Embankment, hill or mountain?

The swan in the rushes - Loughborough

King Cole march on

Coleville Town 1 Leiston 0

Of the 8 clubs in the quarter finals, I had only visited Poole and therefore there were no nerves when the draw was made. Dunston would be too expensive, I was banking in Kings Lynn making the semis, so Coalville was my choice. I went online to book my train tickets and was stunned when the cheapest option on the outward journey was a first class seat from St Pancras. I was almost excited about this & eagerly rushed to my coach as the train pulled in. The joy did't last long as it became apparent that there was a mix up. The coach had G on the outside & J on the inside and there was mass confusion as multiple people were trying to sit on the same seat. I was lucky to reach my seat early as it turned out to be double booked. The guard looked at my reservation three times along with the other person with an identical piece of paper & rapidly had to improvise, finding seats in weird and wonderful places for disgruntled passengers. You couldn't make it up! Eventually the dust settled and I had a peaceful, comfortable journey although the complimentary coffeee tasted like dish water.

I decided to travel to Loughborough and catch the bus from there, this gave me the opportunity to tick off a pub from the Good pub guide. I didn't have too long so it was just a quick half. The 'Swan in the rushes' is a real ale pub on Loughborough high street with a fine selection of beers. I opted for a pale beer called Harvest pale which did not touch the sides. I learnt that this was named CAMRA champion beer of Britain last year and what a worthy winner. 

I found my bus stop with ease and had a ten minute wait on a narrow strip of pavement. People queuing for the bus,  mixed with mums with large pushchairs and people coming out of shops caused an almighty log-jam & I was bustled and jostled all over the place and it was a relief when the bus turned up. An elderly lady sat next to me and immediately sparked up a conversation. "I hate it when they start" was her opening remark. My natural sarcasm had to be restrained as I was on the verge of asking her what she expected a bus to do. It turned out that she was a lovely lady and good company. I chatted with her for a good 30 minutes. I hope I brightened her day as she certainly brightened mine. 

The bus got caught in traffic when nearing its destination so I hopped off and walked the last 10 minutes. I only arrived with about 15 mins to spare which always irritates me slightly as I don't feel I get to know the ground as well as I might. You walk down a lengthy track with the ground appearing below you. This view reminded me very much of Hertford Town where I spent a few years as their P.A announcer. 

The ground was quite nice. An open tented club shop selling scarves and programmes, a couple of refreshment places and a media room. Two seated areas, one on each side. The largest seating area was on the far side, the other cover was a corrugated shed behind the near goal. A huge embankment loomed above the far goal, a feature I loved. A couple of walkers stopped for a free view during the game. I had a bacon roll on arrival as I'd not had other time for lunch due to the length of journey. It really wasn't great despite the pleasant and quick service. 

Once again the weather got in the way. Light drizzle turned to heavy drizzle followed by persistent light rain with a sharp, cold wind that slapped you round the cheeks before cutting right through you. My glasses needed windscreen wipers as I had to stand in it as all the covered places were taken. A truly miserable afternoon AGAIN!

The first half of the game was excellent with fast, good quality football and tons of commitment. Coalville hit the bar with a header when it was easier to score and had most of the attacking play. They scored 10 minutes into the second half with a scrambled goal. The game deteriorated badly after this with several lengthy injury stoppages and the ball seemingly constantly going miles out of play over the far touchline with never a spare ball to hand. Leiston had a man sent off for 2 yellows, the second for an elbow and despite a couple of near misses, they couldn't get back into it.

This will not go down as my favourite Vase trip ever. The miserable weather and poor second half the main reason, but this was a tricky ground to reach & I'm pleased to have got it ticked off.

