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20 Saturday Oct 2012

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Saturday 20th October 2012 ko 15.00

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 5 (Craddock 13 23 36 71 Potter 78)

ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0

Att 5,403 (96 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3

I have to say I have a soft spot for Stanley. Their banner says it all, “The club that refused to die,”  rising from bankrupcy and oblivion, to a return to League football in 2006. It’s not lost on Oxford United fans that when Accrington folded in 1966, then  returned to the League, on both occasions it was Oxford United that swapped places with them! For those of us of a certain age, Accrington was imortalised in a famous advert for milk…

To the club’s credit, Carl Rice the actor in the advert, was guest of honour at Accrington’s home game against Forest Green Rovers during their Conference winning season. I was fortunate enough to be there! Today, Stanley are a benchmark for small clubs, surviving in the league despite the close presence of two much larger clubs locally, namely Blackburn and Bolton.

With Stanley 11th and Oxford 19th, you wouldn’t have predicted a drubbing like this! A few hours after the event I’m still trying to work out was it a case of United being excellent, or Stanley quite royally stinking? I suspect its a mixture of the both. Certainly a move to 4-4-2 suited the personel available to Chris Wilder, and in particular James Constable revelled in the service he got from the flanks where Alfie Potter and Sean Rigg had excellent games. The knock-downs from Constable were manna from heaven for Tom Craddock, and I’d point out that 3 of the 4 goals he scored were teed up by Constable (the other by Rigg). Craddock had, its perhaps superfluous to say, his best game for the club, working hard, closing down and taking the chances when they came. His goals were as predatory as they were welcome.

But the most welcome sight was a grinning Brummie making his first start of the season after injury. Yes, the warrior was back, and the defence looked all the more solid with Andy Whing there to marshall it. His departure, utterly exhausted in the 81st minute produced a spine-tingling standing ovation. That was the second remarkable crowd reaction, as a few minutes earlier when Craddock had scored his fourth, the chant had been “Beano, Beano,” a comment on how the talismanic Constable had unselfishly worked to give Craddock his chances.

But it was Tom Craddock, quite correctly, who took the plaudits,  and became the first Oxford United player to score 4 goals in a game since John Durnin did at the Manor Ground against Luton Town in 1992. For the record, I was at that game too!

Substitute

19 Friday Oct 2012

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Wednesday 17th October 2012 ko 19.45

Northern Premier League Division One South

CARLTON TOWN 1 (Naylor 84)

HUCKNALL TOWN 0

Att 138

Entry £8

Programme £1.50

Badge £3

Another of those grounds where I turn up, and another hopper says, “This is a re-visit for you isn’t it?” It wasn’t and I don’t quite know why I hear the comment so often. In this case my location just east of Nottingham was probably the reason, as I’d picked up fellow organiser Chris Berezai on the way there.

Carlton is probably best known as being the birthplace of “Porridge” actor Richard Beckinsale, but the Bill Stokeld Stadium actually lies in Gedling next door. The entire area was the heartland of the Nottinghamshire coalfield, notable for the miners not striking during the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike. Not many signs of coal mining exist here these days, just the garish glow of out-of-town shopping centres and fast food restaurants.

It’s these “Developments” that created the ground as we know it. The ground was moved in the first few years of the new millennium, a little way along Stoke Lane so as to accommodate a new relief road. The club is indebted to the efforts of chairman Bill Stokeld, whose work got the ground fit for first the Central Midlands League then the Northern Counties East, and today the Northern Premier League. Perhaps that’s why the ground lacks a real focal point, all the seats are behind one goal, in the form of prefabricated stands. It doesn’t help that the ground is next door to the local sewage works, although it didn’t stop me sampling the catering!

There were the obvious reasons to be there, the company, and a new tick but there was the opportunity to catch up with Sam Hodkin, an up-and-coming groundhopper. He’s studying at Nottingham Trent University and helps out stewarding at Carlton on a voluntary basis, although they do feed him at half time! I wish I’d done something similar when I was a student, it would have been more fun than picking books, and checking London bus tickets for a survey!

