Drinking & Trains

Wake Green Amateur  4   AFC Birmingham   2

Midland Football League – Third Division

Admission / Programme – Free / No

At the start of each season, I like to pick out a place to visit that is reasonably local, but can be done via public transport, for primarily alcoholic reasons!

So, when I spotted that Midland League newcomers Wake Green Amateur were playing at a ground that was a ten minute walk from Shirley Railway Station, had a pub opposite the ground, and a clubhouse that served during the game, my mind was well and truly made up!

I sent Steve on a reconnaissance mission a couple of weeks earlier and he did indeed confirm that I would be happier than a pig in the proverbial at what awaited me, so, the date went in the diary and plans were made, which included getting the necessary clearance authority from the higher order that is Mrs H!

The drill is relatively straightforward, get the train at half ten from Belper to Derby, then hang around a bit until the Birmingham train departs. It’s always entertaining at a main line station on a Saturday morning watching the football fans mingling, we had Forest fans taking the Michael out of Derby bedecked in red on the way to a home game against Bournemouth, while the famous ‘Green Army’ from Plymouth was arriving in town for a day out at Pride Park. The local constabulary paid a passing interest but all seemed to go off peacefully. Myself, I was the Wake Green One…….

Planned engineering works meant the Brum train took a longer than normal route via Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield, annoyingly slowly it has to be said, which meant I had to get my skates on a little to get out of New Street and over the way to get the Shirley bound train from Snow Hill Station.

Snow Hill was not thronging with football fans as the Wake Green One clambered aboard the train destined for Whitlocks End, so within around twenty minutes I was jumping off and setting off on the short walk to The Holloways home of the club that moved up from local football at the end of last season.

The first destination was the Drawbridge Inn, which sits right next door to the Shirley Lift Bridge, a structure that crosses the Stratford Upon Avon Canal. I like a bridge, but I prefer a Drawbridge that sells lager so I gave the sightseeing a miss and decided to take up residence while the Merseyside Derby was playing out on TV.

All was good in the World, players were turning up in the car park over the road, I had a pint in hand and a cheeseburger was on order, this was a proper football day out, ok, it wasn’t quite like last seasons jaunt to AFC Wimbledon which started in a pub at Liverpool Street at 9am, but it was great all the same.

I saw Wake Green on the opening weekend of the season in a 3-3 draw at Solihull Sporting, since that point they had won all four outings, it was looking pretty good for them. Visiting AFC Birmingham had only played a couple of league games though, drawing one and losing the other, a 4-0 defeat at Solihull Sporting incidentally.

So, suitably refreshed, the short walk over the road was managed with the minimum of fuss and as if by magic, the clubhouse door was held open as I made my way into the second drinking establishment of the day. It was ten to three, and time to set up camp for the afternoon at pitch side.

The clubhouse sits on the top of a bank, and if you don’t mind carrying a chair from the outdoor seating area you can very quickly be nestled next to the respect rope that prevents us marauders from invading the pitch. Two pitches adorn the complex, the first team playing on the one nearest the clubhouse, and this, as I said, has a rope on the one side that sits atop the bank, while on the side opposite are some advertising boards fastened to a barrier. Beyond the main pitch is another one that I assume is used by reserves / thirds / fourths / oldies etc and that sits down another slight slope from the main pitch, a game was taking place but I’ve no idea who was playing on it.

The game itself was a competitive one, Wake Green came from behind to win 3-2 making it five wins on the bounce for the hosts. Two goals for Nathan Percival and one for Alex Wilkins secured the win for Wake Green, while AFC Birmingham’s goals came from Taylor Homer and Finbarr McCarthy. On that, does anyone else of a certain age right now immediately think of the Viz character Finbarr Saunders (Fnarr Fnarr!)? No, just me then!!

Ok, so the day wasn’t all about the football, it was about the opportunity to enjoy the refreshments, to imbibe, to experience the loudmouth soup, to let ones lack of hair down. It was all of those things, but like anything, the best made plans don’t always come to fruition.

You see, the referee was a bit of stickler, we had a delay at the start when the nets weren’t adequately secured down, and then we had injury time, plus a lengthy half time. Consequently the second half went on, and on, and on, to the point whereby even a modest jog at the final whistle couldn’t prevent me from missing my planned train.

I had to wait over half an hour then, which cocked up my Birmingham connection, and then with the train to Derby still being on a go slow it meant I missed the hourly connection to Belper I had assured Mrs H I would be on! I did phone to advise, but by now, I had a feeling she didn’t believe me, because clearly I’d gone pub hopping after the game…….

Anyway, I thought better than ask for a lift back from station, and instead chose to walk, which gave me the chance to compose myself before entering through the door. Of course, gentlemen, the issue in these instances is that we try to overcompensate don’t we? My whole demeanour was just too unconvincing under the circumstances, I was trying too hard to pretend I’d only had a couple, and while I certainly wasn’t steaming, neither was I sober as a judge, so why pretend to be anything else?

Mrs H smiled, and trotted off to bed, she knows me only too well. Sometimes saying nothing is the best policy. Anyway, so just how far from Coventry station is Dunlop’s ground, only I’ve had an idea……..