Newmarket Town FC
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Jockeys defeated by Cammell
Newmarket Town 1 Cammell Laird 2
The choice for the quarter finals was between Hillingdon or Newmarket, I'd been to Hillingdon in the last round, so selected this easy journey to Suffolk. Having ensured that the match was on following 2 weeks of bitterly cold weather, I set off on what was ultimately an incident free journey. I did recognise some groundhoppers at Cambridge station and took the liberty of listening into their conversation. I basically learnt that Cirencestor's new ground was not well signed and that it was a long walk to Christchurch's ground, but nice in the summer. These things are always worth knowing. On arriving in Newmarket, all the other hoppers headed off for the ground. We had loads of time so I headed for the town centre and immediately stumbled on Tattersalls. One of the things I like about ground-hopping is the little parts of England's history and culture that you often bump into. Tattersalls looked very shut, but it was still interesting to see. The one lonely horse in the field looked a bit like Billy-no-mates and reminded me of the geek at school who was always last to be picked for any team. The horse seemed to have a bit of a limp and reminded me of a nag I'd backed a few weeks ago in the 3:45 at Utoxeter. On first impression, there's not a lot to Newmarket town although I did quite like it. You find more if you explore down the back streets. Following my recent run of good cafes, I was looking for the same. I thought I'd come up trumps when I saw a sign advertising Beef Stroganoff for £3.55, but the cafe had a few elderly well dressed couples and all the tables were dressed in fine linen. I figured it wasn't the place for a bloke with a wooly hat and a string bag and instead chose a Wimpey. I sat inside, the food and coffee were hot but other than that, decidedly average and I didn't stick around for too long. The ground is just a 10 minute walk from the station along a quiet residential street in a nice little area. Newmarket have a reasonably sized stand and a small wooden covered area opposite with a few benches in it. Other than that, it's just a white rail ground. Their is a good sized clubhouse with bar although it's a tight squeeze getting in when there's a reasonable crowd. One Cammell Laird fan exclaimed that they needed to sell jam butties, if that's what they serve in Birkenhead, I must pay a visit. I last visited Newmarket on the day England won the rugby World cup. It pelted down with rain the entire afternoon and the away team won 4~2 in a mudbath of a match. For this game, I had freezing temperatures, bright sunshine, two blizzards and a heavy snow shower at half-time. Despite, this, the pitch was perfectly playable although the playing area does have some strange dips and hollows which must be tricky to play on.
The first half was tight with Cammell Laird a shadow of the team I saw in Chessington. The game was certainly interesting, although chances were few and far between. Newmarket scored in first half stoppage time. A corner from the left was hit to the far post. Shaw pushed away his marker, but the referee did not spot it and Shaw headed in, the ball hitting the net off the top of a defenders head. You always thought Cammell Laird would get back into it and Newmarket were disappointing in the second half. The equaliser came on 61 mins, Cooke hooked the ball on to the speedy Morgan who rounded the keeper and slotted into an empty net. Cammell Laird were driven on by the Stephen Gerard lookalike McGuire and impressive substitutes Hargreaves and Conroy. The winner came on 87 mins. A similar goal to Newmarket's saw a deep corner from the left met by Collins who nodded into the top corner.
No classic, but an enjoyable goal. How often do you see the same team lose twice in the same competition twice in the same season? (Newmarket were re-instated a couple of rounds ago as their victorious opponents were kicked out for fielding an inelligible player).
The choice for the quarter finals was between Hillingdon or Newmarket, I'd been to Hillingdon in the last round, so selected this easy journey to Suffolk. Having ensured that the match was on following 2 weeks of bitterly cold weather, I set off on what was ultimately an incident free journey. I did recognise some groundhoppers at Cambridge station and took the liberty of listening into their conversation. I basically learnt that Cirencestor's new ground was not well signed and that it was a long walk to Christchurch's ground, but nice in the summer. These things are always worth knowing. On arriving in Newmarket, all the other hoppers headed off for the ground. We had loads of time so I headed for the town centre and immediately stumbled on Tattersalls. One of the things I like about ground-hopping is the little parts of England's history and culture that you often bump into. Tattersalls looked very shut, but it was still interesting to see. The one lonely horse in the field looked a bit like Billy-no-mates and reminded me of the geek at school who was always last to be picked for any team. The horse seemed to have a bit of a limp and reminded me of a nag I'd backed a few weeks ago in the 3:45 at Utoxeter. On first impression, there's not a lot to Newmarket town although I did quite like it. You find more if you explore down the back streets. Following my recent run of good cafes, I was looking for the same. I thought I'd come up trumps when I saw a sign advertising Beef Stroganoff for £3.55, but the cafe had a few elderly well dressed couples and all the tables were dressed in fine linen. I figured it wasn't the place for a bloke with a wooly hat and a string bag and instead chose a Wimpey. I sat inside, the food and coffee were hot but other than that, decidedly average and I didn't stick around for too long. The ground is just a 10 minute walk from the station along a quiet residential street in a nice little area. Newmarket have a reasonably sized stand and a small wooden covered area opposite with a few benches in it. Other than that, it's just a white rail ground. Their is a good sized clubhouse with bar although it's a tight squeeze getting in when there's a reasonable crowd. One Cammell Laird fan exclaimed that they needed to sell jam butties, if that's what they serve in Birkenhead, I must pay a visit. I last visited Newmarket on the day England won the rugby World cup. It pelted down with rain the entire afternoon and the away team won 4~2 in a mudbath of a match. For this game, I had freezing temperatures, bright sunshine, two blizzards and a heavy snow shower at half-time. Despite, this, the pitch was perfectly playable although the playing area does have some strange dips and hollows which must be tricky to play on.
The first half was tight with Cammell Laird a shadow of the team I saw in Chessington. The game was certainly interesting, although chances were few and far between. Newmarket scored in first half stoppage time. A corner from the left was hit to the far post. Shaw pushed away his marker, but the referee did not spot it and Shaw headed in, the ball hitting the net off the top of a defenders head. You always thought Cammell Laird would get back into it and Newmarket were disappointing in the second half. The equaliser came on 61 mins, Cooke hooked the ball on to the speedy Morgan who rounded the keeper and slotted into an empty net. Cammell Laird were driven on by the Stephen Gerard lookalike McGuire and impressive substitutes Hargreaves and Conroy. The winner came on 87 mins. A similar goal to Newmarket's saw a deep corner from the left met by Collins who nodded into the top corner.
No classic, but an enjoyable goal. How often do you see the same team lose twice in the same competition twice in the same season? (Newmarket were re-instated a couple of rounds ago as their victorious opponents were kicked out for fielding an inelligible player).
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Monday, February 13, 2006
Hillingdon triumph in day of upsets
Hillingdon Borough 4 Mildenhall 0
11/2/06
Sudbury out! Winchester out! Wimbourne out! In the end, I probably chose one of the lesser surprises of the round, but nobody expected the emphatic victory which Hillingdon Borough served up.
