I've been meaning to visit Corsham for a match for some time now and when I discovered that they would be playing their 500th Western League match it seemed like a good opportunity to tick off the ground. I had arranged to meet Paul at the ground and after I missed the entrance and taken a brief detour I saw a familiar car pulling in ahead of me. Paul and I parked up along the touchline and had a chat while reading the programme from the warmth of our cars.
As kick off approached we wandered around to the teabar and picked up a free teamsheet from the official's entrance - something Paul advised was a regular occurrence. I had hoped that the afternoon would bring a home win given the occasion but Street were reading a different script and took the lead in the first minute. The ball was played up from the back and a header set a striker in past the defence. He carefully chipped the ball over the keeper and into the net. Corsham equalised in the 13th minute with a chance from nothing. Ledgister took the ball in the centre of the half and hit a long shot across the goal. He got the angle just right to beat the scrambling goalkeeper and put it inside the far post.
We wandered round behind the goal for a while but there really wasn't much entertainment on offer as neither team seemed capable of getting an effort on target. Paul was wondering if this lack of goal attempts would be a record for a first half of a game he'd been too. Street put a shot over the bar from the edge of the area and just before half time Corsham had a couple of opportunities. The first was a freekick that just needed a touch from an onrushing player as it flew along the goalmouth and wide. The second was a header from a corner which also fell wide.
For the second half we took another position opposite the main stand and next to the dugouts and hoped that the match would improve. It did - slightly - as Corsham's near misses continued, a cross in the 48th minute inches away from being converted by the onrushing striker. Street retook the lead in slightly bizarre circumstances. The ball was played to the left side of the area and there was enough space for their player to get a shot on goal before the defence got back. While it was on target, the keeper looked to have it covered until he moved his hand and allowed the ball to bounce off his fingers and in.
Corsham pressed for the equaliser but they couldn't get the final pass right or headers on target. Street were prepared to play counter-attacking football to defend their lead and both teams came close in the last 15 minutes to another goal. Corsham managed to get a shot past the keeper but it went just wide. Street had a good opportunity as a player took the ball round the goalkeeper but the angle was too acute for a shot so he brought it back past the keeper to line up another shot. While team mates in better positions screamed for the ball so they could shoot at an unmarked goal, the cutback and delay allowed the keeper to recover and push the ball out for a corner. Street resorted to time wasting at the end and Corsham's frustration came out as a bad tackle took a Street player out. The final whistle quickly followed to Paul's relief.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Game 10: Pewsey Vale 4.3 Stockbridge (WESS 1) 11.10.11
A rare midweek trip with Alan saw us heading up the A345 to Pewsey Vale for their Wessex league match against Stockbridge. We made good progress following the X5 bus for most of the route and arrived in the main car park with plenty of time before kickoff. After paying £4.50 for entrance and a programme we wandered around the ground and found a vantage point near the halfway line.
I hadn't paid too much attention to the team's recent league form but a quick browse in the programme gave an indication that Stockbridge were the favourites for the win as Pewsey were 3rd from bottom with only 1 win in their first five league matches.Stockbridge had played four more games and recorded 3 wins, 4 draws and 2 defeats.
The first period of play was fairly open with both teams pushing forward but there were few incidents of note other than a great headed clearance by the Stockbridge "sweeper keeper" who was a good 10 yards out of his area at the time. Stockbridge took the lead after 16 minutes when the home defence let a cross drift past them to an unmarked Stockbridge player who headed the ball low into the right hand corner. Three minutes later and it was 0.2 when a Stockbridge player was tripped in the area and the referee awarded a penalty. The keeper guessed wrong as he dived to his left only to see the ball nestle into the other corner.
The play was all down at the Pewsey end and their keeper made a fantastic save to push a close range header over from under the crossbar. Stockbridge even managed to pull off a maneuver that I've been waiting to see for a long time - usually all the outfield players traipse to one side when the keeper takes a kick, leaving half the pitch empty. On this occasion the winger stuck to his side of the pitch and was able to move the ball quickly up the empty section when the keeper passed to him. Stockbridge added a third goal on the half hour with a great dribble into the area and a placed shot low past the keeper.
Alan had a great welcome in the clubhouse at halftime, enjoying a huge cup of tea and a pasty for £1.50. He felt that Stockbridge had done enough to win the game and perhaps that's what the visitors felt too. Pewsey had different ideas and in the 50th minute pulled back a great goal. The ball was crossed from deep and a Pewsey player powered a header in from a central position. Three minutes later and it was game on - a freekick was awarded on the right side and when the ball came in it was headed back to a player in space near the penalty area. He took his time to place a shot to the right of the keeper and in to make the scoreline 2.3
The game settled a little after this flurry of goals but it was certainly Pewsey who were the dominant team. They saw an on target header cleared off the line from a corner and a fantastic close range save from the Stockbridge keeper deny them the equaliser. Stockbridge had lost their way although they did appeal for a handball in the area on a rare attack.
The equaliser finally arrived in the 76th minute when a well placed backheel set up a Pewsey player to smash the ball into the top corner. I thought that both teams would be satisfied with a draw at this point but Pewsey had other ideas and completed the most unlikely of comebacks by scoring again in the 86th minute. A quick pass and move put one player in for a shot in the area. The keeper did well to get down and deflect the ball to his right only to see a Pewsey player in space receive the ball with an empty net to aim at. He didn't miss and the game ended 4.3 to the home team.
It wasn't until the following day that I spotted a report of Stockbridge's match at Ringwood on the previous weekend. On that occasion they were also 3.0 up at half-time only to see the home team come back to win 4.3. It will be interesting to see how they get on at home to Portchester on Saturday!
I hadn't paid too much attention to the team's recent league form but a quick browse in the programme gave an indication that Stockbridge were the favourites for the win as Pewsey were 3rd from bottom with only 1 win in their first five league matches.Stockbridge had played four more games and recorded 3 wins, 4 draws and 2 defeats.
