No.31 - Sat. 6th February 2010; Essex & Suffolk Border League Premier Division; 2.30pm at Eastcliff Playing Fields, Dulwich Road, Holland-on-Sea, Clacton, Essex.
Matchday images (15) >view> Holland FC (0) 1 University of Essex (1) 3 From game missed to sea mist...
You just couldn't make it up if you tried, honestly! After experiencing a frustrating journey last week when the match at Corby Khalsa FC (Northants Combination League) was postponed late on our trip today almost went the same way. I know it sounds unbelievable but we were literally seconds away from another hopping disaster as the nightmare from seven days ago looked to have returned once again. No-one coud have predicted any of the events that unfolded as we travelled over to the Essex coast for our footy fix. As you shall see it was certainly a day that was not without incident and I hope that fellow hoppers don't have to endure the same experience. By half-past-one we had already made very good progress on our way to Clacton-on-Sea, our chosen destination. With plenty of time to spare and feeling a bit peckish, we decided to stop off, en route, for a short lunch break. As we passed through the village of Lawford, Fran spotted a sign advertising a new chippy and we pulled over. After joining the short queue at the Riverside fish and chip shop it wasn't long before we were tucking into a tasty haddock and chips, a veritable fatty feast. It was delicious and suitably satiated set us up perfectly for the rest of the day. If you're a fried fish fancier and find yourself in the area then you must pop in and try it for yourself- you certainly will not be disappointed! Within thirty minutes we had covered the remaining ten miles, mostly on winding country roads and arrived at Kirby-le-Soken, a small hamlet on the outskirts of Clacton. Known for its links with farming, the village is close to Frinton and Walton, desirable retirement locations. A quick look at the map revealed we were not too far from the playing fields in Halstead Road, home of Kirby Football Club who were entertaining Boxted Lodgers in an Essex and Suffolk Border League Division One fixture. What happened next was totally unbelievable: after turning off the main road we headed down the long, narrow and rather rutted driveway looking for the main entrance to the fields. At the same time three cars were coming towards us from the opposite direction. At a distance these vehicles looked to be occupied by several young lads dressed in what appeared to be tracksuits; no doubt they represented one of the club's other sides and were heading out to a play a local game. And then it suddenly dawned on me that this logic couldn't be quite right. With only twenty five minutes to go before kick-off, surely they were going somewhere else? Oh no - panic set in. My pulse began to race as my mind started to play tricks: surely they couldn't be the same players from the game we had come to watch, could they? If they were, then the match must be off. No, don't be silly Martin. After all it's a lovely warm sunny afternoon and there's no hint of a frozen pitch. As we drew alongside the leading vehicle, a smart black VW Golf hatchback; my missus wound the window down, waved to get his attention and then asked the young driver whether the game was off. Expecting it was and hoping it wasn't, the lad grunted, uttering the heart-breaking words: 'Yes mate, it's off'. Before he could accelerate away I leaned over and asked him to tell us what was wrong. Totally unprepared for his reply, he smiled and added in a sarcastic tone: 'The ref's called the game off...cos the groundsman hasn't marked the pitch out...'. I felt sick. Filled with total disbelief, frustration and self-pity I was, for a few minutes, absolutely unconsolable. Embarassingly I must confess that the steering wheel took a bit of a bashing here. I just couldn't think straight. What did he just say? How could something like this happen? In all of the years I have been watching football I have never ever experienced anything quite like this before. For some unknown reason, perhaps to make sense of it all, I quickly went through a mental list of match postponements that I have witnessed: there's been waterlogging; frost; snow; fog; wind; teams and officials not turning up; vandalism; double booked venue etc. but in all my time hopping I have never ever heard of this excuse - the game has been cancelled because the lines have't been painted on the pitch! His words rang through my ears again and again. I imagine that all of you would feel gutted if this had happened to you - a stupid supposition I know! To rub salt in the wounds this would probably be the only game to be called off in the entire league today and we had chosen to watch it. I fully expected that the Border League website and Football Mittoo would reveal this pathetic fact in due course. I asked myself: what are the chances of picking the wrong game and for it to happen to us two weeks in a row? It's more likely that you would win big bucks in the lottery first isn't it? Did I feel hacked off - that's a rhetorical understatement!! It was now ten minutes past two. At this point it really did look likely that we could well miss out on our fix once again. I was still fuming and in an agitated state. In order to salvage something from the afternoon I needed to calm down and look at some alternatives and with time running out, it had to be done quickly. In case disaster struck we had already planned a back-up game (Holland v University of Essex) which was only a few miles away at neighbouring Holland-on-Sea, a resort located on the outskirts of Clacton. But the question was: could we get there in time? Fran, always a calming influence in times of crisis, told me, reassuringly, that we could still make it. Pointing at the map, held open on the relevant pages, she explained that the Eastcliff playing fields were only about five miles from here and the itinerary was a fairly straightforward one. Still smarting I quickly scanned over the necessary route indicated by the trusty Essex A-Z and headed for the nearest main road that would hopefully take us to our hastily revised new destination. It was definitely a foot-down-job to see if we could make it in time for the 2.30pm kick-off. Damn, a quick glance at the map suggested that we had already taken the wrong turning coming out of Halstead Road and we were now going the wrong way. Instead of turning right we had gone left and now added an extra two mile loop onto our journey before re-joining the B1032 Clacton Road. With only five minutes to go the sea front soon came into view. The reflection of the sun on the water was sadly lost as I huffed and puffed along King's Parade. If you don't know the area it's a long straight road with many other others running off it at right angles. Unsure which road to turn down we pulled up briefly, whilst revving the engine, to ask no fewer than three people which one would best take us to the Eastcliff playing fields: the first was a female day-tripper who had absolutely no idea; the second thought we meant