The Wallasey Welcome

Ashville  2  Newton  3

West Cheshire League – Division One

It was one of the more bizarre moments of the season.

Myself and Steve, were just about to take the first sips of a well earned pint in a pub in Wallasey when something very strange happened.

You have to picture the scene, I was sat on one of the window seats and in front of me was a table for two, Steve was sat opposite, and then suddenly an old boy walked up to us, put his pint on the table and sat next to me underneath the window.

This was a table for two, it was somewhat uncomfortable, indeed a clear invasion of privacy, I had to act!

“Sorry mate, are we in your seat?” was my question, because clearly we were, seeing as virtually every other seat in the pub was free.

“It’s a pub, you can sit where you like!” was the reply, to which I couldn’t distinguish whether it was a clear hint to move, or just an invitation to remain at ‘his’ table.

Anyway, I suggested we moved to the next table, which we did, and for the next hour he barely took his eyes off of us. Welcome foreigners, to Wallasey, the land where pub seats have names on them, and they aren’t yours!

Ashville Football Club have been on the radar for a few years now, largely because they have been mooted as being a club with aspirations, and indeed facilities, to move into the North West Counties League. When the list of applicants to move from Step 7 to Step 6 was released in January, indeed this time around the club were on that list.

With a couple of midweek fixtures scheduled, we decided to have a trip over, and what an enjoyable experience it turned out to be.

Departing Chesterfield after a minor domestic involving Steve, his wife and an absent sat nav, we traversed the High Peak before hitting the delights of Manchester Airport and the M56. The section which bypasses Runcorn was a true delight as always, until we then reached the M53 and headed to the end of the rather large cul-de-sac!

The Wirral is not a place I’m well versed with. I went to Tranmere Rovers for some Friday night footy back in the early Nineties, and since then I’ve been to Cammell Laird and Vauxhall Motors. Wallasey and New Brighton, which sit almost at the very end of the cul-de-sac, are new territory.

Nothing much was happening at the ground when we arrived, so we headed to the aforementioned boozer which was just a couple of minutes away, and that was where the fun started!

So, Ashville Football Club, what’s the story?

Always a West Cheshire League side from the moment they joined the competition in 1955 until now, albeit more recent seasons has seen them have something of a yo-yo existence between the First and Second Division.

They dropped into the second tier in 2008, but bounced back as champions in 2011. The following season they won the top flight, but by the end of 2015 they’d been relegated again. They were crowned champions of the Second Division in 2017 while last season they finished third from bottom, but this wasn’t helped by a fifteen point deduction.

This season, they sit inside the top ten, but if they are to finish in the top five which is the placing they need to be considered for promotion, they have work to do.

Because the club has had floodlights for a number of years now, they’ve been sporadic entrants to the FA Vase. A first appearance came in 1990, while the 2005-06 season was the best campaign by far when they beat Silsden, Penrith, Nelson and Racing Club Warwick, before losing at Buxton in the Fourth Round. A last appearance came in 2011 when they departed in the Second Round at home to Staveley Miners Welfare.

So what of Villa Park then? Located just off Junction One of the M53, the ground sits at the end of a road that runs parallel to the motorway. You enter via the Wallasey Rugby Union Club car park until reaching the car park that serves the football club. Two of your finest English Pounds are handed over to gain admission, and once inside, it is a very impressive arena for Step 7 football.

A seated stand straddles the half way line, while behind the North goal sits a smart clubhouse and a two story dressing room building. Fully railed, enclosed and equipped with hard standing, it’s hard to see how it wouldn’t make the grade for Step 6.

A decent crowd assembled to see second placed title favourites Newton (who have games in hand), race into a 3-0 first half lead. The visitors looked comfortably the better side as they attacked with pace, and demonstrated great movement in attack. You did wonder at half time just how many they would get, but all credit to Ashville for what happened next.

An early goal was followed up by a second, and suddenly a confident looking Newton were on the back foot and having to defend deeply. Ashville continued to press, but an equaliser would simply not arrive.

On reflection, Ashville were a very friendly club, the welcome was undoubtedly warm, and the officials were nothing but thoroughly good lads. I strongly suspect that was more akin to a proper Wallasey welcome.

Unless of course you are sat in someone’s seat……….  

Punching Above

Braintree Town  0  Aldershot Town  1

National League

I was talking to an Alfreton Town fan recently about the spell they had in the top flight of the non-league game, and during that course of conversation I happened to mention that I was planning a trip to Braintree Town.

