No.26 - Mon. 28th December 2009; Suffolk & Ipswich League Omnico Cup Round 3; 1.30pm at Kings Field, Victoria Road, Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
Matchday images (18) >view> Al Omnicold Cup proves stiff test
Going to the seaside in winter. Brrrr. Thoughts of a Butlins family holiday came flooding back. It only seems like yesterday but I can still remember the time we went to the coast on an 'out of season' bargain break - it was in February 1995. With the opportunity to save a few pounds my late Dad-in-Law Eddie, a typical Yorkshire man, God bless him, decided it would be a good idea to book a family holiday at the recently refurbished leisure camp in Skegness, Lincolnshire. He explained that the discounted winter break voucher entitled us to take advantage of the many and varied pleasures of the famous seaside holiday retreat. We were guaranteed every creature comfort including the very best bars, amusements, cabaret entertainment, sports activities and the chance for a bit of relaxation as well. The glossy brochure was packed with loads of photos showing scores of happy campers enjoying the superb facilities and the description promised much excitement for everyone. Bring it on. However, what we didn't realise, until we got there, was that our accomodation, a luxury eight berth caravan, was located only yards from the sea front. Fun it was not I can tell you. You would think that growing up as a youngster living fairly close to the sea would be ideal grounding for surviving the cold weather. Sadly it didn't. This place was totally different and could be described as almost bordering on arctic conditions. The temperature, or should I say wind chill, in the caravan park at Butlins was so severe that we spent most of the week huddling together just to keep warm. We not only wore plenty of extra layers when we dared to venture out to the beach in the midst of a howling gale and sand storm but even went to bed wearing gloves, woolly hats and scarves each night. In fact it was so cold that we had to turn up the gas fire, oven and radiators so that each appliance reached its maximum power rating! The electricity meter was becoming more like a slot machine in one of the arcades and was gobbling up tokens at a fair rate of knots - it won't surprise you to learn that we spent most of our money on heating. By the third night we really had suffered more than enough of this and Eddie decided wisely it was time to go back home. Even my twin girls Jo and Steph, self confessed and seasoned Butlins addicts, were glad to see the back of the place. So we packed our stuff, said goodbye to Crazy Croc and bracing Skegness, and returned home to the much warmer climes of racing HQ. It was, by comparison, tropical! Tempted today by the prospect of watching a second game of football in two days, the opportunity to travel to the town of Aldeburgh on the East Suffolk coast, was just to good to miss. Realising this was a footballing outpost close to the sea we hastily packed several extra layers of warm clothing into the car and set off mid morning for our destination. With relatively little traffic on the main A14 and A12 it made for a pleasant stress free journey and we arrived in the town with plenty of time before kick-off. What a lovely change. According to the Welcome to Aldeburgh website: 'Aldeburgh is a small seaside town on the unspoilt East Suffolk coast. In the 16th Century it was a thriving port and shipbuilding area, becoming a fishing village and now known as seaside resort. Aldeburgh provides an excellent base for those wanting a peaceful seaside holiday during which they can enjoy the miles of unspoilt shingle coastline and heath lands. There are many excellent restaurants and pubs to suit all tastes and budgets - not forgetting the 'famous' Aldeburgh fish and chip shop, a wide selection of cottages to rent, hotels to stay at, bed and breakfast accommodation to suit all requirements. Notable town landmarks include the Moot Hall which, for the past 400 years the meeting place of Aldeburgh Town Council, the church of St Peter and St Paul, noted for its memorial window dedicated to the memory of Benjamin Britten and designed by John Piper. Britten, Peter Pears and Imogen Holst are all buried in Aldeburgh Churchyard, as is Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, England's first female doctor. There is also a memorial to the crew of the Aldeburgh lifeboat, who perished in 1899'. It's a pretty good bit of PR isn't it? Sadly no reference is made here to King's Field, the home of Aldeburgh Town FC, which is a real shame. The beautiful King's Field ground, tucked away down a narrow lane between a modern guest house and a telephone box (yes they still exist even in these parts), is really very impressive. Set in a stunning landscape on the edge of the town, it is surrounded by marshlands, allotments and a low crumbling red brick wall. Travellers will appreciate (and perhaps even salivate over) the unique location. It is that good. A large building on the left, painted in blue and white (the club's colours) houses the club pavilion complete its with tidy bar lounge. On the facing facade a large framed metal sculpture showing, in relief, a boat at sea, sits proudly on display. The club's changing facilites are found around the back and players take a short walk from here to gain access to the large playing fields which cater for both football and cricket. You will simply love the thatched seat situated at the top of the grass embankment away