My day started off with humour from a British rail tannoy announcer, no really! Just before my train pulled in, this voice came over the loud speaker saying "Would the young lady sitting on top of the seat on platform 2, please get down. Whatever you've troden in today has just been transferred to where other people will soon be sitting. If you want to sit that high, get a job at Wimbledon." The whole platform laughed at the announcement, the young lady in question just wanted the ground to open up.
My good mood was quashed rather by the middle aged couple sitting opposite me on the train. They literally couldn't keep there hands off each other and were being decidedly indiscreet. I probably would have completely ignored it if they were teenagers, this was plain distasteful and theyt needed to 'GET A ROOM'
My mood was tested further at Kings X when I discovered there were no Metropolitan or Circle trains, this meant a Picadilly line trip through 27 stops and added about 30 minutes to my journey.
Hillingdon Borough play out of the town of Ruislip. I used to live near here when I was young. they tell you that you should never go back as things change and are never as you remember them. Well not Ruislip, sure there were a few new shops, but the architecture and layout of the place was just as I remembered it. A real treat and made me feel very at home. I discovered another good British cafe for lunch which once again had good friendly service and nice hot food. It was very agreeable, but still not in Chessington's league.
The walk from Ruislip station is between 20-25 mins, but is quite a nice walk and looks very 'Middle England' and affluent.
I arrived at the ground at 14:20 to discover that they'd already run out of programmes. A bit disappointing, apparently they'd run off 250. What was more surprising was the official crowd being only 280 odd, where did all the programmes go? The place was littered with overwrought groundhoppers, some of whom were offering club officials £5 to buy their programme. Many officials did sell theirs, but to be fair, none of them sold them for more than the cover price.
My mood improved dramatically on finding an FA official in the clubhouse, along with the FA Vase trophy. I got a nice photo and it certainly added a buzz to the pre-match gathering.
Hillingdon have a good sized clubhouse and bar with Sky football being shown on a large projector screen.
The pitch itself was very flat and in excellent condition. There's a reasonable sized stand with shallow tiering interestingly behind one of the goals. very unusual, but anyone sitting there would have spent the entire game staring into a really bright sun. Other than that, it's a white rail and hard standing with the occasional elevated view, I actually quite liked it as a ground.
Mildenhall were quickest out the blocks and saw a point blank vollet somehow saved after 5 mins. the Mildenhall fans were trying to get behind their team, but the large ground and sparse crowd for this stage of the competition, meant that the atmosphere was fairly subdued. Hillingdon held on during the first quarter and took the lead against the run of play. A freek ick 30 yards out was punched by the keeper, but it hit the back of a defendef falling to the feet of Tilbury who blasted a volley home from 12 yards. 10 mins later, they won a slightly dubious penalty for a push on a striker breaking through the right channel. To be fair, the referee and linesman both gave it at the same time, Craft scored comfortably from the spot.
When Hillingon played the Great escape theme tune over the tannoy at hal time, I thought they knew their defence better than I did. Mildenhall tried to raise their game, but were never able to get back into it. on 70 mins, a ball was hooked on in midfield finding Lawrence breaking clear, he shot low and hard across goal from 15 yards effectively ending the contest. The victory was rounded off on 85 mins, Tilbury broke clear down the right and squared to Lawrence who skipped past a marker and finished well with a left foot shot in at the near post. Mildenhall hit the post in stoppage time but in the end, despite a bright start, were well beaten.
So the giants have fallen, I've no idea who will win the Vase now, but it'll be great to have another new name on the trophy.
11/2/06
Sudbury out! Winchester out! Wimbourne out! In the end, I probably chose one of the lesser surprises of the round, but nobody expected the emphatic victory which Hillingdon Borough served up.
My day started off with humour from a British rail tannoy announcer, no really! Just before my train pulled in, this voice came over the loud speaker saying "Would the young lady sitting on top of the seat on platform 2, please get down. Whatever you've troden in today has just been transferred to where other people will soon be sitting. If you want to sit that high, get a job at Wimbledon." The whole platform laughed at the announcement, the young lady in question just wanted the ground to open up.
My good mood was quashed rather by the middle aged couple sitting opposite me on the train. They literally couldn't keep there hands off each other and were being decidedly indiscreet. I probably would have completely ignored it if they were teenagers, this was plain distasteful and theyt needed to 'GET A ROOM'
My mood was tested further at Kings X when I discovered there were no Metropolitan or Circle trains, this meant a Picadilly line trip through 27 stops and added about 30 minutes to my journey.
Hillingdon Borough play out of the town of Ruislip. I used to live near here when I was young. they tell you that you should never go back as things change and are never as you remember them. Well not Ruislip, sure there were a few new shops, but the architecture and layout of the place was just as I remembered it. A real treat and made me feel very at home. I discovered another good British cafe for lunch which once again had good friendly service and nice hot food. It was very agreeable, but still not in Chessington's league.
The walk from Ruislip station is between 20-25 mins, but is quite a nice walk and looks very 'Middle England' and affluent.
I arrived at the ground at 14:20 to discover that they'd already run out of programmes. A bit disappointing, apparently they'd run off 250. What was more surprising was the official crowd being only 280 odd, where did all the programmes go? The place was littered with overwrought groundhoppers, some of whom were offering club officials £5 to buy their programme. Many officials did sell theirs, but to be fair, none of them sold them for more than the cover price.
My mood improved dramatically on finding an FA official in the clubhouse, along with the FA Vase trophy. I got a nice photo and it certainly added a buzz to the pre-match gathering.
Hillingdon have a good sized clubhouse and bar with Sky football being shown on a large projector screen.
The pitch itself was very flat and in excellent condition. There's a reasonable sized stand with shallow tiering interestingly behind one of the goals. very unusual, but anyone sitting there would have spent the entire game staring into a really bright sun. Other than that, it's a white rail and hard standing with the occasional elevated view, I actually quite liked it as a ground.
Mildenhall were quickest out the blocks and saw a point blank vollet somehow saved after 5 mins. the Mildenhall fans were trying to get behind their team, but the large ground and sparse crowd for this stage of the competition, meant that the atmosphere was fairly subdued. Hillingdon held on during the first quarter and took the lead against the run of play. A freek ick 30 yards out was punched by the keeper, but it hit the back of a defendef falling to the feet of Tilbury who blasted a volley home from 12 yards. 10 mins later, they won a slightly dubious penalty for a push on a striker breaking through the right channel. To be fair, the referee and linesman both gave it at the same time, Craft scored comfortably from the spot.
When Hillingon played the Great escape theme tune over the tannoy at hal time, I thought they knew their defence better than I did. Mildenhall tried to raise their game, but were never able to get back into it. on 70 mins, a ball was hooked on in midfield finding Lawrence breaking clear, he shot low and hard across goal from 15 yards effectively ending the contest. The victory was rounded off on 85 mins, Tilbury broke clear down the right and squared to Lawrence who skipped past a marker and finished well with a left foot shot in at the near post. Mildenhall hit the post in stoppage time but in the end, despite a bright start, were well beaten.
