Pie and Mushy Peas

Crescent Rovers FC

2009-04-30T23:59:00.014+01:00

Crescent Rovers 2 Worcester Park 2 – Combined Counties League, Division One

Combined Counties League

Another end of season, early evening kick-off in the Combined Counties League, drew me to the Wallington Sports Club, the home of Crescent Rovers FC. The club was formed in 1947 by a group of ex-servicemen in the Whitehorse Manor area of Croydon. After initially playing friendly matches, election to the Thornton Heath & District League followed. Gradual progression via various Surrey based leagues culminated in joining the Combined Counties League in 2003, following merger with the Surrey Senior League.

I caught a train from London Victoria to Wallington. The relatively slow service took around 40 minutes to reach Wallington by which time your correspondent had acquired a thirst. Therefore, it was my good fortune to discover the Whispering Moon Wetherspoon pub, where I delighted in Okells Red – a very smooth beer infused with Amarillo hops.

From there I made my way to the Wallington Sports Club in Mollison Drive in about 15 minutes, stopping off at Sainsbury’s for some refreshments as I was not sure what would be available at the ground. With just over half an hour to go before the 18:45 start, a number of neutral individuals were gathering on the veranda of the clubhouse in order to secure their match programmes. Such individuals are often described as Ground Hoppers and your correspondent, if looking in a mirror, may even see such a person!

The clubhouse (more of a cricket pavilion in appearance – Ed) is the only permanent structure at the ground. On a wet day, that veranda would provide a fair amount of cover but one would be a fair way from the pitch. This building clearly has a history and is ‘well worn’. It does contain a licensed bar, which opened after the match had started and I did see a sign advertising filled rolls.

The pitch is roped off on both sides. The near side is adjacent to the cricket square. It is not possible to walk behind either goal which gives an indication of how tight space is in that direction. Both ends are hemmed in with bushes. However, via the neighbouring sports ground through a gap in the hedge I managed to access a raised concreted platform overlooking the pitch, from where I was able to take a couple of photos and view some of the match.

Visitors Worcester Park FC still had a chance of winning the league championship and knew that if they maintained their winning run until the end of the season, they would claim that prize. The home side started the match determined to play more than a support role and despite early pressure from the visitors, took the lead with a fine goal on the break after 13 minutes.

That missed penalty

Ten minutes later Worcester Park squandered a chance to level, when the Rovers keeper saved a penalty. However, on 37 minutes the equalizer came. With 5 minutes remaining, another breakaway goal looked to have given Rovers all three points but with 2 minutes remaining Worcester Park salvaged a draw with their 2nd goal.

After the match I walked to Waddon station, arriving in plenty of time to catch the 20:57 service to Victoria. Both stations are convenient for Mollison Drive where a couple of bus routes also pass the entrance to the ground.

Attendance: 53
Admission: £2-30
Programme: included with admission
Tea: None to be found
Fare: £4-90 (all Zone Travelcard with Goldcard discount)

Photographic Archive

Maine Road FC

2009-04-25T23:59:00.054+01:00

Maine Road 3 Squires Gate 3 - North West Counties League, Premier Division

North West Counties League

Maine Road FC was founded in 1955 by a group of Manchester City supporters under the name City Supporters Rusholme originally competing as a Sunday league team in the Rusholme Sunday League. In the late 1960s they joined the Manchester Amateur Sunday League, moved their headquarters to the Social Club at Maine Road and changed the name of the club to Maine Road F.C. In 1972 the club joined the Manchester League, seeking a new challenge after winning the Manchester FA County Sunday Cup in 1971-72 and dominating their league. They won the Manchester Premier Cup in 1975-76, beating Abbey Hey in the final and again in 1976-77, when they beat Little Lever in the final. The also won the Manchester League four times consecutively from 1983-84 to 1986-87.

Maine Road moved into their present home, Brantingham Road in 1980. The club upgraded the facilities to become eligible to join the North West Counties Football League in 1986. The club joined the North West Counties Football League in 1987, playing the 1987-88 season in Division Two and finishing fifth. They also won the Manchester Premier Cup for a third time, beating Irlam Town in the final. The following season they were runners-up and were then promoted to Division One in 1988-89 as Division Two champions. They finished ninth in their first season, spending twelve seasons in Division One, mostly finishing in the lower half of the table. In 1994-95 they reached the fourth round of the FA Vase and were losing finalists in the Manchester Premier Cup in 1998-99. However, they were relegated to Division Two in 2001-02 after finishing 22nd. Ater a third place finish in 2002-03 the club were promoted back to Division One as runners-up in 2003-04.

A 5:30 pm kick off at Old Trafford provided an excellent opportunity to visit another ground in the vicinity. I was already aware of the close proximity of Chorlton and on discovering that Maine Road FC was hosting the final league match for the season, prompted me to explore the possibility of attending two matches.

On arrival at Manchester Piccadilly and via the nearby Wetherspoon (beer festival), Ciderman and I caught the 85 bus service to Chorlton, alighting at the junction of Withington Road and Brantingham Road. From here it is less than a five minute walk to the home of Maine Road FC.

The ground it is fair to say, is in need of some TLC and having spoken to a couple of club officials before the match, it is a wonder that they manage to keep the club going. Having said that the team is more than holding their own in the top flight of the North West Counties League. There is plenty of covered accommodation, with terracing/bench seating along one side of the ground. On the opposite side, just along from the dugouts is a small seated stand.

On the refreshment front, the tea bar is very welcoming with a good selection of snacks. The pies (Meat & Potato and Steak & Kidney) were good value The crisps were half price (sell by date looming – last match of season – Ed) and there was the usual tea, coffee etc. Inside the club building was the bar area. Unfortunately due to what is clearly a legacy of under use the options here are limited to cans from the fridge. On a hot afternoon Ciderman and I were pleased that this facility was there and that whoever turned the fridge on, had done their job.

For an end of season match, after a slow start, this match got progressively better. Squires Gate FC will be disappointed not to have gone away with all three points having led on three occasions. However, this Pieman believes that would have been harsh on Maine Road, who were certainly worth a share of the spoils. Their 3rd equaliser coming in the 90th minute.

The Pieman was not the only journalist in the Spurs section

The match ended at 16:47 and following a very brisk walk, your scribe was at the Old Trafford turnstiles at 17:22! Welsh Roger was with us at Brantingham Road and probably lost a stone in weight trying to keep up with the fleet footed Pieman between the two grounds. I was pleased to have visited Maine Road FC and although I witnessed 7 goals in the latter match, I think the 6 at the former represented better value for money. Maine Road and Old Trafford on the same day - who'd 'ave thought it!

Maine Road: Jones, McGrath, Robinson, Mason, Jay (Capt), Chappell, O'Shea, Haggis, Mack, Landregan, Hall. Subs: Rothel, Brocklehurst, Gresty, Clare Goals: Hall (2), Mason.
Squires Gate: Speight, Benfield, Ford, Maden (capt), Horn, Muscroft, McKenna, Hibbert, Bennett (Booth), Bartlett, Stayte. Sub not used: Ryan. Goals: Bartlett, Hibbert, Stayte.
Referee: I Nolan Assistants: S Rudd & M H Tattersall

Attendance: 80
Admission: £5
Programme: £1
Tea: 50p
Pies: £1-20

Photographic Archive

Ascot United FC

2009-04-21T23:59:00.028+01:00

Ascot United 2 Wokingham & Emmbrook 1 - Hellenic League, Division 1 (East)

Hellenic League

Ascot is a small town within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting. The region is split into three distinct areas: Ascot itself, North Ascot (partially in the civil parish of Winkfield) and South Ascot. Tittenhurst Park, the former home of Beatles John Lennon and Ringo Starr is located in Ascot. Also, Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding was born here and the celebrated Lapworths (Sarah and Kevin) are established on the local social scene.

Ascot United FC was founded in 1965 by a men’s team who played their games at Sunninghill, with “after match meetings” in The Wells public house in Cheapside village. Within three seasons, the club had gained permission from the Ascot Racecourse Trustees to convert the land north of coach park 10 into a football pitch. In 2007 the senior team won the Reading League and were promoted to the Hellenic League Division 1 East. In their first season at that level, the club ended the campaign in fourth place.

The decent spring weather, a 6:30pm kick off and a disappearing football season, inspired me to venture out to Berkshire to visit Ascot United FC for the final home fixture of the 2008/9 campaign. I travelled from London Waterloo direct to Ascot, with the journey taking a little under an hour. From the station it is up the hill to the high street, where the imposing grandstand of the racecourse is the prominent feature.

For a relatively small place, Ascot appears to attract an incredible amount of traffic, most of which appears to be passing through. I had been advised that there was not really anywhere en-route to buy food. The options being Budgen or ………… Budgen! So it was onwards to the Ascot Racecourse which is actually situated within the famous racecourse, adjacent to the ‘New Mile’.

Probably a brisk 15-minute walk from the station, the ground is situated in a fine picturesque setting. The backdrop of woodland and racecourse on a fine sunny evening, set the scene for what turned out to be an eventful match between 2nd placed Ascot United and 4th placed Wokingham & Emmbrook.

Before proceedings I visited the portakabin refreshment area for a mug of strong tea that set me up nicely for a very competitive and somewhat niggly tussle between two local rivals. Neither side was taking the affair lightly and the match was interrupted by a number of fouls. That said, both teams showed that they are worthy of their current league status with some good passing football.

It was a couple of excellent goals that gave the home side the advantage. Firstly a fine long range curling effort from Steve Curtis after 34 minutes broke the deadlock. In the second period, shortly after the visitors were reduced to ten men following a red card for Billy Elgar (two bookings), John Keough struck on 67 minutes. His overhead kick matched the earlier goal for entertainment. However Ascot themselves were soon down to ten men, when Neil Corbett was sent off for deliberate handball on the goal line. From the resultant penalty scored to reduce the arrears and set up an exciting end to the game. However, with a couple of minutes to go the visitors were down to nine men when Nicky Bateman walked for a ‘professional foul’.

The match ended just before 20:20 and was delighted to be able to swiftly amble to Ascot Station in time to catch the 20:40 to Waterloo. I enjoyed my visit to Ascot and have to say that the pleasant surroundings enhanced a fine match. As a result of this win, Ascot United guaranteed 2nd place with an outside chance of winning the title.

Attendance: 145
Admission: £3
Programme: 50p (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea: (in a mug) 70p
Fare: £7.75 (with goldcard discount)

Photographic Archive

Worcester Park FC

2009-04-18T23:59:00.002+01:00

Worcester Park 1 Knaphill 0 - Combined Counties League, Division One

Combined Counties League

Worcester Park is a suburb of London and a ward in the extreme north west of the London Borough of Sutton. It is 10.2 miles (16.4 km) south west of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 9,874. Worcester Park takes its name from the 4th Earl of Worcester, who was appointed Keeper of the Great Park in 1606. The area was once part of a Great Park surrounding the Nonsuch Palace of Henry VIII. Former Prime Minister, John Major lived in Longfellow Road and went to Cheam Common School.

Founded in 1908, Worcester Park FC play at Skinners Field, on Green Lane. This venue could not be much nearer to Worcester Park Station, as the platform looks over the pitch. However, to reach the ground from there it takes a bit less than 5 minutes, crossing over a small stream immediately before entering the ground. Green Lane houses football, cricket, tennis and bowls and is clearly a focal point for the local community.

