Monday, March 15, 2010
All's well at Barwell
Barwell 3 Norton & Stockton 0
My other hobby is amateur dramatics and my run in 'Noises off' was so successful that an additional matinee was fitted in on FA Vase quarter final day. I was therefore probably the only non-league fan skipping and jumping as bad weather decimated another Saturday's fixtures as I was able to make this re-arranged fixture. A train to Coventry went without incident and my connection to Nuneaton arrived on time although I cannot remember ever travelling on a single carriage train before which was what I was presented with for this leg of the trip. Still, not a problem and I arrived in good time and headed off to the easy to find bus station for the final leg of my journey. I wasn't sure which stop to head to but you always know things are going to work out well when the bus you require suddenly swings round the corner and pulls up almost next to you. Local ladies were all apologising for standing in front of me and assured me they were not pushing in but were just sheltering from the wind. When the bus doors opened there was an almighty bundle and I patiently waited at the back with an amused inner smile. The bus driver had obviously taken a course in driving very slowly and then pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. Several other drivers were not amused and I was witness to several hand gestures and mouthed 'advice'.
But I reached Barwell in good time on a sunny but chilly afternoon and enjoyed a portion of chips on a bench in the centre of the shopping area. It was quite a nice little place although there was a congregation of the local youth mafia who eyed up everyone's comings and goings with snide remarks and giggles. It was just a 5 minute stroll to the ground which is set in an area that also houses a cricket pitch and indoor/outdoor bowls facilities. There is a traditional covered stand and a covered standing area next to this. The rest of the pitch is surrounded by a white rail and there is netting at various areas to stop the ball flying into gardens. The pitch has an end to end slope but wasn't in bad condition considering the elements it had contended with over the last couple of months.
Barwell had not lost a league fixture all season and were clear favourites for this tie. Norton recognised this and to the neutral, appeared to turn up intent on not conceding. The first half was short on chances with the Norton keeper making a good early save but neither side putting many good moves together although Barwell had most of the possession. The game turned early in the second half as the Norton keeper flew out of his goal and scythed down an attacker running across the area. The penalty was well converted. This forced Norton to chase the game and suddenly they looked a useful side, why did they not play like this from the beginning? A 30 yard volley dipped just over the bar rippling the top of the net and giving one of those optical illusions so that half the crowd and the shooter thought it had gone in. But Barwell weathered the storm and killed the tie with two excellently finished goals in the last 10 minutes by their gangly striker.
I had an enjoyable trip back to London on the bus and train talking to a fellow hopper from the Southmpton area.
All in all, a very satisfactory trip.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Teesiders & Seasiders cannot be split.
Whitehawk 1 Marske United 1 aet
When the draw was made, it boiled down to a choice between Royston and Whitehawk. With the snow causing havoc in the draw, Royston’s opponents had still not been decided so I was left with a visit to the Sussex coast.
The train journey was incident free all the way. A very simple journey on a quiet train with no conversations to listen into and no incident to speak of. All I had to do when arriving in Brighton, was find the bus stop for the final leg of my journey. Well I knew the journey was going to well. On leaving the train station, I found the bus stops which seemed to include a stop for every bus except the one that I wanted. I wandered round in circles around the streets for a while hoping to bump into my bus stop, but after 10 minutes of aimless wandering I was getting nowhere so returned to the train station to start again. I kept looking at the map outside the station but couldn’t make head or tail of where my bus stop was. I had a sudden flash of inspiration and decided to ask inside he station travel station. It turned out that my stop was the solitary stop at the rear of the station by a little traffic island. I walked parallel to platform 8 and finally found where I was supposed to be. It was only after the even when re-checking my directions that I noticed that my print-out specified the stop at the rear of the station. As my wife said “Why do men never read anything properly”.
The bus journey was excellent. Up steep hills and round steep corners. The double decker number 81 seemed to constantly be at hair-raising angles but the views were spectacular and I enjoyed seeing a bit of Brighton racecourse. The bus driver overshot my stop by 50 yards. He apologised profusely although it made little difference to me. He was very excited as nobody had ever asked to get off at this stop before on his shift. He had a satisfied smile on his face as he disappeared into the distance. I found the entrance to the sports ground extremely easily and was in good time. This has to be the longest drive into a sports ground I’ve ever come across. The walk took at least 15 minutes and seemed never ending. Fortunately, I went past several other football pitches and most had a match going on. I enjoyed watching a few snippets of play although have you noticed whenever you walk or drive past a game in progress, there’s always a corner kick about to be taken.
The ground when I reached it was worth the wait. Not for the facilities, although a snug bar, small stand and adjoining covered standing area were reasonable. Not for the pitch was sloped somewhat from end to end and was surrounded by a basic white rail. But for the view of the downs which rose imposingly over the far touchline nad were positively stunning. We were treated to a sunny afternoon without a cloud in sight although the temperature which started low, plummeted rapidly as the afternoon wore on.
Marske brought a creditable number considering the length of journey and graced the covered area with a wide selection of flags. They sang all afternoon and created a good atmosphere.
