​At least it was for the Magpies of Wimborne Town as they crashed out of the FA Cup to Step 5 Magpies Alresford Town after a 1-0 extra-time defeat.

Hampshire is starting to feel like a second home this season. Having already visited Whitchurch United and Andover New Street, I spent last weekend camping in the New Forest and now, here I was, back in the county for the FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay between Alresford Town and Wimborne Town.

The two sides had fought out a 1-1 draw in Dorset on Saturday. Wimborne took an early lead but Alresford pegged them back with five minutes to go and, deservedly I'm told, got their chance back in Hampshire. so, despite the fact that it is a long midweek journey, the lure of the FA Cup, under lights, and the possibility of a giant-killing drew me back South again.

First thing to say is that Alresford is a very pleasant place to visit on a sultry summer's evening. The main drag through the town is brightly coloured, full of individual (not chain) shops and with a sprinkling of very tempting looking pubs. The overwhelming feeling about the town is that it is clean. Not just tidy, but really sparkling clean. I would also recommend the fish finger (actually fish goujon) sandwich in the Swan Hotel. A very nice pre-match meal. Alresford Town play their games at Arlebury Park, just a short walk from the town centre. As well as the football pitch(es) there are also tennis courts and a recreation centre on the site. There is parking at the stadium but, if it fills up as it did this evening, it is possible to park in town and walk with ease. There is also an overflow car park but, be warned, this is locked after a certain time. More of this to follow later.

All of the facilities at Arlebury Park are on the car park side of the ground, including the dugouts which are between the covered seating area and the clubhouse which is a two storey affair including a balcony which looks out over the stadium. The opposite side of the ground is open (there is another football pitch beyond the main playing area) and, as such, spectators can only access three sides of the ground. Trees behind both goals give the setting a rural feel.

​The teams emerged shortly after an announcement regarding the FA Cup rule of no alcohol within sight of the pitch. Therefore the clubhouse balcony was going to be a dry zone. The announcement was made by non-other than Wimborne's own town crier, Chris Brown, aka Dapper Dan (http://rocknrolltowncrier.com/town-crier/). Not many teams can claim to travel to away games with their own town crier in tow.
Dapper Dan then took his place with the rest of the Wimborne Massive, and their drum, behind the Alresford goal. 

The first 10 minutes of the game saw the teams feeling their way into the match and testing each other out. Neither keeper was forced to make a save in this period but the tone for the first half was set. Wimborne trying to play their way up the field, Alresford keeping it tight and looking to break when they could. There was very little evidence of the gap in pyramid levels between the sides except for a slightly crisper passing style from the Dorset Magpies.
It was Wimborne who fashioned the first real chances. First of all a deflected effort from inside the box was tipped around the post by Kempson in the home goal. Then, in the 12th minute, a speculative long-range effort from Wimborne was again turned away by the keeper.

The first half continued to follow the same pattern. Wimborne having the majority of possession and looking quite assured on the ball but Alresford, working hard as a unit, closing them down well and not being threatened too much. Toby Holmes, up front for Wimborne, was working the line well but his runs, in general, were being tracked well by the Alresford back-line.

Late in the half Alresford's tactics almost paid dividends. Inviting Wimborne on to them they then hit on the break, freeing Ball for a run on goal only for Wimborne captain Steve Arnold to make a fine challenge to block the shot. A second Alresford chance, on the stroke of half-time, was deflected wide for a corner and that was it.

The sides went in level at 0-0. Wimborne had, without doubt, controlled the first half but it was still anyone's game.

Another town crier announcement preceded the second half as did a small sprinkling of rain on what was still a very warm evening.
The home side were out very early and were clearly 'up for it'. There was a noticeable change in their tempo at the start of the second half. They had clearly been to told to try to get onto the front foot and have a go at Wimborne. The Massive, who had changed ends at half-time, were still regaling us with their 'tunes' as the teams set about each other. One chant in particular made me smile. A classic reference to the rural nature of Dorset, 'We've got no motorways' rang out across Arlebury Park.