There were a lot people wearing blue football shirts. However, although Worcester Park play in all blue this was merely coincidental as these people were Chelsea fans taking advantage of the club's facilities to watch the FA Cup Semi-Final v Arsenal. Two large TV screens in the bar would facilitate this. Apart from the bar area (Real Ale = Abbot and Greene King IPA - Ed), the clubhouse also boasts a fine refreshment are a where a variety of hot food can be purchased. At half-time this journalist enjoyed a decent portion of cheesy chips!

Of the other sports enjoyed at this venue, cricket is clearly a major player. Adjacent to the football pitch is the cricket square and with sunny weather gracing us, it was clear to see that the switch between the two sports was imminent for the Worcester Park faithful.

Of course, multi-use venues can mean that football clubs are restricted in what they can provide by way of spectator facilities. At Skinner’s Field there is just the covered area immediately behind the dugouts. This area would be rather cramped on a wintry day with a decent sized crowd. That said, it would be possible to get a reasonable view via the windows of the clubhouse bar area.

Being a nice sunny afternoon, your scribe took the opportunity to watch the proceedings next to the cricket square on the half way line. I watched the match in the company of Adrian, a fellow Spurs season ticket holder, who along with his pal Dave and another ‘hopper’ from Norfolk had already taken in the Copland v Sloane (Middlesex County League) fixture in the morning.

Worcester Park FC has a chance of the league title this season and the club is enjoying a good winning run with games in hand. I have enjoyed the improving standard of Combined Counties League football over the last few seasons. It was clear on this occasion that both these sides are of the ‘footballing’ variety and an interesting match ensued.

Sensible refereeing ensured that a ‘handbags’ moment did not get out of hand earlier in the match and the Knaphill keeper also deserves credit for removing a team-mate from confrontation at the time Worcester Park won the match with James Dunning's scuffed effort on 35 minutes, which deceived the visiting keeper. The close proximity of the railway station meant an easy stroll back in time to catch the 16.58 service arriving at Waterloo 20 minutes later.

Attendance: 67
Admission: £5
Programme: With admission (extras £2)
Tea: 60p (in a mug)
Cheesy Chips: £1-30
Fare: £4.90 (all zone travelcard with goldcard discount)

Archive Photographs

Holmesdale FC

2009-04-07T23:59:00.034+01:00

Holmesdale 0 Faversham Town 1 - Kent League

Kent League

Holmesdale FC was originally formed in the 1920's and can be traced back to the Baptist Church in Holmesdale Road, South Norwood, where it was affiliated to the London FA and competed in the Excelsior Football League. After two years in the Excelsior Football league, the club moved to the Thorton Heath and District League where they finished second in the 3rd Division and won the Sportsmanship Cup. To play for the team in those days you had to be involved in the church, attend Bible class and pay match fees of 6d (2.5p) with a signing on fee of six shillings (30p). Sadly, in 1923, the team folded for a period of 33 years, before being resurrected in 1956 by the 3rd East Surrey Boys Brigade Company. They were pleased to inherit the original Post Office savings account of the predecessors which had funds of £7.00, but with 33 years interest had risen to the princely sum of £12.00.

In 2000 part of Holmesdale FC moved to Oakley Road in Bromley, moving into the British Energy Kent County League. Since moving to Oakley Road the club has developed the facilities to boast a floodlight training area, a fully enclosed senior pitch with dugouts and a licensed bar with function hall. In 2005-06 the first team won the Kent County Division One West (gaining promotion to the Premier Division) and the Surrey Intermediate Cup, the following season 2006-07 the first team were crowned champions of the Kent County Premier Division and gained promotion to the Kent League.

A Tuesday evening excursion to Bromley was facilitated by a train journey from London Victoria to Bromley South. From there, four local bus routes run to Bromley Common. The 320 stops just along Oakley Road from the ground and is the best of the four. For a night match there is a convenient 21:50 service back to Bromley South station. Before boarding our bus, Kareoke Bob and I took advantage of the local Wetherspoon pub opposite the railway station. At The Richmal Crompton we enjoyed Dark Star beers from Sussex.

This was a very special evening for Kareoke Bob, he was visiting his 100th ground. Therefore, he is the latest hopper to join Shaun Smith's 100 Football Grounds Club. A champagne moment for Bob and the possibility that the champagne might be shared by Holmesdale FC. The home side in only their second season at this level went into this match just 4 points behind leaders Hythe Town, with a game in hand. Of their four remaining matches Holmesdale will travel to Hythe in the penultimate fixture - game on!

I took the opportunity, to enter the ground early to take some photographs, secure a programme and whist there the gateman confirmed to me that the pub just over the road was certainly worth a visit. The Two Doves is a fine example of a traditional English pub and my pint of Tribute from the St Austell Brewery was just the compliment this pub deserved.

The club has clearly come along way recently and the necessary improvements to the ground in order to senior status are there for all to see. The unique stand is certainly worth a look and gives those seated in the elevated back row an interesting view. Anywhere else in the stand and you are virtually on top of the dugouts! Having said that, it is a lot sturdier than it looks.

Visitors Faversham Town FC are enjoying a good season themselves and were not prepared to play a supporting role in this match. Despite some early pressure from the home side, it was not long before the visitors tested Holmesdale with a couple of decent crosses from the right flank. Just before the half hour Damian Abel scored a fine 20 yard goal in off the left hand post. Holmesdale battled away in search of a leveller and came close on a few occasions, but Faversham were always a threat on the break and could easily have scored again. It is not over for Holmesdale but clearly Hythe Town aare hot favourites for the title now - theirs to lose as they say.

Kareoke Bob - 100 not out!

Holmesdale: Danny Harwood, Christos Nicoli, Roland Duo, Frank Bunani, Tom McQuade (Ben Chick 84), Paul Springett (Jason Thompson 77), Daniel Westerman (James Dadson 58), Paul Semakula, Joel Greaves, Serge Musungu, Anthony Morrison.
Subs: Charlie Corneille, Russell Bedford.

Faversham Town: Carl Hodgson, Liam Wybraniec, Kris Richardson, Dave Botterill, Ashley Brown, Lee Shearer, Dane Luchford, Damian Abel, Craig Thompson, Dave Soutan, Chris Oyebanjo.
Subs: Sam Parter, Ray Turner, Craig Preston, Rob Hudson.

Referee: Mr Martin Peck (West Malling)
Assistants: Mr Mark Heads (Bearsted) & Mr Peter Ward (Sevenoaks)

Attendance: 52
Admission: £6.
Programme: Free with admission, extras £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea: 50p
Mars: 50p
Fare: £4.90 (all zone travelcard with goldcard discount)

Photographic Archive

Hanworth Villa FC

2009-03-10T23:59:00.010Z

Hanworth Villa 2 Knaphill 2 - Combined Counties League, Division One

Combined Counties League

Hanworth lies to the south east of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow and the name is thought to come from the Anglo Saxon words “haen” and “worth”, meaning “small homestead”. In 1512 Hanworth came to the Crown and Henry VIII, who enjoyed hunting on the heath surrounding the village, gave the manor to Anne Boleyn for life. After her execution, the manor returned to the King who held it until his death in 1547, when it passed to his final wife Katherine Parr, who lived in the house with her stepdaughter Princess Elizabeth. When the princess became Queen she stayed at Hanworth Manor several times, often hunting on the heath.

Hanworth Villa FC was formed in 1976 following a managerial disagreement at another long established Hanworth club. Since 1980 the club has had a 'nomadic' existence but in 1997 moved to its existing Headquarters at Rectory Meadow. The club was elected to Division One of the Combined Counties League in time for the start of the 2005/06 campaign. Two seasons later finishing in the runners up position, but promotion to the Premier Division was not allowed due the lack of the appropriate facilities. The necessary improvements, including floodlights and a 100 seater spectator stand, were in place ready for the start of the 2008/09 season.

Having seen how well Hanworth Villa played at Takeley recently, I was inspired to visit Rectory Meadow for this midweek encounter with Knaphill. The nearest railway station is Feltham and it is a half hour walk from there. However there are numerous bus routes that criss-cross the area linking up with Feltham and other stations including Twickenham.

The main pitch at Rectory Meadow is enclosed with hardstanding along the main clubhouse side. On the side opposite where the dugouts are located there is what could best be describe as a cinder path running the full length. Behind one end, shielding the ground from the busy A316, is a wooded area. The 100 seat stand, although relatively new, was locked, not sure why.

There was a bit of a local fixture clash on the night with the clubhouse showing Juventus v Chelsea on the big screen. A few stayed inside throughout to watch that. However, there was a decent number that ventured outside on a chilly but not too cold evening to watch a decent encounter between two sides riding high in the league.

We were not dissapointed. The home side took the lead half way through the first period when Steve Reddings chipped the visiting keeper from the edge of the box but it was not long before Knaphill drew level courtesy of a fine strike from Matt Baker. Shortly afterwards, Reddings added another quality goal to restore the lead for the Villians, this time with an instinctive lob.

The second period was competitive throughout and Knaphill always looked as if they might grab a second goal. That said Hanworth are an impressive side and could have added to their tally. With time up on the 90 minutes this Pieman had made his way to the exit to ensure a swift getaway. There he was still able to witness a late shot from outside the box being allowed to slip through the keeper’s grasp and on to the post before being gleefully converted by Nick Darnell for Knaphill’s equaliser. So close for the home side who will have been ‘gutted’ – excellent entertainment for this neutral though! Back at Feltham Station in time for the 22:05 to Waterloo.

Attendance: 78
Admission: £3
Programme: Sort of - Editor on holiday so teams provided within cover.
Tea: 50p
Fare: £4.90 (all zone travelcard with goldcard discount)

Photographic Archive

Takeley FC

2009-02-21T23:59:00.025Z

Takeley 0 Hanworth Villa 1 - Capital Counties Feeder League Trophy, Round Three

Essex Senior League

Takeley is a small village in Essex near Bishop's Stortford. When Takeley was first registered by the Normans in 1086/87 its boundaries were approximately 8 miles in length, with a total area of 3,000 acres. However, since the development of Stansted Airport, it has lost nearly a third of its land. Takeley consists of several Ends and Greens, namely Brewers End (Briars End), The Street, Smiths Green, Bambers Green (Bambrose Green), Molehill Green (Morrells Green), Mill End and Coopers End. Coopers End has since been demolished and the Cargo Area of the airport now stands on the ground once occupied by the settlement. The access to and from the airport at Coopers End was closed briefly in January 1991 but was re-opened in November of that year. Coopers End roundabout was developed during the construction of the new airport terminal and is placed just west of the Terminal.

In the early hours of the previous day, this Pieman had landed at Stansted Airport on return from a UEFA Cup excursion to the Ukranian city of Donetsk. Little over 24 hours later he was back in the vicinity, this time visiting the adjacent Essex village that is Takeley. This was not a first attempt at visiting the Station Road ground. An earlier excursion a few weeks previous had been thwarted by a late postponement due to frost.

On that occasion, I was able to confirm that Stansted Airport is the nearest railway station. It takes around 25 minutes to walk from there to the centrally located ground. As you might surmise, there was once a nearer railway station – Takeley. Prior to the Beaching cuts, this station was on the now long gone line between Bishops Stortford and Braintree. The station building and platform are still there and are situated immediately behind the clubhouse building at Takeley FC. Regular bus services also connect Takeley with Bishops Stortford and Chelmsford.

Takeley Railway Station

For my second attempt at seeing a match at Takeley, Local Bus Driver gave me a lift. We did not leave Cheshunt until after 2pm but a combination of the M25 and M11 ensured that we got to the ground in plenty of time. Parking at the ground is limited but alternative spaces are available across the road and this facility is clearly signposted.

