game itself got off to a slow start, mainly due to the referee blasting his whistle every 15 seconds. Almondsbury were above Witney in the league & I expected a close game. But Witney had a lively pair of strikers who caused havoc all afternoon and were the difference between the sides. Witney scored on 10 minutes through a glancing header and doubled the score on 21 mins with a nice low finish with the keeper caught in no mans land. Almondsbury thought they had a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty for a trip but the linesman had his flag up for offside and this nullified the spot kick – cue howls of protest for about 5 mins. Witney made sure with a lovely chipped goal on 79 mins and a tap in after a great low cross on 86 mins. Almondsbury had a lot of possession but no cutting edge.
My bus was only 10 mins late going home as I stood on a pitch black road in the pouring rain and how we laughed as it broke down on the A40 when the wind screen wipers snapped. The first train from Oxford to London was cancelled and I had to wait 20 mins at Paddington for a tube train due to driver shortages.
As much as I enjoyed the ground and the game, I’m in no rush to go back.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Home team win Dunkirk battle
Dunkirk 3 Lincoln Moorlands Railway 1
14/11/09
When the draw for this round was made, I printed it off, passed it to my colleague at work & said "Where should I go then?" She humoured me by giving the draw a respectful viewing & then announced "Dunkirk". So off I set, albeit nervously after 48 hours of almost continual rain and winds of 80 mph predicted to be hitting the country. On reaching Nottingham, I called the club and was happy to hear that the game wasn't in any danger and I was invited to make my way there. The first issue was finding the correct bus stop. I know Nottingham is a large city, but there seemed to be busses pinging al over the place. After a few minutes aimless wandering, I spotted a bus station and eagerly made my way over. I spotted an information room, went in and was pointed in the right direction by a very helpful chap. I thanked him, turned to leave and walked into the door that didn't budge an inch. "You have to pay to get out" he jested before pointing out that I had to push a button to open the door. I found my bus stop which has a frequent service on the number 48. I alighted at a retail park and set off to find the ground. On approaching a flyover, I was approached by 3 continental young ladies armed with a bus map who asked me if they were at the right stop to reach the castle. I'm not quite sure how they got there in the first place and I'm sure they weren't in the right place at all, but I suggested they flag down the next bus that came along to ask. It was a bit surreal talking to these girls with cars buzzing around our heads at all levels on the flyover and approach like some futuristic sci-fi movie. I headed off down the subway in search of Lenton Lane. I found it easily & set off walking down there in search of the ground past row upon row of industrial units. After about 10 minutes it became apparent that I was not going the right way. Just my luck, the road was in two parts, one either side of the A52 & I'd gone down the wrong section. I eventually found my way & reached the ground in good time. For future reference, I would take the number 1 park & ride bus from the station & just walk under the flyover at the busses destination & you're in Lenton Lane. Interestingly, you pass the entrance to Greenwood Meadows FC on this lane, so looks like I'm going to have to come back another time to tick off that ground. A very welcoming clubhouse greeted me with a bar, TV & food serving hatch. I find that the further North I go, the cheaper the food & usually it's of a better quality. I thoroughly enjoyed my sausage cob (With 4 sausage halves) & chips. I enjoyed bumping into a fellow ground hopper who I'd met the previous year at Kimberley Town. He writes his own reports and sometimes a poem, and creates his own little programme as a memento of his trip. He was very good company. The ground was surrounded by corrugated fencing & had a small covered area on one side and behind the near goal. A few white plastic seats were littered about for use. The pitch was in good shape and although it was very windy, this match never came close to being called off.
We were treated to a minor giant killing with Lincoln in the league above Dunkirk. The game had a great tempo and I'm not quite sure how it was goalless at half time. Dunkirk played some lovely attacking football and deservedly ended up winners. Three second half goals were well taken, the pick being a 25 yard effort into the top corner by substitute White. Lincoln scored a consolation on 90 minutes but were well beaten.