The first period of play was fairly open with both teams pushing forward but there were few incidents of note other than a great headed clearance by the Stockbridge "sweeper keeper" who was a good 10 yards out of his area at the time. Stockbridge took the lead after 16 minutes when the home defence let a cross drift past them to an unmarked Stockbridge player who headed the ball low into the right hand corner. Three minutes later and it was 0.2 when a Stockbridge player was tripped in the area and the referee awarded a penalty. The keeper guessed wrong as he dived to his left only to see the ball nestle into the other corner.
The play was all down at the Pewsey end and their keeper made a fantastic save to push a close range header over from under the crossbar. Stockbridge even managed to pull off a maneuver that I've been waiting to see for a long time - usually all the outfield players traipse to one side when the keeper takes a kick, leaving half the pitch empty. On this occasion the winger stuck to his side of the pitch and was able to move the ball quickly up the empty section when the keeper passed to him. Stockbridge added a third goal on the half hour with a great dribble into the area and a placed shot low past the keeper.
Alan had a great welcome in the clubhouse at halftime, enjoying a huge cup of tea and a pasty for £1.50. He felt that Stockbridge had done enough to win the game and perhaps that's what the visitors felt too. Pewsey had different ideas and in the 50th minute pulled back a great goal. The ball was crossed from deep and a Pewsey player powered a header in from a central position. Three minutes later and it was game on - a freekick was awarded on the right side and when the ball came in it was headed back to a player in space near the penalty area. He took his time to place a shot to the right of the keeper and in to make the scoreline 2.3
The game settled a little after this flurry of goals but it was certainly Pewsey who were the dominant team. They saw an on target header cleared off the line from a corner and a fantastic close range save from the Stockbridge keeper deny them the equaliser. Stockbridge had lost their way although they did appeal for a handball in the area on a rare attack.
The equaliser finally arrived in the 76th minute when a well placed backheel set up a Pewsey player to smash the ball into the top corner. I thought that both teams would be satisfied with a draw at this point but Pewsey had other ideas and completed the most unlikely of comebacks by scoring again in the 86th minute. A quick pass and move put one player in for a shot in the area. The keeper did well to get down and deflect the ball to his right only to see a Pewsey player in space receive the ball with an empty net to aim at. He didn't miss and the game ended 4.3 to the home team.
It wasn't until the following day that I spotted a report of Stockbridge's match at Ringwood on the previous weekend. On that occasion they were also 3.0 up at half-time only to see the home team come back to win 4.3. It will be interesting to see how they get on at home to Portchester on Saturday!
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Game 9: Blackfield & Langley 5.1 Downton (WESS PREM) 08.10.11
In previous seasons I've tried to use Saturday's games for longer trips to new grounds but I'm now finding that a 75-100 mile round trip for a new ground is becoming the norm. I hadn't spotted anything with particular appeal for this Saturday's match and was tempted to watch the Amesbury v Westbury fixture in the Wiltshire Senior Cup until I got a text from Paul to advise he was looking at doing a new ground in the Wessex League. After comparing notes of where he hadn't been and what time he could arrive for a lift, we narrowed the options down to matches at Fawley or Blackfield & Langley. With local side Downton the visitors at Gang Warily we agreed on a trip to Blackfield.
I recalled that on my last trip to Blackfield there had been a local league match on the outside pitch and when we pulled up in the car park we found this was the case today as well. The game kicked off a later than expected but we were able to watch a couple of goals from a team. A bit of investigation later and it turned out to have been a Southampton Saturday league match between Forest Town Reserves and AFC Gulf Western that finished 2.5 - both goals we saw had been scored by the visitors.
After leaving the warmth of the car for the grey and chilly pitch at Gang Warily we saw Downton take a 5th minute lead when the ball was played high into the box from a freekick and found an unmarked defender who jumped up and volleyed the ball past the keeper. Blackfield won a few corners after that and should have done better in the 15th minute when the ball was flicked back from the near post and ran along the goalmouth before going out for a corner. When they managed to get an effort on target, Downton's keeper was well placed to make the save.
The equaliser arrived in the 23rd minute from a free kick on the edge of the area awarded for a high footed challenge. The Downton keeper set up his wall but was unable to do much when the shot was curved low into the bottom corner. Another defensive mistake allowed Blackfield to take the lead in the 28th minute. A good high cross came in from the right but it looked like the keeper had it covered to make an easy catch. He over stretched and didn't manage to gather the ball which dropped onto an attacker's head and bounced into the net.
Downton were unlucky in the 32nd minute when Turpin won the ball from the last defender and moved in on goal only to hear the referee's whistle for the challenge. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it and a good chance to equalise was lost. Blackfield had a couple more chances towards the end of the half, seeing a shot cannon back off the underside of the bar and the Downton keeper atone for his earlier error with a dramatic save. With two minutes left to play they added a third goal when a well worked pass into the middle was swept past the keeper.
Downton rearranged their team with a couple of substitutions at the start of the half and we moved under the makeshift shelter as it started to rain. Despite the change the style of play was unaltered and the midfield continued to overhit passes for the strikers and fail to support play further up the pitch. Blackfield were stretching the play and putting the Downton defence under a lot of pressure. They had already put one shot wide and another into the side netting when they won a penalty in the 70th minute. The Downton keeper came out to try and win the ball in the area but ended up taking the attacker's feet. Again he atoned for an error by guessing the right way and diving to the left to save the ball but he was unable to hold it and it rebounded back to the penalty taker to control and shoot into an empty net.
At 4.1 down Downton's heads were starting to sink and with four minutes to go Blackfield wrapped up the game with a close range header that gave the visiting keeper no chance as the ball had been crossed with such pace. The match finished 5.1 and we were soon back in the car and listening to an earlier than usual Non League Show on Radio Solent on the drive back up the A36.
