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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Daily Archives: December 4, 2011

The Bulldozer Looms

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in B

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Tags

Alton Manor, Belper United, Central Midlands League, Football, Frank Harwood, goals, groundhopping, Sutton Town

Saturday 3rd December 2011 ko 2.00pm

Central Midlands League Southern Section

BELPER UNITED 1 (Wadsworth 72) Smith sent off 45 (violent conduct)

SUTTON TOWN AFC 2 (Buchanan 15 Hollingworth 38)

Att 45 (h/c)

Entry/Programme/Raffle £1

Tea £1

After the morning game at Loughborough University, the 30 mile drive to the Derbyshire town of Belper was straightforward. The town’s name is thought to be a corruption of Beaurepaire – meaning beautiful retreat – the name given to a hunting lodge, the first record of which being in a charter of 1231.

The industrialist Jedediah Strutt, a partner of Richard Arkwright, built a water-powered cotton mill in Belper in the late eighteenth-century: the second in the world at the time. With the expansion of the textile industry Belper became one of the first mill towns. In 1784 Strutt built the North Mill and, across the road, the West Mill. In 1803 the North Mill was burnt down and replaced by an new structure designed to be fireproof. Further extensions followed, culminating in the East Mill in 1913 – a present-day Belper landmark. Although no longer used to manufacture textiles the mill still derives electricity from the river, using turbine-driven generators.

In 1938, local firm A.B.Williamson had developed a substance for conditioning silk stockings – the introduction of nylon stockings after the Second World War seemed to make it redundant, but mechanics and fitters had discovered its usefulness in cleaning hands and it is still marketed by Deb Group as Swarfega.

However Paul and I’s reason to be there was simple, the town’s second football team will be moving off their ground at the end of the season, and Alton Manor isn’t being featured on March’s Central Midlands Hop.

You wonder what Alton Manor would have looked like before the housing estates that will eventually swallow it up were built. Its compact, and has seen earthworks to create enough pitch space from side-to-side. Its railed, with a cramped octagonal changing room block. The only toilet is within this, and it was locked during the game. To allow elevation from the Midland Regional Alliance to this season’s Central Midlands League a small shelter has been cobbled together from 4 sheets of corrugated iron, Catering was being provided by a burger van.

As part of the planning agreement the builders who will bulldoze the ground were to provide a replacement ground. A wrangle over land ownership means that this isn’t going to happen so United are eyeing a little used ground in town. Apart from a few other hoppers, two of which were looking to head for the second half at Holbrook after this encounter, also present was Frank Harwood, League chairman for the last 30 years, and who is helping out Rob Hornby with this year’s groundhop. He took great delight in telling Paul, at his first CMFL game, all about the league and its history.

The game was a bruising encounter, with language as violent as the challenges. The referee missed a blatant penalty for Belper early on, then Sutton scored with a curling shot from the right. The lead was doubled, direct from a free kick, but by this time it was clear that it would only be a matter of time before industrial football and a young referee would ignite this tinderbox. It happened on the stroke of halftime, when Belper’s Matt Smith was scythed down whilst running through. He got up and immediately punched his assailant, sparking a melee. Its was obvious he had to receive his marching orders, which he did, but how the referee failed to find another card I’ll never know!

This set the tone for the second half which was largely ill tempered and it was clear that the visitors believed the game was won. Belper did enough in midfield to have stolen (mugged?) a point and should really have equalised, wasting a string of chances including one that almost defied belief.
The home fans were increasingly upset at the referee, leading to some great comments. One one-eyed local called referee Ollie Bickle  “A useless bloody article” and then better still “You make a T*** look normal” Although I’m not sure what’s abnormal about one of those!

So an entertaining game but I’m not convinced that Frank Harwood would have wanted a game like this as Paul’s first ever game in his league!

