Match 6. Corby Town v Leamington

Saturday 22^nd September 2012 @3pm

FA Cup 2^nd Qualifying Round

CORBY TOWN 3-2 LEAMINGTON

Steel Park, Rockingham Road, Corby

Admission: £10

Programme: £2.50 (A5 40pp)

Attendance: 516

FOOD: KFC in Kettering

DRINK: Guinness in plastic pint glass £2.70

I dropped the family off at Kettering Retail Park after sampling the new KFC Nacho Stacker Burger. It was a 20 minute drive to the Rockingham Road Sports Complex.  There is a large car park after driving along the track past the Rugby & Tennis clubs.  The new ground is on the right; it is built alongside the former ground which still has goal nets up so I assume is still in use for youth matches as well as athletics.  The clubhouse is in the Fitness Sports complex where again I assume was the same location as before.  As it was a warm sunny day and Leamington brought a large support with them, the area outside the bar was open where I could see the old turnstiles still in situ.  The new turnstiles are on the right hand corner of the ground.  The aforementioned bar is on the left, together with a food bar with an extensive menu and the toilets.  The back of the old main stand now doubles up as the changing rooms with the entrance to the pitch through one of those foldaway tunnels.  The Main stand is on the opposite touchline and although architecturally quite pleasing on the eye, it looks smaller than the old stand.  There is a terrace behind the top goal, covering the whole goal line and about a dozen rows deep.  It does look like a stadium that got half built then tarmac the rest as they run out of funds.  There is room to extend if they rise up to the National League as they would require extra seating.

What had skipped my mind was the fact that Corby is a Scottish settlement when steel was manufactured between the 2 World Wars.  The fact that every 2^nd voice in the clubhouse had a Scottish accent threw me to start with. They were a friendly bunch as well.

I thought there may be a possible upset here, with Corby struggling and Leamington top of Southern Premier.  Within 5 minutes of the start, my prediction looked straightforward as Leamington looked a fast playing side and Corby looked hesitant in defence.  Their first goal was a quickly worked move with an interchange of passes finding Dodd on the edge of the area.  He shot low and beat the keeper just inside the near post.  Leamington continued to press during the first half an hour, but although they had a handful of shots, nothing really troubled the Corby goalkeeper.  Apart from a long range shot just over the bar, Corby were on the back foot but equalised against the run of play on 37 minutes as a cross from the right side to the far post was headed back across goal.  The keeper fumbled allowing Moreman a simple header close in.  This seemed to galvanise Corby who then ran the rest of the first half.

Corby kept the initiative for the second half and took the lead 5 minutes into the half.  A long ball forward to Moreman whose turn and speed evaded the central defence and allowed him to shoot past the keeper.  Moreman and the other striker, Semple had other chances as Leamington appeared to give in, especially when Corby made it 3 with ten minutes to go.  Moreman again receiving the ball on the right, he then dribbled inside, jinxed past 3 tackles before wrong footing the keeper.  This was a superb solo effort.  Leamington finally got their early match momentum back and put real pressure in the last 5 minutes, being rewarded with a free kick which was deflected into the net with 2 minutes left, but they ran out of time.

It took 15 minutes to get out of the car park after the match, but the journey back was uneventful and was back home for just after 7pm.

Match 5. Thetford Town v Godmanchester Rovers

Saturday 15^th September 2012 @3pm

FA Vase 2^nd Qualifying Round

THETFORD TOWN 0-3 GODMANCHESTER ROVERS

Mundford Road Recreation Ground, Thetford

Admission: £5

Programme: 50p (A5, 28pp)

Attendance: 60 (from the gateman)

FOOD: Steak Pie with Gravy £1

DRINK: Can of Guinness £2

 

I dropped the family at Lakeside Thurrock at 1230, thinking I’d easily get an hour to look around Thetford.  Firstly, it took nearly ½ hour to get Diesel before setting off.  About 10 miles from Mundford Road, an accident closed the A11 and I ventured around Thetford Forest trying to find alternative entry to Thetford.  I did manage to put into the car park at 2.58pm, find a space and get in before kick off.

All the facilities are to the left of the gate, except a small standing shelter immediately to the right.  A delightful wooden stand is still in use with bench seating.  The tea bar just before the stand has the team line ups and a good selection of hot food, welcomed by a smiling helpful lady.  The club bar is the other side of the stand with the main bar being under the stand with an extension built on the end of it.  A good dozen or so regular home support didn’t venture further than in front of the clubhouse with plastic in hand throughout.  I hadn’t realised North east London had spread into Norfolk as well!!

This was a game that Thetford should have won clearly although this wasn’t a particularly good game.  The trouble was they had no-one who could shoot straight.  They would be challenging for local honours if they can find a striker.  They had two thirds of the play in the first half with only one shot on target.  And then ten minutes into the second half, a scramble in the Thetford goalmouth allowed the left back to swivel with the ball and shot with the left foot into the corner.  With a quarter of the game left, Godmanchester doubled their lead as probably the best player on the pitch, No7 took advantage of a defensive lapse in concentration and ran through on his own to slot past the goalkeeper.  The final nail in the coffin was administered from “Bassey” as the no10 received the ball from no7 as he drew out both central defenders to go unchallenged and add the third 3 mins from the end.

