tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64454375206383807252024-03-28T01:26:44.960-07:00Bobbles BlogBob L. Hatt (aka Neil Laughlin) of Tony Kempster Forum notoriety enters the World of blogging....Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.comBlogger591125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-57583535763482252642024-03-28T01:25:00.000-07:002024-03-28T01:25:54.598-07:00Zingari<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">MSB Woolton 1 East Villa Rail 1</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-84293da9-7fff-a3ef-6d9d-d86348241f6b"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Liverpool County Premier League – I Zingari Cup Group Stage</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Admission / Programme - No / No</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When I were a nipper, everyone seemed to have a newspaper delivered to their house. We had the Daily Mirror in a morning and then the Derby Evening Telegraph at teatime. We did eventually move to the Daily Mail in a morning, whereas on a Sunday we would indeed have the weighty tome that was the Mail on Sunday. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My Grandma and Grandad, just a few houses up the lane stuck with the Daily Mirror and DET routine throughout the week, but on a Sunday it was the Mirror and the People, which to be honest I preferred because of the football transfer gossip columns, which the Mail on Sunday didn’t bother with.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Non-League football results were not easy to come by back then, we had no internet, so you had to rely on what you could glean from newspapers, so one of my Sunday rituals would be to pore through the scores. Looking back, many of them at the time meant nothing to me, like the Irish and Welsh results that used to appear, but what I do remember, and I can’t remember which of the papers it was, but they always listed the scores from the Irish Zingari League.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjaEJNnvYdwPwdZQOrOaqzI5tVGREaSIulIEklJUGy35xiBN9k6X7v0dmWCqZkquFRIm8xGqOueRmiBxFw8DLnENXnd1yCrqUa2fKc2ymipzaU9CEQcnQ59z94woIFYOiG6w4GA6P_AUTa-MzrFKVWx_UPv90_5QOkz35-244D_LEDX0yWEqHExf9p-5A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjaEJNnvYdwPwdZQOrOaqzI5tVGREaSIulIEklJUGy35xiBN9k6X7v0dmWCqZkquFRIm8xGqOueRmiBxFw8DLnENXnd1yCrqUa2fKc2ymipzaU9CEQcnQ59z94woIFYOiG6w4GA6P_AUTa-MzrFKVWx_UPv90_5QOkz35-244D_LEDX0yWEqHExf9p-5A" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’d got no idea what it was, where it was, who any of the teams were, but I did like the name. How many leagues have a word starting with a ‘Z’ in them? Not many I would suggest…</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anyway, in years to come I was to discover it was a Liverpool based league, and the ‘Zingari’ word effectively meant gypsies. The league merged with the Liverpool County Combination in 2006 to form the Liverpool County Premier League, but it seems the Zingari, or I Zingari link as it’s now known (probably deemed politically incorrect to stereotype the Irish, so just use the letter ‘I’ instead!), remains in the form the now League Cup.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I’ll be honest though, I had no idea that the Zingari link remained until as recently as last Saturday morning. I had a plan, and that plan fitted in nicely with the fact I needed to be home by a sensible hour as it was Wedding Anniversary day, and we had a meal booked that evening. A 1.30pm kick off at Tintwistle Athletic looked the favourite but early on Saturday morning I discovered they had switched the game from their usual home on West Drive to a 4G in Hyde, so I decided to shelve that plan.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjty55Tzd4SGiDlHaghcRl_YteIb-lSNEArLuQHkBjdRJbtgkBc9YGyFCcmESrQaOQTr0q0QXUcLUWeLnbqPtGhIF9G2q6UMeOOgpY3ERaLX6cZKyLaUQlolRB5dG9ZC1lmj4KZguvqvqrPt6f9yqj9HVEQWIcFSfO98979e94G6lG60HqGgeMOx2ptpUQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjty55Tzd4SGiDlHaghcRl_YteIb-lSNEArLuQHkBjdRJbtgkBc9YGyFCcmESrQaOQTr0q0QXUcLUWeLnbqPtGhIF9G2q6UMeOOgpY3ERaLX6cZKyLaUQlolRB5dG9ZC1lmj4KZguvqvqrPt6f9yqj9HVEQWIcFSfO98979e94G6lG60HqGgeMOx2ptpUQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’d spotted the night before on the socials that MSB Woolton (a team who had applied to join the North West Counties League) had a home game against East Villa Rail, at their Leisure Simpson home on the South side of Liverpool. The game was also a 2pm kick off, so it fitted nicely with the evening plans. Upon further inspection, it was a League Cup Group Stage game, hence my re-acquaintance with the word Zingari (but no Irish remember!)!<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">MSB Woolton also applied last year but didn’t make the cut, so I’ve worked on the assumption that a second successive application means they’ve got themselves into a better place to make the step up, and from what I can pick up in terms of the noises being made, things are looking somewhat more favourable.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The journey to Liverpool was punctuated by slow moving traffic at varying intervals, notably on the M6 just beyond the Thelwall Viaduct where the junction with the M62 was proving to be a bit of a challenge. With that navigated and time having been lost, it was down past Widnes and then Southbound down towards Halewood, before heading back in again towards Allerton. The Leisure United Simpson complex was just of the A562 main road which conjoins Hunts Cross and Allerton, and is set in a relative area of greenery, with a cemetery to the South and woodland to the West.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXr_vK-tJSVcQVnD1-RlxEO6zzh3oiqaE7d0QZ6crRKiVwFnqg7-nSsrzJkPz3itXkvzPLHg-Q5P_WfQ8iFo25VjW2rd0l-Z05lYIe6QIm61nIAsIVO87PAgZZ-r2pDZkg72Zwk45m2LAZJuYUqz-s8HHcfjzB5SEUh3x5gaNYmnCEUK7v-GMULbYq7tA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXr_vK-tJSVcQVnD1-RlxEO6zzh3oiqaE7d0QZ6crRKiVwFnqg7-nSsrzJkPz3itXkvzPLHg-Q5P_WfQ8iFo25VjW2rd0l-Z05lYIe6QIm61nIAsIVO87PAgZZ-r2pDZkg72Zwk45m2LAZJuYUqz-s8HHcfjzB5SEUh3x5gaNYmnCEUK7v-GMULbYq7tA" width="320" /></a></div><br />There are a number of complexes like the Simpson around the Liverpool area, and my guess is that they are all part of the same organisation. They do appear to be named after people, my favourite is the Jeffery Humble Centre, I should imagine Jeff was a smashing chap!<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anyway, I arrived, the car park was roomy enough, and having made enquiries, it seemed MSB were playing on the pitch to the immediate South of the car park, one of three artificial surfaces at the complex. It was a standard 4G cage, but it did have a small area of cover on the one side that was accessible to the public. It was also noticeable that a number of advertising banners, and some MSB Woolton regalia was decorating the perimeter, so it looks very much like this part of the complex is very much the clubs own.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the centre of the complex is a single level building that houses all of the dressing rooms, and a cafeteria area. Does it meet Step 6 standards, well, I assume it must be close. I notice you cannot access the pitch itself without going through the building so that solves the admission / enclosed issue, but I guess time will tell.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf02wW7KDRA2QGtJYgIbAMKAc6EM8s8dYSIA5r1TBNR3r9s6TgJ_Bv4vC3CyjMDZABOnwSGSz4lKEVlFYYjOraAfpj5-XkeySxc7wyLZHs3YcWYPhZecpbVh3Dl4s8pjyWn4WEiAsg_0OkVJGvw9ZXg62JPwuGEqZmg5PUL8snsbKt8WciiYdhlvpuGqU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf02wW7KDRA2QGtJYgIbAMKAc6EM8s8dYSIA5r1TBNR3r9s6TgJ_Bv4vC3CyjMDZABOnwSGSz4lKEVlFYYjOraAfpj5-XkeySxc7wyLZHs3YcWYPhZecpbVh3Dl4s8pjyWn4WEiAsg_0OkVJGvw9ZXg62JPwuGEqZmg5PUL8snsbKt8WciiYdhlvpuGqU" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ll be honest, I know very little about MSB Woolton, or at least I didn’t before now. It seems they are a huge and incredibly well respected charter standard club with teams of all ages playing under the banner. They play out of two sites, the other being at Camp Hill, and in terms of their longevity, well it seems as big and as respected as they are, they haven’t been around an awful long time, ten years at the most, and as for the MSB bit, seems they are a firm of solicitors who sponsor the club, and they always come in handy!<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While this was a cup tie, from a league position perspective, Woolton sat fourth and as long as though they will make the top five, which means they can go up. That looks like it should be ok, but breaking the top three looks a challenge, with the visitors sat second, eleven points ahead of them having played two games more.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The game itself, played in blustery conditions was a tight and entertaining affair. The hosts took the lead in the first half through a Callum Griffiths penalty, and then we had a spot of controversy right on the stroke of half time when what looked like a perfectly legitimate second goal for Woolston was chalked off following intervention from the linesman.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOJu4VVIP7jDSjsWgNfFarAF2DTSMr_vbxduWDpMmQga7I78r6yDCvdfXOyQUbYlehhW6OFNl1LCk_JnKlJ39y6xehkBeztmjF7jWOAA8EPrYfewNWORMbfKbjKWi-czuCxfS1C37UeyQBwO2aRkZFJlp_ObyQ_z-Lsf1mYb-bln1WuGGm2xmmRRhlRA8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOJu4VVIP7jDSjsWgNfFarAF2DTSMr_vbxduWDpMmQga7I78r6yDCvdfXOyQUbYlehhW6OFNl1LCk_JnKlJ39y6xehkBeztmjF7jWOAA8EPrYfewNWORMbfKbjKWi-czuCxfS1C37UeyQBwO2aRkZFJlp_ObyQ_z-Lsf1mYb-bln1WuGGm2xmmRRhlRA8" width="320" /></a></div><br />East Villa Rail regrouped and found an equaliser in the second period when Daniel Lowey finished well from a tight angle after some excellent build up play. Both sides had a go as the half wore on, but neither could find a breakthrough.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So that was it, an honourable draw, and the opportunity to find out what MSB Woolton are all about. If all goes to plan they will be a North West Counties League side next season, as the non-league game on Merseyside starts to build it’s profile with more clubs stepping up from the County leagues.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’ll be one to watch with interest, and remember, if you are in Liverpool and you ever need a solicitor……</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-65928543006824182572024-03-24T07:31:00.000-07:002024-03-24T07:31:02.211-07:00Shay<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">FC Halifax Town 4 Chesterfield 2</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0d6698e0-7fff-17db-5ff7-75fff255d85d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">National League </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Admission / Programme - £21 / £3</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Do you recall my blog from earlier in the season when I went to AFC Crossley, a club from the North side of Halifax?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">No? Why not? Anyway…..</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well, I talked about the fact that Halifax was not a place I was overly familiar with, partly because it’s not an area I’ve been drawn to for football on that many occasions. I then went on to say that maybe as the season drew towards it’s close I may look for an opportunity to pay a long awaited re-visit to the Shay to watch FC Halifax Town, albeit on a Saturday via the train!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The train thing wasn’t going to happen after a bit of research, mainly because when I looked into it, it’s quite expensive to go to Halifax on the train from Derby, in fact I can get to Glasgow cheaper, but the foibles of the train ticketing and splitting system is for another day. What is for today is the fact that the planets aligned to set up what looked on paper a cracking occasion to get back to the Shay, after a 23 year absence, albeit by car, on a Wednesday night!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49yINlXUw85xaZvCOOCODQUmnBr69Z0jgKefJUDOgl25hY0KhyOAkpq4RwJaUvjvKS2UidjgkT8ETfbKQtzq61VUqIlf_tM5ksp4jXunEzjoq0sd0OMQx7mg85O02rMWzkh1M5hXi0YEExd9Hf_5j9qjeQGCYVYvk62w6im7BeE9KU1NTouJI5sI-i8M/s4096/IMG_20240320_205447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49yINlXUw85xaZvCOOCODQUmnBr69Z0jgKefJUDOgl25hY0KhyOAkpq4RwJaUvjvKS2UidjgkT8ETfbKQtzq61VUqIlf_tM5ksp4jXunEzjoq0sd0OMQx7mg85O02rMWzkh1M5hXi0YEExd9Hf_5j9qjeQGCYVYvk62w6im7BeE9KU1NTouJI5sI-i8M/s320/IMG_20240320_205447.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">FC Halifax Town v Chesterfield, and the permutations were simple, if Chesterfield avoided defeat they would be promoted back to the Football League, finally, after stumbling a little over recent weeks. That was it, that was the plan, I was going!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">All was indeed going to plan on the Wednesday morning, tickets for the away end were selling like hot cakes (it was all ticket for Chesterfield fans), 2,500 were expected to make the journey up, and no sooner had the ticket sales stopped, Halifax announced they were going to be having a pitch inspection at 3.30pm due to the heavy rain.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Shay has seen a number of games called off this season due to the renowned state of the Calderdale Council maintained pitch, and had we now got ourselves a situation whereby the party had to potentially go on hold? Also of course, had a number of fans bought tickets for a game that they subsequently may not attend depending on when it’s re-arranged for?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaVE_ONZCyC0ysBJ4dCiOGr6nEp53Iy_mQP8JT-VaFWV7qkuutzbvDj-I9rdeFIgQPeZHRj5Gba3GQurOl49uS0OT1IUjuifNxIig1nhQWr_IuIpBphsrLVpQTmuo--HlFTXgpCuGC4Os-BtobsiZTx5ra864QHvpJb6WdZics2z2yUZKsIncBdF1pLME" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaVE_ONZCyC0ysBJ4dCiOGr6nEp53Iy_mQP8JT-VaFWV7qkuutzbvDj-I9rdeFIgQPeZHRj5Gba3GQurOl49uS0OT1IUjuifNxIig1nhQWr_IuIpBphsrLVpQTmuo--HlFTXgpCuGC4Os-BtobsiZTx5ra864QHvpJb6WdZics2z2yUZKsIncBdF1pLME" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I started to prepare for a Plan B, Carlton v Pontefract on the plastic at Basford was looking the favourite, because to be honest, given the recent track record at the Shay I fully expected the game to be called off, but, at 3.45pm myself, along with many others no doubt, got a very pleasant surprise when the club announced that the game was in fact on!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Memories of the Shay then? A bit vague to be honest, as I said earlier, it was over 23 years ago, the 1997-98 season and a home game against Yeovil Town. It was the season that Halifax won the Football Conference and were promoted back to the Football League following a five year absence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Shaymen beat Yeovil Town 3-1 on what was a Friday night in West Yorkshire, and I know that I travelled up after work with a mate, only just getting into the ground in time for kick off. We stood under a covered terrace on the Skircoat Road side of the ground, and at the time the Shay didn’t look anything like it does today.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjX7rUV3GKJo0JO9TEWTtRRTghzsTgUUXXcpRIvoxXkFAsDd9DG-Fy7GLccdl638SeNcF5SOyblegI5sfRcyDK1KEjQB7dGwAm5GDvyD6h_E3V6qfhxP6-ltIi1xdyjS4gP-IG48rE2j4Bfy5r-oxNTZ-r___rpi6OYQ4VvU33JWBco2DxD-Lvo4AuVKPg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjX7rUV3GKJo0JO9TEWTtRRTghzsTgUUXXcpRIvoxXkFAsDd9DG-Fy7GLccdl638SeNcF5SOyblegI5sfRcyDK1KEjQB7dGwAm5GDvyD6h_E3V6qfhxP6-ltIi1xdyjS4gP-IG48rE2j4Bfy5r-oxNTZ-r___rpi6OYQ4VvU33JWBco2DxD-Lvo4AuVKPg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Back then the pitch was surrounded by the speedway track, both ends were open terraces around the edges of the oval, while the main stand opposite the Skircoat Terrace was a small structure that housed the dressing rooms. It was a vast but an ageing and somewhat basic venue, however, things changed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nowadays it’s gone from an oval to a rectangle! Two steep covered terraces sit behind both goals, the old main stand has been replaced by a shiny new one, complete with executive boxes, while the old cover on the Skircoat Road side remains, but now it’s full of seats. The Shay is shared between FC Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers Rugby League Club, a marriage that from a pitch preservation point of view, is far from conducive.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">From Halifax Town, to FC Halifax Town, what was that all about then? Well, Halifax Town were proud members of the Football League from 1921 when they were founder members of Division Three North, all the way to 1993 when they finished bottom of the fourth tier and were relegated to the Conference. Let’s be honest though, in the nicest possible sense, they were never really any good, life was always a struggle, and apart from a famous victory over Malcolm Allison’s Manchester City in the 1979-80 FA Cup, momentous back page headlines have not been overly forthcoming.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJUIwa5ZY5GfqCvHsRrxcZ0o_hxVlLd0EcInJsDZWtkFpgnZWfc4bwXAzUM3E_JV3oHSR16FzRire62FupgCLLHsAzZ7elrigiYYhq81d_DBngp1WCjf3nb23RW08IxyRv9HCIErsszEt-4QTIg9gRAUWKU5e_cSptBAlMGoe3mQRTFimccabq_oR5tNI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJUIwa5ZY5GfqCvHsRrxcZ0o_hxVlLd0EcInJsDZWtkFpgnZWfc4bwXAzUM3E_JV3oHSR16FzRire62FupgCLLHsAzZ7elrigiYYhq81d_DBngp1WCjf3nb23RW08IxyRv9HCIErsszEt-4QTIg9gRAUWKU5e_cSptBAlMGoe3mQRTFimccabq_oR5tNI" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">The Conference, as I said, lasted five years before promotion back to the Football League arrived, in fact I saw their first game back at Peterborough United in August 1998, but after four more seasons it was back to the Conference again. The club went into administration in the 2007-08 season, had ten points deducted, finished next to bottom and subsequently folded.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Was it the end? Well, as far as Halifax Town FC was concerned, yes, but let’s be right, while they might not have been World beaters, they had a small but loyal fan base in a good sized town, so football was never going to die completely, and along came FC Halifax Town.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They were allowed into the Northern Premier League Division One North in 2008-09, finishing eighth, but then the following year they won it. The Premier Division was also won at the first attempt, while it only took two years to be promoted from the Conference North when they beat Brackley Town in a play-off final.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Conference Premier Division experience lasted three seasons before relegation came, but only for one season because this time Salford City were beaten in the play-off final and they were quickly back, where they remain. The 2021-22 season saw a fourth placed visit and a play-off quarter final defeat to Chesterfield, while this season a recent good run has seen them move to the edges of play-off contention once again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Oh, I almost forgot, they’ve won the FA Trophy twice since reforming, in 2016 against Grimsby Town, and in 2023 against Gateshead, both times at Wembley Stadium. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9Sozc4ZiHfJfGyCSRHJyVv7UwdmEwnbzTe6ogD1hhvLhTYWjQA-Qw1K_2kHbJLmXYMWt2JvpoWv7I-7ArHjEur-g-XDLPkZeBTde-ijC4jcVeM6hqXNbIxvbwVh0T6QneDyBcbl7HA3nFCuD5QRgH25twR-mg1m2QtOczbtp7Y6KMiGXGMQdyOrL1WaA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9Sozc4ZiHfJfGyCSRHJyVv7UwdmEwnbzTe6ogD1hhvLhTYWjQA-Qw1K_2kHbJLmXYMWt2JvpoWv7I-7ArHjEur-g-XDLPkZeBTde-ijC4jcVeM6hqXNbIxvbwVh0T6QneDyBcbl7HA3nFCuD5QRgH25twR-mg1m2QtOczbtp7Y6KMiGXGMQdyOrL1WaA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I got into Halifax reasonably early, parking on Skircoats Road, and having weaved my way through the large numbers of Police officers behind the North terrace (where the away following was going to be housed), it was round to the back of the main stand and into the bar for a pint. All seemed pretty relaxed, and I have to say, there was an air of quiet confidence amongst the Shaymen and women, recent form had been good, they fancied their chances.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The atmosphere inside the ground was electric, the Spireites were absolutely giving it the big one, and when they took the lead through Will Grigg on the half hour mark, the away end was absolutely bouncing, however, it changed very quickly.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Halifax got to grips with the heavy surface far better than Chesterfield did, and within seconds Rob Harker had equalised, only for the same player to turn the game on it’s head on the 39</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> minute with his and the Shaymen’s second. Andrew Oluwabori scored a third for Halifax in first half added time, and in hindsight, that was the killer goal as far as the Spireites were concerned, the task was now pretty monumental, but not impossible.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The second period saw Halifax look the more physically stronger on the surface, with Chesterfield looking tired and leggy, so it came as no surprise when Aaron Cosgrave netted Town’s fourth from close range just after the hour mark.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT_Kr_3FVxIo4Cfnhlr2FTl-MoZa2MyXJYQNEkWn3LJzEYb09dQQhDKAwpvk150o2NzoFIkyuzC7FZR7MAsGvIEpwlJfCTxZgNyVaEXwDAiVIF6pBDA2ugHFdpV7Z9ZLt6wHgHJT81iCunZmU3DZxENx-HJ2feWpxPolYANF1l3mwl0x8rcXdvEdIot60" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT_Kr_3FVxIo4Cfnhlr2FTl-MoZa2MyXJYQNEkWn3LJzEYb09dQQhDKAwpvk150o2NzoFIkyuzC7FZR7MAsGvIEpwlJfCTxZgNyVaEXwDAiVIF6pBDA2ugHFdpV7Z9ZLt6wHgHJT81iCunZmU3DZxENx-HJ2feWpxPolYANF1l3mwl0x8rcXdvEdIot60" width="320" /></a></div><br />Chesterfield had nothing to lose now, and as they threw men forward they were guilty of missing some good chances before James Berry did eventually pull a goal back. Sustained late pressure came to nothing as the Spireites battled but lacked an edge, and in the final analysis no one could argue that Halifax didn’t deserve the three points, and a three points that did move them into sixth place and the play off zone.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The home fans moved into overdrive in the second period, and created an equally impressive atmosphere as the away fans did in the early stages, overall it had been a cracking game of football in a cracking atmosphere, I loved it!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I didn’t love the fact that the junction for the M62 and M1 was closed on the way back, meaning a journey over to the A1 to get home, via Doncaster, but other than that, I was so pleased I made the effort.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It wouldn’t have been quite the same on a Saturday via the train would it? </span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQs4pJKMHg2RxWmIQ2MFewzdEXHFctDK4fWsYa4zhiolK_b4cnJpdqezkmsQ1rEYK9BftUrlpNgsj14M1kAQFvxVHkhN8n1lLA6AKL4_4nD80f6YiFyQAzqdJ6Y2KVTD06CPIBSdD4JWsKd_baSvLeM3gtE-4ItILEKR0XWmYoGJ-2-c5jqr4Msnud3o4/s4096/IMG_20240320_192107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQs4pJKMHg2RxWmIQ2MFewzdEXHFctDK4fWsYa4zhiolK_b4cnJpdqezkmsQ1rEYK9BftUrlpNgsj14M1kAQFvxVHkhN8n1lLA6AKL4_4nD80f6YiFyQAzqdJ6Y2KVTD06CPIBSdD4JWsKd_baSvLeM3gtE-4ItILEKR0XWmYoGJ-2-c5jqr4Msnud3o4/s320/IMG_20240320_192107.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-9288951201374368772024-03-21T11:53:00.000-07:002024-03-21T11:53:30.769-07:00Friends With Benefits<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gosport Borough 1 Harrow Borough 0</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a629caa7-7fff-e889-f2f1-5dce6c98ba6a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Southern Football League – Premier Division South </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Admission / Programme - £12 / £2.50</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I like to do my homework before I go to a new ground, especially when it’s a town / village that I’ve never set foot in before.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gosport was no different, and I’ve learned over the years that my first port of call (before I go to Wikipedia), is my old mate Derek. Derek is well travelled, partly because he’s moved house a lot over the years, but also because he used to be a bus driver, not just service bus routes, but also excursions. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I also have a couple of other mates who I go to for advice, Steve and Dave, and to be fair, if you want food, Steve is your man, he is the Jay Rayner of eateries close to football grounds. Dave, bless him, can’t remember where he went yesterday, so that’s not helpful when you want to know about a place he visited in 1992….but anyway, he’s good with roads, congestion, public transport and car parks, so he does come in handy to be fair.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibgd991ISbG8vCUlS79mEV628XvJAoQpo8q2rQ1pGw6jjbGzIJ1vPwsCBmg4qfhCf1iilYR5fDZtowwHb_dCZWaGELFwIUY4k9_JgZCih2E3TBJGbLW4aJc9RH0CkIe-fE8QEVdzFEWEKq6JeDB0OF1nBAXXaQ2t2kP7LCeN1HBXou2zlMpaP4pLnZ_M0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibgd991ISbG8vCUlS79mEV628XvJAoQpo8q2rQ1pGw6jjbGzIJ1vPwsCBmg4qfhCf1iilYR5fDZtowwHb_dCZWaGELFwIUY4k9_JgZCih2E3TBJGbLW4aJc9RH0CkIe-fE8QEVdzFEWEKq6JeDB0OF1nBAXXaQ2t2kP7LCeN1HBXou2zlMpaP4pLnZ_M0" width="320" /></a></div><br />Anyway, Derek, turns out his Mum lived in Gosport for a bit, while his brother who was a Navy type, lived just down the road in Lee-on-Solent. Did any of this information help in terms of my day out in the town, no, not at all, but he did give me one very good piece of advice….</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Avoid the M25, it’s going to be shut at the junction for Portsmouth”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gosport, of course, is just over the water from Pompey, so if I was serious about going, then it was going to have to be the trusted A34 and then of course the M27 in an Easterly direction. I just hoped that someone had told visiting Harrow Borough about the M25 and all that chaos……</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilHjLAZ11m5IsSZfXNzhfup-9tzSXxaPKz2plGUs7xlstT3qNGNlBY3_ygAQbMauiFSTWmtVfLHhsQVAZvuzoc2TWgAon0r49lFshnp6CgoYFGmnJD5UMUp_TnlO2FD-HqR2JQqzwBPSJlF1WRtkdJpH-CuAHRSNhamL1pAr1tdLdMxcItS4stvTBBJRU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilHjLAZ11m5IsSZfXNzhfup-9tzSXxaPKz2plGUs7xlstT3qNGNlBY3_ygAQbMauiFSTWmtVfLHhsQVAZvuzoc2TWgAon0r49lFshnp6CgoYFGmnJD5UMUp_TnlO2FD-HqR2JQqzwBPSJlF1WRtkdJpH-CuAHRSNhamL1pAr1tdLdMxcItS4stvTBBJRU" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ve made good inroads into the Southern League this season, and now I’m down to a stage where I’ve only got four grounds still to visit, all within very close proximity of each other on the South coast, namely Gosport, Sholing, Poole and Bashley. Gosport Borough have always intrigued me a little, largely because they’ve had a yo-yo existence over the years, but also because they play in yellow, I like clubs that play in yellow! I can also recall looking at pictures of their ground, Privett Park, in old non-league football books and thinking to myself, yes, I quite like the look of that place.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You can also catch a ferry to Gosport, it runs from Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station, and going back to the days of the infamous hooligan mob, the 657 Crew from Portsmouth, they had a chap who was a notable member called ‘Docker’ Hughes who stood for election as a member of parliament for the City (The 657 Party). In his manifesto he was going to introduce a Duty Free Service on the Gosport Ferry. He got votes, but he didn’t get elected, sadly! His manifesto also included taking Portsmouth out of the County of Hampshire, building a Horse Racing Track in Southsea and only having magistrates working in the City who had previously served prison sentences.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He spoke a lot of sense to be fair!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The journey was kind to me, no traffic hold ups barring a minimal queue to get on the M3 at Winchester, and as I left the M27 at Fareham my eta at Privett Park was scheduled to be a convenient 1.30pm. A leisurely drive down past HMS Sultan saw me turn down towards the ground and as if it were my lucky day, I found the one remaining car park space on the short driveway that runs up to the ground.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQzg8rSMxVsh0J_jU7VRGWtoUoQMJdsqL-v_wA2kczXyBm9hLK1_3U_BdQD71Xe34XNKJCLPOLXKFx-LOnELsoM-CoMK4MxZFt-2PaD1u__SLxCGPIHFeFLiSr7AHVqxqw07qFtm-UJESfZNDPvLjnYNQeIhjREEEZ4BqMUqiRb8q9z4-rCxBn50VV-qM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQzg8rSMxVsh0J_jU7VRGWtoUoQMJdsqL-v_wA2kczXyBm9hLK1_3U_BdQD71Xe34XNKJCLPOLXKFx-LOnELsoM-CoMK4MxZFt-2PaD1u__SLxCGPIHFeFLiSr7AHVqxqw07qFtm-UJESfZNDPvLjnYNQeIhjREEEZ4BqMUqiRb8q9z4-rCxBn50VV-qM" width="320" /></a></div><br />I said earlier that Gosport Borough have had something of a yo-yo existence, well, having been founded in 1944 they joined the Portsmouth & District League but within a season they had joined the Hampshire League where they remained until 1978 when a move to the Southern League beckoned.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The final years in the Hampshire League saw the league title won two years in succession, and upon joining the Southern League South Division they never finished outside the top four in their first four seasons, and by the start of the 1982-83 season they found themselves in the Premier Division.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is when the club started to flit between the divisions in the Southern League, until 1992 when they suffered a relegation to the Wessex League, where they remained until the championship was won in 2006-07 and a return to the Southern League took place.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Within five seasons they found themselves in the play-off picture and after beating Southampton based rivals Sholing in the semi-final, they beat Poole Town in the final to make it to the Premier Division, where again they made the play-offs in the first season, beating Hemel Hempstead Town on penalties in the final, this after overcoming Stourbridge in the semi.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0stidEFDeiTuJT24Uz723HAnLT8wxLwPRkM1srm3PuwACeICo3dpiFvX0mzEo8Wrzmo12jq4iEQ_5CO5d5Q45Nb8MTUaBN-XitLXb-jWO4eYZsDBJt4CyqpgKYPVvafdaITt9_Nf4CqApPchHotVMtjrm-BqlHaqKV63dGO8uLE2ThQLpx7tQcyH9Pec" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0stidEFDeiTuJT24Uz723HAnLT8wxLwPRkM1srm3PuwACeICo3dpiFvX0mzEo8Wrzmo12jq4iEQ_5CO5d5Q45Nb8MTUaBN-XitLXb-jWO4eYZsDBJt4CyqpgKYPVvafdaITt9_Nf4CqApPchHotVMtjrm-BqlHaqKV63dGO8uLE2ThQLpx7tQcyH9Pec" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, 2013-14 and the club were in the Conference South, they finished mid-table but in the same season they reached the FA Trophy Final at Wembley, only to lose 4-0 to Cambridge United. The semi final saw them overcome local rivals Havant & Waterlooville in a memorable encounter that saw much local pride at stake. The following season they finished sixth, just missing out on the play-offs, but two seasons later they found themselves relegated back to the Southern League Premier Division South, where they remain, but this season, they are well in contention for a play-off spot.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I loved the ground, you enter in the South East corner and then running half the length behind the South goal is a large club house facility, with some covered standing area in front of it where the more vocal and boisterous Gosport fans congregate. Moving round in an anti-clockwise fashion you then have the iconic old stand complete with bench seats and yellow / blue décor, with the dressing rooms underneath. I didn’t venture into it, but apparently from the back of the stand you can see the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbour!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHtiqo_D1dHfIulN0_jeTcdk3dZFtqhp3IWIg1rXWu5NaSWVEfjvMYNpbBmYq4vMfoxsjVBw-KSTy2A8QGA7uwutjgqrMg6USUhBbHfoRJjBHY1ir3WW4GyH7py1a9yTBTeyWKyYcJVoJf8cGU_s2s-2JpP2fzcW00yKrwC9esUPk3jk7nRFq5j-Ee5BU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHtiqo_D1dHfIulN0_jeTcdk3dZFtqhp3IWIg1rXWu5NaSWVEfjvMYNpbBmYq4vMfoxsjVBw-KSTy2A8QGA7uwutjgqrMg6USUhBbHfoRJjBHY1ir3WW4GyH7py1a9yTBTeyWKyYcJVoJf8cGU_s2s-2JpP2fzcW00yKrwC9esUPk3jk7nRFq5j-Ee5BU" width="320" /></a></div><br />Next to the main stand is a two tier corporate box structure, while adjacent to this and running up to the North West corner is a gymnasium. It’s open standing behind the North goal, and then as you move to the East side you get the modern Harry Mizen Stand which is a long seated structure bedecked with blue seats, before finally stumbling upon a tea bar, just before getting back round the turnstiles once again. <p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Behind the South goal, parked next to the clubhouse is a double decker, open topped bus, complete with a Gosport Borough banner draped across the back of it, presumably this was used when the club got to Wembley back in 2014, why it’s never been returned to the bus company is anyone’s guess! Wonder if Derek had anything to do with it…………….</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjARuDK8fHlx3ZEM4i-gRD_Ruqx0xlIOv2VRl8VAKBrk0ifw5xKLdsMO_OvAsiffCJ97YeVQBcLDt88CCy0EXhhLzxNtI10urWKQE8oYd1pKgS8kyuLYiC6TFgy4wZreGlObAJ3P80TkUXHkRWXs4Zml7nE2EosxBXXdKxvpj_CloUShvW0IRVfwedf3z8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjARuDK8fHlx3ZEM4i-gRD_Ruqx0xlIOv2VRl8VAKBrk0ifw5xKLdsMO_OvAsiffCJ97YeVQBcLDt88CCy0EXhhLzxNtI10urWKQE8oYd1pKgS8kyuLYiC6TFgy4wZreGlObAJ3P80TkUXHkRWXs4Zml7nE2EosxBXXdKxvpj_CloUShvW0IRVfwedf3z8" width="320" /></a></div><br />Anyway, the game against struggling Harrow won’t live long in the memory, it was decided by a single but very well taken goal from Bradley Tarbuck in the first half who controlled and finished well to fire home while on the run.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Harrow, in fairness to them, took the game to the hosts in the second period but didn’t produce enough quality in the final third to threaten, and it was Gosport who march on to consolidate a place in what looks like a shoot-out lottery come the end of April.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My car parking space allowed a quick getaway, and the key was turned back in Belper at 8pm, avoiding the M25 was clearly good advice. It was a great day out, with the only disappointment being not having time to take the ferry, and of course, to see if Docker got his wish when it came to the duty free options!</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcb3bOvDcyNEP935hlgmvMWQKTeyiOAjydXOxKKbEyCnOlt0tJgsDXG3F-xOHgM0AqwTFLkY6tyZB3AKXzsidpnyYSTRc1VxsVF6ls1L5wL8V8g0prtIGAnQWkk3ngS-TWMvlrIZLhHjeFLlWq5sqjTqUPF4NHoD59F5nX5YxdSZ2soaV4q7ISU728ns/s4096/IMG_20240316_150248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcb3bOvDcyNEP935hlgmvMWQKTeyiOAjydXOxKKbEyCnOlt0tJgsDXG3F-xOHgM0AqwTFLkY6tyZB3AKXzsidpnyYSTRc1VxsVF6ls1L5wL8V8g0prtIGAnQWkk3ngS-TWMvlrIZLhHjeFLlWq5sqjTqUPF4NHoD59F5nX5YxdSZ2soaV4q7ISU728ns/s320/IMG_20240316_150248.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-43103364402524988232024-03-15T14:45:00.000-07:002024-03-15T14:45:12.171-07:00Stones<span id="docs-internal-guid-3cfc1721-7fff-f061-b20c-da589126ecf1"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bemerton Heath Harlequins 2 Larkhall Athletic 1</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Southern Football League – Division One South </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Admission / Programme - £10 / Online</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After two weeks of relatively local ventures on a Saturday, the shackles, once more, were off!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The quest for the 410 or so (I’m not sure on the actual total number cos I can’t be arsed to work out ground shares and all that shite), is now down to just 26 grounds to complete the top eight tiers of English football.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I reckon by the end of the season I could be down to 20, but anything from 10 to 15 will go back on again due to promotions, so working on some basic maths, I reckon I’m probably two more full seasons away from being able to pop the champagne cork and announce to Mrs H that I am done, for the time being anyway!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ok, Guernsey and potentially Jersey could be a right arse to sort out, but we’ll worry about that when the time comes, I mean, we got to the Isle of Man without any hitches didn’t we!!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg95yL-BkAmx3FwvydN9KCMdaoFKzD1g6qg_6NFxtlZNGGhrvwuagirArE4pNZ1L3uHLV5l9Ph-Qildr6SNT3UC4ItBWh1V0LaT-YANVlAMdal_4DrGkUVAegQKEOoohpI4NmK9ESEoKeahAIXe6jhRzXjSsUCdbL7vefbB0Jjs1W5bQcIn7-sqMjIG4-4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg95yL-BkAmx3FwvydN9KCMdaoFKzD1g6qg_6NFxtlZNGGhrvwuagirArE4pNZ1L3uHLV5l9Ph-Qildr6SNT3UC4ItBWh1V0LaT-YANVlAMdal_4DrGkUVAegQKEOoohpI4NmK9ESEoKeahAIXe6jhRzXjSsUCdbL7vefbB0Jjs1W5bQcIn7-sqMjIG4-4" width="320" /></a></div><br />I fancied Bemerton Heath Harlequins, a newly promoted team to the Southern League Division One South at the start of the season, after finishing runners-up in the Wessex League. I’ll be honest, while before this season I’d heard of the club, where they were actually from was a mystery to me. Yes, they were obviously from Wessex, which apparently is a fictional County made up by some bloke who wrote books and that, but that aside, it was Google Maps time.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well I never, they were from Salisbury, the West side of the City, so that in turn meant along with the recent visit to Salisbury FC, I would be making two journeys to the place in relatively quick succession. When I set the route out, an added tinge of excitement unfurled when it became apparent that I’d be driving right past Stonehenge on the A303 to allow me to enter from the West. I’d never seen Stonehenge before, a Stonehenge virgin if you will, but we’ll not open that can of paganistic worms….