Match 34. Hullbridge Sports v Ilford

Saturday 18^thApril 2015 @3pm

Essex Senior League

HULLBRIDGE SPORTS 1-1 ILFORD

Lower Road, Hullbridge, Hockley

Admission: £6

Programme: £1

Attendance: 45

Refreshments: Guinness £3, Mini Cheddars, £1.

One of the closest Step 5 grounds I had yet to visit, so the one hour drive was uneventful and the Dartford Crossing was behaving itself.  I arrived just after 2pm and there is plenty of parking outside the ground.  The club building facilities are outside the entrance for the visitor and only the changing room area is inside the ground boundary.  There is a club bar, toilets and a kitchen which sells the hot food and drinks.  Then the entrance hut is in the near corner of the ground.  The fencing doesn’t block the view from outside so there are some wooden boarding erected behind the goal to obscure the view from the car park.  The dugouts are on the open touchline and the cover is on the facilities side of the ground. There is a flat are of standing cover on the halfway line which is sandwiched between 2x50 seated atcost stands. Another small area of standing cover is found towards the far side of the touchline, much more of a DIY effort.  The rest of the railed perimeter is hard standing.

The match was very dull as the swirling wind defied the bright sunny skies and together with a dry, bumpy pitch made both teams hustle and bustle through the 90 minutes.  Even the goals were uninspiring.  Hullbridge took the lead when a cross was fumbled by the keeper as he tried to catch the ball in the wind and only succeeded in dropping the ball into his own net.  Ilford drew level early in the second half after a scramble in the area and the rest of the game really was a tale of both sides trying to control the ball with dozens of errors. 

Just one of those days where the game is instantly forgettable and at least it was a new ground visit.

Match 33. Yaxley v Harrowby United

Saturday 11^thApril 2015 @3pm

United Counties League Premier Division

YAXLEY 2-4 HARROWBY UNITED

In2itive Park, Leading Drove, Holme Road, Yaxley.

Admission: £6

Programme: £1

Attendance: 58

Refreshments: Guinness (surged) £3, Cheeseburger £3, Kit Kat Chunky 70p

Apart from the congestion at Dartford Crossing, it was an easy enough drive into Cambridgeshire and I parked in Leading Drove an hour before kick-off and walked to spend prematch in the nearby, pleasant Three Horseshoes to watch the second half of the Swansea v Everton match before returning before kick-off for a clash between 4^th from top against 4^th from bottom. I was expecting a few goals but not in the way it turned out.

The ground has seen new club buildings built in the last few years and the clubhouse is now large with a hired hall facility which was being used for a 50^th birthday in the evening. There are also new changing rooms and toilets and all housed in one corner of the ground, left of the turnstile entrance, which doubles up as a club shop (with old programmes). The food van is to the immediate left of the entrance. The main stand is next to this and is a metal frame with wooden benches in 2 rows on top of a concrete base. Unspectacular but not as bad as the Atcost type.  There is a small red covered standing area each on the 2 main touchlines, one with a white bench at the back. Be careful if you are over 6 foot though as they have a low roof.  The dugouts are brick built on the opposite touchline and there is hard standing around the post and rail perimeter.  Oddly behind the goal at the non-allotment end, the hard standing consists of 100 or so electric or telephone rectangular man hole covers. Must be someone using their In2itive (sic).

Yaxley begun the stronger of the two sides and after a couple of close efforts, the home side broke the deadlock on 18 minutes.  A free kick on the left side was cross in by Hipwell and the ball missed everyone including the no10 by a whisker and ended up in the far corner of the net.  Yaxley didn’t have it all their own way in the half and both sides came close to adding to the goal tally, but the half finished at 1-0

The wind was picking up in the second half in favour of the visitors and they started the second half in control and ascendency.  Their dominance was rewarded on 55 minutes when a cross was not cleared by the defence and Carr to stab in from inside the area.  The side near the bottom certainly didn’t play like a struggling team now. A corner was drove to the far post where Hill rose and fiercely headed into the top corner to give Harrowby the lead.  Yaxley didn’t give up which made for an excellent second half and they equalised with 20 minutes left. I had one eye on the Grand National so only saw Joyce one on one with the keeper and slotted past hi m for 2-2.  With both eyes back on the match Harrowby regained the lead within minutes.  A free kick again gave the home defence problems and another headed goal from about 8 yards.  In the added stoppage time, Yaxley could have equalised, once denied by a good low save and also a last ditch tackle inside the area, but the ball then went down the other end where the subs shot was only parried for Shaw to score with the rebound just before the final whistle. 

A very entertaining second half, possibly the best 45 minutes I’ve watched this season, coupled with a friendly welcome from the gateman, food cook and birthday barman.