I recalled that on my last trip to Blackfield there had been a local league match on the outside pitch and when we pulled up in the car park we found this was the case today as well. The game kicked off a later than expected but we were able to watch a couple of goals from a team. A bit of investigation later and it turned out to have been a Southampton Saturday league match between Forest Town Reserves and AFC Gulf Western that finished 2.5 - both goals we saw had been scored by the visitors.
After leaving the warmth of the car for the grey and chilly pitch at Gang Warily we saw Downton take a 5th minute lead when the ball was played high into the box from a freekick and found an unmarked defender who jumped up and volleyed the ball past the keeper. Blackfield won a few corners after that and should have done better in the 15th minute when the ball was flicked back from the near post and ran along the goalmouth before going out for a corner. When they managed to get an effort on target, Downton's keeper was well placed to make the save.
The equaliser arrived in the 23rd minute from a free kick on the edge of the area awarded for a high footed challenge. The Downton keeper set up his wall but was unable to do much when the shot was curved low into the bottom corner. Another defensive mistake allowed Blackfield to take the lead in the 28th minute. A good high cross came in from the right but it looked like the keeper had it covered to make an easy catch. He over stretched and didn't manage to gather the ball which dropped onto an attacker's head and bounced into the net.
Downton were unlucky in the 32nd minute when Turpin won the ball from the last defender and moved in on goal only to hear the referee's whistle for the challenge. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it and a good chance to equalise was lost. Blackfield had a couple more chances towards the end of the half, seeing a shot cannon back off the underside of the bar and the Downton keeper atone for his earlier error with a dramatic save. With two minutes left to play they added a third goal when a well worked pass into the middle was swept past the keeper.
Downton rearranged their team with a couple of substitutions at the start of the half and we moved under the makeshift shelter as it started to rain. Despite the change the style of play was unaltered and the midfield continued to overhit passes for the strikers and fail to support play further up the pitch. Blackfield were stretching the play and putting the Downton defence under a lot of pressure. They had already put one shot wide and another into the side netting when they won a penalty in the 70th minute. The Downton keeper came out to try and win the ball in the area but ended up taking the attacker's feet. Again he atoned for an error by guessing the right way and diving to the left to save the ball but he was unable to hold it and it rebounded back to the penalty taker to control and shoot into an empty net.
At 4.1 down Downton's heads were starting to sink and with four minutes to go Blackfield wrapped up the game with a close range header that gave the visiting keeper no chance as the ball had been crossed with such pace. The match finished 5.1 and we were soon back in the car and listening to an earlier than usual Non League Show on Radio Solent on the drive back up the A36.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Game 3: Tintinhull 1.4 Hamworthy Recreation (Dorset Prem) 13.08.11
Photolink: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvELtcM
For the first competitive match of the season I decided to make the most of the dry forecast and drive down to Tintinhull to watch their first Dorset Premier League match against Hamworthy Rec, league champions for the past two years. The drive was straightforward, a turn off the A303 led into the village where the ground parking is found at the end of a lane, helpfully signposted. I managed to squeeze the car into one of the few remaining spaces which was blocked in for a short time after the match as latecomers had parked behind me.
Wandering through a gateway in the fence with the teabar prices on display, I took up a spot close to the dugouts. The changing rooms, tea bar and practice pitch were behind the main pitch which looked to have had metal railings installed recently around it's sides. The teams were out early and the referee blew to kick off the season a few minutes before 3pm. The first few minutes of the match summed up the game - Hamworthy pressing forward, seemingly a step ahead of their opponents, keeping the home keeper busy. They won two early corners, one shot wide and one header over. Tintinhull had one opportunity very early on, a high ball towards goal ended up just over the bar. In the 10th minute Hamworthy took the lead following a break down the left. The winger pulled the ball back to space outside the area and a teammate hit a powerful drive past the dive of the Tintinhull keeper. A minute later and it was almost 2.0 when a deflection fell kindly and allowed a chipped effort that the keeper did well to push over the bar.
The attacks seemed never ending as Tintinhull found it difficult to get quality possession in their opponents half. Hamworthy were trying to play the ball into space behind the defence to allow players to beat the offside trap and take the ball on. This was often successful but didn't translate into goalscoring opportunities as often as it should have done. The home keeper was still kept busy, pulling off a couple of saves at full stretch when the ball looked destined for the back of the net. Tintinhull made a couple of naive defensive mistakes with passes going astray or being telegraphed and easily intercepted by the alert Hamworthy forwards. The second goal finally arrived in the 35th minute, a player taking the ball from diagonal pass into space to the right side of the area. Before a defender could get back to cover he hit a low shot past the keeper into the far corner via the post. Tintinhull were unlucky not to get a goal back just before the end of the half when a freekick found a player on the right side of the area. He hit a first time shot but misdirected it slightly and it ended up wide of the post with the keeper beaten.
After a quick halftime break, the second half kicked off at 3.55pm. I moved round to the other touchline where there was a lovely scenic view of the fields in the background. The play was similar to the first half as Hamworthy would win the ball in their half and play it quickly upfield. On occasion I wondered if they overcomplicated matters by trying to play a pass rather than keeping the ball and trying to beat the defence for pace to get behind them. They were close to extending their lead in the 54th minute when a high backpass caught out the home keeper. He did well to take the ball down on his chest near the edge of the area but the bounce took the ball out of the area where a Hamworthy player ran onto it. He took a heavy touch in trying to bring it under control and round the keeper, who tripped him as he went by. The referee awarded a free kick but nothing more, deciding that the heavy touch meant the ball wasn't under control. The freekick didn't come to anything but the third goal wasn't long in coming. Following a corner two minutes later, the ball was deflected into the box, allowing a Hamworthy player to smash a shot past the keeper from close range.
