TT February 2006 

INDEX 

(189) - 27/02 from Mike Latham: Dunfermline Athletic v Celtic (Scottish Premier League) and Brodsworth Welfare v Buxton (Northern Counties East League Premier Division)                                                               (188) - 27/02 from Mick Burt: Mersea Island v Bradfield Rovers (Essex and Suffolk Border League First Division)    (187) - 27/02 from Barry Neighbour: Newport County v Lewes (Nationwide Conference South)                               (186) - 26/02 from Mike Latham: Tynecastle FC v Coldstream (East of Scotland League Division 1)                   (185) - 26/02 from Paul Roth: Brading Town v Alresford Town (Wessex League Division 2)                           (184) - 22/02 from Barry N: Charlton v Brentford (in FAC5) and Celtic SC (Luton) v St.Josephs (Luton) (in FASC)           (183) - 20/02 from Mick Burt: Bartley Green v Droitwich Spa (Midland Combination Football League Division 2)              (182) - 20/02 from Stephen Harris: St.Ives Town v Holbeach (United Counties League Premier Division)              (181) - 19/02 from Paul Roth: Hatfield Town v Elliott Star (Herts Senior County League Premier Division)            (180) - 16/02 from Mike Latham: West Auckland Town v Billingham Town (Northern League Division One)                  (179) - 16/02 from Stephen Harris: Biggleswade Utd v Hillingdon Borough (South Mids League Premier Div)          (178) - 13/02 from Barry Neighbour: Rushall Olympic (Southern League Division 1 West)                             (177) - 13/02 from Mick Burt: Lyndhurst v Upham (Hampshire League 2004)                                          (176) - 12/02 from Dennis Woods: Bovingdon v St.Peters (Herts Senior County League Division 1)                     (175) - 12/02 from Mike Latham: Squires Gate v Newcastle Benfield Bay Plastics (FAV5)                             (174) - 09/02 from Stephen Harris: Colliers Wood United v Merstham (Combined Counties League Premier Division) (173) - 08/02 from Mike Latham: Biddulph Victoria v Causeway United (Midland Football Alliance)                           (172) - 06/02 from Stephen Harris: Desborough Town v Yaxley (United Counties League Premier Division)           (171) - 05/02 from Paul Roth: Maldon Town v Worthing (Ryman League Premier Division)                                      (170) - 01/02 from Paul Roth: Union Deportivo Vecindario v Union Deportivo Las Palmas (Spanish La Liga 2B Group 1) 

REPORTS 

27/02/06 TT No.189: Mike Latham: Dunfermline Athletic (Scottish Premier League) and Brodsworth Welfare (Northern Counties East League Premier Division)
 
Sun 19 Feb 2006: SPL.  Dunfermline Athletic 1-8 Celtic.  Attendance: 9,015.  Admission: £22. 48pp programme: £2.50; FGIF match rating: 5*

 

Once in a while you are lucky to go to an exceptional game and this was certainly in that category. Celtic’s finishing was awesome- the Press Association statistics revealed that they only had nine goal attempts on target yet scored eight times- an SPL record. The display of Polish striker Maciej Zurawski will live long in the memory, as will the quality of Celtic’s passing game. Zurawski scored four times and there was even one for Neil Lennon, his first for five years- he later jokingly described it as a ‘JFK moment’ that everyone present would remember.

 

Scottish football gets a lot of stick, mostly from people who don’t watch it. But having watched over 30 English Premier League games this season, and endured many of them, there is no comparison. There is very little of the play-acting and cynical time wasting that mars so many PL games. The passionate Scottish paying public simply would not tolerate that.  Even in the 90th minute Celtic were still hurrying to take throw-ins and free-kicks and go for goal. Many an English team would have shut up shop at 3-1. Under Gordon Strachan some of their football is exceptional. They are well worth watching and it is surprisingly easy to get tickets for their away games with a friendly lady at Dunfermline answering the phone promptly and despatching the tickets by first class post for the desired seats.

 

Another good thing about the SPL is its good value with ticket prices about two-thirds of those in England and the modernised yet compact stadiums. East End Park was extensively developed in the late 1990s but is a terrific, intimate stadium that affords a superb view of the action.

 

The main stand, on the south side and backing onto the main A907 road, is two tiered while the two ends are one tiered and also steeply sloping, giving a superb view. The far side north stand that rather disconcertingly backs onto a cemetery is much shallower. The pitch, briefly converted to an artificial surface, is now back to grass though looked in poor condition.

 

Easily reached off J3 of the M90 motorway a few minutes drive from the Forth Road Bridge, East End Park is located in a quiet residential area to the east of the town and there is plenty of parking. The locals are friendly and knowledgeable about their football. The programme is fantastic- one of the best I have seen this season. Superbly designed with a host of interesting current and historical articles and some stunning photographs and excellent statistics, quite clearly a lot of thought has gone into its production. There is a particularly good section on the details of the home players- too often this is ignored and it is a valuable source of information for neutrals.

 

As a curtain-raiser to the forthcoming League Cup Final between the teams this was far from ideal for the Pars and their supporters. But they bore the defeat with good grace and there were no crowd problems inside or outside the ground.  Quite the opposite- supporters from both sides that I spoke to were friendly and welcoming to an English visitor. A visit to Dunfermline comes highly recommended.