</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xE_wA90gsgFZg5WGUAPLhTH-nH7ubEuAIj3ot8fAujUfA5u8Eup8ZYoEHKN9XJtQz3x6eH0bPV8EmbdE1EjVmabovNeR3wZ4cGk7BrYEeGzN3GajTczyBGUHzWz4didqgr0QcqsRzOCKCq9SPcRRB8hNpN4fTmmslPy-QgWjxrflZGX49EUkSJLdrBY/s4096/IMG_20240309_145415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xE_wA90gsgFZg5WGUAPLhTH-nH7ubEuAIj3ot8fAujUfA5u8Eup8ZYoEHKN9XJtQz3x6eH0bPV8EmbdE1EjVmabovNeR3wZ4cGk7BrYEeGzN3GajTczyBGUHzWz4didqgr0QcqsRzOCKCq9SPcRRB8hNpN4fTmmslPy-QgWjxrflZGX49EUkSJLdrBY/s320/IMG_20240309_145415.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While it’s probably shorter in terms of distance, bearing in mind I was approaching from the East, I’d been advised by every man, woman, child, animal and indeed Russian Secret Agent that if I drove into the centre of Salisbury, it could be a very long time before I appeared out the other side again (that’s because of traffic, not Russian shenanigans I might add). So rather than risk that, it was to be a journey across the top.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A very pleasant journey it was too, all the way down to the A303 and then despite warnings I’d be queuing for quite some time as road went down to one lane when Stonehenge was in the proximity, they proved to be unfounded and while things did slow down, the hold up was minimal. Stonehenge by the way is a pile of stones, people stand and look at them, after walking a fair distance from the car and coach parks, then presumably after staring at them, they go home again. That’s my input to the local tourist board sorted anyway, you can double your admission prices now!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA0O_twFy2Xj9Lfd3ff8BYKeY6bwxGmfLGEOWz16nsfO3J7js0QnCquUVaZaNYDeXiz8Ys0tvGlDr5PEd1xn9x3OCVIaqOTBJXS1cDqyE1FtDmkHX_BVzKenXxVjKfAMl1OhC4iGrhSfUtITd_BUHAI-ftFhJpMEbowkCs9ufrkrL_9TGa8ZohpQ2KOA/s4096/IMG_20240309_145427.jpg" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA0O_twFy2Xj9Lfd3ff8BYKeY6bwxGmfLGEOWz16nsfO3J7js0QnCquUVaZaNYDeXiz8Ys0tvGlDr5PEd1xn9x3OCVIaqOTBJXS1cDqyE1FtDmkHX_BVzKenXxVjKfAMl1OhC4iGrhSfUtITd_BUHAI-ftFhJpMEbowkCs9ufrkrL_9TGa8ZohpQ2KOA/s320/IMG_20240309_145427.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bemerton Heath (or Bemmy as the locals call it) is a large housing estate and to access the ground you have to meander your way through the streets before following a driveway which takes you down into a dip on the very edges of the estate where the ground (Moon Park) is located.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Moon Park is a tidy, and attractive tree lined location, and upon arrival a small car park greets you that sits behind the goal, with the large clubhouse and changing room block adjacent. The clubhouse serves the community and I got the feeling that many of it’s inhabitants had no plans to attend the game, although once you got to half time you could walk freely between the clubhouse and the ground without having to worry about things like handing over a tenner!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The top floor of the clubhouse leads you to an open viewing area filled with seats, right above the goal, but with a large net in front of the seats for safety reasons, presumably serving two purposes. One being to stop occupants being hit by stray shots, and the other reason being to stop people from falling off the edge!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">The tea bar sits in what is effectively a tunnel that runs from pitch side behind the goal to the clubhouse building, and with a kids team acting as mascots for the game, it looked to be doing a roaring trade as the kids munched burgers and chips while grown ups necked pints!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm01UCd1CVOLSV0Aix3RfxL7nhlhDeVArDAf2dTI4Dcc-SK0dAsTK9TSJZrYs6yGlD-8abG7r_A6TUPubV7zcf3eSot3la4Ostrx1yQn72wGIdBf0SyHp6lKn_eEi_AN6OnddJM-OdDq0m2zVWrNtB8nyeqzJqMcXuxjuNFH26kNQd50R9FdPjCVQjuE/s4096/IMG_20240309_145632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm01UCd1CVOLSV0Aix3RfxL7nhlhDeVArDAf2dTI4Dcc-SK0dAsTK9TSJZrYs6yGlD-8abG7r_A6TUPubV7zcf3eSot3la4Ostrx1yQn72wGIdBf0SyHp6lKn_eEi_AN6OnddJM-OdDq0m2zVWrNtB8nyeqzJqMcXuxjuNFH26kNQd50R9FdPjCVQjuE/s320/IMG_20240309_145632.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div></div></div></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Two areas of cover sit on one side of the ground, one being a terraced area, the other being seats, both of which are elevated slightly above pitch level to give excellent views. The rest of the ground is hard standing but what makes it a homely enclosed venue are the tall trees that surround the stadium on the two sides where no furniture resides.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The pitch was in great nick as well, I was mostly very happy with my surroundings!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What’s the story with Bemmy as a football club then? Well, it’s a merger of two clubs, one being Bemerton Athletic, and the other being Moon FC who were a Sunday side. They got together in 1989 to form BHH, being immediately accepted into the Wessex League, after Athletic had previously played in the Wiltshire League.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3HTBzJ3Qp7TCiSjYR-1sSVFZWkWAUMdSQycpXh4Y5XbLRLMckV6lvj0k5IhbPLp9f9rmbkeKKAiGsF9OHALC9twjyvORAJJRR74Fm53nGL2B1RuPA2SMS_OuphqtskXVk-cA4zxCZn7vLqG-0fMg410-Q6RGzpsnRlBWljSkHxBOwfWb0Ft_QlkyG5g/s4096/IMG_20240309_145831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3HTBzJ3Qp7TCiSjYR-1sSVFZWkWAUMdSQycpXh4Y5XbLRLMckV6lvj0k5IhbPLp9f9rmbkeKKAiGsF9OHALC9twjyvORAJJRR74Fm53nGL2B1RuPA2SMS_OuphqtskXVk-cA4zxCZn7vLqG-0fMg410-Q6RGzpsnRlBWljSkHxBOwfWb0Ft_QlkyG5g/s320/IMG_20240309_145831.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />They had a long unbroken spell in the Wessex League, having a successful spell from 2009 to 2014 when they finished runners up twice in the Premier Division, but in the season before Covid struck they found themselves relegated to Division One.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They bounced back in 2021-22 by winning the title, and then in their first season back in the top flight, last time around, as we know they finished runners up and got promotion to Step 4 for the first time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They have also had a couple of good runs in the FA Vase, reaching the Fifth Round on two occasions, losing out to Clitheroe and Spennymoor Town, both times away from home.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What about the big game against Larkhall Athletic then, could Bemmy get the win they needed to maintain their hopes of a play off place?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzS5hVciIeO0XI9xShfpM8jZeSe-ox7fufJp54vmFmFt7t7YgzdNsV3_eMaV7isA1CMN0afhVYPrNpocEtLu2jiRqHyibXyN8eH9e8s0L-OMQNFyIcsqcsgynXng2Edp99udcqk3zdX3VareyMQtGfZT3VEYSV0ABccWQkdH8nAnEEv6pBykypeKFK_M/s4096/IMG_20240309_153328_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzS5hVciIeO0XI9xShfpM8jZeSe-ox7fufJp54vmFmFt7t7YgzdNsV3_eMaV7isA1CMN0afhVYPrNpocEtLu2jiRqHyibXyN8eH9e8s0L-OMQNFyIcsqcsgynXng2Edp99udcqk3zdX3VareyMQtGfZT3VEYSV0ABccWQkdH8nAnEEv6pBykypeKFK_M/s320/IMG_20240309_153328_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It started well enough, Daniel Young headed home firmly from close range in sixth minute and then five minutes before the break Remus Nixon produced an excellent free kick to leave it 2-0 at half time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A goalkeeping error saw a looping effort from Jack Goodall find the net ten minutes after the break to reduce the arrears for Larkhall, but despite periods of pressure, Bemmy ran out deserved and relatively comfortable winners.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pre-match, I did wonder if Mrs H had stitched me up. The tannoy bloke announced to those in the ground about a visitor from Derbyshire who had come to watch the game, I froze on the spot with fear waiting to be outed, but it turns out it was some chap from Buxton called Edward who had come on the train! I don’t know Edward, I never met Edward, I wonder if Edward has got home yet?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anyway, the escape was an easy one, the traffic around Stonehenge had thinned significantly, I did think about calling in but there was a really interesting advert on Talksport so I didn’t bother, and before long the road back to the Midlands was being eaten up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">25 to go….I will eventually miss all of this you know!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOpw_TXj3_urXmSywhPnu12Ja1QGj1ekNTyjZyJjkZzPfmAgIzlrIfhDi4lLZyOOFjpj3n1AGbvoVTZArqosVYMr1WDOnvPGPFDhigvEyaTtAWKiKUTOB9Qlikvj0Q3VdIzzQa2pQALJew_Sd9uZa_gIDK3BLEDqRMy3HTcVg4sLrmfIN8VNRHWLZ4SM/s4096/IMG_20240309_163251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOpw_TXj3_urXmSywhPnu12Ja1QGj1ekNTyjZyJjkZzPfmAgIzlrIfhDi4lLZyOOFjpj3n1AGbvoVTZArqosVYMr1WDOnvPGPFDhigvEyaTtAWKiKUTOB9Qlikvj0Q3VdIzzQa2pQALJew_Sd9uZa_gIDK3BLEDqRMy3HTcVg4sLrmfIN8VNRHWLZ4SM/s320/IMG_20240309_163251.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-83058964626042197422024-03-08T11:08:00.000-08:002024-03-08T11:08:15.915-08:00Cutting It Fine<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bollington Town 1 Newton Athletic 0</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8b2cc8c1-7fff-55a2-8751-3823f43c54d9"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cheshire Football League – Division One </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Admission / Programme - Free / Free</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was going to be tight, very tight indeed!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was the work annual awards night, and muggins here had been roped into being the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, which in the simplest of terms meant I had no choice but to be boarding a train in Belper at 5.34pm!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Any later and I would have been in a whole World of pain, so whatever plans I had for football, they simply had to tie in with the logistics. In short, I needed to get home, get changed and all that, and then be ready for my lift to the station which was coming at 5.20pm courtesy of Mrs H’s Mother….</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0VZJV_2CrbHOyvLFrOeWeh8djX8NC3wfv5fTnQGD4hYEf6kMbkBK-La7ZVuv_FoDNGVJHupEzWB-CwQfhNRu2ZMvq_gZslSkXGldyGb4LOzCrG5uet92nPdMpL8oaLD41ne2GNFEtI8AqMnh8fkrcA_22wSOnmmA1uHGqxQvKD9Io9BDU3OM1hk8XH1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0VZJV_2CrbHOyvLFrOeWeh8djX8NC3wfv5fTnQGD4hYEf6kMbkBK-La7ZVuv_FoDNGVJHupEzWB-CwQfhNRu2ZMvq_gZslSkXGldyGb4LOzCrG5uet92nPdMpL8oaLD41ne2GNFEtI8AqMnh8fkrcA_22wSOnmmA1uHGqxQvKD9Io9BDU3OM1hk8XH1g" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, plans had to be carefully made, and getting to a new ground, well, it did look like it was going to be an impossibility until I was looking at the Cheshire League fixtures in the build up to the weekend.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It came to my attention, after having visited Upton JFC the week before, that Bollington Town were also in the running for promotion, and in terms of the venue they played at, well it was a school 4G in Macclesfield. Google Maps told me that with a 2pm kick off, not too much buggering abut at half time, a modest amount of injury time, and a quick getaway, I could get home for 5pm, but, I needed to be on my ‘A Game’ if I was going to make it happen without a disaster.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3Slnqxht7aAxzz7kW1p2vBcVYUGtBX391R3A6YqPcbpK4J7-jCLCtldyMzKJO6eHHU_J-VSxdR4pHnGWjDTio1XH6J5DxdaeAZvGZOUJGdRw5voUgMhBq7X4oz2DT2wgn2B_-3q8lkH4EwDtzpGkag0GnsRiUk0-4uogMi0muyjg60l_pOJjrKM3S6Lw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3Slnqxht7aAxzz7kW1p2vBcVYUGtBX391R3A6YqPcbpK4J7-jCLCtldyMzKJO6eHHU_J-VSxdR4pHnGWjDTio1XH6J5DxdaeAZvGZOUJGdRw5voUgMhBq7X4oz2DT2wgn2B_-3q8lkH4EwDtzpGkag0GnsRiUk0-4uogMi0muyjg60l_pOJjrKM3S6Lw" width="320" /></a></div><br />I spoke to Steve, and very quickly I had a wing man, a wing man who was setting off before me to check things out, because my departure was going to be delayed due to another domestic matter that needed to be attended to. I was on the Via Gellia when Steve phoned me to tell me he’d arrived at All Hallowes Catholic College, but, he could see no signs of life. After a bit of snooping around though he discovered that the college had two entrances, and he had gone to the wrong one. A quick re-route and by the time I was getting on the Cat & Fiddle all was good in the World, the players from both teams were arriving.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rumours of a snowbound Cat & Fiddle proved to be just that, while the terrain was very white, the roads were clear, and before long I was dropping down into Macc, and making my way out the other side to where the college is located. The college is located in an area of housing just to the West of the town centre, and Steve was very kindly stood at the side of the road to direct me into the car park. It was twenty past one, the pub was shut, so it was a simple waiting game, and a hope that everything was prompt!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ok, so we may be in Macclesfield, but the neighbouring town of Bollington, what’s the deal when it comes to football? If I’m honest, I had no knowledge of any teams playing in the town (not saying that they didn’t, I just wasn’t aware) up until a couple of years ago when I was playing around with the Hope Valley League and a team arrived (Bollington FC), which to be honest felt a little out on a limb given the geographical patch. They did pretty well but then disappeared to what I seem to think was the Lancashire & Cheshire League, where as far as I know, they remain. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bollington Town, also as far as I know, have no connection to the Bollington that played in the HVL, and I noticed last season that they’d landed in the Cheshire League, after winning the Altrincham & District League. Anyway, after getting promotion by finishing in third place in the Second Division, they seem to be on a roll and are now well placed to get into what is effectively Step 7.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDCaEybdeDzl9P4E2olD_H-vMpJqJrvOPen0hJfN3TP1xNGXp_FZ2OHraR_Kd7JKIxT4zvIFRItjWAZsvlSTiQVdB3iZxHGrMsHirFcM345i5AOukZnu1SvDqot9J9EhsuX_YIkcC9JmDdElJF50SF8KVGtpYsSr_f03AREEt9vt4hvRhf0DsshCnrTbk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDCaEybdeDzl9P4E2olD_H-vMpJqJrvOPen0hJfN3TP1xNGXp_FZ2OHraR_Kd7JKIxT4zvIFRItjWAZsvlSTiQVdB3iZxHGrMsHirFcM345i5AOukZnu1SvDqot9J9EhsuX_YIkcC9JmDdElJF50SF8KVGtpYsSr_f03AREEt9vt4hvRhf0DsshCnrTbk" width="320" /></a></div><br />The ground in Bollington that Bollington FC played at was the recreation ground that was shared with the cricket. Set in something of a valley, it was a lovely venue, whereas the college in Macclesfield that Town play at might not have got the same scenic setting, but as you can imagine it’s a caged affair with a viewing area down the one side. Set in a dip to the North of the college buildings, it was far from an unwelcoming place, and indeed sat behind it was a small area containing sheep and pigs, that Steve and I went to have a chat with at half time!<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The game was two minutes late kicking off, and given the fact it was second versus bottom placed visitors Newton Athletic (who share the same ground as Upton JFC), the game was far from one sided, and was indeed settled by the only goal of the game when the hosts scored late in the first half through George Richardson.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC1mEQj_n9j0acFb18a_NPejZwts2ny9R-lQEH8jihr5149tM70CXZFkY3q-l5PcTcDCMwwhw2fWD9fNpYIkQ3dCIB9XQCMRgmAx5t3ztba7McY0gqM_CL2pRdz9PO_YgNtQAMKy3d1owbq5WBN03Jvmiq7IOOWYTi27epc8c9enYXCPKZTQhcbMeNKro" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC1mEQj_n9j0acFb18a_NPejZwts2ny9R-lQEH8jihr5149tM70CXZFkY3q-l5PcTcDCMwwhw2fWD9fNpYIkQ3dCIB9XQCMRgmAx5t3ztba7McY0gqM_CL2pRdz9PO_YgNtQAMKy3d1owbq5WBN03Jvmiq7IOOWYTi27epc8c9enYXCPKZTQhcbMeNKro" width="320" /></a></div><br />Half time took a little longer than I would have hoped, largely because both sides trooped off back into the college, and in the second period it was the visitors who were putting on the pressure late in the game, but it was ultimately to no avail. I moved fast, finally pulling onto the drive at 5.05pm, within fifteen minutes I’d gone from casual to smart, fully attired in a penguin suit, ready to bear the brunt of the ridicule from fellow passengers on the Belper to Nottingham train service, and then of course the Forest and Liverpool fans that were loitering around the proximity of the rail head.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once a year I have to do this, just once a year, and I don’t think there are many more Bollington’s and the like that I can loop into the equation. But two years running now I’ve pulled it off, last time round it was joys of the Fairfield Estate in Buxton, which to be fair was a little less stressful than Macclesfield.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Can Belper United get into a new ground in 12 months? I somehow doubt it………</span></p><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxY7FM5vDvSKAuFbks6sHt4BwaptU5lm63O_rE8l7dYAICbfs2JNHsiSMZkLlvkBfzpOjwXeE0IU-KYIIw3hvrkMH6JFu48YA4UE0igF1DuMpXm43WAEloRJyG7SpUpZ_7ny5qxKoq_AdLmluW_bnUFLz4Y6-sfAAg8A950oEjnzMpZog2PggCiLdB-o/s4096/IMG_20240302_145727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxY7FM5vDvSKAuFbks6sHt4BwaptU5lm63O_rE8l7dYAICbfs2JNHsiSMZkLlvkBfzpOjwXeE0IU-KYIIw3hvrkMH6JFu48YA4UE0igF1DuMpXm43WAEloRJyG7SpUpZ_7ny5qxKoq_AdLmluW_bnUFLz4Y6-sfAAg8A950oEjnzMpZog2PggCiLdB-o/s320/IMG_20240302_145727.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-43847363861174884952024-03-02T03:01:00.000-08:002024-03-02T03:01:43.866-08:00Hollyoaks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Upton FC 3 Daten 3</p><p class="MsoNormal">Cheshire Football League – Division One <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme - Free / Free<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Shocked?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I can imagine you probably are, in the sense that for the
first time in quite a while I’ve not gone into Southern League or Isthmian
League territory, and for that matter I’ve actually travelled North to a place
that by my standards, isn’t too far away!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is a reason, and that reason is that during the
preceding week myself, Mrs H and Mr H (Jnr), had been on a little vacation to
the Netherlands. That vacation started the previous Sunday courtesy of a train
trip to London (of course I’d been in London for football the day before
anyway!), and then went on to become a Eurostar venture that took us to
Amsterdam on the Monday.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAh1Mr1v8MIRFi2oyNYMLeg4Kaaj1nFBKaEJ803dLjf3qYZW46BpbtsGS42twt2vrMQe7EbjhOhu1H3h8eZETkO7ztKc5flB-0fiu3M85g993hAAvv_HDtAJkhlUR9f0xiMtZyV9NmfvjPGpEO3Fq2ZgsReeV7udGtNvdlzZPTdign_gWOZqDseZoubik/s4096/IMG_20240224_144535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAh1Mr1v8MIRFi2oyNYMLeg4Kaaj1nFBKaEJ803dLjf3qYZW46BpbtsGS42twt2vrMQe7EbjhOhu1H3h8eZETkO7ztKc5flB-0fiu3M85g993hAAvv_HDtAJkhlUR9f0xiMtZyV9NmfvjPGpEO3Fq2ZgsReeV7udGtNvdlzZPTdign_gWOZqDseZoubik/s320/IMG_20240224_144535.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />A fun week was had in the land of the Hurdy Gurdy, which I’m
proud to say involved no football, and it ended at around 10.30pm on the Friday
night when after a day of travelling the key finally went into the front door.
Getting up and going back in the very direction we’d travelled from twelve
hours later did not appeal, so I had to have a re-think of the options.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I started to look at what might fall onto the radar next
season. By that, who’s applied to move from Step 7 to Step 6, and, who is in
the running for promotion in the three leagues where I only bugger about with
the top flight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn2eIcVEzZR0quvBI-N8KnBBcTdC-Zodtn9FZSxmRL-NniAtBNu4Ubd3HcOgA-2OY83DzPFltCd1zGT1LZonJWcVmpf0wHLeZg2w3B4DqaRdGoCphZh_bDmkb95jGB5dKQlHGcxM22UEoO9CnluizwY7jH7tnuA4ta5Bvj3Q7cE-56aPTg8KFKZxLdYvI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn2eIcVEzZR0quvBI-N8KnBBcTdC-Zodtn9FZSxmRL-NniAtBNu4Ubd3HcOgA-2OY83DzPFltCd1zGT1LZonJWcVmpf0wHLeZg2w3B4DqaRdGoCphZh_bDmkb95jGB5dKQlHGcxM22UEoO9CnluizwY7jH7tnuA4ta5Bvj3Q7cE-56aPTg8KFKZxLdYvI" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Manchester League, the Yorkshire Amateur League and the
Cheshire League being those respective competitions, but add into that the
ongoing battle against the weather, I felt a plastic pitch was going to be the
best option. Upton Junior Football Club were top of the Cheshire League First
Division, and, they played on plastic at the Cheshire County Sports Club.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’ll do, I thought, a 2pm kick off against Daten (an
acronym for Department of Atomic Energy), less than two hours away, I could set
off late morning and be home for close on 5.30. Boom, boom, and indeed shake
the room, we had a plan that ticked all boxes!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Upton play on the East side of Chester, and the ground is
accessed very easily from the M53, being only a mile or so from a junction. The
journey up was a breeze, across the A50 to Stoke, up the M6, along the M56 past
Runcorn and all that stuff, before heading into the City famed for Hollyoaks,
Ian Rush and a zoo.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was talking to Steve on the way up, recalling the last
time I watched a game in Chester. It was the back end of the season, I remember
it well because it was the day Notts County got relegated from the Football
League. We went to Blacon Youth, which in itself was fine, but the pub
beforehand, jeez, now that was an experience, we got out in one piece though, a
result under the circumstances.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxVkn1ckEQvIivndpYsImZbmnmKr-2YUWLFkbca3wgDHysZCdkAX3i9dI3hOlEcv98JIRp3SyTXMcLZIRn8yyE5e9zZvZuhF84KRfk9DH9nxJOnQ-fLMQRQu9qDMjrVaPW99RBlTr73lVtDTXWyaxwydKkR9HAUKi8EAw9cxcueAWgXPBKNe710tdSEqA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxVkn1ckEQvIivndpYsImZbmnmKr-2YUWLFkbca3wgDHysZCdkAX3i9dI3hOlEcv98JIRp3SyTXMcLZIRn8yyE5e9zZvZuhF84KRfk9DH9nxJOnQ-fLMQRQu9qDMjrVaPW99RBlTr73lVtDTXWyaxwydKkR9HAUKi8EAw9cxcueAWgXPBKNe710tdSEqA" width="320" /></a></div><br />Otherwise, I’m not by any means a regular visitor to
Chester. Steve goes about every week to visit the zoo, and as a result he has
indeed been to a game at Upton before, but apart from the Blacon experience,
I’ve only ever been the once to Chester’s ground back in my student days, and
other than that it’s only been City Centre day trips and work meetings.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Cheshire County Sports Club is a large complex, and from
what I can gather spreads either side of the main A41. To the West is what
appears to be a grass running track and a large building, and then if you head
over the footbridge to the East you get the area where the football was
happening.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To access that you enter via Mannings Lane and the first
thing you see is the rugby pitch with a small stand, which it seems is used by
Christleton RUFC. Next to this is the cricket ground where the occupants are
apparently Cheshire County Officers CC, and then sat right in the centre of the
complex is a two story dressing room and clubhouse facility, complete with
viewing balcony!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYtinjK_rTphQsh10ppf-FuIEe4cSKkBSqC9YyP6MQs71ZcM9RA7TYFsu9-_X3JfhMYAHS1AZ91_tu0wfsx2XK6ICcCH8_cHeWhSBRJUqiL76vs4Y3MlG0fjTWip7qLleiCUU48DJa2mNqgMiJLcGyqfMNFOewW8N5TIPNNTyLhEdioZl2CPS3yV0dLNk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYtinjK_rTphQsh10ppf-FuIEe4cSKkBSqC9YyP6MQs71ZcM9RA7TYFsu9-_X3JfhMYAHS1AZ91_tu0wfsx2XK6ICcCH8_cHeWhSBRJUqiL76vs4Y3MlG0fjTWip7qLleiCUU48DJa2mNqgMiJLcGyqfMNFOewW8N5TIPNNTyLhEdioZl2CPS3yV0dLNk" width="320" /></a></div><br />Two 3G pitches are then at the very North end of the site,
with my game of choice being played on the pitch that runs width ways along the
edge of the A41. When I arrived a youth game was taking place on the pitch,
while on the other pitch Upton JFC Veterans were playing a home game.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Upton JFC is a large club with various teams across all age
groups, male and female, and from the point of view of the men’s senior team,
they sat top of the league prior to the game and along with Bollington Town, St
Michaels and Vulcan. They look set to be the sides vying to make it in to the
top flight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQDqGy86I99l6YG5r4rrXz74C90LEDb0JY66VEexv59DWDiLOGGbgNg-lab7mglv-dTRgJhkQlCoPZWp2coP59DevG6W3O0Vf9awkQ7GZMNjXIC39wYo_pLatKdIq09-WT4rE7eblkIlXJTmm1vaiw8sCEeRnZ8mjR48UV9jnN7KqQy4tB-ToT2GV8u1s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQDqGy86I99l6YG5r4rrXz74C90LEDb0JY66VEexv59DWDiLOGGbgNg-lab7mglv-dTRgJhkQlCoPZWp2coP59DevG6W3O0Vf9awkQ7GZMNjXIC39wYo_pLatKdIq09-WT4rE7eblkIlXJTmm1vaiw8sCEeRnZ8mjR48UV9jnN7KqQy4tB-ToT2GV8u1s" width="320" /></a></div><br />The way the game started you expected nothing short of a
comfortable home victory. The first goal came with less than a minute on the
clock thanks to a finish from Raener Gray, and then only a matter of minutes
later Jack Middleton netted the second with a clever flick from a corner. At
2-0, and with Daten looking a little stunned, you had visions of a big victory,
but…..<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The visitors composed themselves and got to half time with
the score still at 2-0, but then in the second period they stunned Upton with
two quick fire goals in again, a matter of minutes, both from Jack Hodgkiss who
produced some composed finishing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At 2-2 you wondered what might happen next, and it was that
man Hodgkiss who netted the third for Daten and at the time what looked like an
unlikely comeback three points after a terrible start. However, as the game
moved into injury time, the hosts won a free kick on the edge of the box, and
up stepped Aaron Hinchliffe to put the ball over the wall and into the net.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlb-rcjZEMr2akUwVqL1go07JvyvkKeHIt-91ZrI0ukGoo5k5FUwF79PP3kArICjNJqvxxtWy60NMzSVSFfQVxYhFyeXd5OJ7oMhCmn2VsWtEP-agdxah0nvJpXrIDa6JwbIRWPYO7Wul5tbUsubs4Y3b9NtkM0YYpBEsNcPAILLOy4-I8tQOs5-Agcnc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlb-rcjZEMr2akUwVqL1go07JvyvkKeHIt-91ZrI0ukGoo5k5FUwF79PP3kArICjNJqvxxtWy60NMzSVSFfQVxYhFyeXd5OJ7oMhCmn2VsWtEP-agdxah0nvJpXrIDa6JwbIRWPYO7Wul5tbUsubs4Y3b9NtkM0YYpBEsNcPAILLOy4-I8tQOs5-Agcnc" width="320" /></a></div><br />3-3, on balance a point each was about right, Upton will be
frustrated though, because at 2-0 they looked like they had it, but, credit to
the boys from Culcheth, they certainly dug deep when all looked somewhat lost.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The escape from Chester was straightforward, and as I hoped,
back in the door at 5.30pm. A very good afternoon out it has to be said, and
fair play to Upton for getting back to me on Twitter to confirm details about
the game beforehand. I hope they get the promotion they are striving for,
Chester could do with more clubs higher up the pyramid.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I might try and shock you again this time next week…..!<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-57507578117351932092024-02-18T03:19:00.000-08:002024-02-18T03:19:56.138-08:00Transit Van<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Redbridge 1 Brightlingsea Regent 1</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e8d1abf6-7fff-24a5-f160-125c187e076f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Isthmian League – Division One North </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Admission / Programme - £10 / Free</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It does feel like getting to a game at the Oakside Stadium, the home of Redbridge Football Club, was proving to be more problematic than it needed to be.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The problem was not the doing of the football club by any means, the pitch is notoriously reliable, or at least seems to have been this season when others have fallen foul of the weather. No, the problem was very much one of my own doing. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bad planning for a start, like planning to go to a game that was never going to be played because Redbridge were in the FA Trophy. The fact two teams play at the ground, Newbury Forest being the other in the Eastern Counties League, meant I kept putting it off because effectively it was a ground I could go to on any given Saturday. Then of course, when it was on the radar recently, what was effectively the toss of a coin, took us to Raynes Park Vale instead.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfKuUGR9h99p927bYRh0hOpRndQatBIrNs53RY0eVRST2iOdJiTCDFNoGfKreruDe6cZ2wWEok3jitmxQFOTD7JeHto2uILppkbtu0WkQpOWk4ryZsDUE8wUW-6vu7UGSBNe4_vLJAtirPTCAUoaTiq_MB4n5ivOR14GEtnHmC_2v84rgncmqt7bH_4M/s4096/IMG_20240217_150428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfKuUGR9h99p927bYRh0hOpRndQatBIrNs53RY0eVRST2iOdJiTCDFNoGfKreruDe6cZ2wWEok3jitmxQFOTD7JeHto2uILppkbtu0WkQpOWk4ryZsDUE8wUW-6vu7UGSBNe4_vLJAtirPTCAUoaTiq_MB4n5ivOR14GEtnHmC_2v84rgncmqt7bH_4M/s320/IMG_20240217_150428.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Like I say, it wasn’t a Hanworth Villla situation by any means whereby a cat wazzing on the pitch would get a game called off, it was just one of those situations where it kept getting pushed back, and then further back, bearing in mind it was originally scheduled for a Saturday in November!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, I had a plan, the home game against Brightlingsea Regent, the weather looked fine, and barring something pretty extreme happening, all looked good. A further twist on Saturday morning came in the shape of Alfreton Town’s home game with Kings Lynn Town being called off (ATFC Club Shop Mark predicted it to be fair on Tuesday – he knows you know!), and that meant I had a travelling companion for the fourth Saturday since the start of December when we went to Horsham.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A 10.30am departure from downtown ‘Ofton’ saw the sat nav spin us on to the A14 and then down the M11 which was not something I was expecting. The M11 had a couple or three hold ups, but as we passed the home of Woodford Town, and then slipped passed Redbridge Underground Station we were soon parking up at the very nice Crown & Crooked Billet pub in Woodford Green, a GBG pub that Mark had sniffed out earlier.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLHvwz17HOVgGESWe5bkBm4QOyKc6MyXjVvbAo_ibFjt1Mz2FaSC0db9XKtPR0rfbSRUU-EF8-lzqtDsRsbQcgAn2C6JXoeO81isw4wVblamhfh3q4UyuxrzzeyeJA9DdagsHSXsEzNaoAs3MRVbyiB6EBNacyMsLGko1GyGmn5TjpDnMDMb9V9WhVoc/s4096/IMG_20240217_150423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLHvwz17HOVgGESWe5bkBm4QOyKc6MyXjVvbAo_ibFjt1Mz2FaSC0db9XKtPR0rfbSRUU-EF8-lzqtDsRsbQcgAn2C6JXoeO81isw4wVblamhfh3q4UyuxrzzeyeJA9DdagsHSXsEzNaoAs3MRVbyiB6EBNacyMsLGko1GyGmn5TjpDnMDMb9V9WhVoc/s320/IMG_20240217_150423.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was just before quarter to two, and following a quick necking of a pint, it was only 2.7 miles to the ground, and to be fair, by the time we’d admired the gated properties of this part of Essex along the main road that runs into Barkingside, it wasn’t long before we were crossing the bridge at Barkingside Underground Station and turning right into the car park.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So what’s the deal with Redbridge Football Club then?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Firstly, when you think about non-league football and the North / East of London the first thing that springs to mind is mergers, closures, takeovers, grounds going, grounds being shared, and ultimately a whole host of confusion. To be clear, Redbridge FC are absolutely nothing to do with Dagenham & Redbridge, and, despite the fact they play at the stadium in Barkingside, that Barkingside FC used to use, they are nothing to do with them either!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So forget your Walthamstow’s, your Leytonstone’s your Ilford’s, your Leyton’s, or your Waltham’s, this is completely separate.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Redbridge FC are the club formerly known as Ford United. Ford United came about in 1959 following a merger between Ford Sports and Briggs Sports. Yes, there is a very strong link with the motor company that was indeed entrenched in East London, and that very same motor company provided backing for Ford United who plied there trade at the Rush Green Sports Ground, which was eventually annexed by West Ham United who turned it into their training ground.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jnerOC2skRphzTE6AYHbDASuXkU0T6moD2dUD8ts5G4ZDCTWm34KzIUv1KUvwttR7ewslYJYZ-gcwYOY_Fa193VhVV9_gIj4X9teyczVswpv8JaW9JzWVF3ibCO1V-hZ1ofsI_GEmVZX-f100rta1bTjRCmy3xfT4Ze51VvyM_3FNDAFAXbPLfTmFXk/s4096/IMG_20240217_154934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jnerOC2skRphzTE6AYHbDASuXkU0T6moD2dUD8ts5G4ZDCTWm34KzIUv1KUvwttR7ewslYJYZ-gcwYOY_Fa193VhVV9_gIj4X9teyczVswpv8JaW9JzWVF3ibCO1V-hZ1ofsI_GEmVZX-f100rta1bTjRCmy3xfT4Ze51VvyM_3FNDAFAXbPLfTmFXk/s320/IMG_20240217_154934.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After playing in various local leagues, Ford joined the Essex Senior League in 1974, where they remained until 1997 when they joined the Isthmian League. A rapid rise ensued and by 2002 they found themselves in the Premier Division, before ultimately making the cut to join the newly formed Conference South.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This move coincided with the ending of the backing from the Ford Motor Company, and having recently moved to the Oakside Stadium after Barkingside’s lease was not renewed, they changed their name to the current guise in an attempt to better reflect the local community.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As Ford United they did make a bit of a name for themselves in the FA Cup, reaching the First Round in 1998-99 only to lose to Preston North End. Then in 2003-04, in the final season before the name change they held Port Vale to a 2-2 draw at Vale Park before losing the replay 2-1 in front of the TV cameras.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Redbridge’s first season in the Conference South ended badly, and with that came about a steady decline, so much so that by 2016 they were back in the Essex Senior League. That said though, they did beat Haywards Heath Town at the end of last season in the Inter-League Play Off and by doing so they now find themselves back in the Isthmian League.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Having said all that about the decline, in 2011-12 they reached the Second Round of the FA Cup, beating Oxford City in the First Round before going down 5-0 at Crawley Town.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMbsU_dTriEca3naKyYI3L46zS7gdHAcy1dmy6f-ALvndnYo-tBfygJrDnbbHF5A-YVYDlfqCcRdlZ3sRF9Td7xXhZLpWvXCgPOUPIl00GqPY1sv6yGtVLgATtknv1PCHOaF9MQ6BHZ7ganWkyOKZVj_hgshHlhYLjfS9AknfAKFPcb7O6BjIIiun88o/s4096/IMG_20240217_155243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMbsU_dTriEca3naKyYI3L46zS7gdHAcy1dmy6f-ALvndnYo-tBfygJrDnbbHF5A-YVYDlfqCcRdlZ3sRF9Td7xXhZLpWvXCgPOUPIl00GqPY1sv6yGtVLgATtknv1PCHOaF9MQ6BHZ7ganWkyOKZVj_hgshHlhYLjfS9AknfAKFPcb7O6BjIIiun88o/s320/IMG_20240217_155243.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What’s the Oakside Stadium like then?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well, bit of a story for you, back in the mid to late Nineties I worked, ironically, in the automotive industry as a buyer, and at the time I had some dealings with a company called Directa UK. I used to speak on the phone to the sales rep fairly regularly, and in time we got onto talking about football. He did try and get me into an executive box at Tottenham Hotspur on a couple of occasions, but due to my commitments at Belper Town we could never make it happen. Anyway, it turned out he used to go down to the Oakside Stadium to watch Barkingside from time to time, having many a late Saturday night holed up in the bar!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Situated right next to the Underground Station, the ground is charmingly ramshackle. You enter behind the goal and directly in front of you is the smart clubhouse where Fosters was being sold at a price welcomingly cheap considering which part of the Country we were in. Behind the said North goal are a couple of steps of terracing but raised above those steps is a concreted walkway which provides excellent elevated views of the action.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The East side is out of bounds and it looks like the perimeter fencing has been the victim of some storms, while behind the South goal is a narrow concrete walkway. Furniture wise it’s all about the West side. An area of cover straddles the half way line, and contained within it are a number of seats of varying types, colours and styles, while towards the South end of the cover the seats stop and it’s just terracing. Either side of the cover, again, are areas of terracing with elevated concreted areas at the top providing the best vistas.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdduEPDj_-2IQUiat8vq0F3DIWP3wy093Oi0SmJ2u_m_BD7WncC9isad8WmPqRWf9MIBdrAmLmy7zkjZ7-bmgmb2zQW600OBGSd8jXf-zzO4em07W7b9mcjaTbqua2KuvYD5UIU5KSUTHmKRWLGhEH8DWtnJbYsXam_lLgFWaQlkUXG78d2Rzzjp94R9U/s4096/IMG_20240217_155333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdduEPDj_-2IQUiat8vq0F3DIWP3wy093Oi0SmJ2u_m_BD7WncC9isad8WmPqRWf9MIBdrAmLmy7zkjZ7-bmgmb2zQW600OBGSd8jXf-zzO4em07W7b9mcjaTbqua2KuvYD5UIU5KSUTHmKRWLGhEH8DWtnJbYsXam_lLgFWaQlkUXG78d2Rzzjp94R9U/s320/IMG_20240217_155333.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A couple of portakabin style buildings sit between the stand and the clubhouse / dressing rooms, but what they are used for, I couldn’t tell you. The pitch was a bit heavy, but perfectly playable.