Once more, neither keeper was stretched but, unlike the first half, possession was now very much 50-50, if not slightly in favour of the home side. It was turning into a very intriguing cup tie but did have extra-time written all over it. With a 75 mile trip in front of me, I even sent a text home before the half-way mark of the second half telling my wife I was going to be late.

There was some very late drama two minutes into injury time. A looped cross into the Alresford area was contested by the home keeper and a Wimborne striker. The ball ended in the back of the net but the referee had already flagged for a foul on the keeper. To be fair, there was very little protest from the Wimborne players and it is fairly standard for officials to give the benefit to the goalie in these situations.

So, after 90 minutes the teams were still tied at 0-0.

​With Wimborne having reached the First Round proper in 1982-83, they undoubtedly had the Cup pedigree. However, Alresford can make the boast that the town was birthplace of a former FA Cup winner, John Frederick Peel Rawlinson, who played in goal for Old Etonians when they beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 in 1882.
Maybe they channelled their illustrious former resident because, with less than three minutes on the extra-time clock, Alresford made the breakthrough. A long ball forward looked to have no real threat but, when the attempted header back to the keeper fell a little 
short, nippy substitute Mo Nyang was on it like a shot. O'Flaherty in the Wimborne goal managed to block the Alresford forward but, when the ball fell loose, Geoff Dunn was on hand to roll the ball into the empty net.

Cue bedlam on the home bench with Richard Luffman sprinting down the pitch to join in the goal celebrations.
Wimborne tried to up their game in response to going a goal down but the home team were now buoyed by their lead and were working as hard as ever to close the game down. Before we go to half-time in extra-time there was still time for a heated dugout discussion following a challenge that left a home player down. Needless to say the home bench were not too happy and the away bench were quite keen to respond. The assistant soon calmed the situation though and it ended in smiles from both sides as far as I could see.

In the second period of extra-time, Wimborne certainly tried their hardest to get back on level terms but, once again, they were matched by a very hard-working home side. Sam Burt, in the centre of the Alresford defence, was especially outstanding in my opinion, marshalling the back-line and reading the game very well.

Unsurprisingly, as the match drew on, the home side began to drop a little deeper and Wimborne began to push more people up. With five minutes left, following a Wimborne corner and a bit of pinball the ball fell to Kellaway who smashed a drive against the bar and out for a goal kick.
Time was against the away side and, to much cheering from the home support, the referee drew the game to a close.

For the second season running Wimborne had gone out to Wessex League opposition, after losing to Blackfield & Langley last year.Maybe it was the influence of the Old Etonian although it has to be said that Wimborne can match Alresford in the former resident Top Trumps stakes. They can boast non-other than Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web without which I would not be writing this blog.

For some the drama did not end at the final whistle. It appears that the overflow car park at the local school, to which some people were directed by stewards, had been locked at some point (presumably by the local council, not the club).  Calls to the emergency number did not help and a local hotel had to be booked. Around half a dozen cars were left stranded overnight. It must be stressed that this was not the fault of Alresford Town but something to be aware of for any visiting fans in the future.

Best of luck to both teams for the rest of the season. Wimborne are riding high in the Southern League South & West whilst Alresford have an FA Cup tie with Fareham to look forward to.

Alresford Town - @alresfordtown
Wimborne Town @wimbornetownfc

​Driving down to Tadley on a beautiful, balmy, summer's evening, I was once more reminded of how wonderful the British countryside can be. Once off the A34, the journey to the outskirts of Andover takes you through some very picturesque villages, most of which have rather quaint country pubs that seem to beckon you in as you drive past. However, i resisted the urge to kick back with a cold one and continued on my way to Foxcotte Park, home of Andover New Street FC. Tonight they were welcoming fellow Hampshireites , if there is such a word (maybe a local will tell me what the term for a native of the county is?), Tadley Calleva to their ground for a Wessex League Division One tie.