 

Tuesday 21 Feb 2006.  Northern Counties East League Premier Division.  Brodsworth Welfare 0-3 Buxton.  Admission: £4; no programme; FGIF match rating: 1*

 

An experienced ground-hopping friend of mine once told me that the NCEL could be something of a twilight world at times and his words came back to me on an evening that was endured rather than enjoyed.

 

Brodsworth Welfare play at the Welfare ground on the outskirts of Doncaster. Coming off the A1 onto the A638 road into the town, the ground is located close to the Woodlands public house down Welfare Road. There is some parking outside the main entrance and players and officials took their cars inside. Latecomers had to settle for a place on the neighbouring housing estate.

 

Sadly, no programme was produced for this game which must have cost the host club a pretty penny as the visitors are the best supported away side in the league. With no PA announcements there was no chance of getting the line-ups. The Welfare ground backs on to an adjoining sports centre and the playing pitch is flat and well grassed and the floodlights excellent. There is a small cover behind the far goal and a small covered stand straddles the halfway line behind the dug-outs on the entrance side. The rest of the viewing is from flat standing areas. There is a small tea bar manned by a very pleasant lady and serves standard fare but no club house.

 

Brodsworth have clearly struggled along in recent years and are dependent upon a hard-working committee. They have also suffered from vandalism at their ground. On more than one occasion when I have seen them in recent seasons they have struggled to put out a full complement of substitutes but had a full team on duty against the league leaders.

 

Considering they went into the game on top Buxton were far from impressive though their victory margin was ultimately decisive. The former Bolton and Carlisle striker, David Reeves, is in his late 30s by now but clearly still a class act as he led the Buxton line with aplomb but this was poor fare.

 

A number of groundhoppers, including a contingent from Sheffield, attended but we all reached the opinion that would not go down as the best evening spent watching the beautiful game. My groundhopping sage had said once that for every five games you watch there would be one good one, three average ones and one bad one- this definitely fell into the latter category. Another tick, but little else to inspire

 

27/02/06 TT No.188: Mick Burt - Mersea Island (Essex and Suffolk Border League First Division)

 
Saturday 25 February
Essex & Suffolk Border League First Division
MERSEA ISLAND (1) 4 BRADFIELD ROVERS (1) 2
Programme issued without charge
Attendance: 20

The usual Friday evening calm (joke for those who know me) went right out of the window on 24 February when I got negative vibes re the prospects of play - fully justified as it turned out - from East Dean and Pegasus Juniors. Welsh clubs Cwmffrwdoer Sports and Coed Eva were far from certain to play although both did, AFC Bargoed was probably on but this was the one week they hadn't issued, and Cambrian & Clydach were actually away to Cwmbran Celtic and not at home to them. I eventually got the Ettington secretary to admit that they don't issue, and the curse of the groundhopper (i.e. answerphones) came into play at Wolves Development, Buckhurst Hill, and Tring Corinthians. Pressing on regardless, I got no answer from Spencer Youth or Newport Corinthians and while Sleaford were confident, the person who may have driven me there didn't fancy the temporary ground (and I can see his point). So it looked like Chelmsford City which I had been "saving" for a midweek or Bank holiday game.  That is until I contacted the intrepid Len Spierenburg who kindly informed me that Essex & Suffolk Border League club Mersea Island were issuing a programme and that their game against Bradfield Rovers was certain to go ahead.

Climbing down from the ceiling, I rushed to the PC in order to research bus times from Colchester to West Mersea.  More joy as a half hourly service from Colchester Bus station only took around half an hour to get to this quaint corner of Essex.

On arriving at my destination there was plenty of time to mooch around and take in the bracing sea air before heading off to the match. There was barely a cloud in the sky but the predicted north-easterly wind almost cut one in half. I hailed down Super Len as he drove into town, so off we went for a cup of tea on the "front" before making our way to the Glebe Sports Ground.

What a tremendous club Mersea Island are. We were made so welcome it was incredible. The people running the club are really great - we were given complimentary hot drinks on arrival, the programme inserts were being run off as we arrived in the clubhouse, and to round it off we were invited to use the home dugout to get out of the wind.  

The game itself was excellent with both sides doing well to keep the ball generally on the deck in the windy conditions. Mersea took the lead after nine seconds but Bradfield hit back to equalise and enjoyed a good spell leading up to the break during which they hit the post. After the break Mersea twice hit the woodwork before netting three times in sixteen minutes to go 4-1 up. Bradfield gave the score an air of respectability with a last minute free kick.

Highlights of an outstanding day though were the ultra-quick comments and jokes that came from substitute/coach Gary Huggins and Player/assistant Manager Tony Lee who shared the dugout with us from time to time. These chaps provided us with great entertainment and epitomise the game at this level to me. If a chance comes to watch this club away from home on a ground I have yet to visit, I shall certainly take the opportunity!
 
