Oh yay! Oh Yay, AFC Totton are in the Vase semi finals.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Monday, March 05, 2007
Defeat, a kick in the face for Wimborne
AFC Totton 2 Wimborne Town 1 aet
3rd March 2007
When you get to the quarter finals of a National competiton & have two grounds you haven't visited within reasonable distance, you know that it's not all going wrong. It was between Whitehawk & AFC Totton, I'd visited a Sussex league side earlier in the competition at Ringmer, so decided on Totton. Yet another heavy nights rain meant that I was concerned that the game would still be on, it must be about 12 weeks in a row this has happened and I've been mostly lucky to find games still on. The journey is remarkably easy, about 85 minutes from Waterloo on a train with loads of space. The only confusing thing is why they announce that you'll be fined if caught travelling on this train without a ticket, this announcement is made about 2 minutes after the train has pulled out from the station. The journey went without incident through some delightful countryside. Totton was a little larger than I'd expected and I eagerly hit the town in search of lunch. I was a little disappointed, loads of chinese takeaways and the odd Indian, but not the little cafe or chippy I was hoping for. I ended up in Asda looking for a supermarket cafe but could only find a MacDonalds in Asda, it took about 15 minutes to reach the front of the queue & with hindsight and local knowledge, I would have eated in the ground. The ground is only about a 10 minute walk from the station and very easy to find. The crowds were flocking up the street and I was hugely impressed when I got through the gate. Loads of programmes (Hillingdon & Causeway take note), two well staffed fast food outlets, a pick n' mix van for the kids, cheerleaders, a town crier and a wacking great marquee selling beer. Great to see a club making this effort and it certainly paid off, I kept hearing guys ringing their mates and telling them to come down. FA officials had also brought the Vase trophy to show off and I'm grateful to the official who took my picture with the trophy, very splendid and would look good on my mantlepiece. I've never seen a town crier at a game of football before but he gave it a brave shot as did the cheerleaders who were never going to be able to compete with the enthusiastic Wimborne fans. There's a small stand and another covered standing area set back from the other side. Surprisingly, the pitch was quite bumpy although it soon softened up when the inevitible downpour arrived. There was a great crowd of over 1300, this had a real cup tie feel. My favourite comment of the day came from a guy standing next to me with his son. Dad was receiving updates of premiership scores on his mobile. When he announced that Arsenal had scored twice, his son asked who had scored. " I don't know!" replied Dad, "Oh yes, there you are...Samsung & Cancel" Went way over his sons head but made me laugh.
This was a game of two halves. Totton never showed up ntil half time, Wimborne scoring first after 35 mins when a shot from just inside the box caught a wicked deflection and gave the keeper no chance. Once Totton started playing, they were much the better side and equalised on 54 mins. A cross was curled to the far post, usually with this type of ball ,the player coming in just can't reach it, this time he did and managed to steer it in from a tight angle. The game was considerably delayed due to two nasty Wimborne injuries. First a player was stretchered off with a leg injury and then the keeper was down for about 15 minutes after accidently being kicked John Terry like in the face. The keeper looked decidely dodgy after this and you wonder what effect that knock had on the final outcome, you cannot fault his bravery though. The winner came 8 minutes into extra time, a free kick was hit to the far post, an unmarked man headed for goal, the keeper could only palm it across the 6 yard box to Stevens who blasted into an empty net from only 2 yards out.
I'm delighted for Totton, the club made such an effort which was greatly appreciated, wimborne played their part and will look back and feel that luck was not on their side.
3rd March 2007
When you get to the quarter finals of a National competiton & have two grounds you haven't visited within reasonable distance, you know that it's not all going wrong. It was between Whitehawk & AFC Totton, I'd visited a Sussex league side earlier in the competition at Ringmer, so decided on Totton. Yet another heavy nights rain meant that I was concerned that the game would still be on, it must be about 12 weeks in a row this has happened and I've been mostly lucky to find games still on. The journey is remarkably easy, about 85 minutes from Waterloo on a train with loads of space. The only confusing thing is why they announce that you'll be fined if caught travelling on this train without a ticket, this announcement is made about 2 minutes after the train has pulled out from the station. The journey went without incident through some delightful countryside. Totton was a little larger than I'd expected and I eagerly hit the town in search of lunch. I was a little disappointed, loads of chinese takeaways and the odd Indian, but not the little cafe or chippy I was hoping for. I ended up in Asda looking for a supermarket cafe but could only find a MacDonalds in Asda, it took about 15 minutes to reach the front of the queue & with hindsight and local knowledge, I would have eated in the ground. The ground is only about a 10 minute walk from the station and very easy to find. The crowds were flocking up the street and I was hugely impressed when I got through the gate. Loads of programmes (Hillingdon & Causeway take note), two well staffed fast food outlets, a pick n' mix van for the kids, cheerleaders, a town crier and a wacking great marquee selling beer. Great to see a club making this effort and it certainly paid off, I kept hearing guys ringing their mates and telling them to come down. FA officials had also brought the Vase trophy to show off and I'm grateful to the official who took my picture with the trophy, very splendid and would look good on my mantlepiece. I've never seen a town crier at a game of football before but he gave it a brave shot as did the cheerleaders who were never going to be able to compete with the enthusiastic Wimborne fans. There's a small stand and another covered standing area set back from the other side. Surprisingly, the pitch was quite bumpy although it soon softened up when the inevitible downpour arrived. There was a great crowd of over 1300, this had a real cup tie feel. My favourite comment of the day came from a guy standing next to me with his son. Dad was receiving updates of premiership scores on his mobile. When he announced that Arsenal had scored twice, his son asked who had scored. " I don't know!" replied Dad, "Oh yes, there you are...Samsung & Cancel" Went way over his sons head but made me laugh.
