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2014 and all that

31/12/2014

I originally started to write this end of year review as a month by month look back at the year. However, the more I got into it, the longer it became and the more I realised that there was absolutely no reason to re-hash my blogs.
So, instead, I decided to condense the year into a few short paragraphs which, hopefully, one or two people may even read. I've seen some great games, met some interesting people (and dogs), endured some weather, travelled several thousand miles and enjoyed every minute of the year.

When trying to decide which was the best game I had seen during the year I was torn. Oddly, the two that really stuck out for me both finished 4-3, one for the home team, one for the away team. The games in question were Hemel Hempstead Town 4 Stourbridge 3 and Sileby Rangers 3 Thurnby Nirvana 4. Both were fantastic games, end to end, contested by two fully committed sides. In the end, I had to sway towards the former of the two. It was a close run thing but, not including that Stourbridge are 'my team', I think the game at Vauxhall Road just about had the edge because of the importance of the game.
Goal of the year, for me, came very late in the year. However, for sheer vision and ability I have to hand it to Curtis Tilt and his wonderful 45 yard equaliser for Halesowen at Stourbridge. Highlights on the Halesowen Town website if you want to see it (http://ht-fc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3824:26-dec-2014-npl-stourbridge-1-1-halesowen-town&catid=81&Itemid=200147).
Most surprising performance goes to Fleet Town. When I saw them play North Leigh towards the end of last season, they were second from bottom of the league and their hosts were pushing for promotion. Fleet were ultimately saved from relegation by Thatcham's resignation yet, on this evening, they ran North Leigh ragged for 60 minutes playing a brand of passing football that belied their league position. Eventually they ran out of steam and went down 3-1 but for a hour they scared the life out of their hosts.
Favourite new stadium visited, Kingsthorpe Mill, home of Northampton Spencer. A very tidy little ground, surrounded by trees, a fabulous playing surface, friendly characters (including the Chairman himself selling raffle tickets) and just an all-round delightful non-league venue.
Chippenham Town held onto their lead to win the Cuppa League title, awarded to the best cup of tea sampled during the season. This year, Racing Club Warwick set a high bar on my first hop of 2014/15 and continue to lead the way.
On a personal note, I was disappointed when my favourite Stourbridge player, Sean Geddes, left for Worcester City. However, what an impact he has had in the Conference North and on the FA Cup. It's great to see him doing so well and I wish him all the best in the new year.

That just leaves it for me to wish everyone, players, supporters, and especially all of those wonderful volunteers who give so much time to non-league football, a very Happy New Year. A final thought for Rob Dean who I saw sustain a career-ending injury at Hungerford this year. I haven't been able to find out what he is doing now but, whatever it is, I wish him the best of luck for 2015.