27/02/06 TT No.187: Barry Neighbour - Newport County (Nationwide Conference South)
 
Saturday 25th February 2006 Newport County 2 Lewes 3 Nationwide Conference South. Att:534 Rating:3*
Family duties meant a trip down to South Wales at the weekend. The last time I visited Newport they were still playing League Football at Somerton Park. The club now play at the Newport Stadium at the Newport Sports Village. This is also the athletics stadium and has two stands either side of the ground; one with seats and the other terracing. It has of course got a track around the pitch although, unlike some venues, it did not seem to be too far away from the action. There is a well stocked club shop in the ground and an equally well stocked programme shop at the other end of the stand where they were more than happy to exchange programmes.
 
The game itself was dominated by the blustery weather although both teams tried to play football despite the conditions. It was Lewes who opened the scoring as Newport stopped for an offside decision that did not come (and much to the disgust of the home supporters). On the stroke of half-time Lewes doubled their advantage when a wind assisted corner whipped in and the centre half powered in a header unchallenged.
 
Newport came out in the second half looking to get back in the game and pulled one back in the 61st minute with a well taken goal but any thoughts of salvaging something were destroyed three minutes later when Lewes again sprang Newport's offside trap to restore their two goal advantage. Newport did pull a goal back in the last minute but despite the ref adding on 5 minutes injury time it was Lewes who returned to East Sussex with the points.
26/02/06 TT No.186: Mike Latham - Tynecastle FC (East of Scotland League Division 1)
 
Sat 25 Feb 2006: East of Scotland League First Division: Tynecastle 0-1 Coldstream.  Attendance: 20 (headcount); Admission: free; 8pp Programme: 50pence; FGIF match rating: 3*

 

With the Hearts-Partick Thistle Scottish Cup quarter-final tie kicking off at 12-15 there was the perfect opportunity for a double header in Edinburgh and Tynecastle’s East of Scotland League clash with Coldstream provided it. Don’t be fooled, though, by the name and the address on the Tynecastle FC website that lists the club’s headquarters as just a mile or so from Hearts’ Tynecastle Stadium.

 

The club are actually an amalgamation between the Tynecastle Boys Club, whose famous alumni include Graeme Souness, and Tolcross United, and play at the Fernieside Recreation Ground on Fernieside Drive, to the east of the city, located just off the A7 Old Dalkeith Road inside the city boundary. This is the ground of Tolcross.

 

The ground is an open grassed space surrounded by houses and trees. With views of nearby hills there is quite a pleasant village green type feel to the location. The only structure is provided by the changing rooms located behind one goal which bear the legend ‘Tolcross United FC’.

 

The playing pitch is roped off and the respective managers and backroom staff occupy technical areas on opposite sides of the halfway line. Spectators gather around the ropes- there are no stands or seated areas and not even a tea bar.

 

The Tynecastle secretary, Alistair Wilkie, had helpfully saved a couple of programmes after a midweek email. A basic eight page production, it nevertheless contained all the necessary information. He explained that it was the aim to bring through junior players from the established Tynecastle club and introduce them to senior football. He was delighted that the club’s U19 team had reached the League Cup Final.

 

Mr Wilkie also doubled up as a linesman with a Coldstream official also doing the honours. They signalled merely for the ball going out of play- it was the referee’s task to decide on offside decisions- the first time I had seen this situation in senior football.

 

The game was well contested and quite skilful, the visitors deciding the issue with a headed goal on the hour-mark. After the game, the home players helped to dismantle the goal nets and perimeter ropes. This was Tynecastle’s last home league game of the season- with only eleven teams in the league, home fixtures are at a premium.

 

A basic venue but there was a friendly welcome for groundhoppers and it was a good taste of grassroots football in Edinburgh.

 
26/02/06 TT No.185: Paul Roth - Brading Town (Wessex League Division 2)
 
Sat 25th Feb Brading Town vs. Alresford Town; Wessex Lge. Div 2; Res: 1-0; Att: 70ish; Entry: £3; Programme: 50p -32 pages.
 
Every once in a while you come across a gem of a place to watch football and Brading Towns' Vicarage Lane ground was one such venue yesterday afternoon.
 
It was a real pleasure to set off by train from Margate safe in the knowledge that my journey ahead was engineering works free. Within four hours I was walking along the pier at Ryde after a hassle-free train and catamaran trip. With loads of  time on my hands I headed to Shanklin on the Islands' old fashioned tube train and had a long walk down onto the Esplanade and up into the old town to take in a couple of GBG pubs. Out of season and with the wind howling there were precious few people about. Back to Brading by bus,which dropped me at the excellent Yarbridge pub, also in the GBG, and then it was an easy mile or so walk through the small town centre to Vicarage Lane itself...or should it be Vicarage Dirt Track! Only a glimpse of the floodlights gives the visitor any clue that a football stadium exists up this muddy track, save for a sign halfway along which "welcomes you to Brading Town FC ".
 
At the end of the 500 yard lane is a small hut where I paid my £3 admission fee and bought the 32 page programme for 50p........a really newsy and generally all-round good production this and a great read pre-match. The vista then opens out in front of you  and quite a magnificent sight it is too. There are two stands either side of the pitch and hard standing all round and floodlights (purchased from old ground at Erith And Belvedere FC), and red and white goal nets setting off what is the 'hoppers archetypal ground. Behind the far goal the little island tube train, painted in a kaleidoscope of colours trundles occasionally by. The clubhouse set up again is super, as to get to it you walk through the tea bar....even this place is a real gem as all manner of eatables are on offer and it has the feel of an old school tuck shop: it's not big but it is a friendly place to wait away from the raw cold outside.
 