His comments were quite honest, suggesting that if he could think of one club that the Reds could draw parallels with during their four years in the Conference National, it would be the Essex outfit.

Cressing Road Terraces

Upon probing, I could sort of see where he was coming from.  Both clubs have risen up through the pyramid, with modest support from relatively small sized towns in comparison to some of the much bigger names in the league. They both have grounds that have been developed as best they can from a fairly basic state, and clearly defying the odds, they’ve gone on to upset some very big names along the way.

Alfreton arrived in the Conference National in 2011, achieving mid-table finishes for the first three seasons before finally succumbing to relegation in year four. Since going back to the Conference North, a return has never looked likely.

Home End

Braintree on the other hand did somewhat better by comparison. They arrived in the National at the same time, but unlike Alfreton, they survived for six seasons, and even better than that, they made the play-offs in 2015-16 after a quite incredible third placed finish, only to lose out to eventual winners Grimsby Town.

The Cowley brothers who were Managers at the time, moved on to Lincoln City and by the end of the following season, the Irons as they are known, had been relegated. To be honest, I didn’t have them down as being a returner, but whereas Alfreton have had it tough since relegation, Braintree bounced back the following season, finishing in sixth place, and then winning the play-off final against Hampton & Richmond Borough.

Quag End

So, forget Alfreton Town just now, this is all about Braintree Town, and the story of how a small club who once were Eastern Counties League stalwarts, reached the top table, and for a brief period, looked like they may crash the professional game!

Football in Braintree can be traced back to just before the Second World War, when works outfit Crittall Athletic plied their trade in the newly formed Eastern Counties League. A bit of league hopping took place over a number of years until 1968 when the club changed its name to Braintree & Crittall Athletic.

Under this guise, the club made its final league move for several years to come when they returned to the ECL from the Metropolitan League, and then in 1981 they dropped the works name and were simply known as Braintree Football Club. This lasted only two seasons before they became known as the club they are today, Braintree Town.

Action

The newly named club were very successful, winning the league twice and finishing runners up four times, before eventually taking a deserved spot in the Southern League in 1991. They were moved into the Isthmian League and over the course of six seasons they’d worked their way into the Premier Division.  The title was won in 2005-06 and with that came promotion to the Conference South. Five years later and that had been won, it was big time for Braintree.

So what about the town of Braintree? With a population of just over 40,000, it sits on the road that links the M11 with Colchester, and from my dear old homestead it’s a drive of around two and three quarter hours, depending on how bad the congestion is around the Freeport Retail Village that sits on the very edge of the town!

Main Stand

This season has proved a real challenge for the club, prior to the game they sat bottom of the table, but recent victories over Eastleigh, Salford City, Hartlepool United and Barnet have put them in a far better place, after just a month ago looking in perilous trouble. The visitors Aldershot Town had slipped down the table in recent weeks and also found themselves in the relegation zone, this was a real six pointer!

Arriving nice and early in Braintree, I found street parking close to the ground and wandered through a cul-de-sac and into the car park. The area had a bit of a rural feel to it, and compared to other National League grounds I’ve visited, this definitely felt like you were arriving at a non-league club. I mean that respectfully and indeed positively, no delusions of grandeur about this football club.

Entering through the old fashioned turnstiles, immediately to the right, behind the uncovered terracing was the dressing rooms, the club house, the club shop and the boardroom, all set in traditional structures that from the outside looked untouched from the clubs days as an Eastern Counties League outfit.

The Away End

Going round in an anti-clockwise direction was a small area of terracing near the corner flag, which ran up to the large main stand that’s been extended in recent seasons to add more seats. Once the stand ends, the terracing starts again, and this is where the visiting support was housed today.

Another area of open terracing (The Quag End) sat behind the opposite goal and this was out of bounds today due to the segregation, while on the Cressing Road side is a long strip of terracing that is covered for two thirds of the length, straddling the half way line.

You can make out from the perimeter that the ground was once an oval, but now it’s been enclosed and is much tighter. I have to say, I bloody loved it. It had clearly been modernised, but a rustic charm remained, Cressing Road, whatever happens to Braintree Town Football Club, decked in club colours orange and blue, will always be a proper non-league football ground, and a great one at that.

Another obvious difference when experiencing Braintree compared to many other top tier clubs, was the lack of officiousness from the stewards and club officials. As opposed to acting as though they were an extension of the local constabulary or a firm of nightclub bouncers, they were actually very friendly, helpful, accommodating, and in not in slightest bit jobsworths.  