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No Turkey for Boxing Day

27/12/2014

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Snow at half-time

A Boxing Day local derby. There's nothing like it for getting the adrenaline flowing and the Number 9 Derby, as it has been dubbed because of the bus route connecting the towns, is certainly up there in non-league terms. This was the 80th meeting (figures courtesy of the Halesowen website) between Stourbridge FC and Halesowen Town with the Glassboys just about having the edge with 32 wins to the Yeltz 29. Only just over 5 miles separates the two grounds, so a decent crowd was expected at Amblecote, although the weather forecast was not looking too good.
Arriving a good 30 minutes before kick off, it was already apparent that this was going to be well above the average gate and that there were plenty that had already made the short journey from Halesowen (ironically, not on the Number 9 though which was running a Sunday service). Despite some historical issues between the supporters, no segregation was deemed necessary, so everyone was free to mingle. Just the way it should be. Having said that, the majority of the Yeltz support gravitated towards the Shed End which, as it happened, was the end that they would be attacking in the first half. Some of the more vociferous of the Red Army also headed to the Shed which made for some good banter throughout the first half. This was a feature of the game as a whole, both sets of supporters, standing side by side around the ground, were a credit to themselves, their clubs and non-league football in general.
As we approached kick off time the rain was getting worse and the now bumper crowd was wedged tightly into the two main stands. Some of the more prepared had brought umbrellas and stood outside, some just braved the elements. All of the covered areas were bulging at the seams, unsurprisingly, when we heard later that the attendance was over 1600.
Halesowen were coming into this game on a good run and their confidence showed straight from the first whistle as they took the game to their hosts. Within a few minutes home keeper Dean Coleman had to be alert to just about keep out Ben Haseley when clean through. Shortly after that Geohaghon tangled with Christie in the box, ending with the striker going down a little too easily and the referee waving play on. Despite the away side's good start, it was Stourbridge who took the lead when a Benbow break and cross was turned into his own net by Bragoli.
The goal seemed to spur on Halesowen and it was they who pretty much controlled the rest of the first half, posing much more threat to Coleman's goal than the home side offered at the other end. Just before half-time came the first of two incidents that probably had decisive effects on the game when, following a heavy challenge, Glassboys defender Chris Knight had to leave the field forcing a re-shuffle of the home defence.
At half time though, Stourbridge held the lead at 1-0. This, despite not having managed a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.
During the break the weather took another turn as we were treated to a sudden snow storm which turned into sleet and then heavy rain before the second half started.
It was Stourbridge who had the first chance in the second half with Benbow shooting well wide but then, 5 minutes in, came the second match changing incident. Will Richards appeared to lunge two-footed at Tom Tonks in the centre of the park. Richards immediately apologised but he knew, as did the entire ground, that a red card was about to be shown. To be fair to Richards, after seeing the video, I think he did make an attempt to prevent the collision but it did look bad and the red was the right decision.
Having not mustered a shot on target in 51 minutes, it seemed unlikely that Stourbridge would offer much now they were down to ten. Sure enough, Halesowen stepped up their efforts and the game was played predominantly in the Stourbridge half of the pitch. The Glassboys, however, defended stoutly for another 25 minutes before they were finally undone by an outstanding Halesowen equaliser. Another Yeltz attack had been repelled and the ball cleared to the halfway line. It was nodded sideways by a defender into the path of Curtis Tilt. He took a couple of strides forward, looked up to see Coleman a few yards off his line, and unleashed the perfect shot-cum-lob over the surprised keeper and into the net. I tweeted 40 yard miskick at the time but, believe me, that was entirely tongue in cheek. This was no miskick but a tremendous piece of awareness combined with the skill to execute the shot.
A am sure that, like me, many in the crowd expected Halesowen to make the most of their man advantage and go on to win from this point. Strangely though, it was the ten men that had the two best chances of the remaining 15 minutes. First a Drew Canavan free kick drew a good save from Sargeant on 82 minutes. This was, by my reckoning, the Galssboy's first shot on target. Then, with just a minute or two remaining, Luke Benbow wasted a golden opportunity to win it, shooting wide when clean through.
All in all a draw was probably the right result although I am sure that Halesowen will feel aggrieved that they didn't make their greater possession count. What I am sure of is that the 1642 present will be looking forward to Easter for the return match at The Grove.

Stourbridge FC - @sfcofficial
Halesowen Town - @halesowentownfc

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Rovers Enforce Parkin Restrictions

