Sunday, March 09, 2014
Bourne Again
Eastbourne United 2 Ampthill Town 1
The more grounds you visit, the trickier it gets at this stage of a competition. I did Sholing in the last round, I did St Andrews in a league match last year and Dunston was just too expensive. I'd also visited Eastbourne United but not for about 25 years. So off I went with a spring in my step as the rains finally relented and a lovely day was forecast. I actually never even checked the internet before leaving to confirm that it was on, just like the old days!
I had the pleasure of my wife's company on my first train to London, this made this leg more tolerable as once again we were 15 minutes late arriving into King's Cross. Note to First capital connect - What's the point in apologising if the very same thing is going to happen again next week?
Any train to Brighton is always entertaining, it's always full of weird and wonderful characters. Brighton definitely has a unique population, my one issue is that whenever I need to change there, the connection is 5 minutes or less to find and board my next train. So once again, I belted up the platform like a lunatic and jumped on my Eastbourne train with 1 minute to spare.
My parents used to own a bungalow in Polegate and I had a nostalgic stop at the station, looking up roads that I hadn't walked on since the late 1980's - Doesn't seem to have changed at all!
Eastbourne was packed, everyone seemed to be out and why not on the most perfect of early Spring days. I was spoiled for choice with eating establishments but eventually settled on a cafe down a back street, usually the sort of place I love. I probably should have been suspicious when the cafe didn't seem to have a name. There were half a dozen delightful customers who all seemed to have special needs but were loving their lunch and each others company. The Eastern European lady serving was also a delight with banter and remarks that made all her customers seem special,. Sadly, my cottage pie with chips was once of the poorer lunches I've had on my travels. The chips were fine, but the cottage pie, billed as home made, although hot, tasted processed and also tasted like there was a spoonful of salt in every mouthful. Seeing a lovely fish restaurant just after leaving the cafe almost made me weep.
The afternoon was simply glorious, wall to wall sunshine and warm with only a gentle breeze. I actually sat on the beach for a few minutes, tossed a few pebbles and fired off a few texts. The walk along the seafront firmly put all those months of rain behind me and made me feel completely refreshed.
I'm sure when I went to the ground before, it was open and I'd love to have a tweet from anyone who knows if this was the case. It would have been some time in the 80's that I visited. Now it is surrounded by a wooden fence, there are two little stands on the near side and hard standing. A big clubhouse and also a never portakabin that housed the refreshment hatch.
Amptill are from the higher step, yet Eastbourne have been pounding all opposition. A fascinating match in prospect.
The game was dramatic throughout with a real cup tie feel, the referee was excellent in my neutral opinion although he had to put up with the usual histrionics from both teams.
Amptill had most of the early possession and looked really lively. They ended up going behind to an outrageous 30 yard volley from the right touchline that flew over the keepers head. I was right next to the guy when he hit it and I'm still unsure whether it was a shot or ended cross. Whatever it was, it was spectacular!
Amptill took a roasting from their coaching staff at half time, audible to all around the tea area as they hadn't closed their windows. I was astounded when they took off their most dangerous looking forward, although it was just after their left back was sent off for two yellows and could have been tactical. I clearly know very little as Ampthill equalised shortly afterwards with a 20 yard volley from a corner hot to the edge of the area at the far post.
I had no idea which way this tie would go now but Eastbourne got the winner on 77 mins as a header into the area was bundled home.
Amptill threw the kitchen sink at Eastbourne for the last 10 minutes and the Eqstbourne keeper made a couple of desperate saves. Another Amptill defender was sent off right at the death for a second yellow but this was too late to have any impact on the result.
So the Eastbourne bandwagon keeps rolling on and I thoroughly enjoyed my day by the seaside.
