Rumbush

AFC Solihull  4  Feckenham  0

Midland Football League – Division Three

Admission / Programme - £3 / No

It’s the first Bank Holiday Monday of May and I’m considering my options, but to be fair, given that I didn’t want to be driving far, I only really had one option when it came to getting a new ground in.

So, a bit like Leamington Hibernian, who I blogged about recently, I noticed that AFC Solihull had de-camped from the Leisure Centre in the middle of the town, to the Leafield Athletic ground on Rumbush Lane in Dickens Heath. But, unlike Leamington Hibernian, who have not given any indication as of yet if the move to their current home is permanent, AFC Solihull dealt with that one immediately, they had full on decided to re-home themselves at the new venue.

Steve did the initial reconnaissance mission a few weeks back when I was in Northern Ireland. I was necking a pint in the bar at Ballymacash Rangers when he phoned to advise me of the impressive standard of the bar and food outlet at Rumbush Lane. Steve and I do discuss the important things as readers will be aware, but not only had he established that I would be more than happy with catering and watering, he also stated that the ground itself was quite a pleasant place to be watching football.

So, we have a 3pm kick off, and I gave myself plenty of time to head down the A38 and the M42 before following quite a picturesque route via the back lanes to Dickens Heath, an area of South-East Birmingham that is far from shabby. Rumbush Lane itself is a narrow tree lined road and the ground itself is on the right hand side. You have two entrances, the first being the entrance to the pitch that is used by Leafield Athletic Ladies, while the second entrance is the one that takes you to the main pitch that is now used by Leafield’s men’s team and indeed AFC Solihull.

I was reasonably early so grabbed a space in the car park, and it was then that I spotted a few familiar faces. I had an inkling that some of the ‘fraternity’ would be in attendance and that was very much the case. Some of the lads from the West Midlands were in attendance, notably Steve Munday who is a gentleman I have a lot of time for, and when we do meet we often talk about the time his nephew played for Romulus in an infamous game at Belper Town that they lost 9-0!

The two Andy’s from the South-East had travelled up, and it was good to see Mr Langford out and about after his very serious health issue, while the cue for me to exit stage left was when the ‘Garstang One’ arrived on the scene, ranting and raving about something inconsequential.

It was a lovely day down Rumbush Lane, and it was a big day for the hosts, they had already been crowned league champions, and at the conclusion of the game they were to be presented with the trophy. They had elected to charge £3 admission and to be fair to them, they got a decent crowd, and if my memory serves me the unofficial headcount figure was something like 130.

So, the clubhouse, yes, Steve was bang on. While not a modern venue, it served all the usual beverages, but, the choice of food options was immense, you name it, they did it. They even had a sweet shop to keep the kids happy! 

The ground itself is set in a rural area, and with the dressing rooms and conjoined clubhouse sat on the halfway line on the South side of the ground, the remainder of the pitch is surrounded by an old barrier on three of the sides. No spectator cover is available, but on a rainy day you could watch from your car in the overflow car park behind the East goal.

It seems the ground is owned by Leafield Athletic, a side in the Birmingham & District League, who themselves have been promoted from Division Four to Division Three this season. Many did comment that given the standard of the facilities, why it’s never been used before at a higher level in the past, such as the Midland Combination or the West Midlands Regional League.

It was very much a game of two halves. The first half was a pretty uneventful affair with very few chances, and visiting Feckenham more than held their own against the lofty hosts. However, just when we thought a 0-0 was on the cards and someone from Garstang was going to have to come back (0-0’s don’t count in his World!), the gates opened and the goals went in.

Cherno Sey scored the first after 57 minutes, while on the 75th minute Scott Saunders made it 2-0 with a powerful header. The third goal came from MD Shimul following a great move and finish, while in the last minute Owen Williams was on the spot to make it 4-0.

While many of the locals stayed behind at the final whistle for the trophy lift and the celebrations, I decided to make my way home. Some of the others were heading to Shropshire for a game at Albrighton, while another individual was last seen wandering in the general direction of the nearest railway station…..clearly attempts to blag a lift had proved fruitless.

AFC Solihull though, this looks like a good move for them, and as they now prepare for life in Division Two, they can be safe in the knowledge that if it takes your fancy, you could swap your half time pie for lasagne, probably!