Plastic Glasses

VCD Athletic  2  Phoenix Sports  3

Isthmian Football League – Division One South East

It was one of Mrs H’s more profound observations of the weekend.

“Plastic glasses have ruined football”

It came during the half time of the game at VCD Athletic, and it prompted me to dig a little deeper.

It seems, Mrs H was casting her mind back to the days when as half time approached, you got yourself into a strategic position to get to the bar, you would then race to the bar to get served as the whistle was still being blown, then, you had to get served, get a seat, and then down a pint, before getting back to pitch side before the second half kicked off.

It was quite an art, but thinking back, one myself and I’m sure many others were ably skilled at, but, the World has changed.

The advent of the plastic glass has removed the need to rush to the bar, and indeed, consume the ale at double quick time, because nowadays, you simply take it to pitch side and sip your way through it as the second half progresses. The games gone, I’m sorry, as a nation we’ve gone soft, a set of fannys if you will!

Digression aside, what we’re we doing at VCD Athletic?

The plan for the Sunday of our weekend away was to get to the one and only non-league game that was seemingly taking place on the planet, and that was to be the 'Crayford Derby' between two clubs who play less than 250 yards from each other, the aforementioned Vickers Crayford Dartford Athletic (VCD) and Phoenix Sports. Should this spicy Isthmian League clash fall foul of the weather, we had a Football League programme to go at, and having a base in Dartford, we were well placed to get to a game one way or another.

It turned out nice though, no issues with the weather so after a quick Maccy D’s in Erith, we were parked up to the West of Crayford town centre, right outside the entrance to the sports club home of the team that was formed in 1916 for the workers of the famous Vickers armaments factory.

The rise of the VCD over the past few years has been impressive. A Kent County League side until the mid-Nineties, they gained promotion to the Kent League in 1996 and achieved senior status for the first time. Two runners-up places in 2007 and 2008 were soon forgotten when in 2009 they won the league and with it promotion to the Isthmian League.

They finished eighth in their first ever season at Step 4 football but were inexplicably relegated at the end of the campaign due to the fact the hard standing around the pitch was not wide enough. The club felt very harshly treated as they were on with the work and in time to meet a deadline, but the deadline suddenly moved at the eleventh hour, an appeal failed, they were back down.

Three more seasons followed in the Kent League until promotion was once again secured with a runners-up berth, and this time they went on to win the Isthmian League First Division North, and gain promotion to the Premier Division.

They survived the first season in the top flight but finished bottom in 2015-16, and since then they have remained in the second tier of the Isthmian.

The Oakwood stadium is a tidy venue. You enter via the car park, with the impressive clubhouse on the left hand side. The turnstiles are effectively in the South East corner of the ground, at the top of the slope that leads down to the pitch.

Three areas of cover adorn the ground. On the South side is an Atcost style stand with seating at both ends and terracing in the middle section, while on the opposite side are two low covered standing areas, either sides of the dug outs. It’s hard standing behind both goals, while the dressing rooms are in a pavilion to the North West of the ground, up a pathway that leads outside of the confines of the ground itself.

The pitch was in superb condition, and in a crowd of just over 200, there did seem to be an even mix of home and away supporters. It was noticeable, that even though this must be the closest derby fixture in terms of distance in the top ten tiers of English football (I stand to be corrected), the clubs have an incredibly friendly relationship. Streatham Rovers v Catford Dynamo this is not!

The game itself was hugely entertaining. VCD were comfortably the better side in the first half, with the experienced Charlie McDonald scoring the hosts only goal, but on reflection, it could and should have been more.

As sometimes happens though, the game turned on it’s head in the second period and Phoenix went from a goal down, to taking the lead in double quick time. Danny Young and Jack Hopkins finding the target after VCD had trouble dealing with balls into the box.

Henry Douglas was then sent off for Phoenix having earned a second yellow while conceding a penalty, but McDonald’s tame kick was easily saved. However, shortly afterwards McDonald made amends from the spot when another opportunity came his way, 2-2, and with Phoenix a man down, the smart money was on VCD.

Almost immediately from the re-start though, Phoenix went on the attack and Lee Bird produced a shot that found the bottom corner of the net. VCD had it all to do again, and despite having plenty of the ball in the closing stages, they couldn’t find their way past a resolute visiting defence, and consequently it was the lads from round the corner who took the points.

So that was it, a very good game and an enjoyable early afternoon in Crayford, it was time to head to our base in Dartford. With few options we spent the night in Spoons, where the beer was very much in proper glasses.

Mrs H was right, forget VAR, plastic glasses are what’s killing football…