The more grounds you visit, the trickier it gets at this stage of a competition. I did Sholing in the last round, I did St Andrews in a league match last year and Dunston was just too expensive. I'd also visited Eastbourne United but not for about 25 years. So off I went with a spring in my step as the rains finally relented and a lovely day was forecast. I actually never even checked the internet before leaving to confirm that it was on, just like the old days!
I had the pleasure of my wife's company on my first train to London, this made this leg more tolerable as once again we were 15 minutes late arriving into King's Cross. Note to First capital connect - What's the point in apologising if the very same thing is going to happen again next week?
Any train to Brighton is always entertaining, it's always full of weird and wonderful characters. Brighton definitely has a unique population, my one issue is that whenever I need to change there, the connection is 5 minutes or less to find and board my next train. So once again, I belted up the platform like a lunatic and jumped on my Eastbourne train with 1 minute to spare.
My parents used to own a bungalow in Polegate and I had a nostalgic stop at the station, looking up roads that I hadn't walked on since the late 1980's - Doesn't seem to have changed at all!
Eastbourne was packed, everyone seemed to be out and why not on the most perfect of early Spring days. I was spoiled for choice with eating establishments but eventually settled on a cafe down a back street, usually the sort of place I love. I probably should have been suspicious when the cafe didn't seem to have a name. There were half a dozen delightful customers who all seemed to have special needs but were loving their lunch and each others company. The Eastern European lady serving was also a delight with banter and remarks that made all her customers seem special,. Sadly, my cottage pie with chips was once of the poorer lunches I've had on my travels. The chips were fine, but the cottage pie, billed as home made, although hot, tasted processed and also tasted like there was a spoonful of salt in every mouthful. Seeing a lovely fish restaurant just after leaving the cafe almost made me weep.
The afternoon was simply glorious, wall to wall sunshine and warm with only a gentle breeze. I actually sat on the beach for a few minutes, tossed a few pebbles and fired off a few texts. The walk along the seafront firmly put all those months of rain behind me and made me feel completely refreshed.
I'm sure when I went to the ground before, it was open and I'd love to have a tweet from anyone who knows if this was the case. It would have been some time in the 80's that I visited. Now it is surrounded by a wooden fence, there are two little stands on the near side and hard standing. A big clubhouse and also a never portakabin that housed the refreshment hatch.
Amptill are from the higher step, yet Eastbourne have been pounding all opposition. A fascinating match in prospect.
The game was dramatic throughout with a real cup tie feel, the referee was excellent in my neutral opinion although he had to put up with the usual histrionics from both teams.
Amptill had most of the early possession and looked really lively. They ended up going behind to an outrageous 30 yard volley from the right touchline that flew over the keepers head. I was right next to the guy when he hit it and I'm still unsure whether it was a shot or ended cross. Whatever it was, it was spectacular!
Amptill took a roasting from their coaching staff at half time, audible to all around the tea area as they hadn't closed their windows. I was astounded when they took off their most dangerous looking forward, although it was just after their left back was sent off for two yellows and could have been tactical. I clearly know very little as Ampthill equalised shortly afterwards with a 20 yard volley from a corner hot to the edge of the area at the far post.
I had no idea which way this tie would go now but Eastbourne got the winner on 77 mins as a header into the area was bundled home.
Amptill threw the kitchen sink at Eastbourne for the last 10 minutes and the Eqstbourne keeper made a couple of desperate saves. Another Amptill defender was sent off right at the death for a second yellow but this was too late to have any impact on the result.
So the Eastbourne bandwagon keeps rolling on and I thoroughly enjoyed my day by the seaside.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Shole survivors
Solent 1 Larkhall Athletic 0 aet
Finally, for the first time in 6 weeks, my first choice of game was on. The rain had finally relented for a few days, the sun was out and I headed off to the south coast on a pleasant day. I chose to travel to Solent station and walk from there, the journey to Southampton was unremarkable. I feared the worst as a group of 8 student hockey players got on my carriage and sat as a group just in front of me. But to be fair, their behaviour was immaculate, they chatted, bantered, ate, made phone calls but they weren't loud and their language completely acceptable. They were a credit and I hope they won their hockey match at Southampton university. Bizarrely, at Southampton station, on the platform opposite mine, a young lady in ballerina costume was running along the platform, leaping into the air and being photographed by a friend. It seemed a remarkably dodgy thing to do as she was running along the yellow line on the edge of the platform, one slip or dodgy landing and it could have had a very messy end. The photographer didn't seem to be much cop either as she must have repeated the jump about 8 times until I lost sight of them as a train pulled in.