Clearly the club has taken great strides in recent times and is enjoying their first season in the Essex Senior League under experienced manager Don Watters with assistant and cabaret singer, Lol Williams. They are riding high in the division and will be looking to maintain a title challenge for the remainder of the season.

The Station Road ground is also steadily improving. A stand is taking shape on the side along from the clubhouse. The clubhouse complex is home to the changing facilities and the refreshment bar and appears to be a relatively new brickbuilt structure. There is no licensed bar at the ground but visitors are invited to use the facilities at the nearby Takeley Sports and Social Club, situated behind the Silver Jubilee Hall.

Although I tend not to watch matches in competitions such as this, I am really glad that I did on this occasion. Both the home side and visitors Hanworth Villa FC (Combined Counties League, Division One) are having good seasons in their respective leagues and I thought a decent match was in prospect. For a change, I got this right as a very good match ensued with both sides having spells on top. Some excellent defending and goalkeeping thwarted both. I can’t remember a match with so many telling last ditched tackles.

Extra time and even penalties would settle this tie if the stalemate remained unbroken, but eventually a superb instinctive strike by Steve Loveridge (recently rejoined from Egham Town - Ed) on 82 minutes, ensured the visitors took their place in the semi-final. A fine game between two evenly matched sides. We travelled home via Hatfield Broad Oak and Harlow arriving in Cheshunt at 17:30.

Attendance: 65
Admission: £5. (Concessions £2)
Programme: £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea/Coffee: 50p
Mars: 50p

Photographic Archive

Shakhtar Donetsk FC

2009-02-19T23:59:00.003Z

Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0 - UEFA Cup, Round of 32, 1st Leg

Ukranian Premier League

Donetsk is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin (Donbass) region. Donetsk was founded in 1869 when the Welsh businessman John Hughes built a steel plant and several coalmines in southern part of Russia at Aleksandrovka. The town initially was given the name Hughesovka (Yuzovka). By the beginning of the 20th century, Yuzovka had approximately 50,000 inhabitants and attained the status of a city in 1917. During Soviet times, the city's steel industry was expanded and it was renamed Stalino. During Nikita Khrushchev's second wave of destalinization in November 1961, all Soviet cities named after Joseph Stalin were renamed, even though Stalino was named after its steel industry rather than Stalin himself, the name was changed to Donetsk, after the Seversky Donets river.

Today Donetsk is an administrative centre of Donetsk region of the Ukraine. It is a major industrial, scientific and cultural centre; an important node of railway, road and airlines. Nowadays city industrial enterprises cover one sixth of gross industrial output of Donetsk region. In Donetsk there are about 150 industrial enterprises and production amalgamations, over 150 construction associations, more than 2,000 establishments and organisations of other branches, employing about 550,000 people. Donetsk today boasts 3 theatres, a Philharmonic Society, a circus, a planetarium, 80 palaces of culture, clubs and movie-theatres, 29 museums and 500 libraries.

Lenin surveys Lenin Square

Во время недавнего визита на «Донбасс Арену» генеральный секретарь УЕФА Дэвид Тейлор заявил: инфраструктура этого стадиона вполне позволяет принимать здесь финалы Лиги чемпионов и Кубка УЕФА. Донецкая арена во многом превосходит требования, выдвигаемые к стадионам категории «Элит». Сегодня мы подробнее остановимся на этих стандартах. Отдельный разговор - ложа прессы. УЕФА настоятельно рекомендует: на стадионе категории «Элит» должно быть минимум 200 мест для пишущих журналистов, 100 – для непишущих и 150 – для обозревателей. На «Донбасс Арене» эти стандарты реализованы следующим образом: для пишущих работников СМИ – 424 кресла, для непишущих – 432 и для аналитиков – 168. Для сравнения: к стадионам, на которых проводятся финалы Лиги чемпионов и Кубка УЕФА, выдвигаются такие требования: 150 мест для обозревателей и по 400 для пишущих и непишущих журналистов.

Shakhtar Stadium - previous home

A 6am flight from Stansted, courtesy of Sport Options (an extremely well run trip – Ed), enabled us to reach the centre of Donetsk for early afternoon. The route in from the airport to the centre was rather bleak and appeared poverty stricken. I don’t think I have ever seen so many stray dogs in one place and some of the vehicles on the roads appeared to be held together by rust. Once in the centre though, the buildings took on a more traditional and prosperous appearance. As this was the day before the match, this afforded an opportunity to get our bearings and explore.

Donbass Arena - future home

Shakhtar Donesk FC has been playing most of its games at the RSK Olimpiyskiy Stadium. Work is progressing on a new stadium, Donbass Arena which will have a capacity of 50,000 and will be a used for Euro 2012 (jointly hosted by the Ukraine and Poland) Chamionpionship. Shakhtar's old home, the central Shakhtar Stadium which was built in 1936, and was reconstructed four times, is currently being used by FC Metalurg Donetsk. The Donbass Arena is just across the road from the RSK Olimpiyskiy Stadium and as can be seen, this will be an impressive arena. The previous venue is probably a 25-minute walk away from the other two sites and is located in the Central Scherbakov Park of Culture and Leisure.

Armed with colleague Barry Peterson's Ukranian phrase book (he was out there with Aberdeen at Dnipro previously - Ed). We set out to enjoy the cultural delights of Donetsk. For the duration of our visit to Donetsk, eating and drinking was a good experience. The local brews were good and the food in café/restaurants was of fine quality. As is often the way in Eastern Europe, the locals will eat sweet dessert type foods at any hour of the day (not just the locals – Ed)

The RSK Olimpiyskiy Stadium has very little cover and it was a relief that the evening of the match was dry. However it was cold and watching football at –7 degrees will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Once again, it is unlikely that if this was an English Stadium, UEFA would probably deem it unfit to stage matches. Double standards yet again. Anyone wishing to use the toilet facilities during the match was escorted to very poor underground facilities shared with Donetsk fans – rant over. I had anticipated this chaos and elected for a pre match visit, which facilitated the acquisition of half a dozen complimentary Shakhtar Donetsk flags. However, this was all I got as Tottenham Hotspur did not approach the game in a positive way and despite looking likely for a 0-0, succumbed to two late strikes. A swiftish departure to the airport facilitated a quickish take off from Donetsk arriving back at Stansted at just after 2am on Friday morning.

Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov, Srna, Chigrinsky, Ischenko, Rat, Fernandinho, Ilsinho (Luiz Adriano 68), Jadson, Lewandowski, Willian , Gladkyy (Seleznyov 78).
Subs Not Used: Khudzamov, Fedetskiy, Shevchuk, Duljaj, Chyzhov.
Booked: Rat.
Goals: Seleznyov 79, Jadson 88.

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Gunter, Huddlestone, Dawson, Chimbonda, Jenas, Zokora, Parrett (Bostock 89), Bentley, Giovani (Bent 69), Campbell.
Subs Not Used: Jansson, Gilberto, Smith, Mason, Obika.

Referee: Thomas Einwaller (Austria).

Attendance: 25,000
Admission: 10 hryvnia (less than £1 at current excange rates) or £5 if purchased from Tottenham Hotspur plc.
Programme: 28 pages - no price on cover. Very poorly distributed. Limited availabilty from club. Prices appeared to go up as the day progressed with street sellers asking 30 as opposed to 5/10 the initial price from club ticket kiosks. In all probabilty this publication was supposed to be a complimentary issue.

Photographic Archive

Aylesbury Vale FC

2009-01-17T23:59:00.003Z

Aylesbury Vale 1 Broxbourne Borough 3 - Spartan South Midlands League, Premier Division

Spartan South Midlands League

Aylesbury was declared the county town of Buckinghamshire in 1529 by King Henry VIII: Aylesbury Manor was among the many properties belonging to Thomas Boleyn the father of Anne Boleyn. It is rumoured that the change was made by the king in order to curry favour with the holders of the manor. (Previously the county town of Buckinghamshire was Buckingham). The town played a large part in the English Civil War when it became a stronghold for the Parliamentarian forces, like many market towns a nursing-ground of Puritan sentiment. Its proximity to Great Hampden, home of John Hampden has made of Hampden a local hero: his silhouette is on the emblem used by Aylesbury Vale District Council and his statue stands prominently in the town centre. Aylesbury retains some buildings from the medieval, Georgian and Victorian periods, as well as the 20th century. Ceely House (part of the County Museum), Ardenham House, the Union Workhouse and The County Gaol are among the most notable buildings in the town.

Aylesbury Vale F.C. (as a name) only came into existence in May 2005. The club has enjoyed a long history in senior and junior football dating back to the 1930s under the previous names of Haywood United, Belgrave, Stocklake and Negretti and Zambra F.C.

In August 1988 this Pieman, accompanied by Dennis and The Duck, witnessed Aylesbury United’s 1st match in the Football Conference at their former Buckingham Road ground. That venue is sadly no more and that club are now leading a nomadic existence. Aylesbury Vale on the other hand, are based within the town and are proud of their Haywood Way ground.

The ground is situated at the end of Hayward Way (wasn’t that a boating soap opera set on the south coast? – Ed), behind the main club building. The only covered accommodation is the seated stand along one side of the pitch. There is room to stand under cover behind the seats and the tea bar is also situated at the rear of this stand.

Visitors Broxbourne Borough FC are currently enjoying a good season and they hit the first blow, taking the lead through a spectacular volley. This journalist told the Boro management that the scorer “will dine out on that one”. The response was that “he’s one that will”. To their credit the home side gradually clawed their way back into the game and levelled courtesy of a header.

In the second period, Boro soon regained the lead from another fine strike and wrapped up the points with a 3rd goal from spot, following a generously awarded penalty. The visitors were worth their win on an afternoon on which a mild start progressed to a cold windy conclusion. Local Bus Driver’s car was warm and comfortable for the journey back to Cheshunt which was completed in an hour.

Attendance: 31
Admission: £5. (Juniors £1)
Programme: Free with admission, extras £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea/Coffee/Soup: 70p
Mars: 50p

Photographic Archive

Colchester United FC

2008-12-20T23:59:00.006Z

Colchester United 0 Scunthorpe United 0 - Football League One

Colchester is 56 miles northeast of London and is claimed to be the oldest recorded town in Britain on the grounds that it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in AD 77. Its Celtic name was Camulodunon, meaning 'the fortress of (the war god) Camulos'. Following the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, a Roman legionary fortress was established and the name Camulodunon was modified to the Roman spelling of 'Camulodunum'. Camulodunum served as the first Roman capital of Britain, but was attacked and destroyed during Boudica's rebellion in AD 61. In 1884 the town was struck by the Colchester earthquake, estimated to have been 4.7 on the Richter Scale causing extensive regional damage. Colchester is reputed to be the home of three of the best known English nursery rhymes: 'Old King Cole', 'Humpty Dumpty' and 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. Local legend places Colchester as the seat of King Cole (or Coel) of the rhyme Old King Cole, a legendary ancient king of Britain. Colchester is also the most widely credited source of the rhyme Humpty Dumpty. During the siege of Colchester in the Civil War, a Royalist sniper known as One-Eyed Thompson sat in the belfry of the church of St Mary-at-the-Walls (Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall) and was given the nickname Humpty Dumpty, most likely because of his size. The third rhyme to come from Colchester is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which was written by Jane Taylor in the town's Dutch Quarter, and published in 1806 with the title "The Star".

All the Kings's horses and all the King's men.......