The Tintinhull keeper had been lucky not to see a yellow card for his challenge outside the area but learnt from his mistake on the hour. The same Hamworthy player took the ball in space in the area with just the keeper to beat but again played the ball with a heavy touch. This time the keeper held back from a challenge and the ball went out of play for a goal kick. His luck was out when Hamworthy added a fourth goal after a defensive mix up in the 65th minute. The keeper was forced to come out to try and win the ball, leaving his goal unguarded. A low cross into the middle set up a Hamworthy sub with an easy tap in. He was also kept busy in the 70th minute, a spectaular reflex save pushing the ball over the bar.
Despite the scoreline, Tintinhull didn't give up and were playing some nice one touch football. They managed a consolation goal in the 80th minute, exploiting space on the right side to draw the keeper out. His dive slowed the ball down but deflected it towards goal where a Tintinhull sub tapped the ball in to make the final score 1.4. Both teams made this an enjoyable game to watch with little for the referee to do - to his credit, his common sense decisions assisted.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Game 2: Salisbury City 2.1 Hayes & Yeading United (Friendly) 30.07.11
Photolink: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvwd9R2
After last weekend's mix-up on kickoff times,I had considered going to Melksham v Amesbury for a new ground tick but decided to play safe and take the short trip up to the Ray Mac for a confirmed 3pm start. It turned out to be a good choice, partly as it later transpired that Amesbury pulled out an hour before kickoff and partly as this was a really entertaining match.
I wasn't expecting many at the ground and was able to park fairly close to the turnstile for a change. I decided to watch from the sideline rather than an end and this put me in a good position to get a teamsheet when they appeared before kickoff. The Salisbury team was made up of a couple of trialists alongside the first team. I recognised a few of the names of the Hayes & Yeading team and it appeared that they had brought down a strong team.
The first half was the most entertaining no goal half of football I've seen in a long time as both teams came as close as you can get to scoring without the ball crossing the line. Hayes almost scored in the first minute when Salisbury lost possession in the area but the shot was blasted into Puddy, the trialist keeper. In the 7th minute the ball was chipped over Puddy but a defender got back in time to clear - a similar story two minutes later when the ball looked to be in but was hooked off the line by the other trialist, right back Pattison.
Salisbury had the next effort in the 10th minute, Wright getting a header on target that the Hayes keeper had to stretch to tip onto the crossbar. After these initial efforts, the game settled down with the next clear chance in the 32nd minute when an unmarked Hayes player put a header wide of the goal. The game was played in a good spirit apart from the Hayes number 3 who was pulled up for late tackles and on one occasion for leaving his knee in Kelly's face when he moved away. Just before halftime Hayes were again unfortunate not to score. A shot in the area was deflected by a defender's leg and rolled onto the post before the Whites defence cleared it. Moments later Puddy missed his attempt to catch the ball from a corner and another header had to be cleared off the line.
I was hoping that the second half would bring a goal and it wasn't long in coming. In the 55th minute Hayes made a number of substitutions and before they had time to settle they were a goal down. Kelly received the ball on the left side, cut in past one defender and from outside the box hit a quick shot before the next defender could get a tackle in. The ball flew into the goal before the keeper's dive could reach it to give Salisbury an unexpected lead.
Hayes continued to press and were denied a penalty when the referee ignored their shouts of handball as the ball was crossed into the box at the far end. It was too far away for me to see but the bench were indicating that the ball had hit the Salisbury player on the arm when it was deflected out for a corner. Salisbury had a couple of half chances, Clarke almost getting onto a through ball after coming on as a sub, but the team was defending more and more. Smith had replaced Puddy in goal and was forced into several smart saves before Hayes hit the post again in the 65th minute.
The equaliser finally came in the 77th minute when substitute Agyemang picked up the ball on the left side, span round his marker and fired home from close range. I thought that Hayes would press on to win the game and it was only a fine reflex save from Smith that kept the ball out of the net from a close range header in the 86th minute. The ball went for a corner which Smith gathered before sending the ball upfield for Reid. He took the ball down the left wing and won a throw near the corner flag. Before the Hayes defence could get organised he played a quick throw to Fitchett who passed back to the centre of the D where Clarke hit a belter into the top left corner. Somehow Salisbury were in the lead again!
There was still time for Smith to thwart Hayes with another diving save before the referee brought the game to a conclusion. The crowd of 294 had certainly witnessed an exciting game but perhaps not the expected outcome as Salisbury got their first pre-season win.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Game 1: Downton 0.0 Amesbury (Friendly) 19.07.11
Photolink: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvANx29
For the first game of the season I decided to take the short drive down to Downton for a local fixture against Amesbury Town. My record at Downton wasn't great last season - while the team won 27 home games on their way to the Wessex 1 title, I managed to see both their defeats in the FA Cup competitions and the best league performance I witnessed was a draw. It was a nice surprise to bump into Mike Turner on the gate and discover he's been appointed as Downton's secretary for the forthcoming season.
While I've seen some high scoring friendlies in the past at this ground, this match went the way of the last competitive game I saw here and finished in a 0.0 draw. Both teams looked a little rusty with passes going astray and heavy first touches giving the ball away. When there were chances, neither team had the killer instinct from close in and efforts from distance were either well saved or well over the bar.
The best chance of the first half fell to Amesbury when a Downton player hit a backpass too short without considering the players around him. The Downton keeper rushed out but wasn't able to beat the onrushing Amesbury player to the ball. However his race out of the box led to the Amesbury player pushing the ball too far ahead and wide, allowing the Downton defender to get back and put a tackle in. This was enough pressure to see the Amesbury player hit the ball wide of the far post. Downton for the most part were in control of the game but their shots were mostly daisy cutters that the Amesbury keeper dealt with easily.