Lunch was sausage and chips from a mobile burger bar. The hot dog was okay although the chips were undercooked and the whole meal was instantly forgettable.
The game itself was almost a mirror image of the previous round when I’d been to Armthorpe. Both goals were scored within two minutes of each other late in the first half. The match was fiercely competitive although sportingly played and despite near misses and extra time, the sides could not be separated.
Sussex is one of my favourite counties for watching football and this ground did not disappoint.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Draw a 'fare result
Armthorpe Welfare 1 Wroxham 1 aet
23/1/10
Due to a mixture of rain, Christmas, snow & visiting relatives, I hadn’t managed football on a Saturday for 6 weeks. Having not seen my parents over Christmas, the only time I was able to visit with my family was the date when this round of the FA Vase was scheduled. Just for once, the snow did me a favour as the game was postponed and I was able to manage the re-arranged date.
I ordered my train ticket a few days in advance to knock a chunk off the price and set off for Doncaster. At the station where I was leaving, a group of lads had assembled with BMX bikes and were buying tickets for a couple of stops down the line. They were obviously going to a known track and were trying to talk one of their number into doing some fancy manoeuvres. The lad was clearly uncomfortable although he was attempting to put a brave face on it and was assuring his mates that he’d be trying this Evil Knievel style stunt. The urge to check my local A & E department on the way home was almost overwhelming as I’m pretty sure it all would have ended in tears.
The trip to Doncaster was simple enough although I once again had a seat adjacent to the loudest person on the train. This time it was a Geordie lady who sprawled herself over a row of three seats and insisted in talking, continuously for the whole journey to her companion at a volume which would have been suitable if her friend had been in the next carriage.
On arriving at Doncaster, I had to find the bus station. I have to give this station top marks as directions were clear, concise and entirely accurate. I found myself in a large bus station with busses zipping either side of this building with barely a gap between them. I was slightly overawed when I went in there & hadn’t a clue which stop I should be at. But after wandering aimlessly for a while, I cam across a large electronic board that listed all routes and the stop you needed to board from. I found this easily & only had to wait a few minutes for a bus. The journey only took 10-15 minutes & I followed the stops on the pocket route plan available at he bus station. This helped me alight at the right point and I was at the ground with a couple of hours to spare.
I stepped off the bus and was immediately confronted by Robert’s fish bar boasting award winning food. I felt it would be rude to ignore this claim & I strolled down the road happily munching on my hot and tasty sausage and chips. I fancied a kit-kat after this (I know how to live!) and popped in a corner shop. Just ahead of me was a little girl I’m guessing about 7 or 8 years old. “Two 1p sweets please” was her request and the shopkeeper without raising an eyebrow, handed them over. This was just the sweetest thing I’d seen in ages. If you asked for two 1p sweets round my way, you’d be laughed out of town.
I found the ground to check that the game was on & asked if they had a clubroom. I was instead directed to the Wheatsheef just over the road. The ice cold Guinness was gorgeous and this time, the ear-shattering juke box music from the Tap bar I found strangely enjoyable. I spent a happy half hour here reading the paper before adjourning to the ground.
The ground itself was a little basic with a medium sized covered stand on the near side and a small covered standing area behind the far goal. A white rail surrounds the pitch and there is a view of residential roof-tops. I understand that Armthorpe are hoping to secure a new pitch and I wish them well. The pitch was perfectly playable although a copy of the corner areas were extremely wet.
This was a hard fought contest with nothing between the two teams and no player ever having any time on the ball. Armthorpe scored on 16 minutes with a delightful low volley hit on a ball dropping from a great height. Wroxham equalised 6 minutes later with a shot blasted into the roof of the net.
After this we had near misses, woodwork hit, clear cut chances hit straight at the keeper and Armthorpe cleared a shot off the line at the end of extra time.
A draw was a fair result and although basic, I thoroughly recommend a trip to Armthorpe.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Almondsbury meet Wit's end
Witney United 4 Almondsbury 0
05/12/09
Probably due to being under the weather for a week, I felt decidedly uninspired when the draw for this round of the Vase was published. I looked the fixtures up and down several times, half-heartedly looked up the directions to a few of them but kept turning my nose up. I decided to sleep on it, picked the list up the next day and felt an urge to visit the Hellenic league, Witney United being the choice.
So off I set at 10am. My other hobby is amateur dramatics and on boarding my first train, I sat down only for a pretty young lady to come bounding up to me to say hi. This did my self-confidence no harm at all and I enjoyed the open mouthed expressions of other guys sitting near me. Thinking back, I’m delighted that this young lady is looking so well & I was delighted that she wasn’t embarrassed to come and say hi, it gave me a glow for the rest of the day…and boy, did I need it?