The ground is about a 25 minute walk from Solent station mostly along the Portsmouth road. I broke the walk having spied the Solent takeaway on the other side of the road, a mixture of Chinese food and normal fish and chips grub. The sausage and chips were more than acceptable and cleverly wrapped in a sort of boat shape and I munched happily for the rest of the walk.
I had spent most of the walk following another guy who had got off at Sholing station and at the ground I discovered that he was a fellow hopper from Ipswich, it's always good to spend time chatting to fellow hoppers about their experiences and the grounds that they've visited.
The ground itself was alittle disappointing to be honest. There is a small stand and small covered standing area on the far side, the rest of the ground is a bit featureless with hardstanding, rail and high fenceing. The clubhouse is tiny although I understand that plans are afoot to improve this facility.
There's a tea hut along a sort of alley which supposedly does the greatest burgers in non-league football according to the PA announcer although I'll have to take their word for that. I did find all the staff and volunteers to be incredibly friendly and welcoming and they all seemed to be really enjoying their day and success in this competition.
The PA announcer was worth the admission money alone. Desperately keen, he spent the whole afternoon whooping up the fans and although it seemed a little over the top for a crowd of only just over 300, he was very entertaining and cannot be faulted for effort.
The match itself was a bit of a stalemate. Larkhall had a couple of efforts hooked off the line but other that that, there were a few long range efforts tipped over the bar and not a lot else. You're never going to score if you don't shoot!
Extra time was inevitable but fortunately, limbs were getting tired and the game finally opened up. 10 mins into the first period, Sholing scored with a nice angled finish as a striker got in front of his defender. A few players worthy of mention. The Larkhall number 9 ran his socks off and didn't deserve to be on the losing team. The Sholing number 6 wasn't pretty to watch, I'm sure is a nightmare to play against, but was bloody effective and the Sholing number 16 who put his foot on the ball, spread the game and despite one fairly horrendous lunge, was the one player whose game was really pleasing on the eye, I wish he'd been on the whole 90 mins.
Not the gretest of grounds, not the greatest of games but so good to finally have a normal Saturday again.
Finally, for the first time in 6 weeks, my first choice of game was on. The rain had finally relented for a few days, the sun was out and I headed off to the south coast on a pleasant day. I chose to travel to Solent station and walk from there, the journey to Southampton was unremarkable. I feared the worst as a group of 8 student hockey players got on my carriage and sat as a group just in front of me. But to be fair, their behaviour was immaculate, they chatted, bantered, ate, made phone calls but they weren't loud and their language completely acceptable. They were a credit and I hope they won their hockey match at Southampton university. Bizarrely, at Southampton station, on the platform opposite mine, a young lady in ballerina costume was running along the platform, leaping into the air and being photographed by a friend. It seemed a remarkably dodgy thing to do as she was running along the yellow line on the edge of the platform, one slip or dodgy landing and it could have had a very messy end. The photographer didn't seem to be much cop either as she must have repeated the jump about 8 times until I lost sight of them as a train pulled in.
The ground is about a 25 minute walk from Solent station mostly along the Portsmouth road. I broke the walk having spied the Solent takeaway on the other side of the road, a mixture of Chinese food and normal fish and chips grub. The sausage and chips were more than acceptable and cleverly wrapped in a sort of boat shape and I munched happily for the rest of the walk.