17/12/2014

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I'll be honest, I was looking for a cup upset. With Diddy having come from two down in Nailsworth on Saturday it looked like it might be on. However, a hat-trick from the experienced Jon Parkin saw the Conference side through comfortably.
This was my second visit to the Loop in just over a month, so no need for a stadium description. Nothing had changed at all, including the partially built stand behind the railway end goal. What was different, and a pleasant surprise, was the weather. This was the first time that I had visited the Loop outside of monsoon season and the only time that I hadn't been soaked before getting into the ground. Of course, that was all to change later.
Just before kick-off the gathered masses were treated (if that is the right phrase) to the sight of a steam engine chuffing past the ground, smoke billowing into the night sky. Not something that you see every day at a football match although, as I was reminded on Twitter, if you visit Ramsbottom United you can also expect to see steam engines passing on the East Lancs Railway. The reminder of days gone by was sort of fitting on a cup evening with a relative minnow taking on a giant (at least in the context of the FA Trophy). All we needed was the players to emerge wearing knee-length baggy shorts and lace up collars. Alas, that was not to be. The players did, of course, emerge. Didcot in their familiar red shirts and white sleeves, Forest Green in their lime green and black hoops, lime green shorts and lime green and black hooped socks. Not a particularly appealing kit, it has to be said. Certainly a contender for the True Colours article.
It took only 7 minutes for the Conference side to establish a lead but it did take a piece of great vision and skill to break the deadlock. Forest Green striker Parkin and a Didcot defender challenged for a ball just inside the home half of the pitch. as the ball dropped Parkin took a look and, seeing Foster in the Didcot goal off his line, lobbed the ball from 35-40 yards over the keeper and into the net. This was the first of many examples of the speed of thought and execution that was really the difference between the sides. Some plaudits should also be given to the Rovers coaching staff. It seems, from comments around me, that they had noticed on Saturday that Foster likes to come to the edge of his area a lot. This had obviously been drilled into the players and paid dividends on the night. As a professional side, Rovers had probably had at least two training sessions since the first meeting. Didcot had maybe managed a hour or two after work on Monday. Another difference between the sides.
Didcot, to their credit, did not let the early setback dampen their spirits. They set about trying to work their way back into the match, driven forward by Andy Ballard in the centre, they began to see much more of the ball. What they couldn't muster, however, was a meaningful attempt on the Rovers goal. Too often the final pass wasn't quite there or the run wasn't quite timed to perfection.
The more the first half wore on, the more Didcot you could see the belief grow in the home side. Although Forest Green made a couple more chances and, should really have made at least one count, as we approached half time it was still 0-1 and while that was the case Diddy were still in it.
With around 5 minutes to go until the break came the killer blow. A Rovers attack and cross from the right bounced over to the far left of the penalty area. As the ball reared up to head height there was a clash between a Rovers forward and a Didcot defender. The Rovers player went down and the referee pointed to the spot to the disbelief and ire of the local support. To be fair to the referee, as commented to someone at half-time, if that challenge had been made anywhere else on the pitch it would have warranted a free-kick. Therefore, in the box, the referee had little choice but to give a penalty in my opinion. You can see why the home side were aggrieved though. There was little appeal from the Rovers players and it was the sort of collision that is sometimes overlooked but, from my vantage point, I thought the defender jumped into the attacker without making much attempt to win the ball.
Either way, it was a penalty and Parkin duly helped himself to his second of the night, smashing the ball to the keepers left.
2-0 at half-time did not really reflect the endeavour shown by the home team. They could consider themselves a little unlucky to have not gone in just a single goal behind.
At half-time I had the pleasure to chat to a couple of Forest Green and a Reading supporter. It started with me enquiring about the missing Lee Hughes (as a former West Brom season ticket holder I had an interest). For any Albion fans reading this, they love him and reckon he was being rested for the league at the weekend. The conversation then moved to Steve Clarke's appointment at Reading, the penalty decision, the joys of following non-league football and, crucially, the fact that this was the first time I had been to the Loop without getting soaked. The words had not even left my lips when the heavens opened. The entire second half was played in monsoon conditions. So, my apologies to the aforementioned trio, I should have kept my mouth shut. Still, it was great to meet such knowledgeable genuine football lovers.
When the second half started it was clear that Didcot had been reminded that they came from two down on Saturday and there was no reason that they couldn't do it again. Ballard was still driving them on from the midfield whilst the impressive Sam Elkins was having more and more influence pushing forward down the flank.
Again though, as was the case towards the end of the first half, as the home side began to gain some level of control, Forest Green stepped it up and, this time, put the game out of reach. A break down the left and a low cross was met by the darting run and deft finish of Parkin for his and Rovers' third of the night.
A few minutes later, with job done, Parkin was given a well deserved rest to great applause from the travelling support.
Still Didcot heads did not drop. The game was up but they were not going to let Rovers sit back and bask in their victory just yet. Rovers themselves managed to fashion another couple of chances too but could not add to their tally. I, for one, was glad that it didn't go to 4 or 5 which, in my opinion, would have been very harsh on Didcot.
It finished 0-3. In the end fairly comfortable for Forest Green but Didcot certainly can be proud of their efforts. Rovers will now face an all conference tie against either Welling or Ebbsfleet. Didcot will look to push on to promotion from their current position in the play-off places.