This was a game of two halves. Totton never showed up ntil half time, Wimborne scoring first after 35 mins when a shot from just inside the box caught a wicked deflection and gave the keeper no chance. Once Totton started playing, they were much the better side and equalised on 54 mins. A cross was curled to the far post, usually with this type of ball ,the player coming in just can't reach it, this time he did and managed to steer it in from a tight angle. The game was considerably delayed due to two nasty Wimborne injuries. First a player was stretchered off with a leg injury and then the keeper was down for about 15 minutes after accidently being kicked John Terry like in the face. The keeper looked decidely dodgy after this and you wonder what effect that knock had on the final outcome, you cannot fault his bravery though. The winner came 8 minutes into extra time, a free kick was hit to the far post, an unmarked man headed for goal, the keeper could only palm it across the 6 yard box to Stevens who blasted into an empty net from only 2 yards out.
I'm delighted for Totton, the club made such an effort which was greatly appreciated, wimborne played their part and will look back and feel that luck was not on their side.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Giant win at Causeway
Causeway 0 Curzon Ashton 5
17/2/07
Every now and again, the weather works in your favour. I had been unable to attend Vase matches the previous weekend due to an evening engagement. But thanks to heavy snow & rain, 3 of the matches were postponed to this Saturday. I'd visited VCD previously so had to choose between Leamington or Causeway. I decided on Causeway with a mental flip of the coin & prepared maps and timetables for the lengthy journey. I flicked to the Causeway website just before leaving home and discovered that there was a 9:30 pitch inspection, not good when my train left at 9.50. I went to the station and telephoned the club at 9.40 who informed me the game was on. I was greatful to whoever answered the phone, another 10 minutes & I couldn't have taken the risk and would have returned to VCD. It amused me to hear Arsenal fans on my first train discussing who might score their first goal. If only they knew where I was going, I couldn't name a single player at this point, let alone one who might score. The Virgin train from Euston was very busy but stayed on time, I did have one mild panic when the 'train manager' informed us that we were approaching Crewe...He meant Rugby! The train between Birmingham & Dudley Port is the first ever train I've been on which has TV's in each carriage showing Sky News/weather/sport etc. Quite nice actually as everyone else was attracted to the screen whilst I stayed up the other end of the carriage watching the World go by or in this case, watching the Industrial estates go by, not an attractive journey for scenery. I arrived at Dudley Port station, had a 50% chance of turning the right way and got it wrong, fortunately I soon realised. This mis-direction did take me past a chippy so I called in for lunch. I selected Saveloy and chips. I've never seen such yellow looking chips in my life and they were disgusting, I wished I'd taken the assistant up on her offer of curry sauce. Fortunately, the saveloy was OK, but those chips!! I was miffed when 5 minutes later, I passed a perfectly good looking 'Subway'. The ground is about a 2 mile walk from the station along very busy roads but easy enough to find. The clubhouse was packed so I waited outside for the gate to open. this happened about 2:30. I was fourth in the queue and couldn't believe my ears when I was told that there were no programmes. They'd only printed off about40 which had all been sold in the clubhouse. Several travellors mingled inside trying to purchase a programme from somewhere. An official promissed to print off some more and bring them round to us. I waited until kick-off but the programmes never appeared, very disppointing. I was actually buying a cup of tea at the tea hut which also offered curry sauce with chips, does this happen everywhere in the Midlands? Norton comfortable put away the early chance for Curzon. 3 minutes later Curzon won a penalty when Moore was decked in the box. He was pushed in the chest and threw himself to the ground holding his face, disgusting! I try to remain neutral but was delighted when the keeper saved his spot kick. 3 goals in 6 minutes started on 24 mins when Norton scored again when a stray shot inadvertantly put him through. Another penalty was awarded on 26 mins, hard luck on the defender as a flick hit his hand. It was a definite case of ball to hand. Moore this time took a good penalty. On 30 mins, Moore dribbled into the area, changed feet and hit a beauty across goal and in off the inside of the far post, a lovely finished. A shell shocked Causeway tried to lift it in the second half but Curzon killed the game. Curzon still created all the good chances and Norton was so unlucky when a 40 yard chip hit the bar with the keeper ending up caught up in his net. The final goal came on 71 mins when substitute Holt scored easily from a Norton pass.