I had spent most of the walk following another guy who had got off at Sholing station and at the ground I discovered that he was a fellow hopper from Ipswich, it's always good to spend time chatting to fellow hoppers about their experiences and the grounds that they've visited.
The ground itself was alittle disappointing to be honest. There is a small stand and small covered standing area on the far side, the rest of the ground is a bit featureless with hardstanding, rail and high fenceing. The clubhouse is tiny although I understand that plans are afoot to improve this facility.
There's a tea hut along a sort of alley which supposedly does the greatest burgers in non-league football according to the PA announcer although I'll have to take their word for that. I did find all the staff and volunteers to be incredibly friendly and welcoming and they all seemed to be really enjoying their day and success in this competition.
The PA announcer was worth the admission money alone. Desperately keen, he spent the whole afternoon whooping up the fans and although it seemed a little over the top for a crowd of only just over 300, he was very entertaining and cannot be faulted for effort.
The match itself was a bit of a stalemate. Larkhall had a couple of efforts hooked off the line but other that that, there were a few long range efforts tipped over the bar and not a lot else. You're never going to score if you don't shoot!
Extra time was inevitable but fortunately, limbs were getting tired and the game finally opened up. 10 mins into the first period, Sholing scored with a nice angled finish as a striker got in front of his defender. A few players worthy of mention. The Larkhall number 9 ran his socks off and didn't deserve to be on the losing team. The Sholing number 6 wasn't pretty to watch, I'm sure is a nightmare to play against, but was bloody effective and the Sholing number 16 who put his foot on the ball, spread the game and despite one fairly horrendous lunge, was the one player whose game was really pleasing on the eye, I wish he'd been on the whole 90 mins.
Not the gretest of grounds, not the greatest of games but so good to finally have a normal Saturday again.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Hans off, Hans on
Hanworth Villa 2 Eastbourne United 7 aet
For the second week running I had planned to go to Hanwell Town, for the second week running it failed a pitch inspection at 10am. But at the same time I discovered that match was off, I saw a tweet saying that Hansworth had passed a pitch inspection. I quicjly printed off a map, made a note of where & when to catch trains and set off for the town of Feltham. The train journey was straightforward and for once, the replacement bus service started from my destination, my sympathies did go out to the 50 or so miserable looking passengers, standing bewildered outside an unknown railway station, waiting for a clapped out bus with a miserable driver.
Lots of shops in the area of the station and a variety of potential lunch choices. I wandered up and down the High street and eventually plumped for the Three flames grill. This is basically a cafe that does kebabs, burgers, pies, simple meals and all-day breakfasts. There was table service and I ordered the all-day breakfast and a mug of tea. The food arrived quickly, was hot and although there were no thrills, it all tasted really good and at very reasonably price. People were flooding in and there was barely a free table, always a good sign!
I had about a 25 minute walk to the ground along three roads that seemed never-ending, I'm sure there must be a more direct route.
On arrival at the ground, I entered the clubhouse which was packed with people and housed both a bar and tea-point. I soon ventured out to the ground itself. There is a small stand and small covered shed on the near side, a small wood behind one goal, a training pitch on the far side of the match pitch and a white rail, although there didn't seem to be any advertising boards! The wind was starting to pick up and there wasn't a lot of protection. Nice to bump into several other ground-hoppers and I thoroughly enjoyed their company throughout the afternoon.
When this game kicked off, I had no inclination of just what an extraordinary afternoon this would turn out to be.
Eastbourne scored twice in the first half and adapted best to the dramatically increasing wind. The second half saw Hanworth get one and then equalise just before the most incrdible storm I've ever seen at a football match. The first time I have ever run for the solace of the clubhouse, the roof was ripped off a marquet and as the rain turned to hail, the referee had no option but to take the players off. Fortunately, they were able to come back on after about 5 mins but the pitch had now turned into a real pudding.
