Tuesday, December 09, 2014
Phoenix fly into next round
Alresford Town 1 Phoenix Sports 2
6th December 2014
I guess it kind of had to happen, the club I had put off visiting 2 weeks earlier due to a band of rain, were once again drawn at home. Needless to say, I had inadvertently thrown away all my directions, but it was no great hardship to do them again.
An absolutely glorious day without a cloud in the sky although extremely chilly. Due to there being no wind, it was absolutely fine if you wrapped up. Everywhere you went around London, there were hordes of people milling around dressed in Santa costumes, I'm sure it's all in a good cause.
The trip to Winchester took under an hour on the train and I had to then find the bus station. My directions were spot on, but the town itself was absolutely heaving. The World and his wife had come out to Christmas shop, there were outdoor food stalls, street entertainment and any hopes of walking anywhere quickly went completely out of the window. But fortunately, the number 64 bus was loading passengers as I arrived at the bus station and the trip to Alreford was stress free along free moving roads with attractive countryside.
After the mayhem of Winchester, Alresford was like a breath of fresh air. Reasonably quiet, it's an attractive little town with pretty little shops that appeared to the casual observer to be independent and even the traditional stores like Tesco were small and in more attractive buildings than usual.
I found my lunch in a shop that just called itself 'Fish and chips' and bought a generous although at £2.20, expensive small portion of chips. Nice as they were, that's too much to pay. My return bus fare was over £6, maybe Winchester is just an expensive place to live.
It's less than a 5 minute walk from the town to the ground and is a straight road and easy to find. I was concerned on arrival to find that the pitch had a 20 yard long by 10 yard wide area that was still frosted over, however it was thankfully soft underneath and it just gave the pitch a weird look.
There is a pavillion building with a bar and some seating on the top floor and there is also a little seating below. There is also a tea hut and I was assured by a Phoenix fan that the pies were really good. Hardstanding on the near side and behind both goals, you can only go on the far side by viewing behind a large fence as there are public fields beyond, the view of the sun drenched hills was very pleasing on the eye.
The game was a cracker all be it with odd goings on. Alresford scored in only the second minute, Phoenix levelled on 20 mins and scored what turned out to be the winner right on half time. The game was stopped twice in the first half as the same loose dog was running around on the pitch. Then in the second half, the ball hit the referee in the head and he had to blow his whistle to stop the game and after receiving some treatment, restarted the game with a contested drop ball ,the ball fell to the left back who blasted it straight into exactly the same part of the head where the referee had just been hit. So he stopped the game again for some more treatment and we then got going again. After the final whistle, there was then a bench clearing fracas involving several players and managers. I was making my way to the exit so didn't see what set it off, ugly scenes none the less. Shame really, because this was a cracking and most enjoyable cup tie.
6th December 2014
I guess it kind of had to happen, the club I had put off visiting 2 weeks earlier due to a band of rain, were once again drawn at home. Needless to say, I had inadvertently thrown away all my directions, but it was no great hardship to do them again.
An absolutely glorious day without a cloud in the sky although extremely chilly. Due to there being no wind, it was absolutely fine if you wrapped up. Everywhere you went around London, there were hordes of people milling around dressed in Santa costumes, I'm sure it's all in a good cause.
The trip to Winchester took under an hour on the train and I had to then find the bus station. My directions were spot on, but the town itself was absolutely heaving. The World and his wife had come out to Christmas shop, there were outdoor food stalls, street entertainment and any hopes of walking anywhere quickly went completely out of the window. But fortunately, the number 64 bus was loading passengers as I arrived at the bus station and the trip to Alreford was stress free along free moving roads with attractive countryside.
After the mayhem of Winchester, Alresford was like a breath of fresh air. Reasonably quiet, it's an attractive little town with pretty little shops that appeared to the casual observer to be independent and even the traditional stores like Tesco were small and in more attractive buildings than usual.
I found my lunch in a shop that just called itself 'Fish and chips' and bought a generous although at £2.20, expensive small portion of chips. Nice as they were, that's too much to pay. My return bus fare was over £6, maybe Winchester is just an expensive place to live.
It's less than a 5 minute walk from the town to the ground and is a straight road and easy to find. I was concerned on arrival to find that the pitch had a 20 yard long by 10 yard wide area that was still frosted over, however it was thankfully soft underneath and it just gave the pitch a weird look.
There is a pavillion building with a bar and some seating on the top floor and there is also a little seating below. There is also a tea hut and I was assured by a Phoenix fan that the pies were really good. Hardstanding on the near side and behind both goals, you can only go on the far side by viewing behind a large fence as there are public fields beyond, the view of the sun drenched hills was very pleasing on the eye.