The game was never going to be a classic, the ferocious wind saw to that, but both teams put up a spirited performance and Alresfords' position at the bottom of the league belied their efforts yesterday. The only goal of the match came in the 20th minute from a straightforward shot from 10 yards out. Brading created enough chances to have won more comfortably but the truth was that the visitors rarely threatened the home goal.
 
A magnificent venue to watch football and a truly great day out.
 
A train day so: 13332 steps and a FGIF rating of 4*
 
22/02/06 TT No.184: Barry Neighbour - Charlton (Premiership) in the FAC5 and Celtic SC (Luton) in the FASC5
 
With Brentford reaching the FA Cup 5th Round for the second consecutive season I made a rare excursion into the Premier League on Saturday 18th February 2006 Charlton Athletic 3 Brentford 1 FA Cup 5th Round. Attendance:22098 Entertainment:3* Programme 52 Pages for a very reasonable £2.
 
My last visit to The Valley was in about 1988 v Stoke for their last game before development. It has certainly changed with the stands fully enclosed around the pitch but I did feel a bit of nostalgia remembering the biggest terracing in the country. Bees cup dream lasted precisely 3 minutes - the time it took Darren Bent to find space behind the Brentford defence to fire home the opening goal. The second from Boothroyd's free kick came on half-time and was Charlton's only third shot on target, although this was three more than the Bees could muster. Even when Charlton got a third, Brentford more than held their own and created the better chances with Myhre making excellent stops from Owusu and Tabb before Rankin fired in a consolation. Sodje hit the post in the final minute but it was the Premiership boys from South London who went through to land their 4th Consecutive Home game in the Quarter Finals against Middlesbrough.
The next day I drove up to Luton: Sunday 19th February 2006 Celtic SC (Luton) v St Josephs (Luton) FA Sunday Cup 5th Round. Played at The 61 FC Luton. Programme 20 Pages included in £1 Admission.
 
As one local put it this was The Vatican Cup Final with these two great Irish based rivals drawn against each other in the National Cup Quarter Finals. The programme revealed that Celtic were second and St Josephs fourth in the Premier Division of the North Home Counties Sunday League. Previous encounters this season gave Celtic the edge with a 2-0 victory and progress in the cup (4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw). A healthy crowd of over 300 saw tensions running high and the first clash after 3 minutes looked ominous. But the Referee kept a tight grip on the game as both sides cancelled each other out although St Josephs had the better chances. At the end of 90 minutes, the game remained goalless and extra time ensued. A free kick conceded by Celtic for a needless hand ball on the edge of the area proved costly as the St Joseph's player curled the ball into the net just inside the post. This was the decisive goal and it was St Josephs (wice previous winners) who progressed to the semi final stage.
 
20/02/06 TT No.183: Mick Burt - Bartley Green (Midland Combination Football League Division 2)
 
Saturday 18 February 2006  
Midland Combination Division 2
BARTLEY GREEN (1)1 DROITWICH SPA (0)1
Attendance: 45  Programme: 24pages £1

Situated just outside the hamlet of Illey in the borough of Halesowen, Bartley Green is, without a doubt, a club on the up. Previous members of the Mid Comb until the early 1970s, the club have enjoyed huge success as a Sunday club over the past 30 years or so but last summer they took the plunge to return to Saturday football. And what a welcome addition to the Saturday ranks they are!

The Illey Lane venue is, in my view, quite incredible. Located in the open countryside, a club name board is thankfully in place at the entrance so that visitors don't spend unnecessary time looking for it! A long track leads to the ground which is adjacent to a farm. Once inside the ground a training area is to the left and a car park straight ahead. To the right is a cluster of buildings used for storing ground equipment, the dressing rooms, and a superb tea bar that serves hot & cold drinks and a tasty array of hot sandwiches including bacon, sausage and black pudding. Almost adjacent to the tea bar is a building that houses a committee room and a lounge (the clubhouse is around two miles away in Bartley Green on the other side of the M5 motorway).

We received a conducted tour of the ground from chairman Dave Shepherd who is rightly proud of what has been achieved. The pitch is situated at the top of a grassed incline leading up from the car park and runs lengthways whilst being fully railed-off with some advert boards attached. Hard standing extends from the near corners to the halfway line on both sides of the ground with a seated stand for 70 spectators just beyond the midway mark on the right hand side. A basic area of cover is positioned in the near left hand corner, and an area of covered hard standing containing around thirty individual chairs is located between the edge of the near penalty area and the halfway line. Two long double-glazed dugouts are in place either side of the halfway line and a grassed bank spans the width of the pitch at the far end. At the near end a high steel mesh fence does likewise.

Bartley Green bossed the game for long spells and took the lead just before the break. Droitwich were certainly resolute in defence, and they snatched an equaliser from a 30 yard free kick midway through the second half. One half of the pitch was particularly heavy and this thwarted the homesters when Andy Cooper's header stuck in the mud on the goalline in the closing stages, hence "The Owls" promotion bid was somewhat hindered.

