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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Tag Archives: Jake Forster-Caskey

On Giant-Kill Watch

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by laurencereade in O

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Dave Kitson, FA Cup, Firoz Kassam, George Long, isdn lines, Jake Forster-Caskey, Justin Richards, Nick Blackman, oxford united., sean rigg, Sheffield United, Simon Heslop, soccer, Tom Craddock, Tony McMahon

Saturday 5th January 2013 ko 15.00

FA Cup 3rd Round

OXFORD UNITED 0

SHEFFIELD UNITED 3 (McMahon 17 Kitson 68 Blackman 87)

Att 7,079 (1,244 away)

Entry £20.50

Programme (inc Oxford Mail) £3

It’s always interesting watching a high-profile game at a lower level ground as the whole atmosphere of the place changes. The regulars are still there, discussing the tactics in detail, but they’re joined by the fans who only ever come when there’s a sprinkling of glamour. They’re easy to spot, Continue reading →

Chelt-Numb

01 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by laurencereade in O

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charlton athletic, Cheltenham Town, Daniel Boateng, Gloucester City, Jake Forster-Caskey, Jermaine McGlashan, Lee Cox, Luke O'Brien, michael duberry, Michael Raynes, oxford united., Peter Leven, Sam Deering, Scott Brown, sean rigg, Sido Jombati, Simon Heslop

Tuesday 1st January 2013 ko 15.00

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 1 (Leven 16p)

CHELTENHAM TOWN 0

Att 6,951 (637 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3

One of those fixtures that is a local derby only in the thoughts of the fixture computer. Cheltenham still regard Gloucester City as public enemy number 1, whilst for Oxford its swindon, followed by swindon’s reserves, and thirdly swindon’s youth team. Nevertheless New Year’s Day is a good time for the clubs to meet, its not too far for supporters to travel with bleary heads, and guarantees a Continue reading →

Take the Nil

11 Thursday Oct 2012

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Alfie Potter, Chris Whelpdale, chris wilder, David Langan, Gillingham, Jake Forster-Caskey, James Constable, john mullins, League 2, oxford united., Running Through Walls, ryan clarke, Stuart Nelson, Tom Craddock

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.


John Mullins

Jake Forster-Caskey
David Langan

 

 

The Break Point

08 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by laurencereade in Uncategorized

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AFC Wimbledon, Alfie Potter, Byron Harrison, chris wilder, Deane Smalley, fenlon, Jake Forster-Caskey, Jim Fenlon, League 2, oxford mail, oxford united., ryan clarke, Steve Claridge, steve mcclaren, Wayne Brown, Will Antwi

Tuesday 2nd October 2012 ko 19.45

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 3 (Forster-Caskey 8 Smalley 55 Potter 81)

AFC WIMBLEDON 2 (Harrison 20 Fenlon 36)

Att 5,206 (274 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3 (inc Oxford Mail)

Of all the statistics above, I suspect the important one may well end up being the attendance. Ok this was dull Tuesday evening, between 2 struggling teams, but 5,200 is low by OUFC standards. Its not difficult to understand why, Oxford United having lost 6 league games on the bounce, and with a quite appalling injury list. Nevertheless manager Chris Wilder found himself under more pressure than any other time during his tenure at the club and for the first time, it told.

You can always tell when the manager’s time is running out, the fight goes out of them. Remember Steve McClaren’s game in charge of England, standing forlornly under an umbrella, impotant as Croatia stopped England qualifying for the 2008 European Championships? When Wimbledon went 2-1 after 36 minutes, I watched Wilder, the head dropped, and I feared the worst for him. The comparison was obvious, and I felt sorry for the man who managed the club back into the Football League where others had failed.

They’d made a good start too, with Jake Forster-Caskey’s excellent free kick opening the scoring, but Wayne Brown, controversially selected in goal ahead of Ryan Clarke should have done better as Yado Mambo rose highest at a corner and although his header hit the crossbar, Byron Harrison was first to the rebound and scored from close range.

With less than 10 minutes left of the half, Jim Fenlon cut inside Alfie Potter, and fired home from 25 yards. He was in yards on space which speaks volumes for the defence and goalkeeper. All the while quietly sat in the press area was Steve Claridge. Wearing no club’s badge, there he sat with his assistant. Maybe he was scouting, maybe he was there for other purposes, who knows?

Whatever the truth, United found their way back into the tie. Deane Smalley stabbed home from close range to equalise before losing Wayne Brown to a groin strain a few minutes later. That gave a platform to Ryan Clarke, who didn’t disappoint, producing a quite wonderful diving dave to deny Will Antwi. By then United had taken the lead, as Tom Craddock’s erudite pass found Alfie Potter and he swept home from 10 yards. It proved to be enough for 3 points on the night, but it may well prove to be a pivotal night for Chris Wilder and his regime.