With so many games called off around the country, I definitely ended up for a change at the right place.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Broxbourne fold in the wind
Broxbourne Borough 1 Stotfold 2
03/10/09
Broxbourne Borough are one of those clubs that I’ve kept putting off. Geographically, they’re not far from me at all, but on looking it had seemed tricky to reach and I had always plumped for a different option. One the draw came out, it once again caught my eye & this time I decided to bite the bullet and find a way there. It looked to be a couple of miles from Theobalds grove station. I decided to go into London and after a couple of stops on the Tube, drop down to my destination. Oh silly me! Needless to say, once again my plans were scuppered by London Transport who decided it would be a good idea to close the entire Victoria line on a Saturday. What other major capital city in the World has to constantly put up with this constant inconvenience. Plan B was put into action. My wife kindly agreed to drive me to Hertford East station where I could catch a train to Cheshunt & then change onto another train for my one remaining stop. On reaching Cheshunt & with 25 mins to wait, I looked at a station map of the local area and decided it would be considerably quicker to walk from there. This I did and the actual walking time was probably no longer than going from Theobalds grove. A brisk 25 minute walk did the trick although I was slightly concerned knowing I had to cross the A10. No need to have worried as a flyover was conveniently placed. I looked down from the flyover and spotted the HQ for the local sea cadets. When I was a boy scout, I always liked the idea of being a sea cadet. But back then I had the same thought as I did in the middle of Cheshunt, how can you have a sea cadet base in the middle of the Home counties with no water and certainly no sea for at least 50 miles? As I was early I had a walk around the local park, on a windy day this was a hazardous idea with acorns and conkers falling with vigorous monotony from the trees – I could have done with a hard hat. I witnessed some local vandalisation by a few teenage boys on making my way to the ground as they kicked down a fence post and carried over to some mud mounds to use as a jump for their bikes. Even when facilities such as this bike area is laid on for kids, they still need to have more! I arrived at the ground and entered the clubhouse that was positively teaming with people all drinking, eating 7 generally enjoying themselves in a very loud way. Loads of kids in football kits were milling about and I looked forward to a bumper crowd at the game. When I later entered the ground itself, I couldn’t believe how empty it was. Hardly any of the people in the clubhouse seemingly stayed to watch the match. I enjoyed a very tasty jumbo sausage with chips and sat at a little table on a low stage as there was no other room. Whenever you sit on a stage for whatever reason, you feel like everyone is watching you & I felt a little self conscious. It was nice to see 4 of those little sweet vending machines where you insert 20p, turn a handle and a few sweets drop out. I sneakily bought myself 20p of Minstrels and thoroughly enjoyed them.
The ground itself has a seated area with no roof which looks a little odd although I understand that this construction is not yet finished. All the remaining cover available surrounds a corner flag, although made of a nice wood, it is quite unusual, particularly the officials area which is literally positioned right in a corner and doesn’t give a great view of the action. A rail surrounds the pitch with hard standing.
As stated earlier, it was an incredibly windy day which was blowing across the playing surface.
The game itself was not great. The elements were the ultimate winner and it was a day where every pass seemed to catch a deflection or be blocked.
All the goals came in the second half. Firstly Stotfold scored with an unmarked header from a corner, then they got a second from the spot after a tackle from behind. Broxbourne scored the best of the lot 7 minutes from the end when their skipper who had pushed up front scored with a falling volley from the edge of the box.
This ground turned out to not be half as difficult to reach as I anticipated.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Lancing into the night
Lancing 2 Dorking 4 aet
19/9/09
On examining Sussex league division two, I discovered that I hadn’t visited any of the grounds. I’ve certainly been to fixtures in this league before but all the clubs I’d visited had been either promoted or relegated. I skimmed through the fixtures for this round and Lancing were the first side from this league that caught my eye.
The journey is remarkably simple, from London to Brighton and then a branch line to Lancing from where the ground is only a 5 minute walk away.