We were fortunate to get the first copy of the club's revamped programme which is indeed an excellent effort in keeping with a super club. And to round things off I won a bottle of wine in the raffle!  So, so enjoyable!
 
20/02/06 TT No.182: Stephen Harris - St.Ives Town (United Counties League Premier Division)
 
Saturday 18 February 2006; St Ives Town 1-3 Holbeach; UCL Prem; att c.64, teamsheet issued, admission £4

St Ives is a very pleasant town and easily reached for a day out on a frequent bus route running between Cambridge and Huntingdon. On a crisp but sunny winter’s day we enjoyed our time here, in particular our calls at the Oliver Cromwell pub and the Cock at Hemmingford Grey, a short walk away along the river. St Ives was thronged with people, only a handful of whom had this game in their day’s plans.
 
My headcount at the match came to 64, which seems a low attendance, but which I notice is almost exactly average for this league. Like at many small clubs, the attendance grew noticeably in the second half when a gate was no longer being taken. The Westwood Road ground is just ten minutes walk from the town centre and is a reasonable ground for this level. The whole pitch is surrounded by a very low white rail, which in turn is surrounded by either a tarred track or in places a concrete walkway, the latter looking to be freshly laid. The pitch was wet and cut up badly, it also slopes markedly from side to side. On the lower side is a brick stand which looks to have been fairly recently refurbished. This contains almost 100 second-hand plastic seats in blue and red and room for standing spectators as well, and is backed by a high Leylandii hedge which helps to give the ground an enclosed feel. Opposite, on higher ground is a clubhouse/dressing room/tea bar block which is starting to show its age and has a rather musty smell inside. In front of this is a stretch of terracing; four steps, half of which is covered. Almost the entire crowd stood here by the tea bar, the stand opposite appearing to be for strangers and tourists like us. The tea bar itself had a wider than usual menu including bacon rolls, chips and “mushy peas” – the latter a remarkable discovery so far south.
Having not seen Holbeach before I was disappointed to see them appear in pale blue, rather than the expected tiger stripes. They were clearly the better side in this mid-table clash and quickly took a 2-0 lead. St Ives raised hopes among home fans by first scoring a penalty and then saving a Holbeach penalty, but it was the away team who wrapped up the points with a late third. Match rating 3*
Very disappointingly there was no proper programme issued for this game. A folded teamsheet, albeit printed in colour, listing squads rather than actual players, was handed out on entry.
 
19/02/06 TT No.181: Paul Roth - Hatfield Town (Herts Senior County League Premier Division)
 
Hatfield Town vs. Elliott Star, HSCLP,  Sat 18th Feb, Res: 3-1, Att: 70ish, Programme 12 pages given away free.
 
Before I start my short résumé regarding yesterday's game at Hatfield I cannot continue without mentioning the fact that I had tried, for the third time, to visit Codicote FC. Once again I arrived at the end of Bury Lane to find, for the third occasion, their home game "OFF". In the NLP it gives the result as a 3-0 home win in their Aubrey cup tie against Sarratt but I assure the reader that this game was switched to the away side's ground. I give up ! I shall now only ever consider a visit there before the end of August or after the 1st of May!!
 
Wise now to "Codicote", I had a back up in mind, so it was swiftly down the A1M to Hatfield for their home game with Elliott Star, in the Herts. Senior league Prem Division. Their ground is to be found to the rear of the Birchwood Leisure complex, a place that would quite definitely put me off getting fit if I really needed to. In fact the whole town of Hatfield doesn't do a lot for me.
 
The ground itself is fully railed off but apart from goal nets and corner flags there is nothing else there, barring the complex building itself. Initially I was told that there might not be a programme as the "printer had broken".....where have I heard that one before?, but was pleasantly enamoured when one did arrive after about half an hour's play. A pretty good 12 pager this with a colour cover and lots of relevant news. The chap who handed me this asked if I travelled around a lot ,but was horrified when I explained that I went somewhere different each week .He then amazingly enquired if I was staying in the town overnight as he deemed Margate (98 miles hence) to be a terrific distance.
 
Luckily the game was pretty eventful with some cracking goals. Hatfield took the lead with a superb free kick that bent into the top of the Elliott Star net, and for once I was in just the right spot to appreciate the "bend". Two up at half time, the home side continued to dominate proceedings after the interval and went further ahead midway through the second half, and could have added more to there account with better finishing. The visitors got one back with a last gasp solo effort from their no.10.
 
For the record, a cafeteria backs onto the ground, situated in the sports complex, and all the usual hot and cold snacks are available therein.
 
A dismal place enlivened by a good game of football and a programme when I didn't think I was going to get one, so a FGIF rating of 3*......just !
 
16/02/06 TT No.180: Mike Latham - West Auckland Town (Northern League Division One)
 
Tuesday 14 Feb 2006. Northern League Division One: West Auckland Town 2-2 Billingham Town.  Attendance: 120est; Admission: £4; 28pp programme: 50pence; FGIF Match Rating: 3*

 

It was one of those huge dilemmas that we all face from time to time- go to the best match or a new ground? With the Gretna- Clyde cup replay a tempting prospect the journey up the M6 was undertaken wrestling with the decision of whether to venture across the border into familiar territory or try something new- the Darlington Road ground, home of West Auckland.