The game was a cracker all be it with odd goings on. Alresford scored in only the second minute, Phoenix levelled on 20 mins and scored what turned out to be the winner right on half time. The game was stopped twice in the first half as the same loose dog was running around on the pitch. Then in the second half, the ball hit the referee in the head and he had to blow his whistle to stop the game and after receiving some treatment, restarted the game with a contested drop ball ,the ball fell to the left back who blasted it straight into exactly the same part of the head where the referee had just been hit. So he stopped the game again for some more treatment and we then got going again. After the final whistle, there was then a bench clearing fracas involving several players and managers. I was making my way to the exit so didn't see what set it off, ugly scenes none the less. Shame really, because this was a cracking and most enjoyable cup tie.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Flack attack
East Preston 0 Flackwell Heath 8
Up until the Thursday before the game, I had planned to visit Alresford near Winchester. Before the usual weekly pattern of weather intervened, dry until Thursday, heavy rain on Friday and more threatened on the Saturday. The weather forecast on Friday showed a batch of rain right over where I was due to go, so I shifted my plans to visit Westfields near Woking. Woke up Saturday and the batch of rain had moved and was also now above Woking. Deep sigh, re-arranged my plans yet again and ended up on the Sussex coast. Groundhopping can be exhusting at times!
Usual shenanigans with my first train from Welwyn Garden City. 11 minutes late getting in, the World and his wife were going into London to Christmas shop and yet the train company decided that a four carriage train was more than sufficient. I pitied the folk trying to get on a jam-packed train at Potters Bar who were greeted with the PA announcement, "If you cannot get on the train, move clear of the doors". Shocking service!
The good thing about travelling from Victoria is that there is a Ladbokes at the station, always good when you have time to kill. Buyoed on by my 4 winners when I had visited Plumpton racecourse earlier in the week, I called into the bookies to place an afternoon flutter on an unsuspecting course, at least I tried to, but some over-keen member of staff had jammed so many pens in the dispatcher that they were wedged together and you actually couldn't get one out. I eventually secured a pen, placed my bet and happily headed off for my next train.
This train had 12 carriages and there barely seemed to be anybody on it. The journey pretty much passed me by as I got engrossed listening to the latest 'phenom' Serial podcast on my i-pod. Actually well worth listen if you like crime drama.
On arriving at Angmering station, it was a straightforward 10-15 minute walk to the ground. I spotted a chippy but was gutted to find that it was closed until 5pm.
As I walked up the path to the ground, you pass a child's play area and there were a handful of teenagers curled up in one of the swings, smoking and attempting to look menacing. There second half cry over the fence insulting the linesman pretty much summed up their combined intelligence.
Needless to say it started raining within minutes of me arriving but it only lasted for about 5 minutes and the rest of the afternoon remained dry and the temperature was comfortable.
A good sized clubhouse, a medium sized stand on the near side and another small area which you could stand under cover. The far side is not accessible for spectators unless you come equipped with a machete and strong walking boots.
A neat little tea hut was extremely efficient, I ordered a cheesburger and chips which came quickly and was of a very acceptable standard.
Despite all the recent rain, the pitch was in excellent condition.
Fair play to a group of kids, aged about 12 who chanted for East Preston throughout the game, even when there team was letting in goals what seemed like every 2 minutes.
A fairly even first half although Flackwell Heath created the better chances, they finally broke through on 33 mins and got another 5 minutes later.
The second half was played with the sound of distant drums. I think it was some sort of drum society practicing in a hall somewhere and to be fair, they weren't at all bad.
The games defining moment came 2 minutes into the second half when the East Preston left back was sent off for a second yellow. They held on for another 15 minutes, but once the 3rd went in, the floodgates opened and Flackwell Heath came away with an extraordinary 0-8 victory.
Most unexpected result and considering when I woke up that morning, East Preston wasn't even in my thinking, I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
Up until the Thursday before the game, I had planned to visit Alresford near Winchester. Before the usual weekly pattern of weather intervened, dry until Thursday, heavy rain on Friday and more threatened on the Saturday. The weather forecast on Friday showed a batch of rain right over where I was due to go, so I shifted my plans to visit Westfields near Woking. Woke up Saturday and the batch of rain had moved and was also now above Woking. Deep sigh, re-arranged my plans yet again and ended up on the Sussex coast. Groundhopping can be exhusting at times!
Usual shenanigans with my first train from Welwyn Garden City. 11 minutes late getting in, the World and his wife were going into London to Christmas shop and yet the train company decided that a four carriage train was more than sufficient. I pitied the folk trying to get on a jam-packed train at Potters Bar who were greeted with the PA announcement, "If you cannot get on the train, move clear of the doors". Shocking service!
