Match 32. Hatfield Town v Hertford Town

Saturday 22^nd February 2014 @3pm

Spartan South Midlands Premier Division

HATFIELD TOWN 0-2 HERTFORD TOWN

Gosling Sports Park, Stanborough Road, Welwyn Garden City

 

Admission: £6 including programme

Attendance: h/c 46

Refreshments: Hot Dog, £2. Tomato & Veg Soup 70p. Mars bar, 70p

 

I was going to visit Crawley Green at their home for a rare venue instead of at Barton Rovers but coupled with leaving late and M25 being 50mph from M11 to A1, I chose my back up of Hatfield Town.  Pitches with Athletic tracks are not my bag but I tried to have an open mind.  After parking, the football is located to the left side of the complex, which includes a vast array of sports facilities.  I entered down the hill and through the turnstile (shed) and located the snack bar on the right.  The players changing rooms are further along the touchline and up the grass banking to the changing block.  The covered seated stand is to the left of the entrance with large supporting pillars obstructing many of the seats.  The pitch is surrounded by a 6 lane running track and a banked cycling 450 metre circuit.  This makes the pitch about 20 yards away at its narrowest and much further behind each goal.

 

After counting 15 in the ground, I heard voiced support coming from above the stand a few minutes in.  As I hadn’t had time to have a proper look inside the Gosling centre before the game, I would venture in at half time. Inside there are 5-a-side/badminton indoor pitches and at the end of the corridor “The Trackside Bar” with a note advertising the admission prices of the game.  The visitor can enter the bar area, pay their admission and watch the match on a balcony on the roof of the stand.  The view from here is much better so I spent the 2^nd half there, together with the mainly Hertford supporters, who outnumbered the home support by 2:1. There was also some funny banter between them and the diehard Hatfield fan who shouts “Come on Hatfield” on regular intervals.  Not as bad as Mr Ash Ash United though.  I learned that half the gate money was being handed to the visiting committee to help them through their flooding troubles, which is a nice gesture.

 

The match was lacking quality, maybe as both teams have been short on match practice for 2 months.  However, the first half was fairly equal.  The best chance of the half fell to Hertford.  The number 11 took it and hit the base of the keepers left hand post and rebounded into play.  The follow up was excellently saved by Ricketts, palming right of the post at full length.

  

The second half started with a Hertford goal 4 minutes in.  The offside trap was beaten by no 10 Leigh Rose who let the ball bounce twice before lobbing over the keeper into the corner of the net.  After 70 minutes a similar pass split the defence and this time Leigh Rose controlled it, drew the keeper and slid the ball past him into the empty net.  To be fair, Hertford from then on dominated the rest of the game and should have added to their score, but for the fascination for Rose to get a hat trick when at least 2 chances were easier to score than pass.  However the visiting fans were happy to come away with a win as well as watching 90 minutes football and they are a good bunch to be with.

 

If anyone visits this ground, I recommend viewing the game from the balcony.

Match 31. Erith & Belvedere v AFC Sudbury

Saturday 15^th February 2014 @ 3pm

Ryman League North Division

ERITH & BELVEDERE 0-4 AFC SUDBURY

Park View Road, Welling

 

Admission: £8

Programme: £2

Attendance: 85

Refreshments: Guinness, £3.50. Tomato Soup (nasty), £1

 

I had already decided on Friday evening that I wouldn’t be searching high & low for a new ground and would stay local, letting my wife have the hopmobile for the day. The only chance of a new ground was Metrogas but the secretary kindly told me it was very doubtful late on Friday evening after the amount of rain we have had in Kent all week.  My shortlist of re-visits was Ebbsfleet United, Thamesmead Town or Erith & Belvedere.  I chose Ebbsfleet and went to the train station, only to be told there were no trains running further than Crayford towards Gravesend, due to trees and other blockages on the line, so I went back home to pick up my Oyster card, by which time it was 2pm, so as I had received a tweet from E&B 30 minutes ago that the game was cleared by the match referee, it was a quick 15 minute bus into Welling to watch the end of the Sunderland v Southampton FA Cup match at the Earl Guy of Warwick pub. In the pub car park is a seafood stall which is there every weekend selling fish from Thai prawns to jellied eels. I wish I had more cash on me at that moment.

Entrance to the ground shared with Welling is through The Deres own turnstile entrance in the adjacent corner of the ground. From the entrance the home touchline has a toilet block, a covered seated stand and a tea bar and clubhouse underneath the stand, together with the dressing rooms.  There is uncovered terracing behind each goal and the Welling FC stand and facilities are on the opposite touchline, but closed for today’s game, I imagine through both clubs agreement.

 

The Deres had a shocking 10-1 defeat in midweek so I was interested to see both the change in personnel and if it was a one off.  Today’s team had 7 (SEVEN) changes to the midweek starting 11 and I’m sure it was availability issues rather than a Pottechino “resting” players. The home side style was very much 4-4-2 with a no nonsense approach and the strikers to chase any forward passes. Not much in the way of penetrating or supported running.  This is why they are finding goals difficult to come by.  Their application was good though and only when they went 2-0 down in the last 10 minutes did their heads drop and allowed Sudbury to put a flattering scoreline to the contest.  The Sudbury side had much more guile in midfield and attack.  I was just annoyed at the blatant diving whenever a challenge meant they lost the ball, together with the screaming and squealing to convince the referee that they had been pole axed by a juggernaut.  The referee to his credit was taking no nonsense and even gave a yellow card to the no7 for simulation.