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A crowd of just 85 rocked up to watch it, with a fair number having travelled from Brightlingsea (the mini bus was parked outside!). It’s a shame the crowds are so low because the club were very friendly, but I guess in this part of the World, there are lots of other things you can do on a Saturday afternoon. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The game was ok, not the best, not the worst. Regent started quite brightly but Redbridge had a golden chance to take the lead in the first half but Ayo Odukoya saw his weak penalty easily saved by Lewis Greene.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtOeE4PHiJbkIbWjCnL6viyHoarUx0v9Zhk6W4fEIpva7mccdcTcQFXiMJC9EEXlo2lyPjj9fkeqCpERmk36dhaLqAxQo2gEfdMfAzSsZjAvW9dcteEEl5TCbqPE7yTeNGyCoyQSeVV-eIkKBKm7pqP3Q8WjzPF1afmKP8CKYfXsGO8TiAexrKVi0zeM/s4096/IMG_20240217_155430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtOeE4PHiJbkIbWjCnL6viyHoarUx0v9Zhk6W4fEIpva7mccdcTcQFXiMJC9EEXlo2lyPjj9fkeqCpERmk36dhaLqAxQo2gEfdMfAzSsZjAvW9dcteEEl5TCbqPE7yTeNGyCoyQSeVV-eIkKBKm7pqP3Q8WjzPF1afmKP8CKYfXsGO8TiAexrKVi0zeM/s320/IMG_20240217_155430.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The second half was a better spectacle and it was the hosts who came out the stronger, taking the lead through Lewis Clark who got the vital touch from a free kick on the left hand side. Redbridge took the game to Regent in the second period as the visitors struggled to create anything, but a late sting in the tail saw Kurt Smith break free in the sixth minute of added time to grab the equaliser.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And that was it, game over, and before long we were gawping once again at some of the properties around Chigwell and the Epping Forest, before finally getting onto the M25 and homeward bound.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An enjoyable day at a very welcoming club, if only a few more of the locals would make the effort to go and watch them. The club could quite easily have died when Ford withdrew their backing, so credit to the ‘Motormen’ for trying to forge a new identity. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, notwithstanding the lack of support, the spirit of the Transit Van lives on!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-75955884397886612032024-02-15T11:44:00.000-08:002024-02-15T11:44:23.174-08:00Misinterpretation<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a4f52b6b-7fff-e194-675b-1cf6d4350497"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Salisbury 2 Poole Town 0</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Southern League - Premier Division South</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Admission / Programme - £14 / £2.50</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Regular subscribers to my blog, and indeed the patrons who pay a monthly subscription to access the Podcasts that run alongside it, will recall back in pre-season I visited Dorchester Town. I talked about Dorchester being one of two grounds in England that I considered to be the best, that I hadn’t previously seen a game at.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The other was Salisbury.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUBGqb0Qzi5Y9jrAzHEADfK2HtpSL9rPY3z5HFK1GVmslr4XqXAKcV7fZO4IcT4gsdUNsHnAbirUBsRzl6bnUJxLSYUMDbgHjDEJsjprncEDNN61DYLqVEG8BIsFX6K8mPhOxtzfmA4eh-U0xZpr7IAY0BD8e658X-Oa3jkuyVGeGDuW8pgYx5K2a-Tk/s4096/IMG_20240210_145507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUBGqb0Qzi5Y9jrAzHEADfK2HtpSL9rPY3z5HFK1GVmslr4XqXAKcV7fZO4IcT4gsdUNsHnAbirUBsRzl6bnUJxLSYUMDbgHjDEJsjprncEDNN61DYLqVEG8BIsFX6K8mPhOxtzfmA4eh-U0xZpr7IAY0BD8e658X-Oa3jkuyVGeGDuW8pgYx5K2a-Tk/s320/IMG_20240210_145507.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Salisbury Football Club play at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium in the Old Sarum area of the City, and it’s a venue that they only moved to in 1997, having previously played at Victoria Park, which was indeed a park in the centre of the City. In terms of allowing the club to progress, well, it simply didn’t!</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I’ve got to be honest though, in my 51 years of residing on this planet, I’ve never been to the City of Salisbury, in fact I’ve never really been anywhere near it. So, as I’ve gradually been working my way down the Step 3 and 4 lists this season, ordinarily in distance from home order, the boys from Wiltshire have started to appear on the radar. But this one felt that bit more interesting, a bit more exciting, perhaps even a little sexy, and certainly capable of inducing a small amount of uncontrolled wee.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But, on the day, I very nearly didn’t make it, thanks to social media and my misinterpretation of it!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIK8yt3e6SiAsxiVFbh0PimG_Ibq5QbtP3MNd8D5Yrog7BFBwDKfcFTbLdcd1TGis39AnnxZ9i7HnY_0FLh5E59opkKnljaNyi5FxljyNZz7RPqGjLBwqswNX9kNpFoPuuhpK6xJdA_OEPyzjBVq_yr1qs4FZxrJGcqfB02y_PsP4k-7ht6vTZ78lwlA/s4096/IMG_20240210_145529.jpg" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: nowrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIK8yt3e6SiAsxiVFbh0PimG_Ibq5QbtP3MNd8D5Yrog7BFBwDKfcFTbLdcd1TGis39AnnxZ9i7HnY_0FLh5E59opkKnljaNyi5FxljyNZz7RPqGjLBwqswNX9kNpFoPuuhpK6xJdA_OEPyzjBVq_yr1qs4FZxrJGcqfB02y_PsP4k-7ht6vTZ78lwlA/s320/IMG_20240210_145529.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />The weather of course had been ‘blankety blank’ over the previous week, we’d had snow, rain, volcanic lava, you name it, we’d had the lot, but to be fair to Salisbury they chucked a Tweet out on Friday night stating that barring a ‘wild’ weather event overnight, the game against Poole Town would be taking place.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That would do for me, so I set off, all was good in the World, Saturday morning had seen a game preview posted, what could possibly cause this one to go bustage up?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well, I’d had a bacon sandwich before I set off, and by the time I was turning off the M1 onto the A43 I felt like I needed a drink, so I stopped at the services on the roundabout at the Towcester turn. I had a quick glance at my phone and noticed the club had put a further Tweet out….</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Hold It…” were the only words, with a GIF thingy posted underneath of a bloke in what looked like a blizzard. My initial thoughts were that we had a problem of the weather variety, but at the same time, I did think any question marks about the game would surely be significantly clearer due to the potential ramifications?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYr7PPw42O1BLPFhHDZ6mkRv1Bsgm9XOOVyGUgoLgkecxpjixBqu0Rse7MsnfqNu8hrSDbC78w0Q308Y9oQ_NQrBnN81CC85oOjX9kzOAaSjj6sRnQMWVk5iZgmLdXaB5QQMo9dvrBBQLZcyvLyLasNUJ4CaUfmm-03Tom71arJMZxrw2Qi-i1UglSds/s4096/IMG_20240210_163821.jpg" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-wrap: nowrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYr7PPw42O1BLPFhHDZ6mkRv1Bsgm9XOOVyGUgoLgkecxpjixBqu0Rse7MsnfqNu8hrSDbC78w0Q308Y9oQ_NQrBnN81CC85oOjX9kzOAaSjj6sRnQMWVk5iZgmLdXaB5QQMo9dvrBBQLZcyvLyLasNUJ4CaUfmm-03Tom71arJMZxrw2Qi-i1UglSds/s320/IMG_20240210_163821.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, I did indeed “Hold It”, sitting in the services for a while, but nothing more came, from either club. I knew that once I’d got onto the M40 and then turned off onto the A34, it was shit or bust time. I had Salisbury or Salisbury to go to, but, if I was on the M40 and we did indeed have a problem, I had a plastic back up down in the capital in the form of regular back up plan, Rayners Lane!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The exit on the M40 was reached and I was in queueing traffic, I sneaked a look, no news about the game but a new signing had been announced, was that what we were indeed hanging on for? So, it seemed the uncertainty was unfounded, all was indeed good in Old Sarum!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A good tootle down the A34 followed, apart from a hold up in the Oxford area, and before long it was onto the famous A303, a road sung about by the Levellers on the track ‘Battle of the Beanfield’. Andover was bypassed before eventually taking a scenic route down past Porton Down and into Old Sarum, which in itself meant that the infamous city centre traffic was avoided. By now it was a quarter to two and the car park at the ground was pretty packed, but I got into it, and it was clear that a good sized crowd was going to be in attendance.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzYezoZUpvzYPJSNmtUTPx-eljUohoLaRXK-dbdXeik_BINkxuRjJC0K6TLzLOFGjo2MgwyhtUR6CjRGNhfhXfETE9qthA-Jy4CsNkRZyt-tTjuSUlBv9Z35z43LUOe7mJda8TSGbAVLz1J72wHXq3t34T7sZexOdGa3D-ah37nwK0zhKEjUeqvDV-68/s4096/IMG_20240210_145344.jpg" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-wrap: nowrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzYezoZUpvzYPJSNmtUTPx-eljUohoLaRXK-dbdXeik_BINkxuRjJC0K6TLzLOFGjo2MgwyhtUR6CjRGNhfhXfETE9qthA-Jy4CsNkRZyt-tTjuSUlBv9Z35z43LUOe7mJda8TSGbAVLz1J72wHXq3t34T7sZexOdGa3D-ah37nwK0zhKEjUeqvDV-68/s320/IMG_20240210_145344.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The ground itself is situated in the middle of a newly built housing estate, so access to and from it is via the one road, and there are restrictions around parking, so if you didn’t make the car park, it could be a tricky as to where to dump the car.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The ground is a cracker, with a capacity of 5,000, you have a large main stand that runs three quarters of the length of the South side. With a good number of seats set within it, you also have a bar area at the top, with a sponsors and officials viewing balcony in front of it. Sandwiched between the upper tier bar area and the seats at the bottom are the club offices and dressing rooms, which also, set to the rear, and accessible before entering through the turnstiles are a Club Shop and a further bar area.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5lhQ_ijU3a2VSnqW1B5MrD7aFn7jBvrTgTumVrjerhGfo4ndJkmwzOPz7_bdZS_Ksbfkk3Zsw9yUiPlBAlSpVgmEfLZmu_1I81E2dCcasAHyu0079LOt4nomVUUgjHbE-GqQjIZm1O-Imcte7tyiAqQUe3sFb4XiYN26v5NAse2WY9a6AXaAKtuXsMk/s4096/IMG_20240210_145440.jpg" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: nowrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5lhQ_ijU3a2VSnqW1B5MrD7aFn7jBvrTgTumVrjerhGfo4ndJkmwzOPz7_bdZS_Ksbfkk3Zsw9yUiPlBAlSpVgmEfLZmu_1I81E2dCcasAHyu0079LOt4nomVUUgjHbE-GqQjIZm1O-Imcte7tyiAqQUe3sFb4XiYN26v5NAse2WY9a6AXaAKtuXsMk/s320/IMG_20240210_145440.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At the West end of the stand it turns into covered terracing, which then extends all the way round the West end of the ground providing a steep rake of steps where excellent views of the field of play can be had. Further terracing albeit uncovered and not as steep runs along the North side of the ground and extends round to the East side, albeit on the North side two Atcost style seated stands sit on plinths.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Is it Football League standard, well if it’s not, it can’t be far off?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The history of the club is one of peaks and troughs, with the Ray Mac (as it’s known locally) being the catalyst of the club reaching it’s peak, but as we’ve seen many times before, i</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">t quickly went wrong. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The original Salisbury City were formed in 1905, playing in the Western League, before they folded at the onset of the Second World War. A new incarnation, called simply Salisbury, re-appeared in the Western League in 1947, before gaining promotion to the Southern League in 1968 where they stayed until 1993, when they changed name again, this time adding the suffix ‘City’.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Gx9n3ClQY3RDd__Ew9fuZijYOVOseSfgoL2_umXPt0iYXhUDEr-JBZ3s0vUvKhefphQkZT-SgHvrXNIPyxZzMCgWiv7dJmyJ3bMANbSjcGYxNVxItvIkUE5t-TY8pYaAX0u0mbgqtS7U00Dj1sZQVInyRL6z9xgNark83jaIXRZz0gd7gJYEiaGEquw/s4096/IMG_20240210_145512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Gx9n3ClQY3RDd__Ew9fuZijYOVOseSfgoL2_umXPt0iYXhUDEr-JBZ3s0vUvKhefphQkZT-SgHvrXNIPyxZzMCgWiv7dJmyJ3bMANbSjcGYxNVxItvIkUE5t-TY8pYaAX0u0mbgqtS7U00Dj1sZQVInyRL6z9xgNark83jaIXRZz0gd7gJYEiaGEquw/s320/IMG_20240210_145512.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a4f52b6b-7fff-e194-675b-1cf6d4350497"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is when the fun started, in 1995 the Southern Division championship was won and with it came promotion to the Premier Division. That was followed by a number of mid-table finishes (and a move to the Ray Mac) before relegation sent them back to the regional Southern divisions in 2002.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A one season spell in the Isthmian League Premier Division came in 2004-05, and the elevation came as a result of restructuring, but within a year they were moved back across to the Southern League and that was won at the first attempt, bringing about a promotion to the Conference South.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An immediate runners up spot saw them elevated to the top table of non-league thanks to a Play-Off Final victory over Braintree Town, culminating in a three season spell. However by now financial difficulties beset the club, administration followed and the club were demoted two levels back to the Southern League Premier Division.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUBGqb0Qzi5Y9jrAzHEADfK2HtpSL9rPY3z5HFK1GVmslr4XqXAKcV7fZO4IcT4gsdUNsHnAbirUBsRzl6bnUJxLSYUMDbgHjDEJsjprncEDNN61DYLqVEG8BIsFX6K8mPhOxtzfmA4eh-U0xZpr7IAY0BD8e658X-Oa3jkuyVGeGDuW8pgYx5K2a-Tk/s4096/IMG_20240210_145507.jpg" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUBGqb0Qzi5Y9jrAzHEADfK2HtpSL9rPY3z5HFK1GVmslr4XqXAKcV7fZO4IcT4gsdUNsHnAbirUBsRzl6bnUJxLSYUMDbgHjDEJsjprncEDNN61DYLqVEG8BIsFX6K8mPhOxtzfmA4eh-U0xZpr7IAY0BD8e658X-Oa3jkuyVGeGDuW8pgYx5K2a-Tk/s320/IMG_20240210_145507.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Promotion came immediately thanks to a Play-Off Final victory over Hednesford Town. Then two seasons later came another Play-Off Final, this time against Dover Athletic, and once again, at the start of the 2013-14 season, the top table was returned to.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It lasted one season, a mid-table finish meant nothing because the club were expelled from the competition due to missing a deadline to clear outstanding debts. Salisbury City Football Club had gone. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYunFkM3a5xEg5g52zOabwZmUQ8iNZepzx7ILu5OShNJRI18nu882n7wP3SL-Rw5D4p4EK7LKuntoYu2-FFbhaONYr8-AN4wXNufoTrWtpRNZlkeP_tDoK7ZlY0P9-4Rc_xojuPjLO4WuvB3Rl4Gfk7kaDl5ADF6r59Owfl4SiOFY1HFt6KOvPhLfBmhk/s4096/IMG_20240210_144810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYunFkM3a5xEg5g52zOabwZmUQ8iNZepzx7ILu5OShNJRI18nu882n7wP3SL-Rw5D4p4EK7LKuntoYu2-FFbhaONYr8-AN4wXNufoTrWtpRNZlkeP_tDoK7ZlY0P9-4Rc_xojuPjLO4WuvB3Rl4Gfk7kaDl5ADF6r59Owfl4SiOFY1HFt6KOvPhLfBmhk/s320/IMG_20240210_144810.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The City had a season without a club, but then in time for the 2015-16 club, a new Salisbury FC were good to go, playing at the Ray Mac, winning the Wessex League at the first attempt. The following season a runners up spot in the Southern League South Western Division saw them lose out to Tiverton Town in the Play Off Final, but the following year they did win a place back in the Premier Division, where they remain.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ppufThQNsod053Kj58DIXJF6DTVEzkeoXeDilI4tKUbWNoYce7FagyUH44Ogibh2YE0j2McrgryyylmZT3zyDiI_YaLvstOWP-GdzaUb4PvwkqiWj9ao5v-kAfjgJG-Me6ckmI2EIe70IGQCQG24SyhJUbTXVnGLtLQ0oHBCF16kKuJWznWyA9pI3Z8/s4096/IMG_20240210_144907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ppufThQNsod053Kj58DIXJF6DTVEzkeoXeDilI4tKUbWNoYce7FagyUH44Ogibh2YE0j2McrgryyylmZT3zyDiI_YaLvstOWP-GdzaUb4PvwkqiWj9ao5v-kAfjgJG-Me6ckmI2EIe70IGQCQG24SyhJUbTXVnGLtLQ0oHBCF16kKuJWznWyA9pI3Z8/s320/IMG_20240210_144907.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The current club reached the FA Vase semi-final in 2015-16, losing to Hereford FC, whereas the previous guise of the club had some impressive exploits in the cups.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The competition proper of the FA Cup has been reached on numerous occasions, with highlights including games against Hull City, Grimsby Town, Port Vale, Sheffield United (in the Third Round), Sheffield Wednesday and indeed Nottingham Forest who were held to a draw at the Ray Mac in front of the TV cameras.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The FA Trophy quarter finals have been reached on numerous occasions, while the semi-final was reached in 2009-10, only for the Whites to lose to Barrow over two legs.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOu0whoqNtfzZvsZ1TY68VUakDfxM_mTzy_HKA_SmgVSJBxyfq9-Ps49vB-QLABuw5rsDDY9tElkaW70WXZtf_2XqnzIde0Mb1AGSHg6U5Wgw5L72F9jSh9pRRt232QP-HkGQjGn9K9cUafwDoTXZeAYwaqbWf9CA-dyL8u3ADh6BXaZO4AJawpHayYVQ/s4096/IMG_20240210_145010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOu0whoqNtfzZvsZ1TY68VUakDfxM_mTzy_HKA_SmgVSJBxyfq9-Ps49vB-QLABuw5rsDDY9tElkaW70WXZtf_2XqnzIde0Mb1AGSHg6U5Wgw5L72F9jSh9pRRt232QP-HkGQjGn9K9cUafwDoTXZeAYwaqbWf9CA-dyL8u3ADh6BXaZO4AJawpHayYVQ/s320/IMG_20240210_145010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for the fans of Salisbury, but what about the current campaign, is the National League South within grasp? Sat second in the table to Chesham United before the game against Poole, they are well placed, and with a crowd of just under 1,000 in attendance, they strengthened their chances with a 2-0 victory.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCC_ud1INuXHbpKzo6hfG8mM_ACuZKHpg16ksh3iYYlhFLHBWofFBsXY0kic3JGvmzA_xMqovVQ2mFa21XFqSm3-Q6MjA8gwsOIZOCyDZ6f6YodKtJNi4icjbnFDOkr3feUD2fNeRYLcFeiaS7J0bsCvOELBFcgvvM0ayVOGcBI_-g3MApeSRRN8hSPBk/s4096/IMG_20240210_145142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCC_ud1INuXHbpKzo6hfG8mM_ACuZKHpg16ksh3iYYlhFLHBWofFBsXY0kic3JGvmzA_xMqovVQ2mFa21XFqSm3-Q6MjA8gwsOIZOCyDZ6f6YodKtJNi4icjbnFDOkr3feUD2fNeRYLcFeiaS7J0bsCvOELBFcgvvM0ayVOGcBI_-g3MApeSRRN8hSPBk/s320/IMG_20240210_145142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The first half was a pretty even affair, with both sides having spells of pressure and indeed chances, but the opening goal came just prior to the break when full back Aaron Simpson crashed home the sweetest of half volleys from the angle of penalty area.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The pivotal moment came just before the hour mark when after a spell of Poole pressure (who were very well supported vocally and perhaps a little boisterously!), Salisbury goalkeeper Harrison Lee produced a fabulous double save to deny both Toby Holmes and Jamie Whisken. The ball immediately broke and Salisbury went straight up the other end and grabbed the second goal through Ryan Penny who curled a shot into the top corner.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Poole were awarded a penalty in injury time when Holmes was pulled to the floor by Sido Jombati, but the same players weak effort was easily saved by Lee.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzASEu_r5i7ZMK1iqfHqU9exhKu3gisKFxzqdgjPKSiJpceYZ4hxh_eJE3pgIwlmBJM8D2PtcEv3RI2rtd5FxEYCRz0nM6my8W_4QQhUAPMD9H3QH_An5GgToIS7F7lT01hLB4LQvhmjri5YEbFPbj54mWlHZNLg46cyNDc17rRxNI3v1CdksOHN5QAM/s4096/IMG_20240210_145307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzASEu_r5i7ZMK1iqfHqU9exhKu3gisKFxzqdgjPKSiJpceYZ4hxh_eJE3pgIwlmBJM8D2PtcEv3RI2rtd5FxEYCRz0nM6my8W_4QQhUAPMD9H3QH_An5GgToIS7F7lT01hLB4LQvhmjri5YEbFPbj54mWlHZNLg46cyNDc17rRxNI3v1CdksOHN5QAM/s320/IMG_20240210_145307.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So a happy home crowd left the Ray Mac and despite my fears, I found getting away pretty much trouble free, as was the rest of the journey back to blighty.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, once again, the best I’ve never had, has finally been done, and to think, a cryptic player signing announcement almost saw me miss it! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-43784998759068694582024-02-09T00:54:00.000-08:002024-02-09T00:54:02.826-08:00Happy Place<p>Broadbridge Heath 1 Erith & Belvedere 0</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian League – Division One South East<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme - £10 / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I can easily be swayed, and early in the week when Steve
asked me if I fancied ‘jumping in’ with him on a trip to Broadbridge Heath, I
shelved the original plan of a run to Redbridge and accepted his offer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s been a while since we had a little day out, taking the
Isle Of Man escapade out of the equation, we haven’t been on one this season,
whereas last season we had some belters at Beckenham Town, Pontypridd United
and Bracknell Town.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWQt0kJgPs9ILmNpD4F27OIcyOiBfmg3j_EFsMDulPyRGk3QdKk-4DASU_96DaCOhBe4L8S0Dx8Y7YOjXMOYHIMOw4z3yYlX5zBsLs3WU2nXaZrQ2pG3iTBaB-djTSzj8y8jS-KY-t9G0Kql9R_aQTIIGw5SkR8uhc5sZNO_Ozbw_tcKhXvhAAq1yqd8o" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWQt0kJgPs9ILmNpD4F27OIcyOiBfmg3j_EFsMDulPyRGk3QdKk-4DASU_96DaCOhBe4L8S0Dx8Y7YOjXMOYHIMOw4z3yYlX5zBsLs3WU2nXaZrQ2pG3iTBaB-djTSzj8y8jS-KY-t9G0Kql9R_aQTIIGw5SkR8uhc5sZNO_Ozbw_tcKhXvhAAq1yqd8o" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadbridge Heath as a club are new to Step 4 this season
having won the Southern Combination League last time out. The Southern
Combination is the league formerly known as the Sussex County League, a
competition the Bears had been members of since a third division was formed
back in 1983.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The history of the club is much deeper than that though.
They were formed in 1919 by demobilised soldiers, and went on to play in local
leagues such as the Horsham & District, and the West Sussex League, before
ending up in the Southern Counties Combination, which eventually via a merger
became the aforementioned Sussex County League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDUqCSiZNHHjtPbKmh9CSml2ol2wu6oLXVgcnwyvXrh_SQkZ880tbJ9Sn1hk_4fFwtKn1jMZ8ltDbwoxsVplsE6ftFmAatMjQHEKBHD6kNrthn61jxwSHAwvqHP4_czn7td2F5JYV97d4LklSzEJ4piJC0gMOiyVUZW4AUWqaIchmvXBNTqFwQAlb4PHE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDUqCSiZNHHjtPbKmh9CSml2ol2wu6oLXVgcnwyvXrh_SQkZ880tbJ9Sn1hk_4fFwtKn1jMZ8ltDbwoxsVplsE6ftFmAatMjQHEKBHD6kNrthn61jxwSHAwvqHP4_czn7td2F5JYV97d4LklSzEJ4piJC0gMOiyVUZW4AUWqaIchmvXBNTqFwQAlb4PHE" width="320" /></a></div><br />In case you were wondering where exactly Broadbridge Heath
is, it is in Sussex, but to be fair, when they were promoted to the Isthmian
League back in the Summer, I did have to resort to looking on a map. Without
being arrogant, not many places require me to look at a map to locate them, but
Broadbridge Heath did, and it was from this that I ascertained that the place
was in fact a small town on the edges of Horsham, and is in fact split from it
via the main A23 which scoots down to Worthing.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Readers will recall a trip prior to the festive period that
was meant to have ended up at Badshot Lea, but in actual fact, ended up at
Horsham FC. Warthogs had taken hold and myself and Thorpey had to head further
round the M25 at Leatherhead, and follow the A23 round the edges of the town,
through Dorking and eventually past Broadbridge Heath before arriving at the
Hop Oast ground of the Premier Division side.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinOmdUaeA2zpE16noA9sR-tK4qWNDEwa_CtRB89w2I0wvLnDgbPbDpl3TYfaPYAjk2xJfweYA8wmhxh81SQnicByTu_59FBBeXZIBNG6nBGnkzUQHW13g1QC015Kv6wTh5iXNiDnXXIqXhEwkPanWF48lnQ8CO9_Qb3r9c7Am0blQz57yeUk5qs-tGnBo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinOmdUaeA2zpE16noA9sR-tK4qWNDEwa_CtRB89w2I0wvLnDgbPbDpl3TYfaPYAjk2xJfweYA8wmhxh81SQnicByTu_59FBBeXZIBNG6nBGnkzUQHW13g1QC015Kv6wTh5iXNiDnXXIqXhEwkPanWF48lnQ8CO9_Qb3r9c7Am0blQz57yeUk5qs-tGnBo" width="320" /></a></div><br />I did comment to Thorpey on the day that Broadbridge Heath
was a club that was on the radar, but in all honesty I wasn’t expecting to
visit them quite so soon. The ground is easy to find, you come off the
roundabout, head for Tesco and the Leisure Centre, park up in the bowls club
and it’s right behind you, dead easy! In fact, it was dead easy, the journey
was a proverbial piece of wee wee and we were in the car park at 12.45, such a
shame Steve was driving……<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The ground is a new one that they only moved into in 2019, but
prior to that they were quite literally next door at the athletics track that
belongs to the Leisure Centre. Steve and I would have gone and had a look at it
because we were so early, but two thing stopped us, firstly we didn’t actually
know it was the former ground until we got home, and secondly, the bar was
open!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIyBRQZAwvRhY_PHkLVoh3NGm9PS4fWwTBH_EnrUl8hxLz9-ZttVsYCsGQdAzED9Q1ibLwjNyLF2kpuAuTEN0rpxO5Xu8djFunLN0mSOteHqOmKjRrmFfsBDGZbNINkhtjHVwznPCoRzxk9S3bA0j8MkbweRsxj0xLkVYQ0QByNr5WSenAZQRbtlOniUs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIyBRQZAwvRhY_PHkLVoh3NGm9PS4fWwTBH_EnrUl8hxLz9-ZttVsYCsGQdAzED9Q1ibLwjNyLF2kpuAuTEN0rpxO5Xu8djFunLN0mSOteHqOmKjRrmFfsBDGZbNINkhtjHVwznPCoRzxk9S3bA0j8MkbweRsxj0xLkVYQ0QByNr5WSenAZQRbtlOniUs" width="320" /></a></div><br />The ground is tidy, with the stand out feature being the
single story clubhouse and dressing room building that sits on the North
touchline. A seated stand is opposite, while behind the East goal is a narrow
area of covered terracing of the Atcost style variety. The pitch itself was in
excellent nick, but the most striking thing about this club was quite simply
the welcome.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRkVzxm1y22ZpfrfD0Gm3ssBabZwUsMCBpQAMfQ9Zxm8R9qnHzXcwNl4PNhYij2IP6IyMneS7XZCoHJ8zLUqvkl2slCZw5Y-OiYVZkB9a7IkuFVn3rvIZnAP7JeJL4Zjyzb0Qa5p1-V1SMImCFf8v73j1E3o_F45LqHuo7LfV0J9YmtEnriC9oo24Mshw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRkVzxm1y22ZpfrfD0Gm3ssBabZwUsMCBpQAMfQ9Zxm8R9qnHzXcwNl4PNhYij2IP6IyMneS7XZCoHJ8zLUqvkl2slCZw5Y-OiYVZkB9a7IkuFVn3rvIZnAP7JeJL4Zjyzb0Qa5p1-V1SMImCFf8v73j1E3o_F45LqHuo7LfV0J9YmtEnriC9oo24Mshw" width="320" /></a></div><br />We walked into the clubhouse and were greeted by a home
official, who relieved us of our admission money, but at the same time was
incredibly interested why we had travelled down from Belper and Chesterfield
respectively. He wasn’t buying the story that we were escaped prisoners on the
run, and before we knew it we were being introduced to various other club
officials who wanted to chat to us about the why’s and wherefores of our visit.
It was all very welcoming and friendly, and when you are treated like that when
you first visit a club, it goes a very long way in term of not only the first
impressions, but more importantly, the lasting memories of a place.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That welcome was extended when at half time we were invited
into the boardroom to enjoy a cup of tea, some sandwiches and a lovely slice of
Victoria Sponge, where again we chatted to officials of both clubs and both
sides cases, the challenges of moving from Step 5 to Step 4, not least in terms
of the demands of the playing wage bill.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcVe_Wq7gGhjpebub51yd5rOs6KZds1kgtM-K4EK408NYhsitjQ51bslkM1SXhmJiawrkgLOKjiNtFc3eH5LhP34CoDDRB0gAKibRbpvdFkrnokNSbkosNG9X4RjvceFXQUdybD1q26z_bh3yt-xbfTHDUUJRiYWDtnpPWYuMFT9XqVqYt64LtUCyLep8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcVe_Wq7gGhjpebub51yd5rOs6KZds1kgtM-K4EK408NYhsitjQ51bslkM1SXhmJiawrkgLOKjiNtFc3eH5LhP34CoDDRB0gAKibRbpvdFkrnokNSbkosNG9X4RjvceFXQUdybD1q26z_bh3yt-xbfTHDUUJRiYWDtnpPWYuMFT9XqVqYt64LtUCyLep8" width="320" /></a></div><br />I suppose at some point I’d better mention the game. Erith
& Belvedere sat next to bottom after bossing the Southern Counties East
League last season, whereas the hosts were sat in the bottom half of the table.
On paper it didn’t have the hallmarks of a classic, with the greatest of
respect, and to be fair, the story on paper was mirrored by the action on the
pitch.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was not a great spectacle in terms of action. Both sides
gave it their all, and we saw plenty of endeavour, but not much in the way of
craft and guile. In front of 122 paying spectators, the first half was
goalless, and as we moved into added time it did look like it was going to
finish that way until Jamie Buchanan grabbed the all important goal that gave
the hosting Bears the three points.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhI6pAcr5IxxvRZifidJnU-0YrRieUKveRedtrYZTr9S7iBa2_W8RinYMET4XZ9BoPSlLAonaNTxdVzvcSISaq1Bacozm2GkGblLH_ER8GiBi_uOhe-CYOf3FCu-4sjbd1mzF490_BoRED4p4fDd4h-PXrQ01UavNkkk15X4cWsBizlPFtpVOxONOl14K8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhI6pAcr5IxxvRZifidJnU-0YrRieUKveRedtrYZTr9S7iBa2_W8RinYMET4XZ9BoPSlLAonaNTxdVzvcSISaq1Bacozm2GkGblLH_ER8GiBi_uOhe-CYOf3FCu-4sjbd1mzF490_BoRED4p4fDd4h-PXrQ01UavNkkk15X4cWsBizlPFtpVOxONOl14K8" width="320" /></a></div><br />You had to be pleased for Broadbridge Heath, not least
because of the hospitality and friendly welcome they afforded to us. The
journey they are on is at an interesting stage. Clubs that gain promotion from
the Southern Combination (Sussex County) League do not typically flourish and
move on, some find their level and plateau, others give it a go but then drop
back down a level again. Hopefully, for the Bears, plateauing is the least they
will do, and maybe, that is where they will find their happy place.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Steve and I certainly found our happy place at Broadbridge
Heath, give them a visit, I’m sure you will too, tell them we sent you!<o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-5728449761767859772024-02-04T03:58:00.000-08:002024-02-04T03:58:17.388-08:00The Wedding Cake<p>AFC Totton 1 Gosport Borough 1</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Southern League – Premier Division South<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme - £14 / £3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It seems like yesterday, but by my reckoning, it was close
on twenty five years ago…….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My Mum and Dad dropped me at Derby Railway Station, and I was
about to embark on an adventure, an adventure that hopefully would see the
start of a new career in financial services.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’d decided to make the move from the wholly unpleasant
World of the automotive component supply chain, and into the exciting sphere
that was becoming a financial adviser. As part of that I had to go on a
training course, in Bournemouth. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A week in Bournemouth, in a hotel, paid for by Abbey Life,
and of course, they had bought the train tickets. I was still living at home
with the folks, so after a hearty Sunday lunch, it was time to go, nervous, but
excited……<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwr01AsBUX7KTA5JFUPVM6vzOX4dyDAwHoueL5LKLUneU4qU56aw741pNhUjmbRY_M9-6kiQ4JU5MtACUnmhj8FuIoWh2bZ8IGVXuy8MrZmW7GNo265V6icvNlj7UTO_O-k1p-HuzL-EN7jGfCgBcfRVwTFNwRgwyEAmg631DEUVEb5B294cy2wumbORA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwr01AsBUX7KTA5JFUPVM6vzOX4dyDAwHoueL5LKLUneU4qU56aw741pNhUjmbRY_M9-6kiQ4JU5MtACUnmhj8FuIoWh2bZ8IGVXuy8MrZmW7GNo265V6icvNlj7UTO_O-k1p-HuzL-EN7jGfCgBcfRVwTFNwRgwyEAmg631DEUVEb5B294cy2wumbORA" width="320" /></a></div><br />It proved to be a good move, and despite a couple of early
setbacks (like being made redundant by Abbey Life), I remain in the game,
having served nearly 24 years with my current employers. But, you might ask,
what has this got to do with AFC Totton?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Right, so the train to Bournemouth followed a route that
went via Oxford, Reading, Winchester and Southampton. I had a lovely time,
looking out of the window at places I’d never seen before, but then as the
train pulled out of Southampton, on the final leg of my journey, to my right
was a football ground, and the signage on the stand roof made it clear who it
belonged to, AFC Totton.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr0nv_p0n1Ocv1F86UEQiOZapnuesV2txbgkBjxkisbfrpePSfM9fNgBc9cfsId8fqLTLHV0limCt06UENToYF5r4ewg53VHFHVAgfQGvsY4ABXhFTcA7fsHjRE2k2IPaI3_5k5NUSY2YvuXPb9BJJmvo4E4pv_GiBDwPkuPilMZdBlyYFWtHHoR9Cbpc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr0nv_p0n1Ocv1F86UEQiOZapnuesV2txbgkBjxkisbfrpePSfM9fNgBc9cfsId8fqLTLHV0limCt06UENToYF5r4ewg53VHFHVAgfQGvsY4ABXhFTcA7fsHjRE2k2IPaI3_5k5NUSY2YvuXPb9BJJmvo4E4pv_GiBDwPkuPilMZdBlyYFWtHHoR9Cbpc" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ve never forgotten it, and when it was announced that in
2011 the club were to move to a new stadium, it all came flooding back, I may
have seen the former home of AFC Totton from afar, but in reality, I was never
going to pay it a visit.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My dealings with Southampton have been minimal over the
years. I never got to the old Dell home of Southampton, I once got part way on
a supporters coach to watch Derby County but it got called off. I made it to St
Mary’s in recent years as part of the 92 escapade, while I also got to
Eastleigh when post 92, I decided to polish off the next couple of levels, but
otherwise, nothing, it was largely unchartered territory.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The road to conquest all of the English pyramid down to the
eighth tier is at a stage now where the end is in sight, the number is now
below thirty, and pretty much every single one is a three hour or more trip to
get to.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6Xm4NoikG_K5ICcTqFphNMK4_d7t-VsISC8Dde9csZEQkoSVFcWhuAUIU93urqJfwtVbvNXfV0O-XLyKj_TBpiklSfVK_H0wr6DQRuoQCZoIBqVwkdMi2D1zkkeUNOEMLjAuqFZMRY5EauI6bu2yJ2SpDuMnOFtepwJ6Sgro3fq7cOOKUG5t6N83cSOA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6Xm4NoikG_K5ICcTqFphNMK4_d7t-VsISC8Dde9csZEQkoSVFcWhuAUIU93urqJfwtVbvNXfV0O-XLyKj_TBpiklSfVK_H0wr6DQRuoQCZoIBqVwkdMi2D1zkkeUNOEMLjAuqFZMRY5EauI6bu2yJ2SpDuMnOFtepwJ6Sgro3fq7cOOKUG5t6N83cSOA" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’d been glancing through the fixtures, looking at the map,
and trying to work out a destination for the final Saturday in January, weather
permitting of course. The weather forecast was indeed a good one, and to be
honest, I’ve been getting a little bit fed up of the M1 / M25 runs of late, so
I fancied something a bit different.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The AFC Totton v Gosport Borough game jumped out at me for a
few reasons. Firstly, it would be change in terms of the journey (and hopefully
not as painful), secondly it would be two teams fighting in the play-off zone
of the Southern League Premier Division South, but thirdly, most intriguingly,
it was a Southampton v Portsmouth clash, or Scummers v Skates is it’s known
locally, and would it be as tribal as the main event? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That was it then, the M40, Oxford, Newbury, Winchester and
the M27 beckoned, this was very much one to look forward to. The journey was
very comfortable it has to be said, every single road behaved itself, and I
must admit while I do find the M40 a bit tedious, the A34 is more of an
enjoyable drive in terms of scenery and landmarks. Winchester was bypassed nice
and easily and within a matter of minutes the M3 was cutting through Eastleigh
and the end was in sight just a bit further Westbound down the M27.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwnmd0R_Ic-hdMWAeZuUcN9CKzn51mIMNskusAESmOMyWSvZa_qV3cbJxYb4dv1w7FFQ9cnHt_ri4HtyzcA_6k-I-aKs1Cp9YKsXeF4eh9P_UphdcOk4wLPhok6aG-JYUR_BDRiSCYeW5hO2LQSNul0f6rB8LxtrJL4-ZwhqXA-ULufwDOfooAvdC36VI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwnmd0R_Ic-hdMWAeZuUcN9CKzn51mIMNskusAESmOMyWSvZa_qV3cbJxYb4dv1w7FFQ9cnHt_ri4HtyzcA_6k-I-aKs1Cp9YKsXeF4eh9P_UphdcOk4wLPhok6aG-JYUR_BDRiSCYeW5hO2LQSNul0f6rB8LxtrJL4-ZwhqXA-ULufwDOfooAvdC36VI" width="320" /></a></div><br />Totton is on the Western edges of Southampton, with the next
stop effectively being the New Forest. While the old ground was right in the
centre of the town (it is a town in it’s own right), the new stadium is on the
Northern edges, adjacent to an industrial estate and less than a couple of
miles from the motorway junction.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Upon arrival I was directed to the said industrial estate
for parking, which to be fair was only a five minute walk at most from the
ground, and as it was nice and early, it gave me plenty of time for a little
explore of the place. Walking round the perimeter of the Snows Stadium
(Testwood Park), the turnstiles behind the West goal were not yet open, but not
to worry, a walk into the clubs main entrance adjacent saw me able to gain
admission and then make my way into the clubhouse, from where you could get into
the ground itself.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyLBqUeI8pdM3xRKSqqPw_8PfM0a0sqW5MoD5mAnCFo8cssfFNPpkQzIOdjyrZK60mUoBcwHokXCCGyZmM6UN8dl8aDV5iO9H1B_17XYhRPIPxBDYKWVhIWmqgv2oOaUN7q3028ZcY3KrK2rSV6tyttrE3diz3XrfRey_RcSbcfeDRWRHExVrSuKatRw8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyLBqUeI8pdM3xRKSqqPw_8PfM0a0sqW5MoD5mAnCFo8cssfFNPpkQzIOdjyrZK60mUoBcwHokXCCGyZmM6UN8dl8aDV5iO9H1B_17XYhRPIPxBDYKWVhIWmqgv2oOaUN7q3028ZcY3KrK2rSV6tyttrE3diz3XrfRey_RcSbcfeDRWRHExVrSuKatRw8" width="320" /></a></div><br />The ground is impressive, the club house, offices and
dressing rooms sit on the North side of the ground with a tall but relatively
narrow seated stand straddling the half way line. Either side of the stand
towards each corner flag are areas of open terracing, while again, behind both
goals are areas of uncovered terracing running the full width of the pitch.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The side opposite the main stand (South) again has two areas
of uncovered terracing, but in between them is a low roofed seated stand with
the TV gantry area erected above it. Despite having seen the previous midweek
game called off due to a waterlogged pitch, the pitch, after a few days of
benign weather, looked absolutely fine. The ground is shared with Southampton
FC Ladies and Southampton FC B team, so it does get some wear and tear.