Stansted FC

My very own, stalker black cloud

Stansted 0 Dunston UTS 2

The Crown at Elsenham

Dunston check in at Stansted

Stansted 0 Dunston UTS 2

A bit of a no brainer in choosing the game for this round. I’m not a great lover of the Essex league and therefore tend not to visit grounds as often as I should. But this North v South encounter at a ground in a league that I hadn’t visited this season ticked all the right boxes.
I always seem to moan about the rail service in this blog but yet again it was weekend carnage. This time, Finsbury Park was shut. All the trains into London were calling at all stops & because of the closure, I had to go into London and back out again. Fortunately, I was not affected by the replacement bus service further up the line from me but there were an awful lot of extremely disgruntled rugby fans having a tiresome journey travelling to Twikenham. One last train question. Why, wherever I sit, do I end up with someone sitting behind me bellowing into a mobile phone?
I examined the Good pub guide but there is no entry in Stansted Mountfitchet. But just one step up the line was ‘The Crown’ at Elsenham. This was only a 2 mile walk from Stansted so I headed off to get there early and would walk off my lunch afterwards. A nice little pub, not overcrowded but with a friendly atmosphere. There is a little restaurant area that is the life-blood of so many pubs these days. I was tempted by the blackboard offering homemade pizza. I asked how long that would take to arrive and was put off by the 30 minute wait until I heard that the dough for the base was all made by hand. 30 minutes it was, but my pepperoni pizza when it arrived was absolutely stunning & was washed down by a pint of London pride.
The walk to Stansted was a pleasure on a no over-busy B road on the most gorgeous of afternoons, a real touch of spring in the air. A mate of mine used to live in Stansted when I was a teenager & I enjoyed walking trough the high street, remembering haunts we used to frequent – Happy days!
The ground was very easy to find. A souvenir programme was produced in good numbers & all the volunteers had made a real effort to organise their big day, a credit to the club!
There is a covered, seating area on the near side & a huge mobile phone mast behind the near goal. The pitch encroaches onto the towns, summer cricket pitch but was fully railed off for this match. One small pet hate of mine is when you cannot walk round the whole pitch and this was the case here with the far corner impassable. All the hard standing was quite narrow and it got a bit congested, especially near the tea hut. There was a bar just outside the ground entrance which I didn’t visit as I didn’t spot it until I was inside.
The pitch was very bumpy and it seemed to affect the passing and shooting of all the players with balls constantly scuffed and otherwise mis-directed.
Stansted started the game quite brightly and brought a few useful early saves from the Dunston keeper.But there is a big, dark cloud with the same Vase itinerary as me & it spread over the ground midway through the half. The gloom seemed to descend on to the Stansted players as their energy and confidence sagged. As the half wore on, Dunston were the side on top although their opening goal came out of nothing. A ball was played into the area, the keeper and defender tripped over each other and the ball spat out to the right touchline. An early cross in caught the keeper in no mans land, I’m not sure if he thought it was going over or just couldn’t reach it, but he stood and watched it drop into an empty net. Dunston were the better second half team by a mile, playing with tenacity and enthusiasm. The second goal on 58 mins was also unusual. A ball through saw a defender just ahead of the attacker. He swung wildly at the ball and missed it completely, letting the striker in. This allowed the striker through and the defender pulled him back. This would have been a certain red card if the referee had not played a good advantage. The striker toed a shot at goal, the keeper made a fine save but it trickled over he line. Dunston saw the game out to win a surprisingly one-sided affair.
I enjoyed chatting with a couple of hoppers from Sussex & Worcestershire. One of them even knew of & reads this blog. This made me a happy man and certainly put the gloss on an enjoyable afternoon.

Bloxwich United FC

Blowich United 2 Torpoint Athletic 3

Clubhouse

Bloxwich hopes Torn apart

Bloxwich United 2 Torpoint Athletic 3

Just occasionally, thinks come together. My wife and are are fans of the rock band Genesis & there is an extremely good tribute band called G2 who play about a dozen gigs a year. It's not far off listening to the real thing! Anyway, they were playing this Saturday in Bilston. Shall we go & stay over?" my wife asked. I wasn't sure what to do as it was FA Vase last 32 day. Too much to hope that there would be a game nearby. So I examined the draw & couldn't believe my luck as I spotted this game at Bloxwich, only a few miles from our evening venue. So off we all happily went. This was my first trip up the M1 for quite some time. It really does seem to have fallen behind many other motorways. It seemed narrow, busy and in a very poor state of repair. Thankfully, the traffic moved fairly freely all be it at about 50 mph. We had chosen a pub on route from the Good pub guide and ended up at The Pheasant in Withybrook. This place is clearly there for the food market & I've never been presented with so many choices in my life. I full menu on the tables, a specials board with about 20 options and a lunchtime menu with another dozen or so choices. I had no idea what to pick but eventually went for a pork chop with apple sauce & roast potatoes. The food was okay but a bit 'Beefeater' when it arrived & I never did get any apple sauce. Still a quiet little spot that I wouldn't have otherwise bumped into. We found the ground easily despite the seemingly never ending number of traffic lights around Walsall. I arrived at 2:20, paid my entrance and requested a programme only to be fed the line that they had sold out. I've no idea how many they printed but never saw anyone in the ground with a copy. There is cover behind the near goal, the clubhouse was bustling and well staffed with several TV screens. The rest of the ground was in a state of slight dis-repair, every now and then you came across piles of rubbish lying around. It is a proper enclosed football ground with a busy road on one side and a quiet side street on the other. This was a real pudding of a pitch with quite long grass, I'm sure the recent weather has made the groundsman's job almost impossible.

Bloxwich started the better and scored after 12 mins. They looked the more dangerous side although Torpoint were always easy on the eye with their style of play. It looked all over when Bloxwich scored again on 64 mins. But always felt Torpoint would score and that happened on 77 mins when Bloxwich cheaply gave he ball away. Suddenly it was all Torpoint and they won an uncontested penalty for handball on 85 mins and then sent the healthy Cornish contingent home happy by completing a remarkable comeback on 89 mins.