Didcot Town - @didcottownfc
Forest Green Rovers - @fgrfc_official

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Double Bed(Ford)

10/12/2014

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Tuesday evening gave me a dilemma. I had the opportunity to visit St Neots Town, one of the few Southern Premier grounds that I have yet to cross off my list, or stay quite local and pay a first visit to Buckingham Athletic. In the end, following weather bomb warnings and not particularly wanting to drive for over an hour, I opted for the local option. Stratford Fields is less than 15 miles from home so, even with a 7:30 kick off, I still didn't need to set out until close to 7pm. On arriving I realised that I should have possibly left a few minutes earlier because there was no room left on the car park at the ground. Still, it didn't take too long to find an alternative and I was still at the turnstile well before the teams came out. The clubhouse situated next to the car park, a few yards from the entrance to the ground itself. So, if you do need the facilities or refreshment, like Willen Road last week, you have to exit the ground to do so. There is not too much to say about the Stratford Fields. There is a single covered seating area (above) which I would say holds around 50. The rest of the ground is hard-standing with the dug outs opposite the main stand. The weather bomb hadn't yet shown up but it was very blustery and there was a rain I the air, swirling around in the glow of the floodlights. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as cold as it had been in the last few days and was actually quite pleasant for watching. I shouldn't think it was as good for playing in though. Any ball above head height would be buffeted around in the gusts. This was to become apparent as the game got under way.
The first thing I noticed, once the game had started, was the colour clash between Bedford and the referee. Bedford play in black and white striped shirts, black shorts and black socks. However, the back of their shirts is solid black. The referee, in his all black kit, looked remarkably like a Bedford player from the back. This didn't seem to bother either team or the officials.
For the first 30 minutes or so, the match was very evenly balanced. Neither side could get a grip on the game, or the ball. The conditions were certainly not helping and the pitch immediately cut up enough to make passes along the ground unpredictable. It was the home side, on a pretty bad run of form, who came the closest in this period, hitting the bar with a close range header that looped over the keeper after 14 minutes. The rest of the half was fairly unremarkable except for the fact that the longer it went on, the more that Bedford began to get on top.
The second half began as the first had ended, with Bedford just about edging possession and looking the more likely to break the deadlock. Sure enough, just 8 minutes into the half, they took the lead when a break down the left lead to a very neat finish past the keepers left hand. 1-0 to the away team and, just about, deserved.
To be fair to Buckingham, going a goal down didn't deflate them and they continued to battle away, trying to get a foothold on the game. Too many times good moves broke down when a pass went astray. The most likely source of a Buckingham equaliser looked like an attack down their right where the tricky little winger showed, once or twice, that he could beat his man, However, there was never really the end product from any of these moves and the away keeper was not stretched at all as far as I can remember. When they did managed to fashion an opportunity for a shot the Bedford right-back, who was having a pretty good game IMO, threw himself in front of the shot and got a good block in.
Inevitably, with the home side trying to find an equaliser, they were caught out at the other end. With about 5 minutes left on the clock a rash challenge lead to a Bedford free-kick about 25 yards out. The kick was smashed against the keepers left hand post and rebounded across the face of the goal to give the alert, onrushing Bedford forward a simple tap in. The free-kick stood out as a moment of quality in what had been a decent, but 'industrious' game of football which had no doubt been affected by the conditions.
Bedford climb to third place in the Spartan South Midland Division 1 table while Athletic continue to look over their shoulders with just 4 points separating them from second-bottom Amersham Town.