Match 32. AFC Fiorentina v Sampdoria

Saturday 4^th April 2015 @6.30pm

Italia Serie A

AFC FIORENTINA 2-0 SAMPDORIA

Stadio Artemio Franchi, Firenze

Admission: €40

Programme: N/A

Attendance: 33,777

Refreshments: Peroni €3 (330ml)

A long weekend in Florence with my wife thanks to my daughters Christmas surprise gift. Then as a birthday gift from my Mrs, a ticket for the match on early Saturday evening. I had left Kay drinking Prosecco in Trattoria Bondi near the main station Firenze Santa Monica Novella as I took the regional train to Firenze Campo Marte which takes under 10 minutes and costs €3 return.  It is then a brisk 10 minute walk to the ground going over the railway bridge and passing the official merchandise stalls and food outlets which have a variety of meat products much superior to the English fayre outside the grounds.  I had earlier gone to the match day ticket outlet a few minutes from the ground which opens from 0900-1300 and 1430-kick off on match days. I needed just my passport and cash to buy a ticket in the main stand as it is the only one with cover in an otherwise open bowl-shaped all seated stadium.

It was drizzle when we landed mid-morning and more persistent when we had arrived in Florence after the transfer from Pisa airport.  By the afternoon when I got my ticket it was chucking it down and it continued throughout the afternoon and evening so much so that I purchased a waterproof poncho from the looky-looky man at the main station.

On entering the main stand there is a concourse behind the lower tier, under the upper tier which sold hot and cold drinks, popcorn and snacks. I didn’t see hot food but there is a members area which may have had that on offer.  At least it is cash sales rather than the card system in some other grounds in Europe.

There was a few familiar names from the Premier League. Ex-Man City Micah Richards, ex-Liverpool Aquilani and Chelsea loanee Salah all in the home side starting line-up. Eto’o was up front for the visitors.  The pitch had fast slick areas but patches of boggy mud as well making flowing play difficult. The best shot of the half came from Salah whi struck the post and Sampdoria also had a shot from Eto’o early in the half which was well saved. Fiorentina had more possession but lacked a decisive pass.

At half time I got chatting to a supporter in that broken Italian-broken English way and he stayed chatting with me through the 2^nd half as we watched from the back of the lower tier. He explained that Fiorentina played in a Barcelona style under their current manager Montella and the fans are fully behind him as they try and gate-crash a Champions League spot for next season.

In the second half Fiorentina took control and the fans went wild as Diamanti shot into the top corner on the hour.  The crowd had barely settled down when Salah showed his skill in avoiding the defenders and slipping the ball beyond the keeper for the 2-0 result. They almost had a third at the end from Gomez but the shot was well saved.

So my first Italian ground and match has wetted my appetite for more. Afterwards the café outside the station reopened and made a small fortune in the 30 minute wait for the train back.

Match 31. Chipperfield Corinthians v Wormley Rovers

Saturday 28^th March 2015 @3pm

Herts Senior League Premier Division

CHIPPERFIELD CORINTHIANS 0-2 WORMLEY ROVERS

Queen Street, Chipperfield.

Admission: NIL

Programme: £1.

Attendance: 21 plus 6 under school age and a dog (h/c)

Refreshments: Coffee in a mug, £1. KitKat 70p

Chipperfield is about 10 minutes from junction 20 of the M25, passing Kings Langley on the route.  After locating Queen Street, football supporters are directed to park opposite the entrance to the Street which has loose stones as the road surface, which leads to the ground at the other end. After checking the game was on and purchasing a programme in the tea bar I walked a further 100yards to The Windmill which is a pub stuck in a post war décor, with half wall panelling, picture cork placemats and a group of local lacrosse team having lunch.  There are 3 hand pumps on and the lunch menu served 12-2pm looked good.  Back at the ground, the pitch is railed on all 4 sides and has dugouts on one side with large holly bushes and trees enclosing it, together with a slope across the pitch towards the club building, which has changing rooms, a snack bar, toilets and a covered overhang in case of rain.

The surroundings has that village feel about it and was played with sporting attitudes by both sides with one exception.  The visiting no10 Jordan attempted to play act his way around the pitch until finally getting a home player booked even though there was no physical contact.  Unfortunately Wormley only had the bare 11 players so he remained on the pitch apparently uninjured despite being shot 3 times by an invisible assassin.

The game was dominated throughout by the Corinthians but typically, Wormley scored in each half.  The first goal was an in swinging corner to the far post which was headed back for no9 to half volley into the net from 10 yards on half hour. The 2^nd half continued with a great chance by Rob no2 passing 3 players before his shot was brilliantly saved. Another chance by no10 hit the crossbar. Then with 10 minutes left a long corner was cleared up field to no11 who ran 40 yards before knocking the back into the path of no8 who shot at the keeper and the loose ball allowed no10 to slot in the rebound.

After the match I stopped off in Kings Langley to visit the Saracens Head which has several hand pumps and an excellent food menu at bargain prices.