The second half was similar fare, enjoyable to watch as both teams created chances and kept the keeper's busy. After a multitude of substitutions while the sun set, it was Downton who controlled play and came close with a Gain shot that flashed wide. Amesbury had the best chance to win the match midway through the half with a stunning shot that the Downton keeper did well to get a hand to.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
2010-2011 Season Summary
Games seen: 60
Goals scored: 226
Highest Scoring Game: 7 - Longwell Green Sports 5.2 Odd Down, Bemerton Heath Harlequins 5.2 Lydney Town (aet)
Lowest Scoring Game: 0 - Downton v AFC Portchester
Goal Average: 3.76
Grounds Visited: 33
New Grounds Visited: 22
Goals scored: 226
Highest Scoring Game: 7 - Longwell Green Sports 5.2 Odd Down, Bemerton Heath Harlequins 5.2 Lydney Town (aet)
Lowest Scoring Game: 0 - Downton v AFC Portchester
Goal Average: 3.76
Grounds Visited: 33
New Grounds Visited: 22
Game 60: Coalville Town 2.3 Whitley Bay (FA Vase Final) 08.05.11
It's been an ambition of mine for a few years to watch a match in each round of that season's FA Vase. In previous years I've made it through to the latter stages only to find that the logistics and/or costs of getting to a ground that one step too far. With Poole having a good run in the competition I had made it to the semi-final stage and now with a straightforward train ride to London out of the way, I was ready for my first FA Vase final.
I had arranged to meet Alan at the ground with a detour to meet Paul and his mate at a pub near Baker Street to drop off their tickets. The Whitley Bay end was the preference of a couple of the group so I'd booked tickets via their website - £25 for a Wembley final (plus p&p) was a bargain compared to the inflated price for FA Cup and England matches.
Arriving at Wembley, I called Alan and we soon concluded that we were at different stations near the ground so we arranged to meet up by the Bobby Moore statue. We hung around there for a while waiting for the ground to open up, watching the massed crowds arriving from the Midlands and the North East. A wander around the stadium shop to pick up a program and marvel at some of the retro FA Final kits was followed by a walk around the ground before we decided to go in. Once inside, Alan decided he wanted to put on a lucky bet so I decided to join him on a random flutter. As the last final I saw at Wembley finished 3.2 (Stevenage v Kidderminster) I decided to double that scoreline with Paul Chow to score the first goal - 75/1 for the customary lucky bet £1 stake.
The weather looked a little unsettled but when we found our seats it didn't matter as we were right at the back of the 1st tier and under cover. After watching the teams warming up, the ground began to fill up and by the time the two sides came out the half of the lower tier allocated to spectators was looking fairly full. Both teams came out and lined up on the traditional red carpet for the National Anthem and then the game began.
I had put my bet on with a high scoreline as I felt that both teams had played with different attacking style when I had seen them earlier in the competition - Coalville with their pace sparring with Whitley Bay and their guile. For the first period of the first half it was the pace of Coalville that impressed as they overran Whitley Bay and won a series of corners, one being cleared off the line. Paul and I both noticed the Coalville 10 was trying to cause some confusion for the keeper by waiting off the pitch behind the goal line and the goal net and then moving forward into the keeper's line of movement when the ball was crossed into the box. The referee didn't do anything on the first couple of corners but eventually noticed and called the Coalville player over for a word.
The first goal came from a simple counter-attacking move in the 28th minute. A Whitley Bay player on the right side pushed the ball towards the goal line and burst forward, beating the first man with the pass and the second man for speed to reach the ball. He fired in a low ball into the centre where an unmarked Chow pounced to slot a low shot past the Coalville keeper and in. A great move from the forward who noticed the defence was ball watching and ran off his marker's shoulder into space. The first part of the lucky bet had worked out!
Coalville had dominated before the goal and continued to dominate after it, seeing a 'goal' disallowed for offside with a late flag and a dipping volley fly just over the crossbar with the back peddling keeper beaten. They were very unlucky not to get an equaliser when the ball was hurled into the area from a long throw. The ball fell for a Coalville player and he hit a shot across the goal towards the far post. The shot beat the keeper but then rebounded back off the post and towards the keeper who grabbed it at the second attempt. Near the end of the half Chow had a half chance but hooked his shot over the bar from a difficult angle.
Coalville managed a deserved equaliser after 58 minutes. The ball was worked down the left side and a swerving high cross found Moore's head in the middle of the 6 yard box. His header had just enough pace to go over the line despite the best efforts of the Whitley keeper, who managed to push the ball down with a great reflex save. I thought that Coalville would press on for another goal but the next effort came from Whitley Bay in the 61st minute. The ball was on the wing and after a quick turn and shimmy, the winger got enough space to cross the ball to the edge of the penalty area. Lee Kerr rose up and glanced his head against the ball to send it towards the near post. One bounce was enough to take it past the keeper and into the netting inside the goal just behind the post to give Whitley Bay a 2.1 lead.
The game had really come to life now and both teams continued to press for a goal. Coalville thought that they had got the equaliser in the xx minute when the ball was swung into the area to find a Coalville player ahead of the defence and heading the ball towards the ground at point blank range. He glanced the header towards the keeper's right, only to see it bounce onto the post and fly out towards the penalty spot where a Whitley Bay player gratefully booted it clear.
Coalville were dominating and got behind the Whitley Bay defence again. This time the ball was cut back to a Coalville striker who took the ball past a defender before hitting a shot hard towards the top corner. Somehow the Whitley keeper managed to dive to his left and reach the curving shot to push it onto the crossbar. The Whitley goal was certainly leading a charmed life - moments later another cross found another player lining up a shot towards the other top corner but with the same result as the Whitley keeper pushed it over the bar for a corner.