FC Clacton who play out of town. By sheer fluke the third and probably least likely to know about a football club that size was a woman who must have been in her eighties at least. Amazingly she pointed further along the promenade and told us to turn down Dulwich Road. It was roughly half a mile. I could have given her a big hug but we just didn't have the time. It was now 2.25pm. We had five minutes... As the Wraymobile II turned, at pace, down the Dulwich Road, Fran spotted the ground entrance at the very end. A time check showed it was fast approaching 2.28pm. I don't think I've looked at my watch so often in my life: it was stress city. To our left we noticed that a game had already started. Blast! We had missed the kick-off. As we screeched to a halt in the car park I suddenly noticed in the field around the back that another group of players were busy preparing themselves for kick-off on an enclosed pitch. Some of the players were dressed in an orange kit. From memory, Holland FC play in the same coloured strip...was this the game we had come to watch? With less than a minute to spare, we dived out of the car and ran quicker than someone half of our age to the pitch. It was about a hundred yards from here. As I reached the entrance to the back field and made my way pitchside, I looked over and noticed one of the players had placed the ball on the centre-spot and was waiting for the referee to get the game underway. In the time it takes to say: Football Grounds in Focus Ramblings Stats page, the man in the middle blew his whistle to signal the start of play. Phew! We had made it with ten seconds to spare, hopping heaven!! Today's game featured the visit of a young and energetic University of Essex side to the Eastcliff Playing Fields. Having made a great start to the season the lads from Colchester were currently in third place in the Premier Division table and hot on the heels of West Bergholt and Little Oakley who were above them. Holland had lost a bit of ground recently and occupied a mid table position. I was a little surprised that the referee didn't ask one of the sides to change their shirts beforehand as it was quite difficult to distinguish between orange and red! Definitely a sight for sore eyes! The students, as expected, made a lively start to proceedings and it was no surprise when they opened the scoring when the tricky Junior Donkor (36), known affectionately as JD to his team mates latched on to a long through ball to steer it underneath host keeper Y. They increased their lead immediately after the interval when JD (48) grabbed his second of the game meeting a cross from the right with a perfectly placed low shot from close range. Within seconds of the re-start the bright sunny conditions had been replaced by a thick cloud of sea mist that had quickly descended over the playing fields. One of Holland coaches suggested with a wry smile that the game should be abandoned hoping that it would help to get his team off the hook. After everything that had happened so far today the joke was sadly lost on me. His manner soon changed though when Dave Chapman (75) rose effortlessly to head the ball home following a corner from the left. It was a lovely goal and went down well with the handful of locals standing close to the dug outs. Their delight didn't last long. Within two minutes and with Holland pressing for a second goal the students took advantage of a quick counter attack by adding a third. It was that man JD (77) again who scored the decisive goal to claim his hat-trick and take all the points for the University football team back along the A12. Travellers to the Eastcliff Playing Fields will be pleasantly surprised by what they find here. Only a stone's throw from the North Sea the expansive site covers two separate and distinct playing fields with a long single storey pavilion separating them in the centre. Newly decorated in orange, white and black (the club's colours) this building houses the changing rooms at one end and the bar/lounge/tea bar area at the other. A number of garden tables and chairs are arranged on the patio outside. To the left, the pitch nearest to and facing the pavilion is used by Eastcliff FC, members of the Colchester and East Essex Football League. Holland FC play on a pitch as you immediately enter the second field around the back. This is roped off on all sides with two eye-catching white rectangular dug-outs decked out with the club logo and marked individually 'Home' and 'Away' positioned on the nearest side next to a low hedge, running parallel. These portable covers are carried away and placed in storage after each game. As you would expect there is no dedicated cover for spectators at pitchside yet. Always affected by a stiff breeze coming off the sea I would strongly recommend that any travellers who are thinking about attending a game here to save their visit for a much warmer day! The match, played on a well grassed, clearly marked out and slightly bumpy pitch, was attended by just over twenty spectators. Although the club do not issue matchday programmes, a tempting range of hot and cold food is available from the well appointed clubhouse throughout the afternoon. The service was first class and our half-time cuppa was dispensed by a lady with a lovely smile on her face. Thankyou! In fact all the committee members we met today were extremely courteous towards us- how refreshing! Special mention must go to the personable Steve Wiggington who not only returned our morning check call but ensured we enjoyed our short visit. Since taking over the derelict facilities from the defunct St Johns (Clacton) FC, much work has been completed to bring the ground up to a high standard. There is ambition here and one day Steve hopes the club can climb up the pyramid making it the best in Clacton. Without doubt Holland FC is pro-active in attracting players and currently has over ten teams turning out each week. Details of all the club's sides, general and statistical information can all be found on the informative and regularly updated website at the address shown in the link below. It's certainly worth a look. So another eventful day for the hoppers from racing HQ. Despite the unexpected problems we encountered en route it turned out to be well worth the effort in the end (just). I still cannot believe how a game can be called off for the lack of pitch markings and would welcome news from other hoppers if they have experienced anything similar to this in their travels. Nevertheless it goes without saying that a visit to Holland Football Club comes highly recommended - it's a lovely club, run by enthusiastic committee members and helpers who will make you more than welcome. And finally, if you ever decide to visit Kirby Athletic Football Club one day - be careful! It might be a good idea to take a couple of tins of emulsion and a thick paint brush with you. Have fun wherever you go!! Scorers: (H) Dave Chapman (75) and (A) Junior Donkor (36; 48 and 77) Attendance: 22; Admission: N/A; Programme: N/A; Match rating: 4/5; Ground rating: 4/5 edited 11/02/10