In extra time, Eastbourne scored an amazing 5 times, Hanworth lost their centre forward with a suspected broken foot and then lost their centre half to a red card for a last man tackle, 2 supporters almost got into a full on fight and I saw the best goal I've seen for many a year as the Eastbourne left back went on a 40 yard run, slipping 4 or 5 tackles to score a great goal.
As I left the ground, the wind had died to about 10 mph and there were stars in the sky.
Amazing how fate sometimes send you in the direction of a most extraordinary cup-tie.
For the second week running I had planned to go to Hanwell Town, for the second week running it failed a pitch inspection at 10am. But at the same time I discovered that match was off, I saw a tweet saying that Hansworth had passed a pitch inspection. I quicjly printed off a map, made a note of where & when to catch trains and set off for the town of Feltham. The train journey was straightforward and for once, the replacement bus service started from my destination, my sympathies did go out to the 50 or so miserable looking passengers, standing bewildered outside an unknown railway station, waiting for a clapped out bus with a miserable driver.
Lots of shops in the area of the station and a variety of potential lunch choices. I wandered up and down the High street and eventually plumped for the Three flames grill. This is basically a cafe that does kebabs, burgers, pies, simple meals and all-day breakfasts. There was table service and I ordered the all-day breakfast and a mug of tea. The food arrived quickly, was hot and although there were no thrills, it all tasted really good and at very reasonably price. People were flooding in and there was barely a free table, always a good sign!
I had about a 25 minute walk to the ground along three roads that seemed never-ending, I'm sure there must be a more direct route.
On arrival at the ground, I entered the clubhouse which was packed with people and housed both a bar and tea-point. I soon ventured out to the ground itself. There is a small stand and small covered shed on the near side, a small wood behind one goal, a training pitch on the far side of the match pitch and a white rail, although there didn't seem to be any advertising boards! The wind was starting to pick up and there wasn't a lot of protection. Nice to bump into several other ground-hoppers and I thoroughly enjoyed their company throughout the afternoon.
When this game kicked off, I had no inclination of just what an extraordinary afternoon this would turn out to be.
Eastbourne scored twice in the first half and adapted best to the dramatically increasing wind. The second half saw Hanworth get one and then equalise just before the most incrdible storm I've ever seen at a football match. The first time I have ever run for the solace of the clubhouse, the roof was ripped off a marquet and as the rain turned to hail, the referee had no option but to take the players off. Fortunately, they were able to come back on after about 5 mins but the pitch had now turned into a real pudding.
In extra time, Eastbourne scored an amazing 5 times, Hanworth lost their centre forward with a suspected broken foot and then lost their centre half to a red card for a last man tackle, 2 supporters almost got into a full on fight and I saw the best goal I've seen for many a year as the Eastbourne left back went on a 40 yard run, slipping 4 or 5 tackles to score a great goal.
As I left the ground, the wind had died to about 10 mph and there were stars in the sky.
Amazing how fate sometimes send you in the direction of a most extraordinary cup-tie.
Sunday, December 08, 2013
Norwich storm through
Norwich United 3 Erith Town 0
When the draw is made, I scan up and down the list of fixtures and usually know pretty much straight away which tie I fancy. Where as last year, seemingly every Saturday had heavy rain, this year Armageddon seems to strike the area I'm planning to visit on the day before the match. A horrific storm with huge tidal surges battered the Norfolk coast and I worried that the match might be affected. Thankfully, there were no problems so off I set. Smart thinking I thought to avoid London this close to Christmas, but I hadn't anticipated the incredible amount of people at Cambridge station queuing to buy tickets. People literally couldn't get through to the ticket barriers - Carnage!
The journey to Norwich and then on to Brundell, despite only having two minutes to make my connection at Norwich, went without incident.
