Match 41. Fawley AFC v Fareham Town

Saturday 26^th April 2014 @3pm

Wessex League Premier Division

FAWLEY AFC 1-0 FAREHAM TOWN

Waterside Sports ground, Long Lane, Holbury, Southampton

  

Admission: £6 including programme 12pp (normally £1)

Attendance:

Refreshments: Guinness, £3.60, 2 sausage 2 egg & chips, £3.50, Picnic 80p, Twix 80p.

 

My wife wanted to shop in Southampton therefore I drove to Fawleys ground in Holbury, and dropped off on this sunny day, which I would return to Southampton by bus and ferry, including the rustic pier train at Hythe.

  

The football ground is found by going through the Waterside club and walking past the cricket field, the entrance being 150 yards from the clubhouse.  Inside the ground there are a selection of blue painted temporary style buildings which houses the tea bar, toilets, changing rooms and official hospitality. On the left hand touchline is the main stand which has 4 rows on concrete with wooden bench style seats.  The opposite touchline has the team dugouts and 2 areas on standing cover, one being twice the size of the other and housed the vocal Fareham Town support in the first half. Hot food and alcohol is available back in the social club by the Sports Club entrance.

  

Fareham were settled in mid table but still gamely went to get a winning result. After 15 minutes the quick Ash Tattershall was unceremoniously dumped to the turf and the offender was lucky to escape with a yellow card. The resulting penalty was however wide of the keepers right post. The Fawley keeper Dan Loader had a terrific game, and made 2 diving saves later in the half to keep the score goalless at half time.

  

I finally met Splodge at the beginning of the second half behind the near goal with the Fareham supporters.  The away side continued to have the better scoring opportunities but the best chance prior to the last minute was a Fawley free kick early on when a Vining shot just flew wide of the post and there was a long period of midfield battle without any good scoring chances.  Fareham changed tactics for the last quarter by pushing forward with a 4-3-3 and should have scored near the end but Bull missed when unmarked in the box.  In the last minute Fawley were awarded a penalty after the ball rode up and struck the arm of a defender.  Fawleys best player of the match Matt Vining scored to give the home side 3 points but still finish 3^rd bottom.

 

I had time to quickly visit the excellent Lord Nelson Pub by Hythe pier for a swift half of Thatcher’s Gold (£1.80) and travelled up the Solent in lovely sunny weather to round the day off rather well.

Match 40. FC Clacton v Kirkley & Pakefield

Saturday 19^th April 2014 @3pm

Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division

FC CLACTON 2-1 KIRKLEY & PAKEFIELD

The Rush Green Bowl, Rush Green Road, Clacton-On-Sea

  

Admission: £6

Programme: £1.20

Attendance: 112

Refreshments: Strongbow, £3. Cheeseburger, £2.80

  

The consensus in the house was a trip to the coast, so I suggested Clacton, as we have been meaning to visit for a couple of years.  I dropped the girls off at the Pier and after having a drive around the town, found the ground and The Three Jays pub nearby, where the Spurs v Fulham second half had started.

  

After the match on TV finished, I drove back to the large car park outside the ground entrance.  There was an unmanned gate open on the opposite corner and I could have sneaked in for free but I went through the main entrance and paid my six quid and purchased the programme which was a really good read. The pitch is at a raised level to the entrance, clubhouse and changing rooms behind the near goal.  There is a hospitality building to the left and a club shop which was closed.  The seated stand is along the left hand touchline, and there is standing cover behind the goal and the famous Bus Shelter stand along the right touchline. The clubhouse only had Fosters and Strongbow available on tap with 5 taps out of use, but barman Jason did his best to keep the customers smiling. There is a mobile trailer selling hot food and drinks in front of the clubhouse.

   

The pitch was very dry and sandy, with the cold swirling wind on an otherwise pleasant sunny day. This wasn’t going to be a passing game, but it was easy to watch nonetheless.  I stood near the home dugout that was not happy with the first 30 minutes effort and I thought they were quite negative.  I later learned that it was an interim management team in place until the end of the season. The home side did play the better football in the first hour and only the last 30 minutes when K&P were chasing the game did Clacton ever feel threatened.