Match 4. East Preston v Crowborough Athletic

Saturday 8th September 2012 @3pm
Sussex County League Division One
EAST PRESTON 6-2 CROWBOROUGH ATHLETIC
Lashmar Road, East Preston

Admission: £6
Programme: £1 (A5 24pp)
Attendance: 64
Food: £2.50 Cheeseburger
Drink: £3.10 Guinness


With the temperature touching 30 degrees, it was a last chance to visit the coast so the family went to Worthing beach, with a promise of a fish supper before we went home. With deckchair prices at a bargain £1.50, compared to ten times that for sunloungers on holiday last week, and 2p machines on the pier and lido, both daughters had a pleasant afternoon. Lashmar Road is found not far from the Roundstone Inn roundabout on the A259 Sussex coastal road, although I managed to go the long way round to the ground...
The clubhouse is outside the entrance and is quite large for this level of football.  Inside are several TV screens and 2 pool tables as well.  After paying at the turnstile, which included a free half time raffle ticket, the tea hut hatch is attached to the club building, together with the toilets and dressing rooms.  The standing cover is in this nearest corner of the ground.  The small seated Atcost stand is directly on the right when you enter.  Hard standing surrounding the perimeter rail completes the set up.


East Preston have made an impressive start to this season, maintaining a 100% record and they certainly impressed me with their passing, teamwork and skill against an average Crowborough side.  Surprisingly it took until halfway through the 1st half to take the lead.  A cross from the left back was partially cleared to the playmaker No10 Simmonds who shot straight into the top corner from 25 yards.  East Preston doubled their lead on 40 minutes when a cross, this time from the right was dropped by the visiting keeper and Steve Davies easily tapped in from the six yard box.  A cut inside from the right winger allowed his left footed cross to be met by No4, unmarked to head in right on half time.  The Crowborough players looked dejected heading to the dressing rooms at half time.


A free kick was awarded 10 minutes into the second half  where Dan Simmonds again rifled it into the top corner.  Goal number 5 came just after the hour when a cross to the near post was squeezed inside the near post by no7.  A couple of Crowborough subs came on and no12 immediately fouled the right back t earn himself a booking.  He did however, galvanise the forward play and scored from a freekick a fair way towards the touchline, where it somehow skidded inside the front post and the keeper claiming he was unsighted.  A second goal was added 5 minutes before the end to give a little hope but even that was dashed in the 89th minute when Kakolyris caught the defence asleep and added the 6th before the final whistle.

Match 3. Portimonese v Feirense

Sunday 2^nd September 2012 @4pm

Portuguese Segunda Liga

PORTIMONESE 2-1 FEIRENSE

Admission: €10 (€2 Club members)

Programme: No

Attendance: 972

Estadio Municipal Portimao

Food: No

Drink: Sagres (small): €1.50 tea hut at half time

 Estadio Municipal ground was a 5 minute drive from Aqua Portimao shopping centre, where the family had lunch and would be entertained for 3 hours while I get my first foreign football fix for nine years.  Staying at Carvoeiro and the 20 Euro taxi into Portimao the additional journey  was 5 Euros.  Those coming by rail, there is a station and would be no more the 10 Euros each way as the 2 mile walk in 90°F isn’t recommended.  I purchased my ticket at the ticket office near Porta 2 entrance without any problem, this all seated stadium hold just shy of 10,000 and average crowd is a tenth of that.  Looking from outside the stadium, if you are a member, facilities are in the main stand, others (and quite a few members, go to the clubhouse in the adjacent tennis centre “O Tenis” where a large Sagres only sets you back 1.90, compared to the €4 I had been paying at the holiday resort.  Local Portuguese food here would only set you back 4-5 Euros as well.

The Non-members enter in Porta 6 and have access to most of the open seated stand opposite the Main Stand which is partially covered.  A small stand with white seats is behind one goal and a temporary seated stand with green seats is behind the other.  The half time facilities are by each corner flag which is portacabin toilets and a small kiosk, where a mad rush for drinks ensues throughout half time.  I found it better to shade from the heat and get mine just before the second half (Uma cerveja, por favor), where you can take drinks back to your seat.

The local but friendly vociferous fans stand in the corner of the open stand next to the main stand and they do a kind of “We will rock you” chant for any home set pieces and also have a main song to what sounds like “Yellow Submarine”.  The away fans from Faro numbered about 50 and were in the open stand towards the corner, but there was no clash and all met up amicably at half time.

The game started really well from the home side, which attacked immediately and pressured Feirense to play an awful offside attempt, easily beaten by the skilful Luis Carlos (no21), cut across the keeper and sent him the wrong way with a carefully placed shot.  Something a certain Chelsea striker used to do with such ease.  To be fair to the away side in all blue, they fought back into the game, and equalised courtesy of bad defending as a cross to the far post was barely cleared by the left back wearing number 55 I think!  This allowed the right back to cross, miss both centre backs and find no7 Cuhna to beat the keeper easily from close in. The fast pace in the heat made mistakes occur regularly and the level of skill diminished as the half came to a close.  The energy sapping heat made substitutions necessary from the hour mark including the magical Luis 21 but the home side deserved a goal, and it came with 7 minutes left.  A through ball to number 25 took about 6 touches to control it (think Heskey) and passed to the on running skipper Fernandes to tap in the winner from 6 yards.

All in all an ok game in the heat, I would mark the English equivalent at about Conference level, with the exception of 1 or 2 players.  This ground is worth a look in if on holiday in the Algarve.