So the giants have fallen, I've no idea who will win the Vase now, but it'll be great to have another new name on the trophy.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Chessington's Vase adventure
Chessington & Hook Utd 1 Cammell Laird 2
21/1/06
21/1/06
It's often tricky deciding which game to pick, so when examining the draw, I looked for a sign. Now, my confession is that I've just finished playing Captain Hook in my village pantomime, so I absolutely had to visit this ground.
It was a good choice. Remarkably easy to get to, train to London, tube to Vauxhall, train to Chessington South and a ten minute walk. A good view of Big Ben and the House of parliament are on show at Vauxhall station and I also got my first glimpse of a Eurostar train in motion. I understand it flies through the Kent countryside at record speeds, it was clearly only warming up as it struggled to hit 20mph when I saw it, looked very smart though.
I never know what to expect when arriving at my destination, some places make you feel uneasy from the minute you get off the train whilst in others, such as Chessington, you feel really at home. I wandered down the road from the station looking for lunch inspiration. I first spotted a kebab house, but having not just drunk 10 pints, ruled that out. Next to this was a little cafe that I considered but I spotted a pub in the distance. It was called the Harrow. Now I grew up in a town called Harrow, surely another sign? But something prevented me going in and I returned to the cafe. What an inspired choice. I ordered a 'Full Monty' comprising bacon,sausage, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, fried egg on toast, tea in a mug and bread and butter. The British are knocked for their cuisine, but you just can't beat food like this in a traditional British caf. So if you decide to visit this ground, call at Barwell Cafe, friendly reception, quick service, piping hot food and lots of it.
The walk to the ground took me right past Chessington World of adventure. I was worried that the child in me would persuade my better sense, that a couple of blasts around a roller coaster was a good idea before kick-off. Forunately, the park doesn't re-open until the end of March.
The ground is easy to find. I was in good time, so went int he clubhouse to watch the football on Sky. It's a reasonable sized clubhouse, with a bar at one end and a pool table at the other. I particularly liked the signs on the toilet doors, a cartoon of Laurel & Hardy for the mens, Marilyn Monroe for the ladies. It's worth getting to the last 32 of the Vase, the bar was doing fantastic business. There's an outside patio with tables and benches that looks just like a pub beer garden, great to sit at in nice weather, today being an example. There's also an enclosed 5-a-side pitch which is ideal for the kids to play on whilst the game is in progress. There was also horse racing being shown in the clubhouse with deafaning volume, go outside and the music on the tannoy was just as loud, is everyone in Chessington hard of hearing?
The ground itself has pleasant views and is on a bit of a slope. There's a rail around the pitch and one small covered area near the halfway line, but no seating other than some foldaway chairs that some people got from somewhere to use. Not the best ground to visit in the rain.
This was billed as the most important game in Chessington & Hook's history and there was a fair sized crowd.
Cammell Laird had the best of the first half and worked a couple of good moves. However, they couldn't create the space for a clear shot at goal and other headed opportunites were somewhat wasted. Chessington had a couple of reasonable breaks but shot wide when well placed. The second half was great. A 1~2 on 52 mins resulted in a cross being volleyed home by McGuire to give Cammell Laird the lead. Just after this, the impressive Cooke tried an outrageous overhead kick from nea the penalty spot. He was desperately unlucky to see it crsh of the bar. I had to smile a minute or so later as the referee teased Cooke, telling him that he should learn to hit the target, nice moment! The lead was doubled on 63 mins, a throw from the left was flicked on by Cooke to Jebb who completely unmarked, scored easily. Cammell Laird brought on a new striker with number 17 on his back. I didn't catch his name, but he was magnificent, great skill and surely will play at a higher level. Chessington got back into it on 73 mins. Heath burst through but was bundled over in the area by Collins. The referee didn't give anything, but the linesman started flagging frantically, the penalty was given and Collins was red carded for being the last man. Nicholls struck the penalty, it looked like it had been saved, but the ball flew up off the keepers hands and agonisinglt crossed the line. Chessington then threw the kitchen sink at Cammell Laird and there were a few hairy moments. But Cammell Laird hung on to win an entertaining game.
Visit this ground if you can, but best to visit in the warmer months.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Can you smell 3 Shredded wheat?
Welwyn Garden City 3 Slimbridge 1
After over three months, this was the last Saturday of scheduled replacement bus services on the local rail route. It finally got the better of me and having not covered them on this website, I decided to visit Welwyn Garden City, my local club and a mere 20 minute walk from home. Instead of finding lunch in an unfamiliar town, I ate a leisurely lunch at home and left for the game just as Freddy Flintoff uprooted the Pakistan number 11's leg stump to win the first ODI. On any normal weekend, Welwyn Garden City is easily accessible by train on the Kings Cross line. The Station is attached to a small sized shopping centre. There are several food options just outside the shopping centre and a few inside. Interestingly, a year or so ago, after having none, Muffin shops started springing up everywhere you lookied in this shopping centre. Now one I could understand, two is a shade unnecessary, but three places selling muffins is just pure overkill. Why not bring in a toasted sandwich place or doughnuts? Actually, to reach the ground, you turn the other way when leaving the station which takes you past the Shredded wheat factory, one of Welwyn's landmarks. With the wind in the right direction, you can smell this place from a good few miles away and Welwyn is probably the one station in the World I could be taken to blinfold and still know where I was due to the smell. It's by no means obtrusive, I actually love the smell, it's just a shame that the factory is being shut down in a few years time. It's just over a mile to the ground and if you go in the spring or autumn, you'll see some fabulous colours on the garden city trees. I've watched Welwyn Garden City FC grow as a club over the last few years. It was quite laughable when I first moved here and I used to go and watch with a mate because you could guarantee that there would be a punch up on the pitch. Nowadays, a surrounding fence has been erected and the pitch fenced off, it really looks like a proper ground although there's only a small stand which seats no more than 20 people. The improvement to the ground has probably been funded due to the thriving clubhouse and the vast amount of mobile phone masts erected over the last few years. Whenever you pass the clubhouse, there are lights on and something going on, a great amenity for the area. Welwyn have done really well in cups this season, knocking AFC Sudbury out of the FA Cup. In non-league circles, this was a huge shock and yet barely got a mention in the press. I think the non league paper gave it 4 lines. They've been going well in the Vase too and were looking to reach the fourth round for the first time in their history. To be honest, after the first 10 minutes, the result was never in doubt and ithere is such a thing as an easy victory, then this was it. Don't get me wrong, Slimbridge fought hard but were rarely a threat. The first goal cam on 12 mins. A free kick from just outside the right of the area was floated over, Wardle went up under pressure, but the ball flew in off the defenders head for an unlucky OG. Then a minute later. a cross was half cleared, another cross was scuffed in where Devira, unmarked tapped in from 6 yards. The 14 year old looking linesman looked like he was doing semiphore he flagged so often, even the referee started overuling him but the message never quite got across to him. That could have been because the referee had the highest pitched whistle I've ever heard, the only way I can describe it is 'girly', It was very difficult to take him seriously. Welwyn have a lovely flat pitch and although it was very muddy due to recent weather, it plays really well and encourages passing football. A well weighted through ball on the hour saw Wardle reach the ball a split second before the keeper where he managed to toe poke a shot that trickled slowly over the line. An amusing incident occured when a fierce shot caught a deflection and flew past the keeper. As he turned to see where the ball had gone, it thudded into the post and landed in his midriff before he knew what had happened. Slimbridge got a consolation on 89 mins. A break down the right saw a low cross bundled in by substitute Varnam.
