Saturday 5th August 2023 ko 15:00

Eastern Counties League Division One North

NEEDHAM MARKET U23 1 (Barker 41p)

GREAT YARMOUTH TOWN 5 (Akpo 7 Couzens 34 Duffield 59 Halliday 63 90)

Att 45

Entry £5

No programme

It always pays to have a Plan B. Chris Garner and I were on one of our Saturday trips east and were aiming for an FA Cup game at Little Oakley. There were only two issues with our choice. The first was the weather, it hadn’t stopped raining all day, and the other was Little Oakley’s location.

It lies on the Harwich peninsula, so if we got there, and the game was called off we’d have to head back towards Colchester before being able to divert somewhere else. In the end we found out the Little Oakley game was off as we were passing Colchester United. Our options at that point was to watch Colchester United (a revisit for me), Cornard United (also a revisit for me), or Needham Market Under 23’s, which was a revisit of me if it was being played on the main pitch and a revisit for Chris if played on the 3G.

So, we had no easy options, and as it happened the thought we had- worked. We took the view that since there was a 3G pitch involved at Needham Market there was good chance we’d get a game. The game at Colchester United was postponed at kick-off and the one at Cornard at 3:15.

We pulled into the car park and confirmed the game was on the 3G pitch (sorry Chris) and that the main pitch was waterlogged. Apparently Needham Market’s U23s normally use the 3G on a Saturday and the main pitch midweek, when the second pitch is rented out. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule though, so if completing the ECL is your aim, and the second pitch you regard as a separate ground do check in advance!

Now I know some groundhoppers don’t like watching second or development sides, and I do understand their discomfiture. I can’t agree with it for the simple reason that the first few years of my footballing education was spent watching Oxford United reserves, dad couldn’t afford to take me to watch the firsts!

Other than trying unsuccessfully to stay dry, I tried to imagine this as an Eastern Counties League game at between two first XI’s at standalone ground. It didn’t take too much doing; even if treated as a standalone ground it is a remarkably well appointed place, with the undoubted highlight being the first floor clubhouse and balcony. Barista made coffee was most welcome in my attempts to avoid pneumonia!

Of course having Great Yarmouth around helped things no end. They certainly made what could have been a thoroughly miserable afternoon fun. It’s not often you can laugh while getting soaked, but somehow they managed it! A thumping away win helped their cause, but a source of regret is that as I near completion of this league, I’ll probably see very little of them. Perhaps my angle is that Robyn hasn’t yet visited the Wellesley Recreation Ground and that wonderful stand…. any excuse!