Having never been to Foxcotte before, here is a brief run-down of the stadium. It is part of a sports centre complex which also hosts Andover Rugby Club and Andover Archery Club. Access to the ground is through a single gate just off the car park access road. All of the facilities are on this side of the ground. A bar and function room, a snack bar and the players and officials areas are immediately to your left as you enter. Just past these is the main, and only, stand, The Buildbase Stand. It is a quirky, wooden structure that actually looks like a cross between a caravan and a truck trailer from the back. The whole construction is painted white, a few steps in the centre of the stand lead into the seating area. The Buildbase Stand is emblazoned in red across the top of the structure. It's one of those unusual non-league stands that make grounds like this interesting. The dugouts are situated directly opposite the stand and clubhouse. The playing surface has a slight slope from right to left as you look from the main stand. 

The whole ground is clearly maintained to a high standard and, I have to say, is a credit to the club. As a Midlander myself, New Street conjures up images of the main train station in Birmingham. Andover New Street could not be further from the concrete jungle of the second city though.

Recent games between these two teams, research showed, have been a little one-sided in favour Tadley. Winning the last two games at Foxcotte by 4-2 last season, and 5-2 the season before that. Combine that with two 4-0 wins at home and it appeared that the away side were favourites tonight. However, New Street appointed a new manager, Dean Hutchins, in the summer and are looking to take the club forward.

True to form, I was still making my way around to the far side of the ground (looking for a good spot to view with my new Go Pro) when Tadley opened the scoring. A break down their left flank culminated in a low cross which the home defence failed to deal with. It fell to Brett Denham who made no mistake with a good finish. Of course, I didn't manage to capture the goal on camera.

With Tadley kicking down the slope and a goal up, the game was all one way for the first 15 minutes, with Andover struggling to get a foothold. With sixteen minutes on the clock, it was 2-0. A nice Tadley move lead to ball being cleared for a corner. When it came in, from the right hand side, the  unmarked Daniel Vickers rose at the near post to power a header past Dave Tasker in the home goal.
​
After going two down, New Street did rally somewhat. They were still struggling to cope with the Tadley attacks but had, at least, managed to steady the ship somewhat. Tasker produced two good saves towards the end of the half, both from headers after left-wing crosses, which kept the home side in with a shout.

​The teams went in at half-time with Tadley having a deserved 2-0 lead.

It was a much-improved Andover performance in the second half. They closed down the Tadley players much more quickly than in the first half and their passing was, in general, much sharper and more accurate. Unfortunately, try as they might, they couldn't really create too many good chances. Despite the game being far more balanced, the Tadley keeper was never really stretched.

Tadley seemed happy with their two-goal lead and, possibly because they were now kicking up the slope, they weren't making as many inroads into the home defence as the first half. However, when they did attack they posed more of a threat that the home side, forcing Tasker to make a couple of decent saves. Denham had a great chance to seal the victory but blazed a chance over from 10 yards. Andover mustered a couple of efforts, a shot that whistled across the goal mouth and a couple of efforts that were dealt with comfortably by Hindmarsh, the Calleva keeper.
On 80 minutes, Tadley substitute James Tennant made the game safe. Cutting in from the left flank, he beat his man and then fired a low, crisp cross-shot low past Tasker's left hand.
The 3-0 scoreline was no more than Tadley deserved on the night. They were the better side for the majority of the game. However, Andover never gave up the game and, in my opinion, there was enough about their performance to suggest that there may be better times on the horizon.

The result lifts Tadley into third spot on seven points, with New Street down in fourteenth with three points.
Andover travel to new boys Baffins Milton Rovers on Saturday whilst Tadley entertain leaders Downton in an early-season top of the table clash.