Colchester United FC formed in 1937 and took over Layer Road from the recently defunct Colchester Town FC. That venue remained their home until 2008. At its closure, the ground had a capacity of 6,340, though it had previously been much higher, with a record attendance of 19,072. In 2000, Colchester United FC announced plans to move to a new 10,000 capacity all-seater community stadium at Cuckoo Farm, which were given the go-ahead by Colchester Borough Council on November 13, 2006. Construction of the stadium, funded by the council, started in June 2007, and the stadium opened at the start of the 2008-09 season.

This Pieman was keen to visit the Colchester Community Stadium (Weston Homes for sponsorship). In the morning I watched Harry Hotspur play in an entertaining 3-3 draw for East Herts Youth (Under 10s). A second match between a different set of seven players per side, ended 4-2 and his team progressed to the next round of the Denis Regan Cup with a 7-5 aggregate victory. After this I caught a direct train from Cheshunt to Stratford. From there another direct serviced sped me to Colchester North station.

I took advantage of the free bus service running from Bruff Close (3 minutes walk from the station) which takes you to the ground in a little over 5 minutes. Many of the home supporters were calling in at ‘The Bricklayers’. This Adams pub appears to be the last available watering hole between the town and the ground and is opposite Bruff Close.

As is often the norm with new stadia, this place is comfortable with good views afforded from all seated areas. However, for me it lacks the character of Layer Road. The Health & Safety bods will declare the new place a triumph though and it is an impressive achievement for the club. Inside the ground spectators can purchase the usual overpriced refreshments.

Sometimes you get a feeling early on during a match that you will be witnessing a stalemate. This was the case today with both Colchester United and visitors Scunthorpe United huffing and puffing but both lacking that bit of quality to force the issue. Both sides had decent chances but a combination of good defending, competent goalkeeping and poor finishing determined the outcome of this pre-Christmas fare.

My seat was in the unreserved section of the West Stand, at the corner where it meets the South Stand. Accordingly, I was out of the ground and on a bus within a couple of minutes of the final whistle. As soon as the bus was full it departed. I was back at the station in time to catch the 17.03 service to London Liverpool Street. This service was slightly delayed due to reports of “cows on the line at Diss” – grateful for that. Back in London for 18.00, logistically a good day for travelling if not goals!

Colchester United: Walker, Maybury, Coyne, Baldwin, Tierney, Yeates, Hammond, Izzet (Jackson 65), Perkins (Wordsworth 80), Platt, Vernon (Gillespie 65).
Subs Not Used: Gerken, White.
Booked: Yeates.

Scunthorpe United: Murphy, Wright, Pearce, Byrne, Williams, Thompson (Morris 75), McCann, Togwell, Woolford (Hayes 88), May, Hooper.
Subs Not Used: Lillis, Iriekpen, Lea.
Booked: Wright.

Referee: Graham Horwood (Bedfordshire).

Attendance: 4,606
Admission: £20.00
Programme: £3 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea/Coffee : £1.60p
Fare: £12.40 from London Liverpool Street (with Network Gold Card discount)

The Pieman's initial visit to Layer Road

Photographic Archive

NEC Nijmegen FC

2008-11-27T23:59:00.034Z

NEC Nijmegan 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1 - UEFA Cup, Group Stage

Nijmegen is a municipality and a city in the east of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is considered to be the oldest city in the Netherlands and celebrated its 2000th year of existence in 2005. The first mention of Nijmegen in history is in the 1st century BC, when the Romans built a military camp on the place where Nijmegen was to appear; the location had great strategic value because of the surrounding hills, which gave (and continue to give) a good view over the Waal and Rhine valley. In the second half of the 19th century, the fortifications around the city became a major problem; there were too many inhabitants inside the walls, but the fortifications could not be demolished because Nijmegen was deemed as being of vital importance to the defence of the Netherlands. When, however, events in the Franco-Prussian war proved that old-fashioned fortifications were no more of use, this policy was changed and the fortifications were dismantled in 1874. The old castle had already been demolished in 1797, so that its bricks could be sold.

N.E.C. (Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie) is niet de oudste voetbalclub van Nederland. Een stuk of veertig voetbalverenigingen bestaan langer. Maar N.E.C. is toch uniek. Het was voor zover bekend de eerste voetbalvereniging die werd opgericht door ‘gewone’ arbeiders, echte volksjongens. Voetbal was in 1900 al aardig populair, maar het clubvoetbal was nog een echte elitaire bezigheid. Verenigingen als UD (Deventer), Quick (Nijmegen), Sparta, Vitesse en dergelijke waren dan ook allemaal opgericht door de zoons van rijke industrielen, middenstanders en andere notabelen.

We flew from Heathrow to Schiphol, from where we caught a train to Arnhem (changing at Utrecht), where we were staying. From Arnhem it takes little more than 10 minutes on the faster services to reach Nijmegan. There are plenty of trains returning late evening too. However, this was not an issue for this visit as the match had been brought forward to a 19:00 kick off to accommodate television.

Café t Moortgat

Accordingly, we were afforded the opportunity to visit a couple of bars in Arnhem and worthy of special mention is Café t Moortgat on Ruiterstraut. This establishment is one of the best bars that this Pieman has experienced. A dark wooden interior with a superb range of both draught and bottled beers from both the Netherlands and further afield. Something for most people on the beer front and a very good atmosphere.

Following on from this fine refreshment interlude, we made the short journey over to Nijmegan and from the main railway station were able to walk to the 12,500 capacity De Goffert stadium in just 25 minutes. There was very little by way of pubs or restaurants en route and it is a very similar story around the stadium which is situated in a park. However, the social club of the amateur arm of the club was open and welcoming, providing food and the obligatory beers.

This Pieman is not a great fan of the current UEFA Cup Group Stage format, much preferring the straight knockout two leg ties. Effectively this tournament does not get going until February. Spurs controlled the majority of this match and claimed the points courtesy of Jamie O’Hara’s 14th minute strike.

After the match there was a free bus service back to the main railway station which enabled your scribe to catch the 21.28 service back to Arnhem. Within a few minutes he was seated at the bar of Café t Moortgat again and was able to sample a few choice brews in that warm establishment.

NEC Nijmegan: Babos, Dani Fernandez (Tshibamba 81), Wisgerhof, Zomer, El Akchaoui, Radomski (Kivuvu 46), Sibum (Bouaouzan 65), Davids, Schone, Van Beukering, Kabir.
Subs Not Used: Baart, Pothuizen, Otten, Janssen. Booked: Davids.

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Gunter, Dawson, Woodgate, Bale, Bentley (Mason 90), Zokora, Huddlestone, O'Hara, Bent (Lennon 71), Campbell (Obika 83).
Subs Not Used: Cesar, Assou-Ekotto, Bostock, Smith.

Attendance: 12,500
Admission: No price on the match ticket which cost £22 from THFC
Programme: Free A3 single sheet folded twice.

Photographic Archive

Udinese Calcio FC

2008-10-23T23:59:00.048+01:00

Udinese Calcio 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0 - UEFA Cup, Group Stage

Udine is a city in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps, less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Udine is the historical capital of Friuli. The area has been inhabited since the Neolithic age, and was later, most likely, settled by Celts. During World War I, after the defeat in the battle of Caporetto, Udine became the seat of the Italian High Command and was nicknamed "Capitale della Guerra" ("War Capital"). After the war it was made capital of a short-lived province which included the current provinces of Gorizia, Pordenone and Udine. After September 8, 1943, when Italy surrendered to the Allies in World War II, the city was under direct German administration, which ceased in April 1945.

L'Udinese sfiorò la promozione in serie B nel campionato 1972-73, al termine del quale aveva diviso con il Parma il primo posto in classifica. Lo spareggio, svoltosi sul campo neutro di Vicenza il 24 giugno 1973, vide il successo degli emiliani che si imposero per 2-0. Quella gara ebbe un prologo curioso. Poiché sia l'Udinese che il Parma indossavano divise bianconere, i friulani, dopo aver perso il sorteggio per la scelta della maglia, avevano deciso di vestire una casacca biancorossa, simile a quella degli olandesi dell'Ajax. Tuttavia, per evitare che i colori biancorossi (che erano gli stessi del Vicenza) potessero dirottare sull'Udinese le simpatie del pubblico di casa, l'arbitro impose ai friulani di indossarne un'altra, che fu trovata quasi per caso negli spogliatoi dello stadio ed era di colore verde pallido. Fu l'unica volta che gli udinesi la portarono.

Stadio Friuli is a multi-use stadium in Udine, Italy. The stadium was built in 1976 and holds 41,652. The stadium also features facilities for fencing, gymnastics, martial arts and athletics, including an indoor gym, located in the grandstand. Friuli hosted three matches at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The city centre is 5km from the stadium. Public transport did appear to be a bit hit and miss but judging by the amount of No 2 buses we saw on our way to the stadium, this appears a decent option as the nearby residential areas benefit from this service.

We travelled to Italy with British Airways from Gatwick to Verona. Having caught the airport shuttle bus to the main Verona railway station, we set about trying to find our nearby hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel was situated close to the other railway station! Struggling with a map we were assisted by a passing clinical pathologist (absolutely true – Ed) who came to our aid and gave us a lift to our hotel. Ciderman’s twin sister, now living in Australia, is also a clinical pathologist and he orchestrated a superb conversation en route – this Pieman was unable to contribute but listened interestedly!

The following day we set out for Udine. The 3-hour train journey involved changing at Venice. On arrival at Udine, we checked into our hotel, situated to the north of the town. We decided to walk to the stadium. This involved travelling through a couple of villages. In Feletto Umberto, we spent a while at a trattoria where we enjoyed a dish consisting mainly of cheese and potato. This tasty heavy meal was washed down with a few glasses of Zipfer – a pleasant Austrian lager beer.

As for the match, Spurs slumped to defeat against an Udinese side that did little to reflect their second place standing in Serie A. The Londoners (not many of them in the team – Ed), played some good football. However, as has been the case throughout the season so far, there was no cutting edge. A penalty, needlessly conceded by Gomes and a late second, when 10 men Spurs were chasing the game, clinched the points for the Italians.

After the match, Ciderman and I visited a couple of bars in the neighbouring (almost on top of the ground – Ed) Rizzi area. In the first we enjoyed a superb freshly Made pizza. In the second we spoke with a few Udinese supporters. This socialising paid off as they very kindly gave us a lift back to our hotel. The following day Ciderman and I once again became the two gentleman of Verona as we explored the old city. One particular highlight being the opportunity to sample Theresianer, a fine Italian beer brewed at Triest.

Udinese Calcio: Handanovic, Motta, Coda, Domizzi, Lukovic (Pasquale 89), Inler, D'Agostino (Floro Flores 86), Isla, Sanchez (Pepe 79), Quagliarella, Di Natale. Subs Not Used: Koprivec, Sala, Ferronetti, Obodo.

Booked: Lukovic, D'Agostino, Isla.

Goals: Di Natale 24 pen, Pepe 86.

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Hutton, King, Woodgate (Giovani 64), Assou-Ekotto (Modric 46), Lennon, Zokora, Jenas, O'Hara, Bale, Bent. Subs Not Used: Cesar, Dawson, Gilberto, Gunter, Campbell.

Sent Off: O'Hara (57).

Booked: Gomes, O'Hara, Bale.

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany).

Attendance: 22,000
Admission: 15 Euros
Programme: Free 24 pages A5 publication - However, these were not widely available, the majority being left on seats in the VIP area and main stand. This was Numero.02 with the previous issue being that for the visit of Borussia Dortmund in the previous round.