Not my favourite ground by any means but memorable for the fabulous finish this game produced. 

Stotfold FC

Stotfold 0 Long Buckby 3

Stotfold FC clubhouse

Beggars can't be chosers

Stotfold 0 Long Buckby 3

04/12/10

I examined the draw for this round of the Vase & for once made an instant decision. I’d go to Cadbury Heath in Bristol. Yeah right! The cold weather arrived, followed by frost, followed by ice, followed by snow, followed by more snow and with ridiculously low temperatures, I didn’t stand a chance. The one saving grace was that the game was called off on the Friday. To be honest, I’d given up finding anywhere that was on & I wasn’t far wrong. Matches fell on the Friday & Saturday morning left, right & centre. The Saturday itself was a lot warmer than it had been with a balmy 4 degrees rumoured and a gentle thaw was in place. And then a miracle occurred. At about 10:30, a Vase match passed a pitch inspection and the ground in question was Stotfold, a mere 18 miles from home. This turned out to be the only game that beat the freeze. My wife had suggested we go to see Harry Potter & I got the “Oh, for God’s sake” look when I asked who he played for. But to be fair, she kindly offered to drive me if there was a pub lunch in it for her. I looked out the Good pub guide before she had finished her sentence & found the nearest pub we had yet to visit. This turned out to be the Three horseshoes in the village of Hinxworth about 5 miles from the ground. This was a charming place with thatched roof, roaring open fire and a nice selection of food & beer. The welcome could not have been bettered and I started to worry that I’d be late for the game as the barman was so chatty. I had a superb ultimate BLT club sandwich which also had cooked chicken & mayonnaise on the freshest bread I think I’ve ever tasted and all held together with a kebab skewer. It seemed apt to choose a pint of ‘Fireside’ which slipped down very nicely. I highly recommend this pub if you ever get a chance to visit.
Thr ground was easy to find with the lights visible from over a mile away. There is a medium sized stand and another covered standing area. A good clubhouse which was very warming at half time with hot drinks available from the tea hut. It was nice to see a photographer friend of mine who had been re-directed from Vicarage Road to cover this match, clearly the game of the day then!
Gentle drizzle gave way to heavy rain and murk on a desperate afternoon for football. Puddles in the centre circle took me back to the 1970’s., difficult to play in but it’s always amusing when the ball sticks in the water.A reasonably even start and it stayed that way until Long Buckby scored. The first came on 19 mins. A ball over the top through the right channel saw a striker get there just in front of the defender and lob the ball over the keeper. The second came on the half hour and was a nice goal. A nifty one-two on the edge of the area freed the initial passer to niftily loft a finish over the diving keeper. The last goal came on 38 mins as a shot from the right of the area caught a deflection, popped up and was headed into an empty net. The pitch deteriorated in the second half, both sides did well to keep coming although the quality was understandably all over the place and only a couple of handy saves by the two keepers kept the score as it was.
No classic and a ground I’ve visited before but with the conditions we were experiencing, I was grateful for anything.

Bustleholme FC

Bustleholme 2 Barton Town Old Boys 0

Main stand at Bustleholme FC

Old Boys Bustled out.