  

The home goals came within 3 minutes of each other and both were set up by a long throw on the right hand side by the home number 5 Mark Bailey, who aimed for the near post.  Three players jumped for the ball but it was flicked by a K&P head and ended up in the far corner of the net.  A similar throw from the same player cleared the front defender and Tom Holdstock sneaked in behind to head in at the near post in front of the keeper.   The K&P goal came on 67 minutes when from a corner the home defender only headed it towards goal where Jack Herbert scrambled the ball over the line.

  

This was a vital win for the Seasiders as any 3 from the bottom 6 could still be relegated.

 

Match 39. March Town United v Cornard United

Saturday 12^th April 2014 @3.07pm

Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Division One

MARCH TOWN UNITED 0-2 CORNARD UNITED

The GER Ground, Robingoodfellows Lane, March, Cambs

  

Admission: £4

Programme: free with admission

Attendance: 25

Refreshments: Mug of Chicken Cup-a-soup, Mug of coffee, Rolo tube, 50p each.

 

With home games this season at the GER Ground quickly running out, I decided to visit today as my family also fancied an afternoon shopping in Cambridge.  March is only 5 minutes away from the town of Chatteris which looks a nice place to visit another time, with a team in the Cambs League.  The ground is found next to the GER social club, a long running dispute recently settled at court in favour of the football club. This means that at the moment, no alcohol is available at the ground, until their new clubhouse is built.  This unfortunately means the end of the fantastic old wooden stand painted in blue, to be replaced by yet another bland atcost affair.  To be honest, the whole ground needs some TLC, with part of the pitch not being railed off and therefore out of bounds behind one goal and along the touchline as far as the dugouts.  The only other cover is a rustic standing area along the touchline behind the dugouts.  Next to the main stand is a blue painted mobile which offers hot and cold drinks, crisps and chocolate but no hot food.  Adjacent to this is a strange small 2 storey hospitality building for club officials.

   

The match started with a sparse crowd of 25. With a handful of away support and half a dozen hoppers meaning there could only be about a dozen regular home supporters. Obviously a bottom of table clash doesn’t entice the local public and on the next 90 minutes, I think they got the choice right.  It was a game lacking passing and good movement by both sides although Cornard displayed a good counter attacking game.  March had more possession but couldn’t get good chances in the last third.

Cornard took the lead when from a corner, there was a clash in the box and the forward got a free header in from 8 yards.  The centre half was incensed but the ref was having none of it.  The second goal came much later when March were caught too far forward and exposed at the back.  An instantly forgettable game and there is now 1 point between these two teams at the bottom.

Match 38. Boston Town v Deeping Rangers

Saturday 5^th April 2014 @3pm

United Counties league Premier Division

BOSTON TOWN 2-2 DEEPING RANGERS

Tattershall Road, Boston, Lincs

   

Admission: £5

Programme: £1

Attendance: 83 h/c

Refreshments: Guinness can, £3, Coffee, cheese and Tomato roll & fruit pastilles, £2.20

  

I was originally going to Peterborough Sports as I had arranged a tour of Peterborough Cathedral at 2pm.  But I had an extra passenger in the car as my niece came along as well so left my family 1pm on arrival at Peterborough.  With Boston about 40 minutes away, I decided to visit a ground that has been on my to do list for quite a while.  I even had time for a walk around the market area and viewed the impressive Boston Stump.  I wasn’t disappointed at the ground. There is covered accommodation on 3 sides with seats behind the goal and in a section on one touchline.  The fourth side behind the goal has a covered entrance to the bar, toilets and there is a tea hut that doesn’t sell hot food but does do fresh rolls as well as hot drinks and snacks. There is a large car park as well as a nature park next door.