The company rather made up for the game. At a location marginal at best for getting home at a sensible hour for an early start the next day it didn’t help that there was no sign of the referee! The club blamed the local FA for not informing him of his appointment, but the situation was improved when the senior linesman took the whistle, but that left a vacancy on the line. Former Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United forward Nigel Jemson was asked, but ever the shrinking violet, he declined. Eventually a local, qualified referee volunteered and around 10 minutes late, the game kicked off.

As I said earlier, the company made up for the game as this was two struggling sides fighting for scraps at the bottom of the table. For the vast majority of the game Chris’ run of 120 games without a 0-0 looked in real danger. He does however, have a failsafe, and that’s phone call to his mate Richard. So, in the 84th minute out came the Blackberry, and as he went, ” Hello Richard,” Joe Naylor smashed in an unstoppable drive from just outside the box! Whatever it takes to get a goal I suppose……

Conspiracy Theories

18 Thursday Oct 2012

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Tuesday 16th October 2012 ko 19.30

Western League Division One

CRIBBS FRIENDS LIFE 1 (Bone 63)

HENGROVE ATHLETIC 2 (Fear 18 Bament 81p)

Att 94

Entry & Programme £5

It seems that this season I’m destined so spend my weeknights blasting through the byways of Gloucestershire before reaching the M5 and Bristol. From there it was a short drive further south to Cribbs Causeway and its huge shopping centre, then on to the Friends Life Sports Ground, in nearby Henbury.

The insurance company used to be called Axa, and the club bearing that company’s name gained promotion from the Gloucestershire County League for this season. That was a convenient time for a name change, reflecting the take-over of Axa by Friends Life. On a personal level, I have history with Axa’s Bristol operation, they turned me down for a job many years ago, for reasons I still cannot fathom!

Promotion meant floodlights were necessary which were not an issue for a profitable business at an out-of-town location, so I found myself at a first game under lights for the second time in a month! The hundred or so there, included many other hoppers showing,if nothing else, that floodlit grounds reachable on a midweek are at a premium!

The  ground, has one major quirk, and that’s its access. From Cribbs Causeway the ground is accessed by having to U-turn at 2 roundabouts to access a turn inaccessible travelling in the opposite direction! Once there, its typical fare for a sports ground, the clubhouse plush but the pitchside exposed and the only cover provided by a “Meccano” stand. That was commandeered by a crowd of young boys fooling around in the corner. I found it hard to imagine myself at their age following a works team. Still, they shouted loudly for their team which is a good thing, and I just moved away so as to regain my senses!

The game was a decent advert for the division without ever hitting the heights that at times the team’s promising league positions theatened to do. Mark Fear headed Hengrove into the lead, his job made easier by Ben’s Bament’s fine cross. The moment of controversy led to Cribbs’ equaliser. Luke Crewe’s heavy tackle saw him both booked and injured, and he left the field for treatment. As play continued, he called to come back on, but was refused permission by referee Mark Dadds. His manager commented, ” He won’t be allowed back on until they score……” just as Simon Bone curled in an exquisite shot from 35 yards! Sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for!

In the end it didn’t matter, Bament’s speedy run into the box was crudely curtailed by Elliott Saunders, and Bament took the penalty himself, finding the bottom left hand corner. Probably a fair result, and I forgot completely about that job interview!

Reverlation!

15 Monday Oct 2012

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Sunday 14th October 2012 at 20.00

Paul Morris and the Reverlators

At The Bullingdon Arms, Cowley Road, Oxford

Entry £5

 

I’ve got used to seeing a steady succession of covers bands at Sunday Blues nights at local venues. Entertaining enough, but the lack of originality means I seldom head back after the interval.