This victory was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
A lengthy trip but well worth the effort.
Next stop, AFC Totton.
17/2/07
Every now and again, the weather works in your favour. I had been unable to attend Vase matches the previous weekend due to an evening engagement. But thanks to heavy snow & rain, 3 of the matches were postponed to this Saturday. I'd visited VCD previously so had to choose between Leamington or Causeway. I decided on Causeway with a mental flip of the coin & prepared maps and timetables for the lengthy journey. I flicked to the Causeway website just before leaving home and discovered that there was a 9:30 pitch inspection, not good when my train left at 9.50. I went to the station and telephoned the club at 9.40 who informed me the game was on. I was greatful to whoever answered the phone, another 10 minutes & I couldn't have taken the risk and would have returned to VCD. It amused me to hear Arsenal fans on my first train discussing who might score their first goal. If only they knew where I was going, I couldn't name a single player at this point, let alone one who might score. The Virgin train from Euston was very busy but stayed on time, I did have one mild panic when the 'train manager' informed us that we were approaching Crewe...He meant Rugby! The train between Birmingham & Dudley Port is the first ever train I've been on which has TV's in each carriage showing Sky News/weather/sport etc. Quite nice actually as everyone else was attracted to the screen whilst I stayed up the other end of the carriage watching the World go by or in this case, watching the Industrial estates go by, not an attractive journey for scenery. I arrived at Dudley Port station, had a 50% chance of turning the right way and got it wrong, fortunately I soon realised. This mis-direction did take me past a chippy so I called in for lunch. I selected Saveloy and chips. I've never seen such yellow looking chips in my life and they were disgusting, I wished I'd taken the assistant up on her offer of curry sauce. Fortunately, the saveloy was OK, but those chips!! I was miffed when 5 minutes later, I passed a perfectly good looking 'Subway'. The ground is about a 2 mile walk from the station along very busy roads but easy enough to find. The clubhouse was packed so I waited outside for the gate to open. this happened about 2:30. I was fourth in the queue and couldn't believe my ears when I was told that there were no programmes. They'd only printed off about40 which had all been sold in the clubhouse. Several travellors mingled inside trying to purchase a programme from somewhere. An official promissed to print off some more and bring them round to us. I waited until kick-off but the programmes never appeared, very disppointing. I was actually buying a cup of tea at the tea hut which also offered curry sauce with chips, does this happen everywhere in the Midlands? Norton comfortable put away the early chance for Curzon. 3 minutes later Curzon won a penalty when Moore was decked in the box. He was pushed in the chest and threw himself to the ground holding his face, disgusting! I try to remain neutral but was delighted when the keeper saved his spot kick. 3 goals in 6 minutes started on 24 mins when Norton scored again when a stray shot inadvertantly put him through. Another penalty was awarded on 26 mins, hard luck on the defender as a flick hit his hand. It was a definite case of ball to hand. Moore this time took a good penalty. On 30 mins, Moore dribbled into the area, changed feet and hit a beauty across goal and in off the inside of the far post, a lovely finished. A shell shocked Causeway tried to lift it in the second half but Curzon killed the game. Curzon still created all the good chances and Norton was so unlucky when a 40 yard chip hit the bar with the keeper ending up caught up in his net. The final goal came on 71 mins when substitute Holt scored easily from a Norton pass.
This victory was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
A lengthy trip but well worth the effort.