I had looked up my walking route on Google maps to get my bearings and was pleased to see that there was a convenience store near to the station, only when I got there it had turned into an electrical shop. There was a chippy there, but I gave that a miss as I'd decided to try the Kings Head pub in Blowfield, only when I got to that site it was all boarded up! I was dreading having to buy an infamous football ground burger, but suddenly, like a mirage in a desert, Blowfield chippy came into sight, a small little chip shop but which did an excellent jumbo sausage and chips.
The ground appears right next to a slip road from a major carriageway which was slightly hairy to cross. You then have to walk up a long driveway to the ground which was pitch black on the way out. The entrance to the ground is quite attractive, although the interestingly named 'Plantation park' sounds like it belongs more in the deep south of America. But it's quite a nice set up with a bar on the first floor which has a delightful end to end view of the pitch.
I sat down with a glass of cider to watch Mark Selby and his opponent miss some of the most open pots, even I might have made a couple of them!?!
The Erith players were in the bar when I got there, in high spirits, playing a card game where every now and then, someone had to be flicked on the back of the neck by his teammates. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on but it was very amusing.
The rest of the ground is unremarkable but perfectly adequate. One covered area on the far side with some seating and hardstanding surrounding the railed off pitch.
The match itself was no classic, absolutely frenetic from beginning to end, it was crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball. Norwich scored bang on halftime from a penalty. Don't ask me why it was given, it was a complete mystery to everyone in the crowd. Erith lost their giant second half for the second half and never genuinely threatened the Norwich goal. Norwich scored again after 72 mins and then my customary last minute goal was also dispatched.
An enjoyable trip with a comfortable home win, sadly for Erith fans, they just didn't show up.
When the draw is made, I scan up and down the list of fixtures and usually know pretty much straight away which tie I fancy. Where as last year, seemingly every Saturday had heavy rain, this year Armageddon seems to strike the area I'm planning to visit on the day before the match. A horrific storm with huge tidal surges battered the Norfolk coast and I worried that the match might be affected. Thankfully, there were no problems so off I set. Smart thinking I thought to avoid London this close to Christmas, but I hadn't anticipated the incredible amount of people at Cambridge station queuing to buy tickets. People literally couldn't get through to the ticket barriers - Carnage!
The journey to Norwich and then on to Brundell, despite only having two minutes to make my connection at Norwich, went without incident.
I had looked up my walking route on Google maps to get my bearings and was pleased to see that there was a convenience store near to the station, only when I got there it had turned into an electrical shop. There was a chippy there, but I gave that a miss as I'd decided to try the Kings Head pub in Blowfield, only when I got to that site it was all boarded up! I was dreading having to buy an infamous football ground burger, but suddenly, like a mirage in a desert, Blowfield chippy came into sight, a small little chip shop but which did an excellent jumbo sausage and chips.
The ground appears right next to a slip road from a major carriageway which was slightly hairy to cross. You then have to walk up a long driveway to the ground which was pitch black on the way out. The entrance to the ground is quite attractive, although the interestingly named 'Plantation park' sounds like it belongs more in the deep south of America. But it's quite a nice set up with a bar on the first floor which has a delightful end to end view of the pitch.
I sat down with a glass of cider to watch Mark Selby and his opponent miss some of the most open pots, even I might have made a couple of them!?!
The Erith players were in the bar when I got there, in high spirits, playing a card game where every now and then, someone had to be flicked on the back of the neck by his teammates. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on but it was very amusing.
The rest of the ground is unremarkable but perfectly adequate. One covered area on the far side with some seating and hardstanding surrounding the railed off pitch.
The match itself was no classic, absolutely frenetic from beginning to end, it was crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball. Norwich scored bang on halftime from a penalty. Don't ask me why it was given, it was a complete mystery to everyone in the crowd. Erith lost their giant second half for the second half and never genuinely threatened the Norwich goal. Norwich scored again after 72 mins and then my customary last minute goal was also dispatched.
An enjoyable trip with a comfortable home win, sadly for Erith fans, they just didn't show up.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
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