Photographic Archive

Stoke City FC

2008-10-19T23:59:00.044+01:00

Stoke City 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1 - Premier League

The city now named Stoke-on-Trent was officially born on the 31st March 1910, with the Federation of the Six Towns. This brought together the boroughs of Hanley, Burslem, Longton and Stoke, together with the districts of Tunstall and Fenton. Stoke was chosen as the seat of power, despite the fact that Hanley, and indeed Burslem, had been far better established since Edwardian times. The legacy of this union lives on undiminished, as locals will refer to 'the Potteries', meaning the various towns, rather than the official title of 'Stoke-on-Trent'. The production of pottery dates back to at least the 17th century, and was founded on the area’s abundant supplies of clay; of salt and lead for glazing; and of coal, used to fire the kilns. By the time Josiah Wedgwood set up business for himself in 1759, the area was supplying a wide variety of earthenware and stoneware produced in and around the villages of the area. Pottery production was also in the process of changing from a cottage-based to a factory-based industry, a transformation that placed the Potteries at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution.

Founded in 1863, Stoke City FC is the second oldest professional football club after Notts County. Stoke play their home fixtures at the Britannia Stadium, a 28,000 all-seater stadium. The stadium was opened in 1997; prior to this date Stoke had played at the Victoria Ground, which had been their home ground since 1878.

To avoid disrupted rail services from London Euston, this Pieman caught a train to Cambridge from where the Butler was driving. We reached Stoke in a little over 2 hours via the A14, M1 and A50. We already knew that parking was limited and difficult in the vicinity of the ground and therefore decided to backtrack a short way along the A50 coming off and heading into the Fenton district. This paid off as we soon found a Pay & Display car park (£3 all day Sunday – Ed).

Is there no end to this man's talents?

Significantly we also found a public house – The Musician. Here we enjoyed a splendid Full English breakfast (£2.85 – Ed) cooked by John Bailey. This gentleman was a fine host and whilst enjoying his hospitality, he was able to tell us that as well as being a former Football League referee, he had also been a pop star in previous decades! He told that he was a member of The Fortunes, and that he also replaced Russ Abbott in the Black Abbotts!! (also thought I heard him say that he was on the moon with Neil Armstrong – Ed).

The Real McCoy or Walter Mitty? - Does it even matter? as this was a day out in the soap opera that is Tottenham Hotspur and any light relief is extremely welcome. From the pub, a 20-minute stroll back over the A50, enabled us to reach the stadium. Like many new builds, this venue lacks the charm of the old Victoria Ground. However it meets all the current ground regulation criteria and the view afforded from my seat directly behind the goal was very good.

As for the match, the early dismissal of Bale and the resultant penalty, converted by Higginbotham, meant an uphill task for bottom of the table Spurs. Bent did level the scores before the break but Delap’s winner meant that Spurs had 2 points from a possible 24 (their worst ever start to a league season – Ed).

Whilst in the Entertainer pub, I got talking to one of the locals. The conversation drifted to the local delicacy, Oatcakes. This Pieman was informed in no uncertain terms that for the best results, one should pour pig fat rather than lard (always thought they were one and the same thing - Ed) on to the griddle! Parking in this vicinity really paid off for us and we were back at Cambridge station by 9pm. Not bad considering the 4pm kick off, 11 minutes of injury time and the walk to the car.

Stoke City: Sorensen (Simonsen 66), Griffin, Abdoulaye Faye, Sonko (Shawcross 83), Higginbotham, Soares, Olofinjana, Diao, Delap, Sidibe, Kitson (Fuller 56). Subs Not Used: Whelan, Cresswell, Amdy Faye, Tonge.
Booked: Abdoulaye Faye.
Goals: Higginbotham 19 pen, Delap 53.

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Hutton, Woodgate, Corluka (Dawson 77), Bale, Lennon, Zokora, Jenas, Modric, Bentley (Pavlyuchenko 59), Bent. Subs Not Used: Cesar, Huddlestone, Campbell, O'Hara, Assou-Ekotto.
Sent Off: Bale (17), Dawson (90).
Booked: Hutton, Woodgate.
Goal: Bent 25.

Ref: Lee Mason (Lancashire).

Attendance: 27,500
Admission: £30
Programme: £3 (obtained for you Stan and Josh)

The Pieman's initial visit to The Victoria Ground

Photographic Archive

Biggleswade Town FC

2008-10-11T23:59:00.004+01:00

Biggleswade Town 7 Cockfosters 1 - Spartan South Midlands League, Premier Division

Spartan South Midlands League

In 1132, Henry I granted the manor of Biggleswade to Bishop Alexander - Alexander the Magnificent - of Lincoln to help endow Lincoln Cathedral. The town was granted a charter to hold a market during the reign of King John (1196-1216) - a market is still held in the market place in the centre of the town every Saturday. The church is dedicated to St. Andrew. Biggleswade Castle existed in earlier times. On June 16, 1785, there was a large fire in the town. The fire started at the The Crown Inn and spread rapidly through the neighbouring streets. By the time the fire had been brought under control, nearly one-third of the town had been destroyed, including 103 houses leaving 332 people homeless. A national appeal was launched to raise funds for the many people who had lost their homes and their livelihoods.

Harry Hotspur and I were privileged to witness Biggleswade Town FC’s last ever fixture at their former Fairfield ground in April 2006. The 2-1 victory over Royston Town marked the end of their association with that venue which was noted for being adjacent to the Second Meadow home of neighbouring rivals Biggleswade United FC. In the interim period Town had groundshared at Bedford FC.

The new Langford Road venue (Carlsberg Stadium for sponsorship) opened earlier this season and is certainly an impressive arena. There is a covered seated stand along one side and a small area of covered terracing on the opposite side between the two dugouts. The clubhouse and changing room complex is a vast building running almost the full length of the side behind the main stand and when popping into the splendid bar before the match, this Pieman was pleased to spot a handpump!

On a warm sunny afternoon, Biggleswade Town were entertaining Cockfosters FC. The visitors were 2nd from bottom of the division prior to the match, on goal difference. It was clear that the home side were keen to assert their authority as they started brightly, soon taking an early lead after a few minutes through Ryan Redford. A second goal from the prolific Kevin Cooper (making his debut – Ed), heading home a free kick, followed soon after. By half time the tally was doubled, as Cooper again and a Ben Andreos own goal ensured a 4-0 interval lead.

It was at this point that the thirsty Pieman headed straight to the bar to investigate the previously mentioned handpump. What a delight it is to be able to get Timothy Taylor Best Bitter in a football club bar.

The second period saw Cockfosters play well for the opening twenty minutes or so. This culminated in their endeavour being rewarded by a fine strike from Dan O’Connor. Unfortunately, immediately afterwards they conceded another own goal, this time courtesy of Gavin Conway. A chip from Adam Bensaud and a last minute Neil Morgan strike completed the rout.

I was fortunate in having a lift to and from Biggleswade but if travelling by train the ground is only a 15 minute walk from Biggleswade station. There is a half hourly service on Saturdays and for midweek matches the 22.00 London bound service should not present any problems. Travelling towards Langford from Biggleswade the ground is on the right hand side immediately after passing under the A1.

Attendance: 85
Admission: £5. (Hotspur £1)
Programme: Free with admission (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea: £1
Timothy Taylor Best Bitter: £2

The Pieman's earlier visit to Fairfield

Archive Photographs

Wisła Kraków FC

2008-10-02T23:59:00.049+01:00

Wisła Kraków 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 - UEFA Cup, 1st Round 2nd Leg

Ekstraklasa

Kraków is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland. The city dates back to the 7th century. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1596, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Kraków from 1846 to 1918, and the capital of Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1999. It is now the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish scientific, cultural and artistic life. As the former national capital with a history encompassing more than a thousand years, the city remains the spiritual heart of Poland. Kraków lies in the southern part of Poland, on the Vistula River in a valley at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. The Old Town district of Kraków is home to about six thousand historic sites and more than two million works of art. Its rich variety of historic architecture includes Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic buildings. Kraków's palaces, churches and mansions display great variety of colour, architectural details, stained glass, paintings, sculptures, and furnishings.

Wawel Royal Castle

We travelled to Poland with British Airways, flying from Gatwick to Warsaw, from where we caught an inter-city train to Krakow. The three-hour journey was comfortable and provided the opportunity to view the Polish countryside, the vast majority of which appears to be farmland. I even had the unexpected experience of seeing a horse drawn plough being used. On arrival at Krakow, it was immediately clear that this was a very different place to what we had seen of Warsaw earlier. Krakow has embraced tourism and there is plenty to see there. Our hotel was just the other side of the Wisla River and crossing the nearby bridge affords an excellent view of Wawel Royal Castle – the historic home of kings and queens of Poland.

The Wisła Stadium was built in 1953 and currently holds a capacity of 15,595. The stadium is currently being upgraded to seat 34,000 people. The Wisła Stadium has also been chosen as a reserve venue for the Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. The record attendance at Wisła Stadium came in the 2007-08 season where a match between Legia and Wisła was witnessed by 21,000 fans. At present there are only three sides to the stadium. Construction of the remaining part will be with Euro 2012 in mind. Only the two end stands are covered, the much older main stand being open to the elements.

Tickets please!

Nic więc dziwnego, że serwis nadal cieszył się stale rosnącą popularnością. 3 lipca 2002 licznik na stronie pokazał pierwszy milion odwiedzin, dokładnie 7 miesięcy później odwiedzin było już 2 miliony. Stale poprawiała się szybkość przekazywania relacji, serwis prezentował się lepiej od strony technicznej. Jako pierwsi spośród witryn polskich klubów udostępniliśmy dla naszych użytkowników możliwość pobrania ze strony logotypów i dzwonków do telefonów komórkowych. Popularność serwisu zwiększyło też otworzenie forum kibiców Wisły, które swego czasu łączyło wszystkie liczące się nieoficjalne serwisy "Białej Gwiazdy".

On the evening prior to the match we explored some of the centre of Krakow. Our first refreshment stop was the brewhouse C K Browar. This establishment, although part of the tourist trail, has a very reasonable pricing structure and the locals also use it. There is an excellent range of home brewed ales including a real ginger beer! The food on offer, like the beer, is of a high quality. I opted for pork and cheese pancakes while Ciderman pushed the boat out with his choice of duck with apple in a honey sauce. We managed to visit a number of other bars during our stay. All were of a good standard, serving the various Polish lager beers. One such beer, Tyskie, is advertised in Poland as ‘sold in England’. The following evening our meal was a traditional bowl of Polish dumplings (nothing fancy but wholesome food – Ed).

The match was played in fine weather with Tottenham Hotspur claiming a 1-1 draw in a match they could easily have lost. The home side’s equaliser coming too late to have any impact. Spurs had earlier cancelled out the crucial away goal conceded in the 1st leg – an own goal on this occasion. Wisła Kraków will be disappointed not to have won this match in view of the decent chances spurned. The admission prices for the match did seem a little steep considering the cost of everything else in Poland. Certainly domestic fixtures cost a small fraction of the 120 - 150 PLN charged. However, a Polish fan explained that for the Barcelona match in the Champions League Qualifier this season, the prices were double those charged for this match!

After the match (afternoon 3.40 kick-off), we managed to avoid being held back and left the stadium at the same time as the home supporters. We headed of to a local bar for a refreshment stop and were able to watch another UEFA Cup tie on television. The encounter between Lech Poznan and Austria Vienna was an absolute classic, won by the Polish side with virtually the last kick of extra time (exciting stuff – Ed).