Under Cover

A crowd of 829 turned up, which was slightly up on the seasons average, which itself was boosted by a massive 2,574 turning up for the Leyton Orient game. The lowest was just 371 against Boreham Wood, while on another four occasions they’ve not got to 500 in the ground. Braintree do not get huge support, but what they do get is loyal support.

As far as the game went, to be brutally honest Braintree were just not at the races. They had possession, they grafted, but in terms of craft, guile and a bit of presence in attack, it was largely non-existent.

Aldershot had the better chances and took the lead in the 64^th minute when Reece Grant shot low from an angle and found the bottom corner. To be fair the goal had been coming.

Despite the well supported visitors having the experienced Scott Rendell sent off, they managed to contain a sustained period of pressure from the hosts late in the game, but in all honesty, had they still been playing at midnight, I don’t think Braintree would have scored.

Cressing Road Again

So Braintree stay bottom, eleven points from safety, and if we are being brutally honest, the defeat was a hammer blow in terms of survival. I hope they stay up, but if they don’t, who’s to say they can’t bounce back a second time?

Punching above their weight is something Braintree Town specialise in.    

Pre-Conceptions

Billericay Town  2  Eastbourne Borough  0

National League South

So much has been both written and said about Billericay Town over the past couple of years, that it’s almost impossible not to have pre-conceived ideas about the club.

The recent history has been well documented, and this all intrinsically links back to one man, Glenn Tamplin.

Mr Tamplin took ownership of the club in December 2016, and the man who at one point looked to be taking over Dagenham & Redbridge, set about using his fortune made in the steel industry, to lead Billericay forward, the destination the moon so it seemed at first glance!

The Mural

Shy of publicity he certainly wasn’t, Mr Tamplin was also not backwards in coming forwards about his plans for the club, and in fairness, the big name signings on the field like Paul Konchesky, Jermaine Pennant and Jamie O’Hara were matched off the pitch with some significant and impressive improvements to the New Lodge stadium. The national media were loving it, along with Salford City, you would have thought non-league football didn’t exist outside of Billericay.

Within a matter of months though, Tamplin made the footballing World sit up even further when he appointed himself as Manager of the club. “What could possibly go wrong?” were the words on many people’s lips, but to be fair, the Isthmian League was won, part one of the mission ‘together, we sail as one’ was complete. But clearly it wasn’t straightforward, it couldn’t be any other way could it?

Harry Parker Stand

The National League South was always going to be a different ball game in terms of the challenge, and after numerous managerial changes that were instigated by a seemingly trigger happy and somewhat erratic Tamplin, that didn’t portray the club in the best of lights, Harry Wheeler returned to the club after an indifferent spell on the pitch, and looked to have got things back on track.

Tamplin has had his problems, he recently had a spell in the States undergoing treatment for burn out, and to be fair, he seems to be going about his business with less fuss and while certainly not taking a back seat, he’s letting the results do the talking rather than his social media accounts.

The Family Stand

But what about the supporters? Gates have not been at the levels Tamplin hoped for, however support is healthy, and the view seems to be that they will enjoy the ride while it lasts.  As for the rest of the football fraternity, well the whole period has been met with scepticism, bordering on disbelief at times as off the field events were more akin to Eastenders.

But, Glenn Tamplin has put his money where his mouth and his Twitter account is, and to be brutally honest, I set about planning a visit to Billericay Town, unsure of which camp he came in to.

Was he just an egomaniac who used his wealth to fuel that need, and Billericay Town were the vehicle. But ultimately, when the ego is no longer being fueled it all goes pop?

Terraces

Or, was he a genuinely wealthy man who did see himself as a philanthropic, born again Christian, who ultimately wanted to bring success and happiness to a football club and its fans? Ok, it wouldn’t be a smooth ride and it wouldn’t be without its controversy, but that is what you get with a man like Glenn Tamplin.  He’s in it for the long haul, for all the right reasons.

We’ll come onto my thoughts post visit shortly, but let’s not forget, Billericay Town did exist prior to Glenn Tamplin, and they weren’t a bad side either.

As an Essex Senior League and then an Athenian League side in the Seventies, they completed a remarkable hat-trick of three FA Vase wins in four seasons. In 1976 they beat Stamford at Wembley, and then the following season they beat Sheffield FC in a replay at Nottingham Forest.

1978 saw them only reach the fifth round, but a year later they went on to win the third title against Almondsbury Greenway under the twin towers.

