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.

Chalfont St Peter FC

Clubhouse & old stand - Now condemned

Chalfont St Peter 4 Christchurch 0

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.

Biggleswade Town FC

Biggleswade Town 2 Croydon 1

Entrance to Biggleswade Town FC

View from the road

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.

I broke my rule of not eating hot food at football grounds and ordered a hot dog from the burger van. It was edible but basically reminded me of why I normally eat in the town I am visiting.

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.

Long Eaton FC

Long Eaton 0 Bootle 1

Entrance to Long Eaton FC

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.

Bitton FC

Entrance to Bitton FC

Bitton rack 'em up playing Poole

Bitton 4 Poole Town 2

15/11/08

A particularly nasty virus struck me on the weekend of the previous round & having been unable to leave the house, I was particularly looking forward to this weekends games. After the usual research & thought, I decided to visit Daralston. Then, my friend who coaches a village team in Somerset, E-mailed me to say that he had a free weekend & would I like to take in a Vase game down his way. He gave me a list of 4 potential ties & I needed all of the grounds except Frome. On paper, Bitton versus Poole seemed the most appealing and that's where we ended up. Having got into London, you have to travel to Keynsham station. There's actually 3 grounds within easy distance of Keynsham. Keynsham themselves, Brislington (Also at home in the Vase) and Bitton, quite unusual for a tiny station with only one train an hour. As usual at Paddington station, the platform number for my departure was put up with under 10 minutes to spare and there was a mass bundle as everyone manoeuvred for position trying to find a good seat. As a sea of people descended on platform 1, there was one dapper old fellow standing there with an umbrella in the air trying to get somebody's attention, he was probably flattened in the rush. Having secured a seat, I was surrounded by a group of Spanish girls either going to hen night. They were certainly in good spirits and loud but I forgave them this mainly due to the fact that I was mesmerised by the bride to be's ability to do a French plait without looking at what she was doing. She combed each of her friends hair and then whilst talking to somebody else and not looking, knocked up this masterpiece arrangement with not a single hair out of place. I tried this on my daughter once and ten years later, she's still trying to get the knots out of her hair. I had to change at Bath, a City that i never tire of. There were cranes and scaffolding everywhere and yet somehow it still looked magnificent, I think it's the brick work and how the buildings are built into the hills, one of my favourite cities! On arrival there were a group og guys clearly doing their community service, sweeping leaves. They seemed to be working hard until the train pulled out, then they all leant against the railings and lit up cigarettes. When my friend arrived ten minutes later, they were still in the same positions. The ground was only a five minute drive from the station. We did a quick wander around the outside of the clubhouse to have a look and were amused when an elderly chap mistook us as officials and asked my friend if he could buy two programmes from him. I wished we'd followed him as when we did enter the ground at 2:45, they'd sold out. There was a small clubouse where we bought a pint which also did filled rolls. Happiness on arriving at a ground is finding a game on an adjoining pitch and we were lucky enough to see the first half of Bitton reserves match, not a bad standard although we saw no goals.

Bitton's ground will not go down as a favourite of mine. A small stand and another covered area on the opposite side provide shelter, there is hard standing on both sides and behind one goal, the far goal just has grass for you to stand on. There is a sweeping end to end slope, this and a sticky pitch must have sapped the players energy. Bitton were top of their league and Poole third in theirs, so a tight game was expected. The pitch did seem to be quite long and this certainly helped an exciting end to end match.

Poole started strongly and were only denied by an excellent early save. When Bitton scored after a defensive slip on 12 mins it was against the run of play. 7 mins later and Bitton doubled their lead with a sharp finish but Poole came straight back to make it 2-1 after only 20 mins. Bitton scored again on 36 mins after another defensive slip. I expected that Poole would make a second half comeback as they were kicking down the slope but they had the wind taken out of their sails following a penalty. A great Bitton run down the left wing ended in a pinpoint cross that was met with a header that crashed against the bar, came back and unluckily hit a defender on the arm. The penalty wasn't convincing but still beat the keeper. Poole did get one back on 68 min but if anything, Bitton finished the stronger as Poole chased the game and were delighted with their win.

Great to be back on the Vase trail and Bitton could claim a few scalps on their quest for a Wembley place.

Faversham Town FC

Faversham Town 0 Tunbridge Wells 1