 

At J38 the decision to visit a new ground was made after a ‘phone call to the friendly secretary confirmed the game was definitely on despite all the recent rain. The journey through Barnard Castle’s impressive main street was negotiated easily and after several more miles along darkened deserted roads soon the floodlights of West Auckland FC were seen shining welcomingly in the distance.

 

Parking in the middle of the small town, with its impressive expanse of greenery, the narrow pathway up to the ground led to a turnstile block and a cheery greeting from the gateman. It was evident that a lot of loving care had been spent to make this one of the best appointed small grounds on the circuit. From the imposingly elegant wrought iron gates at the entrance to the immaculately painted white perimeter wall, the raised stepped terrace behind the nearside goal and the small covered standing area, committee rooms, tea bar and main stand on the far side here was a ground kept in tip-top order with mercifully little sight of the blight of vandalism that hinders so many clubs.

 

Though the pitch was undulating the surface was well grassed and true, allowing an entertaining game between two of the top six sides in the Northern League. A decent crowd had spurned the temptations to spend a romantic Valentine’s evening elsewhere and they enjoyed a game where the action flowed from end to end.

 

West Auckland’s programme, though smaller in size than some, contains all the necessary information and the club’s famous triumph in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1909 (the first “World Cup”) is outlined in detail. Lipton was a millionaire philanthropist who sought to encourage the developing sport of football by presenting a trophy for world competition to be staged in Italy. It is the story that every County Durham schoolboy knows before they learn their two times table and needs little repetition here. West Auckland defeated Stuttgart of Germany and FC Winterhour of Switzerland to lift the trophy in Turin. Invited back to defend their trophy two years later West Auckland defeated Juventus 6-1 in the final and the story was later made into a film, A Captain’s Tale, starring Dennis Waterman in 1981. Photographs from the film adorn the clubhouse walls. A friend of mine was a film extra in those days and “played” for Juventus in that game- a claim to fame that he recalls at every opportunity along with batting alongside Clive Lloyd in a testimonial cricket game. These days, sadly, he is lost to sport.  He is a media manager in rugby union.

 

The clubhouse at West Auckland has several interesting photographs upon its walls and the tea bar, though with a limited menu of pies, hot dogs, Bovril, tea and coffee, serves good quality fare at very reasonable prices- a huge cup of coffee with fresh milk was only 50p. And the club earn top marks by pinning up the two line-ups nearby so that everyone who wishes to do so can make the team changes in their programmes. Simple but effective and such a refreshing change from clubs- and there are many- that seem to think revealing the line-ups is some kind of weakness. One club secretary once famously quoted the Data Protection Act at me when I enquired of the team line-ups.

 

With its semi rural location, though light engineering works are located elsewhere, West Auckland is one of the most picturesque grounds in the Northern League. Even on a chilly February evening it was pleasant enough though the exposed location would make it a cold spot when the winds are whipping up. 

 

You can also buy the latest edition of the Northern League monthly magazine- Northern Ventures, Northern Gains- for the astoundingly cheap price of 30pence- the best value sporting publication around, in my humble opinion.

 

West Auckland twice took the lead in a fluid first half even though their prolific marksman, Mattie Moffat (33 goals in 37 games per the programme) was out of luck. The second goal was a Geoff Hurst World Cup 1966 replicate even though the linesman did not appear to be Russian. According to the programme he was from either Middlesbrough or Blyth. The Billingham goalkeeper, who looked a gnarled, silver haired veteran of many a Northern League contest had been offering said official considerable advice during the first half and appeared to have a view on anything- from offsides 80-yards away to the benefits of European Monetary Union. To his credit he engaged in cheerful banter with the home supporters behind his goal in the second half. But Billingham fought back well, equalising twice including on the stroke of half-time when those seeking an early advantage in the tea bar queue had an excellent view of a scrambled effort from a corner.

 

All those years ago there were several Northern League hops. Younger groundhoppers, who missed out, yearn for a repeat. Immortalised in Harry Pearson’s wonderful book of a decade or so ago, The Far Corner, the Northern League continues to offer superb value-for-money entertainment. Pearson commented that the youth of West Auckland have a “seemingly inexhaustible supply of spit.” After five minutes sitting in the main stand near a youth bearing an uncanny likeness to James Bolam, those qualities are being passed through the generations. The pitch may have been fine but the main stand must have been positively waterlogged by the end.

 

The journey home was treacherous with raging blizzards across the Pennines and heavy winds and driving rain back down the M6. But the trip had been well worthwhile. And Gretna, whose benefactor, the admirable Brooks Mileson (a Sir Thomas Lipton of today) remains a fantastic supporter of Northern League football, continued their fairytale with a 4-0 win that took them into the last eight of the Scottish Cup. Highly recommended.