Paul Morris’  trio offer something different, after all anyone who’s prepared to try out a Diddley Bow mid-set is nothing if not brave! This band specialise in slide blues, with a touch of gospel, their version of “When the saints go marching in,” needs to be heard to be believed! The influences are all correct too, the set was closed with a version of “Shake Your Hips” that started off as close to its relative, ZZ Top’s “La Grange,” but ended more like the classic Rolling Stones’ version of the Slim Harpo classic. Another highlight was a faithnful reproduction of Muddy Waters’ “I can’t be satisfied.”

It’s a tough business to be in, and even more so if you play the blues, but there’s something endearing about Paul and his band. Mind you there’s real fire in that slide guitar, and there was plenty of the band’s own material to keep the crowd involved.

Here’s the websites, go and see them, I promise you’ll love them.

http://www.reverbnation.com/c./poni/144982152

http://www.facebook.com/#!/paulmorrisandtherevelators

 

 

The Swedish Connection

15 Monday Oct 2012

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Sunday 14th October 2012 ko 10.30am

Upper Thames Valley League Division 3

ABBA ATHLETIC 1 (Harwood 78)

FC HAGBOURNE 3 (Moon 19 Lawson 73 Wallsworth)

Att 12 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

It was about time I did another Sunday League ground, and ABBA Athletic now play at Sunderland Drive Playing Field, in Bicester rather than at Kirtlington where I saw their Banbury & Lord Jersey side around 18 months ago. ABBA remain very much the baby of Tony Bagnall, one of the few stalwarts of local football to gain national recognition, being awarded an MBE 2 years ago. But why the name, I hear you ask? The club was originally formed as a revival of another Bicester club, Southwold but when the club was registered it was discovered that there were still unpaid fines due from the old Southwold club. Rather than face that liability the officials opted to choose another name who what to choose? It just so happened that “Money Money Money” by ABBA was playing on the radio at the time…… I’m just pleased Brian Hyland’s most famous hit wasn’t on the radio then!

ABBA, were set up and remain a real force for good. Half of all funds raised goes to charity, and Tony’s benevolent influence means the game is played for the right reasons, fun and fitness. To a backdrop of gliders taking off from Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester the two sides played an entertaining game, on a slippery surface. I can certainly report just how slippery, as I went flying when returning a ball!

There really wasn’t much between the two sides, besides slightly better finishing from the visitors. Jon Moon blasted home for the opener, before an exchange of goals from Andrew Lawson for Hagbourne and Wayne Harwood for ABBA maintained the one goal difference. A point would have been fair but Thomas Wallsworth stole in at the back post to give the game a slightly unrealistic margin of victory. Of course the real winners here are the legion of young people under Mr Bagnall’s guidance. Long may that continue.

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When Three Into One Does Go

14 Sunday Oct 2012

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Saturday 13th October 2012 ko 15.00

Northern League Division Two

CROOK TOWN 3 (Hodgson 10 Davis 55 Byrne 76)

NORTH SHIELDS 1 (Nolan 65)

Att c160

Entry £4

Programme 50p

Badge £3

So many choices, on “Non-League Day,” including a Mancunian triple, but I’d heard good things about Millfield, so gambled on it being worth three games elsewhere. Carry on dear reader and you’ll see why Lee and I got it absolutely right.

On the face of it, Crook is a rather unprepossessing market town, in agricultural County Durham. In fact, its the town’s football team that is the principle source of fame for Crook. For older readers the club’s exploits in the FA Amateur Cup may be how you know Crook but if you’re from Catalonia the reason for knowing them is that they had a part in the establishment of Association Football as principle sport ahead of bullfighting in the region, and in particular the rise of the collossus that is Continue reading →

Moonraker

11 Thursday Oct 2012

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Wednesday 10th October 2012 ko 19.45

Western League Division One

CORSHAM TOWN 4 (Baker 7 Lye 39 J Moss 71 Moore 73)