Interestingly as well, right behind the ground is another ground on what is
effectively the same complex, the home of Totton & Eling who are members of
the Wessex League. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What’s the craic with AFC Totton then?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well the AFC actually stands for ‘Amalgamated Football
Club’, because they were formed as a merger between Totton and Totton Athletic,
the two having got together in 1975. The new club took the place of Totton who
were plying their trade in the Hampshire League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They remained in the Hampshire League, playing at Testwood
Park (the one I saw from the train), finishing either top or runners up in
every season from 1980 onwards until they joined the newly formed Wessex
League. The Hampshire League success did not translate immediately to the new
surroundings, and it wasn’t until the noughties that they became a dominant
force again, finally winning the title in 2007-08 and gaining promotion to the
Southern League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-r1-kfax4bIo7JJDBOMRZSRJAmHE1gcmB5pyCp1eReJHeN9trU2jytnhqSAMfls0Ijp11vBh975PY6jHzY-R0mWJIjg4zw6JZvVvLhr7pYG1TGYdlNo3vck6C88fGgcxnXT9wAIoyVlPk_xMLosanwmtwEDtdmEKaONOeGPcv8T2u7i3XOlkGwed1oqQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-r1-kfax4bIo7JJDBOMRZSRJAmHE1gcmB5pyCp1eReJHeN9trU2jytnhqSAMfls0Ijp11vBh975PY6jHzY-R0mWJIjg4zw6JZvVvLhr7pYG1TGYdlNo3vck6C88fGgcxnXT9wAIoyVlPk_xMLosanwmtwEDtdmEKaONOeGPcv8T2u7i3XOlkGwed1oqQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />The previous season saw them reach the FA Vase Final, only
to lose to Truro City as the competition finally returned to Wembley in front
of a record crowd for the competition, but the move to Step 4 came with growing
momentum. Two consecutive play-off losses in the South West Division saw
defeats to Didcot Town and Cirencester Town, but finally in 2010-11 they won
the championship and with it promotion to the Premier Division. Incidentally,
the promotion season tied in nicely with the move to the new stadium.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A play off defeat to Oxford City the following year saw them
miss out on back to back promotions to the National League South, and with that
came a gradual slide and two seasons later they were back in Step 4 again. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The club then plateaued somewhat for a few seasons with
mid-table finishes, before last time out clinching the South Division title,
and with it a return to Step 3 for the current campaign.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimZtS11RuG_eGyKfwlGh1_f3r7BZsWk1cjDkOnymUWhS0dW_5EuwMFmspP-fR1aDthSZHMskt2qdo2nejXXfSz2lGJ8-TvzOs06pNIRSYQBYiaHhcjJA90etia75Gu3Iqz_TxeBdXWzOftYV9Q-t_zEmW5OT4kxRccXMAxeRyNid827x1JUrms4Kqy-cw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimZtS11RuG_eGyKfwlGh1_f3r7BZsWk1cjDkOnymUWhS0dW_5EuwMFmspP-fR1aDthSZHMskt2qdo2nejXXfSz2lGJ8-TvzOs06pNIRSYQBYiaHhcjJA90etia75Gu3Iqz_TxeBdXWzOftYV9Q-t_zEmW5OT4kxRccXMAxeRyNid827x1JUrms4Kqy-cw" width="320" /></a></div><br />A crowd of 1,353 filed into the stadium for the game, with a
good number having travelled across the divide. The atmosphere was a good one,
boisterous but certainly not threatening, and it was good to see the big City
rivalry not to spill over into anything other than banter and chanting.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Gosport took a first half lead through Daniel Wooden when he
powered home a header just after the half hour mark, and at that stage the
visitors looked to have settled well into the game. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, the hosts started to gain momentum, and equalised
just prior to the hour mark when Samuel Magri fired in a shot from distance
that the Gosport goalkeeper should have done far better with. After that it was
Totton who were in the ascendancy, and on the balance of play they should
really have gone on to win the game, but it wasn’t to be and you felt the
visitors were the happier with the point.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The escape was easy, the roads back were fine, and Totton is
no longer a memory from the days of travelling to the ‘Wedding Cake’ in
Bournemouth (Google it!). <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIU0JBOnEw9ANQ6gYQ6u6GK7AUQcOqVAxByTgCuIqP9XHUMFUtxHYHIcShmgaLLcRO5hXWzYTjQDVikbYW0YVKi-o0iMCqaNLTmk0R4NwJ9akHK7RaWviW4qXk5PyqEFZjAZbghX3h502CGT6pRrghX_t3kbRuR1j1uEOhliNDTKFVIwREDmK1LRvziGA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIU0JBOnEw9ANQ6gYQ6u6GK7AUQcOqVAxByTgCuIqP9XHUMFUtxHYHIcShmgaLLcRO5hXWzYTjQDVikbYW0YVKi-o0iMCqaNLTmk0R4NwJ9akHK7RaWviW4qXk5PyqEFZjAZbghX3h502CGT6pRrghX_t3kbRuR1j1uEOhliNDTKFVIwREDmK1LRvziGA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-23427776353135895932024-01-28T12:12:00.000-08:002024-01-28T12:53:23.771-08:00R-Roulette<p>Raynes Park Vale 1 Marlow
4</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian League – Division One South Central<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme - £10 / £3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The frozen tundra’s of the UK were starting to thaw, but it
was to be a race against time, would the increase in temperatures happen quickly
enough to impact the football pitches? It wasn’t looking great to be fair come
Friday afternoon, games in the professional ranks were already being called
off, and with pitch inspections being called early on the Saturday, you did
think the weather Gods were going to be the winners again.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thorpey (Mark from Alfreton) phoned me Friday teatime to
ascertain my plans, only the Alfreton Town v South Shields match had gone by
the wayside, and whatever I was planning on doing, he wanted a piece of it. I
told him to leave it with me, this needed careful consideration.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRIych3A_WwBrltUzJNHQdbBzNF5s70VZ2SA1FDV_wR73xByv20eYRyGsYZfd6bTmuvaETxeGOc3V5s7kImSbvxYM7CFlsg_CMiw8rocUEztVrmEU39t3dEyRA2JddgGkdObZUsS6YAJfuXin2oReJP2zoM9rz-7N8LXXZ7PCN3vjGL3FUR6432GaKSrk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRIych3A_WwBrltUzJNHQdbBzNF5s70VZ2SA1FDV_wR73xByv20eYRyGsYZfd6bTmuvaETxeGOc3V5s7kImSbvxYM7CFlsg_CMiw8rocUEztVrmEU39t3dEyRA2JddgGkdObZUsS6YAJfuXin2oReJP2zoM9rz-7N8LXXZ7PCN3vjGL3FUR6432GaKSrk" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>I had two games on the agenda initially, Redbridge v
Brentwood Town and Raynes Park Vale v Marlow in the Isthmian League, both on
grass, both inside the M25 but in opposite directions once you left the M1.
Both were a risk of course, so if I was going to go for it, I needed a safe
back up. Rayners Lane v Chalfont St Peter, on plastic, and a home
club looking good for promotion to Step 4. They played in Harrow, so whereas
the first two matches would have involved either a left or right at the M25
junction of the M1, Rayners Lane in taxi speak was ‘straight on’.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So that was the plan, I left my call to Thorpey until
Saturday morning and ran through my suggestion, we head down the M1, knowing we
had the plastic, but if we got an affirmative from the grass ranks, we would go
for it. Thorpey was up for it, and his ATFC supporting mate Callum was joining
us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcl5vI-oQf8hTHnFTtMkW6BcHSpF4aGQvFRhhMuBtx-0bZSoz40h7y5ncGgDoBR9XSsPq6R-ldR9Nxcq1MnjFtiMHsmPII5ysOW_nHjKlam3srwIgItyNhPu5IgI0__uH8gK4DvrtiC3nqIlfGF9Ml3dJtPxEVbGiOA9lS0gn8TbhypBmMNaRaUnhHJHo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcl5vI-oQf8hTHnFTtMkW6BcHSpF4aGQvFRhhMuBtx-0bZSoz40h7y5ncGgDoBR9XSsPq6R-ldR9Nxcq1MnjFtiMHsmPII5ysOW_nHjKlam3srwIgItyNhPu5IgI0__uH8gK4DvrtiC3nqIlfGF9Ml3dJtPxEVbGiOA9lS0gn8TbhypBmMNaRaUnhHJHo" width="320" /></a></div><br />Callum was on pitch inspection alert, we got an affirmative
from RPV as we passed Northampton, and as we closed in on the M25 having passed
Luton, nothing was forthcoming from Redbridge, but then the call came, it was
game on, so we had two on grass. A quick decision had to be made, RPV v Marlow
was two sides in the play-off mix, and according to the sat nav the difference
in journey time was only fifteen minutes, so the decision was made, plus, RPV
did come across as very confident. We went Westbound.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The sat nav lied, the exit at the A3 and the roadworks that
currently welcome you took a bit longer to get through than first suggested,
but not to worry, we were soon parking up in close proximity to the Cavern pub
in Raynes Park, you see Thorpey was equipped with the Good Beer Guide! The
local roads were on best behaviour, and within a few minutes of leaving the pub
we’d sorted the one way system, gone past Raynes Park Station, and were heading
down Grand Drive to the ground. At ten past two we were parked up at the side
of some outer pitches being used by the junior sides.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7cRfnPaL5kO3OpLeHwdrFl8XqGsXwOm0r9euYh6xUmJ3j3GeK7GrS3EGTGur6e2fZF_QPW3PkNkxuPgfx41MsgiWrGjzGM8AxTI5xe5ctn5BcCjvUjbNWaonp4aLHqqxeJ78_agRuVH_ctCLT-vfX05Oaz6OMWVHMJvy_nv5OPCmyYBkZ0MkE3x_EKrw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7cRfnPaL5kO3OpLeHwdrFl8XqGsXwOm0r9euYh6xUmJ3j3GeK7GrS3EGTGur6e2fZF_QPW3PkNkxuPgfx41MsgiWrGjzGM8AxTI5xe5ctn5BcCjvUjbNWaonp4aLHqqxeJ78_agRuVH_ctCLT-vfX05Oaz6OMWVHMJvy_nv5OPCmyYBkZ0MkE3x_EKrw" width="320" /></a></div><br />Raynes Park Vale Football Club are at Step 4 this season
after winning the Combined Counties League Premier Division South last season,
at a canter to be fair, winning 32 of their 38 games. The club have been
punching at the higher end of the table for a few years now having been
stalwarts of the competition since they arrived in the CoCo back in 1995.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I say 1995, RPV is the result of a merger between
Raynes Park (a Surrey Combination side) and Malden Vale who at the time were
members of the Isthmian League, plying their craft in the lower reaches of the
competition. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The ground on Grand Drive was originally the home of Malden
Vale, and located close to the edges of Wimbledon, it’s set in a large expanse.
The pitch itself slopes slightly from South to North, which when stood on the
South side gives you excellent views looking North towards Wimbledon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In terms of facilities, the ground is currently a work in
progress. The clubhouse and dressing rooms are located outside of the ground
behind the East end goals, where the turnstiles are, and once through the gates
having received the friendly welcome, to your left are two small covered areas
behind the goal, both looking like they’ve been in situ for a good number of
years. The only other cover on the ground is the seated stand on the South
side, which does look like it’s had a recent refurb in terms of the seating and
the cladding.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The club talked in the programme about the improvements they
are doing to the ground to both maintain Step 4 status, and indeed get it up to
Step 3 status which from a performance point of view is the place they want to
get to.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One part of the ground that doesn’t need any improvement
work is the pitch, considering the weather, it was in superb nick, and while
players were slipping at times, no way was it ever going to be called off.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgONIIEzLl8N-JjQ2gYTv1u5Yih7gfjNH0wSunMkRGQe5rAB2alJYzG4aTyFctGfkONGP9WQnLF99MVnCQDPUZdlnOhZAUXxE6PGXNKIuiORUHIYOhpVGOgO8Q0AWkMBONqYtV8nqp7wP4EllifSdT8vYHM2qDVr1mjJWo6DjBLn8g1xeCMPlVmqWZkr6s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgONIIEzLl8N-JjQ2gYTv1u5Yih7gfjNH0wSunMkRGQe5rAB2alJYzG4aTyFctGfkONGP9WQnLF99MVnCQDPUZdlnOhZAUXxE6PGXNKIuiORUHIYOhpVGOgO8Q0AWkMBONqYtV8nqp7wP4EllifSdT8vYHM2qDVr1mjJWo6DjBLn8g1xeCMPlVmqWZkr6s" width="320" /></a></div><br />So they won the CoCo last year, beating last weeks blog
victims Badshot Lea to the title, and this time around they are nestled in the
play-off places, having lead the table at one point a month or so ago. Having
spoken to my mate Dave from Leatherhead, who has local knowledge, it seems part
of the driving force behind the club is the Gallagher family. When I say
family, Conor Gallagher who plays for Chelsea and England, well he has four
brothers, three of whom are involved at RPV. Josh is the Manager, Jake plays in
Midfield while Jordan plays upfront and gets all the goals (he was suspended
for today’s game). In case you were interested, the other brother, Dan, plays
for Dorking Wanderers.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSmQu7xIZu0BHRY0BV1RdI8QNJBT1zIyR9s3czgL1hqZSF463QPUrn_kzYB7h1_VkR_hPJUkioQxiruoQUgeRrlBO-8yASW10TxJB2BUiCeBDGNDVSPrmjdOx0Uopvc72FY8A9rT3D54_8Gf0KMnbTYv3J38II4GSMlnJPzshnfQnHRe-5v84l3_nAtDQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSmQu7xIZu0BHRY0BV1RdI8QNJBT1zIyR9s3czgL1hqZSF463QPUrn_kzYB7h1_VkR_hPJUkioQxiruoQUgeRrlBO-8yASW10TxJB2BUiCeBDGNDVSPrmjdOx0Uopvc72FY8A9rT3D54_8Gf0KMnbTYv3J38II4GSMlnJPzshnfQnHRe-5v84l3_nAtDQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />RPV v Marlow, on paper it looked tasty, and over 300 turned
up to watch it. But to be fair it was effectively game over with just over
twenty minutes played when a clinical visiting side created three chances and
put all of them away with some aplomb.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Naheer-Omar Nawaf opened the scoring in the tenth minute
before the evergreen Dave Tarpey netted twice in a seven minute spell. Tarpey
was recently at Leatherhead, but previously had prolific spells at Maidenhead
United and Barnet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nathan Lewis pulled a goal back ten minutes before the
break, and despite RPV having plenty of territory and possession in the second
period, Marlow were happy to soak it up without ever really feeling under any
great pressure in front of goal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Any modicum of doubt was washed away as we moved into injury
time when Joshua Broom ran free from the half way line to score a fourth and
final goal for the away side.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhHsVjTcmUaxyCsnzZeSQ8zWRmUPUfxXuP3RQh8ccx6A9OF0aki_uIZrtWjywI4hFWL9iFZHV6Eq7gPWP525cPT5poKezasO38USrB4CqOz8BAfUTDxrp-yEWQbxAxxMOfJrIFqfC3uq-nW0E9VvJpwehRbn7TrIZ2lhgDypbOUUaVYPkqv0Yr5IWuDVw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhHsVjTcmUaxyCsnzZeSQ8zWRmUPUfxXuP3RQh8ccx6A9OF0aki_uIZrtWjywI4hFWL9iFZHV6Eq7gPWP525cPT5poKezasO38USrB4CqOz8BAfUTDxrp-yEWQbxAxxMOfJrIFqfC3uq-nW0E9VvJpwehRbn7TrIZ2lhgDypbOUUaVYPkqv0Yr5IWuDVw" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">To be fair though, it had been an entertaining game, between
two very decent sides who you expect will be in the mix come the end of the
season. The journey back was a veritable doddle, back through the door just
after 8pm, it had been a calculated gamble well worth taking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-13730637351885303372024-01-22T13:26:00.000-08:002024-01-22T13:26:21.756-08:00Not A Bad Shot<p>Badshot Lea 4 Guernsey
2</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian League – Division One South Central<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme - £10 / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The weather Gods for once were smiling down on us, it was
one of those days where barring an unexpected incident of Phoenix Sports
proportions, you could quite literally take your pick of games and be confident of seeing ninety minutes action.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’d got a plan, a plan that would mean a slightly earlier
start to the day, but an arrival back home at a more reasonable hour. You see,
I’d spotted over the past couple of seasons that when Guernsey played an away
game, they tended to kick off early to link in with the flights to and from
Gatwick.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA-Yg9FUtD469TOIFio8eUS8VFJBcYgNS58L2x3oE3wvnpYO_tGET1a5BJe1gxtyDJysOPaeYe8iE7ldKjrsKSiM_q8YHsoyegtrXxIfKV_cMfkhyPGlKlul-e_cgoTBIY9yc5VJmZ9ooiuP4eXDCD3jL4P6DVnE4pD-tCWi_qa1Hxh-nj5qK8fXTgQ7s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA-Yg9FUtD469TOIFio8eUS8VFJBcYgNS58L2x3oE3wvnpYO_tGET1a5BJe1gxtyDJysOPaeYe8iE7ldKjrsKSiM_q8YHsoyegtrXxIfKV_cMfkhyPGlKlul-e_cgoTBIY9yc5VJmZ9ooiuP4eXDCD3jL4P6DVnE4pD-tCWi_qa1Hxh-nj5qK8fXTgQ7s" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">The game at Badshot Lea was bought forward an hour to 2pm,
that suited me fine, and given I’d set off before Christmas to go to a game at
Badshot, only to end up at Horsham due to waterlogging, it felt like the time
had come!</span></div></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t know whether this was down to pure luck, or the fact
setting off an hour earlier than normal makes a difference, but every single
motorway behaved impeccably. Luton was actually quite pleasant, the M25 not
once came to a standstill, and the lesser travelled M3 was also in fine form.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0DrUAOMdX9gY5vcV9Nns7NKEHae7H_qU8w9w99SvYehkNqynJLNk5MVS99g7IP1AdtV6pi9VXKm78QkSb36iuE8Xa3XFuzwKaCol1-epb23S20LKZEwY1Y2bOgYd1_FXL1lGA1P6iB2JxeoRJ9ORxW54Qu1biruI6Bu67XbWbgc8FPOfYfq53xAqIvx0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0DrUAOMdX9gY5vcV9Nns7NKEHae7H_qU8w9w99SvYehkNqynJLNk5MVS99g7IP1AdtV6pi9VXKm78QkSb36iuE8Xa3XFuzwKaCol1-epb23S20LKZEwY1Y2bOgYd1_FXL1lGA1P6iB2JxeoRJ9ORxW54Qu1biruI6Bu67XbWbgc8FPOfYfq53xAqIvx0" width="320" /></a></div><br />Badshot Lea then, where is it?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, the village of Badshot Lea involves a run down the
Eastern edges of Farnborough and Aldershot, and can then be found just off the
A31 before you get to Farnham. Which is fine, except the football club don’t
actually play in Badshot Lea! You have to carry on a bit further, past Farnham,
and then head South to the village of Wrecclesham. The club only moved to their
home in Wrecclesham at the start of the 2019-20 season, having not been able to
develop their home at Badshot Lea Recreation Ground, a venue that they left in
2007. In between times they have been somewhat nomadic, sharing at the likes of
Farnborough, Ash United, Camberley Town and Godalming Town.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As I said, the journey was a breeze, and after calling at a
local Morrisons for a chicken sandwich and a duo of hard boiled eggs, I was
soon in the car park, surveying the scene. Two hours forty five minutes was the
journey time, and being honest, I was a touch early!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaBqWXBczId7LirUO0rG1o4sCShzMQFbg1LpKu520BsnabjwtzI2molwrV-rJlFpf6uuIyp4Bmr8m0x86HdkAYuWpMdeWBESlQ02hoDomJLJJwuiXZjlbx3YPLAdd5l1lUJcEaQMhGrhqDuMs2ATS3hAfxoLIjoXHiV2zS0pDZwSQt_nVg7HXMLdNYYsc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaBqWXBczId7LirUO0rG1o4sCShzMQFbg1LpKu520BsnabjwtzI2molwrV-rJlFpf6uuIyp4Bmr8m0x86HdkAYuWpMdeWBESlQ02hoDomJLJJwuiXZjlbx3YPLAdd5l1lUJcEaQMhGrhqDuMs2ATS3hAfxoLIjoXHiV2zS0pDZwSQt_nVg7HXMLdNYYsc" width="320" /></a></div><br />As much as the Westfield Lane home of Badshot Lea is a new
ground as far as the football club is concerned, if you weren’t in the know
then you would have no idea that the venue is as new to the round ball game
that it actually is. The clue is in the round ball, you see Westfield Lane was once the home of Farnham Rugby Club, and I suspect much of what is in-situ,
certainly from a buildings perspective, dates back to the oval ball game.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The car park sits at the end of a track, just off the main
road that runs down through the village towards the A3 which it joins at
Petersfield. The turnstiles are behind the goal, as are the dressing rooms,
clubhouse and tea bar, while a few yards in front of the said buildings is a
small area of covered terracing that sits in the North East corner, while some
scaffold and metal sheeting provides additional cover behind the goal, albeit
with no back or sides.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimUFe2F1S8As3H9EJsLzEYl6PdBrLb6ZprkCmM6sSWjsJtPIKTqjBVkHr_TXL1Fx1U5TGxAwZ-EnVjsUe6GIhh7gtzKYzzo9eFGxilv7BIRXwB8vJOm7uQ30deYVGnQmxbAvhdONEUh1aOecb1OSevXIbZc-91Vnm2Ml-5NZkcApNn3YiSdMSsFS0PBQ4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimUFe2F1S8As3H9EJsLzEYl6PdBrLb6ZprkCmM6sSWjsJtPIKTqjBVkHr_TXL1Fx1U5TGxAwZ-EnVjsUe6GIhh7gtzKYzzo9eFGxilv7BIRXwB8vJOm7uQ30deYVGnQmxbAvhdONEUh1aOecb1OSevXIbZc-91Vnm2Ml-5NZkcApNn3YiSdMSsFS0PBQ4" width="320" /></a></div><br />The only other area of cover on the ground sits astride the
half way line on the South side of the ground where a small seated stand is
placed. Otherwise it’s open hard standing round the remainder of the ground. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The visitors from the Channel Islands arrived via a plane
into Gatwick, from where a bus ferried them to the ground, and in fairness to
them, they had a good number of supporters at the game, although I sensed one
or two were mainland based.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1WiOxNDacIseyULYy-lSJJokYOFG89VhTX-HDodZIIURermvcHldQgJaypQrdg-sna8BgcuC6LuB4x_0sEDYfsZXpUN_HyTCwJ30bBknC9-xEVXMbNI4cWEMKU_sRs8WHTuDdS-5np__Ur-yDAxNT8wr2MZ3O4gKzjIgPwOvW7kosNjLopXd8RyJDRG4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1WiOxNDacIseyULYy-lSJJokYOFG89VhTX-HDodZIIURermvcHldQgJaypQrdg-sna8BgcuC6LuB4x_0sEDYfsZXpUN_HyTCwJ30bBknC9-xEVXMbNI4cWEMKU_sRs8WHTuDdS-5np__Ur-yDAxNT8wr2MZ3O4gKzjIgPwOvW7kosNjLopXd8RyJDRG4" width="320" /></a></div><br />Badshot Lea joined the Hellenic League in 2003-04 season,
starting in Division One East, where they remained until 2007 when they won
promotion to the Premier Division. After a single season in the top flight of
the Hellenic they were laterally transferred to the Combined Counties League,
and other than a single season when they were relegated and bounced straight
back, they have been residents of the top flight, culminating in a second
placed finish last season which earned them promotion to the Isthmian League.
They’ve never won the FA Cup, Trophy, or indeed Vase, so we can swiftly move on
from analysing that, and start to focus more on what happened in the game
against the Green Lions.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll be honest, as much as Badshot Lea deserved the three
point from the 4-2 victory, I did feel a little bit sorry for Guernsey.
Jonathan Sanchez opened the scoring for the hosts after ten minutes with an
effort that eluded everyone in green to find the bottom corner, before Matt
Loaring equalised when he closed down a complacent Harry Cawdron in the Badshot
goal and the cleared ball deflected off of him and into the back of the net.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiobITa1eDAlwbGZ24LEcfcPHYRon8DctLxlScocWbcAMyGMdKVm5PUtCHizkK1ZmiRqQwb6hyfx2g_XpcOer33PtQv_4vDhN2dJuKl462KnO6wrE8bZKTLW0IkRK9qI9KxPB0PW0oRcoMd0nLndVsZ1KFW7zxZcsKxGh5sqvh823hpEipaTKRDuqXS9Dg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiobITa1eDAlwbGZ24LEcfcPHYRon8DctLxlScocWbcAMyGMdKVm5PUtCHizkK1ZmiRqQwb6hyfx2g_XpcOer33PtQv_4vDhN2dJuKl462KnO6wrE8bZKTLW0IkRK9qI9KxPB0PW0oRcoMd0nLndVsZ1KFW7zxZcsKxGh5sqvh823hpEipaTKRDuqXS9Dg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Anuar Ceesay rattled home a second for the hosts but then
the first moment of controversy came when the visitors had a an equaliser
chalked off thanks to a linesman’s flag and a referee’s whistle which was blown
as the ball left his foot on the way to the back of the net.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the decision that was given was
offside, but the man who found the back of the net certainly wasn’t! Trouble
is, when the whistle blows, the games dead, whether the call is right or wrong.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The second moment of controversy came on the hour mark when
Guernsey’s Thomas Dodds was sent off for a challenge. My initial thoughts were
that it was very harsh, and judging by the sympathetic comments from the
Badshot Lea faithful, I think they felt the same way. As Dodds walked to the
dressing rooms he looked perplexed that he’d seen red, and having seen the
video evidence since, I can understand why.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhztQ5hJlzdpQhdlq8bDnzCKR8b3gcVkH1WgvYvVLu5N0KYdZvwiy6Pyid2Hu6XLmCAvrpBDdc5it-HZeE2vKWLcdmvQZqUP_r3L50L8uKuLxcm2Z6Kwa-8ylGvYpHz8jq2Q5ppY82RYHNLLg7xVSKfmuddC-pq-tRwfK-s_ll9qmQwZv52VHHID2t6tlQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhztQ5hJlzdpQhdlq8bDnzCKR8b3gcVkH1WgvYvVLu5N0KYdZvwiy6Pyid2Hu6XLmCAvrpBDdc5it-HZeE2vKWLcdmvQZqUP_r3L50L8uKuLxcm2Z6Kwa-8ylGvYpHz8jq2Q5ppY82RYHNLLg7xVSKfmuddC-pq-tRwfK-s_ll9qmQwZv52VHHID2t6tlQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />That was kind of it then, Kareem Akinibbi made it 3-1,
Charlton Gauvain pulled it back to 3-2, but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Akinibbi got his second and Badshot’s fourth to seal the victory and the
three points. Guernsey boss Tony Vance cut a frustrated figure at the end of
the game, and I completely get why, but, Badshot march on and are proving more
than a handful in their first season at Step 4.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Within a few minutes of leaving the ground, I could see the
floodlights glaring at nearby Farnham Town, who were losing to Bridgwater
United in the FA Vase. They are a club with a 100% record in the Combined
Counties League currently, so it’s only a matter of time before I’m back in the
vicinity.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Otherwise, the journey back was all very comfortable, and
I’m not sure who got home first, me or the Guernsey….but as for Badshot Lea,
their new home is proving to be a happy one.<o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-85553420701658816332024-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:002024-01-17T12:44:57.175-08:00Tarts<p>Bakewell Town 1 Mayfield
2</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Central Midlands Alliance League – Premier Division South <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – No / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first Saturday in January is a joy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What should be the day when you can relax and reflect on
that painful first week back at work, is far from that in our business. You
see, since we were acquired a couple of years back, we’ve had to fall into line
with what is termed the ‘Flying Start’ campaign, and as part of that the first
Saturday in January is something that is termed ‘All In Saturday’.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Doesn’t take a genius to work out what that means, but in
short, for one day a year, on a Saturday, I have to go to work. But, in our
business, on a Saturday, we have varying closing hours, depending upon the
branch. I mean, if I happen to go to a branch that closes at 1pm on a Saturday,
and I don’t have a key, what do I do?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWfmJQ_E9SpuSEGkeudBmuATUCPLv7ZOPfQzVe0I5Np1qfpLPhrR8E4HWWsMYVkub6QaohrfsipsG5wOs4aNqe11kaVL0AEdjIr8izY8FbCIX1lvM088NIj_OA8x8Ut_hi72G8IYBzUrFffK9v_l9fV5YqCsGpwJQeLM4iONx76Dvbb5sp7-bD6F0M7kg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWfmJQ_E9SpuSEGkeudBmuATUCPLv7ZOPfQzVe0I5Np1qfpLPhrR8E4HWWsMYVkub6QaohrfsipsG5wOs4aNqe11kaVL0AEdjIr8izY8FbCIX1lvM088NIj_OA8x8Ut_hi72G8IYBzUrFffK9v_l9fV5YqCsGpwJQeLM4iONx76Dvbb5sp7-bD6F0M7kg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’d got it carefully planned, I was going to be able to get
away and watch football, not in and around the M25 as per normal, it would have
to be local, but, as it’s January, planning anything is fraught with danger. As
it turned out, the weather on the day wasn’t too bad, and the only games
falling by the wayside seemed to be pitches that had been underwater for
several days, including my first choice at Sowerby Bridge that was
indistinguishable from the River Calder it seemed!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bakewell Town jumped out at me, I have been before, many
years ago to watch a Hope Valley League Cup semi-final, and on that occasion it
was a Plan B situation after myself and Steve had been going to Tideswell
United, and upon Steve arriving at the ground he decided it had been called
off. It hadn’t been called off it transpired, Steve thought the ground was
being used for a cycling event but it turned out to be a mirage, I haven’t
forgotten…….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAvzn9taz0GK4e-6TlpzlyMHCMHmjf99sCVOABbNxWbFOqQ9Kb_DS4j1A3CNoVghMOIxJO0Y7WM3drakoHIW1DsZ53BKAIvTpxvwYt-khmW-a-6AOqmlpsjtvkMmqSHpsfxH8Jjbg0NxBfgWF3ImALLBfDvUdzobEFVUSLfAyLxeeuOL-Gl-H5_419uyQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAvzn9taz0GK4e-6TlpzlyMHCMHmjf99sCVOABbNxWbFOqQ9Kb_DS4j1A3CNoVghMOIxJO0Y7WM3drakoHIW1DsZ53BKAIvTpxvwYt-khmW-a-6AOqmlpsjtvkMmqSHpsfxH8Jjbg0NxBfgWF3ImALLBfDvUdzobEFVUSLfAyLxeeuOL-Gl-H5_419uyQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />Anyway, since that night in Bakewell when a late decision
saw much fun trying to find a parking space, things have moved on for Bakewell
Town Football Club. They were courted by the Central Midlands League and did
join a few years back, and as much as I’ve thought I ought to go back and have
a look, the opportunity hadn’t presented itself. Nowadays, they play in the top
flight, Step 7 if you like, and for a town the size it is, they perhaps really
ought to be at that level.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The journey from North Sheffield took me through some
special little enclaves like Ecclesfield, Chaucer and God’s own home, Southey
Green, the location of the famous Southey Social Club which stood out like a
temple at the top of the hill, opposite Winchester Cars! The journey moved into
the more salubrious parts of the City as we headed South West through
Broomhall, Ranmoor and Fulwood, before we found countryside in the form of
Froggatt Edge, Calver, Hassop and then eventually Bakewell.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqunrBNFIHt5eWqO-flscAx7RKObtFnVYszB8h3Yz3bi8hOaPCGpJoivDL9Zxm8vc6qZX616rzU9Lty7cx70sJFpFivlpm23AGVJkiRLd5lmn9hC2VrUvn_jao9X5e1FGYi6xjPBdhnrGVfVzln9dTPtGewd3DjzOLAKIb_alK_fBPWlEtrm5QKplGaD8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqunrBNFIHt5eWqO-flscAx7RKObtFnVYszB8h3Yz3bi8hOaPCGpJoivDL9Zxm8vc6qZX616rzU9Lty7cx70sJFpFivlpm23AGVJkiRLd5lmn9hC2VrUvn_jao9X5e1FGYi6xjPBdhnrGVfVzln9dTPtGewd3DjzOLAKIb_alK_fBPWlEtrm5QKplGaD8" width="320" /></a></div><br />Fook me! I foolishly thought, a cold Saturday in January, it
won’t be busy, and while I might not get in the layby at the side of the
Rutland Recreation Ground where they play, the town centre car parks will be
empty. Wrong! The place was absolutely minging, and by the time I did
eventually get a car parking space I’d spent close on half an hour either
driving around (slowly) or queueing. Two games were taking place on the Rec
today, where all the players and officials dump their cars is anyone’s guess,
maybe they have a secret underground location that no one knows about?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, I must admit to being a touch irritated by the time
the very friendly parking steward (yes, they have special stewards in Bakewell
to help you park!) showed me to my space. But, one must shake oneself down in
these situations, and not even begin to contemplate why one didn’t just go and
watch Worksop Town instead….the pavilion was a short work over the little
bridge that crosses the swollen River Dove, and once inside it was a chance to
chill over a Carlsberg and watch the Rams game at Fleetwood on the TV for a
little while.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUlG44Eb6r4e-yurtKvBQGBO-kE84qvpXfQUxgJXCt6ulRpxmdWATKcaNOEMZuZKnjAvFcNR-mmvTAK9XR_25flPeE5swyY0gQ08B_AIO0u10KRbkJXdGi8HMCDHNy3xOmRIV8f1tqu14kLTR7PoMqfudSzhCZMWN1hlcmKLM_9eFoZBEl6xPGkgHrnO0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUlG44Eb6r4e-yurtKvBQGBO-kE84qvpXfQUxgJXCt6ulRpxmdWATKcaNOEMZuZKnjAvFcNR-mmvTAK9XR_25flPeE5swyY0gQ08B_AIO0u10KRbkJXdGi8HMCDHNy3xOmRIV8f1tqu14kLTR7PoMqfudSzhCZMWN1hlcmKLM_9eFoZBEl6xPGkgHrnO0" width="320" /></a></div><br />Describing the home of Bakewell Town is quite easy, it’s a
large public expanse set between the main A6 and the river, containing two
football pitches that are separated by a busy pathway. The pavilion is set in
one corner, a good distance from the pitches, which themselves on a match day
are complete with a rope barrier and on the first team pitch which is nearest
to the river are a couple of dugouts.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As I said, two games were taking place today, the first team
game against Mayfield and the Development side against my old mates from Inter
Belper. Precautionary pitch inspections for both games had taken place that
morning, and while the pitches were heavy, they certainly weren’t waterlogged.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXlL8jJIDyjmHDpa0qHEsDc2eHNRe2Dm1-oA_mJzdD-3Bz0ZQoJvy2WI9cFb4AvG2kWcFNBn7KbNNmUk8bTfkvvchKlYqYadUwZSNKP9xRAVyfPktayPRfVufnZ_1WWoAeywTZT6RTqUQ2AYUgfTfdYjWuNrIiynnl02z9-x_XTuOY7JKhCxWSS_I2MxY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXlL8jJIDyjmHDpa0qHEsDc2eHNRe2Dm1-oA_mJzdD-3Bz0ZQoJvy2WI9cFb4AvG2kWcFNBn7KbNNmUk8bTfkvvchKlYqYadUwZSNKP9xRAVyfPktayPRfVufnZ_1WWoAeywTZT6RTqUQ2AYUgfTfdYjWuNrIiynnl02z9-x_XTuOY7JKhCxWSS_I2MxY" width="320" /></a></div><br />Since joining the Central Midlands (Alliance) League in
2018, the club have had a third place, second place and a championship winning
finish in successive seasons (barring the Covid episode), with the glorious
2021-22 season seeing 14 wins from 16 games as they won promotion to the North
Division of the competitions top flight.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Last season saw a creditable 8<sup>th</sup> place finish
from 15 clubs, while this season a switch to the South Division sees them
currently just below the half way mark. The visitors from Ashbourne prior to
the game had been struggling with just one win to their name.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If we are being brutally honest, the level they are at is
probably as good as it’s ever going to get. I can’t for one minute imagine the
club being able to develop the current home to Step 6 standards, and other
viable sites in Bakewell aren’t exactly jumping out. But that’s fine, there is
no law in football that says a club has to be promoted, well, unless you get to
Step 6 in which case you then have no choice!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyhow, what was the game like?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmL7m9S-LFibbx4TVfp_DHzSQ-dS1iGeJvzFU1INL-5SMTj9VU4mTs1GwMryJwW0ZNIWdqNC3TIznMCGdHssw4qVls2lP6SrxSn2sEVe-s_Xv-WL5OVnUXDEDOdnOmYcbTrdFq2EuNQkBvhQYWyRuTfPvqdk-qrKTDIO6wzhunLsU-Mx8IOv0mVqNoc3w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmL7m9S-LFibbx4TVfp_DHzSQ-dS1iGeJvzFU1INL-5SMTj9VU4mTs1GwMryJwW0ZNIWdqNC3TIznMCGdHssw4qVls2lP6SrxSn2sEVe-s_Xv-WL5OVnUXDEDOdnOmYcbTrdFq2EuNQkBvhQYWyRuTfPvqdk-qrKTDIO6wzhunLsU-Mx8IOv0mVqNoc3w" width="320" /></a></div><br />It was a close fought contest on a tricky surface with the
visitors coming out on top thanks to goals from Thomas Hodkinson and Jake
Walklett. The consolation effort for the hosts came from Aarron Maund midway
through the second half. There wasn’t an awful lot between the two sides but
given the respective league positions before the game I suspect Bakewell would
have been disappointed not to have taken anything.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Getting out of Bakewell was a joy, to be fair getting out of
the car park was fun enough, and then to compound matters we had roadworks
between Cromford and Whatstandwell on the A6 which added a further twenty
minutes to my journey home. Next time, I think I might get the bus….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, that’s my working Saturday over for another year,
personally I think it was very productive, I’ve learned all about the joys of a
Saturday afternoon in Bakewell, something I would have been oblivious to
otherwise. Bakewell Town are a cracking football club, getting to them is
another matter!<o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-70306224312009440232024-01-08T13:32:00.000-08:002024-01-08T13:32:36.627-08:00Protocols<p>Phoenix Sports 0 Beckenham Town 0 (abandoned 45 minutes)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian League – Division One South East <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £10 / Online<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s something about New Year’s Day football that I like.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Firstly, there's nothing on the roads which is a real bonus, and
that allows for a longer journey that you might ordinarily undertake, but also,
it’s something to look forward to before that moment when the 6.15 am alarm
goes off to wake you up for the first day back at work!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve done some good one’s over the years, AFC Sudbury,
Highworth Town, Westfield and Thame United to name some of the venues further
afield, the bulk of which have been done over the past six or seven years. This
year, the plan was going to be something similar, I’d very much got a game at
Redbridge FC on the radar.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPGlCR5dKkNsLUSXRRIS7isN9gDEDf9TUVIuhdxeh_9b17rPs8fgoovdR8Dr6PeXfxql15K5-dEGzLb0kb62gnVOdCTx-2NdF2zhBg9sbku-6KAyXUccALgSyTyRz_yzN9AviZ51eOBZzgDfUgLqY8s58qGm44AWRhdhKgIj7fDN2mEj3dSuLlXt3hoZM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPGlCR5dKkNsLUSXRRIS7isN9gDEDf9TUVIuhdxeh_9b17rPs8fgoovdR8Dr6PeXfxql15K5-dEGzLb0kb62gnVOdCTx-2NdF2zhBg9sbku-6KAyXUccALgSyTyRz_yzN9AviZ51eOBZzgDfUgLqY8s58qGm44AWRhdhKgIj7fDN2mEj3dSuLlXt3hoZM" width="320" /></a></div><br />NYE in the Hatt household was a somewhat different affair,
it started in the morning when I walked downstairs to be told by Mrs H that
she’d booked us tickets to go and watch the Ice Hockey. Nottingham Panthers v
Coventry Blaze, and that involved a train, a meal and a few beers before
heading back to Belper for a few more beers in the Grapes and a walk home.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It had been different, and very enjoyable, fair play to Mrs
H for her blue sky thinking, and there was me thinking I’d smash into a crate
of 18 Carling around 4pm and keep going until it was done! Midnight came and
went, Jools Holland, Rick Astley, fireworks, Chinese students on the Thames
Embankment, before bed, welcome to 2024, the year when I’ve vowed to be exactly
the same on every level as I’d been for the past twelve months…..<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The weather didn’t look like it had been too bad, so when I
saw a Tweet from Redbridge saying that the game was off due to warthogs, I must
admit I was a bit surprised, but not to worry, I had a Plan B, and that was in
Dartford, where Phoenix Sports were playing a Kent derby against Beckenham
Town, a club myself and Steve visited last season and had a spiffing time at.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR_HI8AnrQJTMYy_e8zFD-sp83FddHwN8XdidmiB3NLGnHELBGzcf24N_uJG__tJTxRF9RIQWo5LIA_3X2Cu93WMSx7HN9wjFR1DLKU3SINsMx_FzW6hzuv5RbVN-HDqTbJo8-5oRJjTCdlApwLvhI5ogVrBJwz5XBqJyvaw6u9klcCS8EKbFXVrt0o90" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR_HI8AnrQJTMYy_e8zFD-sp83FddHwN8XdidmiB3NLGnHELBGzcf24N_uJG__tJTxRF9RIQWo5LIA_3X2Cu93WMSx7HN9wjFR1DLKU3SINsMx_FzW6hzuv5RbVN-HDqTbJo8-5oRJjTCdlApwLvhI5ogVrBJwz5XBqJyvaw6u9klcCS8EKbFXVrt0o90" width="320" /></a></div><br />The journey was a breeze, the M1 and M25 behaved, straight
over the crossing and then first exit into the North of Dartford and Crayford,
running pretty much along the edges of the river, before cutting back inland
and parking in the school right opposite the Mayplace Ground home of Phoenix.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For those not familiar with the manor, Phoenix Sports play
almost equidistant between Barnehurst and Crayford train stations, but, and
this is the thing, probably only two pitch lengths away from the home of
Phoenix, is the home of local rivals VCD Athletic. VCD currently play in the
Southern Counties East League, whereas of course Phoenix are a level higher in
the Isthmian League, but last season, the positions were reversed, until the
Inter League Play Off when Phoenix went to VCD and won! It seems there is no
love lost between the two clubs, and having seen the two sides play each other
a few years back at VCD, between Christmas and New Year, I can concur that the
rivalry isn’t hugely friendly!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiM1XTRnPKALe6PBoRAkM5rOJGn26QjlQ7xFZkXaPUuxAw8OEPSYTJ0lawYXZMUeo_pfJlG3OHxzI-Gi2mCozVoIbz1LYUAJSozWciDQFxUM7tH98KM47KCNgnUkrA2d_Fznyryj3S7X1LJtln857RdcbBuq79Dcqw_F1UNkCZfkHOBo23bUVnNGg8IFb8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiM1XTRnPKALe6PBoRAkM5rOJGn26QjlQ7xFZkXaPUuxAw8OEPSYTJ0lawYXZMUeo_pfJlG3OHxzI-Gi2mCozVoIbz1LYUAJSozWciDQFxUM7tH98KM47KCNgnUkrA2d_Fznyryj3S7X1LJtln857RdcbBuq79Dcqw_F1UNkCZfkHOBo23bUVnNGg8IFb8" width="320" /></a></div><br />I arrived just after 1pm and snaffled the pack up I’d
prepared in the car, before trotting over the road and into the ground. It was
early, I was one of the first in, which lead to a conversation with the
gateman. I explained where I was from, and he subsequently took the time to
point out where all of the facilities were, most importantly of course the bar!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’d not been in the bar long when the Phoenix club secretary
came over and introduced himself, the gateman had told him about me, and we had
a chat about the club, the play-off game with VCD, the state of football in
Kent, and of course the challenges on so many levels when it comes to moving up
to Step 4. He bought me a pint, a cracking chap, I’d already got a good feeling
about Phoenix Sports Football Club.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8trd5Nb2hs-RijJSi9m-duhUNBeDVgPZNBGnbMs_wcEaWBVdQYoO4D0_XloIRtGgu_JKb2wxtuKXzUJY2FcGzikzgARapCPHo3X2PFi_yKGcP80y__Rckn7wgNPBz36W3W4Pzcc-X2zJqdDJso8B51GqJvyn6Ng04-3jQPkcin6YRTkwVsLxn1zQfCVI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8trd5Nb2hs-RijJSi9m-duhUNBeDVgPZNBGnbMs_wcEaWBVdQYoO4D0_XloIRtGgu_JKb2wxtuKXzUJY2FcGzikzgARapCPHo3X2PFi_yKGcP80y__Rckn7wgNPBz36W3W4Pzcc-X2zJqdDJso8B51GqJvyn6Ng04-3jQPkcin6YRTkwVsLxn1zQfCVI" width="320" /></a></div><br />What’s the history of this lot then? <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, they were originally formed in 1935, but didn’t take
the name Phoenix until just after the Second World War, with the name itself
being symbolic of a club rising from the ashes of the destruction. The club
played in local leagues until 1981 when they joined the Spartan League for a
ten year spell before returning to the Kent County League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Phoenix moved between the divisions of the County League
until 2011 when they joined the Kent Invicta League in it’s inaugural season.