Buckingham Athletic - @buckinghamath
Bedford FC - @Bedford_fc

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Cooks polish off Greens

4/12/2014

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A second new ground in four days for me. A first trip to Willen Road, home Newport Pagnell Town of the UCL Premier. Their opponents for the evening were Cogenhoe United, a team that I had seen earn a creditable draw with Rushden & Diamonds a few weeks ago. The weekend had seen the home side beat Harborough 4-0 whilst the Cooks had lost 3-0 to Wisbech Town. Local hopes of three points were high.
The setup at Willen Road is quite interesting. After parking up you have to walk past the clubhouse and bar to get to the ground entrance. Upon paying and entering, if you want to get a refreshment or use the conveniences, you need to exit the ground and return to the clubhouse. This must make life difficult for the poor people taking the money. Keeping track of who has paid and who hasn't can't be an easy job. This evening the attendance was less than 100 but I should imagine the visit of Rushden & Diamonds would cause havoc. On either side of the ground there are small covered seating areas. The remainder of the playing area is surrounded by hard standing. As there is a seated area on both sides of the pitch it is impossible for the dugouts to be separated from the bulk of supporters.
Only 12 miles separates the two clubs, so this is a local derby of sorts. When the match kicked off, it did have the feel of a derby game. No quarter was being asked or taken. The home midfield, in particular, were making their mark on the game. Having said that, the first 5 minutes were pretty much dominated by Cogenhoe.
Gradually, Newport Pagnell began to gain a foothold on the game and started to make a couple of chances themselves. They were, however, continuing to fly into tackles. In some cases with a little more vigour than was necessary. On player in particular, Ieuan Riley (don't quote me on that and apologies if I have the wrong player) committed several fouls in the space of a few minutes. The last one, a very late lunge, looked like it deserved a yellow at the very least. The Cogenhoe bench certainly thought so. The referee, however, didn't seem to brandish any cards which was one of may odd decisions that he made during the game (more of that shortly). A few minutes later the payer was substituted which would seem to suggest that his own manager also thought he had been lucky not to get a card.
As I said, the referee had already made a number of baffling decisions. He had let a number of hefty challenges go unpunished but was very pernickety about free-kicks being taken exactly the right spot. He also seemed to lack some consistency, blowing up for an offence one minute but letting an identical offence go a minute later.
Now, I don't like being critical of officials. It's an extremely difficult job that most of us would not want to do. They get abused by both sides and by the supporters, all for a few quid. However, when there is a complete lack of consistency to their decisions, as was the case on Tuesday, the players quickly lose respect for the referee and he/she loses control of the situation quite quickly.
Nevertheless, both sides continued to slug it out throughout the first-half. Neither side made many clear-cut opportunities but there was certainly no lack of effort. At half-time the score was still 0-0, which really reflected the play. A very even game so far.
In the second half I found a vantage point closer to the home bench to see if I got a different perspective of the refereeing decisions.
Seven minutes in and the away side took the lead through a neatly taken Luke Emery effort. This sparked a renewed effort from the home side and, to their credit, they spent the vast majority of the remainder of the game on the front foot. Despite that, however, they never really looked like they would get an equaliser. Their cause was not helped by even more odd decisions from the man in the middle which were beginning to provoke plenty of comment from the home bench. Unfortunately, the more comments that came from the dugout, the more the referee seemed to lean towards the away side. Don't get me wrong here, I am not for one minute suggesting any wrong-doing or bias, but I do think that the referee let the comments from the home side sway his decsison making

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Buxton on a high

1/12/2014

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A murky Silverlands before kick-off