On arriving at Brighton station, the place was swarming with police. I couldn’t establish any particular reason and my confusion was increased when one officer walked up to a guy sitting on a bench, said “Okay, let’s go again” and then pulled out a camcorder. You certainly see some diverse looking people in Brighton, the places makes London look positively boring.
On arriving in Lancing, I set about finding my lunch venue. There is an Asda right next to the station & I popped in there to see if they have a café. They don’t, but what I found left me open-mouthed! I have been to Canada twice recently and they have a chain of fast-food shops called ‘Tim Horton’s’. They are designed a bit like McDonalds and are found with the same kind of regularity at every roadside and junction. Instead of burgers, Tim Horton’s sell coffee and donuts. The stores are clean, the food and drinks are tasty and remarkably cheap. I was under the impression that there were no such outlets in this country. But low and behold, on entering Asda, there was a little Tim Horton’s, serve yourself area with donuts and hot drinks to go.
I left the shop in a state of shock and found a little café where I sat at a table whilst texting my family details of my find. Lunch at the very British and friendly ‘Rainbow café’ was an omelette and chips. It won’t win any awards but was hot and nice enough and I always like to support this type of establishment. I then rushed with excitement back to Asda for my hot chocolate and donut. I left to find the ground, a happy and contented guy.
Lancing FC is also the headquarters for the Sussex FA and the parking and clubhouse buildings all look very modern and well maintained. There is a good sized function room and other areas that I did not have access to. This clubhouse complex is part of the same building used as the main stand which has ample seating. The pitch was good but the rest of the ground was of a much lesser standard. High netting behind each goal is essential to protect surrounding houses but looks ugly. There are doors leading up to the near corner flag that looked like lock up garages, very odd in a football ground. The far side has some mounds behind the hard standing but they were very bare with little grass and you get the overriding feeling that so much more could be done here. Obviously, it’ easy to say that, but would cost loads of money. On climbing the bank, you get a view of two pitches the other side of the fence and I spent a happy ten minutes watching some local games.
The second half of the match was interrupted by a small red, stunt plane performing aerobatics on the horizon. Very impressive, but you would not get me in one of those for love nor money.
The match itself started as a scrappy affair but settled down and was ultimately quite entertaining. Lancing scored on 37 mins after some nice trickery on the left and Dorking equalised 5 minutes later. Lancing went ahead again on 75 mins only for Dorking to quickly equalise again after a man was left criminally unmarked at the far post from a corner. Dorking pulled away in extra time with Lancing clearly exhausted. Two goals in the first period pushed them past the finishing line.
An interesting day full of surprises played in glorious, warm sunshine on the South coast.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Hayling win at War
Warminster Town 0 Hayling United 5
5/9/09
Twice I’ve been to Center Parcs at Longleat, only a mile or so from this ground. Both times I was in the area, Warminster Town were away. So this was a ground I had a determination about visiting, & here was a good opportunity.
Firstly, another complaint about British rail. I have a Network rail card, when I examined the websites at National Rail & Raileasy, the cheapest fair was about £55 return. Now, I was prepared to pay this but had to renew my expiring Network card. Whilst examining the coverage map on the leaflet, I saw that it reached Bath. I wondered to myself if it would be cheaper to get a network return to Bath & then buy a straight return from Bath to Warminster. Needless to say, this way came in £12 cheaper. Although please with myself, it made me think that it may be even cheaper another way & why did these websites not flag up this option?
My journey was straightforward enough and I had an interesting view of where the Reading festival was the week before. The marquees were still up. There were abandoned tents still in the fields along with thousands of rubbish bags. The music festivals certainly have their place but what a nightmare to clear up.
I did my good deed at Bath station whilst catching my connection. The train pulled in & a member of staff barked out loud “Well get off then”. This small boy and girl, I’m guessing about 5 years old came to the door and stood looking terrified as there was quite a gap between the train & the platform. I reached out & helped them down. As I boarded the train, the member of staff in a polite voice asked me if I’d like a drink from the trolley. I gritted my teeth & declined to tell her what I was actually thinking.