Next stop, AFC Totton.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
VCD storm through
VCD Athletic 2 West Auckland 1
When the draw was made for this round, I decided on VCD as I hadn't yet visited a Kent league club this season. I consulted my Cherry red directory & saw that they ground shared with Lordswood. This ground is a fair treck from Chatham station & I was starting to have a few doubts. On visiting their web site, I noticed that they'd actually moved back to their home in Crayford and my enthusiasm returned. Now, two days before this game, Britain had experienced the worst storms for 20 years along with vast amounts of rain. I half expected the game to be cancelled but set off in the hope that my luck was in. About 10 minutes outside London Bridge, I saw a sight to warm the cockles of any grounhoppers heart....2 games of park football being played. This gave me hope that the rain had only been a mild monsoon in Crayford and I left the train with a positive spring in my step. The ground is a simple 10 minute walk from the station, normally at this point I would comment on my choice of lunch, but I was so keen to find the ground, that I flew straight past MacDonalds, KFC & various other assorted pubs, kebab shops & cafes. As I turned the final corner before the ground, I was once again greeted with a marvelous sight, this time the West Auckland coach. Since they'd come all the way from Durham, they surely wouldn't arrive to find the match off. The gateman confirmed that the game was on & I was a very happy man. For some reason, Kent league grounds often verge on the quirky, Greenwich Borough for instance is the only ground I've visited where you pay on the door. I'm happy to report that VCD is a definite exception. I loved this ground, you enter through the turnstile and see a steepish path which leads down to the ground. This high ground gives a great ariel view of the game to those interested. There's a stand that sits about 150, the rest of the ground is uncovered with hardstanding around a white rail. The pitch looked and indeed played fabulous and for a change, was dead flat. There's a fair sized clubhouse with at least 3 TV's showing the lunchtime premiership match. I was slighlt perturbed when there was a sudden power cut behind the bar, I had visions of floodlight failure, but the locals took it all in their stride & this is clearly a common occurence. Lunch was a burger from the van inside the ground, not exactly fine cuisine but was pleasant enough. I learnt that there had been a morning pitch inspection, but I've seen games playd on 10 times worse a surface. So to the game. The first half hour was extremely scrappy with the blustery wind causing a few problems. West Auckland took the lead on 28 mins. A free kick was given centrally 25 yards out. Whilst the wall was being set, Fairhurst asked the referee if he could take it quickly, the ref. blew his whistle & Fairhurst side footed a shot into the bottom corner whilst the keeper was still miles out of position setting his wall. West Auckland were suddenly well on top and VCD will be glad that halftime came when it did. VCD's halftime talk did the trick and they equalised on 48 mins. A corner from the left was half cleared and played back out to the corner taker. He whipped in another cross that Peneny met with his head, his effort at goal squirming in under the keepers body. We suddenly had a wonderfully competitive, evenly matched cup tie played in a marvelous spirit. West Aucklands keeper made a great double save from a VCD forward, but just as extra time was loomig, VCD scored again on 87 mins. A Forward was bundled over on the right edge of the area. I was very close to this incident, sure, it was a foul, but I have to say that it looked suspicously like it was just outside the box. Anyhow, the referee pointed to the spot and Probets put away a neat penalty. And that was that, an unexpected gem of a match at a ground where so many things are done well.
Unfortunately, I'm away for the next round..Roll on the quarter finals.
When the draw was made for this round, I decided on VCD as I hadn't yet visited a Kent league club this season. I consulted my Cherry red directory & saw that they ground shared with Lordswood. This ground is a fair treck from Chatham station & I was starting to have a few doubts. On visiting their web site, I noticed that they'd actually moved back to their home in Crayford and my enthusiasm returned. Now, two days before this game, Britain had experienced the worst storms for 20 years along with vast amounts of rain. I half expected the game to be cancelled but set off in the hope that my luck was in. About 10 minutes outside London Bridge, I saw a sight to warm the cockles of any grounhoppers heart....2 games of park football being played. This gave me hope that the rain had only been a mild monsoon in Crayford and I left the train with a positive spring in my step. The ground is a simple 10 minute walk from the station, normally at this point I would comment on my choice of lunch, but I was so keen to find the ground, that I flew straight past MacDonalds, KFC & various other assorted pubs, kebab shops & cafes. As I turned the final corner before the ground, I was once again greeted with a marvelous sight, this time the West Auckland coach. Since they'd come all the way from Durham, they surely wouldn't arrive to find the match off. The gateman confirmed that the game was on & I was a very happy man. For some reason, Kent league grounds often verge on the quirky, Greenwich Borough for instance is the only ground I've visited where you pay on the door. I'm happy to report that VCD is a definite exception. I loved this ground, you enter through the turnstile and see a steepish path which leads down to the ground. This high ground gives a great ariel view of the game to those interested. There's a stand that sits about 150, the rest of the ground is uncovered with hardstanding around a white rail. The pitch looked and indeed played fabulous and for a change, was dead flat. There's a fair sized clubhouse with at least 3 TV's showing the lunchtime premiership match. I was slighlt perturbed when there was a sudden power cut behind the bar, I had visions of floodlight failure, but the locals took it all in their stride & this is clearly a common occurence. Lunch was a burger from the van inside the ground, not exactly fine cuisine but was pleasant enough. I learnt that there had been a morning pitch inspection, but I've seen games playd on 10 times worse a surface. So to the game. The first half hour was extremely scrappy with the blustery wind causing a few problems. West Auckland took the lead on 28 mins. A free kick was given centrally 25 yards out. Whilst the wall was being set, Fairhurst asked the referee if he could take it quickly, the ref. blew his whistle & Fairhurst side footed a shot into the bottom corner whilst the keeper was still miles out of position setting his wall. West Auckland were suddenly well on top and VCD will be glad that halftime came when it did. VCD's halftime talk did the trick and they equalised on 48 mins. A corner from the left was half cleared and played back out to the corner taker. He whipped in another cross that Peneny met with his head, his effort at goal squirming in under the keepers body. We suddenly had a wonderfully competitive, evenly matched cup tie played in a marvelous spirit. West Aucklands keeper made a great double save from a VCD forward, but just as extra time was loomig, VCD scored again on 87 mins. A Forward was bundled over on the right edge of the area. I was very close to this incident, sure, it was a foul, but I have to say that it looked suspicously like it was just outside the box. Anyhow, the referee pointed to the spot and Probets put away a neat penalty. And that was that, an unexpected gem of a match at a ground where so many things are done well.