We had a short delay at Reading due to a problem with the door lights and a longer delay near Didcot when we stopped at a red signal. This all culminated in a 10 minute delay arriving at Oxford. The next 15 minutes were taken up trying to find bus stop B2 where the S2 bus stopped. After a few wrong turns, I found my way but had missed the bus by 5 minutes. A therefore had a 25 minute wait for the next bus, add on another 25 minutes as this bus was late and I was standing on the street being bustled by hordes of Christmas shoppers for 50 minutes. When the bus did arrive, it got to Witney fairly quickly as most of the trip is along a duel carriageway. The bus driver kindly helped me with the correct stop & I set off along Downs road to the ground. Downs Road is a strange affair, it’s desperately long, completely straight and yet hardly any traffic goes along it. When you first saw a car in the distance, it was about 2 minutes until it passed you. I finally reached the ground at 2:45. It is called the Polythene stadium which makes you wary of leaning against the walls in case you put your finger through it. However, there is a cracking stand with functions rooms and a tea bar at the top level. There are also large covered, standing areas behind the near goal and along most of the far side. This is possibly the nicest Hellenic ground I’ve been to so far and the special, bumper edition FA Vase programme was a nice touch and well presented. Having had no lunch, I was delighted to see a large sign saying CHIPS on the tea room window. I went in, asked for chips but unfortunately there were none made up and I couldn’t face standing around for another wait. So I ordered a sausage roll. It was nice but was gone within 2 bites. The queue for tea at half time was horrendous so I ended up going home a little hungry..
The game itself got off to a slow start, mainly due to the referee blasting his whistle every 15 seconds. Almondsbury were above Witney in the league & I expected a close game. But Witney had a lively pair of strikers who caused havoc all afternoon and were the difference between the sides. Witney scored on 10 minutes through a glancing header and doubled the score on 21 mins with a nice low finish with the keeper caught in no mans land. Almondsbury thought they had a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty for a trip but the linesman had his flag up for offside and this nullified the spot kick – cue howls of protest for about 5 mins. Witney made sure with a lovely chipped goal on 79 mins and a tap in after a great low cross on 86 mins. Almondsbury had a lot of possession but no cutting edge.
My bus was only 10 mins late going home as I stood on a pitch black road in the pouring rain and how we laughed as it broke down on the A40 when the wind screen wipers snapped. The first train from Oxford to London was cancelled and I had to wait 20 mins at Paddington for a tube train due to driver shortages.
As much as I enjoyed the ground and the game, I’m in no rush to go back.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Home team win Dunkirk battle
Dunkirk 3 Lincoln Moorlands Railway 1
14/11/09
When the draw for this round was made, I printed it off, passed it to my colleague at work & said "Where should I go then?" She humoured me by giving the draw a respectful viewing & then announced "Dunkirk". So off I set, albeit nervously after 48 hours of almost continual rain and winds of 80 mph predicted to be hitting the country. On reaching Nottingham, I called the club and was happy to hear that the game wasn't in any danger and I was invited to make my way there. The first issue was finding the correct bus stop. I know Nottingham is a large city, but there seemed to be busses pinging al over the place. After a few minutes aimless wandering, I spotted a bus station and eagerly made my way over. I spotted an information room, went in and was pointed in the right direction by a very helpful chap. I thanked him, turned to leave and walked into the door that didn't budge an inch. "You have to pay to get out" he jested before pointing out that I had to push a button to open the door. I found my bus stop which has a frequent service on the number 48. I alighted at a retail park and set off to find the ground. On approaching a flyover, I was approached by 3 continental young ladies armed with a bus map who asked me if they were at the right stop to reach the castle. I'm not quite sure how they got there in the first place and I'm sure they weren't in the right place at all, but I suggested they flag down the next bus that came along to ask. It was a bit surreal talking to these girls with cars buzzing around our heads at all levels on the flyover and approach like some futuristic sci-fi movie. I headed off down the subway in search of Lenton Lane. I found it easily & set off walking down there in search of the ground past row upon row of industrial units. After about 10 minutes it became apparent that I was not going the right way. Just my luck, the road was in two parts, one either side of the A52 & I'd gone down the wrong section. I eventually found my way & reached the ground in good time. For future reference, I would take the number 1 park & ride bus from the station & just walk under the flyover at the busses destination & you're in Lenton Lane. Interestingly, you pass the entrance to Greenwood Meadows FC on this lane, so looks like I'm going to have to come back another time to tick off that ground. A very welcoming clubhouse greeted me with a bar, TV & food serving hatch. I find that the further North I go, the cheaper the food & usually it's of a better quality. I thoroughly enjoyed my sausage cob (With 4 sausage halves) & chips. I enjoyed bumping into a fellow ground hopper who I'd met the previous year at Kimberley Town. He writes his own reports and sometimes a poem, and creates his own little programme as a memento of his trip. He was very good company. The ground was surrounded by corrugated fencing & had a small covered area on one side and behind the near goal. A few white plastic seats were littered about for use. The pitch was in good shape and although it was very windy, this match never came close to being called off.
We were treated to a minor giant killing with Lincoln in the league above Dunkirk. The game had a great tempo and I'm not quite sure how it was goalless at half time. Dunkirk played some lovely attacking football and deservedly ended up winners. Three second half goals were well taken, the pick being a 25 yard effort into the top corner by substitute White. Lincoln scored a consolation on 90 minutes but were well beaten.
With so many games called off around the country, I definitely ended up for a change at the right place.
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