 
16/02/06 TT No.179: Stephen Harris - Biggleswade United (South Midlands League Premier Division)
 
Tuesday 14 February 2006; Biggleswade United 0-0 Hillingdon Borough; Spartan SM Prem; att c.44, programme issued, admission £4

A couple of years ago I was at a Biggleswade Town game and peered through the hedge for a glimpse of Biggleswade United’s Second Meadow ground next door. Today matters were reversed as I finally made it to a United game – although only just, as our walk from the railway station to the ground kept getting interrupted by unavoidable pitstops at the Golden Pheasant, the Wheatsheaf and a tempting chip shop.
 
Entry is at the east end of the ground into a grassed car park with the spacious and pleasant clubhouse to your left. It was nice, and unusual, to be presented with a choice of real ales at a football club bar and it was a shame we had to dash off at the end for our train. There is also a tea bar here which opened before the game and again at half-time for drinks, hot food and chocs. Three sides of the ground have hard standing and are bordered by a high and sturdy fence which provides a good arm rest for spectators and catches most wayward balls. Far more effective than the usual low rail and I was only called upon for ballboy duties once, albeit making a fool of myself trying to retrieve the ball from where it was wedged under a parked car. The fourth side is bordered by the hedge boundary with their near, and it seems rather unloved, neighbours – whose pitch was busy tonight with a gang of kids churning up the goalmouth on their bicycles. The north side has a small, modern, brick stand between the dugouts which is separated into two parts, one with four steps of terracing and one with two rows of bench seating. Half an hour into the game an official appeared with mats for seated spectators to sit upon, which is another nice touch.
 
On a cold night, the small crowd was boosted by several from Hillingdon but apparently reduced by the fact that some of the regular home fans were absent, having been obliged to celebrate St. Valentine’s day elsewhere. Much of the talk was about Hillingdon’s unexpected progress in the FA Vase and whether their home crowd of 233 in the last round was a return to prominence for the club or actually a pretty poor turnout given the stage of the competition. Despite this Vase progress, it was United who looked the stronger side in a flowing game. Both sides created plenty of chances but few shots on target. The metalwork was rattled four times in all, but everything else was high and wide or straight at the ‘keepers and United should consider this as points dropped from a game they should have won.
 
A neat little match programme was included with admission.  The fact that only two copies were left by half time suggests the attendance of 44 (my headcount, not an official figure) was within expectation. I have a couple of spare copies from my philistine friends who usually deposit such items in the nearest bin, should anyone bump into me in the next week or so and want one. FGIF Match Rating 3*
 
13/02/06 TT No.178: Barry Neighbour - Rushall Olympic (Southern League Div 1 West) 
 
Saturday 11th February 2006 Rushall Olympic 3 Bracknell Town 0 Southern League Division 1 West Attendance: 61 (Rushall's lowest of the season) Programme: I dont know if I would describe this 88 Page effort as a programme as it was more like a small booklet containing all the facts and stats you need to know. At £1 it is probably the best value for money programme I have seen all season. - Match Rating 2*
 
Travelling to the game on the Bracknell coach we arrived early enough to visit the 3 local pubs by the ground. For Real Ale enthusiasts The Manor Arms by The Boathouse is highly recommended. The game itself was instantly forgettable. Rushall had an early effort ruled out for offside and Bracknell were appealling again in vain when an identical move finished up in their net to give the home side a 1-0 lead at the inyerval. Rushall doubled their lead early in the second half and their was no way back for Bracknell as they visibly wilted and their lack of confidence was obvious. It was no surprise to see Rushall score a 3rd to run out deserved winners and leave the visitors looking nervously over their shoulders in the relegation dogfight.
13/02/06 TT No.177: Mick Burt - Lyndhurst (Hampshire League) 
 
Saturday 11 February - Hampshire League "2004"
LYNDHURST (1) 2 UPHAM (1) 2   Att: 27
Prog issued - 16 pages 50p

Along with ten other travellers I ventured to the capital of the New Forest on Saturday to watch Lyndhurst entertain league leaders Upham.  A cracking game resulted with the high scoring visitors taking the lead with a blockbuster of a free kick before the prolific Vinny Fyfield restored parity with a deft lob on the run.  Upham restored their lead with a flying header ten minutes into the second half but again they were soon pegged back by a lively home side.  Play switched from end to end thereafter but there was no more score and a richly entertaining, open game of football finished all square at two apiece which was just about right.  The game was played in a fine spirit and was very well refereed.

The Wellands Road ground is easy to find being very central to the town, and it was quite a pleasant surprise I can tell you.  Enclosed with a car park, a fully railed-off pitch with hard standing on the side adjacent to the car park, dugouts on the same side, and a tea room which was on the go from a very early hour and you have an excellent set up for this level. Throw in the fascinating memorabilia that adorns the walls of the tea room (Lyndhurst are the second oldest club in Hampshire behind Fordingbridge Turks) and a newsy 16 page programme (the first issue for some ten years) and you have utopia.  A visit to this well run club is highly recommended.

I was speaking to one of the Upham committee who told me it was unlikely that they would ever return to their village ground as the pitch is too small for senior football.  The Reserve and 'A' teams still play there but since the formation of the re-born Hampshire League the first team have been "in exile" at the Worthies Sports & Social Club in Kings Worthy some six miles away.  They do not issue programmes and I got the impression that such a venture at present is unlikely but you never know .....
 