The Business Side

The Isthmian League beckoned, and the club moved between divisions for many seasons until 1998 when they set about a long period in the Premier Division. In 2011-12 they won the league, the clubs first championship since 1980, and with it they gained promotion to the Conference South. It lasted only one year before relegation, and then when Mr Tamplin arrived, they found themselves back in the National League as champions.

I did a bit of homework before I set off to watch the game against Eastbourne Borough, mainly around parking and of course liquid refreshments. Parking was found easily on the main road out of Billericay, but when you arrive an hour and a half before kick-off you would expect that I guess. 

Warming Up

After initially making the mistake of thinking I could pay cash at the turnstile, I was sent back to the ticket office to purchase one before being allowed into the ground. Once in the ground I did my usual thing and found the bar, to have a quiet pint after a two and a half hour journey, but also to watch what was going on around me. People watching was certainly going to be part of the experience.

The walk from the turnstiles to the clubhouse takes you past the infamous mural that the owner had painted. Now, I quite liked it (must be the Ulster blood), but I wasn’t sure about the images of Tamplin in bed with his wife, dreaming about football! But then again, I’m more used to paramilitaries wearing balaclava’s!

First impressions were very positive. The ground really is excellent, two covered terraces sit behind each goal, and a full length stand adorns the West side of the ground. The East side of the ground has the Harry Parker Stand, named after a young boy with cerebral palsy who’s family Tamplin gave £45,000 to, to aid his treatment, which was a quite brilliant gesture. Next to the stand is the clubhouse and the two story building that houses a corporate area and a bottle bar underneath. The changing rooms with Lions painted on the home dressing room walls sit beyond the clubhouse.

Corporate Bits

Inside the clubhouse, or Sports Bar as it’s been rebranded to, it was incredibly smart, with a stairway leading to the hospitality area above. Numerous tray of food and bottles of fizz were heading up the stairs as the guests were kept well entertained. One of the things that struck me was the number of staff on duty, not just behind the bar, but all around the ground.

The word I would use is quite simply ‘professional’, it had all the hallmarks of a professional football club. Everything was being managed down to the finest detail, from the PA, to the catering, to the stewarding, to the cleanliness, right down to the club having its own Pastors inside the ground for fans to engage with.

As a sub-plot, ITV were at the ground today to film the first part of a documentary about the club. Cynics would argue that it’s another ego massaging exercise, others would argue that it’s fantastic publicity for the football club. I mean, how many non-league clubs would turn down the opportunity of a series on national television? Not many I can assure you!

Panoramic

A crowd of just under a thousand turned up for the game, and to be fair the vocal support and passion from the Ricay fans was impressive. They saw Adam Coombes score with a header after 22 minutes, and then the game was effectively sealed in the second half when Marvin Hamilton had the misfortune of finding his own net for the visitors from Sussex.

The win see’s Billericay remain in fourth place. One of either Torquay United or Woking will win the league in my opinion, but as it stands, Ricay are well placed to make the play-offs now some stability has been found in the managerial department. Tamplin’s plan was always to get promotion from National League South in the second season, so if it doesn’t happen, this year, Wheeler will no doubt be given the chance next time around.....maybe?

Ok, so what’s my view?

I don’t know Glenn Tamplin, I’ve never met the chap, and I’m not even sure if he was at the game on Saturday. But, he’s clearly a man with passion, and he’s certainly generous, but like everyone, he has flaws.

More Terraces

Billericay Town have got a superb stadium, fit for the Football League I would guess. They appear to have a great off the field infrastructure, and they compete at the second tier of non-league football. If Tamplin walked away tomorrow, then that remains, and yes, clearly the wage bill and players would have to change, but isn’t that what happens as football clubs evolve anyway?

People talk about boom and bust, but let’s be fair, Billericay Town have risen just one level, the fall back to where they came from is hardly a dramatic one?

Glenn Tamplin for me has had a bad press, some of it he could have avoided, but he cares, he’s prepared to put his money where his mouth is. I for one, and I’m pretty convinced I’m not in the majority with this, hope he succeeds. He wants the best for Billericay Town, its supporters and the town, is that such a bad thing?    

Not in my book it isn’t.   

Tim Buzaglo & The Warhol Moment

Woking  3  East Thurrock United  0

National League South

Life changed completely for Woking striker Tim Buzaglo on a cold Saturday afternoon in January 1991.

A goal down at West Bromwich Albion, the Isthmian League club were staring at what seemed an inevitable defeat in the Third Round of the FA Cup at the Hawthorns. But then it all changed.

Buzaglo equalised just after the break.  And as the non-league visitors, who back then were not even a top flight semi-professional club, took complete control of the game, the same player completed his hat-trick as Woking ran out 4-2 winners.