Frank Harwood meets Paul Fergusson

You c***

Paul tries out the stand


melee! You can see Frank Harwood in the background

Sentiment

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in L

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Football, goals, groundhopping, Loughborough, Midland, Midland Combination U21 League, Students, University, Woodbourne Sports

Saturday 3rd December 2011 ko 10.30am

Midland Combination U21 League East/North Divison

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS 6 (Poole 7 31 Ali 26 Howard 49 Jardine 66 77)

WOODBOURNE SPORTS 2 (Douglas 47 Carter 56)

Att 15 (h/c)

Played on the “Paddock Pitch” Loughborough University

Entry FREE

No programme

Coffee (from vending machine in nearby “Pilkington” Library) £1

Once I’d pencilled in Belper United for the afternoon’s fixture, doing something in the Midland Combination U21 League was an obvious choice. Even more obvious was to see where Woodbourne were playing as I’d seen them back in October and been mighty impressed (https://laurencereade.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/the-right-way/). I then looked at where, Loughborough University…oh. Around 10 years ago I ferried my ex-wife there each month for tutorials during her study for her phD. I also attended the viva and graduation ceremonies there. We split up a year ago, so there are some mixed memories of the place for me. To add to it all, this was her birthday, so on one level it was the last place I wanted to be, but I’m a groundhopper, and this is Woodbourne after all.

For those thinking of visiting its worth noting that you will need to report to reception, off Epinal way, and that the Campus is huge! The Paddock pitch is more or less straight ahead from the main entrance, and is to be found on the aptly named University Road, at the western end of the site. Its not the site that Loughborough University’s adult side will be using, when they leave Loughborough Dynamo in Nanpantan.

And to be frank there isn’t a lot lot here. Just a roped off pitch with the Cayley One changing rooms a fair walk downhill. I’d brought along Paul Fergusson for his first Midland Combination game of any description, and while I knew Woodbourne would do things the right way, the welcome they gave Paul and I was most touching, I didn’t know how they would bear up to what was, on paper, a far stronger team.

What we got was a highly entertaining game, played to a very high standard. Woodbourne brought just the 12 players, the manager making copius use of the overage rule to name himself on the bench! All the while students walked alomg University Road, tripping a speed display (mostly at 3 mph), but oblivious to the entertainment on offer.

The students took the lead with a quite appalling piece of referreeing. Will Poole blatantly handled before his attemped cross sneaked in. Imagine Henry vs Eire and you get my point. The second was more straightforward, Woodbourne keeper Jake Gibbons dropped the ball in front of Gabriel Ali who just tapped in. Woodbourne fought hard against tough odds and an even tougher set of officials and I thought were a little unlucky to find themselves 3-0 down at the break.

Sports pulled a goal back soon after the break through Seb Douglas, but this produced an almost instantanous response, Nick Howard heading powerfully home from a corner. Still Sports wouldn’t give up, still playing good, passing footbball, and were rewarded with an excellent finish from Tom “TC” Carter. You hoped for a unlikely comeback, but it wasn’t to be. Subsitute Rob Jardine scored twice, the second a dribble through most of the defence, to post a rather unfair scoreline on the visitors.

We had just enough time for Ryan Shemwell to be booked for a frustrated trip, to which his mother shouted ” He’s no son of mine!” Priceless, and typical of a club, who to crib my previous title do things “The Right Way.” I think they’ve made another fan in Paul.





The Hard “G”

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in G

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Dundee United, Football, Gillingham, goals, groundhopping, League, Shrewton United, Tannadice, Western League

Friday 2nd December 2011 ko 7.45pm

Western League Division One

GILLINGHAM TOWN 11 (Thomson 15 Murray 19 80 Gale 28 41 59 Ben Salem 34 49 Compton 68 Ruston 84 Bentall 87og)

SHREWTON UNITED 1 (Judd 37)

Att 93

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £2.50

For those not in the know this wasn’t a trip to the Medway town, rather a trip to a small market town 3 miles over the border from Wiltshire into Dorset. The misnomers don’t stop there either, the town is pronounced with a hard “G”- as in what fish breathe with!  The name implies a “homestead of the family or followers of a man called Gylla”, a model consistent with the occupation of Dorset by the Saxons from the 7th century.

In October 1348, fifty percent of the 2,000 people living in the town died of the Black Death in the space of  four months.

I’d pondered hard about whether to go. I’d had an asthma attack the day before, and from work in Banbury it did represent quite a drive, I wasn’t convinced I’d made kick off! Me being me I arrived at 6.30! Soon after the hoppers arrived…Firstly Lee and Gilly, and Jersey based John Treleven, then Calne based Paul Fergusson. It made for a convivial atmosphere, especially with real ale on tap!

Hardings Lane started life as an Continue reading →

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