A game easy on the eye, but the result was never really in doubt.
Visit Welwyn Garden City FC if you can, probably the best ground in the South Midlands league ensuring that you rarely see a poor game.
After over three months, this was the last Saturday of scheduled replacement bus services on the local rail route. It finally got the better of me and having not covered them on this website, I decided to visit Welwyn Garden City, my local club and a mere 20 minute walk from home. Instead of finding lunch in an unfamiliar town, I ate a leisurely lunch at home and left for the game just as Freddy Flintoff uprooted the Pakistan number 11's leg stump to win the first ODI. On any normal weekend, Welwyn Garden City is easily accessible by train on the Kings Cross line. The Station is attached to a small sized shopping centre. There are several food options just outside the shopping centre and a few inside. Interestingly, a year or so ago, after having none, Muffin shops started springing up everywhere you lookied in this shopping centre. Now one I could understand, two is a shade unnecessary, but three places selling muffins is just pure overkill. Why not bring in a toasted sandwich place or doughnuts? Actually, to reach the ground, you turn the other way when leaving the station which takes you past the Shredded wheat factory, one of Welwyn's landmarks. With the wind in the right direction, you can smell this place from a good few miles away and Welwyn is probably the one station in the World I could be taken to blinfold and still know where I was due to the smell. It's by no means obtrusive, I actually love the smell, it's just a shame that the factory is being shut down in a few years time. It's just over a mile to the ground and if you go in the spring or autumn, you'll see some fabulous colours on the garden city trees. I've watched Welwyn Garden City FC grow as a club over the last few years. It was quite laughable when I first moved here and I used to go and watch with a mate because you could guarantee that there would be a punch up on the pitch. Nowadays, a surrounding fence has been erected and the pitch fenced off, it really looks like a proper ground although there's only a small stand which seats no more than 20 people. The improvement to the ground has probably been funded due to the thriving clubhouse and the vast amount of mobile phone masts erected over the last few years. Whenever you pass the clubhouse, there are lights on and something going on, a great amenity for the area. Welwyn have done really well in cups this season, knocking AFC Sudbury out of the FA Cup. In non-league circles, this was a huge shock and yet barely got a mention in the press. I think the non league paper gave it 4 lines. They've been going well in the Vase too and were looking to reach the fourth round for the first time in their history. To be honest, after the first 10 minutes, the result was never in doubt and ithere is such a thing as an easy victory, then this was it. Don't get me wrong, Slimbridge fought hard but were rarely a threat. The first goal cam on 12 mins. A free kick from just outside the right of the area was floated over, Wardle went up under pressure, but the ball flew in off the defenders head for an unlucky OG. Then a minute later. a cross was half cleared, another cross was scuffed in where Devira, unmarked tapped in from 6 yards. The 14 year old looking linesman looked like he was doing semiphore he flagged so often, even the referee started overuling him but the message never quite got across to him. That could have been because the referee had the highest pitched whistle I've ever heard, the only way I can describe it is 'girly', It was very difficult to take him seriously. Welwyn have a lovely flat pitch and although it was very muddy due to recent weather, it plays really well and encourages passing football. A well weighted through ball on the hour saw Wardle reach the ball a split second before the keeper where he managed to toe poke a shot that trickled slowly over the line. An amusing incident occured when a fierce shot caught a deflection and flew past the keeper. As he turned to see where the ball had gone, it thudded into the post and landed in his midriff before he knew what had happened. Slimbridge got a consolation on 89 mins. A break down the right saw a low cross bundled in by substitute Varnam.
A game easy on the eye, but the result was never really in doubt.
Visit Welwyn Garden City FC if you can, probably the best ground in the South Midlands league ensuring that you rarely see a poor game.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Tiger territory
Friar Lane & Epworth 1 Stourbridge 5
Replacement bus services and trawls through London finally wore me down and I decided to head North to Leicster. I woke up to an extremely hard frost and fog! Surely not another Newbury? The journey to Leicester was extremely easy with everything leaving on time. Conditions had become bright and sunny until about 10 mins outside Leicester when the fog returned. To say you couldn't see your hand in front of your face would be ridiculous as I was on a train, but outside, you could barely make out anything. I was seriously concerned until on approaching the city centre, it lifted again with visibility in the town centre, perfectly clear. I had e-mailed the club in advance asking for directions from the train station. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a response and the directions were spot on, thanks guys! The walk takes you through the University of Leicester campus with students at every turn. One student was on my train and I'd watched her tuck into a lunch of sushi, crisps and a rather attractive looking packaged salad. I thought they were supposed to be hard up! Her lunch put my slightly stale Double decker firmly in its place. Around the university, you walk down Tiger way which leads to Tiger stadium, home of the Leicester Tigers. Nice looking stadium with the next game at the end of the month already sold out. Made me think how much egg chasing had changed in the last decade. I used to occasionally watch Wembley FC, who were based next to Wasps old ground. Wasps ground was probably the equivelant of a current Ryman premier ground. Many people knocked professional rugby when it came in, but the revenue received, has certainly made the facilities a lot more attractive. Once I was happy that I was on the right road, I detoured to find some lunch and found a chip shop that provided me with an excellent sausage and chips. I ate it in a recreation ground called 'Nelson Mandela Park'. This made me feel like an extra from 'Only fools and horses.' I was intrigued by a castle like building next to the park which on closer observation, turned out to be a prison. Kind of ironic that Nelson Mandela park displaying a large board with the tag-lines 'A short walk to freedom' & 'There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere' should be right next to the local slammer. The walk to the ground from the station is probably just over 2 miles, leave yourself 45 mins for a gentle walk and you'll be fine. The roads you walk along are very busy though. On finding the ground, you walk across a little bridge just past the bar. On looking up, my first impression was that this was the worst pitch I'd ever seen. On closer examination, I realised that I was looking at a training pitch. On walking past this, you reach the entrance which was reasonably priced at £4 including a programme. The programme was OK, but there was no thoughts or information about the game and no details of the visiting team. The ground runs parallel to the railway line and one of the sides is overlooked by a railway embankment. There is one small stand that sits about 30 and hard standing around a quarter of the pitch. The changing rooms are right at the back of this stand, this means that the players are extremely close to the spectators and you can hear every word of the managers team talks. The Friar Lane boss was explainiing before the game that the performance was more important than the result, this gave me hope for a great game. I was not disappointed, this match was hugely entertaining from the first kick to the last with fast, skillful attacking play. Stourbridge probably just edged it by 5~1 flattered them hugely. stourbridge flew out the blocks and it was no surprise when they scored on 10 mins. Rogers broke down the left in acres of space, his cross/shot caught a deflection leaving the keeper helpless as it flew in at the near post. Friar Lane then started to play although Stourbridge were still looking dangerous. The second goal again came from Rogers on 30 mins, almost a carbon copy of the first except that the shot went straight in without a deflection. the rather cramped tea hut provided me with hot chocolate at half time as the temperature plumetted, bottles of beer were also on sale and were clearly popular as the singing and chanting started just after time, actually, this was a fair sized crowd and there was a good atmosphere. Friar Lane scored on 48 mins when the keeper never got hold of a punch and it was hooked into an empty net from 22 yards. Stourbridge knocked the stuffing out of a resurgent Friar Lane 4 mins later when a midfielder timed his run to perfection, collected a pass and easily rounded the keeper to restore the 2 goal lead. Friar Lane played some delightful stuff but were finished off on 73 mins when a poor headed clearance was chipped back to the far post to a striker who headed home from point blank range. As the mist started to envelop the railway embankment, the final goal came in stoppage time. A throw in near the corer flag fell at the feet of a striker who easily turned his marker and slotted home again at the near post. This was the last kick of a really entertaing match. Nice to tick off my first ground from the Leicestershire senior league and extremely accessible by public transport.