It went mental for 48 hours, television and radio interviews, the back pages of the Sunday papers, Buzaglo was a superstar, it was his Andy Warhol moment, his life would probably never be the same again.

Leslie Godson Stand

I’ve never seen Woking play, let alone visit their Kingfield stadium, but, I couldn’t help but make an immediate link with Buzaglo every time I heard the clubs name.  Granted, had his name been Tim Smith, it might have erased itself from memory, but prior to that day in 1991, Woking were a relatively unknown outfit, yet afterwards they became one of the most famous non-league clubs in the country, just as much as Buzaglo for that brief period became a household name.

The history of Woking football club is a story of a club who rose to become one of the biggest names in non-league football, but at the same time, they’re a club that have probably frustrated many as they’ve never realised their full potential, and that of course is making it to the Football League.

An Isthmian League club for more years than many care to remember, they were a lowly Division Two South side back in the mid-Eighties, but under legendary manager Geoff Chapple they had made it through to the Premier Division by 1990, and just two seasons in, they were crowned champions and with it came promotion to the Conference.

The View From Moaners Corner

Many pundits felt it was only going to be a matter of time before they made it to the professional ranks, but the nearest they got to it was a couple of runners-up places in successive seasons during the mid-Nineties. After that they never really threatened again, and by the time we’d moved into the mid-Noughties it was a struggle, and relegation to the Conference South came in 2009.

It took three seasons to bounce back, where they remained for six years, prior to relegation again at the end of last season. While you could argue that they’ve underachieved slightly in terms of the league, you certainly couldn’t say that about cup competitions.

Starting with the FA Cup, the famous West Bromwich season saw them reach the Fourth Round and with it came a home draw against Everton. Back then you could switch games, which they did to Goodison Park, and lost 1-0.

From The Top Of The Stand

For a number of years after that they were guaranteed a First Round Proper starting point as opposed to having to start in the Fourth Qualifying Round. Victories came against the likes of Yeovil Town, Barnet, Millwall (away), and Cambridge United, while the Third Round was reached again, only to lose to Coventry City in a replay after drawing 1-1 at Highfield Road.

Once having to start in the Qualifying Round again, appearances in the Cup proper were not as frequent, however, last season they recorded a fantastic 3-0 victory at Bury, while this season a 1-0 victory at Swindon Town set up a Third Round tie against Premiership Watford at Kingfield, which they lost 2-0.

It was the FA Trophy though where Woking set records. In 1994 they beat Runcorn at Wembley to win the competition for the first time, while the following year they did it again by beating Kidderminster Harriers.Two years later and they completed a hat-trick of wins when Dagenham & Redbridge were beaten under the twin towers. They also reached the Final in 2006 but this time came out second best to Grays Athletic at Upton Park.

Spot The East Thurrock Fan

It’s also worth noting that some Conference sides were allowed in the Football League Trophy for a period in the Noughties, and in the competition now known as the Checkatrade Trophy, they recorded a famous 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest at Kingfield. Oh happy days, for all Derby County fans that is!!

So, this season and they sit just behind Torquay United in second place, and with the two clubs meeting in April, it could be a very interesting finish indeed. A controversial 1-0 home defeat to Dartford in midweek didn’t help matters, but with struggling East Thurrock United in town, you fancied them to get back on track.

It's A Big-Un!

The journey down the M1 and round the M25 was problem free, in fact the only traffic issues were in Woking itself, where the smart and surprisingly large town centre was busy with shoppers and consequently cars. Kingfield, or the Laithwaite Community Stadium as it’s now know, was found with ease, and parking was found on a side street  less than a five minute walk away.

Entrance was £15, but today it was segregated and all 30 away fans had to enter through a separate turnstile and kept under guard on the open terraces. Why, you might ask? Crowd trouble at the away fixture in Essex it seems, which to be honest was probably nothing to do with East Thurrock United, and probably more to do with West Ham United! Anyway, better to be safe than look stupid I guess!

The Woking End

The ground is a Bobby Dazzler, upon entering the huge Leslie Godson Stand sits behind the goal and is without doubt the focal point. A single tier of seats stretches steeply from front to back, and from the top a superb elevated view of the action can be had. This stand is relatively new, while the rest of the ground is older by comparison.