Andover New Street - @new_streetfc
Tadley Calleva - @tadleycallevafc

​I want to start this week's blog with a little bit of history, nostalgia and a dusting of self-indulgence. Picture, if you will, a smart elderly gentleman dressed in a three-piece suit, wearing a hat and a fob watch. Holding his hand and, most likely chatting away about diggers and such-like, is a small boy of 4 or 5. It's the late 60s or early 70s and the Black Country is still grimly holding onto it's manufacturing heritage. Round Oak Steel works is just up the road, over the other side of Brettell Lane is a huge expanse of open-cast mining (hence the diggers), which is now a housing estate, and Brierley Hill Alliance are still one of the top non-league sides in the area.

The gentleman is my maternal grandfather and the little boy is me. We often wandered around Brierley Hill and it's environs at this time. One of the places we would frequently walk past was the Marsh & Baxter slaughterhouse.

Marsh & Baxter was a Black Country institution, providing meat, pies and sausages the locals for the best part of a 100 years. The slaughterhouse, just off Marsh Lane and was a place that, as 5 year old, I had a love-hate relationship with. I found it fascinating but also disturbing because I knew what happened there. To this day I can still remember the smell of the place as you walked past.
Now, Marsh & Baxter no longer exists. It closed down in the early 80's. My grandfather has also, sadly, left us. 
However, the Marsh & Baxter works football team still plays, under the banner of Dudley Sports FC in the West Midland Regional League. Their pitch is just a long goal kick from where my grandparents house was, in Silver End. 
So, to the point of this meandering tale. Fast forward to today. The little boy in the story is in his fifties and heading towards The Pingles Stadium, Nuneaton for an FA Cup replay between Nuneaton Griff and Dudley Sports.

​Pingles Stadium has been on my list of grounds to visit for some time so it was good to finally be setting out for Nuneaton on Wednesday evening. The stadium is a multi-sports complex incorporating athletics and football as well as having a leisure centre and gym on the same site. There is a small amount of dedicated football stadium parking but 
there is also a large public car park. This is free after 6pm but beware, on a Saturday you will need a ticket even though it is free for 3 hours. The facilities inside the stadium are all on the car park side of the ground. There is a decent sized covered seating stand just to the right as you enter. Just past this stand is the clubhouse, refreshments and toilets. Dugouts are situated on the far side of the ground, opposite the main stand. The playing surface, which looked very flat and in good condition, is surrounded by a running track, so there is a fair distance between supporters and the action. I have to say, I am not a big fan of grounds that have running tracks around them. I like to feel closer to the action and I do think it detracts from the atmosphere somewhat. However, having said that, The Pingles Stadium does have a certain something about it. It's hard to put my finger on what it was but I did feel that it had more character than I was expecting.

​When the teams took to the field, Nuneaton in their blue and white stripes and Dudley in their change kit of all green, it was noticeable that there were quite a few Black Country accents around the ground. Clearly one or two people had made the trip from my home town.
It didn't take too long for the game to spark to life. Griff conceded a free-kick, centrally, about 25 yards out. Dominic Strevens drove the ball in and, when home keeper Andy Needham spilled it, Tom Watkins was on hand to stroke the ball home.
As it happened, this was probably the only time that Needham was called into action in the first half. From the fifth minute onwards, the game was dominated by Griff, certainly in terms of possession. However, the Dudley side worked tirelessly to defend their lines. Captain Watkins and Curtis Cocking in midfield were terrier-like in their tackling with Luike Williams and Jamie Parker solid at the back. Jack Colley and Tom Bates were always an attacking threat for Griff and John Russell (who oddly has the same nickname as his opponents today, Pieman) kept the Dudley defence on their toes.
At half-time it was still Nuneaton Griff 0 Dudley Sports 1 but it was clear that this one was by no means over.