Replacement bus services and trawls through London finally wore me down and I decided to head North to Leicster. I woke up to an extremely hard frost and fog! Surely not another Newbury? The journey to Leicester was extremely easy with everything leaving on time. Conditions had become bright and sunny until about 10 mins outside Leicester when the fog returned. To say you couldn't see your hand in front of your face would be ridiculous as I was on a train, but outside, you could barely make out anything. I was seriously concerned until on approaching the city centre, it lifted again with visibility in the town centre, perfectly clear. I had e-mailed the club in advance asking for directions from the train station. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a response and the directions were spot on, thanks guys! The walk takes you through the University of Leicester campus with students at every turn. One student was on my train and I'd watched her tuck into a lunch of sushi, crisps and a rather attractive looking packaged salad. I thought they were supposed to be hard up! Her lunch put my slightly stale Double decker firmly in its place. Around the university, you walk down Tiger way which leads to Tiger stadium, home of the Leicester Tigers. Nice looking stadium with the next game at the end of the month already sold out. Made me think how much egg chasing had changed in the last decade. I used to occasionally watch Wembley FC, who were based next to Wasps old ground. Wasps ground was probably the equivelant of a current Ryman premier ground. Many people knocked professional rugby when it came in, but the revenue received, has certainly made the facilities a lot more attractive. Once I was happy that I was on the right road, I detoured to find some lunch and found a chip shop that provided me with an excellent sausage and chips. I ate it in a recreation ground called 'Nelson Mandela Park'. This made me feel like an extra from 'Only fools and horses.' I was intrigued by a castle like building next to the park which on closer observation, turned out to be a prison. Kind of ironic that Nelson Mandela park displaying a large board with the tag-lines 'A short walk to freedom' & 'There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere' should be right next to the local slammer. The walk to the ground from the station is probably just over 2 miles, leave yourself 45 mins for a gentle walk and you'll be fine. The roads you walk along are very busy though. On finding the ground, you walk across a little bridge just past the bar. On looking up, my first impression was that this was the worst pitch I'd ever seen. On closer examination, I realised that I was looking at a training pitch. On walking past this, you reach the entrance which was reasonably priced at £4 including a programme. The programme was OK, but there was no thoughts or information about the game and no details of the visiting team. The ground runs parallel to the railway line and one of the sides is overlooked by a railway embankment. There is one small stand that sits about 30 and hard standing around a quarter of the pitch. The changing rooms are right at the back of this stand, this means that the players are extremely close to the spectators and you can hear every word of the managers team talks. The Friar Lane boss was explainiing before the game that the performance was more important than the result, this gave me hope for a great game. I was not disappointed, this match was hugely entertaining from the first kick to the last with fast, skillful attacking play. Stourbridge probably just edged it by 5~1 flattered them hugely. stourbridge flew out the blocks and it was no surprise when they scored on 10 mins. Rogers broke down the left in acres of space, his cross/shot caught a deflection leaving the keeper helpless as it flew in at the near post. Friar Lane then started to play although Stourbridge were still looking dangerous. The second goal again came from Rogers on 30 mins, almost a carbon copy of the first except that the shot went straight in without a deflection. the rather cramped tea hut provided me with hot chocolate at half time as the temperature plumetted, bottles of beer were also on sale and were clearly popular as the singing and chanting started just after time, actually, this was a fair sized crowd and there was a good atmosphere. Friar Lane scored on 48 mins when the keeper never got hold of a punch and it was hooked into an empty net from 22 yards. Stourbridge knocked the stuffing out of a resurgent Friar Lane 4 mins later when a midfielder timed his run to perfection, collected a pass and easily rounded the keeper to restore the 2 goal lead. Friar Lane played some delightful stuff but were finished off on 73 mins when a poor headed clearance was chipped back to the far post to a striker who headed home from point blank range. As the mist started to envelop the railway embankment, the final goal came in stoppage time. A throw in near the corer flag fell at the feet of a striker who easily turned his marker and slotted home again at the near post. This was the last kick of a really entertaing match. Nice to tick off my first ground from the Leicestershire senior league and extremely accessible by public transport.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Sunday, October 30, 2005
How's their play dough?
Mile oak 0 Slade Green 0
29/10/05
I decided to visit a Sussex league ground as I hadn't been to one for about 15 years. It was also a reason to see if the Thameslink service was always as bad as my first visit. In fairness, this time it was OK. At Gatwick airport a young lad got on the train and immediately made a call on his mobile. The Gentleman behind him on hearing this leapt out of his seat exclaiming "Oh, for God's sake" and stormed off into the next compartment. An interesting reaction, as the young lad was talking in a completely normal voice, the only disturbance to the carriage was this idiot throwing his toys out of the pram. The guy on the phone didn't even realise what was going on. There's nowt as queer as folk! I travelled to Fishersgate station and from there it's supposed to be a 1.8 mile journey. I walked it and was there in just over 20 mins, there's also a bus that goes from near the station to Mile oak. The walk was fine apart from the steep hills. Note to self. "Choose a ground in a flat area next round" A suggestion to Sussex, they should be called the Sussex ups, not downs and Mile Oak should be called Mile high! I was greatly encouraged to turn a corner to spot a fish and chip shop only to find it shut! I then came across a Sky Sports van, maybe Sky had finally seen the light and would be showing my game live, let's face it, it couldn't be any duller than live celebrity poker? It's always comforting to finally see something that suggests you're in the right location. this occured as I bumped into the Mile oak community centre, gospal hall and medical centre all in a row. Maybe that's the natural progression in Mile oak? You join the community centre, get roped into singing at the gospel centre and on over-doing it, finish up in the medical centre. Or maybe the lack of oxygen at such a height was getting to me. I found the ground easily enough and on attempting to find the entrance, was invited into the clubhouse for a cup of tea. I've seen some different set-ups in my time but have never seen a football club using a playgroup hall as their clubhouse. It was kind of surreal talking football whilst surrounded by pictures of Mr Men. I texted 'er indoors to let her know as she's a teacher and received back, her one witty text of the year. It merely said "How's their play dough?" I ordered a cheese burger and tea which was really good and was told by an official that Mile Oak's players are not paid a penny, no expenses or anything. Nice to see that the club seems to run so well for a small outfit who are actually based in the nearby Mile Oak pub. Both teams were written up well in advance on a blackboard, don't you just love it when clubs make the effort to do this? I was made to feel welcome, so much so, that the kick-off sailed straight to my foot and if I may say so, I had a hell of a first touch. This was the first time that Mile oak had ever been in the first round proper of any FA competition. Nice to witness such history. The pitch slopes (The views from up there are great), the grass was long, the ground was dry and bumpy and there was a fair wind. Control was never going to be easy and neither side never fully adjusted. Slade Green should have scored in the first half with an unmarked player meeting a corner 6 yards out, but it hit the keeper in the midriff and was hacked clear. In the second half, Mile oak hit a 25 yard screamer just over and Slade Green had a goal disallowed for a clear push. They also saw a man clear through but he screwed his shot badly wide. Extra time arrived and Slade Green immediately went down to 10 men as a player was sent off for 2 yellows.One player said to the referee in extra time "Why are you so busy?" and I'm afraid that somewhat summed him up and extra time became a bit of a battleground. It was all Mile oak until the end and they were unlucky to see one 18 yard effort crash off the bar. In the end they couldn't find a way through, so it'll be a replay in Kent on Tuesday.