The good thing about travelling from Victoria is that there is a Ladbokes at the station, always good when you have time to kill. Buyoed on by my 4 winners when I had visited Plumpton racecourse earlier in the week, I called into the bookies to place an afternoon flutter on an unsuspecting course, at least I tried to, but some over-keen member of staff had jammed so many pens in the dispatcher that they were wedged together and you actually couldn't get one out. I eventually secured a pen, placed my bet and happily headed off for my next train.
This train had 12 carriages and there barely seemed to be anybody on it. The journey pretty much passed me by as I got engrossed listening to the latest 'phenom' Serial podcast on my i-pod. Actually well worth listen if you like crime drama.
On arriving at Angmering station, it was a straightforward 10-15 minute walk to the ground. I spotted a chippy but was gutted to find that it was closed until 5pm.
As I walked up the path to the ground, you pass a child's play area and there were a handful of teenagers curled up in one of the swings, smoking and attempting to look menacing. There second half cry over the fence insulting the linesman pretty much summed up their combined intelligence.
Needless to say it started raining within minutes of me arriving but it only lasted for about 5 minutes and the rest of the afternoon remained dry and the temperature was comfortable.
A good sized clubhouse, a medium sized stand on the near side and another small area which you could stand under cover. The far side is not accessible for spectators unless you come equipped with a machete and strong walking boots.
A neat little tea hut was extremely efficient, I ordered a cheesburger and chips which came quickly and was of a very acceptable standard.
Despite all the recent rain, the pitch was in excellent condition.
Fair play to a group of kids, aged about 12 who chanted for East Preston throughout the game, even when there team was letting in goals what seemed like every 2 minutes.
A fairly even first half although Flackwell Heath created the better chances, they finally broke through on 33 mins and got another 5 minutes later.
The second half was played with the sound of distant drums. I think it was some sort of drum society practicing in a hall somewhere and to be fair, they weren't at all bad.
The games defining moment came 2 minutes into the second half when the East Preston left back was sent off for a second yellow. They held on for another 15 minutes, but once the 3rd went in, the floodgates opened and Flackwell Heath came away with an extraordinary 0-8 victory.
Most unexpected result and considering when I woke up that morning, East Preston wasn't even in my thinking, I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
Sunday, November 02, 2014
Woodbridge Hunted down
Woodbridge Town 0 Huntingdon Town 3
After missing the first couple of rounds this season due to being away, it was great to get back on the Vase trail.
I started my journey at Welwyn North station, a typical example of a village railway station where people walk their dogs along the platform as a cut through and talk across the rails to neighbours waiting on the opposite platform, hard to believe it's only 30 minutes journey from central London.
I changed at Cambridge where they had a lot of exits open that I'd not only never seen before, I never even knew they existed. They must have trebled their station staff just to man these exits.
I found a seat and as invariably happens, I got the noisiest party in the carriage come and sit at the seats behind mine. This timeit was three university cinema studies students, I think I tolerated about 10 minutes of listening to how great they were before I just couldn't take any more and put my ear phones in.
The final leg of the journey was one stop from Ipswich to Woodbridge. This is a lovely little branch line full of views of rivers and lakes and miles of unspoilt country.
For a change, I actually found my bearings almost immediately and set off on the 20 minute walk to the ground. My hoping for a chip shop was in vain and in fact, I never passed any shops at all.
The walk was all uphill which never bothers me as it means it's all downhill after the game, I hate having it the other way!
I passed a swimming pool and actually couldn't think of another groundhop where I've done this. I was happily walking up the hill when I suddenly realised that the pavement stopped, there was a footpath on the other side of the road set back slightly, but it was 100 yards behind me - A simple sign would have been nice.
But I made the sensible choice and re-traced my steps 100 yards and actually found the ground without a single problem.
It was the most gloriously sunny and warm day, ridiculous for November but I was not complaining for a minute.
I found a gate that looked like the entrance but it was locked, I could also see a few people in the clubhouse bar, but again the door was locked. So I sat at a picnic table and messed around on my phone for a while as it was only 2pm.
When 25 minutes later there was still no sign of life, I decided to explore to see if I could find another way into the bar. All doors were padlocked until hidden in a corner, I spotted the actual entrance t the ground which I had walked right past without spotting. Once in the ground, I still couldn't figure out how to get into the bar area until a local put me out of my misery.