Bustleholme 2 Barton Town Old Boys 0

I took a leaf out of my wife’s book when choosing the game for this round. I often give her a list of FA cup fixtures at the beginning of the season & ask her to select a game. She always picks a name that she likes. That’s kind of why I selected Bustleholme. An unusual name in a league that I rarely seem to visit. So off I set and encountered a different variety of train woes on the way. Firstly the ticket barriers at Kings Cross were about 25 deep. Honestly, the rail network for a major city in the World is plain embarrassing at weekends. Then on boarding my Virgin train at Euston, we were informed that the computer had stuck and seat reservations had not downloaded. Absolute chaos as people were obviously sitting anywhere & those that had booked seats were not happy to find others in their seats. It didn’t come to blows but there were a couple of near misses. My attempts to read on the journey to Wolverhampton were thwarted by the constant chatter from the couple behind me. I can’t really complain as they were only talking but their conversation was dull beyond belief. The only amusing moment came when we pulled into Coventry & the man stated that he’d been there before. “Oh yes” said the lady. “Yes” said the man, “Melissa sent me to Coventry, Angela sent me to Coventry & Rosie sent me to Coventry”. There was a pause and the lady said, “Why do you always bring Angela into the conversation?” Finally we had an awkward silence for about 5 minutes.
I reached Coseley station and from there it is a straightforward 25 minute walk to the ground initially along some pleasant, quiet roads. On reaching the high street I soon bumped into ‘Frydays chippy & diner’ and had an excellent pie and chips sitting inside and on a proper plate – An excellent lunch. Amusingly there is a newsagents opposite called ‘Fags and mags’, I love bumping into places like this on my travels.
Bustleholme share grounds with Tipton and play at the local leisure complex. It has a running track around the pitch which I hate as it is so difficult to find a good viewing spot. But the facility is fabulous with an excellent building housing a bar and function rooms, several synthetic football pitches and tennis courts and seemingly plenty more besides. This club does everything the right way. They are family/community based and were set up by a group of people who wanted a local team. Their roots are still firmly in the community and a new team has started up every year with the Bustleholme name since its inception. The kids team that warmed up on a separate part of the pitch to the main team before the game had a great time playing on the huge mound behind the far goal during the game & another group of youngsters made excellent ballboys. The PA announcer interviewed both chairman on the pitch before the game with a roaming mic. I think I’ve only seen this sort of thing at Conference level before.
We were treated to a lovely, sunny day although the temperature plummeted when the sun went down. The ground has a reasonable sized stand and an imposing mound towers over the whole far side of the pitch. There was a small portakabin where tea drinks were sold and the ladies did an excellent job. The promised burger van didn’t arrive as it crashed on route & the PA announcer wittily announced that there was plenty of hot food on the M6 if required. To be fair to Bustleholme, they quickly arranged burgers etc to be available in the leisure club on order. Nothing seems to face the officials here!
The game itself was okay without being outstanding. Bustleholme scored on 15 mins when a player was tripped running to meet a low cross but he fell on the ball and it trickled over the line. Barton got more into it and had a lot of possession without looking particularly dangerous. They threw the kitchen sink at Butleholme in the last 15 minutes but fell to the sucker punch counter attack as Bustleholme doubled their lead with literally the last kick of the game.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to a club that seems to do everything the right way.

Wick FC

Wick 0 VCD Athletic 2 aet

Wick FC clubhouse

Vick beat Wick

Wick 0 VCD Athletic 2   aet

The Sussex county league is one of my favourites with scenic views and interesting countryside never too far away. So when this draw came out at the beginning of July, I was keen to choose a new ground in the area. Now I may sound like a stuck record, but once again a simple journey across London was turned into a mad rush as the whole Victoria line was closed for maintenance. When is this weekend disruption ever going to end? There was a direct train from Victoria to Littlehampton although you had to be careful as it split at Haywards Heath and I could have ended up in Portsmouth. The most enjoyable part of the journey was a young lad with his Dad sitting behind me with the boy testing his father’s football knowledge with a quiz from a book. Needless to say, I sat there & tried to answer the questions myself- I have to say I didn’t do too badly. The ground is a 20-25 minute walk from Littlehampton station but is very straightforward. I have recently become the proud owner of the Good pub & Good beer guides and was pleased to tick off the ‘Dew drop inn’ with a pint of Seafarers that barely touched the sides. It amused me that I was drinking Seafarers served by a barman who looked remarkably similar TO Captain Birdseye. The pub was a little ‘homely’ with only a handful of locals playing bar billiards. I was getting slightly concerned as the rain had started to fall. It had rained all day Wednesday & was torrential on the Friday before the game. But the game was on and the pitch was absolutely fine although there was standing water on the goal line. The ground was nice enough although it didn’t have the stunning views of some Sussex grounds. There was a covered area on both sides with some bench style seating on the near side. Fir trees stand behind the near goal and there is a good sized kitchen/tea hatch. You have to go up a flight of stairs in the clubhouse to reach a bar that overlooked the pitch. This set-up reminded me a little of Newark Town. The game itself was extremely even although scrappy early on. The tie improved once the Wick manager was sent off for dissent. Both sides had great chances to score with both keepers equipping themselves well. So extra time arrived & VCD finally broke the deadlock in the second period of extra time, a second was added with the last kick if the game.
A bit of a damp squib but any new ground ticked off cannot be bad.

Raynes Park Vale FC

Raynes Park Vale 3 Westfields 0

Overlooking playing fields

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.

Whitley Bay 6 Wroxham 1

The Teams line up

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.

Barwell 3 Norton & Stockton 0

Dugouts at Barwell

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.

Whitehawk FC

Whitehawk 1 Marske United 1

Stunning backdrop at Whitehawk

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.

Armthorpe Welfare FC

Armthorpe Welfare 1 Wroxham 1

Dugouts & rooftops

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.

Witney United FC

Witney United 4 Almondsbury 0

Main stand at Witney

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.

Dunkirk FC

Dunkirk 3 Lincoln Moorlands Railway 1

Far touchline

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.

Broxbourne Borough FC

Broxbourne Borough 1 Stotfold 2

Officials seating

Uncovered seating area

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.

Lancing FC

Lancing 2 Dorking 4

View across the ground

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.

Warminster Town FC

Warminster Town 0 Hayling Utd 5

View across the pitch

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.