Match 2. Stratford Town v Bishop Cleeve

Saturday 9^th August 2014 @3pm

Southern League Division South & West

STRATFORD TOWN 2-0 BISHOP CLEEVE

DCS Stadium, Knights Lane, Tiddington, Stratford-Upon-Avon

 

Admission: £8

Programme: £1

Attendance: 163

Refreshments: Thatcher’s Cider, £3.30. Hot Dog, £2.20

 

A family trip in the morning to Leicester to see the Richard III exhibition until lunchtime, then an hours drive via M69 & A46 so the girls can walk around the lovely Stratford-Upon Avon and I can visit the fairly new DCS Stadium, 2 miles away on the outskirts of the nearby village of Tiddington. On arrival 45 minutes before kick-off, the car park was fairly full, but officials directed me to a space near the clubhouse. I arrived in the clubhouse to catch the last part of the Bristol Rovers v Grimsby match on BT Sport.  The rumours of top eye candy bar staff on the NLM Forum are non-founded but good service is provided by a couple in their 40s. I had also imagined the clubhouse to be larger than I found, although provided ample room for today’s match.

The facilities are all on one side of the ground.  The turnstile entrance is at the near side, then to the right is the club hut, where merchandise and todays programme is available.  Then there is the main stand only containing half a dozen rows of seating split by a tunnel entrance to the changing rooms behind and a roof covering over the top extending a way past the seats. It left me with a feeling of lost opportunity to fill in more seats in the space given.  There is an attached white painted and glass fronted building for hospitality and board room.  The tea hut is next to this building, selling the usual burger/hotdog/bacon and hot drinks. The rest of the railed pitch is hard standing but does have a covered step terrace half the length behind the right hand side goal.  I presume they can expand the facilities if they rise up through the pyramid.

Stratford started with almost the same squad as last season whereas Cleeve had assembled a completed new team and management. The home team employed a 4-2-3-1 system which seemed to suit their style, with no9 and 10 interchanging the target role and 2 wingers with no11 especially nippy and no7 more of a James Milner type.  Town were ahead after 11 minutes when no10 Sterling ran inside the penalty area and was tripped to concede the penalty with no complaints.  Gregory sent the keeper the wrong way.  A second penalty 10 minutes later when another run by Sterling and was sandwiched by 2 defenders in the penalty area and the ref again called it a penalty but this was not as clear cut.  The same penalty taker in Gregory but this time the keeper guessed right to palm it away.  Gregory made amends on the next attack which produced a corner.  He headed in the corner from 8 yards.  Stratford should have added to their total before half time but for 2 fine saves from the visiting keeper and 2 shots just wide. 

The second half started after the linesman delayed by forgetting something from the dressing room, and the half had a more subdued feel to it without a great amount of clear chances at either end.  However, no10 Sterling had 3 good chances in the second half, all of which ended up firing over the crossbar.

 
After meeting the family back at the White Swan, we stopped off at the Weatherspoon at the Beaconsfield service station which is a new and odd experience for me!