Unfortunately, I'm away for the next round..Roll on the quarter finals.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Is this a trophy I see before me?
Stratford Town 2 Colliers Wood United 1 aet
Living in the south of England and not being a driver means that I tend to shy away from visiting Northern clubs. I try every now and then to make a journey further North and this was one of those occasions although the tie was still in the Southern section of the draw. Having run train times from the Intenet, I called at the station to buy my ticket. The assistant asked whether I was going via Banbury. I claimed that I didn't think so, but wasn't sure. All I knew was that I changed at Marylebone. Apparently, there was an £8 difference in the price. To his credit, the assistant took a minute to look my journey up in a book and informed me that i would be going via Banbury, he then sold me the cheaper ticket. Fair play to the bloke for not trying to rip me off. The journey is just over 2 hours from London and went without a hitch. The only thing worth mentioning was the group of Europeans who got on the train at Banbury, each armed with a miniature bottle of wine. They all started to drink from their bottles. After every gulp, they'd look at the label and all burst out laughing. I couldn't quite work out why. Maybe it was the quality of the wine. If they wanted to sample fine wines in England, Banbury station would not have been the best starting place. Last week I groundhopped to Gravesend & Northfleet where you see the ground as you pull into the station, Stratford is the same and it takes a huge amount of stress away, knowing that you're not going to spend the next hour desperately trying to figure out if you're going the right way. A large Morrisons is also next to the station. I hoped they had a cafe and was not dissapointed. I could have chosen their Christmas lunch for a very reasonable price. Instead a stuck with the trusty sausage, chips, egg & beans. Again, well priced and with quick service and good, hot food, I couldn't complain. I also chose an iced, fruit finger which I discovered had also been buttered. Well done Morrisons, actually an excellent choice of food. I walked round to find the ground which was easy enough. I was slightly unnerved as I saw cars driving away, so asked a committee member whether the match was still on. His reply of "I hope so" didn't exactly fill me with confidence.
My two major interests are non-league football and amateur dramatics. Occassionally. well, very occassionally. Actually, for the first time ever, the two interests combined. With an hour or so to spare, I decided to explore the Stratford-upon-Avon town centre. A strange place. A mixture of modern shops along with some very old architecture, something about it didn't quite work for me. I did however manage to track down the site of the house where Shakespeare lived and eventually died. I've always been slightly guilty that I haven't liked Shakespeare. I love so much about theatre, but just cannot get on with Shakespeare at all. His brilliance however, cannot be denied and I felt by visiting the place where he lived, I feel like I made a kind of peace.
Back to the ground where I was relieved to find the game on. The ground is surrounded by a building plant and is quite intimidating with bits of heavy machinery occassionally encroaching over the fence. There is one basic stand which sits about 100. Other than that, it's hardstanding around a low blue rail. The pitch slopes lengthways, but it didn't notice once the game got under way.
This was the first time that Stratford had played against a Combined counties league team in a competitive fixture. It's fair to say that this part of their history didn't get off to the most friendly of starts. Stratford could have scored in the 2nd minute but a header went just over. The game was very competitive and even. Colliers Wood took the lead on 25 mins. A ball was flicked through to Longley who rounded the keeper and shot into an empty net from 12 yards. Stratford raised their game in the second half and equalised soon after the restart, Robinson held the ball up and laid it off to Stephenson who curled in a nice 15 yard effort. The second half then descended into virtual warfare. Fierce tackles, scuffle after scuffle, injury after injury and every single decision argued against. The game developed into farce as a member of the Stratford management team had to be restrained for about 5 minutes and was sent off from the fence, closely followed by a colleague. Disgraceful scenes that have absolutely no place in football. Colliers Wood was then sent off for stamping creating yet another melee. The half eventually ended having lasted 57 mins.