With the holder's defence sitting deeper and deeper it only seemed like a matter of time before Coalville would score and the inevitable goal came in the 80th minute. Another cross from the right took out 6 blue and white shirts and fell kindly for the middle of a trio of white shirts on the 6 yard line. He stooped to head the ball low between the keeper and a defender before racing off to celebrate the equaliser.
I was starting to wonder if my decision to go for a 3.2 win might have been slightly misguided - right scoreline, wrong team as the momentum was all with Coalville. Whitley managed to push forward and won a free kick on the left of the penalty area as we faced it following a late challenge by the Coalville captain. Looking at the angle of the ball and goal I was suddenly convinced that Whitley would score - the angle was the same as the marvellous late winner they had scored at Poole and the same player, Kerr, lining up to take it. Kerr hit a similar free kick, this time over the wall and on target, only for the ball to deflect off Chow's head and onto the bar. As the keeper stretched up, the ball came down and from half a yard out it rolled off Chow and into the net to give Whitley Bay the lead again.
'Oh you of little faith' I thought as the second part of the the lucky bet came in and I joined in the celebrations for rather less altruistic reasons than those around me! The pace of the ball made if difficult to tell if Chow had deliberately intended to head the ball up or not as he moved in front of the keeper but it was certainly a striker's finish after that.
There was still 4 minutes and stoppage time to go and it seemed like an eternity as Coalville hit long balls up into the area, hoping for a slice of luck to go their way. As the game went into injury time I thought that they had scored at the far end as the ball went over the keeper but it dropped onto the roof of the net. Eventually time ran out and the referee blew his whistle to bring to an end one of the best games I've seen and a very enjoyable season.
I had arranged to meet Alan at the ground with a detour to meet Paul and his mate at a pub near Baker Street to drop off their tickets. The Whitley Bay end was the preference of a couple of the group so I'd booked tickets via their website - £25 for a Wembley final (plus p&p) was a bargain compared to the inflated price for FA Cup and England matches.
Arriving at Wembley, I called Alan and we soon concluded that we were at different stations near the ground so we arranged to meet up by the Bobby Moore statue. We hung around there for a while waiting for the ground to open up, watching the massed crowds arriving from the Midlands and the North East. A wander around the stadium shop to pick up a program and marvel at some of the retro FA Final kits was followed by a walk around the ground before we decided to go in. Once inside, Alan decided he wanted to put on a lucky bet so I decided to join him on a random flutter. As the last final I saw at Wembley finished 3.2 (Stevenage v Kidderminster) I decided to double that scoreline with Paul Chow to score the first goal - 75/1 for the customary lucky bet £1 stake.
The weather looked a little unsettled but when we found our seats it didn't matter as we were right at the back of the 1st tier and under cover. After watching the teams warming up, the ground began to fill up and by the time the two sides came out the half of the lower tier allocated to spectators was looking fairly full. Both teams came out and lined up on the traditional red carpet for the National Anthem and then the game began.
I had put my bet on with a high scoreline as I felt that both teams had played with different attacking style when I had seen them earlier in the competition - Coalville with their pace sparring with Whitley Bay and their guile. For the first period of the first half it was the pace of Coalville that impressed as they overran Whitley Bay and won a series of corners, one being cleared off the line. Paul and I both noticed the Coalville 10 was trying to cause some confusion for the keeper by waiting off the pitch behind the goal line and the goal net and then moving forward into the keeper's line of movement when the ball was crossed into the box. The referee didn't do anything on the first couple of corners but eventually noticed and called the Coalville player over for a word.
The first goal came from a simple counter-attacking move in the 28th minute. A Whitley Bay player on the right side pushed the ball towards the goal line and burst forward, beating the first man with the pass and the second man for speed to reach the ball. He fired in a low ball into the centre where an unmarked Chow pounced to slot a low shot past the Coalville keeper and in. A great move from the forward who noticed the defence was ball watching and ran off his marker's shoulder into space. The first part of the lucky bet had worked out!
Coalville had dominated before the goal and continued to dominate after it, seeing a 'goal' disallowed for offside with a late flag and a dipping volley fly just over the crossbar with the back peddling keeper beaten. They were very unlucky not to get an equaliser when the ball was hurled into the area from a long throw. The ball fell for a Coalville player and he hit a shot across the goal towards the far post. The shot beat the keeper but then rebounded back off the post and towards the keeper who grabbed it at the second attempt. Near the end of the half Chow had a half chance but hooked his shot over the bar from a difficult angle.
Coalville managed a deserved equaliser after 58 minutes. The ball was worked down the left side and a swerving high cross found Moore's head in the middle of the 6 yard box. His header had just enough pace to go over the line despite the best efforts of the Whitley keeper, who managed to push the ball down with a great reflex save. I thought that Coalville would press on for another goal but the next effort came from Whitley Bay in the 61st minute. The ball was on the wing and after a quick turn and shimmy, the winger got enough space to cross the ball to the edge of the penalty area. Lee Kerr rose up and glanced his head against the ball to send it towards the near post. One bounce was enough to take it past the keeper and into the netting inside the goal just behind the post to give Whitley Bay a 2.1 lead.
The game had really come to life now and both teams continued to press for a goal. Coalville thought that they had got the equaliser in the xx minute when the ball was swung into the area to find a Coalville player ahead of the defence and heading the ball towards the ground at point blank range. He glanced the header towards the keeper's right, only to see it bounce onto the post and fly out towards the penalty spot where a Whitley Bay player gratefully booted it clear.
Coalville were dominating and got behind the Whitley Bay defence again. This time the ball was cut back to a Coalville striker who took the ball past a defender before hitting a shot hard towards the top corner. Somehow the Whitley keeper managed to dive to his left and reach the curving shot to push it onto the crossbar. The Whitley goal was certainly leading a charmed life - moments later another cross found another player lining up a shot towards the other top corner but with the same result as the Whitley keeper pushed it over the bar for a corner.
