Attitude In Adversity

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

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I heard the sad news today that the Appleton Stars have folded, despite completing their North Berkshire League Division 5 programme. I always enjoyed their company, and admired their wonderful attitude despite taking a beating most Saturdays. I was pleased we were able to feature them on the North Berkshire League Hop, away at Uffington United, and it was a real shame that I was unable to give them a game as hosts as they’d left the Sportsfield, to groundshare at Hanney.

They never did have much luck. About a month ago Phil Annets, the league’s press officer, sent me a message that the Stars had just earned their first point in three years against Crowmarsh Gifford Reserves. On the Monday after, Crowmarsh’s reserves withdrew from the league, and Appleton’s point was expunged. There was Briony their manager who could find something positive to say even in moments of massive adversity, and Paul Nuckley their goalkeeper who never lost his sense of humour despite the deluge of goals that went past him.

I was fortunate to visit the Stars back in 2010, so please enjoy my text from then, and please remember a gallant little club that is no more. They stood for values far above mere sport, such as sportsmanship, friendship, and never ever giving up. I’ll miss them.

13th November 2010 ko 13.30

North Berkshire League Division 5

APPLETON STARS 1 (King 40)

BAMPTON TOWN RESERVES 7 (Reed 7 15 Oyston 13 54 Madden 27 Paintin 76 90)

Att 1

Entry FREE

Prog No

It can’t be easy being Appleton. A ground next door to the local sewage works with all the smells to match, and a playing record that takes some examination. They were reformed a few years ago as a youth side, but the players got too old. They entered the North Berkshire League last season, and were placed in Division 4 so at least they had some first teams to play against. They finished the season with the following record P20 W0 D0 L20 F13 A204 Pts 0, so were relegated into the basement Division 5 with reserves, A and even B sides. Their playing record this season?

P7 W0 D0 L7 F7 A47 Pts 0, so things are not improving and if you eliminate the two league officials and the clubs’ management, the attendance was me so the well to do village doesn’t care either.

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The Rubicon and the Sahara

07 Monday Apr 2014

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Wednesday 2nd April 2014 ko 18.20

Spartan South Midlands League Division 2

HALE LEYS UNITED 6 (Woodfine 7 18 Castello 25 Kew 30 65 Williams 80)

WILLEN 0

Att 22

Entry FREE

No Programme

Tea £1

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Fabius

07 Monday Apr 2014

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Tuesday 1st April 2014 ko 19.30

Wessex League Division One

HAYLING UNITED 0

UNITED SERVICES PORTSMOUTH 0

Att 7

Entry £5

Programme £1

As much island hopping as groundhopping this one! The island at the eastern-edge of Hampshire is a popular tourist destination as well as being where in 1958, the windsurf board was invented by Peter Chilvers, although it took a 1982 court case to prove his claim! The island was used for “Operation Fabius,” in 1944 a mock invasion in preparation for D-Day. I enjoyed crossing the bridge over from Langstone and enjoying the view back over the harbour towards Portsmouth. 

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The Auld Fem Derby

03 Thursday Apr 2014

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Sunday 30th March 2014 ko 12.00

Scottish Women’s Premier League

RANGERS 2 (Sneddon 20p Mulvey 55)

CELTIC 1 (Jones 11)

Att 79 at Petershill Park, Glasgow (Petershill JFC)

Entry £4

No Programme

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach this game. On one hand it was a women’s game, not known for being high profile in the UK, but it did involve Celtic and Rangers with all the sectarian idiocy that fixtures between the two clubs attracts. I pondered my attire, would that red Neilston scarf bought the previous day attract unwanted attention, would my SLR camera be allowed in, and would there be a sizeable police presence?

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The Brightest Star

02 Wednesday Apr 2014

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Saturday 29th March 2014 ko 14.00

West of Scotland Junior Cup 3rd Round

NEILSTON JUNIORS 0 Digney sent off FT (2nd booking)

SHOTTS BON ACCORD 1 (McKenna 88p)

Att 121

Entry £5

Programme £1

Scarf £5

We had a guest on this mini-tour, Sim loves his football despite being an Oxford United fan, and with this fixture being the centrepiece of the weekend I wanted it to give him a true flavour of the Junior scene in Scotland. We drove south-west from Glasgow for around 11 miles to Neilston, just south of Paisley. Like the latter town the village grew massively during the Industrial Revolution due to the textile trade and the derelict Crofton Mill still stands, the only survivor of the seven mills than stood beside the River Levern between Neilston and Dovecothall.