Special mention must go to the bowls of soup that Ciderman and I enjoyed at Warsaw Airport before the return flight to Gatwick. Zurek is a traditional Polish soup with spicy sausages and eggs. Ingredients: 100 g of whole-wheat rye flour, 250 g of carrot, leak, celeriac and parsley, 200 g of white sausage, water, salt, flour, garlic, marjoram. Recipe: Allow the flour to sour in the water for a few days. Cook a stock from mixed vegetables, strain, add sour flour liquid (zur), spice with flour, bring to boil, add salt. Add white sausage cut into small pieces, spice with garlic or marjoram. Serve with hard boiled eggs cut into halves.

Wisla Kraków: Pawelek, Baszczynski, Glowacki, Cleber, Brozek, Boguski (Guedes Filho 82), Cantoro (Zienczuk 66), Sobolewski, Diaz, Jirsak (Lobodzinski 32), Brozek. Subs not used: Juszczyk, Singlar, Niedzielan, Barreto.

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Gunter, King, Woodgate, Bale, Lennon (Dawson 88), Zokora, Jenas, Modric (Huddlestone 77), Campbell (O'Hara 68), Bent. Subs not used: Cesar, Bentley, Giovani, Assou-Ekotto.

Attendance: 15,000
Admission: 150 PLN
Programme: Free 16 page newspaper, issued for all home matches (obtained for you Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Zurek: 7 PLN

Photographic Archive

Potton United FC

2008-09-13T23:59:00.019+01:00

Potton United 2 Blackstones 0 - United Counties League, Premier Division

United Counties League

Potton is a town in Bedfordshire. Although it was largely destroyed by fire in 1783, some historic buildings survived, including the thirteenth century parish church, St Mary's. Historically, the town was home to a renowned horse fair. The town of Potton is famous for its disused railway station, sited on the Varsity Line between Cambridge and Oxford via Bedford and Bletchley. Potton United FC was somewhat unusual in being a permanent club which was formed during wartime, in 1943. When peace broke out, the Royals applied to join the South Midlands League, where they stayed until 1955. In that year they sought a higher standard of football in the London-based Parthenon League, but were rejected. After a season in limbo, they joined the Central Alliance League Division One (South), before finally joining the United Counties League in 1961.

If visiting the club by public transport the likelihood is you will reach Potton by train to either Biggleswade or Sandy and then onwards by local bus connection. Fine on a Saturday but not so convenient midweek, particularly post match. I was fortunate as the Piemobile was dropping me off and collecting me afterwards. The Hollow is located a short way along Biggleswade Road on the left-hand side if travelling from Potton. However, the entrance is not easy to spot if travelling by car and unfamiliar with the area and like us you could be past it before you realise.

With over an hour to spare before kick off, this Pieman decided a thirst quencher at the nearby Royal Oak was in order. Following the Great Fire of Potton in 1785, this establishment boasts to being the oldest building in town. Your correspondent was very pleased with his choice of ale – Bonkers Conkers from Greene King, only available in September (very good it was too – Ed).

On entering the ground I was met by Club Chairman Alan Riley and it was not long before Brian Buck’s name entered the conversation. The match programme carried an article ‘Travellers Tales’ in which Brian reports his travels from the back end of season 2007/8. By 10 May, Brian had attended his 301st match of the season (his 9,080th in total on his 2,750th ground!)

The Hollow is a pleasant venue, particularly on a warm sunny day as it was for my visit. The only covered spectator accommodation is the seated stand along one side of the ground. The dugouts are situated opposite. Behind one goal is the clubhouse (licensed bar) and changing facilities. The other end of the ground backs onto a cricket field. Special mention must also be made of the catering facilities. Ron’s Snax, adjacent to the entrance, has been featured in the Non-League Paper and reported on the Tony Kempster message board. The range available is extensive (as was my double cheeseburger – Ed)

As for the match, a tame scoreless first period burst into life immediately after the restart, courtesy of a fine debut goal from Dave Fisk (signed earlier in the week from St Neots Town FC – Ed). His strike hit the net via the keeper’s left hand post. A second counter from Jez McMurrough clinched a first league win of the season for Potton. Visitors Blackstones FC will have been disappointed with their display having failed to get a grip on the game on the occasions when they were in the ascendancy. Their manager lectured them on the pitch after the match and his words will still have been ringing in their ears as they journeyed back to Stamford.

Potton United: Ben Houseago, Dave Goodall (Carl Albone), Alan Kenney, Garry Watts, Stewart Haddow, Nathan Buckland (Dean Hamilton), Dave Fisk (Simon Desborough), Stuart Humphreys, Tom Beech, James Billington, Jeremy McMurrough.

Attendance: 47
Admission: £4.00
Programme: £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Double (and it was double!!) Cheeseburger: £2.80
Tea: 50p
Coffee: 60p

Archive Photographs

St Francis Rangers FC

2008-09-05T23:59:00.031+01:00

St Francis Rangers 4 East Grinstead Town 1 - Sussex County League, Division One

Sussex County League

St Francis Rangers FC was formed in 2002, following the amalgamation of St Francis (St Francis Hospital until 1999), and Ansty Rangers (Lindfield Rangers until 1996). The club is based at the Colwell Ground, within the sprawling grounds of The Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath. Reference is made in the club match programme to St Francis Hospital FC being known as the 'Mental Hospital' in earlier years. St Francis Psychiatric Hospital, Haywards Heath, West Sussex opened its doors to patients for the first time in 1859.

Built to house 400 patients at a cost of £46, 531. 16s. 10d, it carried on its work uninterrupted for 136 years until November 1995, when it closed to make way for modern advances in the community based care of the mentally ill. One local website claims that "the whole complex has been converted into yuppy-style condominiums for people with BMWs". Not sure about this but the imposing building is an immense feature when visiting this ground.

This Friday evening fixture was an attractive proposition, but severe adverse weather, with heavy rain sweeping in from the west was always at the back of my mind as I contemplated travelling to Sussex. A couple of afternoon phone calls to the Fixtures Secretary confirmed that the match was going ahead and so I made my way over to London Bridge in order to catch a direct service to Haywards Heath.

It only takes 20 minutes to reach the hospital complex on foot from Haywards Heath station but, if like me, you are on unfamiliar territory, it may take half as long again to find the Colwell Ground. En route you will pass the St Francis Social Club, where I spied Harveys Sussex Best Bitter on handpump when seeking directions. Hot food is also available here and the football club invites visitors back to these premises for hospitality after matches.

On arrival at the gate I was greeted by a couple of club officials including Gary Lomas, Commercial Manager. I was made to feel very welcome and even offered a lift back to the station after the match. It is clear that St Francis Rangers is a club that truly appreciates visitors. You enter the ground down a narrow track, bringing you to the car park and clubhouse building. This structure houses the changing facilities and upstairs the refreshment room. Hot food (burgers, chips) and draught lager complimented by tea, coffee and confectionery.

This was the first home fixture of the season due to the club sharing facilities with cricket. However, they had won 3 out of their 4 league fixtures away from home and a cup-tie. The only blip being a 2-0 reverse at Wick in the previous match. There is a considerable slope on the pitch, which must have aided the drainage on an extremely wet day. So much so that there was no standing water on the pitch on a day when much of Britain was suffering flash floods. This said, the Pieman was grateful for the covered standing area along the side of the pitch. At times the rain was almost horizontal as it blew in across the playing area making it very hard for the teams to play structured football.

But play they did, and it is a credit to both teams that they tried to play a positive game in such conditions. East Grinstead Town will be disappointed not to have done better with the chances that came their way whereas the home side were confident in their finishing. Their 4 goals coming from Jake Forward, a brace from Chris Maynard and when the keeper lost the ball from a corner, a strike by Russell Turpin (Highway Robbery? – Ed). The visitors claimed a late consolation through an own goal by Luke Leppard. Fellow hopper Nick from Richmond (thanks Nick) kindly gave me a lift back to the station and amazingly I was able to catch the 21.46 back to London Bridge enabling me to be back home in Cheshunt before midnight.

Attendance: 127
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea (in a mug): 60p
Chips: £1.00
Mars : 60p
Fare: £4.80 All Zone TravelCard + £5.80 Cheap Day Return from Zone 6 - it was cheaper to do it this way, both with Gold Card discount

Photographic Archive

AFC Sudbury

2008-08-30T23:59:00.031+01:00

AFC Sudbury 1 Lowestoft Town 1 - FA Cup, Preliminary Round

Sudbury’s history dates back into the age of the Saxons. The town is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, as a market town where the local people came to barter their goods.The weaving and silk industries prospered for centuries during the Late Middle Ages. During the eighteenth century Sudbury became famous for its local artists. John Constable painted in the area, especially the River Stour. Painter Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury in 1727, and was educated at Grammar School. His birthplace, now named Gainsborough House, is now a museum to his work and is open to the public. It houses many valuable pictures and some of his family possessions. A statue of Gainsborough was unveiled in the town centre outside St Peter’s Church on Market Hill in 1913.

A.F.C. Sudbury was formed on 1 June 1999 by the amalgamation of the town's two previous clubs, Sudbury Town (founded 1885) and Sudbury Wanderers (founded 1958) the process giving rise to the name Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury (A lot more original than all these other AFC clubs that keep appearing - Ed). Their home ground is the King's Marsh Stadium where Sudbury Wanderers were based prior to the Amalgamation. This Pieman was fortunate to have visited the Priory Stadium, home of Sudbury Town FC, back in February 1996 for their FA Trophy, 1st Round, 3rd Replay with Trowbridge Town.

A family outing to Sudbury saw us arrive in the Suffolk town around mid-day. Mrs Pieman drove via the A120 and Halstead, where what appeared to be an annual flower festival, had really enhanced the already fine High Street. We lunched at Grover & Allen, the local Wetherspoon outlet, where this Pieman delighted in a pint of White Adder from a local Sudbury brewery, Mauldons.

After a brief shopping interlude, our party split, with wife and daughter venturing over to nearby Melford Hall (National Trust), whereas Harry Hotspur and I switched to FA Cup mode and the Preliminary Round tie between AFC Sudbury and Lowestoft Town. Although we were dropped off at the ground, I would estimate that a 25-30 minute walk from Sudbury railway station would get you to the ground.

The stadium is impressive with both ends being covered. Likewise the seated stand along one side and the substantial terraced area opposite. It is within in this area that the more vociferous element of the home support congregate. On this occasion a large number had turned up in fancy dress, as it was an FA Cup-tie!

The match burst into life early on with the visitors taking the lead. The Golden Goal announcement timed Dale Cockrill’s strike at 1 minute and 34 seconds. The visitors continued to force the play after this but gradually, AFC Sudbury eased their way back into contention. Chances came and went for both sides until a mighty roar (heard at Melford Hall perhaps – Ed) greeted the home side’s equaliser in the 86th minute. Ollie Blackwell’s strike, following a corner, earned the home side a replay and a trip up the A12 to Lowestoft’s Crown Meadow.

AFC Sudbury: Liam Jones, Sheridan Driver, Steve Joyce, Luke Hammond, Ollie Blackwell, Marcus Hunt, Sam Clarke, Gareth Heath, Jamie Ricks, James Rowe, Andy Jones (Danny Brown 67) Subs Unused: Danny Shipton, Nathan Speed.