Chris Wilder & Mickey Lewis


Bread of Heaven

08 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by laurencereade in B

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Adrian Cieslewiscz, Amex Stadium, Brighton and Hove Albion, FA Cup, Falmer, Football, groundhopping, Jake Forster-Caskey, Wrexham

Saturday 7th January 2012 ko 3.00pm

FA Cup 3rd Round

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 1 (Forster-Caskey 48)

WREXHAM 1 (Cieslewicz 62)

Att 18, 573 (2,029 away)

Entry £19.80

Programme (reduced size) £2

Tea £1.80

Chicken & Ham Pie £3.50

On 8th February 1997 I attended Brighton’s home game against Hartlepool United at the Goldstone Ground. The game finished 5-0 with Craig Maskell collecting a hat trick. That isn’t why I remember that day though, as it was “Fans United” day, a protest against the Brighton Directors Bill Archer and David Bellotti, who had sold the ground to a supermarket with no acceptable alternative in place. It was an amazing day with fans from all but 1 of the 92 League clubs in evidence, and a banner bearing the legend, “Real Madrid say Archer out!”

It took Brighton 14 years, 3 months and 11 days from that point to get an acceptable ground of their own. There were 2 years sharing at Gillingham, before a move back to the city at the cramped Withdean Stadium, where I had to pretend to be a Darlington fan to gain entry! (Why aye Man!)

Eventually planning permission was gained for a site at Falmer, at the north-eastern tip of the city. The Amex Community Stadium holds 22,374 but has the capacity to be expanded to around 35,000 by putting seats in the corners, and adding an extra tier to the East Stand. So as to minimise the visual impact, the stadium is set three storeys down into the Sussex Downs. 138,000 cubic metres of chalk were excavated for its construction, which was put on the field on the south side of Village Way. This was estimated to have prevented 20,000 lorry trips taking the spoil to landfill. On 2nd of January, the club submitted an application to Brighton and Hove City council to increase the stadium capacity by a further 8000 seats as well as to add additional corporate boxes, new television facilities and a luxury suite. Given that Brighton has Britain’s first and only Green MP, I would not expect the process to be straightforward. Given that the home sections sell out for all League games the expansion is certainly necessary.

The stadium is close to the A27 Brighton by-pass, close to the intersection with the A23. There is very little parking and fans are encouraged to use public transport, or the temporary Park and Ride schemes in operation. One of these is at Mill Road, situated at the A23/A27 intersection, which holds 500 cars. Another is at Brighton Racecourse, holding approx. 700 cars. The third site is at Mithras House (Brighton University) on the Lewes Road, holding approx 300 cars. The stadium is served by Falmer railway station which is a nine-minute journey from Brighton railway station and seven minutes from Lewes railway station. I opted to park at Lewes Station for £5 and a return to Falmer was roughly £3.50, but group discounts are available. After the game, I found the exit afterwards to be quick and efficient, but I would have expected a far longer queue if I were heading into Brighton itself. This is not a ground to visit if you’re running late!

Arriving at around 12.30, I had plenty of time to have a nose around. Its clear that a lot of thought has gone into the ground. There’s lots of personal touches, such as the Fans Mosiac in the bar named “Dicks Bar” after former chairman Dick Knight. Two local breweries have their beers on tap within the ground, and the away end features a beer from a brewery relevant to the away team!  Even the traffic cones are in club colours! The attention to detail extends to the inside to the ground, with artwork breaking up the swathes of concrete. Its would appear that someone had visited all the new-builds and learned from them. My padded seat was at pitch-level in the East Stand, and while I wouldn’t choose a seat that low down, the view was pretty good, and I couldn’t complain about being too far from the action!

The game saw a Championship side up against a team top of the Conference Premier. Brighton made 6 changes from the side that beat Southampton, and so obviously completely underestimated their opponents. I expect home fans not to have done their homework, comments heard included, ” They’re part-time, they’ll run out of steam…” when the vast majority of the Conference Premier is full-time! What was unacceptable was the home players attitude in the first half. They clearly believed that they could simply pass their opponents off the park. Wrexham stuck to good passing football with forwards Andy Morrell and Jake Speight, holding the ball up beautifully, bringing others into play, and Jay Harris in midfield kicking everything that moved.

The second half saw the Seagulls look a little more direct, and were rewarded when Lua Lua crossed from the left and Jake Foster got ahead of the otherwise excellent Nat Knight-Percival to turn the ball in, past Joslain Mayebi. Wrexham continued to work both effectively and hard, and were rewarded with an excellent equaliser. Polish U21 midfielder Adrian Cieslewicz cut in from the right, and squeezed past two defenders, before smashing home from 12 yards. A worthy goal for a worthy team who deserved to take the tie back to North Wales.

They had discovered that quite a few groundhoppers were visiting!

The away end begins to fill up, although I’m not convinced ALL those there were Wrexham fans
Inside the East Stand, you can see where the extra tier could go.

Robbie Reinelt scored the goal at Hereford that kept Brighton in the League
The “Respect” shirts, the nearest is Uruguay/BHA, a reference to Brighton manager Gus Poyet

North, South and West Stands

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