Two small stands sit on the Kingfield side of the ground, one for Directors and Media, the other for Families. The dressing rooms and clubhouse sit behind, while to one side is the famous ‘Moaners Corner’ Terrace. On the opposite side is an open terrace used by away fans when segregation is needed, while behind this is a large David Lloyd centre which provides a natural wall. Behind the opposite goal is a covered terrace that looks like it’s been re-clad in recent years, and from inside here a fantastic atmosphere is created, especially when over 1,600 are in the ground as they were for the game.

It’s a mixture of the old and the modern, with a mish-mash of structures dotted around. If anything it probably charts the rise of the club more than anything as developments and additions have been made along the way. That said, the club have announced only this week that plans are underway to completely redevelop the stadium, so watch this space.

Close Up Of The Old

The game, while a 3-0 home win, wasn’t as one sided as the score line would suggest. On loan striker Dave Tarpey gave the cards a first half lead before a neat finish from Greg Luer ten minutes before the break doubled the lead. United did create chances though, and could easily have found the net either side of the break, and it wasn’t until two minutes into injury time that Woking scored a third courtesy of a header from substitute Jake Hyde.

Before the game, I was reading an article from less than a month ago, in which Tim Buzaglo, now 57, was interviewed.  He described the aftermath of the WBA game as “A Bloody Nightmare!” with the barrage of attention he received, combined with having to hold down a day job, making his life simply hellish.

A head injury saw Buzaglo forced to quit football, whereby after that he ended up playing international cricket for Gibraltar, very successfully.

The man who put Woking on the map thanks to his fifteen minutes of fame, Tim Buzaglo, they owe him a debt of gratitude.

Match Action

Paisley Saints

St Mirren  1  Motherwell  2

Scottish Premier League

To be brutally honest, when the Scotland gig presented itself to me, the month of February was not one whereby I expected to find much in the way of football options on a Wednesday night.

January for example, was completely barren, not a sniff of a game, but when the dates came through for the following month, it just so happened to coincide with a night when there was a full Scottish Premier League fixture programme.

Oh what days of joy, take your pick, and in my case it was Hamilton Academical, complete with plastic pitch in the event of weather issues, or St Mirren. But, with the weather forecast set fair for a pleasant evening, I opted to go for the grass option which was only a wee journey (bit of Scottish dialect for you!) from my base at Glasgow Central.

Close Your Eyes Now If You Don't Want To Know The Score

With a mid-morning departure on a direct train from Derby, Glasgow was reached just after 4pm, complete with two colleagues who had already made plans to watch the Aberdeen v Rangers game in a local bar. Checked into an adjacent hotel / knocking shop, it was time to head to the town of Paisley, which was less than quarter of an hour away.

I’d done my homework, the main station in Paisley is Gilmour Street, where a mighty fine Wetherspoon’s sits right outside the entrance, and that was to be first port of call. With the app downloaded, I never needed to get off my arse during the entire time in the establishment , three pints and a mixed grill later I had to think about making my way to the ground.

Away End

I could have walked, but it seemed a damn sight easier to pay £1.50 and jump back on the train to St James station which sits right next to the stadium. This got me to St Mirren Park for 7pm and very quickly a ticket had been procured for the princely sum on £22 in the main stand. Being mindful of the fact that you can’t get any alcohol inside Scottish Premier League grounds, I did try and blag my way into a member’s only section but my pleas fell on deaf ears.

St Mirren Park is like an all-seater version of Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium. The ground is less than ten years old, and consists of two identical seated stands at either end, and two not dis-similar stands on each stand. It holds close on 8,000, and rarely gets tested to capacity, except of course when the Old Firm are in town.

The Other Side

Prior to moving to St Mirren Park, they played at the wonderful arena that was Love Street, just a short walk North of the town centre, it saw some great times as St Mirren established themselves as an SPL club and had several adventures into European competitions.

In the last few seasons they’ve been plying their trade in the Scottish Championship, but last season saw them win the Championship, and with it promotion back to the SPL.

To be brutally honest, sat bottom of the table this season, in all likelihood they will get relegated. The SPL is something of a lottery outside of the two Glasgow giants, the Edinburgh pair and Aberdeen. 

With crowds averaging around the 5,000 mark, they would fall into the ‘small fish’ category, tonight just over 4,000 turned up with nearly a quarter of those having travelled the short distance across Glasgow.

Home End

I’m a bit of a loner, so if I can find a seat, or ideally a block of seats with no one close to me, then I’ll choose to make it my perch for the course of the event. I managed that tonight, a seat right at the end of the main stand, on the back row gave me ample room to sit, stand, stretch out, talk to myself, twitch uncontrollably and if I chose, discretely undertake vital bodily functions!