By the end of 2013 the club had won the championship and with it gained
promotion to the Southern Counties East League. At the culmination of the
2014-15 season they were crowned champions and with it a promotion to Step 4
and the Isthmian League. Their spell in the Isthmian League lasted first time
around until 2021-22 when a last day defeat to Herne Bay saw them relegated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiE4tE1FQA4lY5bJBzF8X2qASoQRabiOheqGZ_k00J1mEJl_LVTWNCDmc9wiKZr1n1PTRowVwXqZnZ-kulU5zvtqNHcO_r06WSPaNQsFqIpc9Er3XE4Ph-SFu8km9078kDO2QSBPcHv1ui-SgtSQyJssxzMpt8VIHOeHLXEKQnCT0btrOWUI7CiP_wOAZE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiE4tE1FQA4lY5bJBzF8X2qASoQRabiOheqGZ_k00J1mEJl_LVTWNCDmc9wiKZr1n1PTRowVwXqZnZ-kulU5zvtqNHcO_r06WSPaNQsFqIpc9Er3XE4Ph-SFu8km9078kDO2QSBPcHv1ui-SgtSQyJssxzMpt8VIHOeHLXEKQnCT0btrOWUI7CiP_wOAZE" width="320" /></a></div><br />However, a runners up spot last season lead to the
previously mentioned play-off game against VCD Athletic, and on the back of
that victory we are now back at Step 4 again.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The ground is tidy, you enter in the South West corner
behind the goal, and then to your right is the dressing room building, the
clubhouse, a small covered area dedicated to a chap called ‘Wing Nut’ and
finally the tea bar. The East side and the area behind the North goal are just
hard standing, while on the West side of the ground, elevated above pitch level
are two seated stands of the Atcost style variety. The pitch itself was in
decent nick, and one of the things I had noticed over recent weeks, notably in
the bad weather, was that home games for Phoenix Sports, and indeed ground
sharers Welling Town, always seemed to be played.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQX5LpFDkJGUJToT7qu-oFbwlkFcroicrvw5uayUuRkSGo3Z_qi5ogH853lXXRhY7XURQcDGSMJfAKbDuTbOBmRtQs5SBQTbQOo184dhhCbUU95XrQ5wl9GXvTBOgc5kCEQEe8uJUGVn_XrEIUdPuiDFcpJp97vBNelU37ayjC-ha3EOao2xU7yAEDxCg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQX5LpFDkJGUJToT7qu-oFbwlkFcroicrvw5uayUuRkSGo3Z_qi5ogH853lXXRhY7XURQcDGSMJfAKbDuTbOBmRtQs5SBQTbQOo184dhhCbUU95XrQ5wl9GXvTBOgc5kCEQEe8uJUGVn_XrEIUdPuiDFcpJp97vBNelU37ayjC-ha3EOao2xU7yAEDxCg" width="320" /></a></div><br />As you will probably have already gathered, the game was
abandoned as the second half was about to kick off, with Beckenham captain
Harry Gamble vomiting and then collapsing to the floor as the referee was about
to get the contest back underway. It was an alarming scene, but medical staff
were quick to get to him and after a delay while he was treated and an
ambulance called, the game was concluded. Gamble was suffering from concussion,
and with the correct protocols in place, and a fifty minute wait for the
ambulance advised, both clubs and officials decided it was the right call.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The preceding 45 minutes saw both sides create reasonable
opportunities, but it was the visitors who did have the better of opening
stages, and were indeed at a man advantage when Phoenix captain Ryan Hayes was
dismissed for an off the ball incident. Phoenix, despite being down to ten, did
come back into it but the score at the interval remained goalless.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But that all was irrelevant as thoughts turned to health and
wellbeing of Gamble, who was thankfully released from hospital later that
evening having undergone tests.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We had a choice at the final whistle, collect a ticket to
allow free admission to the re-arranged game, or get your money back. I chose
neither, as I walked to the exit I said another ‘thank you’, and a farewell to
the Phoenix secretary, before arriving home around 7.30pm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not quite the New Year’s Day I was planning when I woke that
morning, but sometimes you have to be grateful that everyone returns home safe
and well after going to a football match, whether you are watching or
participating. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s hope Harry Gamble gets back on a football pitch as
soon as he is fit to do so. Concussion is a dangerous matter, and it’s good to
see it’s finally being taken very seriously, with proper protocols in place. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMVikT8S-FLEa54iV_TcXwabIy2G-PxY1_kZotWf4pM4gMs3K3J8-Mqr_X3mOHfvOH0Z4eUEI-XcF8lE8LWYyAMqF6wpHfLt8uXaSW1L944p-dyzVCBc1L1bPBa9mRto50cYgwPfxEXegXIx4UWnXeZJsg5Mj1Y5ORi_icr8uFS-qmDvXGvvwsj16w-7w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMVikT8S-FLEa54iV_TcXwabIy2G-PxY1_kZotWf4pM4gMs3K3J8-Mqr_X3mOHfvOH0Z4eUEI-XcF8lE8LWYyAMqF6wpHfLt8uXaSW1L944p-dyzVCBc1L1bPBa9mRto50cYgwPfxEXegXIx4UWnXeZJsg5Mj1Y5ORi_icr8uFS-qmDvXGvvwsj16w-7w" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-41994932939365897432024-01-04T13:40:00.000-08:002024-01-04T13:40:48.202-08:00Not Growing Up<p>Merstham 1 Lancing
2</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian League – Division One South East <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £10 / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was Friday afternoon and I was sat in the Crown Inn at
Beeston with some of the lads I went to school with, the very same lads I
mentioned in a recent blog, that have spent the last thirty years of their
lives (me included), wondering at what point we need to grow up!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You see I’d been sat in a car park in Nottingham that very
morning when Mark phoned me, he wanted to know what my plans were for the
following day, only Alfreton Town didn’t have a game. I told him my plan was to
go to Surrey, the game between Merstham and Lancing had grabbed my attention.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1FbzpP0M4tGWsbZYAiRhO3JvTeW7vdkawMT2epfSB-M1VdAsXslwpTFXub_yy2W9fyTSp29HCJw2eucwqHOnGjsLx9UA--ufn4X78T6NpSS5jIumKagemfsBV4j4UwOXEnynu0gK_jM13cshm3PMJ1xXJf_nL8X7ARPLWNT0qg5278hkEQBXLCnLi848" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1FbzpP0M4tGWsbZYAiRhO3JvTeW7vdkawMT2epfSB-M1VdAsXslwpTFXub_yy2W9fyTSp29HCJw2eucwqHOnGjsLx9UA--ufn4X78T6NpSS5jIumKagemfsBV4j4UwOXEnynu0gK_jM13cshm3PMJ1xXJf_nL8X7ARPLWNT0qg5278hkEQBXLCnLi848" width="320" /></a></div><br />Of course, it didn’t really matter where I was going, Mark
would have jumped in anyway, but as we were discussing the finer details of the
pick-up time the following morning, I happened to let it slip that I had a
ticket for the Notts County v Morecambe game that night. Mark then let it slip
that they were off down to Nottingham themselves that afternoon for a wee pub
crawl, and of course, I was welcome to join them before the game!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, after getting Mrs H to drop me off for the 2.30pm train
from Belper, within the hour I had my first pint in hand, on what was to be a
merry little jaunt that would take in four venues in Beeston, before jumping
back onto the train and getting through the turnstiles at Meadow Lane ten
minutes or so before kick-off.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLGjKo2Ry3Khcsjby06jjoyj3eDRihdRj8U5Y3EHejL5pHOXQMIemMJfHdcIs47jBrGQaN7pMucySrsLvEh5lognGQ22lYHgEMNMtjmqnT5oAI0QEy_Q0XJsJN_qGERmWaGDGMJlJAUn3-5mJAWI5d1_pS4Nfx2cAA4ENGVBmZEFiLjVGaWekZoHCIQ1E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLGjKo2Ry3Khcsjby06jjoyj3eDRihdRj8U5Y3EHejL5pHOXQMIemMJfHdcIs47jBrGQaN7pMucySrsLvEh5lognGQ22lYHgEMNMtjmqnT5oAI0QEy_Q0XJsJN_qGERmWaGDGMJlJAUn3-5mJAWI5d1_pS4Nfx2cAA4ENGVBmZEFiLjVGaWekZoHCIQ1E" width="320" /></a></div><br />Without dwelling too much on the Friday, given that this
blog is meant to be all about Merstham, it finished up with a 5-0 home win
against a side that produced possibly the worst display I’ve ever seen from a
professional football team, and don’t forget my professional football watching
experience includes a time when Derby County were officially known as the worst
team in history! The last train back to blighty was caught, and at around
11.30pm after the uphill walk of calf pain, it was into bed with the alarm set.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mark was collected at 10.15pm, the weather had been pretty
good and with nothing but positive noises coming out of Surrey, we made our way
down the M1, which even behaved itself around Luton, before heading onto the
motorway version of Russian Roulette, the M25! Yeah, it was rubbish in parts,
notably around the M40, for no reason whatsoever it seemed, but even with that,
due to our early departure we were leaving the M25 at the Redhill / Reigate
exit just after 1pm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWitrACxdBfN8dXLBWECjcZkV9-IXjJP5WHRSv_JLS9GLagoLRcy_5iXRxy4J2W1Y-wO8zMahCO-q5otR5I7hkI-6SSdSubh6PPd3ris9qtCvPFDKzVQJlwjTBqLsmy-zpHK3LSkGn2BCBZS6jl6Yp5sitiiySDs9XTWML8-Xq8ypCbRrzTyyCW3nDSFI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWitrACxdBfN8dXLBWECjcZkV9-IXjJP5WHRSv_JLS9GLagoLRcy_5iXRxy4J2W1Y-wO8zMahCO-q5otR5I7hkI-6SSdSubh6PPd3ris9qtCvPFDKzVQJlwjTBqLsmy-zpHK3LSkGn2BCBZS6jl6Yp5sitiiySDs9XTWML8-Xq8ypCbRrzTyyCW3nDSFI" width="320" /></a></div><br />It was at that point that Mark flicked open the pages of his
Good Beer Guide, and bearing in mind his boozing carried on while I was at the
game the previous night, he was undeterred, the sat nav was re-set and we were
on our way to the Garibaldi in Redhill, a very nice community owned pub in a
very nice part of the World.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With a snifter on board, it was time to head back to the
edges of the M25 and the small town of Merstham, a town of just over 8,000
inhabitants, and, with it’s rail links to central London, a desirable place to
live if you can afford a property that probably retails at about three times
the price it would compared to if it were located in Beeston!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The football ground, the Moatside, is a leafy affair.
Flanked by trees and tall hedgerows, the approach via the housing estate gives
no indication of what you find once you walk through the turnstiles. Parking is
tight on the residential streets, and once you exit the clubhouse and pass
through the clickers, you can’t help but feel you are at the home of a village
club (in the nicest possible sense) with it’s previously mentioned green
surroundings, tight to the edges of the perimeter of the stadium.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-ScHkLjpG3r0XkCSmKGzHGDKALAMUf330HIkk8gFo5nu00_A43MJgtHafeHG5bwNs0JEODCqAYNG7ykmZMtdgFqQfk3Mdw2KQe0Ak7Tkg7n6QXsThtfZ1MwNlCzgBHSSLoUOa-uCK-wDPKUQ4jTIT-KcdabRU5sikurtsizmJIE7U22ZxmB6k9kfiSxY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-ScHkLjpG3r0XkCSmKGzHGDKALAMUf330HIkk8gFo5nu00_A43MJgtHafeHG5bwNs0JEODCqAYNG7ykmZMtdgFqQfk3Mdw2KQe0Ak7Tkg7n6QXsThtfZ1MwNlCzgBHSSLoUOa-uCK-wDPKUQ4jTIT-KcdabRU5sikurtsizmJIE7U22ZxmB6k9kfiSxY" width="320" /></a></div><br />You enter by the North East corner, with the dressing rooms
and tea bar to your immediate right, and the club shop directly to your left.
Following the ground round in a clockwise fashion you then have a narrow area
of cover running two thirds of the width of the area behind the East goal, with two
steps of terracing providing the vantage points. The South side of the ground
is flat standing, but then as you get round to the West end of the ground, you
have the old Tea Bar in the corner, which now looks to be used as a storeroom,
while right next to it is a small seated stand. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">More flat standing takes you back round to where the main
seated stand lies, straddling the halfway line, with the aforementioned tea bar
/ fan zone being located to the rear of it. What I liked about the ground was
that everything was unique and characterful, the dressing room building has
been constructed in a traditional style, while the stands were again, bespoke
structures as opposed to being kit formed efforts that arrive on the back of a
flatbed lorry!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPlhaeX75D9rwpopxemap5sLeS6u4EadCDlTEgLfGNjx-PlAy3X9iRZoNEc_LmxbEHZ6tlo-FYJ2kdj3RgWoEyAMY3P3PTv3iN1mlXtkxAyyTJSW3NnXEoBsasd-_phFTE03uqujWzZkdeXJ4yHY8AelKJPGC5gYVwkKm_xE9--bpmx_jjkhVhjoEu4bo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPlhaeX75D9rwpopxemap5sLeS6u4EadCDlTEgLfGNjx-PlAy3X9iRZoNEc_LmxbEHZ6tlo-FYJ2kdj3RgWoEyAMY3P3PTv3iN1mlXtkxAyyTJSW3NnXEoBsasd-_phFTE03uqujWzZkdeXJ4yHY8AelKJPGC5gYVwkKm_xE9--bpmx_jjkhVhjoEu4bo" width="320" /></a></div><br />Merstham, given the size of the club, have a recent history
of punching above their own weight. The Surrey and London Spartan League’s were
home until 1984 when they made the move to the Combined Counties League. This
move culminated in the Premier Division championship being won in 2007-08
season when a record breaking 110 points, 114 goals and only one defeat saw
them promoted to the Isthmian League. This coming after finishing runners-up in
the previous two seasons.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian League Division One was a happy home, and following
a fourth placed finish in 2014-15, they beat both Faversham Town and Folkestone
Invicta in the play offs to earn promotion to the Premier Division and Step 3
football for the first time in their history.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The high point came in the 2018-19 season when a fifth
placed finish saw them beat Carshalton Athletic in the play off semi final,
before ultimately losing to Tonbridge Angels who took a place in the National
League South.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqdtKgnkUrkdUEByOGt_F_ReqIB5jU0Ea6y9BhGvM-tf9OisrYNd7_u8vfbQbhxuUvPl8KX2961ysZXQ9QQ_8Y4VK1uydDSC_E3uWNknjPyiPtWBPYBKYb5yNG4r201_JKaESSy3sLmSKglASgvF6eCGgU7iW_S8oRYYbSg_F27aWfhFB0xYNL1nqGTmE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqdtKgnkUrkdUEByOGt_F_ReqIB5jU0Ea6y9BhGvM-tf9OisrYNd7_u8vfbQbhxuUvPl8KX2961ysZXQ9QQ_8Y4VK1uydDSC_E3uWNknjPyiPtWBPYBKYb5yNG4r201_JKaESSy3sLmSKglASgvF6eCGgU7iW_S8oRYYbSg_F27aWfhFB0xYNL1nqGTmE" width="320" /></a></div><br />It was downhill after that, Covid struck and then in 2021-22
season they finished bottom and fell back to Step 4. The following season (last
season) saw an eighteenth placed finish, which lead to an Inter League
Promotion / Relegation game against Egham Town that they won 3-1. The FA Cup
proper was reached for the one and only time in 2016-17 when they drew Oxford
United at home in the First Round, and on what was a momentous day for the
club, the professional side ran out 5-0 winners.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, today we have a club that are sat in the bottom half of
the South East Division, having been laterally moved in the Summer from the
South Central Division, and on paper it looks like they are trying to
consolidate their status before thinking about another assault on Step 3. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A crowd of 261 rocked up for the game against the Sussex
coast visitors, a side who are having a better second season at Step 4 than
first time round, which proved to be a struggle. The first half was a period of
few chances, but then in the 55<sup>th</sup> minute, somewhat against first
half balance of power, the hosts took the lead through Tom Collins.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicvsybu6A-vdVi0xwqXbFw5jOxraZVeVJ_jOlfBVz3RXKZRT0AfsWt9F5Dw4XHxg3e63bx1CRmijBaNnbic78c21Dl9T_-AK13ntjgSxGU-F_Orr5pnKiPdf67BtjfLzpOir8C_sJ3QA2gY3njLBcXen-EaZL8j5f2Xzto9Mmi0cS3Ve54FC1dIGUfZ00" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicvsybu6A-vdVi0xwqXbFw5jOxraZVeVJ_jOlfBVz3RXKZRT0AfsWt9F5Dw4XHxg3e63bx1CRmijBaNnbic78c21Dl9T_-AK13ntjgSxGU-F_Orr5pnKiPdf67BtjfLzpOir8C_sJ3QA2gY3njLBcXen-EaZL8j5f2Xzto9Mmi0cS3Ve54FC1dIGUfZ00" width="320" /></a></div><br />The goal galvanised the visitors who equalised in the 74<sup>th</sup>
minute through a well placed Andrew Briggs free kick, while on the 80<sup>th</sup>
minute full back Alex Neil Laing fired home an angled drive to turn things
around completely.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And that was it, back to the car and another delay on the
M25 up by Heathrow. Having said that, it won’t stop us, we still set out on
Saturday morning’s full of enthusiasm and curiosity, knowing damn well that
things won’t run as smoothly as we would like.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mrs H says I’ll grow out of it one day, that will probably
be the same day when all of us finally grow up!<o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-52500079971336056632023-12-27T04:50:00.000-08:002023-12-27T04:50:45.239-08:00Bobby's<p>Southam United 4 Chipping Sodbury Town 1</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hellenic League – Division One <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £5 / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My mission, which I had no choice but accepting, was to find
a game on the 23<sup>rd</sup> of December, but the caveat being that I was home
absolutely no later than 6.30pm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I had an original plan, Welling Town v VCD Athletic, which
was being played at Phoenix Sports ground in Dartford, but once the festive
shopping delivery slot had been booked and confirmed, that little jaunt had to
go by the wayside.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, I started to look at the local stuff, working on the
principle that getting to a new ground would be an impossibility, especially
with some leagues having already called it a day until the New Year. I then had
a thought, a very random one, about Leamington Hibernian, and the fact that
they were playing games at an apparent temporary home in a place called
Stockton. Knowing the Hibs have a history of being nomadic, I did wonder
whether this short term location may end up being more longer term than first intended. So I had a look, and yes, they were at home, but where was Stockton,
and it seemed it was on the outskirts of Southam.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1hB23BApsRWltnTUKgmteLtRt4Sy108AJ47Jnn7JhWFUM8BqbB3vw29FXKDUpBKAdwuFA14AFk-n-sioCXIIbszIVdH6GjWP1AFEwPtGtB1TZg-39qVYzkOcEMeSPnBvDBaZwZ4wbN6z4z6mdvJo2a4XV8evr7x9e6UUkmx3qKZmx65VGAlcx7Y05Jgk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1hB23BApsRWltnTUKgmteLtRt4Sy108AJ47Jnn7JhWFUM8BqbB3vw29FXKDUpBKAdwuFA14AFk-n-sioCXIIbszIVdH6GjWP1AFEwPtGtB1TZg-39qVYzkOcEMeSPnBvDBaZwZ4wbN6z4z6mdvJo2a4XV8evr7x9e6UUkmx3qKZmx65VGAlcx7Y05Jgk" width="320" /></a></div><br />Suddenly, I had an even better thought, how about wait a
while to see what Hibs announce for next season, and check to see if Southam
United have a home game at their new ground, Bobby Hancocks Park.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They had, Chipping Sodbury Town, so that was it, assuming
all was ok weather wise, I was going. But on the basis the ground has been open
a number of years now and is only around 70 miles away, why have I not been
before, having previously been to the old ground on Banbury Road?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyCoUGTBTAGPSrzhZUkw9UNmDGNpPk4UwzFNg1VFkZiv0kNciSEQKiTLlhwFBYsC_UtZZOVaePDTN5ixQIVJ6oavgI8CDfpWVq-ex1C1_73xAV0i8J6btqLhqUz49NI76xK6WoUZ8nT3eWN1Ldu4wMC4ttLuFTV4g_ulRiuqCrkiCatf02Y1dUjgIRyeI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyCoUGTBTAGPSrzhZUkw9UNmDGNpPk4UwzFNg1VFkZiv0kNciSEQKiTLlhwFBYsC_UtZZOVaePDTN5ixQIVJ6oavgI8CDfpWVq-ex1C1_73xAV0i8J6btqLhqUz49NI76xK6WoUZ8nT3eWN1Ldu4wMC4ttLuFTV4g_ulRiuqCrkiCatf02Y1dUjgIRyeI" width="320" /></a></div><br />It’s all down to geography, and the fact that the club took
a bit of time out of senior football when they moved grounds, but when they did
re-appear, they started in the Second Division of the Hellenic League. They
then realised like a lot of clubs that direct promotion from that competition
isn’t a given so they moved into the Oxfordshire Senior League, a competition I
pay less than a passing interest in, in fact, to be brutal, I have no interest
in it whatsoever. But they got promoted, and re-joined the Step 6 Hellenic
League First Division, which again, is a competition that I’ve never really set
about pursuing. So, I kind of took the view with Southam, that if they came
back to say the Midland League or the United Counties League, I’d go and have a
look, but until then, see ya…… <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, I could be home by 6.15pm, a plan was in place, all was
good in the World, and not only that, I could spend Saturday morning building
up the required points total to help negotiate the travel permits for the
festive football agenda!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKSJhyT6pj8SF-uqQTwlfLociqtkC8hDDtalQE26EEHvETHf6cz85A1BNC382sv2HbgEbBbDVJZCvBqoF_QHO965xUHNK-u-YNnzCwfbiTJwlU8ZDlV09gvqiHhBgJyIMVqYeeSjjThUoZjbuE40U1UMyPozZopFXFfZJgwj0U0b9ZMeA_DodANoITWAk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKSJhyT6pj8SF-uqQTwlfLociqtkC8hDDtalQE26EEHvETHf6cz85A1BNC382sv2HbgEbBbDVJZCvBqoF_QHO965xUHNK-u-YNnzCwfbiTJwlU8ZDlV09gvqiHhBgJyIMVqYeeSjjThUoZjbuE40U1UMyPozZopFXFfZJgwj0U0b9ZMeA_DodANoITWAk" width="320" /></a></div><br />I went to Southam’s old ground between Christmas and New
Year in 2004, it was a derby game against a re-born Leamington FC, and having
seen the game at the New Windmill during the previous August Bank Holiday, I
was interested to see how it would shape up, especially as Leamington in the
first game had been comfortable 3-0 victors.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My memories were of a large crowd, some quirky and somewhat
unsafe looking areas of terracing / cover, plus a very vocal set of away fans,
and in particular chants aimed at the portly Southam striker Dan Cramp….the
chant of “Cramp ate the burger van” being one of the more polite variants. Leamington won 1-0 by the way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In fact, that season I saw Southam a few times, an away game
at West Midlands Police where if I recall Cramp suffered a pretty bad looking
injury, and then also an away game at Massey Ferguson where I got to meet the
then Southam Chairman Charles Hill, who had kept me up to date about a dodgy
pitch and whether the game was going to be on. I remember sitting in Tamworth Services when
the call came from him, and to be fair, for a couple of years we had occasional
contact via email. Looking at the club directory in the programme, it appears
Charles is no longer involved with the club, albeit it does appear he was
instrumental in the ground move.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSl2yb-B5lLleZ-cyGfP6ccMS54QLGf9q4FYNihaPfcy5xJr7hV5SJx-NLpr67ZLwR6u4vHBrxgj8RbKldgyz8pywJRZMA5K1rF_MkRaN72wHy1Ix3-1p4WYbGx6Ixt7aICPNGQLkq5Fe2taGEJe0aiaTH6v9uHJVk1cudXEfKiViUWKVs2LI0yZ3DIvU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSl2yb-B5lLleZ-cyGfP6ccMS54QLGf9q4FYNihaPfcy5xJr7hV5SJx-NLpr67ZLwR6u4vHBrxgj8RbKldgyz8pywJRZMA5K1rF_MkRaN72wHy1Ix3-1p4WYbGx6Ixt7aICPNGQLkq5Fe2taGEJe0aiaTH6v9uHJVk1cudXEfKiViUWKVs2LI0yZ3DIvU" width="320" /></a></div><br />Getting to Southam is pretty straightforward and my initial
fears about pre-Christmas traffic in Derby and at the M69 turn off at Leicester
proved unfounded. Once on the Coventry ring road you take the Rugby Road and
then a quick turn off takes you onto the A423 Banbury Road and after around
twenty minutes you are on the outskirts of the Warwickshire town.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The new ground is built at the back of an industrial estate,
but at the same time is only a stones throw away from the old ground, which
looks like at some point it’ll be built upon given the amount of construction
going on in the area. In fact, it might already be somone's front room, I couldn't say for definite. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They’ve done a very good job of it. A large car park greets
you (assuming you go the right way and don’t follow the sat nav), and sat
within that is the impressive building that houses the dressing rooms, club
offices, a clubhouse and in front of it a balcony that provides excellent views
of the action.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today, you entered via the main entrance and made your way
up the stairs to the clubhouse, where it seemed only a couple of club officials
were on duty to help (festive unavailability), with the guy behind the bar
performing various duties, including printing out a match programme in A3 size,
which took me back to the 70’s and early 80’s when you got a newspaper when you
went to the Baseball Ground! Free mince pies at half time was a nice touch.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXC7zZVd44NSh0H8Xz6Wn28205xOxUGF9ENPPTS6WGQj_KqghjZtMlDPfTRH_tOyOcEO8BaY3vzFzNzfubVWsS5UpKdLi-grHVIwQLY9-e_j0PiQlAcZ_KN08pvIJBWr1jyCp09BDjrJ6JHUD4KAsPDJwG7QhUQeRWhf2OqCQg-DXTzScCvVDMzGgesRY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXC7zZVd44NSh0H8Xz6Wn28205xOxUGF9ENPPTS6WGQj_KqghjZtMlDPfTRH_tOyOcEO8BaY3vzFzNzfubVWsS5UpKdLi-grHVIwQLY9-e_j0PiQlAcZ_KN08pvIJBWr1jyCp09BDjrJ6JHUD4KAsPDJwG7QhUQeRWhf2OqCQg-DXTzScCvVDMzGgesRY" width="320" /></a></div><br />Otherwise, it’s hard standing around the ground,
including an elevated terraced area in front of the club building, while on the opposite
side to the building is a decent sized Atcost style seated stand, presumably
added to meet Step 6 requirements.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By the clubs own admission in the programme, the pitch
wasn’t in the greatest of shapes, but to be fair, given that it wasn’t
conducive to attractive passing football, the two sides served up a spectacle
that wasn’t without incident.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The hosts took the lead after ten minutes through Josh
Turton and then the same player made it 2-0. Nathan Scrivens was then sent off
for the visitors on the half hour mark for a professional foul, and from the
resultant free kick Craig Watkin made it 3-0, however moments later Alfie Davis
gave the boys from the edges of Bristol a lifeline when he pulled a goal back.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguTVHQS0T5lj6-I6QcrGudVj_SyXtoswonTRyhQXXHqGb4GGKU0t-2aTPtS26Gd00dhOyrA--w59AmpoJoZEPXZq1wKKb0pVPfAjBTvTVsCl1d5930GknNFCM0tid1lqdWR8tFJYQSX_7iY39jejYtHpLC_wr2FHRWHsjPOMhgKPMZEGsOqxeNgbW1pP8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguTVHQS0T5lj6-I6QcrGudVj_SyXtoswonTRyhQXXHqGb4GGKU0t-2aTPtS26Gd00dhOyrA--w59AmpoJoZEPXZq1wKKb0pVPfAjBTvTVsCl1d5930GknNFCM0tid1lqdWR8tFJYQSX_7iY39jejYtHpLC_wr2FHRWHsjPOMhgKPMZEGsOqxeNgbW1pP8" width="320" /></a></div><br />While all of this was happening, the Sods lost their
goalkeeper through injury, and the guy on the public address was having a
fantastic time keeping on top of all of the happenings, not least trying to
find a different track to play every time the ball found the back of the net!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The second half was a little bit tamer by comparison, with
Watkin scoring the only goal, and in turn copying the celebration that West
Ham’s Mohammed Kudus had performed a couple of hours earlier when scoring
against Manchester United. By that I mean running into the crowd and taking a
seat, which seemed to wind up the Chipping Sodbury management team even more
than they currently were, having already had a minor spat with the PA guy over
some mistaken identity / misinformation!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Talking of management teams, both sides had a member booked
in the closing stages over some sort of bust up, not sure exactly what happened
but I could see a home supporter getting very irate over something, but anyway,
people do tend to get a bit carried away at Christmas don’t they!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So that was it, a 4-1 win for the hosts, and a very
enjoyable afternoon in Warwickshire. I like what Southam United have done at
Bobby Hancocks Park (he was a legendary former player by the way), it’ll be
interesting to see if they do end up getting moved into a more Midlands based
competition in years to come. This is a club that spent 37 years in the Midland
Combination (including what it became eventually), and you do feel that would be a
more natural fit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That said, they must have their reasons for the route they
took (assuming they had a choice), remember, I was on my way to Welling Town
until forces out of my control intervened!! <o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-17036139415739141712023-12-24T02:16:00.000-08:002023-12-24T02:16:28.081-08:00Whamaggedon<p>Frome Town 2 Wimborne Town
2</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Southern League – Division One South<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £10 / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Considering that Frome Town appear to have an ability to get
games on in all weather conditions, and attempts to pay them a visit have been
on the radar for nearly two and a half seasons, it’s a bit of a story as to why
only now, have I actually managed to achieve it!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the previous two seasons, I’ve tried to link it with
being on holiday, and more specifically the return journey from a break in
either Devon or Cornwall. But it’s either coincided with a weekend when they
haven’t got a home game, or, a desire to get the family back home to Derbyshire
at a reasonable hour has taken preference, when previously the best made plans
to get to the game have been in place and all that.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the start of this season I was determined, forget the
holiday theory, that never seems to work, just get it in the planner and get it
visited. Three weekends have been on the radar so far, one fell by the wayside
quite early due to FA Trophy involvement, and then early in December I’d got a
game against Exmouth Town all lined up, but I then bottled out of it due to
freezing conditions and no Plan B being in place. Naturally it got played. Then
only last weekend, Torquay in the FA Trophy, but the monsoons were forecast,
and with no Plan B, I bottled it and went to the plastic at Horsham instead.