Thankfully, a calm descended during extra time. The winner came on 108 mins as Robinson met a Mitchell cross with a flying header.
I understand this ground is to close in January as Stratford prepare to re-locate. This will never be one of my favourite grounds but it was nice to get it in before it sees it's final game. This was a fine competitive game which was unfortunately ruined by several mindless idiots both on the pitch and more worryingly, on the bench. I hope these incidents haven't overshadowed Stratford's journey to the FA Vase 4th round for only the second time in their history.
Living in the south of England and not being a driver means that I tend to shy away from visiting Northern clubs. I try every now and then to make a journey further North and this was one of those occasions although the tie was still in the Southern section of the draw. Having run train times from the Intenet, I called at the station to buy my ticket. The assistant asked whether I was going via Banbury. I claimed that I didn't think so, but wasn't sure. All I knew was that I changed at Marylebone. Apparently, there was an £8 difference in the price. To his credit, the assistant took a minute to look my journey up in a book and informed me that i would be going via Banbury, he then sold me the cheaper ticket. Fair play to the bloke for not trying to rip me off. The journey is just over 2 hours from London and went without a hitch. The only thing worth mentioning was the group of Europeans who got on the train at Banbury, each armed with a miniature bottle of wine. They all started to drink from their bottles. After every gulp, they'd look at the label and all burst out laughing. I couldn't quite work out why. Maybe it was the quality of the wine. If they wanted to sample fine wines in England, Banbury station would not have been the best starting place. Last week I groundhopped to Gravesend & Northfleet where you see the ground as you pull into the station, Stratford is the same and it takes a huge amount of stress away, knowing that you're not going to spend the next hour desperately trying to figure out if you're going the right way. A large Morrisons is also next to the station. I hoped they had a cafe and was not dissapointed. I could have chosen their Christmas lunch for a very reasonable price. Instead a stuck with the trusty sausage, chips, egg & beans. Again, well priced and with quick service and good, hot food, I couldn't complain. I also chose an iced, fruit finger which I discovered had also been buttered. Well done Morrisons, actually an excellent choice of food. I walked round to find the ground which was easy enough. I was slightly unnerved as I saw cars driving away, so asked a committee member whether the match was still on. His reply of "I hope so" didn't exactly fill me with confidence.
My two major interests are non-league football and amateur dramatics. Occassionally. well, very occassionally. Actually, for the first time ever, the two interests combined. With an hour or so to spare, I decided to explore the Stratford-upon-Avon town centre. A strange place. A mixture of modern shops along with some very old architecture, something about it didn't quite work for me. I did however manage to track down the site of the house where Shakespeare lived and eventually died. I've always been slightly guilty that I haven't liked Shakespeare. I love so much about theatre, but just cannot get on with Shakespeare at all. His brilliance however, cannot be denied and I felt by visiting the place where he lived, I feel like I made a kind of peace.
Back to the ground where I was relieved to find the game on. The ground is surrounded by a building plant and is quite intimidating with bits of heavy machinery occassionally encroaching over the fence. There is one basic stand which sits about 100. Other than that, it's hardstanding around a low blue rail. The pitch slopes lengthways, but it didn't notice once the game got under way.
This was the first time that Stratford had played against a Combined counties league team in a competitive fixture. It's fair to say that this part of their history didn't get off to the most friendly of starts. Stratford could have scored in the 2nd minute but a header went just over. The game was very competitive and even. Colliers Wood took the lead on 25 mins. A ball was flicked through to Longley who rounded the keeper and shot into an empty net from 12 yards. Stratford raised their game in the second half and equalised soon after the restart, Robinson held the ball up and laid it off to Stephenson who curled in a nice 15 yard effort. The second half then descended into virtual warfare. Fierce tackles, scuffle after scuffle, injury after injury and every single decision argued against. The game developed into farce as a member of the Stratford management team had to be restrained for about 5 minutes and was sent off from the fence, closely followed by a colleague. Disgraceful scenes that have absolutely no place in football. Colliers Wood was then sent off for stamping creating yet another melee. The half eventually ended having lasted 57 mins.
Thankfully, a calm descended during extra time. The winner came on 108 mins as Robinson met a Mitchell cross with a flying header.