    

Boston were playing a passing game, but lacking incisiveness.  Deeping Rangers chose to play deep and catch the hosts on the counter attack.  Deeping took the lead on 32 min.  A foul on Alex Best on the right wing allowed him to cross directly into the box where Oliver rose highest to nod in from 8 yards. 2 minutes later a through ball to the on running Oliver who blasted past the keeper from 15 yards to make it 2-0. Boston best chance of the half came just before the break when a shot was cleared off the line by the defender.  I chatted to an old timer at half time who said that he didn’t think that Boston could come back from 2-0.  Ye of little faith! 

   

In the second half, the style remained as before, the task becoming more difficult as no8 Goodhand was anything but as he was send off for pushing the visitor in the face during some handbags at a free kick. From then on, Boston started getting the slice of good fortune. Matt Kennedy ran into the area and was shoulder charged by the right back.  Astonishingly, the ref gave a penalty.  Kennedy picked himself up and slotted the ball in the corner. Shortly afterwards a free kick on the edge of the area was driven without much force but found a gap in the wall and wrong footed the keeper who could only watch it roll into the net. Boston played the neat football but Deeping should really have held on for 3 points.

   

The clubhouse has a large room for visitors and a smaller room for the officials and members. As the TV wasn’t getting a signal, I was allowed in the members bar to watch the Grand National re-run and the final score.

  

Match 37. Rustington v Oakwood

Saturday 29^th March 2014 @2pm

Sussex League Division Two

RUSTINGTON 0-3 OAKWOOD

Recreation Ground, Jubilee Avenue, Rustington

 

Admission: None taken

Programme: £1

Attendance: 31 h/c, 2^nd half

Refreshments: Carlsberg shandy £2.85, Cheeseburger, £2.10, Mars, 65p

 

I arrived at 2.07 to find the game had already kicked off and there were no spare parking spaces by the clubhouse or Jubilee Avenue.  There is more space round the other side of the recreation ground by the swings and climbing frames. It was 2.12 by the time I parked up in the next road and gone through the entrance gate (I’m counting the ground though).  No admission is taken and there was no obvious sign of a programme.   From the entrance gate, the clubhouse, which doubled up as a cricket pavilion in the summer, is on the right.  The football pitch is just railed with dugouts on the playground side, and there are no floodlights.  The cricket square is to the right side of the Recreation Ground.

 

The match was played on a bumpy pitch and with the swirling wind made it difficult to create any kind of skilful encounter.  The first half just had lots of effort and more than one missed kick, especially the home centre forward completely missing the ball as it was crossed to him 15 yards out.  At half time I wandered into the clubhouse and ordered a cheeseburger from the food hatch next to the bar.  Inside there was a projector screen just finished showing the early Premier League kick off.  The food was quite nice and hot drinks were a pricey £1.20 for this level.

 

Several spectators turned up at half time, expecting a 3pm kick off.  The treasurer had to apologise for not updating the club website as it was a late change as the reserves were playing on the same pitch at 4.15. He did however, go and get the programmes from the Chairman’s car for the 4 of us who asked for one.  Maybe they were in evidence earlier then put away at kick off? It was a 16 pager including a 4 page insert for the game today.

 

All the goals came in the second half.  The first goal on 48 minutes was an attack which seemed to fizzle in the centre then Elliot Benson drove a 10 yarder into the corner. A skied clearance from the goalkeeper, whose kicking was questionable all game, was deftly controlled by the Robin Van Persie lookalike at no9, who half volleyed the ball into the net from 20 yards. His name was Darren Tidey. He set up the third goal on 80minutes when a long cross looked like going out of play but he chased it and hooked the ball back over his shoulder where the whole home defence froze as Ben Jenner simply swung his foot to the ball and hammered it into the net while the defence started protesting for either offside or ball out of play.  Rustington had their best chance of the game earlier on 51 minutes, when in the Oakwood penalty area, the right midfielder and the home no10 went shoulder to shoulder and the ref dubiously gave a penalty. Bennett picked himself up and took the penalty, which was saved to the right by the keeper. Justice! 

 

Not a ground to come rushing back to, with obvious restrictions in upgrading much further to achieve Step 5, but a nice afternoon stroll afterwards in Worthing by the sea nonetheless.