WARMINSTER TOWN 0

Att 146

Entry £5

Programme £1

Teamsheet FREE

Whenever I venture south and west from Oxford, within a few miles you notice the accents change. The “Town” part of Oxford speaks with an approximation of the “Estuary” accent, but once you’re past Witney the country burr soon takes over. It’s a hangover from the days when the woollen industry went no further east than the Earley’s blanket factory in Witney, and listening to the people before the game reminded me of the story Oxonians used to tell of their country cousins. It consisted of the country folk thinking they could scrape gold from a pond at midnight, presumably because of the reflected moonlight. Bunkum of course, and I greatly enjoyed my trip to this corner of Wiltshire. Continue reading →

The Fish and the Barrel

11 Thursday Oct 2012

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Tuesday 9th October 2012 ko 19.45

Southern League Central Division

RUGBY TOWN 2 (Koriya 12 Palmer 90)

WOODFORD UNITED 0

Att 145

Entry £8

Programme £2

Ever had one of those evenings when things conspire to trip you up? This was definitely one of those! The original idea was to head south to the Wessex League to watch Hayling, but that called off before I left work (Thanks Splodge for letting me know!), so I headed north to watch Saffron Dynamo, in the Leicestershire Senior League. That, it transpired got postponed because the Cosby-based side didn’t fancy playing Desford twice in 3 days, so I was faced with a choice, do a revisit or head for home.

A call from Graeme helped no end with my options, so I parked up in Butlin Road with a couple of minutes to spare. It was about a decade earlier that I’d first visited, when the club were mid-way though their transformation from Valley Sports, to VS Rugby, to Rugby United. Nowadays its Town following the merger with the United Counties League side, and Butlin Road remains a magnificent ground, a league ground in waiting, totally out of step with the club’s position, 4 promotions from the supposed promised land.

They were always likely to a take a step in the right direction this evening as Woodford are having a dreadful time of it. Led by former Birmingham and Yeovil forward Howard Forinton, and featuring former Leamington striker Josh Blake, you’d have expected a lot more than no points from 7 games. It became clear why though, as every first step was a backward one. It gave Rugby a head start every time, and on a different night there could have been a bucket-load of goals.

And for the life of me I don’t understand why there weren’t! The game was so one-sided I placed myself each half towards the end Rugby were attacking, as Woodford had almost no answers, to the obvious frustration of Forinton. But if the Woodford goal was a barrel of fish, for the most part the hundreds of bullets fired, missed. Fazel Koriya was there to finish off a neat through ball in the twelfth minute, but then a mixture of poor finishing, over-passing, and inspired goalkeeping from Jamie Brassington kept the game within reach of the beleaguered visitors.

Every time you thought “They’ve got to score with this,” Rugby found another way to miss, and on the odd occasion Woodford ventured forward, you wondered if they could steal the most unlikely of points. They didn’t, as with yours truly already moving towards the exit, an reverse pass from Seb Lake-Gaskin found subsitute Steve Palmer, and he did the simple thing, stroking home from just inside the box. If only his team-mates had done the same…..

 

 

Take the Nil

11 Thursday Oct 2012

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Saturday 6th October 2012 ko 3pm

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 0

GILLINGHAM 0

Att 6,690 (1,014 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3 (ic Ox Mail)

Choices, Choices…. So many games I could have chosen, the Bedfordshire hop was busy attracting around 100 people to each of its three games, and there was no lack of other attractive looking games. In the end two things influenced my decision, sheer exhaustion after one of the busiest Septembers ever, and the chance to catch up with schoolfriends Saleem and Carmine after the game. I hadn’t seen them for over 20 years, so it was an easy decision to make.

There was also the hope if not expectation that Oxford United had turned the corner. The 3-2 win over AFC Wimbledon had ended a dreadful run of 6 straight defeats, but the Gills were a different prospect altogether, top of the table, unbeaten away, and with confidence high.