The second half started in pretty much the same manner as the first. Just two minutes in and a slip in the Griff defence allowed Strevens to play in his strike partner Mark Gore. He calmly rounded the keeper and finished with some style to put Sports two goals in front. Even at 0-2 though the game was far from decided. As I heard a Sports supporter say, the next goal would be the most important. If Sports nicked another then it would be game over, if Griff were to pull one back it would be an entirely different kettle of fish.
The second half continued to follow the same pattern as the first half. Griff playing some neat football and trying to push the Sports defence backwards. However, the Sports engine room of Cocking and Watkins was having none of it. Gore and Strevens up front were also a constant threat and were willing to chase anything down. It was turning into an intriguing tie in which I don't think I have seen a team work as hard as Sports for a long time. Griff were, in my opinion, the better footballing side but, as I tweeted, they were being out-fought across the entire pitch.

To their credit Griff never gave up trying and as the game wore on it was clear to see that the pressing game that Dudley were playing was beginning to take it's toll on their legs.
The decisive moment came in the 81st minute. A Griff player drove into the Sports penalty area and threw himself to the ground in the pursuit of a penalty. The referee, quite rightly, waved play on but as the ball broke loose a Griff player brought it under control and was pushed in the back by a Sports defender. Penalty given. I must admit I thought it looked harsh at the time but, having seen a video clip from another angle, I think the official did call it correctly.
Russell stepped up and, despite Sidaway getting something on it, pulled a goal back for The Heartlanders.
The goal seemed to sap even more strength from the Dudley legs and Griff started to pile on the pressure, looking for the elusive equaliser. It looked as if they were just going to fall short until the 92nd minute when a right-wing corner was met by Matt Brennan as the near post. The ball flew past Sidaway and into the net. 2-2 and there was barely enough time to restart before the referee blew for the end of the 90 minutes.

​The Dudley management team had a lot to do in order to raise their team for extra-time. Losing a two goal lead with less than ten minutes to play was always going to hard to recover from. Credit to Griff though, they never gave up and deservedly got their reward.
Into extra-time and it was now Sports who were hanging in there. Griff, boosted by the late equaliser, had their tails up and were looking to go on and win the tie. Russell smashed a volley against the Sports bar before, with three minutes to go until half-time in extra-time, the ball was hooked back into the Sports box. Brennan ran onto the pass and drilled the ball past Sidaway to give Griff the lead for the first time.
At this point it looked like Sports were finished. They had run themselves into the ground and going behind after being two goals to the good looked like it had finally sunk them.
However, with time running out, Sports earned a free-kick some 20-odd yards out. Up stepped Adam Skeldon who curled an absolute beauty over the wall and into the corner of Needham's net. A superb strike at any level of football. Sports had somehow managed to drag themselves level and it was looking like penalties were going to be required. Sure enough, there was no more scoring and the teams congregated on halfway for the penalty shoot-out.

We were treated to a display of excellent penalty taking with both sides scoring their first 5 spot-kicks. Griff;s sixth penalty, however, clipped the bar and went over leaving Sports the opportunity to win it. The duly took the chance and went through 6-5 on penalties.

As a neutral, this was a thoroughly enjoyable evening of football. I'll confess to having a soft spot for both of these sides now. Neither gave up. Both had an amazing desire to win the game. It was a shame that there had to be a loser.
At a fiver to get in, this is exactly what non-league football is about. Value for money and two football teams trying their utmost to win a game. What a great advert for the game. If you get a chance get down to The Pingles or Hillcrest Avenue (Dudley's home ground). You won't be disappointed.

Nuneaton Griff - @nuneatongriff
Dudley Sports - @dudleysportsfc

​Here we go again. Just two days after returning from scorching hot Malaga, I am back on the non-league road and a first ever trip to Whitchurch United for their Wessex Premier clash with newly-promoted Amesbury Town.
With Amesbury now managed by former Whitchurch boss Jim Macey and featuring several former Jam Boys in their squad, it was expected to be a lively encounter.

The Longmeadow Sports Club is in the heart of Whitchurch, a small Hampshire town situated between Newbury and Winchester. The football team, Whitchurch United were formed in 1903 when two teams, Albion and Rovers, amalgamated. 
They get their nickname, The Jam Boys, from Long's Jam Factory which used to be located in the town centre. The proprietor, Mr J Long, I am told was also a Whitchurch player at one time (source: Whitchurch Utd committee member).