As for the game, well the first thing that caught my eye was the Motherwell centre forward Curtis Main, a man who I’d had contact with from a business perspective not that long ago when he was at Doncaster Rovers, and a thoroughly nice chap with it. I’d never seen him play before so that was going to be interesting.

Indeed it was Motherwell who took the lead as early as the tenth minute when Jake Hastie produced a stinging shot that found the top corner of the net.

Main Stand

St Mirren toiled without any end product but they did equalise thanks to a header from Paul McGinn in the 74^th minute. The goal caused delirium amongst a group of vocal and animated supporters sat on the far side nearest to the away fans. I counted two ejections, but it could have been more to be honest!

It didn’t last, three minutes later and Allan Campbell got his head to an Elliott Frear cross and found the back of the net. No Motherwell fans were ejected at this point, but had the Police / Stewards barricade not been in place, the pitch would have been in danger.

Motherwell hung on for a deserved victory, St Mirren simply don’t have the firepower to get them out of the mire, and at the final whistle Oran Kearney, the former Manager of Coleraine, saw his side greeted with a short burst of boos and jeers.

Coming Out

After the game it was a short walk back to St James before catching the train back to Glasgow Central. It all got a bit lively as the train pulled in to Glasgow, we’d only been off the train a matter of seconds before a fight broke out on the platform. This wasn’t the smartest thing to do as the British Transport Police were effectively lining the platform, what with Celtic being at home the same evening, and the perpetrators, one of whom was clearly a Motherwell fan, the other I’m not sure, got wrestled to the ground while trying to plead innocence.

Excitement over, I decided to meet up with the colleagues who’d been watching the Aberdeen v Rangers game in a nearby bar, they were well on the way, so tales of St Mirren v Motherwell were not really that high on the conversation agenda. The Horseshoe Bar in Glasgow was our final calling point, before retiring back to the hotel for some well earned rest.

What will March bring I wonder, more of something similar will do me just fine!  

Calm Before The Storm

My Only Canvey

Canvey Island  1  Aveley  2

Isthmian League – Division One North

“You are my Canvey, my only Canvey, you make me happy….”

With something of a hangover, following Belper Town’s famous FA Vase quarter final victory at Metropolitan Police the previous day, myself and Mr H Senior decided to have a drive to Oxford on the Sunday to see Oxford City play Canvey Island at the same stage of the competition.

The season was 1994-95, and having beaten heavily fancied Stamco in the previous round, Canvey were one of the favourites for the Vase. We arrived at Court Place Farm just as a double decker bus turned up from Essex containing the Canvey fans, and my abiding memory of the day was the noise they created, especially compared to a somewhat muted home support. The singing never stopped, and even as they went 2-0 down and the game was clearly beyond them, the support continued.

Canvey Island Football Club is quite a story, and that day at Oxford was at the early stages of a tale that saw triumph, glory, headlines, and ultimately an abrupt change in fortune.

The Terrace

Jeff King was the man behind it all, once a player, then a manager and a Chairman / owner, the local businessman funded a dream, a dream that for a brief period came true.

In the 1992-93 season, the club won the Essex Senior League, but alongside that they reached the semi-final of the FA Vase, losing out over two legs to perhaps the best side in the Country at that level at the time, Tiverton Town.

The following season they finished runners up in the Third Division of the Isthmian League, and of course lost out in the Vase quarter final to Oxford City. One year later, the Second Division title was in the bag, and with it an FA Cup First Round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion, who were held to a 2-2 draw at Park Lane before the professional club won the replay 4-1. The Vase again saw them reach the last eight, only to lose to Flixton this time around.

Looking East

1996-97 was a bit of shocker as the club were relegated, had the bubble burst?  No, it hadn’t because one year later they had returned to the First Division with another championship, and that was followed up twelve months later with a back to back title and the club found themselves in the Premier Division.

Five years were spent in the Isthmian League Premier Division, the first season saw them finish fifth, then for three years on the bounce they claimed the runners up spot, before in 2003-04 they won the Championship and with it promotion to the Football Conference, the pinnacle of non-league football.

Also in the five year period, they beat Port Vale in the FA Cup before losing to neighbours Southend United, and then the following season they won at Wigan Athletic, beat Northampton Town at home before falling in the Third Round at Burnley. In the promotion season Southend were drawn again, with the tie at Roots Hall ending in a draw, only for the away side to win the replay in front of a packed house at Park Lane.

