Match 20. Welwyn Garden City v Southall

Saturday 5^th January 2013 @ 3pm

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1

WELWYN GARDEN CITY 2-5 SOUTHALL

Herns Way, WGC

Admission: £5 with programme (A5, 28pp)

Attendance: 23

FOOD: Ham salad roll £1.50

DRINK: Guinness £3.40, Cup-a-Soup 80p

Second time lucky for me as my last visit to Herns Way was let down by a late postponement, meaning a late dash to Colney Heath.   This time no such problems, even though the pitch was heavy and cut up badly during the match.  The clubhouse offers the usual facilities, with Sky Sports, rolls behind the bar and a hatch serving hot drinks and hotdogs. There is not a lot pitchside.  A small covered standing area between the dugouts on the far touchline, and a small seated stand, 3 rows deep on the halfway line.  This was more than adequate for todays paltry attendance.

 

This was a game where the first half was fairly even. WGC found themselves two goals down before Tiberiu slotted home to make it 2-1 at the break. The second half, Southall ran away with the game, as WGC appear to crumble in the middle of the park. Three goals for Southall helped in part by WGC failing to defend and had chances to clear on all 3 occasions. WGC did pull one back with the goal of the game as Tiberiu converted with an overhead kick better than Wayne Rooneys last season.

I spent a good part of the second half talking with the secretary and groundsman, who gave a candid account on the weekly challenges of getting the pitch fit to play, from, moles, to rabbits to foxes, all wishing to habitat the pitch at some time.  The secretary also gave an insight on the pressure of running a club without much matchday income, with the bar membership keeping the club alive.

Pablo Ardiles