The ground itself is accessed through the main car park. The entrance brings you into the ground close to the halfway line with the clubhouse and snack bar to your left and the main stand to your right. The dugouts are directly opposite the entrance and the rest of the ground is given to hard-standing with no spectator shelter apart from the main stand and some standing cover outside the clubhouse.

​The playing surface, which despite the recent British summer weather looked quite dried out, slopes from left to right and from the top left-hand corner back towards the car park side. The slope is not that obvious from the car park side of the pitch but, if you walk around to the far side, you get a much better appreciation of the incline.
Overall it's a nice, tidy ground with a good main stand and a fair bit of a traditional atmosphere to it.

When the teams made their way out even the very enthusiastic announcer couldn't raise a cheer from the assembled spectators. First game nerves perhaps? I gathered from some locals that Whitchurch didn't start too well last season, so maybe they were worried of a similar start to 2016/17? Either way, the minute silence for committee member Bob Haynes who recently passed away was impeccably observed by players, staff and spectators alike. Always good to see this level of respect.

The last time these two sides met Whitchurch rattled in 9 unanswered goals. This time it was not to be and, in a strange coincidental way, it was the 9th minute when Amesbury broke the deadlock, ensuring there would be no repeat of the previous score line.
The Whitchurch defence was caught napping by a direct through ball which Ben Cook ran onto and slipped neatly under the advancing goalkeeper into the net. It was a very calm and accomplished finish especially when 
you consider it was so early in the first match of the season.

Amesbury continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides and it was no real surprise when, on 15 minutes, they made it 2-0. Another long ball, this time a slightly deflected clearance, found Luke Walker (surely nicknamed Sky?) running clear down the right. As the keeper once again advanced Walker expertly lobbed him from the corner of the 18 yard box. Another very accomplished finish from a player who, in the 9-0 previous meeting, had scored a hat-trick for Whitchurch.

​Shortly after going 2-0 down, Whitchurch had their first real meaningful effort of the game but the shot did not trouble the Amesbury keeper too much.
Whitchurch tried manfully to get themselves back into the game but were constantly being caught on the break by Amesbury who looked very sharp.
After 27 minutes a deep cross from the Amesbury right was expertly taken down and controlled by Grant Powell. His shot was beaten away by the Whitchurch keeper Jon Page only for Luke Walker to hammer the rebound back into the goal. As the ball went in a Whitchurch defender managed to get a hand to it and despite the ball going in  the referee appeared to consult with his assistant for a while before awarding the goal.

After going three goals behind Whitchurch finally seemed to awaken from their slumber a little. They certainly managed to stem the tide of yellow and black shirts but did not really manage to put too much pressure on the Amesbury goal.
The sides went in at half-time at 0-3. Amesbury, without doubt, had benefitted from the early goals and the confidence that this had instilled in the team was noticeable.

Whitchurch kicked off the second half, kicking down the slope, and immediately looking a little more spritely than in the first half. Amesbury seemed to be happy with their three goal advantage and unsurprisingly sat back a lot more than in the first half.
For the most part the away defence, including former Jam Boy Ali Brown, looked assured with Paddy Creese, in the away goal, not being stretched too much apart from having to collect quite a few crosses.

This changed in the 70th minute though when referee Jake Topp awarded a penalty to the home side. Cameron Hough stepped up and struck the penalty quite well to the keepers left. However, Creese flung himself at the ball and superbly turned it away. It was clearly not going to be Whitchurch's night.

The game, getting increasingly niggly, played out to a conclusion without either side adding to the score. A great start to the season for Amesbury with, it has to be said, a very much deserved three points.
From a neutral's perspective, it was a good start to the new season. A good game, another ground ticked off and another very friendly club. To any hopper out there who has not visited, I recommend that you do.

Whitchurch United - @whitchurchutd
Amesbury Town - @amesburytown_fc
Sydenhams Wessex League - @sydwessex