to the left. The main football pitch marked out on the right is roped off on both sides through a series of plastic stakes. Although there is no dedicated cover here, two portable dug outs fashioned from plastic sheeting and a robust tubular frame, are positioned next to the half-way line on the far side. Today the pitch looked in excellent condition considering the recent adverse weather conditions. What is more the sun was shining brightly and those fears of extreme cold soon dissipated. Well for a short time at least they did. As we walked over to pitch side we were joined by a large number of visiting fans who had travelled the short distance up the A12 from Ipswich. This promised to be an intriguing game as the hosts were taking on a strong Sports' side who were not only four divisions higher up the Suffolk & Ipswich League but were the current SIL (Omnico) League Cup champions, having beaten Grundisburgh 1-0 (at Woodbridge Town FC) in the 2008-2009 Final played in May. So could the minnows pull off a shock? Whatever the result today this was probably one of the biggest games in the Seasiders club's history. Aldeburgh held out for the first thirty minutes and despite heavy pressure from the visitors created several chances themselves. Ransomes broke the deadlock when the tricky Nicolas Guglielmetti-Saenz (30) scored from just inside the six yard box. Remarkably the hosts levelled within ten minutes when Thomas Heath (37) scored from the penalty spot following a handball infringement by Tom Parker. The cup holders rallied and took the lead again moments later when Lyndon Alexander's shot (38), took a wicked deflection to beat advancing 'keeper David Cook. Captain Michel Moore (44) added a third following a superb run beating three players. It was entertaining stuff and what's more I could still feel the blood circulating in my feet, just. After half time Ransomes took full control of the game and added three further well crafted goals: Ross White (58) was on hand to follow up a twenty-five yard lob from Saenz that went over the keeper and came back off the post to make it four; Alexander (58) was a tad fortunate to find the ball at his feet, having blocked a shot from one of his team mates, he cheekily back- heeled the ball over the line for his second and his side's fifth and finally substitute Steve Townes (90) made it six with a glancing header after rising to a ball crossed from the left. Although the hosts had taken a bit of a battering, Ransomes, the cup holders, looked like an extremely tidy outfit as their current league record (boasting only two defeats this season) clearly showed. I will check their progress in this competition over the coming weeks. Incidentally the draw for the quarter finals of the Omnico Cup will be made live on BBC Suffolk at around 5.30pm on Saturday January 30th. A sizeable crowd (of almost sixty) spectators attended the cup game including fellow hopper Spanner who had travelled up from Felixstowe. It was great to catch up on things to do with football and put the world to rights. Unbelievably I later found out one of our own reporters was at the game*. I must also pay special mention here to Matt Pilkington, the personable club secretary, who returned my check phone call the day before confirming all the match details and providing us with top notch directions to the ground. What is more, he even phoned later that evening to see if we had enjoyed our visit to King's Field. What a lovely bloke. He definitely gets our vote for SIL Division 4 Secretary of the Year! To my sheer delight the club produced a one-off programme for the game - complete with twenty-four photocopied pages it covered all the basics with news, pen pix and stats. It was a tidy effort from a club who look on course to progress through the divisions in the next few years. A range of refreshments was available throughout the afternoon from the clubhouse. Fran decided to wait until after the game and bought some delicious fish and chips (and scraps) for us from the famous Aldeburgh chippy in the town. With a long queue leading out of the shop and down the High Street it was well worth the wait. Very tasty too. Returning to my introductory paragraphs: so just how cold was it today? Well let's just say that watching a game here in winter will test even the hardiest of hoppers. By full time my feet felt completely numb. Bracing? Yes. Would I have survived Extra Time? No. A visit to Aldeburgh Football Club comes highly recommended with the proviso that you venture here when the weather conditions are kind. It's a smashing little club run by a friendly and well organised committee. Although Kings Field is off the beaten track it is one that will no doubt inspire all grounds' collectors. The joys of hopping on the Suffolk coast continue. Brrrrilliant! * it was amazing to learn that FGIF star snapper Leon Gladweell was also at Kings Field today. After putting up the match pix on site, Leon contacted me to say that he had not only attended the game but thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Incredible! Shame we didn't get to meet up. You can see Leon's excellent photos and stats by clicking on the link shown below. Cheers mate!http://footballgroundsinfocus.com/LL91045.htm Scorers: (H) Heath (pen. 37) and (A) Guglielmetti-Saenz (30); Alexander (38, 65); Moore (44); White (58); Townes (90) Attendance: 58; Admission: N/A; Programme: 24pp, £1; Match rating: 4/5; Ground rating: 5/5 edited 29/12/09
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