With the holder's defence sitting deeper and deeper it only seemed like a matter of time before Coalville would score and the inevitable goal came in the 80th minute. Another cross from the right took out 6 blue and white shirts and fell kindly for the middle of a trio of white shirts on the 6 yard line. He stooped to head the ball low between the keeper and a defender before racing off to celebrate the equaliser.
I was starting to wonder if my decision to go for a 3.2 win might have been slightly misguided - right scoreline, wrong team as the momentum was all with Coalville. Whitley managed to push forward and won a free kick on the left of the penalty area as we faced it following a late challenge by the Coalville captain. Looking at the angle of the ball and goal I was suddenly convinced that Whitley would score - the angle was the same as the marvellous late winner they had scored at Poole and the same player, Kerr, lining up to take it. Kerr hit a similar free kick, this time over the wall and on target, only for the ball to deflect off Chow's head and onto the bar. As the keeper stretched up, the ball came down and from half a yard out it rolled off Chow and into the net to give Whitley Bay the lead again.
'Oh you of little faith' I thought as the second part of the the lucky bet came in and I joined in the celebrations for rather less altruistic reasons than those around me! The pace of the ball made if difficult to tell if Chow had deliberately intended to head the ball up or not as he moved in front of the keeper but it was certainly a striker's finish after that.
There was still 4 minutes and stoppage time to go and it seemed like an eternity as Coalville hit long balls up into the area, hoping for a slice of luck to go their way. As the game went into injury time I thought that they had scored at the far end as the ball went over the keeper but it dropped onto the roof of the net. Eventually time ran out and the referee blew his whistle to bring to an end one of the best games I've seen and a very enjoyable season.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Game 59: Roman Glass St George 1.2 Shepton Mallet (Western 1) 02.05.11
I hadn't planned on being at a match on this Bank Holiday Monday but glancing through the fixtures in the Non League paper I noted that Roman Glass St George would be playing their last match at their Bell Hill ground, their home since 1894. Paul had recommended a visit here so after a bit of research I worked out that I could walk to the ground from Lawrence Hill railway station and decided to make the trip. After taking an early morning train up from Salisbury, I arrived at Bristol Temple Meads and waited on the platform for my connection - luckily a bit warmer than the wait earlier in the season for a train to Weston Super Mare.
The train didn't take too long to get to Lawrence Hill and I strolled up the main road and past a park before turning off and wandering up a hill towards the ground. I wasn't the only person looking for the ground as a car pulled up and the driver asked me if I knew where the ground was. After a quick conversation he offered me a lift as he was heading there to assess the referee. Using my memory of Google's street view, we found the gap between two houses that led to the ground and parked up after I had paid for my entry and programme.
I had a bit of time to spare as I built in some contingency so I went for a wander around the pitch, stopping off in the main stand to get some respite from the sun and the very strong wind that was blowing across the pitch. The ground backed on to a number of houses, with some trees on the far side and behind one of the goals. On the other side there was space for what appeared to be a cricket pitch. The pitch certainly had an end of season feel to it with areas around the corners quite bare. There looked to be a few other 'travellers' dotted around the ground who were here to see the last game, speaking to one of them it turned out that he had come down from Oldham for the match!
The strong wind was certainly a factor in the match and we saw the first goal kick from the Shepton keeper land deep in the Roman Glass half before bouncing over the crossbar. Conversely, the Roman Glass goal kicks were barely clearing the penalty area before circling back with the breeze. Shepton had the first 'normal' chance in the 2nd minute and took the lead with a header from a long throw beating the keeper. Roman Glass attacked from kick off and almost equalised, hitting the post with a shot.
Shepton made the most of the conditions and almost scored in the 5th minute, the ball hitting a Roman Glass leg that deflected it wide of the goalmouth. A free kick in the 13th minute was headed out for a corner and while that corner was cleared, the ball fell to a Shepton player who dribbled round two defenders to find a gap. He used this gap to run forward and place a shot past the keeper to give the visitors a 2.0. lead. The defence started an inquisition and there were a few choice words flying around.
The rest of the half didn't see another goal but there were some good attempts. Shepton Mallet were lucky to clear the ball in the 19th minute when the keeper dropped a cross. A Shepton attack in the 25th minute saw a good breakthrough the middle ruined by wasteful finishing as the ball was walloped out of the ground. Three minutes later and a better shot from Roman Glass following a good break down the left was saved by the Shepton keeper's legs, although appeared to be more by luck than judgement.
Roman Glass were getting back into the game. A header flew narrowly over from a corner on the half hour and three minutes later two on target headers from corners where headed off the line by Shepton defenders. Nothing seemed to be going for them and some of the players frustration boiled over just before the end of the half when a handball decision was given against them. Shepton somehow missed a golden chance in injury time when a player got on the end of a cross and knocked the ball past the starfish dive of the keeper only to see the ball go over the bar.
The two teams disappeared into the changing rooms on the whistle but it looked as if they were going into someone's house with the design matching the neighbouring properties. When the teams came back out it was poignant to think that this would be the last half of football the club would play at the ground before their move to Almondsbury.
Shepton Mallet were in no mood for nostalgia and came close to a third goal in the 48th minute, hitting the left post after a good run and shot. The home keeper had to be on his toes, making a couple of saves in close succession with help from a defender sliding across the line on one occasion to keep the ball out. At the other end, we were treated to a spectacular long range shot that dipped over the keeper with the wind but went just over the bar.
Roman Glass finally got the goal their second half play deserved in the 70th minute, a pass and move into the centre before a shot whizzed past the keeper from close range. A minute later and it should have been 2.2 - a pass into the box found it's target again only for the resulting shot to fizz narrowly wide of the post.