An unusual set-up and a highly original ground to visit.
29/10/05
I decided to visit a Sussex league ground as I hadn't been to one for about 15 years. It was also a reason to see if the Thameslink service was always as bad as my first visit. In fairness, this time it was OK. At Gatwick airport a young lad got on the train and immediately made a call on his mobile. The Gentleman behind him on hearing this leapt out of his seat exclaiming "Oh, for God's sake" and stormed off into the next compartment. An interesting reaction, as the young lad was talking in a completely normal voice, the only disturbance to the carriage was this idiot throwing his toys out of the pram. The guy on the phone didn't even realise what was going on. There's nowt as queer as folk! I travelled to Fishersgate station and from there it's supposed to be a 1.8 mile journey. I walked it and was there in just over 20 mins, there's also a bus that goes from near the station to Mile oak. The walk was fine apart from the steep hills. Note to self. "Choose a ground in a flat area next round" A suggestion to Sussex, they should be called the Sussex ups, not downs and Mile Oak should be called Mile high! I was greatly encouraged to turn a corner to spot a fish and chip shop only to find it shut! I then came across a Sky Sports van, maybe Sky had finally seen the light and would be showing my game live, let's face it, it couldn't be any duller than live celebrity poker? It's always comforting to finally see something that suggests you're in the right location. this occured as I bumped into the Mile oak community centre, gospal hall and medical centre all in a row. Maybe that's the natural progression in Mile oak? You join the community centre, get roped into singing at the gospel centre and on over-doing it, finish up in the medical centre. Or maybe the lack of oxygen at such a height was getting to me. I found the ground easily enough and on attempting to find the entrance, was invited into the clubhouse for a cup of tea. I've seen some different set-ups in my time but have never seen a football club using a playgroup hall as their clubhouse. It was kind of surreal talking football whilst surrounded by pictures of Mr Men. I texted 'er indoors to let her know as she's a teacher and received back, her one witty text of the year. It merely said "How's their play dough?" I ordered a cheese burger and tea which was really good and was told by an official that Mile Oak's players are not paid a penny, no expenses or anything. Nice to see that the club seems to run so well for a small outfit who are actually based in the nearby Mile Oak pub. Both teams were written up well in advance on a blackboard, don't you just love it when clubs make the effort to do this? I was made to feel welcome, so much so, that the kick-off sailed straight to my foot and if I may say so, I had a hell of a first touch. This was the first time that Mile oak had ever been in the first round proper of any FA competition. Nice to witness such history. The pitch slopes (The views from up there are great), the grass was long, the ground was dry and bumpy and there was a fair wind. Control was never going to be easy and neither side never fully adjusted. Slade Green should have scored in the first half with an unmarked player meeting a corner 6 yards out, but it hit the keeper in the midriff and was hacked clear. In the second half, Mile oak hit a 25 yard screamer just over and Slade Green had a goal disallowed for a clear push. They also saw a man clear through but he screwed his shot badly wide. Extra time arrived and Slade Green immediately went down to 10 men as a player was sent off for 2 yellows.One player said to the referee in extra time "Why are you so busy?" and I'm afraid that somewhat summed him up and extra time became a bit of a battleground. It was all Mile oak until the end and they were unlucky to see one 18 yard effort crash off the bar. In the end they couldn't find a way through, so it'll be a replay in Kent on Tuesday.
An unusual set-up and a highly original ground to visit.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Down the Chippy
Chipstead 1 Brockenhurst 2 01/10/05
I'm not sure how many non-league grounds I've been to, but despite a couple of aborted attempts, I'd never visited a Combined Counties team. My criteria for this round was to tick off my first such team. I picked on Chipstead for no other reason. The replacement bus service on my line will be running every weekend until at least Christmas (Sigh). This particular journey took me on the Thameslink line for the first time, surprising how little things excite us ground-hoppers. I won't be so excited next time as delays, signal failure and general chaos meant that I was waiting at East Croydon station for 45 mins. When my train finally arrived, it stopped at a signal for over 5 mins. I thought I'd never arrive. Now football fans and school kids are often given a hard time for making excessive noise on trains. Let me add into that mix, horse racing fans. I had a train full of people going to Tattenham corner and boy, what a racket! When I arrived at Chipstead I'd heard so many hot-tips for different horses in the 1:55 at Epsom, that I was sure that it was going to end in an 8 horse dead heat.
I decided to print off an AA route from the station to the ground. The first time I'd done this in addition to multi-map and it worked very well...It would have worked better if the station hadn't had two exits, fortunately, I picked the right one. I passed a little parade of shops on leavin the station and was looking out for food. I decided to give the Chipstead Tandoori a wide berth, in hindsight, a mistake as I never saw another shop. My route took me up quite a steep hill. A nice enough walk but cars flew up and down this quite narrow road at a hell of a speed, it was quite hairy at times and I was glad when I reached the High street. High Street? I'd hate to see the low street. I saw no shops and on reflection, no houses, just a rugby club and some kind of Nature reserve.
But I found the ground easily and headed hungrily for the clubhouse...Only to be informed that there was no food as the bloke wasn't there. So lunch was a bag of crisps and a kit=kat. How can there be no chips in Chipstead, should be called crispstead!
The clubhouse was quite nice with a well stocked bar and adequate room for a pool table. The ground itself was a white rail affair with one reasonable stand that sat about 80 people. The pitch was in quite good nick and it had very pleasant surroundings.
Chipstead and Brockenhurst had actually met earlier in the season in an FA Cup tie, don't supporters just hate it when you get drawn against the same team twice in a season?