Torquay had a lovely day out…….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I needed more faith in Frome, so far they’ve survived both a
monsoon and an arctic blast, so let’s be right, on any other normal Saturday,
we should have absolutely nothing to worry about, apart from the traffic which
has of course lately been an absolute arse.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhch5DZPeND5J4NWjbRyv3TQyb1qYNxHvLy3GOjaRF6WU_6AHmV0YQKBNod7UZrfcw9nmnwZI3bLZV-O0OmXKPOqx2lFf6bdX1DKNf7HGTPuAeYkGCd603Heil3t4lbZvARCk_mmAGxy1kcaSX3CLLAJ1TS62-OHqSx0jG4_k7CE1md7jBd_7sp0TrlPMQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhch5DZPeND5J4NWjbRyv3TQyb1qYNxHvLy3GOjaRF6WU_6AHmV0YQKBNod7UZrfcw9nmnwZI3bLZV-O0OmXKPOqx2lFf6bdX1DKNf7HGTPuAeYkGCd603Heil3t4lbZvARCk_mmAGxy1kcaSX3CLLAJ1TS62-OHqSx0jG4_k7CE1md7jBd_7sp0TrlPMQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />Saturday 16<sup>th</sup> December, all looked fantastic, but
then on the Thursday Mrs H threw me a domestic curveball, but I explained the
situation, discussed the prospect of a detour from our next Cornwall venture,
and finally she relented, domestic duties were re-apportioned, I could think
about Frome once more.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jensen Button is from Frome you know, I think Master H would
have quite like to have gone and looked at his statue being a young petrol
head, but he hasn’t got one, so that was a non-starter, I was going on my own,
and given the traffic situation over previous Saturday’s I chose to depart
earlier than normal, while of course Mrs H was doing domestic stuff.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigJcsKnhDel34FgUYMQhvHvooPpzYq0q1L6xlEZZ10euW77Ma4e_GAW3Xzx1MkdVNHJFMa9cUjIC4UEQZk2T_fZkcuxeLTA59BfXM07JaRioOwlZiludr3RGzgeepB8cwZ5QGj3TjYhq05ieWyHkcCOQKeoUP4fnsmfDCeP5LvEDzxFs6dH5M_yeX3BLA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigJcsKnhDel34FgUYMQhvHvooPpzYq0q1L6xlEZZ10euW77Ma4e_GAW3Xzx1MkdVNHJFMa9cUjIC4UEQZk2T_fZkcuxeLTA59BfXM07JaRioOwlZiludr3RGzgeepB8cwZ5QGj3TjYhq05ieWyHkcCOQKeoUP4fnsmfDCeP5LvEDzxFs6dH5M_yeX3BLA" width="320" /></a></div><br />The journey down via the M42 and the M5 proved to be
somewhat entertaining thanks to the content of the Frank Skinner Show on
Absolute Radio. The subject of ‘Whamaggedon’ was discussed, a game I play
yearly, and as of today, the 21<sup>st</sup> December, I’m still in it.
Basically, you have to go from 1<sup>st</sup> December to midnight on Christmas
Eve without hearing the original version of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’. This has
become a multinational pastime, avoiding being ‘Whammed Off’ during December,
and personally,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in previous years I’ve
had some shockers, including an early exit on 2<sup>nd</sup> December once
thanks to a taxi driver!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI9s4jBheKpKDuF7RFBRe5bfjOruqOO2DdhAMrZ4QYteSEefNs2gVowTB9IwTdf0_-njKfUwdnAYC-DAJcbGrJmMPTBxv33ogNb6vWODogT37xg7wQyHkXXJvsec1o7mFLI7gQyRAPMVvMj3hOjuaYPkpitFWJvxhn3oIOYlWWpWhkQj05Du-6VcB3wQ8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI9s4jBheKpKDuF7RFBRe5bfjOruqOO2DdhAMrZ4QYteSEefNs2gVowTB9IwTdf0_-njKfUwdnAYC-DAJcbGrJmMPTBxv33ogNb6vWODogT37xg7wQyHkXXJvsec1o7mFLI7gQyRAPMVvMj3hOjuaYPkpitFWJvxhn3oIOYlWWpWhkQj05Du-6VcB3wQ8" width="320" /></a></div><br />The conversation started on the radio over the fact the PA
Announcer at Arsenal played it at half time during a recent game, knocking an
estimated 7,000 people out of the game, but it then moved on to the fact that
the estate of the late George Michael see’s the bulk of it’s proceeds going to
charity. So, as the game has grown in popularity, and a number of radio
stations no longer play the record, effectively the charities are being denied
of valuable money through the royalties.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s unfortunate, but on a positive, only three more days
to go!!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJTP7ZebyYOhG2N_EJCVXqSnIYBHgdZjKW6SZZKzWedjyaY4ehca_5uhLoP6Rqj2gyq8lZMT22VDchfhDyN_oK4FCnTU6o9Tp5Q315XpiOGPby4Ag904cdqACHGVwt2Ub0CkEZmsLDU1eY4ggM0L4-bLB5dZj4T0CHZuL93tTg0dJRV3zWlb_TSporq68" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJTP7ZebyYOhG2N_EJCVXqSnIYBHgdZjKW6SZZKzWedjyaY4ehca_5uhLoP6Rqj2gyq8lZMT22VDchfhDyN_oK4FCnTU6o9Tp5Q315XpiOGPby4Ag904cdqACHGVwt2Ub0CkEZmsLDU1eY4ggM0L4-bLB5dZj4T0CHZuL93tTg0dJRV3zWlb_TSporq68" width="320" /></a></div><br />I left the M5, moved onto the M4 and then headed down
towards Bath. I’ve got a new car by the way, and I’ve fallen out with it on a
few occasions already, and it’s that piece of kit known as Apple Carplay, it
does my nut in. One of the things I’d not done is disabled toll roads usage.
How is that going to cause a problem in Bath you might ask?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Has anyone ever driven through Batheaston, in a car that’s
as wide as a small tank? No? Well, firstly, two very narrow bridges, and one of
them you have to pay a toll to cross, only a pound to be fair, but that’s a
pound that I could have given to Frome Town FC in terms of an extra raffle
ticket, and then we have a public outcry about George Michael’s lack of
royalties??<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyfz2g9wY3g8aiHIyt1MyhXuHCUOb-57SqmpXAxa5C_Mf0X9pqon51LOEvXN25MczhQogPUBSB4V60p2f0iiUFU8mOrVOrKQNQ6RtGj8YH6RE7ZSyUX7bZDfkoMIIPGX805-okTdxvL9ZY7Yen1YjBY_iwB55iutLQ8bXYjkgXEbClls5GPX_vC4Dd1tY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyfz2g9wY3g8aiHIyt1MyhXuHCUOb-57SqmpXAxa5C_Mf0X9pqon51LOEvXN25MczhQogPUBSB4V60p2f0iiUFU8mOrVOrKQNQ6RtGj8YH6RE7ZSyUX7bZDfkoMIIPGX805-okTdxvL9ZY7Yen1YjBY_iwB55iutLQ8bXYjkgXEbClls5GPX_vC4Dd1tY" width="320" /></a></div><br />Once Batheaston had been negotiated it was a pretty
straightforward run down to Frome, and after negotiating the town’s ring road I
was pulling up into the car park behind the goal just after 1pm, all very
stress free (apart from the toll) it has to be said.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Frome Town’s history is of a club that joined the Western
League in 1919 and remained in it until 2009 when a runners up spot in the
Premier Division saw them promoted to the Southern League Division One South
West. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Within two seasons they were promoted to the Premier
Division where they remained until 2019 when they suffered relegation back to
the second tier. The eight seasons at Step 3 saw a best placed finish of eighth
in 2016-17.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKd8x5dA05zZm6Z6Wj23NhAJCQlv_IacKc7lDsvfWSllASohkJjM7xVDi8XP-5ku5t8XP4HlWZhz82_ayD-iD4-4FQQOdiRbXpdUL_BlCNF4FLLT7gF7OGZpeeU0hM56ESk9W8U__79s0NoGE9fn__6EOJiedBVDqo_Y9O-ckeN4eNZrht1lJmU408amc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKd8x5dA05zZm6Z6Wj23NhAJCQlv_IacKc7lDsvfWSllASohkJjM7xVDi8XP-5ku5t8XP4HlWZhz82_ayD-iD4-4FQQOdiRbXpdUL_BlCNF4FLLT7gF7OGZpeeU0hM56ESk9W8U__79s0NoGE9fn__6EOJiedBVDqo_Y9O-ckeN4eNZrht1lJmU408amc" width="320" /></a></div><br />Only two full seasons have been completed in the now named
Division One South, and it was during 2021-22 that they finished runners-up,
only to lose out to Bristol Manor Farm in the Play Off’s. This season, prior to
the game against table topping Wimborne Town, they sat in second place.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nothing remarkable has happened in the FA competitions,
barring a First Round appearance in 1954-55 when Leyton Orient won 3-0 at
Badgers Hill. The FA Vase quarter final was reached in 2004-05 but a 3-0 defeat
at Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association (I know!) saw that run come to
an end.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Badgers Hill is a wonderfully traditional type of non-league
football ground. You enter via the turnstiles on the Berkley Road side of the
ground, upon which sits the dressing rooms, two small covered areas, the
original seated stand, a tea bar and a further building that houses the
Supporters Club. Behind the goal on the East side of the ground is the large
clubhouse that sits high up above pitch level, with a standing area in front of
it, while moving round to the North side you have a tall and expansive cover
sitting above some terracing steps, running from the half way line right down
to the bottom North West corner. Behind the West goal is some more modern
seating of the Atcost variety, but to help with viewing this structure is
raised a good height above pitch level.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgn1NJAxywHtH11zp58Q3e0UaYggrmOHjXGGQramDD0GeejICiNRBp0zzXmP0QuD1rkvJHf-7G2hxySIhfK6ZJo3EK1UpoGfHnA05h7IE-5s0x570QN6X1QQp0BNU3yigEoBEGMQ5vKo1YCToPP1VhtTMC8u19yoMZer-4biLF6SmcEdG6ouOThrspbZ1s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgn1NJAxywHtH11zp58Q3e0UaYggrmOHjXGGQramDD0GeejICiNRBp0zzXmP0QuD1rkvJHf-7G2hxySIhfK6ZJo3EK1UpoGfHnA05h7IE-5s0x570QN6X1QQp0BNU3yigEoBEGMQ5vKo1YCToPP1VhtTMC8u19yoMZer-4biLF6SmcEdG6ouOThrspbZ1s" width="320" /></a></div><br />A super set up, I have to say, and while I was having a wee
pre-match snifter in the bar, I was joined at my table by a group of Frome
supporters. I was minding my own business, when all of a sudden the bloke next
to me, who had an accent that I found familiar, said to one of his mates “I
send all of the Frome programmes to my mate in Clay Cross, back where I came
from”<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My ears pricked up, so I leaned over and said “I only live
down the road from Clay Cross…”, and that was the moment I met veteran Sherwood
Forester, Errol.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A good half an hour chat followed with a man that ended up
in Frome due to his military career, but had so many memories of North
Derbyshire and it’s surroundings. But, kick off was due, so we bade farewell.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A crowd of 473 turned up to watch a thoroughly entertaining
game between two pretty evenly matched sides. The opening goal came in the 33<sup>rd</sup>
minute when Jon Davies tapped home for the hosts after great work from Kane
Richards. Frome had been in the ascendency at this point, but the goal
galvanised the visitors and they found an equaliser within five minutes when
poor defending let in Harry Morgan to score with ease.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As the game moved into first half added time, Frome retook
the lead when a corner fell to the feet of captain Sam Teale and he made no
mistake from close range.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The game swung from end to end in the second period, and
following a spell of sustained Wimborne pressure leading up to the hour mark,
it was an absolute pisswhistler of a strike from Matthew Neale in the 69<sup>th</sup>
minute that bought the scores level, a stunning strike that no goalkeeper would
have saved.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtg9xe4SJY99yRnncduM5jCPXmFiWt4mSO8hOvFbIaJ2G_9ucl5pFso0M9lDKNxQT71IHykXZb8F9MIkwa-JwMB85SB211IVvLSTyTEiFXDFovbCRcqZGYSZ2VjV3H-arZA9rjLPPkqiuGN0-S8InVKnLs-u_-gHd9ZOH3MTkImenKi-5C849_-MlRG58" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtg9xe4SJY99yRnncduM5jCPXmFiWt4mSO8hOvFbIaJ2G_9ucl5pFso0M9lDKNxQT71IHykXZb8F9MIkwa-JwMB85SB211IVvLSTyTEiFXDFovbCRcqZGYSZ2VjV3H-arZA9rjLPPkqiuGN0-S8InVKnLs-u_-gHd9ZOH3MTkImenKi-5C849_-MlRG58" width="320" /></a></div><br />Wimborne found the net again in the 75<sup>th</sup> minute
but were denied by the offside flag as the game started to get scrappy, and as
the final whistle came, you had the feeling that both sides were relatively
happy with a point gained.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The escape from the car park was quick, and as my Carplay
went on a complete wobble, and I had to use a largely ineffective in car system
that hadn’t yet been set up correctly as I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,
I ended up back at the Batheaston toll bridge…..happy days!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Otherwise, home before 8pm, it had only been two and a half
years in the waiting, but it was worth it, even if the lack of a Jensen Button
statue was a bit of a let down, apparently, when you become a freeman of the
town, a statue isn’t part of the deal!<o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-33083001224553346202023-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:002023-12-17T13:11:47.097-08:00One F In Ofton<p class="MsoNormal">Walsall 1 Alfreton Town
0<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">FA Cup – Second Round (Replay)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £15 / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When the final whistle blew at Alfreton Town’s Impact Arena
the previous Tuesday evening, I was in no doubt, I was going to be heading to
the Bescot Stadium to watch the Reds in a richly deserved replay at League Two
Walsall.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first game had been somewhat controversial, in the sense
that the original game, scheduled to be live on BBC, was postponed due to a
frozen pitch, just moments before the kick off. A sell out capacity crowd was
in place, but it seems the Walsall Manager, Mat Sadler, got his way and
convinced the referee that it was too dangerous to play. Billy Heath, the
Alfreton gaffer, had a very different view on things.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpaYRylHKqGl69-HwiEMJwJR-_hwArPLFy0LA7Chqg-91vAlt05VJZuZWS3-_EQKOGtafUeQ2dWu3jbSD8XcWCnom5IUGq0AighPAZIVahUPXS0pj6HiN2hhLhB2HAYnPGCQoK6iMoL1MUnIhdM9R42iVy9A3ckC4da7pUFpTwGwx8ktyhunanBVbyEAI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpaYRylHKqGl69-HwiEMJwJR-_hwArPLFy0LA7Chqg-91vAlt05VJZuZWS3-_EQKOGtafUeQ2dWu3jbSD8XcWCnom5IUGq0AighPAZIVahUPXS0pj6HiN2hhLhB2HAYnPGCQoK6iMoL1MUnIhdM9R42iVy9A3ckC4da7pUFpTwGwx8ktyhunanBVbyEAI" width="320" /></a></div><br />Anyway, as disappointing as that was for all involved with
the Reds, and for the BBC for that matter who had to quickly bugger about with
the scheduling, the re-arranged game was set for the following Tuesday, and
that was deemed as a pay on the gate game, which was perfect from my own point
view as I could attend.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The game ended goalless but in fairness to Alfreton, other
than a couple of spells in the first half, they were more than deserving of
another shot at it, and in the end it was the visitors who were the happier to
hear the final whistle.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiynfQVkigd-RuLyWICZbmCp7eIzuiSkRLhjpIcGmqXaWOvOGoYB6H_CISiztlid7Y40zDxrm3yMKtvwptFOYypdMn0nTcNGO7YPVlUfkc7hul5ngtnXz73gRI_Ff0Q-UQ4KxjWcwBgnvJZwmKCtify6bQ80U_re-YNu6yMa7Zq-iNeiKvJy2sQcj3XJag" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiynfQVkigd-RuLyWICZbmCp7eIzuiSkRLhjpIcGmqXaWOvOGoYB6H_CISiztlid7Y40zDxrm3yMKtvwptFOYypdMn0nTcNGO7YPVlUfkc7hul5ngtnXz73gRI_Ff0Q-UQ4KxjWcwBgnvJZwmKCtify6bQ80U_re-YNu6yMa7Zq-iNeiKvJy2sQcj3XJag" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, the Bescot Stadium beckoned, Mark sold out two
supporters buses, fielding numerous calls as we travelled together to Horsham
the previous Saturday, whereas I decided to drive down to a ground that I’d
only ever previously visited on the one occasion. It was November 1998 and
again it was the FA Cup, the visitors were Gresley Rovers and they went down
1-0 to a late Ian Roper goal.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have to say, the journey down was a shocker, leaving
Sheffield at 4pm I thought I’d breeze it, but a pretty serious looking accident
at Markeaton Island in Derby caused significant hold ups, whereas the
torrential rain that fell pretty much all the way from Derby down to Lichfield
didn’t help matters either. By the time I was pulling into the Bescot Railway
Station car park, it was getting on for 6.45pm. Mark’s supporters busses, which
left Alfreton at 5pm only arrived ten minutes before kick off!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My memories of the Bescot, a ground built in 1989 to replace
the old Fellows Park which was less than quarter of a mile away, and now the
site of a Morrisons, are pretty sketchy, but since my one and only visit they
have actually constructed a new stand behind the North goal, a three tier
structure plus some executive boxes, that dwarves the rest of the ground.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjOQKl8-Ahb60uDS173PcEhNhP6vUSvgL5AHxIx4eAynW_SgeX4KLBNeBwUBAYq8on9CtnIttsNg4wOGhZE3M5_zQaTDaCX4ij7ZO5NH--BaLMGKxj377Oa7WwRcdbsRlcMvPgADASN0R1pYGomUkDzwfrF5NovwID39YNX29_pVrz3ENQpXMdb0n_zRk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjOQKl8-Ahb60uDS173PcEhNhP6vUSvgL5AHxIx4eAynW_SgeX4KLBNeBwUBAYq8on9CtnIttsNg4wOGhZE3M5_zQaTDaCX4ij7ZO5NH--BaLMGKxj377Oa7WwRcdbsRlcMvPgADASN0R1pYGomUkDzwfrF5NovwID39YNX29_pVrz3ENQpXMdb0n_zRk" width="320" /></a></div><br />The rest of the ground is made up of three single tier
seated stands, with the main stand having some corporate boxes to the rear. The
away fans sit (stand) behind the South goal, while the East stand, and the two
upper tiers of the North stand were closed for the game. It’s a tidy and
functional ground, with plenty of car parking around it, and to be fair, it
sits right next to the M6, and with the train station being adjacent, access to
it is pretty simple depending on your preferred method of transport.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The ground is cashless, so after going to the ticket office
to purchase a piece of paper for the sum of £15, it was round to the away end
and into the small concourse area that served as the away fans bar. Again, card
only, but with many Alfreton fans late arriving at the ground due to the
traffic issues, queueing wasn’t a problem. A crowd of just over 2,000 were in
attendance with just under 400 of those having travelled down the A38. The
atmosphere was all in one end, with the ‘Ofton’ fans in great voice as always.
The fact that they were penned into two thirds of the stand helped on that
front with the fans close together as opposed to being spread out.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The game got off to the worst possible start for the Reds
when an unlucky deflection allowed Jamille Matt to score from close range after
just five minutes. It was just the start Alfreton didn’t need, and, you hoped
at that point it wouldn’t be a case of the floodgates opening.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’d not been impressed by Walsall in the previous game, I
thought they lacked quality and were low on confidence, but, they recorded an
impressive win the following Saturday at Notts County, an outcome few outside
of the Black Country predicted. With that result under their belts, and an
early goal, what could happen next?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, Alfreton regrouped and grew into the game, and very
much like the first match, chances for either side were few and far between,
and with the Reds support rallying round the team, the score line remained the
same at half time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhu6YLga3B2XFTKFmMGAB8Z8A1c3UKj64T6gBSuk2zGnutKFck-C3Idm0u_LvukSuXUcPkBTcJ5mUrR7KEsVslnUfu2Ivz2eD7KO4NhTyy08jchrCqAm-0H8QeFp4nCpCyHaBpp6qU7HG6KFpBs8OomILT32p46Y3bCTQoLRoWJCwD3UzDjE6IeJcjhfbI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhu6YLga3B2XFTKFmMGAB8Z8A1c3UKj64T6gBSuk2zGnutKFck-C3Idm0u_LvukSuXUcPkBTcJ5mUrR7KEsVslnUfu2Ivz2eD7KO4NhTyy08jchrCqAm-0H8QeFp4nCpCyHaBpp6qU7HG6KFpBs8OomILT32p46Y3bCTQoLRoWJCwD3UzDjE6IeJcjhfbI" width="320" /></a></div><br />It was good to catch up with Mark, Lee and a few of the lads
at half time, lads I first met at the age of eleven, and forty years later, we
are still in touch, still watching football matches, still meeting up from time
to time for the odd pint, still wondering at what age you need to grow up and
start to behave yourself!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The second half saw Alfreton attacking the end that housed
their fans, and to be fair, much like the second period of the first game,
Alfreton grew in terms of possession and used their main threat which is an
aerial one into the danger area. Walsall had worked out that they needed to
avoid giving away throw ins in the final third, so Alfreton’s best hope came
from corners and diagonals into the box, but to be fair to Walsall they pretty
much got on the end of everything. In fact, I can’t recall a notable attempt on
goal from Alfreton despite the ball spending long periods in the Walsall
defensive areas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtS5rw4-tH5lRCIQILfoUmIdbJP7O-PzVCXeRtSw6o-1_McbY6dyC5tnrIo_lRuTNFbJvg1CVtgV85k_vI8Be-5jQZWbywJ_LkllXdYSm5z4IrIcJ98VDteiB7MFlHFfniniAuyOz_bMegOLigFtQniGUjXTuYLtu9d2Rn82uPTktPlSsbrgdOH5ATepE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtS5rw4-tH5lRCIQILfoUmIdbJP7O-PzVCXeRtSw6o-1_McbY6dyC5tnrIo_lRuTNFbJvg1CVtgV85k_vI8Be-5jQZWbywJ_LkllXdYSm5z4IrIcJ98VDteiB7MFlHFfniniAuyOz_bMegOLigFtQniGUjXTuYLtu9d2Rn82uPTktPlSsbrgdOH5ATepE" width="320" /></a></div><br />At the final whistle the run was over, Walsall head to St
Mary’s to play Southampton, Alfreton can look back on a memorable experience,
and can now focus on the main prize which is the National League North play-off
race.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I made a sharp exit at the final whistle, as the Reds
players and supporters saluted each other, which meant I was away from the area
in double quick time, and, turning the key in the door almost bang on an hour
after I left the stadium. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>Normally, when I visit a ground and compose a blog, it’s all
about the home club, their history, the experience as a fan, but sorry Walsall,
this was all about Alfreton, it could only ever be that way.</p><p>In the words of the song, heard occasionally on the terraces at North Street - "There's only one F in Ofton....." </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDnRqJpszRJtLTwnr2Bd1A7X3-exPvI_kfmNDBthwQ7RAcXFHeSXo96XQppBaJz2KwFw_kVTzmmSPWTtauu-o6Av-9F37k_Kw6fudGozY9y4DuliYwcDb5DpIPmYIe2gUoT4yICcohe2XyBv5Dt-2N1WZtL2NF4bjoDvui5tgS8ZIZq74P_8QTkSdXIM0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDnRqJpszRJtLTwnr2Bd1A7X3-exPvI_kfmNDBthwQ7RAcXFHeSXo96XQppBaJz2KwFw_kVTzmmSPWTtauu-o6Av-9F37k_Kw6fudGozY9y4DuliYwcDb5DpIPmYIe2gUoT4yICcohe2XyBv5Dt-2N1WZtL2NF4bjoDvui5tgS8ZIZq74P_8QTkSdXIM0" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-46259021303844396362023-12-11T09:24:00.000-08:002023-12-11T09:24:25.197-08:00Hopping The Hop<p>Horsham 2 AFC Totton
0</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">FA Trophy – Third Round<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £13 / £3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s be quite frank about it, December has been a weather
related bag of absolute knackers!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m at the Alfreton Town v Walsall FA Cup tie up at North
Street on the Tuesday night, chatting to my old pal Thorpey about the upcoming
weekend, and between us we cooked up a plan. His club (Alfreton) hadn’t got a
game, I was planning on heading South for some Isthmian League action, so we
decided to travel together, Badshot Lea, with Merstham as a back up, what could
possibly and all that??<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then of course, we get to Friday night, the weekly Armageddon
gets itself into position, and our plans have to become fluid, no pun intended
of course. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Badshot Lea went before 9.30am, and with various pitch
inspections being called all over the Country, where we actually set off to,
and where we ended up were likely to be two different places altogether.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB2Gdak6UP72k6eK_hoG_9o5N6l6muTINEIJEAdJtv3ahgSNlrEytboL9Px7imPV8iqzei_vHz04QS8GZKlV-LwtAcMNB4qrmwsIUt-x_ek3yXHdnd0UdKlPXENEOdyI3_KRatJ61nHpZzVVcWtUR0a6cwE_M_pr8EGx1v-F31Ho2dP7GCuctQuek9IvY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB2Gdak6UP72k6eK_hoG_9o5N6l6muTINEIJEAdJtv3ahgSNlrEytboL9Px7imPV8iqzei_vHz04QS8GZKlV-LwtAcMNB4qrmwsIUt-x_ek3yXHdnd0UdKlPXENEOdyI3_KRatJ61nHpZzVVcWtUR0a6cwE_M_pr8EGx1v-F31Ho2dP7GCuctQuek9IvY" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, having collected the Thorpester from his Alfreton
homestead, we had a plan, we would head down the M1, and work on the principal
that if the game at Merstham was to be on following an 11.45am inspection, then
that would be the option, but, if that went tits, then we would head a bit
further afield to West Sussex for the FA Trophy game between Horsham and AFC
Totton on the failsafe plastic at the Hop Oast.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo4fd18sYROs--3YRYa4gJMc4utO09NkwVPxfIVzzgatETDk3PXY9nYkdscVeXhoOsAqPij2o3jmcEnG9Hz0GmTWBQ9wfQx4yxtJsGTdAigXNsc1970dPPzbU6D4-IbiBMwovEt5oTQ7gX30P-3iCUdbPHW3ghDqwC6M573PjBymRBPiCReqjvhEOvo8k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo4fd18sYROs--3YRYa4gJMc4utO09NkwVPxfIVzzgatETDk3PXY9nYkdscVeXhoOsAqPij2o3jmcEnG9Hz0GmTWBQ9wfQx4yxtJsGTdAigXNsc1970dPPzbU6D4-IbiBMwovEt5oTQ7gX30P-3iCUdbPHW3ghDqwC6M573PjBymRBPiCReqjvhEOvo8k" width="320" /></a></div><br />I knew that we would hit the first bit of traffic related
shite at Luton, and it was while we were queueing for no apparent reason, it
came to light Merstham had warthogs issues, so that was it, it was to be
Horsham, and the technology was telling us that 2.20pm would be the arrival
time, so we really didn’t need any motorway nonsense to hold us up any more
that it was already suggesting.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The M25 was a crock, it usually is, with the roadworks and
the A3 turn off being the current nightmare. That was negotiated, and then it
was a case of traversing the edges of Leatherhead, heading through Dorking, and
then finding ourselves on the dual carriageway that runs to the West of
Horsham, before cutting back in towards the town and heading into the park and
ride centre on Worthing Road.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6rz1wNrj9cybDuzDwFGoPYGCJfpOZrhZ3q8jWGGDDVtwaNjwuWn7jn2ZLwcCrLGjh63Ebw4aR2kPdF4RFiz-2liSBPjcUqLXI6NFGlaU7fzS01TowMCPOJYeBM3_P6dPN3VP5iKnj7ZrEs38tKZJWd3PN1vgBogbZNnpaSnIKWHYulwpyEOv-gZWBJNE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6rz1wNrj9cybDuzDwFGoPYGCJfpOZrhZ3q8jWGGDDVtwaNjwuWn7jn2ZLwcCrLGjh63Ebw4aR2kPdF4RFiz-2liSBPjcUqLXI6NFGlaU7fzS01TowMCPOJYeBM3_P6dPN3VP5iKnj7ZrEs38tKZJWd3PN1vgBogbZNnpaSnIKWHYulwpyEOv-gZWBJNE" width="320" /></a></div><br />Horsham have built a fine new stadium on the very outskirts
of the town, but, they have no parking for spectators at the ground, so you
have to head into the park and ride, and then walk over the road, and up a path
to the Camping World Stadium (or Hop Oast as it was before sponsorship took
over). The walk is a good five minutes, but it was well organised with plenty
of stewards in place to direct and help where required.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, this is Horsham FC, the club who have hit the headlines
recently. A First Round FA Cup tie away to Barnsley ended 3-3, but the police kindly moving it to a Friday night went down like a sack of plop in Sussex for logistical
reasons. The replay was lost in front of a record crowd of 3,000, and the ITV
cameras at Hop Oast, but it wasn’t over, not just yet anyway.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4oU0zPfaCe4bL1Az9R1oceWFQu1PpAoLZ1FmquFURVr3kuiV113EnAOy4UKAcQwHqW4WRLeGVpowxVLajwTLlyNQl-nulNvw7fO3o4rFaHe6w-JgmPK_0gQCl4nezkWzNmbCO_NePlqvsnKLgfYLzbn6J_2pZfFbO3czUqxYlIuxRqDi3J-koFHPaMRQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4oU0zPfaCe4bL1Az9R1oceWFQu1PpAoLZ1FmquFURVr3kuiV113EnAOy4UKAcQwHqW4WRLeGVpowxVLajwTLlyNQl-nulNvw7fO3o4rFaHe6w-JgmPK_0gQCl4nezkWzNmbCO_NePlqvsnKLgfYLzbn6J_2pZfFbO3czUqxYlIuxRqDi3J-koFHPaMRQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />Barnsley fielded an ineligible player, so were slung out,
and Horsham had the pleasure of a Second Round trip to relatively near
neighbours Sutton United. To be fair, having drawn very near neighbours,
Dorking Wanderers, in the Fourth Qualifying Round and beating them 2-0, Sutton
are one of the nearest ‘big’ clubs to them (Crawley are closer be fair). However, the game ended in a 3-0 defeat for Horsham, but certainly not in disgrace. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4yCJuZOuEwMPLMRYjm7xrgKtJL8IW-t7160PpeEkXjxmLvXogC5sAKLEPIOSF3aq7UsDglVxC8tRkzpw5q6ZLMUSPYqpw8je1MrNOWCD-DJmpVTPpBaSmL4dhQYDKaF8Ho2X9m1svEXXNQ34B4J6vrtF6vos0URJy8IGq0Xgrqc3SKvDeISxaT9Xmgls" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4yCJuZOuEwMPLMRYjm7xrgKtJL8IW-t7160PpeEkXjxmLvXogC5sAKLEPIOSF3aq7UsDglVxC8tRkzpw5q6ZLMUSPYqpw8je1MrNOWCD-DJmpVTPpBaSmL4dhQYDKaF8Ho2X9m1svEXXNQ34B4J6vrtF6vos0URJy8IGq0Xgrqc3SKvDeISxaT9Xmgls" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Horsham story is quite an interesting one, post war they
found themselves playing in the Sussex, Metropolitan & District,
Corinthian, and Athenian Leagues, before moving into the Isthmian League in
1973. They kind of bumbled along for many seasons in the lower divisions until
making it to the Premier Division in 2006. This lasted for six seasons before
a rapid decline saw them drop into the Southern Combination (Step 5) for the
2015-16 season.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They won the championship at the first attempt, bouncing
back to the Isthmian League, and within three seasons they were back into the
Premier Division following a play-off final victory over Ashford United.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7ela2_8rmg_gFbnRhCGdWX7DvNJZbT9IMHjjzHNstFE_xmFusAqdqRdxZSQmmNT4tIeyWIzEWlNasIm3248GBnDkJITRfyfBK-BjkhB3PQeEqnF0znIoLdKvTDmRKA1JgnC4HNb-2xMkiE5SOW-bmBlllB4JC3TIST5GhG0_3blU0q83CxmCYAxGnMH4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7ela2_8rmg_gFbnRhCGdWX7DvNJZbT9IMHjjzHNstFE_xmFusAqdqRdxZSQmmNT4tIeyWIzEWlNasIm3248GBnDkJITRfyfBK-BjkhB3PQeEqnF0znIoLdKvTDmRKA1JgnC4HNb-2xMkiE5SOW-bmBlllB4JC3TIST5GhG0_3blU0q83CxmCYAxGnMH4" width="320" /></a></div><br />The FA Cup, this season notwithstanding, has not done the
club too badly over the years. My Dad will remember a 9-1 defeat at Notts
County in the First Round Proper during the 1947-48 season, while in the
1966-67 season they did it again, losing 3-0 at the then Queen Street ground to
Swindon Town.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2007-08 was an exciting season, beating Maidenhead United
4-1 at home in the First Round, before holding Swansea City to a televised 1-1
draw, and then succumbing 6-2 in the replay at the Liberty Stadium. 2021-22 saw
a 2-0 defeat at Carlisle United, this after a highly impressive 1-0 home
victory over Woking in the Fourth Qualifying Round.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZQQep87V2xfHnxk4ImqW7TDe9PTbSxXUJV-DvS63P2khgYrB0l0BBprk0WGTOQ9XITnInqCLnD9Ij7BiUfjAKe_gsV7xIpszbHX8X4lQOfAC10B-whtmx1wV9BeLXNlnGS79uH9Da_-3qzXbDBC-XyIHLCbl6vJ6ulQGdHto3tz6pQ-XdzlHZ0R6VcFk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZQQep87V2xfHnxk4ImqW7TDe9PTbSxXUJV-DvS63P2khgYrB0l0BBprk0WGTOQ9XITnInqCLnD9Ij7BiUfjAKe_gsV7xIpszbHX8X4lQOfAC10B-whtmx1wV9BeLXNlnGS79uH9Da_-3qzXbDBC-XyIHLCbl6vJ6ulQGdHto3tz6pQ-XdzlHZ0R6VcFk" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Queen Street ground in the centre of the town was exited
in 2008 after it was sold for housing, and for a number of years they shared at
the likes of Lancing, Worthing and former door neighbours Horsham YMCA.
