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No.28 - Sat 31st December 2011; Central and South Norfolk League Division 1; 2pm at Bullock Park, Mill Road, Shipdham, Dereham, Norfolk; IP25 7LU. |
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Matchday images (50) https://picasaweb.google.com/footballgroundsinfocus/ShipdhamFC
Shipdham (0) 0 Bridgham United (0) 0 Rued chances lead to deadlock... So far this season I have been well and truly blessed by the hopping gods for providing me with an abundance of high scoring matches from the fixtures I have attended. At the time of writing I have witnessed (out of a total of twenty-seven games played) no fewer than nineteen matches where there have been at least five goals scored. Of these games, three have remarkably ended in double figures, a rather unprecedented state of affairs certainly compared to previous seasons. As followers of the beautiful game we all love to see plenty goals on our hopping travels. Or do we?
Sometimes such high-scoring matches can often be very one-sided affairs - take my trip over to Lowestoft & District League side Mutford & Wrentham back in October. On that day Anglian Combination visitors Waveney proved far too strong an opposition, absolutely hammering them 10-1 in a Suffolk Junior Cup tie. It turned out to be a complete mis-match and I couldn't remember watching such a one-sided contest for a very long time. Granted there were loads of goals but in truth (and with hindsight) it was a poor footballing spectacle. So what I am trying to say here? Perhaps most of us would prefer to see a much more evenly balanced game with both teams sharing overall possession, chances and, dare I say it, maybe at the expense of a few goals.
It's New Years Eve and with a late night in prospect we don't fancy travelling too far. There really aren't that many games to choose from so we cover familiar ground and head back towards Dereham for a Central & South Norfolk League fixture, our second trip to the Norfolk market town in seven days. Our destination today is Bullock Park home to Shipdham Football Club who welcome current C&SNL champions Bridgham United FC for an eagerly awaited Division 1 clash. With very little traffic on the roads we take about a hour to cover the journey from racing HQ to Thetford, via Watton and finally Shipdham. The village is part of the Breckland district of Norfolk and is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) to the south-west of Dereham. Notably the River Yare rises close by with Shipdham Airfield (formerly RAF Shipdham) located to the east.
For the record the local football club has made a promising start to the season so far and currently lie in seventh (out of 13 teams) in Division 1. By contrast Bridgham are in third place (behind leaders Feltwell and Dereham Town A) but have not managed to sustain the terrific form that saw them lift the title at the end of last season. Officials at the club recognise that there have been some changes in recent months to the playing squad having recently lost leading scorer Roy Boon who has apparently unexpectedly retired from the game.
Both teams share possession but create relatively few chances in the first half as a tight but highly competitive game unfolds. Bridgham have the best opportunity early on but striker Jack West-Jordan (7) fires wide when one on one with the home keeper Jamie Grey. The second half again sees few chances for either side with Matt Wabe in the Bridgham goal rarely troubled. United's Jason Conroy goes close twice (48 & 52). As United pile on the pressure they cannot find a way through a resloute home defence marshalled expertly by Shawn Everett. The visitors seem to press the self-destruct button when a frustrated Conroy (78) receives his marching orders after abusing the referee's assistant midway through the half. Not a popular decision with the visitors I can tell you! The away side have the best chance to win it when captain Morgan Crane's (87) header is well saved by Grey in the final minutes as the game ends in a stalemate, a fair result on the balance of play.
The match played on a well rolled but soft pitch in very cold conditions attracts just seventeen spectators. It was great to chat with some of the Bridgham officials including affable secretary Simon Bell who is always very helpful in providing match info being a regular reader of FGIF. As expected there were no programmes (none of the clubs in this league issue) or refreshments on our visit.
Situated off the main village High Street, the beautiful tree-lined Bullock Park is reached by turning down Mill Street (beware the sharp bend!) and found some 200 yards at the bottom of this narrow bumpy lane on the right hand side. A large sign next to the entrance informs visitors that the park was given to the parishoners by Richard Haggard in 1927 for recreational use. It is held in trust by the parish council and run by a management committee of volunteers.
Although the site may seem basic there ares loads of interesting features to add a bit of extra interest. Bullock Park is fortunate in having a large modern brick built pavilion which stands at the end of the spacious car park. The facilities here are excellent with changing rooms for players and officials as well as an adjacent room use for local functions. A couple of out buildings store the groundsman's equipment including a large pitch roller and mower. A self-contained children's playground is found alongside this. Unusually some local businesses have placed large advertising boards on the sides of the outer wooden fence to generate further income.
The main pitch, bordered by trees and hedges along the touchline, is marked out on the far side of the field and is beyond a cricket square protected at this time of year by strong orange plastic netting affixed around its perimeter. To the left is a mini training pitch which has six free standing floodlight pylons around it (one is actually hidden in the tall conifers!). At the opposite end a small basketball practise area and skate park are in situ. A number of wooden picnic benches offer a bit of seating for spectators but are probably too far from the action to be football-viewing friendly. Visitors should look out too for the ornate wrought iron seat (with Grecian figures on the back) underneath the large oak tree growing in the centre of the field. Most bijou!
Hoppers looking for a game in the Central and South Norfolk League will not be disappointed with the standard of football and club facilities. After watching matches in this competition for the second season now I have yet to see a poor game. The league itself is really well organised and offers plenty of valuable and up to date information through its excellent website (see link below). A visit to the lovely Bullock Park, home of Shipdham FC, is to be recommended to all football-watching neutrals and the friendly club will ensure your short stay is a pleasant one.
And finally, on a day when my goals per game average took a bit of a knock, I can reflect that this result (my first 0-0 this season) in no way spoiled my football travelling experience. Indeed it had been another enjoyable trip and I shall certainly be looking forward to more of the same in 2012. It just remains for me to say have a great New Year wherever you go...the joys of hopping (even without any goals) continues... . FGIF Match Stats Scorers: (H) N/A and (A) N/A Attendance: 17; Admission and Programme: None; Match rating: 3/5; Ground rating: 3/5. Links http://www.freewebs.com/shipdhamfc/ |
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edited on 01/01/12 |