The home side defended well until the stroke of half time, when an attack down the right and a cute back heel to the overlapping right back allowed a cross in for Ryan Henshaw to head low into the net.  The second half continued in the same vein, with the home boss getting more perplexed, shouting with his tie half mast over a “full” frame, the team were playing for their manager and even got a couple of half chances until the killer blow on 85 minutes with Spriggs scoring at short distance. With The Deres confidence running away faster than a Bolt a third was added when James Baker ran through the middle of the Erith defence and slid comfortably passed the goalkeeper.  Some of the home fans made their way to the exit in injury time but just caught the embarrassing 4^th goal, a gift for Ryan Henshaw to score his 2^nd with the head.

 

There are rumblings that manager Martin Ford fancies a return to the club to repeat his earlier success but apart from the last 10 minutes, manager Chris Cosgrove had the players support. But the lack of attacking play would worry the home supporters.

Match 30. Brightlingsea Regent v Ely City

Saturday 8^th February 2014 @3pm

Eastern Counties League Premier Division

BRIGHTLINGSEA REGENT 2-0 ELY CITY

North Road, Brightlingsea

 

Admission: £6

Programme: 50p

Attendance: 170

Refreshments: Guinness (surger), £3. Cheeseburger, £2.70

  

With most games in Essex falling to the weather, including Colchester United, Brightlingsea confirmed this game was on around lunchtime via Twitter. Hard work by Groundsman/Chairman, Painter & Decorator Terry Doherty and his band of volunteers on Friday evening and Saturday morning to rid the pitch of standing water and made it playable although soft. I was directed to a spare parking space by the gateman before parting with £6 and a programme for just 50p. 

 

The entrance is by the halfway line with a small covered seated stand immediately to the left, followed by a hot food hut and the club building. Inside there is a large projector screen which was showing Liverpool running rings around Arsenal. A club bar, toilets and a table for hot drinks was set up at only 60p a cup. Outside the clubhouse is a covered over hang where I stood alongside many of the crowd.  On the opposite touchline is a new uncovered seating area that I believe was previously used for a golfing event.  The rest of the ground behind the railed pitch is hard standing, with a second car park behind the new stand.

 

The home side were aiming for their 3^rd win in 8 days and completely dominated the first half. The team consisted of a fairly young group of player with 1 or 2 mature experienced heads to keep them tight.  They almost took the lead after 5 minutes as a shot outside the box by Kelly slammed against the crossbar.  The first goal came after 20 minutes when some good passing forward and cross was dummied by the striker for Turner to fool the keeper before firing into the bottom corner.  Further chances went begging but the decisive goal came just before half time when a pass into the running path of Yearling allowed him to score without breaking his stride.

 

After the first half performance, I was expecting a goal fest but Regent took their foot of the gas, probably saving energy for the FA Vase tie, so the second half wasn’t so good. The home side still had a few chances to add to their tally but the visiting keeper had a good match.

 

The talk in the clubhouse and on the terraces centred on the big game next week away to Dunston UTS and who was going. I would estimate from the discussions that the club will take 100 or so supporters to the match.

Match 29. Walsham-Le-Willows v Wivenhoe Town

Saturday 1^st February 2014 @3pm

Eastern Counties League Premier Division

WALSHAM-LE-WILLOWS 4-0 WIVENHOE TOWN

The Meadow, Summer Road, Walsham-Le-Willows

 

Admission: Pay What You Want Promotion. I paid £5

Programme: £1

Attendance: 90

Refreshments: Guinness, £3.45. Double Decker, 80p. Cheeseburger, £2.30.

After the rain during the past week, I was surprised that my first choice game was on, whereas my backups in the area fell during the morning.  The ground is found by taking the A143 at Bury St Edmunds and taking the turning after Stanton which brings you to the entrance on the right after 2 miles, before you get into the village.  After paying my donation and getting a programme I parked behind the main stand as the left hand side car park was full already (2.05pm). Cars are allowed to park all along the main touchline which is sufficient for their usual attendance.

The main stand has 5 rows of seats although the cover won’t keep you dry on a rainy day unless the wind is very favourable.  The only other cover is a small standing area right behind the top goal, if you fancy watching through the goal net.  This is a basic ground. Railed on 3 sides and roped on the 4^th, as the cricket pitch overlaps the football pitch.  The club building has a cricket scoreboard at the front and the clubhouse and toilets are found by walking through the corridor. The teams emerge from the back of the building.  The corridor was where I saw most of the second half as the bright sunny afternoon turned windy and cold in the second half. The large windows offer a warm comfort as I had the beginnings of what is now a heavy head cold (or man flu according to my Mrs). Hot refreshments are found in a green cabin to the left on leaving the clubhouse and the burger was niceJ.

The pitch was playable but in conversation with the gateman, it needed a lot of work on it to get the go ahead including 1 ton of sand in the central areas most affected.  The pitch cut up quite a bit as soon as play started so the home side used the channels well, whereas a rejuvenated Wivenhoe tried to play football along the ground.   Walsham had already had 3 shots just off target when on 25 minutes a run into the box by Clarke was stopped by the defender with a blatant trip. The penalty was converted confidently into the bottom corner by Andrew Cusack.  10 minutes later a good attacking move down the right and first time passing allowed McLaughlin to shoot hard and low into the bottom corner.

Wivenhoe had the better first 15 minutes of the second half but Walsham regained control and planned to play out the game.  A 3^rd goal on 89 minutes arrived when a through ball by McLaughlin was finished by the substitute. A 4^th was added in injury time which I missed as I was looking at the results on my phone. I was informed that Andrew Wood scored.

 

This is a basic set up but with very friendly people, as well as the staff being more than happy to hold a conversation, I chatted to the 50/50 winner, a chap from Sunderland now living in Bury St Edmunds, covering everything from Sunderland to FA competitions. It was one of those nice days out.