First on the agenda was the presentation of David Langan to the crowd. David was a hero to anyone who grew up watching Oxford during the 1980’s as the club reached the top flight and won the League Cup. His overlapping runs made him a popular fixture at right back, but injuries took their toll, and he still suffers from the aftermath of the operations and injections. His autobiography, “Running through walls,” looks to be an involving read.

But back to the game in hand. With Wayne Brown injured Chris Wilder had little alternative but to restore Ryan Clarke between the sticks, and with Michael Raynes out injured his former teammate John Mullins arrived on loan to 2013 in the morning from Rotherham. It was to be those two players that had the most influence on the game, Clarke pulling off 4 stunning saves, and Mullins looking anything other than an unwanted defender at a fellow League 2 club who hadn’t even trained with the team.

It became clear that the number one priority was to keep midfielder Chris Whelpdale quiet. That they managed, of a fashion although Jake Forster-Caskey did have to clear a glancing header off the line from the former Peterborough man. Stirring stuff, and if the grit will have pleased manager Wilder, the increasing injury list will have not. First Damian Batt limped off then Deane Smalley struggled to make it through to half time. Surprisingly after the break he was replaced by Tom Craddock rather than the more obvious James Constable.

It took until almost the hour mark for United to create their first shot on target, Potter seeing his effort tipped over the bar by Stuart Nelson. Constable eventually was introduced for the last 10 minutes, and very nearly set up the winner, his reverse pass from the right found Craddock whose shot was deflected over the bar. It just shows how the small the margins are between success and failure. I wonder what will happen when Wilder is able to select anything like his first choice eleven? In the meantime, I think just about every Oxford United would have taken the clean sheet before this game kicked off.

 

 

Old Gold but not the Wolves!

08 Monday Oct 2012

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Wednesday 3rd October 2012 ko 7.45pm

Birmingham Senior Cup First Round

RUSHALL OLYMPIC 0

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 5 (Ismail 43 62 Kostrna 63 McAlinden 71 80)

Att 101

Entry £7.50

Programme £2

Badge £3

Team Sheet FREE

I first attempted to see a game here on New Year’s day around 5 years ago. I’d attended my cousin’s party the night before and slept, more than slightly worse for wear underneath his Christmas tree. I drove north with needles in my hair, and when I reached Dales Lane, they’d just postponed the game due to a frozen pitch.

Back then Rushall played in the Midland Alliance, now they’re 2 promotions further up the footballing pyramid, and are now in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and so are now just 3 notches from the football league. That would be a huge leap for this friendly, well organised club from just south of Walsall. The town seems out of step these days with its industrial neighbour, being a quiet and leafy suburb with views over and above the M6 of the Birmingham skyline. That belies its history as a mining town, and before that a major Parliamentarian stronghold during the English Civil War.

The ground reflects the club’s rapid elevation in status. The two seated stands are nothing to write home about, but I could have happily settled down for an evening in front of the telly in the bar, and the club shop was a Mecca for programme hunters. I did wonder why it wasn’t open before the game though. There’s plenty about the place to interest the football ground geek, but more than anything else Dales Lane is worth a visit for the friendly people who make the whole operation tick.

The scoreline was highly unfortunate for the hosts, as in no way were they walloped by the Championship side’s under-18 team. Yes, the correct side won, and it was odd seeing a side in gold and black NOT be Wolves, but Rushall played a full part in an entertaining game, and the real difference between the sides was finishing. Zeli Ismail looks to be a very good prospect and on a more selfish night he would have got a hat trick, giving up an easy chance for his third to allow Liam McAlinden his first. There wasn’t much wrong with a Rushall defence featuring the likes of Wayne Daniel and Gavin Caines, formerly of Kidderminster and Cheltenham respectively, but they won’t be facing players of this calibre very often!

The game was refereed by Sarah Garrett who, coincidentally ran the line at my game the previous night at Oxford United. She was excellent in both games, and is clearly one to watch for the future. What this game taught me though, is that Rushall aren’t at the limit of their ambitions just yet.