Lowestoft Town: Andy Reynolds, Carl Poppy, Jack Marsden, Richard Woodrow, Darren Cockrill, Neil Plaskett, Jamie Godbold, Dale Cockrill, Russell Stock (Bradley Hough 77), Gary McGee, Reece Hunn (Ross King 59) Subs Unused: Shaun Blowers, Marcus Saunders, Williams,

Attendance: 309
Admission: £7.00 (Harry Hotspur £4.00)
Programme: £1.50 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Tea: 50p
Cheeseburger: £2.00
Mars: 40p

Non-League Groundblogger was there too

The Pieman's earlier visit to the Priory Stadium, February 1996

Photographic Archive

Hadleigh United FC

2008-08-12T23:59:00.039+01:00

Hadleigh United 1 Halstead Town 1 - Eastern Counties League, Division One

Eastern Counties League

Hadleigh is an ancient market town in Suffolk and should not be confused with it's East Essex namesake. Guthrum, King of the Danes, is said to be buried in the grounds of St. Mary Church in the town. He was defeated by King Alfred in the 9th century. The town was famous for its wool and cloth industries. Like its near-neighbour, East Bergholt, Hadleigh was also known during the 16th century for its Protestant radicalism. Rowland Taylor, a noted preacher from the town, was martyred during the reign of Queen Mary.

To reach Hadleigh by public transport would involve a train to Ipswich and then a bus connection. This would probably be a good option for a Saturday afternoon match but difficult if even possible for a midweek fixture. However these options did not require exploration as for this Tuesday evening encounter with Halstead Town FC, I was grateful to my neighbour Local Bus Driver for a ‘door to door’ experience.

The directions on the club website could not have been better which was just as well as we were running out of time prior to the 19.45 kick off. On approaching Hadleigh from the junction off the A12 (South of Ipswich), passing through a couple of small villages, it was not long before we spied the floodlights. Within a couple of minutes we were parked up and in the ground.

The ground can be reached by turning off the High Street into Duke Street, then, having crossed a small bridge over a river, turning left into Tinker Lane, at the end of which lies The Millfield. You enter the ground through the car park into the side containing the clubhouse, refreshment kiosk and changing facilities. A lot of the regular supporters congregate along this side of the ground and there is cover to shelter from the elements.

On the opposite side of the ground is the covered seated stand (only a couple of rows but a very good view from there – Ed). Behind one goal is a raised grass bank and at the opposite end beyond a grassed area is the River Brett which winds its way from the North edge of the town, parallel to the High Street, under picturesque Toppesfield Bridge, through a mill pool and then on to Higham where it joins the River Stour in Constable country. There are a couple of Lifebuoys in the ground and I saw someone with a long pole with a hoop on the end. This indicates that ball in river is to be expected from time to time at the Millfield.

As for the match, this was a lively encounter in which Halstead, kicking down the slope in the first period will have been frustrated not to have been ahead at the break. It was inevitable that Hadleigh, fresh from an opening day 4-0 victory at swaffham, would be more of a threat in the second half. So it proved with the home side taking the lead on the hour through Craig Payne. However, Halstead were not to be outdone and Craig Newman deservedly levelled on 74 minutes. After this, play moved from end to end until the referee signalled an end to the contest. I agreed with the local gentleman leaving the ground that a draw was a fair result (fair and entertaining – Ed)

Hadleigh United: Luke Whitewell, Lee Smith, Daniel Oakes (Aiden Woods 82), Jake Kingston (Patrick Flemming 84), Stuart Crawford (Robert Knott 81), Mark Porter, Darius Laws, Bradley Barber, Craig Payne, Dean Tournay, Danny George. Subs Unused: Jonathan Davies, Chris Cowans, Charlie Clarke.

Halstead Town: Paul Wood, Erdun Artun (Luke Passfield 62), Dan Rowell, Steph Falla, Tom Devaux, John Pollard, Wayne Saunders, Steve Daly (Louis Harper 81), Chris Bryan, Andrew Joslin (Dave Barefield 60), Craig Newman. Subs Unused: Chris Rayner, Stuart Crumpen.

Attendance: 125
Admission: £4.00 (Harry Hotspur Free)
Programme: £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Tea: 50p
Coffee: 60p
Mars: 50p

Photographic Archive

St Neots Town FC

2008-08-09T23:59:00.014+01:00

St Neots Town 3 Newport Pagnell Town 0 - United Counties League, Premier Division

United Counties League

St Neots is a town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town originally developed next to a mediaeval priory in the form of market stalls. These were replaced over the years by permanent structures, which eventually defined the boundaries of today's Market Square. There is some evidence of pre-Roman and Roman activity in the area, but the main story of the town begins with the founding of St Neots Priory in mediaeval times. There is evidence for Iron Age and earlier settlement in the vicinity of St Neots, mainly in the valley of the River Great Ouse where soils are easily cultivated. The first settlements in the valley were in Neolithic times. The Black Death struck St Neots in 1348, spreading very quickly and resulting in the deaths of about 35% of the population. In 1378 only seven monks remained in the Priory, and three of these returned to France.

I was keen to visit the 'new' Rowley Park to complete my 'hat-trick' of grounds for the club. I had initially visited the Shortsands ground for a match against Tottenham Hotspur back in October 1985. Subsequent to that, I visited the previous Rowley Park in 1995, when by coincidence the visitors were also Newport Pagnell Town.

With daughter accompanying me, we journeyed to St Neots railway station via Finsbury Park. On reaching our destination we were able to see the ground from the footbridge. However, although almost adjacent to thestation, for the second Saturday in succession (Deja Vous Roosendaal -Ed), there was no direct access. However, a leisurely 15 minute stroll in the direction of the previous ground will enable you to reach the new venue. The housing development taking place on the site of the previous Rowley Park and the surrounding area has completely changed the landscape of the area.

For St Neots Town FC, the improved facilities, boasted by the new stadium as a result of the relocation, are very impressive. Apart from a fine covered seated stand, there is also covered terracing along the full length of both ends of the ground. A comfortable clubhouse with large TV screens is also available for spectators to use.

Following a decent but goal free first period, the home side took the game to the visitors in the second half, running out comfortable winners courtesy of a fine strike by Luigi Rocco and a brace from Peter Okechukwu (the first a spectacular diving header - Ed).

We were back at St Neots railway station with time to spare for the 17.06 London bound service. For midweek matches the train is timed at 21.49. However, this could be tight if the progress of the game is heldup and the next (last) service is not until 22.46. The half hourly Saturday frequency is certainly more convenient.

This was the first competitive match to be played at the ground and this Pieman is delighted to have witnessed proceedings.

St Neots Town: Jon Chatfield, Dean McElroy, Kevin McElroy, Jon Hoggett, Steve Dogbe, Ben Dyett, Luke Knight (Matt Bannister), Barry Albone, Peter Okechukwu (James Hall), Luigi Rocco, Declan Rogers (Matt Kenneford).

Newport Pagnell Town: Dean Trowbridge, Scott Mulkern, Rob Tapp, John Thorpe, Lee Tinsley, Aidy Mann (Matt Broomes), Jordan Spruce, Richard Armstrong (Michael Riley), Drew Mitten (Nick Papadopoulos), Danny Nicholls, Rob Macdonald.

Martin Wray - Football Grounds in Focus

Attendance: 221
Admission: £5.00 (Daughter £1.00)
Programme: £1 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely,)
Tea: 50p
Hamburger with Onions: £2.00
Kit Kat (chunky): 60p
Fare: £11.55 Cheap Day Return from Finsbury Park with Gold Card discount (Daughter £1.00 from Cheshunt)

The Pieman's earlier visit to Shortsands

The Pieman's earlier visit to Rowley Park

Photographic Archive

RBC Roosendaal

2008-08-02T23:59:00.034+01:00

RBS Roosendaal 1 AZ Alkmaar 3 - Friendly

Eerste Divisie

Roosendaal is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands. Together with surrounding towns it forms a municipality named Roosendaal en Nispen. Since January 1, 1997 the municipalities Roosendaal en Nispen and Wouw have merged into the municipality now simply known as Roosendaal.

RBC Roosendaal was formed in, 1912. The club was initially called Excelsior and was renamed VV Roosendaal in 1920. The club's present name is the result of a merger with another football team. On July 16, 1927, the club became known as Roosendaal Boys Combinatie (RBC). In 2001, the club moved to the RBC Stadion (currently named Rosada Stadion under a sponsorship deal with a local retail outlet).

We were already in the Netherlands attending the Rotterdam tournament, with matches taking place on the Friday and Sunday. Therefore, an ideal opportunity presented itself to visit a new ground on he Saturday. Our original choice of Go Ahead Eagles v Aberdeen was called off earlier in the week on police advice. After exploring other options we settled on the friendly between Roosendaal and AZ (Alkmaar Zaanstreek being the full title).

So close yet so far

On arrival at Roosendaal we were delighted to see the stadium almost adjacent to the station. However, this joy was short lived, as there is no direct access to the ground from the station. What could have been a five minute stroll becomes a 25-30 minute hike, There is an added benefit though, as the café bar, just over the level crossing, serves a wonderful glass of De Koninck. On a warm humid day, one glass soon became four (very good it was too – Ed).

Before this refreshment stop, we had already been up to the ground to purchase match tickets. These were priced at a very reasonable 5 Euros. The match was to be the main event of the club Fan Day. From noon until the 17.30 kick off, various other events were taking place outside the stadium.

Although I resisted the temptation to go on the bouncy castle, I did attempt to kick a football into a supermarket trolley from 30 yards. If any of my three attempts had succeeded, I would have won 25 Euros – it wasn’t to be.

The stadium can be described as compact (5000 capacity), and tidy. Covered on all four sides, the all seater stadium affords a good view from all points. The playing surface was in good condition as should be expected for the weekend prior to league fixtures commencing.

As for the match, the visitors certainly proved their top flight status in comfortably beating their 2nd tier opponents. The home side were able to rally after going a goal down in the first half and would have been pleased with their efforts. However, AZ always had a bit more to offer and two second half strikes underlined their superiority.

Looking at the fixture list contained in the club magazine, all 2nd tier fixtures this season will take place on Friday evenings. An effort to bring in support presumably. I enjoyed my visit to Roosendaal, an opportunity that may not have come along under normal circumstances.

RBC Roosendaal: Christianen, Paap, Hayen, Kerstens, Fleur, Chlup, Van Driel, Stojanovic, Duarte, Ars, Peters. Goal: Duart 30

AZ: Boy Waterman, David Mendes da Silva (60. Gill Swerts), Gijs Luirink (17. Ryan Donk), Héctor Moreno (60. Joona Toivio), Niklas Moisander (46. Jeroen Tesselaar), Marko Vejinovic (60. Demy de Zeeuw), Stijn Schaars (75.Gaston Salasiwa), Nick van der Velden (60. Toni Kolehmainen), Brett Holman (60. Chevello de Rijp), Simon Poulsen (46. Iwan Redan), Mounir El Hamdaoui (60. Ari). Goals: Holman 25, El Hamdaoui 48, Ari 70

Admission: 5 Euros
Attendance: 2,750
Programme: None issued
De koninck: 2 Euros

Staines Lammas FC

2008-05-10T08:44:00.026+01:00

Staines Lammas 8 Crescent Rovers 0 - Combined Counties League, Division One

Combined Counties League

Staines lies on the east bank of the Thames, which separates it from Surrey, while the branch of the Colne known as the Shire Ditch divides it from Buckinghamshire. The town lies at the narrowest point of the parish, with two wider and roughly equal portions extending to north and south along the Shire Ditch and the river. By the bridge a piece of the Surrey bank, which was once an island, forms part of the parish and is technically in Middlesex. Ashford, Laleham, and Teddington were all chapelries of Staines in the earlier Middle Ages. The real name of Poddy is Andy Staines – a long story!