Whilst looking for a lunch venue in Warminster, I was suddenly greeted with the sight of a Routemaster, red London bus coming round he corner. Talk about a sight for sore eyes, it was an absolute delight to see it and gave me a warm glow for the rest of the day. I looked it up on the Internet when I got home & discovered that it was being used for trips to Imber open day on Salisbury plain, this location is usually completely off bounds to the public as it is an MOD site, wjhat a great idea!
Lunch was taken in a café off the main High street called Gorge café. I got excellent cod, chips & peas for only £3.40, a bargain. It was a strange little café with loads of elderly ladies passing the time of day over the dregs of a coffee cup, one of them at an outside table got through 3 cigarettes in 20 minutes. I initially felt a little sad for them, but with hindsight they probably love the place and the company.
The ground is about a 15 minute walk from the station, the last segment up quite a steep hill. Being so high, you are treated to superb views of the rolling hills and indeed, a view right down on to Warminster town. The clubhouse has an unusual beige coloured roof and its shape reminds me of a little aircraft hanger. The inside has a bar, large screen TV and all looks quite tidy and modern. A white rail surrounds the pitch, there is hard standing around about half the ground, some cover and a single row of seats in front of the clubhouse. Another little covered area at the near end is also available, this may be designed for wheelchair users?
After a bright start by Warminster, they were comprehensibly beaten by a well drilled Hayling unit who looked quite useful.
Hayling were four up at half time after a header, a penalty after a push and a couple of extremely skilful and well finished moves. Warminster were given the softest of penalties for handball only a minute into the second period but the Hayling keeper made a classy diving stop. The final goal came on 75 minues straight from a 30 yard free kick that the keeper should have stopped.
Nice to get the competition under way again and a trip that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Whitley Bay 2 Glossop North End 0
The end of another long Vase campaign. For one reason or another, my travels came to a stuttering conclusion and a mixture of the weather & circumstances made this one of my less memorable Vase years. I still have fond memories of great fish & chips at London APSA, bustling committee members at Faversham, an enjoyable reserve match at Bitton, the biting cold in Long Eaton, two contrasting matches at Chalfont and a great new stadium in Biggleswade.
For the second year running, the weather was more than kind to us and it was shirt sleeve weather as I polished up my best Northern accent for Whitley Bay against Glossop.
I went to the game with a friend and we had decided to drive to Stanmore and catch the tube from there as parking anywhere near Wembley stadium is a nightmare. Thanks once again to London Transport’s seemingly never ending maintenance, there was only a bus replacement service from Stanmore. Quick thinking and a 10 year old map helped us find our way to Northwick Park, just 2 stops from Wembley on a different tube line. I used to live not far from here when I was a kid and hadn’t bee there for about 25 years. It’s surprising how little it had changed and I had a huge wave of nostalgia as I sat on the station remembering all the shots which I’d sent sailing over the bar at Northwick Park playing fields.
Once again we spent half an hour sitting near the fountains, drinking bear and eating chips. Strangely, the beer was a pound cheaper than last year and you got twice as much. The chips were also reasonably priced and were cooked in clean oil. Prices inside the stadium as still as outrageously overpriced as before and I therefore didn’t buy anything there – when will they learn?
Having looked round the rather good Wembley stadium shop, we tossed a coin and brought tickets for the Whitley Bay end. We were allocated seats behind the goal which gave us a great view and the Northern humour was in fine form from all the fans around us. I good sized crowd enjoyed an entertaining match.
Glossop started strongly and had chances to score. Whitley Bay held on and two fine pieces of skill and neat finishes gave Whitley Bay a lead that they never relinquished despite strong pressure in the last 10 minutes.
All in all, I think the best team won this years tournament and I look forward to the draw in early July so that we can start all over again.