I understand this ground is to close in January as Stratford prepare to re-locate. This will never be one of my favourite grounds but it was nice to get it in before it sees it's final game. This was a fine competitive game which was unfortunately ruined by several mindless idiots both on the pitch and more worryingly, on the bench. I hope these incidents haven't overshadowed Stratford's journey to the FA Vase 4th round for only the second time in their history.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Hoppers gather as Northampton cruise through
Northampton Spencer 5 Thetford Town 2
When the draw was published, I have to confess that I struggled somewhat for inspiration. I marked a few possible ties, but none of them filled me with any excitement for some reason. I decided to sleep on it for a few days. The inspiration came when I saw that Northampton Spencer had won a replay & were drawn at home. Now, I've heard of Frank Spencer, Spencer Tracey, Marks & Spencer; But Northampton Spencer, what's all that about? Here was my chance to find out. I've been ground hopping a number of years now and yet had never visited a ground via Euston station. Most London Stations are old and vaguely crowded and not particularly pleasant places to wait around at. Euston, was almost a joy. It's modern, uncrowded and has a delightful area just outside the terminus where you can sit on a nice day with various mobile food outlets. I enjoyed a Starbucks coffee and actually found it a bit of a wrench as I headed off to board my train. Signal failrues near Wembley meant that the previous train had been cancelled, mine was therefore packed but did leave on time. Bless the old couple sitting opposite me. They were trying to get to a church in Leighton Buzzard for 1pm and had travelled up from Hove. What an adventure they'd had! A train breakdown in Brighton, cancellations and a signal failure in Wimbledon. They put a brave face on it, but were clearly upset by this horrendous journey. The Scottish lady showed a lovely gesture in lending them her mobile phone to call ahead saying that they'd be late, restored my faith in Human nature. They arrived at Leighton Buzzard at 1:10pm and still had to find the church. I hope they made it! I did have the pleasure of going past the new Wembley stadium. It looks absolutely fantastic and slightly futuristic. When I saw it all lit up in the dark on my way home, it sent a shiver up my spine. I just can't wait to go if it ever,ever opens. On arriving at Northampton, I got my bearings and on doing so, walked along consulting my multimap. Suddenly, I was aware of two men walking towards me, also holding a multimap saying "Here's someone who looks like he's going to football." It turned out to be two fellow groundhoppers who I'd never met before, do we stand out that obviously? I enjoyed my walk to the ground with them which takes about half an hour. It turned out that one of them collects local newspapers and he kept popping off into newsagents to see what he could find. It always fascinates me the different hobbies that people have. As I had company, I didn't go out of my way to find food and decided to try my luck at the club. For anyone planning a visit to this ground, take my advice and don't eat on the way. I had the best chips I'd ever had at a football ground, piping hot and cooked in clean oil, the burger was also very nice. Washed down with a bottle of bud. made this a most acceptible lunch. Northampton Spencer have a superb function room with ample space, a couple of TV's and a large, well-stocked bar. the deluge of rain we'd had the day before worried me slightly, but the pitch, although not spectacular, had held up well and the game was never in doubt. There's a stand which sits about 75 and another covered area along the same stand. The rest of the ground has a white rail with hard standing. it's not the most charismatic place I've ever been to set in an Industrial area, but does the job. Funny, in a week where Mike Newell had been in the press for slagging off a female lino. that I should turn up to discover that this match was to be refereed by a lady. To be fair, Miss Hong gave an extremely credible performance.A lot of her decisions were contested, but have you ever been to a game when they're not? Her performance was understated and it was nice to see a referee not wanting to be the centre of attention, good luck to her. The game was slightly scrappy, but with 7 goals, you certainly can't complain. Northampton scored after only 4 mins as Frost hit a lovely 18 yard drive across goal and in off the inside of the far post. on 16 mins, Frost scored again as he beat the offside trap, side-stepped the keeper and scored from 14 yards. It looked like it could be a landslide, but Thetford fought back and scored 2 in 10 mins. Firstly, a cross was allowed to bounce and Pask headed over the advancing keeper and then Crashaw shot home from 12 yards after a defender missed his clearance. Northampton clearly upped their concentration in the second half and the result was never in doubt once they'd re-taken the lead. on 66 mins, a freek kick from wide right was headed towards goal by Nedomovic and allowed by the keeper to squirm under his body. The keeper unfortuately repeated the favour 4 mins later when he allowed Frost to complete a hattrick by allowing his 18 yard shot to again, squirm underneath him. The final goal came on 77 mins as Cottle drove home from the far post after a great cross by Foster.
The Spencer part of the team name. Well, it turns out that the club were formed by members of Spencer school old boys, the team based on members of their old school team, the Spencer name has remained with the team. A mention also for the matchday programme. A most unusua 8 inch by 4 inch pamphlet style.
I also bumped into a photographer who I've previously met at other non-league events, Definitely a game where groundhoppers gathered for some reason.