Chipstead offered an excellent programme and I particularly liked the two articles on footballing greats, this week was Shearer and Viv Anderson.
I enjoyed watching the referee and linesman warming up and was amused when the ref instructed his assistants to join him in doing a Morecambe and Wise. This involved a knees-up run with the hands flicking up behind the head. They seemed to have a good relationship with plenty of banter and they worked well as a team during the game.
The first half was terrific and Brockenhurst took only 3 mins to score when the keeper could only palm a snap shot from the edge of the box into the top of the net. Chipstead easily had the best of the posession after this although it was end to end stuff, the Brockenhurst keeper pulled off one great full length diving save. But on half time, Brockenhurst scored again with a nice drive from the edge of the box that gave the keeper no chance.
Half time and I found a bloke serving tea and some food out of a little kitchen in the clubhouse. I had a cheeseburger, no offence to the guy who made it but Disgusting! It reminded me why I don't normally eat at football grounds.
The second half opened with a torrential downpour that lasted about 10 mins. It made conditions very tricky after this with several players imitaing Bambi on ice. The game was still end to end but Brockenhurst were a lot more comfortable and looked more of a threat up front. Chipstead did manage to score deep into stoppage time as a cross was put away with a bicycle kick that looped over the keeper and in.
An enjoyable game and a nice but quiet ground, kind of in the middle of nowhere.
If you're going to visit by train, avoid race days!
I'm not sure how many non-league grounds I've been to, but despite a couple of aborted attempts, I'd never visited a Combined Counties team. My criteria for this round was to tick off my first such team. I picked on Chipstead for no other reason. The replacement bus service on my line will be running every weekend until at least Christmas (Sigh). This particular journey took me on the Thameslink line for the first time, surprising how little things excite us ground-hoppers. I won't be so excited next time as delays, signal failure and general chaos meant that I was waiting at East Croydon station for 45 mins. When my train finally arrived, it stopped at a signal for over 5 mins. I thought I'd never arrive. Now football fans and school kids are often given a hard time for making excessive noise on trains. Let me add into that mix, horse racing fans. I had a train full of people going to Tattenham corner and boy, what a racket! When I arrived at Chipstead I'd heard so many hot-tips for different horses in the 1:55 at Epsom, that I was sure that it was going to end in an 8 horse dead heat.
I decided to print off an AA route from the station to the ground. The first time I'd done this in addition to multi-map and it worked very well...It would have worked better if the station hadn't had two exits, fortunately, I picked the right one. I passed a little parade of shops on leavin the station and was looking out for food. I decided to give the Chipstead Tandoori a wide berth, in hindsight, a mistake as I never saw another shop. My route took me up quite a steep hill. A nice enough walk but cars flew up and down this quite narrow road at a hell of a speed, it was quite hairy at times and I was glad when I reached the High street. High Street? I'd hate to see the low street. I saw no shops and on reflection, no houses, just a rugby club and some kind of Nature reserve.
But I found the ground easily and headed hungrily for the clubhouse...Only to be informed that there was no food as the bloke wasn't there. So lunch was a bag of crisps and a kit=kat. How can there be no chips in Chipstead, should be called crispstead!
The clubhouse was quite nice with a well stocked bar and adequate room for a pool table. The ground itself was a white rail affair with one reasonable stand that sat about 80 people. The pitch was in quite good nick and it had very pleasant surroundings.
Chipstead and Brockenhurst had actually met earlier in the season in an FA Cup tie, don't supporters just hate it when you get drawn against the same team twice in a season?
Chipstead offered an excellent programme and I particularly liked the two articles on footballing greats, this week was Shearer and Viv Anderson.
I enjoyed watching the referee and linesman warming up and was amused when the ref instructed his assistants to join him in doing a Morecambe and Wise. This involved a knees-up run with the hands flicking up behind the head. They seemed to have a good relationship with plenty of banter and they worked well as a team during the game.
The first half was terrific and Brockenhurst took only 3 mins to score when the keeper could only palm a snap shot from the edge of the box into the top of the net. Chipstead easily had the best of the posession after this although it was end to end stuff, the Brockenhurst keeper pulled off one great full length diving save. But on half time, Brockenhurst scored again with a nice drive from the edge of the box that gave the keeper no chance.
Half time and I found a bloke serving tea and some food out of a little kitchen in the clubhouse. I had a cheeseburger, no offence to the guy who made it but Disgusting! It reminded me why I don't normally eat at football grounds.
The second half opened with a torrential downpour that lasted about 10 mins. It made conditions very tricky after this with several players imitaing Bambi on ice. The game was still end to end but Brockenhurst were a lot more comfortable and looked more of a threat up front. Chipstead did manage to score deep into stoppage time as a cross was put away with a bicycle kick that looped over the keeper and in.
An enjoyable game and a nice but quiet ground, kind of in the middle of nowhere.
If you're going to visit by train, avoid race days!
Monday, September 19, 2005
Visit Royal Tunbridge Wells & eat like a King!
Tunbridge Wells 0 Moneyfields 0 aet
As the FA Vase reaches the latter stages, I'm grateful to be able to get to any of the matches. At the 1st qualifying round stage, there's so many choices of games, I didn't know where to start. 'Er indoors told me to pick somewhere interesting. So, interesting...Tunbridge Wells...It was the logical choice.
I decided on the game a couple of months ago and having worked out the travel arrangements, was delighted as British rail once again inflicted a replacement bus service around where I live, how many times...?
My spirits lifted about 20 mins outside Charing Cross as London's concrete towers were replaced by the beautiful Kent countryside on a lovely sunny afternoon.
I was surprised how old and small Tunbridge Wells station was, but was delighted that it was situated bang in the middle of the High street.
If you ever get grief from your partner about ground-hopping, take her with you to Tunbridge Wells. it has a fantastic array of shops in the High Street and a huge shopping mall with a further choice, shoppers paradise!
Now in 20 years of ground-hopping, I've eaten some nice food as well as some downright dreadful, but Tunbridge Wells provided me with the most fantastic lunch I've ever experienced on my football travels. I chose a small Chinese restaurant in the Mall as it had no queue. I ordered sweet & sour chicken which for 65p more, came with a can of drink and a duck spring roll. The food arrived within 3 mins, was piping hot and the taste was simply magnificent. It's worth returning just for that. Yep, 'Silks & Spice express' well and truely rocks!
I set off to find the ground and ended up getting slightly lost, all roads in Tunbridge Wells seem to start with Culverden! I ended up asking a guy on a ladder cutting his hedge for directions. Probably, taking somebody by surprise, who has an electric hedge trimmer, is not a good idea, especially if he gets angry. But this guy was very helpful although he did seem surprised that anyone would want to go to the local football club. Shame, as they don't know what they're missing. I arrived at the ground within 5 mins. You have to go down a wooded drive to the car park and ground, I can't remember any other approach to a ground like this and actually quite enjoyed the thrill of seeing what would be at the end of the drive.
Well I found a good sized car park and a square shaped clubhouse with a pool table in the middle, bar and tea/snack hatch. Reasonably good facilities and the service was friendly and fast.