Finally though after laborious planning issues that had to be resolved, they
gained permission to build on the Southern edges of the town, in an area known
as Hop Oast, which, is of course the un-sponsored name of the ground.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They moved in during the Summer of 2019, and that season was
of course curtailed in March 2020. The following season was a write off, so the
club only achieved it’s first full campaign at the venue in the 2021-22 season.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiadlNHcJk630adtXlHjixprmFOr2wNjkKCZJ5uJR8KHnUzc1H-SNtx69vz8UJIlj47Om2niycgCOXLygZNtPVTAGvMoe4R_DFeXKDaKKSQvMMTBQPaU5ROO8rbYG65uI4cFPNuo0x77iNrRDwj5wUE4rANRKdw2un9IRpyAovBrkxgtvZUT3C-v62GrP4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiadlNHcJk630adtXlHjixprmFOr2wNjkKCZJ5uJR8KHnUzc1H-SNtx69vz8UJIlj47Om2niycgCOXLygZNtPVTAGvMoe4R_DFeXKDaKKSQvMMTBQPaU5ROO8rbYG65uI4cFPNuo0x77iNrRDwj5wUE4rANRKdw2un9IRpyAovBrkxgtvZUT3C-v62GrP4" width="320" /></a></div><br />So what’s it like then?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have to say, I was hugely impressed. Once you’ve taken the
walk from the park and ride, the ground, set in a rural area with a golf course
on two sides, has an impressive two storey building behind the South goal that
houses the dressing rooms, offices, and a large bar area. In front of this is a
raised standing area that is protected by netting, with further standing at
pitch level below. Food is served from a hatch at one end of the building, and
then if you walk round in an anti-clockwise direction you’ve got two outdoor
bars flanking both ends of a good sized seated stand that straddles the half
way line.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIRFiY5OqFTXd9BUY1xVdL2yETsifLCThZ4CzNFiHS17gm-LRDd5AAgqZgPzzEh-74gVft17iwi3LBP_FriGXSrINzzNm7EhkczuZ1-9sSI3DuT4_P8eDNg336q_TFksc203iHQzXx_HJt48cTP1d-ikS7T2njlfRqMGn5v94KwKgCMaua04UrO0DXUio" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIRFiY5OqFTXd9BUY1xVdL2yETsifLCThZ4CzNFiHS17gm-LRDd5AAgqZgPzzEh-74gVft17iwi3LBP_FriGXSrINzzNm7EhkczuZ1-9sSI3DuT4_P8eDNg336q_TFksc203iHQzXx_HJt48cTP1d-ikS7T2njlfRqMGn5v94KwKgCMaua04UrO0DXUio" width="320" /></a></div><br />Moving round to the North side you’ve got some recently
added covered terracing, while on the West side you’ve got an additional two
areas of covered terracing either side of the dug outs. Impressively on this
side is a raised TV / Press gantry, very professional looking, and as good as
I’ve seen at any non-league ground, being fully enclosed and not exposed to the elements. This was no doubt
something that ITV were more than happy with on their recent visit!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHgWP8ClL0M-QQ602_QY4zcc68TmNeuP5EkTKuDmzK5PVGO2ieLh9_hg3-AyH-6ZdNWOch0azhR3AeyHUdqzykdTNzI_0EYi_C592LlmyZWGpKldACx1PvSMYc-SH0-f3xHaDNxb8yoJV87XOx-FniWcmY1H-qkd9Tk5J1f-beGHH7McK2q1fkU-TirBo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHgWP8ClL0M-QQ602_QY4zcc68TmNeuP5EkTKuDmzK5PVGO2ieLh9_hg3-AyH-6ZdNWOch0azhR3AeyHUdqzykdTNzI_0EYi_C592LlmyZWGpKldACx1PvSMYc-SH0-f3xHaDNxb8yoJV87XOx-FniWcmY1H-qkd9Tk5J1f-beGHH7McK2q1fkU-TirBo" width="320" /></a></div><br />I have a feeling since it was opened, a few bits have been
added, but right now it’s very impressive, and clearly it’s a case of, if you
build it, they will come, with good sized crowds frequenting the Hop Oast since
it opened it’s doors. 644 were in attendance today for the FA Trophy game, and
remember this was an all pay game, so no season tickets. The feel around the
place is a an excellent one, the support is loud and passionate, everyone seems
to be wearing club colours of some sorts, and it did look as though plenty of
money was being spent on fodder and liquid. The place and the people oozed
professionalism, this is a club on the up, National League South cannot be too
far away.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, with that all being so good, something had to let it
down, and that was the game, it was not the best by any means. Both sides
seemed to be somewhat bereft of ideas in the final third, but it was the hosts
from the Oast who had the edge and managed to score twice to make progress to the last 32 of the
competition.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2cIJ_yGZeHZvbTExCNnkpI25_kG6sNhG3e-c3ka3U51gKxPHGdI0hEs4T6R-kyIQT2Tw19EusknsqG-Gk0i_txfqMRn7i_oGTfvrgUza2SCn8gPCeLSrKynDn_dezoV6VPsnx0usNaAuO-ol--bFFnzbdLWbMIs4owTBcBtqcxHLMo7P4E3_oDVD5Byo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2cIJ_yGZeHZvbTExCNnkpI25_kG6sNhG3e-c3ka3U51gKxPHGdI0hEs4T6R-kyIQT2Tw19EusknsqG-Gk0i_txfqMRn7i_oGTfvrgUza2SCn8gPCeLSrKynDn_dezoV6VPsnx0usNaAuO-ol--bFFnzbdLWbMIs4owTBcBtqcxHLMo7P4E3_oDVD5Byo" width="320" /></a></div><br />Jack Brivio opened the scoring in the 29<sup>th</sup> minute
when the ball found it’s way into the net, whether intentionally or not, after the skipper made contact with a cross that was driven to the far post. The
second goal was without debate though and it came in injury time. Jack Mazzone
headed home at the far post after great play on the left hand side from the
dangerous substitute Daniel Ajakaiye. Peterborough Sports will be making a visit in the next round, my money would probably be on Horsham in that one,<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A happy crowd left the Hop Oast, and fears that it would be
carnage trying to get out of the park and ride were unfounded, it proved to be
a doddle and before you know it the delights of Dorking and eventually the M25
were upon us. As is always the case, in comparison to the journey down, the one
back was a breeze and I was dropping Thorpey off at the pub in Alfreton at
8.15pm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Maybe next week, the weather will be a bit kinder, and I
might end up at a game I actually set off for, but that's just too much to ask
isn’t it? Having said that, in terms of Horsham Football Club, Plan B’s don’t come much better
than that!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgowzqOORLyZMGhL5xSkdF9XgDv-sDWAYl-fs1DipQPWF0UEH_QaBItSILYiZD_eUOE8wEsTIR4HYvQ34rRpk1JKMk2CgjKMh_mhrQLJYyh9hYQcuDksjk42_7Ct9skT4H6cHb1_Td2VDp95ye36Sc9zd2EzKoSjJkCyRcFDil5miUubMOgDY5rp2LKyFk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgowzqOORLyZMGhL5xSkdF9XgDv-sDWAYl-fs1DipQPWF0UEH_QaBItSILYiZD_eUOE8wEsTIR4HYvQ34rRpk1JKMk2CgjKMh_mhrQLJYyh9hYQcuDksjk42_7Ct9skT4H6cHb1_Td2VDp95ye36Sc9zd2EzKoSjJkCyRcFDil5miUubMOgDY5rp2LKyFk" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-21085068994864704562023-12-08T09:37:00.000-08:002023-12-08T09:37:38.277-08:00Strawberry Switchblade<p class="MsoNormal">Leeds Medics & Dentists
2 Alwoodley 1<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yorkshire Amateur League – Supreme Division<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – No / No<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Frosticles, the Midlands and the North were riddled with
them on Saturday morning!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was going to be a messy weekend according to the forecast,
sub-zero temperatures, fog and snow, all the things needed to wreck football
plans, and unless you were planning on heading down the South coast, you were
going to struggle to avoid it, so 'they' said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My original plan was Frome Town, and although they did
manage to play, I was not prepared to risk that journey, not one bit,
especially given the remoteness of the location and the lack of a back up plan
should it be called off late on in an Alfreton Town v Walsall style!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So I needed a re-think, and that thinking time started on
the Friday night, I was looking at places like Basford United, Leek Town,
Sporting Khalsa, Redditch United, and even Ilkley Town! All plastics, all
places I’d been to before, but it looked as though it was going to be a needs
must scenario.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikEPMyJn9Z4ftDZFD3crDnXKsseHFGivLdFu_XdKAp_rKk7puyZSHMSdHjW-v3z1eiQ46V_6dGK-PoTMypb_wjHPQA96mtHjA27fHSqsaeSdpv7eQCaQuBlPogkckv__rekDgZtkIZzrMfV_wpKqKsWRaT4zLkKgIlZm8hKBf04mI7znfkGsydxyj3fcc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikEPMyJn9Z4ftDZFD3crDnXKsseHFGivLdFu_XdKAp_rKk7puyZSHMSdHjW-v3z1eiQ46V_6dGK-PoTMypb_wjHPQA96mtHjA27fHSqsaeSdpv7eQCaQuBlPogkckv__rekDgZtkIZzrMfV_wpKqKsWRaT4zLkKgIlZm8hKBf04mI7znfkGsydxyj3fcc" width="320" /></a></div><br />But then on Saturday morning I had a thought, and it was a
thought prompted by the Futbology App, my new favourite thing! I’ve now got
every game I’ve ever been to logged, but according to it, I’d yet to complete
the top flight of the Yorkshire Amateur League?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Surely that was a mistake, but no, it seemed that Leeds
Medics & Dentists, who play at Weetwood Sports Park in Leeds, had not been
visited. It had been visited, definitely, a grass pitch right at the far end of
the complex to watch Headingley play, but it seems, the app has got more than
one pitch logged for the venue, and the aforementioned medical boys were on the
3G up near to the main entrance. The result, an annoying gap on the app!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I had a look, they were at home, and according to Full Time,
it was game on. I did a bit of research, sent a couple of texts, and it was all
affirmative, it was 2pm, on the 3G, and they were going to turn up and play it!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So that made my mind up, a sort of new ground, in fact no,
it was a new ground, the other one I went to was about 400 yards away, the bloody
grounds in Dundee are closer! The only downside being the fun and games of
getting through Leeds, especially with Middlesbrough the visitors to a sell out
Elland Road.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMAyOag8ooJjVjC4SQGY95zwKoySSGLcY0uGUAQzb79vCa41cYYXrZoDgig338MfwpcLOWxRvGUQEkJP8FsL9o1pIsIQiRA6NAqhbI2HcGTir62Fa9C_eaTfXhhOV0AqJ8c1NWtBbHUBwQk8JvuQNU_bhXfSPhrZOOuzz1jow5uqSWJUcs5gbQtdfDSDM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMAyOag8ooJjVjC4SQGY95zwKoySSGLcY0uGUAQzb79vCa41cYYXrZoDgig338MfwpcLOWxRvGUQEkJP8FsL9o1pIsIQiRA6NAqhbI2HcGTir62Fa9C_eaTfXhhOV0AqJ8c1NWtBbHUBwQk8JvuQNU_bhXfSPhrZOOuzz1jow5uqSWJUcs5gbQtdfDSDM" width="320" /></a></div><br />It took ages to get to, the M1 was stop start up towards
Sheffield, and then the M621 wasn’t that great in the vicinity of LUFC, but
none of that was a patch on trying to get out of Leeds and up through
Headingley, especially on a day when the students had decided to have an
en-masse fancy dress pub crawl!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I eventually parked up at Weetwood a mere twenty minutes
before kick off, and thankfully, once I’d located the pitch amongst the
plethora of sporting facilities, I could see two teams warming up, we had a
game.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Weetwood Sports Park sits on the far North side of Leeds,
just off the roundabout where Otley Road meets the Ring Road. In the past I
have gone all the way up the M1 to Thorpe Arch and then gone across the ring
road, but today I made life more difficult for myself! The venue is Leeds
University’s sports complex, and not to be confused with Boddington which sits
over the road, and was indeed the place I went to just over a year ago to watch
Leeds University beat Alwoodley 10-3 (which I alluded to in the recent SESKU
Miners blog).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPBDWZ7NqTkjiQnS5wa61KkbT_Fat-DeNCo1iMT59E5sftbe6QWIb_43sWIslaSCaZCVZrbyLO4SLmM8Z0V9NBNQiGNdt0efhjezMC5pkpj9b6GQoR6L9Z799DjGZUS338ybi7FLrmQ95a1WcRrYfPPYEY75GX0rcgPbgQCbXPzF9K7TL_p1SayL8Zx64" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPBDWZ7NqTkjiQnS5wa61KkbT_Fat-DeNCo1iMT59E5sftbe6QWIb_43sWIslaSCaZCVZrbyLO4SLmM8Z0V9NBNQiGNdt0efhjezMC5pkpj9b6GQoR6L9Z799DjGZUS338ybi7FLrmQ95a1WcRrYfPPYEY75GX0rcgPbgQCbXPzF9K7TL_p1SayL8Zx64" width="320" /></a></div><br />Weetwood is made up of a rugby league venue (used by Leeds
Gryphons), two hockey pitches, the 3G football pitch, a couple of cricket
pitches and numerous grass football pitches. They also have a number of smaller
3G areas for other sports, but I couldn’t be that arsed to walk and have a look
at what they were used for, besides, they were probably covered in snow anyway!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Weetwood also has a pub onsite called the Stables, plus it
has a Hotel called the Weetwood Park Estate, so it is a pretty plush all round
venue. Clearly once the home of some landed gentry, I suspect it was bequeathed
to the University and they have now got custody of a veritable goldmine!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Between the rugby pitch and the 3G football pitch is a
building that houses both a covered area for viewing the rugby, and a bar / café
area raised up and cut into the grass banking upon which it sits, and this allows viewing of the game if you wished to do so in the
warmth. I nipped in for a coffee, Strawberry Switchblade were playing on the
radio, ’Since Yesterday’, one of the finest poptastic tunes ever, that made my
day, the football mattered not anymore….. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The game pitched a Medics side who were sat in a mid-table
space, against a visiting outfit who had only taken four points from their
opening 13 games, conceding 66 goals in the process. Choosing to view the game
from the top of the grass bank behind the goal (you weren’t allowed inside the
cage), it was the hosts who took a very early lead, literally straight from the
kick off, but on the ten minute mark Alwoodley found a way back into the game
thanks to a well taken equaliser.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQU3H5_UFyAW_IFYwA0M2wskQ6CQhhOs1gA-YiKeQ_KappIZCL4II2aaSJus24oMf9qlJL88GotIl0PcujmgsZ7Z-yAXBEWct75FcOreGVFn3eRcdwk4iOQSPwBosCc1n4WkteU-mE58UQyWAVeYFRaHBIrK4HYZhX3qYSOPEK2o0vLI7R1u8867o7mOI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQU3H5_UFyAW_IFYwA0M2wskQ6CQhhOs1gA-YiKeQ_KappIZCL4II2aaSJus24oMf9qlJL88GotIl0PcujmgsZ7Z-yAXBEWct75FcOreGVFn3eRcdwk4iOQSPwBosCc1n4WkteU-mE58UQyWAVeYFRaHBIrK4HYZhX3qYSOPEK2o0vLI7R1u8867o7mOI" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Medics made it 2-1 before half time, but thereafter the
second half was a pretty close affair, producing little in the way of clear cut
chances for either side, but it wasn’t without plenty of effort and endeavour.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So that was it, back in the car, back through Leeds the same
way I came (why did I do that??), and eventually onto the motorway network,
giving me the opportunity to take in the second half updates across the country
via 5 Live, one of the benefits of a 2pm kick off and certainly a way of making
the journeys feel like they are going that bit quicker.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once home, it was interesting to see what actually took
place on the football front, and it was very much a North / South divide. The
North was obliterated, the South not so much. The following midweek didn’t look
too promising either. Looks like plastics for the foreseeable, and some would
say were mad, venturing out in the conditions we do, but we keep doing it don’t
we, not wanting to miss a moments opportunity to watch some togger? Which
nicely take me back to the profound lyrics of Strawberry Switchblade…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>“When tomorrow comes, you’ll wish you had today…” </p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-11394035469455636462023-12-03T13:06:00.000-08:002023-12-03T13:06:02.764-08:00Pedigree<p>Stafford Rangers
2 Atherton Collieries 0</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Northern Premier League – Premier Division<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £13 / £2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I waxed lyrical recently about Frickley Athletic, and how
they are what I would describe as a ‘Proper’ non-league football club, with
history, tradition, an iconic ground, and, a knowledgeable and passionate fan
base.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, you can add another club to that last, Stafford
Rangers, one of the giants of Midlands non-league football, and a club I first
visited in 1994, for what was only my second ever game in the then GM Vauxhall
Conference, or, the top tier of semi-professional football.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have pretty good memories of the day, it was a home game
against Yeovil Town, another non-league giant at the time, and a club, when
compared to Stafford, that went on to have a very different journey altogether.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJNRIhG2I3qMsMfxZeFvrrkgkObnynva3Aaa_PfNtfAoAWaIAKRJ_QhOiESFYlMu8yqjKyb9prq3tlwUUuZPQAYUm1MQrrOi6ESmxM0C488Kik0oT7siRe1RGRBCdMZGZLAPiCzz_yHkQf0aWIbcxaCTXzePZiAcB1XbEqUiq4k6Pn53z6l1NYbDkRp1k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJNRIhG2I3qMsMfxZeFvrrkgkObnynva3Aaa_PfNtfAoAWaIAKRJ_QhOiESFYlMu8yqjKyb9prq3tlwUUuZPQAYUm1MQrrOi6ESmxM0C488Kik0oT7siRe1RGRBCdMZGZLAPiCzz_yHkQf0aWIbcxaCTXzePZiAcB1XbEqUiq4k6Pn53z6l1NYbDkRp1k" width="320" /></a></div><br />I remembered how impressed I was with the ground, how vocal
both sets of fans were, and on the day how Rangers smashed Yeovil 4-1. I
actually saw the corresponding game later in the season at Huish Park (I was
friends with a Yeovil fan from my recently ended University days), which Yeovil
won 1-0. By this stage Stafford were looking in deep trouble and did eventually
end up getting relegated after finishing next to bottom.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been a few times since, I took my Dad once to see a
pre-season game against Hednesford Town, whereas more recently I went on New
Years Day in 2015 to see Leek Town defeated 1-0, and then again a couple of
seasons ago when I turned up at Madeley White Star only to find the game was
off, so opted for a Plan B which was Rangers against Bamber Bridge.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s one of those places though, close enough to visit as
and when it takes your fancy, but just far enough away for it not to become
somewhere you go three or four times a season. Stafford from Belper is a touch
over an hour, so having arrived home from a lovely morning and lunchtime in
Salford to celebrate my daughter’s graduation, I decided to take a ride over
for the midweek game against Atherton Collieries, and as it turned out, the
battle of the bottom two in the top flight of the Northern Premier League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjaNVTaIR4qSRny6btuxAk-yAhtYn72NEHfvypBCCKq5INC-514EaVQDZRObNn8XLr_uM_Q0L5x9g1-hRU5loRiDWtLyyQqDHidctR_Tbl3pw0b9uJg5oGbIl55w8HgvOIpvUS1IGaqzmA9PTds0qYZLeuUgMWIuOIZ9wtRdzbQthItlYZAxSqBH4SFvc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjaNVTaIR4qSRny6btuxAk-yAhtYn72NEHfvypBCCKq5INC-514EaVQDZRObNn8XLr_uM_Q0L5x9g1-hRU5loRiDWtLyyQqDHidctR_Tbl3pw0b9uJg5oGbIl55w8HgvOIpvUS1IGaqzmA9PTds0qYZLeuUgMWIuOIZ9wtRdzbQthItlYZAxSqBH4SFvc" width="320" /></a></div><br />Rangers, or ‘Boro’ as the locals call them, have one hell of
history. After being a Cheshire League club from the early fifties, they became
founder members of the NPL in 1969, before then winning it in 1972, beating
giants like Boston United, Wigan Athletic, Scarborough and Altrincham to the
crown. The NPL era (the first one), saw
Boro consistently finish in the upper reaches, and as a result they were
invited to become founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They found the step up tougher, lasting four seasons before
being relegated, but two years later and they were back again after claiming a
further NPL crown in 1985. A ten year spell in the top flight followed, with a
best finish of sixth place, but then as I mentioned earlier, they were
relegated again in 1995, and following that the club had a tough period.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhct3pGmVK1F0ri8B1HPneDZ2Y9TNq3HXdAUZ_oXI6144CvO-9SVv4c3NAnip29u4oDgNp_1b3fzvL5nSw5QsFlo6yJoRlSN0B-L7t937RvQmtSarbYhG_Kfu8jhV7I6PDtmO2qO6PrV_bvi8KuJAO7kXlliRBOBp3DggylFkrN428sATiCCSmzLSnQYsU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhct3pGmVK1F0ri8B1HPneDZ2Y9TNq3HXdAUZ_oXI6144CvO-9SVv4c3NAnip29u4oDgNp_1b3fzvL5nSw5QsFlo6yJoRlSN0B-L7t937RvQmtSarbYhG_Kfu8jhV7I6PDtmO2qO6PrV_bvi8KuJAO7kXlliRBOBp3DggylFkrN428sATiCCSmzLSnQYsU" width="320" /></a></div><br />Another relegation immediately followed and they spent a
further four years in the regional divisions of the Southern League, finally
getting back to the Premier Division in 2000. Another four years later they
finished high enough up to be invited to become founder members of the
Conference North, and within two seasons they had beaten both Harrogate Town
and Droylsden in the Play Offs, to make it back to the top table again.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It lasted two seasons, then three seasons came and went
again in Conference North, followed by three more n the NPL Premier, before a
relegation to the fourth tier of non-league football came in 2014. The club
were now at their lowest point, and it two took seasons to get back to Step 3,
courtesy of a comfortable league title winning campaign, but for now, they remain
at the third tier, and haven’t really threatened to make another leap forward.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s been a real rollercoaster of journey for the club, but
notwithstanding what’s happened in the league, what about the cups?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Wow, let’s start with the FA Trophy. They beat Barnet at
Wembley in 1972 courtesy of a 3-0 score line to win it a first time, they then
lost in the semi-final to Wigan Athletic the next season before going to
Wembley again in 1976, this time losing 3-2 to Scarborough.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A third visit to the Twin Towers came in 1979, and in front
of a then record crowd, Kettering Town were beaten 2-0, whereas in 1990 they
reached the semi-final again, only to lose over two legs to Leek Town.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYUG7V2BjYWKbsVAPkUuvaCU9SZ0az8Ju_ibU37b3vQQEKI_eJUFcLMDjVHLs5YAN5PfaOQsImms2W99dq4KvrK9Rd8fB4V4Y_WBECWvC9CsJP2wL07nW5BKj0LZ4VCRd936IKuFvPW2Ra6lqOWwR815Yx4WvQloUXvsybQotYUlSYhDe8DfZRoS1HPpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYUG7V2BjYWKbsVAPkUuvaCU9SZ0az8Ju_ibU37b3vQQEKI_eJUFcLMDjVHLs5YAN5PfaOQsImms2W99dq4KvrK9Rd8fB4V4Y_WBECWvC9CsJP2wL07nW5BKj0LZ4VCRd936IKuFvPW2Ra6lqOWwR815Yx4WvQloUXvsybQotYUlSYhDe8DfZRoS1HPpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />In the FA Cup they’ve reached the First Round Proper
numerous times, but a best season came in 1974-75 when three Football League
clubs were beaten (Stockport County, Halifax Town, Rotherham United), before
losing 2-1 at home to Peterborough United in the Fourth Round. Who did they
beat in the First Qualifying Round, needing a replay? Belper Town of course
(and I have both programmes!)<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, taking all of this into account, you can clearly see why
I would describe Stafford Rangers as a ‘Proper’ non-league club, but what of
Marston Road these days? The ground is located to the North of the town centre,
in an area dominated by both housing and industry, and coming from the
Uttoxeter area, you nip round the ring road and approach it from the North,
avoiding having to go into the centre of town. Parking though, isn’t that
plentiful in the area, or if it is, I’ve never been able to find it!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you want to get in the car park, you need to be an early
bird, which I was. The car park sits behind the North end of the ground, with
the large clubhouse contained within it. The clubhouse is made up of a numbers
of rooms, with one of them, a large area, backing onto the terraces, and if you
so wish, you can choose to view the game out of the windows.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW3RbVDLCREwNdYus5k6ZsZeTrgu7ajvSVLKsIWQdVLIEn9yIYsI6sGIpjRMqZR_L7eHzZIUK53nx5vnwPy-kvBINkyN8_iL1m08XeZ-my1jRbCJAoOFj0fY5e015Z06-biOVcLsHjCHK7ZFkLp8hMOgslfrgJVoSYUrCG3RnPKndQyZZWdPSvgv_q_9Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW3RbVDLCREwNdYus5k6ZsZeTrgu7ajvSVLKsIWQdVLIEn9yIYsI6sGIpjRMqZR_L7eHzZIUK53nx5vnwPy-kvBINkyN8_iL1m08XeZ-my1jRbCJAoOFj0fY5e015Z06-biOVcLsHjCHK7ZFkLp8hMOgslfrgJVoSYUrCG3RnPKndQyZZWdPSvgv_q_9Q" width="320" /></a></div><br />The turnstiles are in the North West corner, with the
dressing rooms immediately on the right had side as you enter. Following the
ground round in an anti-clockwise direction you’ve then got a club shop and a
burger van before you get to the steep seated stand that straddles the half way
line.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Beyond the stand is some terracing which extends round the
South goal, with an area of cover to the rear of the steps, this end is known
as the ‘Shed End’. I can recall back when I first went, this end was more of a
cinder bank, albeit still covered.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixAI8JD7y-5kF2UaeZfv3WAUdhzRHqlQB8VnTGC-IQ7Ecy_lcZ3q3AQQnUjDQouTSm5qaIVXCWfUOQCCg0CdtQBHVZtEarWQnXu-BJgUdAF_ZP8Lg8l-HfluD46EAsEkcHsy1uMRtK0klF_5xPiwFcPHdVU1EO-7RYRpZmbjy7uWKGsSIVjQCR1BYQ4DI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixAI8JD7y-5kF2UaeZfv3WAUdhzRHqlQB8VnTGC-IQ7Ecy_lcZ3q3AQQnUjDQouTSm5qaIVXCWfUOQCCg0CdtQBHVZtEarWQnXu-BJgUdAF_ZP8Lg8l-HfluD46EAsEkcHsy1uMRtK0klF_5xPiwFcPHdVU1EO-7RYRpZmbjy7uWKGsSIVjQCR1BYQ4DI" width="320" /></a></div><br />Moving round to the East you have more terracing, which
extends the length of the side, with some low cover running along around two
thirds of it. This side has gates and fences that would allow for segregation
as and when needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You then come round
to the North end, where again you have a couple of steps of terracing, which
sit right in front of the aforementioned clubhouse.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Boro had appointed a new manager prior to the game, the chap
who had success with Nantwich Town, Dave Cooke. It’s doubtful he would have had
much time to influence matters, but his presence certainly saw the hosts put on
a performance that earned them a deserved three points.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The impressive Ethan Stewart slotted home from close range
virtually on the stroke of half time, and then not long after the restart the
same player flicked the ball over the Colls goalkeeper with the outside of his
foot. That was pretty much game set and match, with Colls having plenty of
effort, but no end product, whereas Rangers could have gone on to extend their
winning margin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With the cold starting to bite, the crowd of 422 made their
way into the Stafford night, hoping that the change in manager will see them
pull clear of the relegation zone. A club like Stafford Rangers, on so many
levels, should not be plying their trade at Step 4 again, under any circumstances.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkAokLeFH2pWYc-eIJk26RqeZ5kQ-cQ1XQOW5cqHQYReNcJH3QB_82EQwMJ6FndTnCGBNsONTHydIi2UGtwcgyKWKqFS48cBBxbZYxyMpweY2KeNKZrwLQ4xzopL6mnFZV4wSezDmo-jmn4S5GHXDSTilKCGiwPrikXepm0XjD4XvOtEHsluN5gvKuCbo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkAokLeFH2pWYc-eIJk26RqeZ5kQ-cQ1XQOW5cqHQYReNcJH3QB_82EQwMJ6FndTnCGBNsONTHydIi2UGtwcgyKWKqFS48cBBxbZYxyMpweY2KeNKZrwLQ4xzopL6mnFZV4wSezDmo-jmn4S5GHXDSTilKCGiwPrikXepm0XjD4XvOtEHsluN5gvKuCbo" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-16367235907413028492023-12-01T14:22:00.000-08:002023-12-01T14:22:28.307-08:00Chocolate Orange<p>Chipstead 2 Sutton Common Rovers 3</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian Football League – Division One South Central<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – £10 / Online<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll be honest, since the M25 debacle a couple of weeks ago,
I’ve been right royally irritated about being denied the opportunity to go to
Chipstead.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not like it really makes any difference to be honest, just a
case of reshuffling the fixtures and pencilling it back in again, it matters
not really. That said, I felt irritated all the same, Ascot was great, but it
wasn’t Chipstead. Touching the FA Vase was fantastic, but it wasn’t Chipstead.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Getting the picture yet? Very inexplicably, and quite
irrationally, it’s been bugging me, so the first opportunity to redress the
balance, and I was going!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheMZ0LZ2U2k3akq5FB0v7BBXCwYGi8ZFKLn84IxEfAnsXpiH-qW-biDN2K60U0hGVUOEWSvdm4aDjFdlY9S75sW0OOEdE5aNsK4obLFASsF-QrEr5r29F5Si55UQP1j7wBfBd8cuLAtnBt0N4z0535qmP_MaZxOuMkn9NXwDIhVPRjYa78AnKMusUiC_g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheMZ0LZ2U2k3akq5FB0v7BBXCwYGi8ZFKLn84IxEfAnsXpiH-qW-biDN2K60U0hGVUOEWSvdm4aDjFdlY9S75sW0OOEdE5aNsK4obLFASsF-QrEr5r29F5Si55UQP1j7wBfBd8cuLAtnBt0N4z0535qmP_MaZxOuMkn9NXwDIhVPRjYa78AnKMusUiC_g" width="320" /></a></div><br />Two weeks it’s taken, of stewing, pondering and wondering
what might have been, but the time arrived, Saturday 25<sup>th</sup> November,
a home game against near neighbours Sutton Common Rovers, and for me, as it was
my birthday, the second most exciting thing of the weekend after Mrs H treated
me to a meal at a Thai Restaurant the night before!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again, this time
setting off well in good time, and despite the usual shite around Luton, the
M25 was pretty much plain sailing, and as the clock ticked just past 1.30pm, I
was winding my way down the leafy back lanes that bought me into Chipstead from
the South. Chipstead is only a village, located not far from Banstead, and
indeed very close to Kingswood, a place I spent some time in while I was on
residential training at Legal & General (the location where some of St
Trinian’s was filmed apparently!). I may be wrong, but I seem to think George
Best spent some of his latter years living in Kingswood.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOir5SQhqFA8kB7ZE6dvbbeNCrNxnCh0qIxwyVs26KWSflJ3l5rhXexXE2f9wvNRXOlPv1OhCONCw_QJO5-A-KslcBCUovisoQ120svqubLPimnK8ihbrPOU0mGAfZpf69QqF0lfhTacCMYgsv-ObzON2qChuMufkx-8HQ3z_RYWcNNLvYf64YqsPWH4o" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2439" data-original-width="2402" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOir5SQhqFA8kB7ZE6dvbbeNCrNxnCh0qIxwyVs26KWSflJ3l5rhXexXE2f9wvNRXOlPv1OhCONCw_QJO5-A-KslcBCUovisoQ120svqubLPimnK8ihbrPOU0mGAfZpf69QqF0lfhTacCMYgsv-ObzON2qChuMufkx-8HQ3z_RYWcNNLvYf64YqsPWH4o" width="236" /></a></div><br />The football ground is located on the right hand side, just
before you enter into the residential part of the village, and as a result it’s
very rural and leafy, and on a cold autumnal day, it was a pleasant place to
be, despite what was without doubt the bitterest Saturday of the season so far.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The car park sits between the football ground and Chipstead,
Coulsdon and Walcountians Cricket Club (yes, the area is as middle class as the
name would suggest!), it wasn’t the biggest so I was glad I was early, and
thinking about it, if I had made it in time for kick off the other week, Christ
knows where I would have parked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLBH_S7W-r02bndwll8bo2OZVeru_Z2LgeFzxfz6WKVIxw4FACCgPR7tQpQBD2yV3MQfn9FKhaPV7dMfb89OY3Hq6tH1_eBI9e7troF212oElfloLTVWJyWiqy9WY6w39IHq4oaQk15MfF0H2PaIdJHUoWCjx3yIH5nmUAz4Y-aFKp0LgEMinkGcNXpE4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLBH_S7W-r02bndwll8bo2OZVeru_Z2LgeFzxfz6WKVIxw4FACCgPR7tQpQBD2yV3MQfn9FKhaPV7dMfb89OY3Hq6tH1_eBI9e7troF212oElfloLTVWJyWiqy9WY6w39IHq4oaQk15MfF0H2PaIdJHUoWCjx3yIH5nmUAz4Y-aFKp0LgEMinkGcNXpE4" width="320" /></a></div><br />The clubhouse sits just outside the ground, with the
dressing rooms conjoined, however, if you want a pint, you need to go into the
club before you go into the ground as it’s not accessible once through the
turnstiles.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After you’ve had a pint, and gone through the turnstiles,
High Road (yes, that is the grounds name), is a pleasant facility, with three
areas of cover. Behind the South goal is some narrow terracing with a roof on
it, which runs down to the goal from the corner nearest the turnstiles, whereas
behind the opposite goal is another smaller area of cover which is of the
scaffold and cladding design, just covering the concrete walkway. The seated
area is on the West side of the ground and is a typical Atcost style structure,
with the tea bar to the side of it and the toilets behind.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0BpMgEEFO_PKzaCRSuaGo_gDiWA-7KST_hdHJbZm3aFN68z3Qt-HeIvKOfGB5IsCFh7XVxkTY5mL2X_5OLOsPK2-wYYw2eMHZjJ174fJUXZTyh3CGaMiix63uB5DpQ75oz_pbvSDiK-fpt38_thbl9z1N_jp25ClAR3FA00OB6yTNNSl3U3K3rWWoZ6M" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0BpMgEEFO_PKzaCRSuaGo_gDiWA-7KST_hdHJbZm3aFN68z3Qt-HeIvKOfGB5IsCFh7XVxkTY5mL2X_5OLOsPK2-wYYw2eMHZjJ174fJUXZTyh3CGaMiix63uB5DpQ75oz_pbvSDiK-fpt38_thbl9z1N_jp25ClAR3FA00OB6yTNNSl3U3K3rWWoZ6M" width="320" /></a></div><br />The history of Chipstead is a lengthy one. They were formed
in 1906, and in 1962 joined the Surrey Intermediate League, before moving to
the Surrey Premier League in 1982.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Combined Counties League beckoned in 1986, and their
period in the competition was a successful one. Winning the league twice and
being runners up on three occasions. The final championship came in 2006-7 when
a 99 point haul combined with 114 goals scored, saw them promoted to the
Isthmian League for the first time ever.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If we are being honest, the Isthmian, at times has been a
struggle. The club have finished tenth three times, but five times have ended
up in the bottom four, albeit surviving every time. This season they were
sitting in a mid-table position prior to the game, very much like the visitors.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A best FA Cup performance came in 2008-09 when they reached
the final qualifying round, only to lose 4-1 at Torquay United, while the Vase
and Trophy have not really provided any notable highlights. That said, when it
comes to trophies, a number of League Cup’s and Divisional Cup’s were plundered
in the Combined Counties League days, albeit the bulk of them back in the
Nineties.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The game itself proved to be entertaining. The hosts took
the lead in the 20<sup>th</sup> minute thanks to a neat finish from Daniel
Berry, but SCR (I will go abbreviated from now on) grabbed an equaliser ten
minutes before the break through Charlie Martin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4cW-FQxccdsRA9z8RJ0Hlrp-aoxeaBsbagFEEaiT2VSQSeRfFLy8V9sU0AtZ-QRsWKWCXeC_0ksCcUTtBOOHLMmD-TDMp4q6O_WUXP_WDMc0Gi-x3pMx2RtOc7o07Ty5yKgLrjQfQP1Zz2z1Krw9T5Mw39l0mbsCzUpcDUhREs3lcL_QRt7Ta-W3IcqY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4cW-FQxccdsRA9z8RJ0Hlrp-aoxeaBsbagFEEaiT2VSQSeRfFLy8V9sU0AtZ-QRsWKWCXeC_0ksCcUTtBOOHLMmD-TDMp4q6O_WUXP_WDMc0Gi-x3pMx2RtOc7o07Ty5yKgLrjQfQP1Zz2z1Krw9T5Mw39l0mbsCzUpcDUhREs3lcL_QRt7Ta-W3IcqY" width="320" /></a></div><br />SCR came out for the second half looking that bit more fired
up than Chipstead, and it was Martin who game them the lead when he ran onto a
ball over the top and lobbed the goalkeeper, and then within five minutes that
same player grabbed his hat-trick goal from the penalty spot following a
handball decision.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At 3-1, you felt SCR had it in the bag but as we moved into
injury time the hosts were awarded a penalty and up stepped Martin Sontan to
score, but it was to no avail, and despite six minutes of added time, I felt it
was a deserved victory for the boys from up the road.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0-M0cYfKmQg6BQycdtOVB9DXsxk8lwoAivvZQyRYP2OgMmtzAi8K0SotevUMREmN1MubMajTRgcRp7s1dqnLG957Up8aOGqsm0cQ09Twi2Dn_VyUYXMcHcwPgPlVSXj7YJCiQuhpqU9xaepkhlsgo0fo7l3WNeAshLTDKsUP4ec3YeUH6_UaQtNnmKMA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0-M0cYfKmQg6BQycdtOVB9DXsxk8lwoAivvZQyRYP2OgMmtzAi8K0SotevUMREmN1MubMajTRgcRp7s1dqnLG957Up8aOGqsm0cQ09Twi2Dn_VyUYXMcHcwPgPlVSXj7YJCiQuhpqU9xaepkhlsgo0fo7l3WNeAshLTDKsUP4ec3YeUH6_UaQtNnmKMA" width="320" /></a></div><br />125 watched it, many taking advantage of the fact that the
door between the bar and the ground was left open for the second half…..a wise
move on the part of the club. I couldn’t partake though, I had the M25 and the
M1 to contend with, which both behaved impeccably, as they normally do when you
aren’t on a deadline! <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was satisfying though, satisfying to scratch the itch, to
rip off the plaster, to put it to bed, call it what you like, but when you turn
51, little things are all it takes to please….like a chocolate orange for
example, but that can wait until tomorrow!<o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-2614161902052836202023-11-23T05:48:00.000-08:002023-11-23T05:48:30.685-08:00In The Country<p>SESKU Miners 10 Youdan
3</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League – Division
Two<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme – No / No<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It never crossed my mind when sat in the car park at
Frickley Athletic on Tuesday night, that I’d be back in the very same car park
four days later!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I had a plan, a wonderful plan to be fair, I was going to
set off down the M1 and head into North East London for a game at the
Barkingside football ground, where Redbridge FC play. The weather forecast was
a bit iffy, but on the balance of things, it should have been ok.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-MogOl486u5DHo2VQLFKwBk8_g7blT1rzGUrCQr5Zg_6mj9gyoHGSZIB2gZd36NNo9tMwCkO-OOfTFCyWZzG9m4LRAWgDP2_0NystDJXOFP6IL4u35wahN2BJQCw8q1i27GFkEvPvRb8EZ6NF9SpNmleDCZ9zS8fM-7oUFrK7uYLpowj4JfNFj-GA3v8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-MogOl486u5DHo2VQLFKwBk8_g7blT1rzGUrCQr5Zg_6mj9gyoHGSZIB2gZd36NNo9tMwCkO-OOfTFCyWZzG9m4LRAWgDP2_0NystDJXOFP6IL4u35wahN2BJQCw8q1i27GFkEvPvRb8EZ6NF9SpNmleDCZ9zS8fM-7oUFrK7uYLpowj4JfNFj-GA3v8" width="320" /></a></div><br />Except, I was on the train to Manchester on the Thursday for
a day sesh round the Christmas Markets with daughter, when I thought I’d follow
Redbridge on Twitter to keep an eye on things. It was only then that I thought something wasn’t quite right because they were advertising a bus trip to
Hereford!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Turns out I’d not spotted the fact they were still in the FA
Trophy, and instead of being at home in the league, they were having a day out
instead! That blew that one out, so I decided to have a re-think and
have a proper look on the Friday at what alternative options were available.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsamimmI7FTHhcLnFoGsS9PJpeVt7ofpIhW3qXj3mozmcdjnU6EEG8QL0R6AeM29VFkOuymt-aDCAKrWt2WV5MYmDzM4HgnxEOJBNmzmbzNXVfgz18WkKMQ_geagslMmYLcabNO06ArNTUKYNvouAHVdpSUqq0w230pE820wsXbjVbfU4GpJGnWO5IMPw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsamimmI7FTHhcLnFoGsS9PJpeVt7ofpIhW3qXj3mozmcdjnU6EEG8QL0R6AeM29VFkOuymt-aDCAKrWt2WV5MYmDzM4HgnxEOJBNmzmbzNXVfgz18WkKMQ_geagslMmYLcabNO06ArNTUKYNvouAHVdpSUqq0w230pE820wsXbjVbfU4GpJGnWO5IMPw" width="320" /></a></div><br />The weather forecast for the South East was Billy Grimbo, I
toyed with a 2pm at Sittingbourne, but with no plastic options in the vicinity,
and having agreed to do something on the home front at 7.30pm on Saturday
night, the idea of travelling a distance was looking less and less appealing.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I then remembered about SESKU Miners, a new team in the
Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League, who had set up home on the
new 3G pitch which sat in Frickley Country Park, effectively North East of the
home of Athletic, around 200 yards or so away. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I didn’t put the venue on the list at the start of the
season, largely because adjacent to the 4G is a grass pitch within Frickley
Country Park that I’ve seen South Elmsall<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>United Services play on, but, I decided to keep it in mind for an
occasion when I was struggling elsewhere due to weather etc.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikpQEy2Ghz6ClOLBY8k0nG-QtgluKwB87n1lKlBAI7978expuA8kFFHPdQZrTZOnkXe3Pd5KODsC4v_PTr2Xciy0DJT5cCT8BT7S3Pr6VdsyUo4IGgwdhN4ckGonuBXV7GpeJjeOZAVdP08v9Pef5tj2sbks_xzHGTOcen3yS6Wq1JfrlB-L9bVY9lgYo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikpQEy2Ghz6ClOLBY8k0nG-QtgluKwB87n1lKlBAI7978expuA8kFFHPdQZrTZOnkXe3Pd5KODsC4v_PTr2Xciy0DJT5cCT8BT7S3Pr6VdsyUo4IGgwdhN4ckGonuBXV7GpeJjeOZAVdP08v9Pef5tj2sbks_xzHGTOcen3yS6Wq1JfrlB-L9bVY9lgYo" width="320" /></a></div><br />That moment had arrived, a look at the fixtures confirmed
they were indeed due to be at home, and after connecting with them via Facebook
and asking the question, all was quickly confirmed as good to go, against
visiting Youdan from deepest Sheffield.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, parked in the same car park, this time in daylight, it
was a case of waiting for the players to arrive, from the both sides, which
they duly did, but somewhat confusingly they were heading straight down to the
pitch rather than into the relatively newly built changing room block behind
the goal at Athletic’s ground, which United Services used when I last visited.