It took a while for me to decide on this game, but all in all, a most enjoyable afternoon at an interesting club to visit.
When the draw was published, I have to confess that I struggled somewhat for inspiration. I marked a few possible ties, but none of them filled me with any excitement for some reason. I decided to sleep on it for a few days. The inspiration came when I saw that Northampton Spencer had won a replay & were drawn at home. Now, I've heard of Frank Spencer, Spencer Tracey, Marks & Spencer; But Northampton Spencer, what's all that about? Here was my chance to find out. I've been ground hopping a number of years now and yet had never visited a ground via Euston station. Most London Stations are old and vaguely crowded and not particularly pleasant places to wait around at. Euston, was almost a joy. It's modern, uncrowded and has a delightful area just outside the terminus where you can sit on a nice day with various mobile food outlets. I enjoyed a Starbucks coffee and actually found it a bit of a wrench as I headed off to board my train. Signal failrues near Wembley meant that the previous train had been cancelled, mine was therefore packed but did leave on time. Bless the old couple sitting opposite me. They were trying to get to a church in Leighton Buzzard for 1pm and had travelled up from Hove. What an adventure they'd had! A train breakdown in Brighton, cancellations and a signal failure in Wimbledon. They put a brave face on it, but were clearly upset by this horrendous journey. The Scottish lady showed a lovely gesture in lending them her mobile phone to call ahead saying that they'd be late, restored my faith in Human nature. They arrived at Leighton Buzzard at 1:10pm and still had to find the church. I hope they made it! I did have the pleasure of going past the new Wembley stadium. It looks absolutely fantastic and slightly futuristic. When I saw it all lit up in the dark on my way home, it sent a shiver up my spine. I just can't wait to go if it ever,ever opens. On arriving at Northampton, I got my bearings and on doing so, walked along consulting my multimap. Suddenly, I was aware of two men walking towards me, also holding a multimap saying "Here's someone who looks like he's going to football." It turned out to be two fellow groundhoppers who I'd never met before, do we stand out that obviously? I enjoyed my walk to the ground with them which takes about half an hour. It turned out that one of them collects local newspapers and he kept popping off into newsagents to see what he could find. It always fascinates me the different hobbies that people have. As I had company, I didn't go out of my way to find food and decided to try my luck at the club. For anyone planning a visit to this ground, take my advice and don't eat on the way. I had the best chips I'd ever had at a football ground, piping hot and cooked in clean oil, the burger was also very nice. Washed down with a bottle of bud. made this a most acceptible lunch. Northampton Spencer have a superb function room with ample space, a couple of TV's and a large, well-stocked bar. the deluge of rain we'd had the day before worried me slightly, but the pitch, although not spectacular, had held up well and the game was never in doubt. There's a stand which sits about 75 and another covered area along the same stand. The rest of the ground has a white rail with hard standing. it's not the most charismatic place I've ever been to set in an Industrial area, but does the job. Funny, in a week where Mike Newell had been in the press for slagging off a female lino. that I should turn up to discover that this match was to be refereed by a lady. To be fair, Miss Hong gave an extremely credible performance.A lot of her decisions were contested, but have you ever been to a game when they're not? Her performance was understated and it was nice to see a referee not wanting to be the centre of attention, good luck to her. The game was slightly scrappy, but with 7 goals, you certainly can't complain. Northampton scored after only 4 mins as Frost hit a lovely 18 yard drive across goal and in off the inside of the far post. on 16 mins, Frost scored again as he beat the offside trap, side-stepped the keeper and scored from 14 yards. It looked like it could be a landslide, but Thetford fought back and scored 2 in 10 mins. Firstly, a cross was allowed to bounce and Pask headed over the advancing keeper and then Crashaw shot home from 12 yards after a defender missed his clearance. Northampton clearly upped their concentration in the second half and the result was never in doubt once they'd re-taken the lead. on 66 mins, a freek kick from wide right was headed towards goal by Nedomovic and allowed by the keeper to squirm under his body. The keeper unfortuately repeated the favour 4 mins later when he allowed Frost to complete a hattrick by allowing his 18 yard shot to again, squirm underneath him. The final goal came on 77 mins as Cottle drove home from the far post after a great cross by Foster.
The Spencer part of the team name. Well, it turns out that the club were formed by members of Spencer school old boys, the team based on members of their old school team, the Spencer name has remained with the team. A mention also for the matchday programme. A most unusua 8 inch by 4 inch pamphlet style.
I also bumped into a photographer who I've previously met at other non-league events, Definitely a game where groundhoppers gathered for some reason.
It took a while for me to decide on this game, but all in all, a most enjoyable afternoon at an interesting club to visit.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
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