No.8 - Sun. 6th September 2009; FA Vase 1st Round Qualifying;                                  3.00pm at the Ram Meadow, Cotton Lane, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Matchday images (12) >view>    Team Bury (1) 3 Mildenhall Town (0) 2 AFTER EXTRA TIME   Super Sunday! A late decision to attend this one was made with only a hour to spare before kick-off. The opportunity to watch Team Bury making their FA Vase debut was just too good to miss on what was a beautiful sunny afternoon in Suffolk. The 1st Round Qualifying round tie against local rivals Mildenhall Town would also ensure local bragging rights in a competition where several Eastern Counties League teams have fared very well over the last few seasons. As the Wraymobile II made its short journey from racing HQ and along the A14, I could hardly wait for the action to get underway.     Ram Meadow, home to landlords Bury Town Football Club, is one of my all time favourite non league grounds. With cover on all sides, some of it offering incredibly poor sightlines; a rather unusual main stand complete with its awkward-looking roof; unmistakable clock and behind this a terrific social club, altogether form a most quirky venue that you cannot help falling in love with. Even the location is a bit of an unusual juxtoposition. The venue in Cotton Lane lies almost in between the more attractive beautiful Abbey Gardens close to the town centre and the rather unappealing giant chimneys that spoil the skyline as they continously belch effluent from the neighbouring British Sugar Beet factory close to the A14 carriageway. Both of these well known landmarks are clearly visble in the near distance. It's certainly one football ground that will give the stadia connoiseur and collector plenty to salivate over on a visit here.   After several successive promotions within the Essex and Suffolk Border Football League, in 2008-09 the club finished second in the Premier Division, and was accepted into Division One of the Eastern Counties League. As many of you know Team Bury FC is in essence a separate entity from Bury Town FC and is largely made of players from the neighbouring West Suffolk College Football Academy. It is seen by many here as a stepping stone for players who can progress and aspire to play for Bury Town in the future.    In an article published in the Bury Free Press (on 07/05/09) sports editor Mark Williams interviews team manager Neil Reader shortly after the club had gained promotion: "We are absolutely delighted to have passed all the requirements for Ridgeons League football," said team boss Neil Reader. "It has been a superb few years, but I cannot take all the credit for that," said the 37-year-old. "The players have been great and so has Andy Gould who has been joint manager for the last two seasons. It is too early to make bold predictions, but we are very confident we can hold our own in the Ridgeons League. We are certainly looking forward to it. We have some very good players coming through and this bodes very well for the future."   The game today turned out to be a real cracker of a cup tie. Appropriately the action started as the bells from the Abbey Church chimed three. Perfect timing! It was end to end stuff as both teams battled to gain control of the play. The Blues' Luke Ingram (16) came closest to scoring in the opening period when his header rattled against a post following a corner from the right. Further pressure paid off for Bury just before the half hour mark when another cross, this time from the left and made by Chris Steel, was met by the bustling Andrew Wood (28) who easily headed home from six yards out. The burly forward was unlucky not to snatch a second just before half-time when his low shot (42) was cleared off the line by red-haired defender Steve Best.    'Hall made a spirited come back at the start of the second half and almost levelled matters when a powerful long throw by full back David Copper was met by a Chris Barrett (55) header that went just over. This inspired the visitors to press further and unsurprisingly the equaliser soon came when a long range shot from James Paterson (59) took a slight deflection that was enough to deceive Nick Pope in the Bury goal. Ten minutes later the  visitors took the lead when the influential Ryan Foster made a strong run down the left and put in a perfect  cross for Aaron Turner (69) to flick the ball on with a glancing header that crept inside the far post. With only seconds of added time remaining the hosts threw everybody up (not literally) in a last gasp effort to stay in the tie. It was another long throw in (from the left, level with the penalty spot) that caused havoc as captain Elliott Hunter who having made a late run connected with a looping header to send the ball beyond Jason Pope. The Blues had equalised in the 93rd minute! Seconds later referee Fitch sounded the final whistle to signal thirty further minutes of football. It was certainly getting hot in more ways than one by now!   The first period of Extra Time passed almost uneventfully until a long range shot (from thirty-five yards out) by Josh Sands (104) dipped in the air at the last second to rattle the Bury crossbar. But the best was yet to come for the noisy home fans who had rallied behind their team throughout. Within two minutes of the restart tricky substitute Craig Nurse (coming back to fitness after injury) gave them something to shout about with an absolute sizzler of a shot (107) from the edge of the area. Cutting inside his marker the tall and stocky striker pushed the ball onto his right foot before sending it with a powerful drive into the top left hand corner of the net beyond the outstretched arms of keeper Josh Pope. With only seconds remaining on the clock the home spectators couldn't bare to watch as Mildenhall earned a direct free kick twenty yards out (level with the left hand goal post). As Josh Sands lined up to take it, nippy Steve Harley (120) quickly took control and nipped in first. His perfectly placed chip, took everyone by surprise and curling from right to left, swung in to beat the wall and the outstretched keeper as it looked destined for the back of the net. As keeper Nick Pope turned, in desperation, he saw the ball hit the bottom of the post and out of play for a goal kick. As the full time whistle blew there was a huge sigh of relief quickly followed by loud cheers of celebration all round. Team Bury had won their first ever Vase game and booked their place into the next round where an away tie against Bugbrooke St Michaels awaited. Phew. It had been a compelling contest to say the least!           The match, played on a superb playing surface, was attended by an enthusiastic crowd officially recorded as 212 (even though my unofficial head count was nearer 240!). This didn't include a number of stray mallards from the adjacent Abbey Gardens that had somehow managed to get their in-flight bearings wrong and as a result landed on the centre circle during the first half. It was flocking amazing how they didn't get splattered I can tell you! During the second half I bumped into a couple of local hoppers who had travelled over from to Ipswich to watch the game. During conversation I was amazed by the depth of their knowledge concerning the local clubs in all of the pyramid competitions. It was mind-blowing! Between them they have covered thousands of games in their travels. When I asked how they did it I soon learned that the pair have their own unique method for ticking off the grounds. It appears that they try to watch several games in the same afternoon (staying at each for only 20 minures before driving to the next). I didn't have the heart to say this was 'not playing to the rules' cos there really aren't any, are there? Each to his/her own as they say!      A smart 16 page programme was issued for the game. Despite being a bit thin on recent club news it contained all the basics with a decent write-up on the visitors as well as the essential match stats (fixtures; results; a table and squad line ups). Refreshments from a large and varied menu were available from the tea bar in the main stand. Punters provided a busy trade for the kitchen staff as they indulged in a wide range of hot food; drinks; snacks and sweets throughout the afternoon. It was a real 'gastronomic delight' for all patrons. Belch!   If you haven't been yet, a visit to watch Team Bury play at Ram Meadow is to be recommended. The youngsters certainly play at a decent standard and look to be a well organised side. On this showing they should give a good account of themselves in the Eastern Counties League this season. Come on you blues! I would wish them all the best for 2009-2010. The joys of watching FA Vase games continues...    FGIF Match Stats Scorers: (H) Wood (28); Hunter (90+3); Nurse (107) and (A) Paterson (59); Turner (69)  Attendance: 212; Admission: £4; Programme: £1; Match rating: 5/5; Ground rating: 5/5. Links - Club Website: http://www.burytownfc.co.uk/ and Map

edited 07/09/09