And so to the final episode of the Pieman’s end of season Staines Lammas trilogy. Having witness recent comprehensive victories at both Knaphill and Tongham, I was looking forward to visiting The Lucan Pavilion & Recreation Ground. This venue is located in Laleham, a village just outside Staines.

Having caught the train from London Waterloo to Staines, I took advantage of the 218 hourly bus service (Staines – Kingston), which stops conveniently at Laleham Church, a few hundred yards from the ground. There is an alternative 438 service (Staines – Shepperton), also hourly.

An extremely hot Saturday afternoon, a pleasant English village location and an hour and a half before kick-off necessitated visits to both the Three Horseshoes and the Turks Head (directly opposite the ground entrance). Both hostelries were dispensing real ale but were a little on the expensive side (an affluent place Laleham – Ed)

The suspension of Neasden Foundation FC, had meant that there has been some confusion over the destiny of the Combined Counties League, Division One championship. However, whichever scenario was applicable, a point for the home side in this fixture would dispel any doubt. Therefore, an interested enthusiastic crowd (numerous hoppers included – Ed) gathered to watch the conclusive action for the 2007 –8 season.

The scene was set, the league officials were in attendance with the trophy and there was an end of season barbecue. The home side started at a blistering pace and after a couple of minutes had taken that decisive lead. By the interval they had netted a further four times and could have already reached double figures, such was their domination. The Crescent Rovers keeper deserved tremendous credit for his efforts.

Three further goals were added to the Lammas tally in the second half as numerous other chances went begging. The real problem here was not passing to the man in a better position – still who am I to criticise after the season that this club has had?

Despite the overwhelming deficit, I thought the Crescent Rovers players and management conducted themselves in a very creditable way. It must have been difficult for them having to attend somebody else’s party and in such circumstances. Their keeper was arguably the man of the match, incredible considering the result. I don’t think he could have been faulted for any of the goals, most of which were superbly executed.

Lammas does not have the requisite facilities to attain promotion. There are no floodlights and no covered accommodation or seating. It will be interesting to see if they maintain their fine form next season, hanging on to players will possibly be a challenge. After the match there was a very conveniently timed 17.02 bus back to Staines allowing plenty of time to catch the 17.29 service back to Waterloo. A delightful surprise was the presence of Burnley’s Mike Benyon on these transport services.

Staines Lammas: Stone, Ryan (Collins), Webb, Munns, Ridley, Baker (Greenwood), Azagba, Bullen, Harrison (Timba), Coombs, Johnson. Subs Not Used: Pisani, Piper.
Crescent Rovers: Rand, Ottaway, Sherwin, Chapman L, Kershaw, Bassom, Morgan, Heavens, Hassall, McHugh, Gillam. Subs Pentecost, Smith, Chapman S.

Admission: £2-00
Attendance: 205
Programme: £1-00
Bus: £2.70
Fare: £7-20 All Zone Travelcard with Extension from Feltham (with Gold Card discount)

Tongham FC

2008-05-01T23:59:00.036+01:00

Tongham 0 Staines Lammas 4 - Combined Counties League, Division One

Combined Counties League

Tongham is a small Surrey village located close to the north-east Hampshire and Surrey border. The village lies in a triangle between the A31 and the A331. Tongham is home to the Hogs Back Brewery as the village lies just north of the Hog's Back. Archaeological evidence suggests man has occupied the area of Tongham since Neolithic times. In August 1940 a number of munitions trucks were bombed by the Luftwaffe at Tongham.

Accompanied by the enigmatic Nigel Maitland, I travelled from London waterloo to Ash Vale. Here we were met by Nic Adamou and his trusted sat nav for onward transportation to Tongham.

The Tongham Recreation Ground is one of the more basic venues hosting senior football. The complex serves both winter and summer sports. In fact the cricket square was being prepared for the new season on this particular evening.

The relatively new block housing the changing facilities also boasts a licensed bar, which is presumably for community use and was open during the match. Refreshments for spectators were served from a separate area within the block . It was from this area that match programmes were sold.

As reported in the previous post, visitors Staines Lammas FC, are in a good position to win the championship. Having won at Knaphill they also secured maximum points in their next match. Avoiding defeat in this particular fixture would probably be enough to secure the title. I say 'probably' because this is all subject to the situation surrounding Neasden Foundation FC, currently suspended by the Combined Counties League.

On Bank Holiday Monday, Lammas will contest the Division One Cup Final against title rivals Hanworth Villa at Ashford Town FC. For this reason, it is likey that Lammas will have rested a few players for this match

Midway through the first period Lammas took the lead and shortly afterwards added to this via a penalty. This appeared to be harshly awarded and the Tongham defender received a yellow card for the offence. Unfortunately in voicing his concerns he received a second yellow card immediately and accordingly his participation in the match was over.

Another goal early in the second half, missed by renowned photographer Eric Marsh (still enjoying his half time cuppa - Ed) and a fourth with about ten minutes to go sealed the points for the champions elect. A lift to Woking, passing Knaphill FC, enabled us to catch a fast service back to London - thanks Nic.

Tongham: Coventry, Smith, Ralls, Rickwood, Cross, Stewart, Brennan, Sowden, Marriot, Packer, Allwork. Subs: Swain, Lynch, Springer, Joyce.
Staines Lammas: Stone, Ryan, Webb, Munns, Willmore, Collins (Bullen), Azagba, Baker, Smithers (Piper), Coombs (Harrison), Johnson. Subs Not Used: Ridley, Greenwood.

Admission: £2-50
Attendance: 48
Programme: with admission
Tea: 50p
Mars Bar: 50p
Fare: £8-05 (with Gold Card discount)

Knaphill FC

2008-04-22T23:59:00.029+01:00

Knaphill 1 Staines Lammas 3 - Combined Counties League, Division One

Combined Counties League

Knaphill is a dispersed urban village in Surrey, close to Woking. The village name was first recorded in 1225 as La Cnappe. Since then there has been various spellings of the name including 'Nap Hill, Naphill and Knap Hill. One of the major employers in the area until its closure in the 1990s was Brookwood Hospital, a vast, rambling lunatic asylum that dated from the late Victorian era. The northern edge of the hospital grounds adjoined the Broadway with the southern edge being denoted by the Knaphill side of the Basingstoke Canal. Most of the old hospital grounds have been redeveloped, the wards having made way for the Sainsburys and Homebase superstores and a large number of houses and council flats. The central building, which is 'A' listed has been retained and converted into luxury flats. Several of the new residential roads were named after the old hospital wards. The former chapel is now a Buddhist temple and the hospital morgue is now living quarter's for the temple's monks. Mark Toole lived nearby at St Johns.

The choice was between Liverpool v Chelsea, Champions League on TV or Knaphill v Staines Lammas in the bottom tier of the Combined Counties League. No competition as far as this journalist was concerned, as I headed for Woking via London Waterloo, accompanied by the legendary Nigel Maitland. We were particularly grateful to Nic Adamou for the lift from and to Woking station, saving us a lot of time. Brookwood station is nearer to Knaphill’s Redding Way ground but has a less frequent and slower train service.

Redding Way is a smart venue. The pitch was in fine condition and far greener than many for this stage of the season. The ground is surrounded by new looking high fences on three sides. The remaining side being enclosed by a thicket of well established trees.

The club building, containing the changing facilities and refreshment area, is situated behind one of the goals. The only covered accommodation for spectators is provided by an overhang to the building. A nice touch here was the row of chairs put out by the club in this area. To the side of the clubhouse is the entrance kiosk.

Visitors Staines Lammas FC, in a good position to win the championship, required 10 points from their remaining five matches prior to this fixture to do so. They look an impressive outfit too and after some slick early play, were ahead after 15 minutes, following a fine strike by Joe Johnson. A second goal from Jay Coombs followed a few minutes later and it was clear that the home side would have to step up a gear to compete.

This they did in the second half but not before going a further goal behind scored by Chris Baker shortly after the break. Knaphill finally grabbed a consolation goal with a fine header from Matt Baker as the light faded.

The match kicked off at 6.45 but by the time the referee signalled full time, it was getting quite dark. With players and officials travelling from work, it would be difficult to start any earlier.

Them hopper chaps I think

Knaphill FC is a friendly club. The match programme is very impressive. This issue contained 56 pages with plenty to read and a good mix of colour photographs and articles.

Knaphill: Shelley, Barbato (Roissetter), Batchelor, Crozier, Pritchard, Fastnedge, Timblick, Taylor, Springett (Hutton), Baker (M), Hughes. Sub Not Used: Coles.
Staines Lammas: Pisani, Ryan (Ridley), Webb, Munns, Willmore, Collins (Bullen), Azagba (Smithers), Piper, Baker (C), Coombs, Johnson.

Admission: £3-00
Attendance: 71
Programme: with admission
Tea: 50p
Mars Bar: 50p
Crisps: 40p
Fare: £6-60 (with Gold Card discount)

Stamford AFC

2008-03-29T23:59:00.045Z

Stamford 0 Hednesford Town 2 - Northern Premier League, Premier Division

Northern Premier League

Stamford is a town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. It is situated on the River Welland, in a south-westerly protrusion of Lincolnshire, between Rutland to the north and west, and Cambridgeshire to the south. It borders Northamptonshire to the southwest at the only point in England where four counties meet. The town originally grew as a Danish settlement at the lowest point that the Welland could be crossed by ford or bridge. Stamford was the only one of the five Danelaw boroughs not to become a county town. Initially a pottery centre, producing "Stamford Ware", by the Middle Ages it had became famous for its production of wool and woollen cloth (known as Stamford cloth). Stamford was a walled town but only a very small portion of the walls now remain.

We spent the morning exploring Stamford, in particular the Stamford Museum in Broad Street. It was here that we learnt about Daniel Lambert, one of the heaviest men in history. He was born in 1770 and was to eventually pass away in Stamford some 37 years later. By this time his weight had reached 52 stone and 11 pounds.

Stamford AFC are known as ‘The Daniels’ in honour of Mr Lambert, although it is fare to say that none of the players or spectators encountered on our visit came close to matching him for size!

Wothorpe Road lies adjacent, although somewhat higher, to Stamford Railway Station, which is situated behind the covered terracing along half of one side of the pitch.

On the opposite side of the ground are the covered seated stand and the clubhouse. Alongside the stand, although not part of the ground, is a terraced row of almshouses.

We were struck by the friendliness of the place. Hotspur was delighted to win an Easter egg in the free raffle for children and there was genuine warmth about the club, particularly in the clubhouse.

Visitors Hednesford Town took the points from an evenly contested match with 2 late goals. The defeat leaves Stamford looking nervously over their shoulders at the teams beneath them.

STAMFORD: Pledger, Guinan (Kirk), Hallows, White, Bonser, Bowater, Webb (Stubley), Towers, Pritchard, Byrne, Marshall. Unused sub Childs
HEDNESFORD TOWN: Evans, McLeod, Adams, Sheppard (Pedro) Marshall, Brown (B), Davies, Dyer (W), Dyer (R), Nagington, Maguire (Brown D).
Unused sub Robinson

Attendance: 262
Admission: £8.00 (Hotspur Free)
Programme: £1.80 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Tea: 80p
Pastie: £1.00