Turns out there is a little bit more to the 3G at Frickley Country Park than
you might expect!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For a start, you can access three sides of it, and as you
walk in you’ve got cabins that serve as toilets, and a Tea Bar (separately I might add). The changing
room issue was quickly resolved, turns out on the side that spectators can’t
access, in each corner is a wooden building (not to be confused with a shed)
that the teams use to change in. Whether they have showers etc is unclear but
you would assume so? In short, it was better than I was expecting, and rather
than looking and feeling like a school or leisure centre facility, it actually felt like and
resembled a football ground! The facilities, which are built on what was the
former slag heap that dominated the local area, look to have been funded by,
and are owned by South Elmsall Town Council, in partnership with the local
sports association.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZW6dAuHAMrJAMlyLHnOJbOZvSLEDjdA3GjQns8lYW_7WWytAAn1SVKQCmZlt5lKsqyw6nZkfHLkLKiwskUpOjQEQlMtVNmAxYFW3zKXgjpV_Dytx9UwVf85Vs31mg0iqj984e7qJbnWtOduPVGurrvuI5OgestVep91JpXoJdG3v3I8nbOa1XPdZVBu8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZW6dAuHAMrJAMlyLHnOJbOZvSLEDjdA3GjQns8lYW_7WWytAAn1SVKQCmZlt5lKsqyw6nZkfHLkLKiwskUpOjQEQlMtVNmAxYFW3zKXgjpV_Dytx9UwVf85Vs31mg0iqj984e7qJbnWtOduPVGurrvuI5OgestVep91JpXoJdG3v3I8nbOa1XPdZVBu8" width="320" /></a></div><br />So what is SESKU?<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An acronym, South Elmsall, South Kirkby, Upton, three former
mining communities in the locality, who have a combined football club, recently formed
it seems, serving all ages. They put a side in the bottom tier of the County
Senior at the start of this season, and so far it’s been going ok, six wins
from eight games has kept them in touch at the top, whereas visiting Youdan,
well they’ve lost every game!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before the game I had a wander into the Country Park,
largely to admire the views from the top and get a decent aerial photo of the
ground, it’s quite a serene location, with runners, dog walker and mountain
bikers doing their thing, a far cry from the days of the coal mines. If someone
had said twenty years ago what this place would end up looking like, you
wouldn’t have believed them!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The game was entertaining, watched by a decent sprinkling of
spectators.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSwvcOE-06WqYSdhMYFla88UEEfyUmYNzeOfRYbuxUYUtePLXbfDwieJDi3l36cUO1j5qgPzYzbaNyEpGpwEJlyIrhGka6Pf56OW2ibaUy5ToUtnKW02xnyn2GFFjAVCbAKZgcOX8o8lbHsh1k9E9LzdTZq0gLTkx-2CCQtQI6D5fH8NDKX1zPye2tHJA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSwvcOE-06WqYSdhMYFla88UEEfyUmYNzeOfRYbuxUYUtePLXbfDwieJDi3l36cUO1j5qgPzYzbaNyEpGpwEJlyIrhGka6Pf56OW2ibaUy5ToUtnKW02xnyn2GFFjAVCbAKZgcOX8o8lbHsh1k9E9LzdTZq0gLTkx-2CCQtQI6D5fH8NDKX1zPye2tHJA" width="320" /></a></div><br />Twice SESKU took the lead, but twice Youdan pegged them
back. SESKU then scored two more to make it 4-2 before another goal from the
visitors saw the half time score line 4-3. To be fair though, SESKU were much
the better side but poor defending was their undoing.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The second half was a different story, SESKU scored six
times without reply, winning 10-3, with Nathan Harrop claiming a double
hat-trick! Youdan also had a player sent off for a bad challenge to make
matters worse.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Weirdly, looking at my notifications on Futbology, on the
corresponding weekend of the previous season I was also watching a game on
plastic, Leeds University v Alwoodley. The final score? 10-3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, bit of a rescue job, but a worthwhile one, and a
pleasant surprise as well in terms of what I found. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Turns out Sittingbourne played in the end!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-63656302422413380862023-11-19T12:16:00.000-08:002023-11-19T12:16:29.332-08:00Frickley Colliery<p> Frickley Athletic
2 Emley 3</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Northern Counties East League – Premier Division<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme - £7 / £2.50<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The South Yorkshire coalfields were at War, it was March
1984, and the National Union of Mineworkers, lead by Arthur Scargill, went into
battle against Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was bloody, it was brutal, it caused misery, it destroyed
families, it destroyed communities, it destroyed many a good working man. As
time went on, poverty, hunger, anger, violence and an overwhelming sense of
desperation, balanced against that of solidarity with their comrades, saw South
Yorkshire’s miners spend almost twelve months, on strike, not earning, fighting
for the cause, to simply keep their pits open, and keep their livelihoods.
Entire communities, were quite simply, at stake.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkhQ9Sqq6M6DueMSGdGrefUZiVLcnt7O8HXgDzaQpmanlbtLkCLTFPD3L2OGpnoyIyztHX3yPGDLqRi8Vxy5pC5GE0sQRfjnzOXNv8wb4Y16iUtyNsT70uHUOcfqDLingWgn8gRqMR70LXcmoOXsWZ_i3uJFOMTjiZ0OPw5NEqs9uz2HiiBY4_TiomGoc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkhQ9Sqq6M6DueMSGdGrefUZiVLcnt7O8HXgDzaQpmanlbtLkCLTFPD3L2OGpnoyIyztHX3yPGDLqRi8Vxy5pC5GE0sQRfjnzOXNv8wb4Y16iUtyNsT70uHUOcfqDLingWgn8gRqMR70LXcmoOXsWZ_i3uJFOMTjiZ0OPw5NEqs9uz2HiiBY4_TiomGoc" width="320" /></a></div><br />The miners lost the battle, and their leader, Mr Scargill
was right, the pits were closed, and while that in itself created untold
damage, much of the damage had already been done. The scars of the Miners
Strike, perhaps even more so than the scars of the closure of the pits, are
still painful to this day, and in South Yorkshire, they will simply never ever
forget.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Miners Strike ended in March 1985, and for the small town of South Elmsall, which sits between Doncaster and Barnsley, it was a place
that like so many others, suffered, economically, socially and indeed
physically. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIx9BXye7FOXwSREn5X_M7UDU7xxpqH77iKQRKKdFGmM79yT02PUczCkWzHfSlVqSg87K2ktsMxpXX_fusGthOxsqRtX8n6gsceaGCs2ffi4EdQ3Fs2m7ag24ShMuQyrrrSP6eXvZHCxQUIEC5bRnvOjXMek8Al8evuddhuoaX8ftH9GLQGGBI3IwgWUE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIx9BXye7FOXwSREn5X_M7UDU7xxpqH77iKQRKKdFGmM79yT02PUczCkWzHfSlVqSg87K2ktsMxpXX_fusGthOxsqRtX8n6gsceaGCs2ffi4EdQ3Fs2m7ag24ShMuQyrrrSP6eXvZHCxQUIEC5bRnvOjXMek8Al8evuddhuoaX8ftH9GLQGGBI3IwgWUE" width="320" /></a></div><br />South Elmsall had something though, they had something for
people to cling on to, a football club, a football club called Frickley
Athletic, a club that within fourteen months of the strike coming to an end,
were officially the second best non-league football club in the Country.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This needs putting into context a little. In 1979 the
non-league football pyramid first started to take shape, and that came in the
way of the creation of a single division top tier, taking the best clubs from
the Northern Premier League and the Southern League. By 1980 Frickley Athletic
became members, and in the 1985-86 season they came runners-up to Enfield.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In comparative terms, the last team to finish runners-up at
this level, in what is the same league, were Notts County….think about that for
a moment. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, given the backdrop of what was going on all around them,
the success of Frickley Athletic is without doubt one of the most remarkable
stories of modern times when it comes to non-league football, but because it
didn’t end in glory, riches and masses of publicity, I don’t feel it gets
anything like the credit it deserves. Interestingly though, it’s a little known
fact outside of South Elmsall, that the band Chumbawamba wrote a song about
Frickley, it goes like this…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">“Frickley in South
Yorkshire, a small mining town<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Where once the riot
coppers beat the pickets to the ground<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">It has a football
team, and a stand full of fans<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Who love their game
and who love revenge<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">If a cop comes near
the ground on a Saturday afternoon<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">He’ll be heading the
bricks until he’s over the moon”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLX4vy45UpXltS80yTFxygockwFt_sr5Ath4DV1I7RBBM5ppRViQ2xFMoYFzdAvxCPZaUQ_gXaJm1pJmS0SefzEyy_c0FC4ERr4D7aX70GmXuqNqkNyIVZPQXBsPfog2ng3BgGmWUCrma4I1B891gnPw6V8NLblCkO2SaAYUVR6zMd7hx5zbm5WpKI5qo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLX4vy45UpXltS80yTFxygockwFt_sr5Ath4DV1I7RBBM5ppRViQ2xFMoYFzdAvxCPZaUQ_gXaJm1pJmS0SefzEyy_c0FC4ERr4D7aX70GmXuqNqkNyIVZPQXBsPfog2ng3BgGmWUCrma4I1B891gnPw6V8NLblCkO2SaAYUVR6zMd7hx5zbm5WpKI5qo" width="320" /></a></div><br />Formed as Frickley Colliery, the club were a Midland League
side through the Forties and Fifties, before joining the Cheshire League when
the Midland League folded for a period. The Midland League came back though and
Colliery re-joined that in 1970.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A move to the Northern Premier League came in 1976 and along
with that came a name change to Frickley Athletic, and following a third placed
finish in 1979-80 they were admitted to the top table. Gradual progress came,
culminating with the heady second placed finish, but twelve months later they
ran in next to bottom and were relegated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXIcL1UR7whgVJ00c5A8HOs9-oR7x8T2oZjfqUkupN2HBJl_fn2OZK0APhHDiwdeDTpg8yGoshpAAyLz0YQLTtXFs379eX-t4cEfLIrZ_41pGb4Tc5NfOua-Eve9McwqOfxB_wwET9ZfPHAK5E1H4j1mRAoNEQ2UOl1IR2JE6WwKLwJCDkbhhUR8zVFWA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXIcL1UR7whgVJ00c5A8HOs9-oR7x8T2oZjfqUkupN2HBJl_fn2OZK0APhHDiwdeDTpg8yGoshpAAyLz0YQLTtXFs379eX-t4cEfLIrZ_41pGb4Tc5NfOua-Eve9McwqOfxB_wwET9ZfPHAK5E1H4j1mRAoNEQ2UOl1IR2JE6WwKLwJCDkbhhUR8zVFWA" width="320" /></a></div><br />Seven seasons were spent in the top flight, punching above
their weight against giants such as Barnet, Altrincham, Telford United,
Maidstone United, Kettering Town and Yeovil Town. They were the unfashionable
club, the club who’s ground made many a Southerner turn their nose up, the club
who’s small but loyal band of fans had to put up with the ridicule over the
strike and the impact it had, the club who had the absolute right to be exactly
where they were, but when they did get relegated, the club that very few wept
for.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The period from 1987 through to 2017, thirty years if I’ve
done my maths right, was spent in the Premier Division of the Northern Premier
League. The highlight during this period came in 2005-06 when lead by Gary
Marrow (in his second spell), a man who I got to know well during his tenure as
manager of Belper Town, took them to runners-up and a play-off, but otherwise,
you did sense in more recent seasons that every year it was all about simply
surviving.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The drop to Step 4 came in 2017, and despite making the
play-offs again in their first season, the trajectory was a downhill one and at
the end of the 2020-21 season they were relegated to the Northern Counties East
League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHcwTxSdyFyw_jv9XVJ2Br4McmHzgf7TUZLcN47hDdsYc_gPToHi0tTfRRIzoEBEVXq0Yot_ftOf3-ZUXbDhZwEDqrTeWQoUVSUxfhNB3F24UKgrGKkS-39_gDmVtePniMXAmtI35BVCM1DS6_qUllLu0jzOCzzmQTxXIb7U6su2Gd7RJlU9-YYeirxIk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHcwTxSdyFyw_jv9XVJ2Br4McmHzgf7TUZLcN47hDdsYc_gPToHi0tTfRRIzoEBEVXq0Yot_ftOf3-ZUXbDhZwEDqrTeWQoUVSUxfhNB3F24UKgrGKkS-39_gDmVtePniMXAmtI35BVCM1DS6_qUllLu0jzOCzzmQTxXIb7U6su2Gd7RJlU9-YYeirxIk" width="320" /></a></div><br />The FA Cup has been kind to Frickley. As Colliery they most
famously made the First Round in 1971-72, drawing 2-2 at home to Rotherham
United, losing the replay at Millmoor 4-0. But then as Athletic, it was that
famous 1985-86 season that saw them reach the Third Round. A victory over
Halesowen Town in the First Round set up a trip to Hartlepool United where the
blues came away with a 1-0 victory. The Third Round saw Rotherham once again as
the opponents, and this time the Football League neighbours won 3-1 at
Westfield Lane.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been to Westfield Lane a few times over the years. My
first visit came back in the late Nineties when they entertained Gresley Rovers
in the FA Cup, and since then I’ve been a couple of times when Gary was in
charge, and more recently when Belper have been the visitors. I love the place,
it’s proper, it’s authentic, it’s the epitome of Northern non-league football.
It oozes history, nostalgia, and everyone who watches the club, or is involved
with the club, has a story, a unique story about what Frickley means to them
and what memories they have.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You have to remember, for many Frickley Athletic Football
Club was the one thing that kept them going during the dark days, the one thing
they could look forward to, the light at the end of the tunnel, the constant,
the place where you could go and forget, meet your mates, have a pint and put
the World to rights. That spirit, and the togetherness that the club creates, is
perhaps, one of the main reasons why Frickley Athletic is still around, albeit
at a much lower level, but still around, and still well supported.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqG5slTgJ4yKOZ6qOA_Lm5q-nygUTh3hlGEtY6jAuAGyU1Wq-rTO6YetT2-DLXpbZdY06jeHrdFoOVofW2UHg1_NppiMA--c68o6XUcpB34AQcVZYo3qxJEoB0Wve4r51z8gBAroDrkV_RM2CtLZ2veu96fz34mz8stBsp3FsyJBhSrBzoMKple3D4_y4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqG5slTgJ4yKOZ6qOA_Lm5q-nygUTh3hlGEtY6jAuAGyU1Wq-rTO6YetT2-DLXpbZdY06jeHrdFoOVofW2UHg1_NppiMA--c68o6XUcpB34AQcVZYo3qxJEoB0Wve4r51z8gBAroDrkV_RM2CtLZ2veu96fz34mz8stBsp3FsyJBhSrBzoMKple3D4_y4" width="320" /></a></div><br />You drop down a hill into South Elmsall from the Doncaster
to Wakefield Road, the railway station is on your left and then it’s a quick
right and left turn back up the hill, along Westfield Lane. A left turn then
takes you through some new build houses and down in the dip below is the
football ground.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Much has changed around the ground over the years, the pit
houses that sat between the ground and the road have gone, replaced by new
builds, while the iconic slag heap that sat behind the covered terracing on the
far side has been landscaped and is now called Frickley Country Park.
Ironically, the slag heap was flattened out, and now houses a football pitch on
top of it, the home of South Elmsall United Services who play in the Sheffield
& Hallamshire County Senior League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But, little changes at the ground itself, the track down to
the ground is uneven and potholed, while in front of you is the rear fascia of
the old main stand, that used the house the dressing rooms and a small
clubhouse bar. Once through the turnstiles, the stand has had some new seats
put in in to replace the benches, but it is a large structure giving excellent
elevated views. In front is some terracing, with the dugouts sat beneath at
pitch level. I remember being at a game just after Gary had left Frickley to go
to Grantham, and one of his first games back in charge of his new team was at
Frickley. He copped for it from the terraces, big style!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggi4MAsKlwtwptm9N4VTMoMxw0yfd2qg13Ty-GQGfHVKcnQeBlFFiS_uD5jOev9nZnlMci-OIj3svB1m7aMK9p2FO_WAZKXqbNJvhU5QvzYWiowodLXS4qVrVEeW77CllVTzagxR4fcznEDiwo9C9q6vg_E2QA-8PD4LbihWmIPTnsIMy4wQpRncECYuA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggi4MAsKlwtwptm9N4VTMoMxw0yfd2qg13Ty-GQGfHVKcnQeBlFFiS_uD5jOev9nZnlMci-OIj3svB1m7aMK9p2FO_WAZKXqbNJvhU5QvzYWiowodLXS4qVrVEeW77CllVTzagxR4fcznEDiwo9C9q6vg_E2QA-8PD4LbihWmIPTnsIMy4wQpRncECYuA" width="320" /></a></div><br />A couple of steps of terracing run all the way around the
ground, the grass banks that sat behind the goals have been long since removed,
complete with the haphazardly placed crush barriers, while on the far side, in
the shadow of the former slag heap, is some cover, but a section in the middle
is no longer roofed, I suspect lost in the high winds.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One change that has taken place is a new changing room
building behind the goal, built not only to serve the football club, but also
the new pitch I previously mentioned, and the 4G pitch that sits adjacent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In short, it’s as wonderfully characteristic, charming and
decrepit as it always was, and please, long may it always be this way!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sat in the bar prior to the game, you sensed a bit of a buzz
about the place. Frickley went into the game against an Emley side who
themselves knew a win would take them top, knowing that they sat well within
range of the play off spots. All around on the walls of the bar are photographs
and memorabilia from the glory days, could this be the season when they get
their first promotion since 1980, when they joined the APL?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Realistically what is the best that Frickley could hope to
be in the modern World? I think they are definitely a Step 4 club in size and
stature, whether they could get to Step 3 and sustain a side is debateable, but
any higher is just not realistic nowadays. The ground, as wonderful as it is,
would needs thousands spending on it to get it back to the National League’s
standards, whereas money is tight in South Elmsall, millionaire backers are not
ambling down Westfield Lane to bankroll matters.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The game was a cracker, but the first half didn’t really
suggest how the second half was going to pan out, with the score line 0-0 and
Emley having the balance of possession and chances.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alhassane Keita gave Frickley the lead on the hour mark, but
then Emley’s task became harder when James Walshaw saw red in 74<sup>th</sup>
minute following what seemed to be an off the ball altercation while waiting
for a corner. However, from that very corner, Charlie Barks grabbed the
equaliser, and within four minutes Ruben Jerome tapped home to give the
visitors the lead.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Frickley battled back and equalised with just three minutes
to go when Lewis Binns scored from the edge of the box, but as the game was
well into injury time, it was that name Jerome again who nodded the ball home
before running to celebrate with the good sized section of Emley fans in the
crowd of 321.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The home crowd trundled out of the ground at the final
whistle, disappointed no doubt, but they’ll be back for the next game. I spent
the second half stood at the back of the stand, which itself is decked with
some colourful and impressive flags that have been made by the Frickley
faithful.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">One of them was of Arthur Scargill being arrested during the Miners Strike, at the infamous Battle of Orgreave if my memory serves me. Like I said, in these parts, they will never forget.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ28Y8BJHjcuWRnEldJcS4GOpZ5rxAJA0t6hkxVmlfQIQD4TPbUZQp2zkH16NOUCqrTBKJEXthC1-iipyuwurY4MJIIbNzJSP5cgJnv-WXoyZEgSlqNwlxwIGHaB-WEqpqOJtpk9Vj_Mz9zf_4z1ivNviJZrzuFVx8TRc9CiAbf0o95E8ElwYy5iEruss" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ28Y8BJHjcuWRnEldJcS4GOpZ5rxAJA0t6hkxVmlfQIQD4TPbUZQp2zkH16NOUCqrTBKJEXthC1-iipyuwurY4MJIIbNzJSP5cgJnv-WXoyZEgSlqNwlxwIGHaB-WEqpqOJtpk9Vj_Mz9zf_4z1ivNviJZrzuFVx8TRc9CiAbf0o95E8ElwYy5iEruss" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6445437520638380725.post-35283694247850432342023-11-17T03:12:00.000-08:002023-11-17T03:12:55.545-08:00Royal Plan B<p>Ascot United 1 Southall
3</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isthmian League – Division One South Central<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Admission / Programme - £12 / Online<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I always knew it was going to be tight, getting to Chipstead
v Northwood that is!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You’ve probably gathered, I didn’t get to Chipstead in the
end, but I did get to Ascot, but what went wrong?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In simple terms, I had a domestic duty to attend to on
Saturday morning, that took slightly longer than anticipated, and by the time I
was ready to depart Belper, it was 11.15am, with the sat-nav suggesting a
2.15pm arrival in Surrey.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv5QigStHkBkTBycyKwGvTZf4UH8tZlumAepssKhnJCxnawKUacGNo5q700XPPT50MMZ7j0On7oEU2zHmhWmkv_aEXJfTWz79Lykq2Y3oJ9sUV9vJP8WYcLw7sIcEfEhNmyNxMTYkRLM4sLigDrKuDyicrl8_VT5warb_4pJ_XAYyq97i6Jhys1RaXk4A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv5QigStHkBkTBycyKwGvTZf4UH8tZlumAepssKhnJCxnawKUacGNo5q700XPPT50MMZ7j0On7oEU2zHmhWmkv_aEXJfTWz79Lykq2Y3oJ9sUV9vJP8WYcLw7sIcEfEhNmyNxMTYkRLM4sLigDrKuDyicrl8_VT5warb_4pJ_XAYyq97i6Jhys1RaXk4A" width="320" /></a></div><br />It wasn’t going to take much to cock it up, but to be fair
all was going well, until around Luton, when it seemed to take an age to get
down the M25, and by the time I was getting on the anti-clockwise carriageway
that arrival time had shifted to 2.35pm.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It got worse, something messy had happened on the M25 South
of Heathrow and as I was sat in traffic around the M4 exit, the arrival time
kept leaping from 2.50pm, to 2.55pm, and then 3.10pm! I could have made it, but
it was very tight, I didn’t know what parking would be like, and inside I was
feeling under pressure and not really enjoying the experience one bit!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUKs_16ooKqNdLWl8uCCvxUW1C0Byko4hlKR5WwSMleLKT9ksmXw6G4HdYyjozXkn8Fa85IurgJefqfh1VfbRrt66vtlUJck70EGEsVlLuyIhbIf2aFZaHUJ78R6jofGuEbj2K6kkW53UtyG8iYuFverODN9ismgdoVBfR7Y3qhtB2qeGGvGF9K0sMH-Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUKs_16ooKqNdLWl8uCCvxUW1C0Byko4hlKR5WwSMleLKT9ksmXw6G4HdYyjozXkn8Fa85IurgJefqfh1VfbRrt66vtlUJck70EGEsVlLuyIhbIf2aFZaHUJ78R6jofGuEbj2K6kkW53UtyG8iYuFverODN9ismgdoVBfR7Y3qhtB2qeGGvGF9K0sMH-Q" width="320" /></a></div><br />I had a choice to make, the A30 was a mile away, and once
beyond it I was without a Plan B, but Plan B was Ascot United v Southall, and
according to the technology, I could do it by 2.35pm. Decision made, I squeezed
across four carriageways and got onto the slip road for the A30.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The journey into Ascot was painless by comparison, across
the edges of Egham, past the Royal Holloway site of the University of London, a
right turn just past Virginia Water, down by the side of Sunningdale (Bruce
Forsyth used to live there), and then into Royal Ascot. Money, it seems, is not
in short supply in these parts!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvRIdBUXwL2lIxyg9jmpCh0kNpvh0EQIt8ZjgBUBRR6NwcwDijYwcvlwoowF6Yauv-1Fgbkxn_mZtOi5_UPj1T0RO8AuhARQwYbakXLVjOD1G--MxomOoPDtf6BBRT1t55B-6bpuKRD8qxupeRwvfzZAUJXFfCs-gSbm0eK1LHJ5Wvo_SI39_6BsCk0Jg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvRIdBUXwL2lIxyg9jmpCh0kNpvh0EQIt8ZjgBUBRR6NwcwDijYwcvlwoowF6Yauv-1Fgbkxn_mZtOi5_UPj1T0RO8AuhARQwYbakXLVjOD1G--MxomOoPDtf6BBRT1t55B-6bpuKRD8qxupeRwvfzZAUJXFfCs-gSbm0eK1LHJ5Wvo_SI39_6BsCk0Jg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Ascot United are unique in the sense that their ground is
actually within the racecourse. So you head down into the racecourse, under the
track, take a signposted right turn and then up ahead of you, just further on
from the impressive main grandstand at the course, lies the home of the current
FA Vase holders.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Arrival was made in time for a quick pint, and a chance to
take a look at both the FA Vase and Combined Counties League championship
trophy that were sat on the bar. Both of course won last season, the most
successful campaign of the clubs history. But what of the clubs history?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The club was founded in 1965, but came to prominence in the
early Noughties when they joined the Hellenic League. Promotion to the top
flight came in 2009 and then in 2019 they were transferred laterally to the
Combined Counties League.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7sU9iy6-D0uuB6g-gnMzzVVkawwPn95TQ-6Lo9aD-p4avcZg0-_d7ZzzzrtMhiPppkdugqPCBd82sJ34AZNC3Y2B_3cyRfHHbU1EDmPTGPw9QbvIg9u6ixalRFXDFI8n9u_nbnasZOAwjS39IVbHKFNr2kx6h3D1YjaOjjNi-ETGoQZTprbV5VaYUM9g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7sU9iy6-D0uuB6g-gnMzzVVkawwPn95TQ-6Lo9aD-p4avcZg0-_d7ZzzzrtMhiPppkdugqPCBd82sJ34AZNC3Y2B_3cyRfHHbU1EDmPTGPw9QbvIg9u6ixalRFXDFI8n9u_nbnasZOAwjS39IVbHKFNr2kx6h3D1YjaOjjNi-ETGoQZTprbV5VaYUM9g" width="320" /></a></div><br />The CoCo (as it’s known), was won last time out, winning 33
of the 38 games, scoring 99 goals in the process. That in itself earned the
club a move to Step 4 and the Isthmian League, but national headlines were made
in the Vase.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The club have made the quarter final stages twice before,
losing in 2013 to Shildon and then in 2015 to AFC St Austell, but this time
round it was a bit special. The 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> Round saw
impressive away victories at both Buckland Athletic and Bridgwater United,
while the quarter final at West Didsbury & Chorlton was won on penalties.
The semi-final tie was again away from the Racecourse, and this time Corsham
Town succumbed, on penalties!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSbh1T356lf9zPW_XLm55b8Qv0t-vzlW6CtuGdSCzfy7InyeJas2Ij_kTZmN4KSM3wQ__s56kv1dTtMfXnIW8zmoncLxbwSjwxHEyn0r0iY7sahu4NS9zeojrhtIJFur85xbjg7ZEAq6mqV7sqDeG6LHmsSoIiH2gLyFKzMTxDZk9Z1adnK9ONujJWCJo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSbh1T356lf9zPW_XLm55b8Qv0t-vzlW6CtuGdSCzfy7InyeJas2Ij_kTZmN4KSM3wQ__s56kv1dTtMfXnIW8zmoncLxbwSjwxHEyn0r0iY7sahu4NS9zeojrhtIJFur85xbjg7ZEAq6mqV7sqDeG6LHmsSoIiH2gLyFKzMTxDZk9Z1adnK9ONujJWCJo" width="320" /></a></div><br />The final was to be against the then holders Newport Pagnell
Town, and in front of a live TV audience, a late Kai Walters goal gave them a
1-0 victory.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Racecourse is a very tidy venue. The car park is huge,
and is clearly primarily designed for race days, but on match day finding a
space is a doddle. You then wander down a path, through a gate, and the
turnstile is on your right hand side. In front of you is the smart clubhouse
and dressing room building, elevated above pitch level, with a covered area in
front of it giving great views of the action. Stepped terracing sits in front
of the building, while to the right of it, again elevated above pitch level is
an Atcost style seated stand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The rest of the ground is hard standing, and of course the
pitch is artificial. A smart electronic scoreboard sits in one corner, while
behind one of the goals is a run off area of the main racecourse. If you stand
behind the South goal where the run off is, you can see the huge grandstand up
on the West side.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCXVEBn0GnXDePGRgRS0Qp1Ba68iU5j_Kh4GEn0fDIKdB4ALuBqYZ4BSRa17xuQ4_HqbGqz2skLrBC_gnFWOqZ0omVGL82o1O8ggpjIWlDZPOGgG1FqXop3c705YCS-xlktL5xTA88SJx5LhiBsIGxuiiQzUbetz40xubGc0zH25S22ubB9SFys7XS5bs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCXVEBn0GnXDePGRgRS0Qp1Ba68iU5j_Kh4GEn0fDIKdB4ALuBqYZ4BSRa17xuQ4_HqbGqz2skLrBC_gnFWOqZ0omVGL82o1O8ggpjIWlDZPOGgG1FqXop3c705YCS-xlktL5xTA88SJx5LhiBsIGxuiiQzUbetz40xubGc0zH25S22ubB9SFys7XS5bs" width="320" /></a></div><br />It’s an interesting place, because just behind the wooded
area that sits to the North of the ground is Royal Ascot Golf Club, while Royal
Ascot Cricket Club is actually right in the middle of the racetrack, which runs
in a kind of triangular fashion (with rounded corners of course!)<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Visiting Southall sat in the play off spots, while Ascot
were just below half way. A second successive promotion at this stage doesn’t
look to be on the cards, but speaking to someone with far greater knowledge of
Isthmian League football than me, the club is on a very sound financial and
business footing, and they won’t ‘throw’ money at it to go up, it’s about
sustainability first and foremost. I’m going to Raynes Park Vale soon by the
way………<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDjQOyMPsTUf2O9B-BHFrBcxFLjunclD1Tc9WEf89uJnpUZPQNnB7jM1yV_kGV2C2HMqzKe9MrEmF9CBmWxoqhXMdr4VZ1pyAJVzaYzmEwJMEzZROd4Fiu6EYHR5FQ3Flw67CqhE7eqoV9q8aN-VZ95n-mA3D6G37TmPFJuIz1vFst3SoEBZN2dPlCKDg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDjQOyMPsTUf2O9B-BHFrBcxFLjunclD1Tc9WEf89uJnpUZPQNnB7jM1yV_kGV2C2HMqzKe9MrEmF9CBmWxoqhXMdr4VZ1pyAJVzaYzmEwJMEzZROd4Fiu6EYHR5FQ3Flw67CqhE7eqoV9q8aN-VZ95n-mA3D6G37TmPFJuIz1vFst3SoEBZN2dPlCKDg" width="320" /></a></div><br />To be truthful, Southall were the better side and they won
reasonably comfortably, albeit Ascot might beg to differ a little. The first
goal from giant centre forward Kevin Songolo upset the hosts as his challenge
on the goalkeeper was somewhat debateable, although the officials saw no crime
committed.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Just before the break Darreon Mark scored with a far post
header to make it 0-2 but then the same player was dismissed just after the
break following a daft second yellow card. George Lock finished well to make it
1-2 and you felt at that point Ascot had the momentum and they could turn it
around.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdj53GcPYSWYO5T_zBJDCc3RHZxKOTCR-BNeKtAaj79EnCVmCHwWUBQXV2RImwhGiHrTewRAYS4N_o_cNPlEGnNbQ_XKmH3nHymvVmhIP1PTl8og9zKupk9GrcYqJbRUdEPrmDbUHWcJjClLzAABTUlIuD6Vsk-ydNX_E4REKvK_fFcm-Cw21AJtAMwbU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdj53GcPYSWYO5T_zBJDCc3RHZxKOTCR-BNeKtAaj79EnCVmCHwWUBQXV2RImwhGiHrTewRAYS4N_o_cNPlEGnNbQ_XKmH3nHymvVmhIP1PTl8og9zKupk9GrcYqJbRUdEPrmDbUHWcJjClLzAABTUlIuD6Vsk-ydNX_E4REKvK_fFcm-Cw21AJtAMwbU" width="320" /></a></div><br />The sucker punch came two minutes later when Jaden
Thompson-Brissett squeezed the ball past the goalkeeper Hugo Sobte, and that
seemed to knock the stuffing out of the hosts. Despite Ascot’s efforts late in
the game, Southall were reasonably comfortable and saw the game home for the
three points that move them second behind the aforementioned Raynes Park Vale.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">186 watched it, a fair few travelled from West London as
well with the visitors. The journey back, as you would expect was a doddle in
comparison to the journey down, with key in the door at 7.30pm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, it might not have been Chipstead, but Ascot was a more
than satisfactory alternative. I mean, when I set off in the morning to watch a
game in Surrey, I never thought for one minute I’d be touching the FA Vase in a
Royal town in Berkshire….<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-5BVFc1HbDh9XB3-ABmvTNDDyXNwbxE1e2ydl1BVXAheeFmT5BG9cp5E0g5uGxVS_f9ukgw715CydBWcXY87JfKpoEMOeISnWiOWYgMqXtSVyhIpgBnYZ3am3aHrA8E3LJ7RXW8QbomIaxMaYJZVKrBmzu369kA95IY3srcRQataagMsl3BmBiqiRDnU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-5BVFc1HbDh9XB3-ABmvTNDDyXNwbxE1e2ydl1BVXAheeFmT5BG9cp5E0g5uGxVS_f9ukgw715CydBWcXY87JfKpoEMOeISnWiOWYgMqXtSVyhIpgBnYZ3am3aHrA8E3LJ7RXW8QbomIaxMaYJZVKrBmzu369kA95IY3srcRQataagMsl3BmBiqiRDnU" width="180" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Neil Laughlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00459533152896070709noreply@blogger.com0