As I have mentioned in these pages before, I don't do many Saturday football matches these days. However, this past weekend was one of those rare occasions where I would make an exception to the rule. As it was approaching my Dad's birthday and, as he had forsaken a couple of Stourbridge matches recently to help out with child-care for us, I decided to take him to an away game. Buxton being the chosen location. Although I know the Buxton, Leek, Macclesfield area quite well, I had never been to Buxton FC, so this was also a chance to tick off another stadium.
An hour and a half after we set off, I would have put a few quid on the match being called off. Midway across the Peaks on the A53, you could barely see your hand in front of your face. With just 3 miles to go until we reached Buxton, the situation had not improved and we were really starting to think we had made a wasted journey. However, as we reached the outskirts of the town, it started to lift a little and it became apparent that we would at least see a kick-off.
Buxton's stadium, SIlverlands, is very close to the town centre (easily in walking distance). We quickly found a parking spot just a short distance away and walked up to the ground. Silverlands is the highest football ground in England at 1,000 feet above sea level. Buxton have been playing home games here since 1884 and the ground has that feel of being a 'proper' football ground about it. As you enter the ground, to your left is the club house, tea bar and club shop. Then just a little further to the left is the main stand, with seats for around 500. The dugouts at Buxton are situated right in front of the main stand. Any regular readers will know that this is a rarity these days. On the opposite side to the main stand is partially covered terracing running the full length of the playing area. The far goal, to the left of the main stand, is backed by hard standing only. The right hand stand though, the Railway End, has a covered terrace that holds around 1,000. The entire capacity of the ground is listed at 5,200.
As you can see from the photos, although the weather had cleared enough for a match to take place, it was still quite misty come kick off.
Before the game an announcement was made that there would be a minute silence for the Australian cricketer Phil Hughes, who sad tragically lost his life last week. He had, in the past, played for Worcestershire, a team supported by many Stourbridge followers. The silence was absolutely impeccably observed by both sets of fans, players and officials. A credit to their teams.
Buxton came into the game in third place but, having lost 3-0 at home to Witton Albion in midweek, some of the locals were not at all happy with their team. Stourbridge, after a fine 2-1 win against FCUM, had themselves lost in midweek, 2-0 to Barwell.
It became apparent very early on in the game that Buxton had no intention of losing two home games on the bounce. They were sharper, quicker to the ball and way more organised than Stourbridge all over the pitch.
At this point, let me say that I have noticed I am far more critical of Stourbridge (my team) than any other team that I watch. When I attend a game featuring two teams that I have no connection to, I just enjoy the game. However, when I watch Stourbridge I obviously want them to win which makes me more annoyed by individual or team mistakes. This over-hyped criticism would come to light even more later in this game.
Stourbridge were forced into a change after 10 minutes when Geohaghon went off with a head injury but by this time the home side were already well on top, completely dominating the midfield and winning every fifty-fifty. Stourbridge were reduced to playing long balls that were just meat and drink to the Buxton centre-half pairing.
On 25 minutes the home side went in front. Stourbridge lost possession in midfield and, when the ball was played through, Sean Tuton rounded Coleman before firing home.
Four minutes later the away side were forced into another change when Jordan Fitzpatrick went off with an injury. Buxton continued to boss the game with Stourbridge offering very little. Then, just before the break, a move down the Buxton right lead to a cross which was tapped home by Liam Hardy. So, at the break, it was Buxton 2 Stourbridge 0 and it could easily have been more. I think a lot of Stourbridge supporters were, at this point, hoping for the fog to close in. It looked like the best chance of not losing the match.
The way the second half started it was clear that Gary Hackett had read the riot act to his players at half-time. It was immediately obvious that Stourbridge were playing with more urgency. The midfield that, in my tweets I had said were completely AWOL, suddenly were getting their foot on the ball. The aimless long ball was replaced by shorter sharper passing and, at last, it looked like we may get a more even game. Just before the hour mark this passing style of play reaped some reward. When a free-lick was awarded some 20=25 yards out, Drew Canavan lined it up and placed a perfect shot past the Buxton keeper into his top right corner. Game on, or at least we thought it was. The goal visibly lifted Stourbridge and the cracks were starting to show in the Buxton defence. A couple of chances were made and missed but, for 10 minutes, there was really only one team in it. Then came the moment that sealed the game and, as I pointed out earlier, sparked mis-placed criticism from me. A Buxton raid down their left lead to a soft looking cross along the ground. A Stourbridge defender looked like he should clear it but appeared to completely miss his kick giving Hardy the simplest of tap-ins to make it 3-1. My Twitter comment of 'Comedy Defending' was borne entirely out of frustration. It would seem that a very unfortunate bobble (think Paul Robinson in Croatia) had taken the ball past the Stourbridge defender rather than shoddy defending. As I say, frustration took over, my team had forced themselves back into contention and then a stupid slip-up had cost them the game. I realise that all of these players are good players, who can make mistakes like anyone else. Disappointment is no excuse for slamming them on social media.
That said, at 3-1 down with less than 15 minutes to go, it was game over. Stourbridge were not going to pull it back again. In fact, Buxton scored again, with their own curling free-kick, this time from Lawrie Wilson. So, it finished 4-1 which, on the balance of the first half, would not seem to be an unfair scoreline. However, Stourbridge did make a fist of it in the second half and could feel a little hard done by with the margin of defeat.
Not the best away day results wise but good to visit a really atmospheric, friendly stadium.

Buxton FC - @buxton_fc
Stourbridge FC - @sfcofficial

Silverlands in the 2nd half

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