Main Stand

The ultimate achievement in knock out competitions came in 2000-1 season when they made it to the FA Trophy Final at Villa Park having beaten Conference sides Telford United, Stevenage Borough and Chester City on the way, and then in the Final they beat Forest Green Rovers by a solitary goal. Villa Park was reached again in 2003-04 but this time Hednesford Town came out on top, a game that I saw with Mr H Senior. The scoreline this time around was 3-2 to the Midlanders.

During that period, in 1999-00 to be precise, I was on a course in North London and decided to watch Canvey play an away game at St Albans City, they won 5-2 and were absolutely superb, I knew then that this was very much a club on the up, but, it was clear then, this was largely down to the financial clout of Mr King, who turned up at the game in a pimped up van that resembled the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo!

Two seasons in the Conference saw eighteenth and fourteenth placed finishes, but then suddenly Mr King decided to move to Chelmsford City, citing the fact that the club simply wasn’t getting the support it needed to be viable. In simple terms, gates were poor, but given the size of the local population, was it ever going to get any better one might ask?

Lush Surface

Voluntary demotion came, right down to the Isthmian League First Division, which they remained in for two seasons before being promoted to the Premier Division, a competition they competed in for nine seasons until relegation befell them in 2017. They lost out in the play-off final last season to Haringey Borough, and this season, they sit just outside the play offs in what is Step 4 of the non-league pyramid. Bizarrely, the other club in Canvey, Concord Rangers, ply their trade two leagues above them.

Quite a story, not quite one of boom and bust, but certainly one of highs and lows. They have always held something of a fascination for me, probably due to that first encounter in Oxford, and as a result I’d made the decision to make a visit to Park Lane at some point this season.

Terrace Again

I wasn’t meant to be going to Canvey Island though today, I was meant to be going to Merthyr Town, but that got called off due to a serious dumping of snow in South Wales. With a few plastic pitch options and some on grass in the South East, I took an early decision to drive down the M1 as far as Toddington Services and then make a decision where to go.

Canvey Island was the favourite before I set off, and with back-ups at Concord Rangers and on the plastic at Grays Athletic, a cursory check over a coffee and an affirmative tweet from the club convinced me to head clockwise on the M25.

Canvey Island is accessed via the Southend Arterial Road, and what is known as the Canvey Way which sits above the creeks and marshes that separate the island from the Essex mainland. With the huge petrochemical plants in the distance, which the IRA once had a good go at blowing up, Canvey Island was once a popular holiday resort on the Thames Estuary, but tragedy struck in 1953 when the river burst its banks due to a North Sea tidal surge and 59 lives were lost in the floods, that also saw 13,000 inhabitants have to flee their homes.

Looking Thames-ward

Consequently a huge sea wall runs along the banks of the Thames to protect Canvey Island from further natural disasters. Canvey Island today is still a busy town with over 38,000 inhabitants, but tourism is not a key player as it once was.

The Park Lane ground of the football club sits to the East of the town centre, and is only a couple of hundred yards from the sea wall, in fact as you enter through the turnstiles a marker on the wall of the terraces depicts where the sea level is, about a metre and a half above pitch level!

What a cracking ground it is, a mixture of structures that have been put in place as the club has progressed through the leagues. The focal point is without doubt the huge terrace that sits behind the North goal, and its yellow crush barriers. The views from here are fantastic, but you are somewhat open to the elements on a windy day like today!

On the West side of the ground is the smart clubhouse and dressing rooms, and a low roofed seated stand that runs from the half way line all the way down to the bottom corner flag. Behind the South goal is some smaller terracing, while on the East side are two covered terrace areas that sit either side of the dugouts. Space is at a premium, but Canvey Island have made the most of it.

Support these days is around the 250 mark, and with local rivals and promotion chasing Aveley in town, a decent number of away fans had turned up on a bitterly cold day to see the action.

The Players Are Out

The Islanders took the lead in the sixth minute through James White who prodded the ball home from close range, but the visitors started to get a foothold in the game and after Alex Akrofi missed a great chance after rounding the goalkeeper, he made amends in the 25^th minute with a well taken equaliser.

The second half was an even affair, but as the game moved into the closing stages, it was that man Akrofi who found himself in space on the left hand side to finish well, with just three minutes left on the clock. An additional four minutes were added at the end, but Canvey could not force an equaliser, despite the vocal backing they were getting from a small, but loyal group of ‘Canvey Ultras’.

And that was it, Canvey Island, a super day out, especially considering the wintry weather which befell the South of the Country in the previous 48 hours.

“….when skies are grey”

The Sea Wall Sits Behind.....