Worth the wait as I found a really efficient, well marked food hatch and ordered a cheesburger with chips. This was actually cooked to order and although I had to wait about 10 mins, the end result was excellent with hot chips, clearly cooked in fresh oil and a good burger. The barman kindly hal opened my can of Coke, but didn't do it properly, I had to push the tab down with my finger and then risked slicing my mouth open every time I had a sip.
A reasonable ground with a little stand next to a covered standing area and high fences to stop the ball flying on to a busy major road that runs parallel with the far side.
Huntingon were much the better side here, scored a couple in the first half and another in the first minute of the second half. Woodbridge were plucky in the second half especially after they'd made their substitutions but never seriously threatened to get back into it.
A friendly club positioned at the end of a very pleasant little housing estate.
After missing the first couple of rounds this season due to being away, it was great to get back on the Vase trail.
I started my journey at Welwyn North station, a typical example of a village railway station where people walk their dogs along the platform as a cut through and talk across the rails to neighbours waiting on the opposite platform, hard to believe it's only 30 minutes journey from central London.
I changed at Cambridge where they had a lot of exits open that I'd not only never seen before, I never even knew they existed. They must have trebled their station staff just to man these exits.
I found a seat and as invariably happens, I got the noisiest party in the carriage come and sit at the seats behind mine. This timeit was three university cinema studies students, I think I tolerated about 10 minutes of listening to how great they were before I just couldn't take any more and put my ear phones in.
The final leg of the journey was one stop from Ipswich to Woodbridge. This is a lovely little branch line full of views of rivers and lakes and miles of unspoilt country.
For a change, I actually found my bearings almost immediately and set off on the 20 minute walk to the ground. My hoping for a chip shop was in vain and in fact, I never passed any shops at all.
The walk was all uphill which never bothers me as it means it's all downhill after the game, I hate having it the other way!
I passed a swimming pool and actually couldn't think of another groundhop where I've done this. I was happily walking up the hill when I suddenly realised that the pavement stopped, there was a footpath on the other side of the road set back slightly, but it was 100 yards behind me - A simple sign would have been nice.
But I made the sensible choice and re-traced my steps 100 yards and actually found the ground without a single problem.
It was the most gloriously sunny and warm day, ridiculous for November but I was not complaining for a minute.
I found a gate that looked like the entrance but it was locked, I could also see a few people in the clubhouse bar, but again the door was locked. So I sat at a picnic table and messed around on my phone for a while as it was only 2pm.
When 25 minutes later there was still no sign of life, I decided to explore to see if I could find another way into the bar. All doors were padlocked until hidden in a corner, I spotted the actual entrance t the ground which I had walked right past without spotting. Once in the ground, I still couldn't figure out how to get into the bar area until a local put me out of my misery.
Worth the wait as I found a really efficient, well marked food hatch and ordered a cheesburger with chips. This was actually cooked to order and although I had to wait about 10 mins, the end result was excellent with hot chips, clearly cooked in fresh oil and a good burger. The barman kindly hal opened my can of Coke, but didn't do it properly, I had to push the tab down with my finger and then risked slicing my mouth open every time I had a sip.
A reasonable ground with a little stand next to a covered standing area and high fences to stop the ball flying on to a busy major road that runs parallel with the far side.
Huntingon were much the better side here, scored a couple in the first half and another in the first minute of the second half. Woodbridge were plucky in the second half especially after they'd made their substitutions but never seriously threatened to get back into it.
A friendly club positioned at the end of a very pleasant little housing estate.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Sholing 1 West Auckland 0
Don't ever knock Facebook! All I did was like a post from Chris Berezai saying that he was going to the Vase final and about 5 minutes later I got a message asking if I'd like a complimentary ticket, a free programme, access to Club Wembley and cushioned seats in line with the half way line. I had intended to buy a ticket at the gate so this was a nice bonus - Thanks Chris.
The game was a bit of a bore fest really although the last 20 minutes were okay as West Auckland threw the 'kitchen sink' at Sholing after they'd scored with a deflected shot that flew over the keeper.
The end of another Vase campaign, my favourite memories being the chips near Odd Down, the unbelievable storm at Hanworth Villa and the most glorious day at Eastbourne which effectively brought an end to the winter rainy season. Already looking forward to the draw for next season....
The game was a bit of a bore fest really although the last 20 minutes were okay as West Auckland threw the 'kitchen sink' at Sholing after they'd scored with a deflected shot that flew over the keeper.
The end of another Vase campaign, my favourite memories being the chips near Odd Down, the unbelievable storm at Hanworth Villa and the most glorious day at Eastbourne which effectively brought an end to the winter rainy season. Already looking forward to the draw for next season....
Sunday, March 09, 2014
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