There is height to view the ground from at one end which gives you an excellent view of the action. There is also a stand, as well as a covered standing area along one of the sides. The wide looking pitch was nicely mown although the grass was slightly long which meant that several passes early on were falling short. The red & white railings around the pitch were a simple but effective touch. The tannoy was crystal clear and the announcer certainly seemed the enthusiastic sort.
I enjoyed watching the youth team (Forrester's) kicking around on the pitch prior to the game. They'd obviously watched a lot of Premiership football as they spent most of their time trying to bring each other down. It was refreshing to see them bounce back up as they were fouled, killing themselves laughing. They then went off to be ball boys, a nice touch and meant that they watched the game rather than losing interest and wandering off to their own devices.
Tunbridge Wells have been in the National news recently following their record breaking penalty shoot-out win in the FA Cup. The programme came complete with a pull-out sheet giving details of the club and this record breaking event. An excellent addition to the normal programme.
So to the match itself. Firstly, a rarity to see a lady linesman. She was probably the most efficient of the officials.
Tunbridge Wells opponents were Moneyfields from Portsmouth. Moneyfields were easily the better first half team and should have scored when a chip found an unmarked striker, any contact would surely have produced a goal but the player headed fresh air and the chance went. Tunbridge wells then found a striker clean through, but he shot at the keeper who saved well with his legs. You can tell it's not the greatest game ever when spectators start arguing amongst themselves. One couple could take the complaining of another fan no more and moved away from him only for them to carry on their disagreement but from 20 yards apart, quite amusing. Tunbridge Wells were much improved in the second half and did have the ball in the net as a cross was headed home. The linesman however, had his flag up early and the effort was ruled out for offside. The game then disintegrated somewhat with errant passes and several long stops for injury. Extra time arrived and Tunbridge Wells so nearly scored early on, as their centre forward hit a 30 yard chip over the stranded Moneyfields keeper, but it went agonisingly wide. The game was crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball and try something a bit different. Moneyfields number 11 Vikram Singh seemed to be that man. But he must be so frustrating to manage. Beats players for fun and creates some lovely positions. However, his final cross, pass or shot were often so far off target, it defied belief.
In the end, the full time whistle was a blessed relief to a disappointing match. But as is so often the case, the replay will probably be a cracker.
So off I went until when almost home, the replacement bus driver got lost and I ended up sitting at the front of the coach giving the driver directions. Never a dull moment!
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the town. My advice to fellow ground-hoppers.
Visit Royal Tunbridge Wells and eat like a King!
As the FA Vase reaches the latter stages, I'm grateful to be able to get to any of the matches. At the 1st qualifying round stage, there's so many choices of games, I didn't know where to start. 'Er indoors told me to pick somewhere interesting. So, interesting...Tunbridge Wells...It was the logical choice.
I decided on the game a couple of months ago and having worked out the travel arrangements, was delighted as British rail once again inflicted a replacement bus service around where I live, how many times...?
My spirits lifted about 20 mins outside Charing Cross as London's concrete towers were replaced by the beautiful Kent countryside on a lovely sunny afternoon.
I was surprised how old and small Tunbridge Wells station was, but was delighted that it was situated bang in the middle of the High street.
If you ever get grief from your partner about ground-hopping, take her with you to Tunbridge Wells. it has a fantastic array of shops in the High Street and a huge shopping mall with a further choice, shoppers paradise!
Now in 20 years of ground-hopping, I've eaten some nice food as well as some downright dreadful, but Tunbridge Wells provided me with the most fantastic lunch I've ever experienced on my football travels. I chose a small Chinese restaurant in the Mall as it had no queue. I ordered sweet & sour chicken which for 65p more, came with a can of drink and a duck spring roll. The food arrived within 3 mins, was piping hot and the taste was simply magnificent. It's worth returning just for that. Yep, 'Silks & Spice express' well and truely rocks!
I set off to find the ground and ended up getting slightly lost, all roads in Tunbridge Wells seem to start with Culverden! I ended up asking a guy on a ladder cutting his hedge for directions. Probably, taking somebody by surprise, who has an electric hedge trimmer, is not a good idea, especially if he gets angry. But this guy was very helpful although he did seem surprised that anyone would want to go to the local football club. Shame, as they don't know what they're missing. I arrived at the ground within 5 mins. You have to go down a wooded drive to the car park and ground, I can't remember any other approach to a ground like this and actually quite enjoyed the thrill of seeing what would be at the end of the drive.
Well I found a good sized car park and a square shaped clubhouse with a pool table in the middle, bar and tea/snack hatch. Reasonably good facilities and the service was friendly and fast.
There is height to view the ground from at one end which gives you an excellent view of the action. There is also a stand, as well as a covered standing area along one of the sides. The wide looking pitch was nicely mown although the grass was slightly long which meant that several passes early on were falling short. The red & white railings around the pitch were a simple but effective touch. The tannoy was crystal clear and the announcer certainly seemed the enthusiastic sort.
I enjoyed watching the youth team (Forrester's) kicking around on the pitch prior to the game. They'd obviously watched a lot of Premiership football as they spent most of their time trying to bring each other down. It was refreshing to see them bounce back up as they were fouled, killing themselves laughing. They then went off to be ball boys, a nice touch and meant that they watched the game rather than losing interest and wandering off to their own devices.
Tunbridge Wells have been in the National news recently following their record breaking penalty shoot-out win in the FA Cup. The programme came complete with a pull-out sheet giving details of the club and this record breaking event. An excellent addition to the normal programme.
So to the match itself. Firstly, a rarity to see a lady linesman. She was probably the most efficient of the officials.
Tunbridge Wells opponents were Moneyfields from Portsmouth. Moneyfields were easily the better first half team and should have scored when a chip found an unmarked striker, any contact would surely have produced a goal but the player headed fresh air and the chance went. Tunbridge wells then found a striker clean through, but he shot at the keeper who saved well with his legs. You can tell it's not the greatest game ever when spectators start arguing amongst themselves. One couple could take the complaining of another fan no more and moved away from him only for them to carry on their disagreement but from 20 yards apart, quite amusing. Tunbridge Wells were much improved in the second half and did have the ball in the net as a cross was headed home. The linesman however, had his flag up early and the effort was ruled out for offside. The game then disintegrated somewhat with errant passes and several long stops for injury. Extra time arrived and Tunbridge Wells so nearly scored early on, as their centre forward hit a 30 yard chip over the stranded Moneyfields keeper, but it went agonisingly wide. The game was crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball and try something a bit different. Moneyfields number 11 Vikram Singh seemed to be that man. But he must be so frustrating to manage. Beats players for fun and creates some lovely positions. However, his final cross, pass or shot were often so far off target, it defied belief.
In the end, the full time whistle was a blessed relief to a disappointing match. But as is so often the case, the replay will probably be a cracker.
So off I went until when almost home, the replacement bus driver got lost and I ended up sitting at the front of the coach giving the driver directions. Never a dull moment!
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the town. My advice to fellow ground-hoppers.
Visit Royal Tunbridge Wells and eat like a King!
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