Friday, April 03, 2009
All to play for
Chalfont St Peter 3 Glossop North End 3
I decided to visit Chalfont for the second time in this years competition and would then attempt the long journey to Glossop the following week. It takes the pressure off when you've been to a ground before and know where you're going and I had an incident free relaxing journey to Gerrards Cross station. Having polished off another Italian BMT Subway (How nice are they!), I started a leisurely walk to the ground, this time vouching to avoid the dual-carriageway. I diverted down a road and turned right into another road called School Hill. This little road was quite attractive, but really steep and quite narrow. You had to dive into a hedge whenever a car came along to avoid being wiped out, there's obviously not many pedestrians on this road as most cars screamed along at about 60mph. At the end of this road, I discovered that I was almost back where I started & had once again, taken a slightly wrong route. I picked myself out of the hedge as another vehicle shot by, found the correct road at last and made my way to the ground. It's quite strange to see a ground you've visited several times in the past, often with only about 50 supporters, jam packed with folk waving scarves and singing. Glossop had certainly brought a good number of fans and must have outnumbered the Chalfont faithful. The local Chalfont cheerleading group came along to offer vocal support and it sounded weird to hear 'When the Saints go marching in' sung tunefully at a football ground.
The atmosphere was good, the weather was rubbish as usual with strong winds and two hail storms and the game was brilliantly officiated, I noticed the referee for the first time about 5 minutes from the end and only then did I realise that no cards had been shown.
There were a few scuffles in the crowd, such a shame at a place like this. There's absolutely no place for it! Fortunately, it didn't come to much and we could enjoy an enthralling match.
Unfortunately, I discovered that the second leg was to be all ticket and hard as I tried, I couldn't buy a ticket for the second leg and would be unable to visit Chalfont during the week to collect one. Disappointing & slightly annoying when you've been following a competition from the earliest rounds when only 20 people turn up and you almost have a ground to yourself, but understandable that people come out to support their town.
So to the game. Chalfont struck first, a throw from the right resulted in a shot well saved, but it dropped to Strutton who shot in from 12 yards. Then on 31 mins, a corner from the left fooled the keeper who fumbled it against the near post and Carroll turned it in from 6 yards. Glossop got back into it on 38 mins when Gorton stooped to head home from a left hand corner. Only 4 mins into the second half and Chalfont restored a two goal advantage. A throw from the right saw a lovely turn to the dead ball line fool the defence, the low cross was expertly turned in at the near post by Brosnan. Chalfont then seemed in cruise control and weren’t being troubled until two defensive lapses let Glossop back into the tie. On 73 mins, a ball over the top found Hodges clean through who simply lobbed the keeper on the first bounce from the edge of the box. Then on 78 mins, a ball through skidded off a defenders foot freeing Bailey who slid a shot home. An almighty scramble at the end almost gave Glossop the win but Chalfont hung on.
I'll be rushing home from whatever game I attend next week to check on how this tie turned out.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saints destroy church
Chalfont St Peter 4 Christchurch 0
14/2/09
This game had been postponed the previous Saturday due to the huge quantities of snow that had dropped on this part of the World during January, 2 days prior to this game, the southeast was hit by another covering, but it miraculously disappeared overnight and the club secretary gave me the all clear before I left. I was happy to see a blackbird washing itself in a puddle on my way to the station, all water on the ground had been solid ice for about a fortnight prior to this. The fun started at Kings Cross as British rail decided to make life as difficult as possible for its customers. The gates to the underground were shut due to overcrowding, the official on duty claimed it was just Saturday traffic. Actually, it was because the Victoria line, Hammersmith & City line and various other lines were closed, so nobody could actually get anywhere. Notice how the prices are never reduced when all this work goes on. When there was no sign of the gates opening after 5 mins, I walked across the road to St Pancras and went in that way, I then had a 15 minute wait for a tube. What a joke! It's why I always give myself plenty of time. I reached Gerrards Cross in good time & was pleased to find a Subway, one of my favourite fast food joints. My Italian BMT with cucumber, Jalapeno peppers and bbq sauce was the business! It seems anything involving the word Amersham comes with a steep hill, those of you who've visited Amersham FC may know what I mean and my walk along Amersham Road presented me with another mountaineering challenge. Google maps had directed me to the A413. Thanks lads! for future reference, there's no footpath and walking along the soft grassed route next to this busy dual carriageway was interesting to say the least and I was knackered by the time I reached the ground. After the event, I consulted a map at home and realised I could have avoided this route, ho hum, the adventures of a football traveller! The ground is set just outside this sleepy little town, there's a stand behind the near goal and a more interesting, condemned old stand behind the dugouts. Best to visit here on a nice day, but the pitch was flat although very sticky and the ladies in the tea hut did their best despite being out of their comfort zone.