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Brown Brogue Blues

31 Monday Mar 2014

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Saturday 29th March 2014 ko 9.30

Strathclyde Saturday Morning League Presidents Cup Semi-Final

TANTALLON VICTORIA 0

FIRHILL UNITED 1 (Thomson 8)

Att 18

Played on Pitch 1, Toryglen Regional Football Centre, Glasgow

Entry FREE

No Programme

I have a feeling if you’re in Mount Florida, Glasgow during the football season and you can’t find a game to watch, then you’re not putting enough effort in! There’s Hampden Park, the National Stadium (albeit closed to football for alterations for the forthcoming Commonwealth games) home to Queens Park, the quite wonderful Cathkin Park 200 yards away up Prospecthill Road, which acts as part council pitch, part mausoleum for poor old defunct Third Lanark who controversially went bankrupt in 1967. With a horde of groundhoppers making their way to the final ever game at Benburb’s iconic Tinto Park, they had the chance to tick off another icon beforehand. Having already had the pleasure a couple of years ago I visited the other point of the Mount Florida footballing triangle- Toryglen.

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The Third Way

31 Monday Mar 2014

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Friday 28th March 2014 ko 20.00

East of Scotland Amateur Cup Semi-Final

TOLCROSS THISTLE 1 (Perry 43)

STEINS THISTLE 2 (Lynn 46, M Kane 61)

Att 148 at Ainslie Park, Edinburgh

Entry £4

No Programme

North of the border the football is split 3 ways, Senior, Junior and Amateur, and there’s very little cross-over. You get some clubs in one section that could easily play in what is, in theory, the higher level, and especially the case of the Seniors, the converse also holds.

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Wherever Life Takes You

28 Friday Mar 2014

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A few days ago I was asked to write a piece for the United Counties League Facebook page. Given that we’re organising a groundhop for them in August I thought I’m delve a little into groundhopping culture. I  occasionally get asked what’s the most far-flung and unusual ground I’ve ever visited and I’ve got a good tale to tell on that… This isn’t my usual offering but I hope you enjoy it.

 

We took the groundhop to West Wales a few weeks ago, for 5 games in the Ceredigion League. We at GroundhopUK were really happy with how it went, attendances were 20% up on 2013, and the clubs did a marvellous job, making a tidy sum on varied catering, and newsy, interesting programmes.

But I’m not going to talk about that, you’ll all see how that’s done thing coming August, this is a tale from one of my more far-flung travels.

The first game on Sunday was at Bargod Rangers, in the pretty village of Drefach Velindre, near Newcastle Emlyn, and I got volunteered to speak to the local press. The cub reporter asked me what my most bizarre ground visited is, and I told them it was Zweigen Kanazawa in the Japanese 3rd Division.

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Leisure Pursuits

27 Thursday Mar 2014

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Wednesday 26th March 2014 ko 19.45

Eastern Counties League Division One

DEBENHAM LEISURE CENTRE 0

TEAM BURY 1 (Thompson 72)

Att 63

Entry £5

Programme 50p

Raffle £1

Tea £1

Burger £1.50

I suppose the first point to make is that this Suffolk village near Bury St Edmunds has absolutely nothing to be with the department store of the same name! Apparently the pronunciation is different, the village sounds more like Dee- ben- am, but that could be local inflection! The village takes its name from the River Deben who runs through the village in what is claimed to be Britain’s third longest ford, eventually reaching its estuary at Felixstowe Ferry with two Martello Towers marking the mouth.

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Floodlight Fancy

27 Thursday Mar 2014

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Tuesday 25th March 2014 ko 19.45

Sussex County League Division One

CHICHESTER CITY 1 (Groom 7)

RINGMER 0

Att c50

Entry £5

Programme £1

Chichester and I go back a long way. My ex-wife loved Butlins so regularly we’d spend weekends at the nearby Bognor Regis stockade, to watch the likes of Coghlan’s Quo, and a version of Bucks Fizz with only one original member. We even saw Limahl in support of The Wurzels once, which looked less like entertainment and more like a gentle nudge towards alternative employment for the former Kajagoogoo man.

There was one massive advantage to the place, and that was on Saturday afternoons I could escape the high fences and security patrols, and find a game locally. Even now, a look at the grounds I’ve visited in this part of the south coast show a marked slant to Bognor Regis. Nice town Bognor, if nothing else for the annual Birdman of Bognor competition, and the heroic David Purley, but as for Butlins, well I’m rather with King George V on that one!

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