|
Rocester roar into next round with wonder goal
Don't you just love it when the underdog wins! This tie was settled after 80 minutes when a tremendous free-kick taken by Rocester defender David Brown found the top corner of the net. So good was this goal that the centre- back has since been nominated as one of the FA Cup players of the First Qualifying Round. But this wasn't a fluky win as the Romans took control of much of the game and outplayed current Midland Alliance League leaders Leamington.
The match played in glorious conditions o a well manicured pitch was attended by a healhy crowd of 268 spectators many of whom had travelled up from Warwickshire to support the Brakes. A superb 44 page programme was issued for the game. A rectangle cut out in the glossy front cover reveals the match details printed on the first page underneath. The content includes a mass of reading material, stats and detailed history and pen pix covering the visitors. The content is supplemented by a lovely 8-page photocopied insert featuring a copy of the match programme between Bedworth and Lockheed-Leamington (Birmingham Senior League) game back in December 1958. A nice touch! There is also some rather interesting anorak-esque trivia recording some FA cup games from the past and a most thought-provoking/unusual article written by columnist Vicky Burman who reports on the incursions of animals during football matches! Refreshments which sold out well before kick-off included a wide range of hot and cold food and drinks; sadly I had to resort to UHT milk with my cuppa. Yuk!
Rocester is a small village situated on the B5030 between Uttoxeter and Ashbourne. It is set in an area of natural beauty and is close to the site of a Roman settlement. The Hillsfield ground in Mill Street affords some spectacular views of the Staffordshire countryside. A very large mill provides an amazing back-drop behind the goal nearest to the entrance. It is a well-appointed venue with cover on both sides. The larger stand on the left provides seating for up to 100 fans. The tea bar, changing rooms and clubhouse are all found along this side of the ground; a unique self-contained building which acts as pressPA box stands close by.
My journey to Rocester was quite a difficult one. A contraflow due to some resurfacing works at Thrapston on the A14 caused an unplanned 35 minute delay. Whilst sitting in stationery traffic there naturally followed much gnashing of teeth, thumping of the steering wheel and general frustration. At one stage I abandoned my plans and reached across for the trusty TFT to select a couple of games in the Leicesreshire League which I could get to instead. Thankfully the situation improved and I was soon on the M1 heading north. By 2.15pm I came off the motorway at Junction 23A onto the A50 towards Stoke; I pulled into the Rocester FC car park in a rather frazzled state with just seven minutes to kick-off. Needless to say my return journey back to East Anglia was a much more leisurely one. Oh the joys of groundhopping!
FGIF Rating: 3* | 