This game will probably be remembered as it was Christchurch's first game after the tragic death of their player Marc Burrows, a cancer victim at the young age of 30. Nothing I can say will do this player justice, it was great to see that the minutes silence was impeccably observed by all those present.
I expected Christchurch to be likely winners but they just simply never showed up, I guess for obvious reasons and were brushed aside by a rampant Chalfont. The keeper made an early fumble that almost gifted a goal and then on 9 mins, he did the same again, this time the ball fell to a striker who picked his spot. Chalfont kept pushing forward and on 19 mins, a defender slipped at a crucial point and the attacker on the right of the area shot across the keeper and into the bottom left hand corner. The third came on 33 mins, a lovely diagonal ball was inch perfect finding the left sided attacker who shot across the keeper, this time into the bottom right hand corner. Christchurch had their best chance just before half time, but the Chalfont keeper saved well. Chalfont remained superior in the second half, hit the bar and put the tie to bed on 52 mins when an attacker was put through just beating the offside trap and finishing well past the keeper from 16 yards.
Nice to see a small club like this make the quarter finals.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Washout saved by Waders
Biggleswade Town 2 Croydon 1
17/1/09
Once again, I had good intentions when the draw was published. I decided on visiting Christchurch despite the fact that it was quite a journey with a long walk to the ground. But after weeks of freezing weather & heavy frosts, the temperature warmed up & suddenly we had storms and heavy rain. And at 8am on match day, the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. I have to commend Christchurch who published the pitch inspection the night before on their website and updated their site as soon as a decision was made. So plan B was put into operation, step up Biggleswade.
Whenever a new ground opens, Hoppers all descend on mass & you read report after opinion on the new facilities. I usually leave it a few years to see a ground once it’s settled down. But beggars can’t be choosers and having checked that the match was on, I made the simple journey to the ground.
It’s funny how events happen & having taken a seat on my train, I took to reading a book. A couple of stations down the line and /i became aware of a conversation on the seats across the aisle from me where two guys were discussing the postponement at Christchurch and why they couldn’t understand it. I probably scared the hell out of them by butting in & explaining the reason for the postponement. The guys then showed me the way to the ground from the station, a happy coincidence. For those who don’t know, you turn right out the station towards the town centre, keep walking until you reach the fish and chip shop where you turn left, walk along the road under the A1 and the ground is on your right. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the station.
Biggleswade’s previous ground was little more than a pitch at a recreation ground with a tiny covered area and a tiny clubhouse with no facilities. The new ground is about as different as can be. A purpose built stadium set back from the road with good parking, it makes an immediate impression. The clubhouse is large with a bar, pool tables and will certainly be used for other functions. There is also a gym and physio area. The pitch is flat and there is an impressive stand for this level, a much smaller covered area is on the opposite side. A neat, tall fence surrounds the ground. Everything looks very new and the officials are justifiably proud. I never thought I’d see Biggleswade (The Waders) in such a facility.