The home team continued to press for the equaliser - a cross was spilt by the Shepton keeper to a Roman Glass player but his toepoke went wide when he should have put it in. The last clear cut chance came with ten minutes to go, a quick corner led to a cross from a better angle that was caught in the wind and hit the bar before bouncing out.
The referee blew the whistle and brought the game to an end. As the spectators folded up their picnic chairs, I wandered round towards the bar and took some pictures of the groundsmen taking down the nets for the last time before taking a final shot looking towards the old stand.
I used the time waiting for a lift back to Bath station with the assessor to check on Salisbury's progress in the Southern Premier playoff and found that match had finished 1.1 and was about to go into extra time. By the time I got on the train at Bath, Hednesford had taken a 2.1 lead and the twitter updates indicated that this was likely to be the final score. Suddenly I got a text from Pete to let me know that Ben Adelsbury had scored a beauty in the final seconds to force a penalty shoot out. Twitter soon confirmed and so I found myself refreshing tweets and waiting for text updates on the shootout. I wouldn't recommend this method - refreshing after one tunnel took forever but eventually news came through from Pete that Tommy Smith had saved the final penalty and Salisbury were promoted back to the Conference South. A good ending to a great day out.
The train didn't take too long to get to Lawrence Hill and I strolled up the main road and past a park before turning off and wandering up a hill towards the ground. I wasn't the only person looking for the ground as a car pulled up and the driver asked me if I knew where the ground was. After a quick conversation he offered me a lift as he was heading there to assess the referee. Using my memory of Google's street view, we found the gap between two houses that led to the ground and parked up after I had paid for my entry and programme.
I had a bit of time to spare as I built in some contingency so I went for a wander around the pitch, stopping off in the main stand to get some respite from the sun and the very strong wind that was blowing across the pitch. The ground backed on to a number of houses, with some trees on the far side and behind one of the goals. On the other side there was space for what appeared to be a cricket pitch. The pitch certainly had an end of season feel to it with areas around the corners quite bare. There looked to be a few other 'travellers' dotted around the ground who were here to see the last game, speaking to one of them it turned out that he had come down from Oldham for the match!
The strong wind was certainly a factor in the match and we saw the first goal kick from the Shepton keeper land deep in the Roman Glass half before bouncing over the crossbar. Conversely, the Roman Glass goal kicks were barely clearing the penalty area before circling back with the breeze. Shepton had the first 'normal' chance in the 2nd minute and took the lead with a header from a long throw beating the keeper. Roman Glass attacked from kick off and almost equalised, hitting the post with a shot.
Shepton made the most of the conditions and almost scored in the 5th minute, the ball hitting a Roman Glass leg that deflected it wide of the goalmouth. A free kick in the 13th minute was headed out for a corner and while that corner was cleared, the ball fell to a Shepton player who dribbled round two defenders to find a gap. He used this gap to run forward and place a shot past the keeper to give the visitors a 2.0. lead. The defence started an inquisition and there were a few choice words flying around.
The rest of the half didn't see another goal but there were some good attempts. Shepton Mallet were lucky to clear the ball in the 19th minute when the keeper dropped a cross. A Shepton attack in the 25th minute saw a good breakthrough the middle ruined by wasteful finishing as the ball was walloped out of the ground. Three minutes later and a better shot from Roman Glass following a good break down the left was saved by the Shepton keeper's legs, although appeared to be more by luck than judgement.
Roman Glass were getting back into the game. A header flew narrowly over from a corner on the half hour and three minutes later two on target headers from corners where headed off the line by Shepton defenders. Nothing seemed to be going for them and some of the players frustration boiled over just before the end of the half when a handball decision was given against them. Shepton somehow missed a golden chance in injury time when a player got on the end of a cross and knocked the ball past the starfish dive of the keeper only to see the ball go over the bar.
The two teams disappeared into the changing rooms on the whistle but it looked as if they were going into someone's house with the design matching the neighbouring properties. When the teams came back out it was poignant to think that this would be the last half of football the club would play at the ground before their move to Almondsbury.
Shepton Mallet were in no mood for nostalgia and came close to a third goal in the 48th minute, hitting the left post after a good run and shot. The home keeper had to be on his toes, making a couple of saves in close succession with help from a defender sliding across the line on one occasion to keep the ball out. At the other end, we were treated to a spectacular long range shot that dipped over the keeper with the wind but went just over the bar.
Roman Glass finally got the goal their second half play deserved in the 70th minute, a pass and move into the centre before a shot whizzed past the keeper from close range. A minute later and it should have been 2.2 - a pass into the box found it's target again only for the resulting shot to fizz narrowly wide of the post.
The home team continued to press for the equaliser - a cross was spilt by the Shepton keeper to a Roman Glass player but his toepoke went wide when he should have put it in. The last clear cut chance came with ten minutes to go, a quick corner led to a cross from a better angle that was caught in the wind and hit the bar before bouncing out.
The referee blew the whistle and brought the game to an end. As the spectators folded up their picnic chairs, I wandered round towards the bar and took some pictures of the groundsmen taking down the nets for the last time before taking a final shot looking towards the old stand.
I used the time waiting for a lift back to Bath station with the assessor to check on Salisbury's progress in the Southern Premier playoff and found that match had finished 1.1 and was about to go into extra time. By the time I got on the train at Bath, Hednesford had taken a 2.1 lead and the twitter updates indicated that this was likely to be the final score. Suddenly I got a text from Pete to let me know that Ben Adelsbury had scored a beauty in the final seconds to force a penalty shoot out. Twitter soon confirmed and so I found myself refreshing tweets and waiting for text updates on the shootout. I wouldn't recommend this method - refreshing after one tunnel took forever but eventually news came through from Pete that Tommy Smith had saved the final penalty and Salisbury were promoted back to the Conference South. A good ending to a great day out.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
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