Croydon were the liveliest side from the whistle and I don’t think we ever saw the best of Biggleswade all game. The first goal came on 28 mins for Croydon. A quick free kick down the left channel into the box was crossed to the far post where Atkins scored with a stooping header. Biggleswade equalised on the stroke of half time, winning a dubious penalty after a man was bundled over in the right of the area, Kilroy scored comfortably from the spot. The winner came on 50 mins, a neat 1-2 30 yards out resulted in a 25 yard drive that caught a wicked deflection and left the keeper with no chance, it has to go down as an og. Croydon pressed for an equaliser and the Biggleswade keeper made one superb save.
Nice to see a 'Good news' story in non league football for a change.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Keeper error gives Long Eaton the boot
Long Eaton United 0 Bootle 1
06/12/08
After my visit to the Midlands in the previous round was replaced by a trip to the West country, I was on the look out when the draw was produced for a chance to head North. Long Eaton therefore seemed a perfect choice, not too far to travel, but in a Northern based league and at a ground I hadn't previously visited.
The usual garbage weather during the week leading up to the game, namely rain and snow potentially put the game under threat. But I woke up to a glorious, sunny day with not a cloud in the sky although it was breathtakingly cold.
The journey towards Nottingham was going without a hitch until the train ground to a halt just outside Grantham. Having sat still for 10 minutes, a guard walked through the carriage announcing that we were just waiting for a platform. I'm not sure whether they were building the platform, had mis-placed the platform or just forgot about us. We eventually moved after being at a standstill for 15 mins. A lady behind me was talking on her phone to her family. Apparently, she hardly ever used a train and was desperately excited by this long delay. It's amazing what gets some people 'turned on', but sitting on a stationery train with no information for what seemed like an eternity doesn't do it for me.
Luckily, I still made my connection at Nottingham and it's only a short trip to Attenborough station. Quite why this train only consisted of two carriages is a mystery I didn't get to the bottom of. 3 weeks from Christmas and we were squeezed in like sardines. The ground at Long Eaton is about a 15 minute walk from Attenborough along the Nottingham road passing a retail park. There were a couple of pubs on the other side of the road but it would have involved taking my life in my hands crossing the road to reach them, so I settled on my annual visit to a McDonalds. My quarter pounder was actually quite enjoyable and entertainment was provided by the couple with 5 kids sitting on the table next to me. They had the wrong drinks, one of them bashed his head on the table, another lost his new watch, a couple of them had a fight and this was all in the apace of 5 minutes. The parents must go to bed at night completely exhausted.
I found the ground easily enough down a side street just past a bowls club. The bowls club had a security guard outside it complete with radio and fluorescent jacket. I couldn't quite understand why he was there as he appeared to be the only person there. The ground is actually bang on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border next to a quiet street where everyone seemed to be washing their car. It really is quite a nice little area.
Happiness is turning up at a ground and finding a match on an adjoining pitch. The game I found was a kids match and not a bad standard in a Long Eaton v Beeston contest. Always refreshing to see the game played with no histrionics. I entered the ground at about 2:45 and for the second round running, the club I was visiting had sold out of programmes. Never mind, my spirits were restored when the teams came out to R.E.S.P.E.C.T by Ottis Redding being played on the P.A, first time I've seen that done, nice idea!
A large corrugated fence surrounds the ground. A nice, good sized stand, a smaller stand on the opposite side and also a small, covered standing area. A good sized pitch.
Dazzling sunlight caused a few first half problems. Bootle came out as the more energised team and caused some early problems. Long Eaton hit the post with their first meaningful attack, but still fell behind on 19 mins following a dreadful error by their keeper. A firm back pass saw the keeper completely mess up his first touch which ended up at the feet of Fowler who slotted it into an empty net. After this, it was attack versus defence with Long Eaton throwing the kitchen sink at Bootle. Bootle defended superbly as if their lives depended on it. Long Eaton did get the ball in the net with ten minutes remaining, but the referee had already blown for a foul.
Another enjoyable trip with an excellent competitive game at the end of it.
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