12/02/06 TT No.176: Dennis Woods - Bovingdon (Herts Senior County League Division)
 
On Saturday Steven Crawley and I drove to Great Missenden station to pick up fellow hopper Peter Franks. Our plan was to see Prestwood play Rayners Lane in the Hellenic League East Division. As the weather was fine and dry we thought that there was no need to contact the club to check the fixture. What a big mistake that turned out to be. On driving into the car park we noticed a lack of cars and corner flags and our worst nightmare was confirmed by the receptionist at the leisure centre telling us that the game had been called off, early in the morning by the referee as the pitch was frozen. I won't make too much of a comment here other than to say he obliviously didn't look at the temperature predicted later in the day and if the pitch had been any softer we would have sunk in it. So we looked at another venue.
 
We got the thumbs up from Bovingdon and headed there, making their 2:45 kick off with 10 minutes to spare (for the game against St.Peters). Bovingdon are currently in the Herts Senior League Division One. A good 16 page programme was issued for 50p and no admission was taken for the match it self. A large covered stand with bench type seating was much better than expected. A smallest clubhouse was only open after the game and rolls and cups of tea were available at half time.  We travelled by car but I believe the Hemel Hempstead to Watford bus passes quite close to the ground.
 
Bovingdon scored the only goal after 7 minutes, but had both sides not finished so poorly it could have easily been 3-2. A crowd of 18 were present. Thank you Bovingdon for saving our day. As for Prestwood, I think we will phone to confirm the fixture next time. For those using public transport. The nearest station to Prestwood is Great Missenden and it is about a 2 mile walk up a very steep hill.
 
12/02/06 TT No.175: Mike Latham - Squires Gate (NWCL) in FAV5
 
Saturday 11 Feb 2006. FA Vase 5th Round: Squires Gate 2-1 Newcastle Benfield.  Attendance: 146; Admission: £6; 44pp programme: £1.50; FGIF Match Rating: 3*

 

Squires Gate enjoyed the biggest day in their history, moving into the last eight of the FA Vase with a hard fought victory over their Northern League opponents.

 

Situated in Marton, between Blackpool and Lytham St Annes and close to Blackpool airport Squires Gate’s School Road ground backs on to neighbouring Wren Rovers, once in the NWCL and now in the West Lancashire League. Blackpool Mechanics’ ground, off Jepson Way, is a five minutes’ walk away.

 

The main approach to the ground, situated in a semi rural location despite being only a short drive from J4 of the M55 motorway, is up a narrow lane that also leads to the local school. The ground is rather basic but there is everything in place for the club’s requirements, considering their usual crowds are around the 50 or 60-mark. They are now in their third season of NWCL division one football having been elected to that league originally in 1991. Prior to that Gate (formed in 1948) played in the Blackpool & District League and the Fylde District League before spending thirty years in the West Lancashire League.

 

There is a small but well appointed club house by the entrance, an excellent tea bar manned by very friendly staff that did a roaring trade on a bitterly cold day (despite not having the football staple of pies on the menu) and a trio of small covered stands, two either side of the halfway line on the club house side and the third in the corner behind the goal at right angles to the club house. On the far side of the ground, along the touchline behind the dug outs another small cover, this time with no seating accommodation, provides further respite from the elements.  This side of the ground is extremely tight with very little room for other than one line of spectators. The rest of the ground is open flat standing behind the perimeter fence though there is a small grassed bank behind the near side goal.

 

The Squires Gate manager had been on BBC Radio Lancashire during the week outlining the build-up. He expressed his concern that about ten of his side were soon to be involved in an important local Sunday League game, five players each on opposing sides and worried about the prospect of injuries disrupting their Vase campaign. That is a worry for the future as Gate scored early on and after Benfield equalised with a penalty sealed the tie with a close range goal midway through the second half. The game was played in an excellent spirit and was hard fought and competitive throughout.

 

With the Nantwich-Buxton Vase tie falling foul of a frozen pitch a good number of travellers re-routed to the Fylde coast and the visitors brought around 80 supporters with them to help create a good atmosphere. Taking that into account Gate must have been disappointed with the paying gate and response from the local people especially as Blackpool FC were away from home. This is a friendly club with good basic facilities and a visit here is stress-free and enjoyable.

 
09/02/05 TT No.174: Stephen Harris - Colliers Wood United (Combined Counties League Premier Division)
 
Wednesday 8 February 2006; Colliers Wood United 0–2 Merstham; CoCo Premier; att 75, programme issued, admission £5

Around a year ago I saw a game at Greenwich Borough and a few weeks after that I realised that this meant I had watched football at the home ground of every senior football club in Greater London. A minor groundhopping milestone, all the less impressive when you consider it had taken a pedestrian 29 years to achieve since I first wandered onto the terraces at Brisbane Road in 1976. The whole thing became much more important however when I discovered that my good friend Robert had somehow inexplicably failed to see a game at Uxbridge and I had therefore achieved the milestone a few weeks before him – something to be mentioned at every opportunity.
The trouble is, such records have to be maintained and that means that for several months now I have been putting off a trip to Colliers Wood United who have returned this season from their exile in Croydon. Last night was the big night and I headed off into deepest south-west London. The Wibbandune Sports Ground lies at the edge of Wimbledon Common in an area of open parkland and unnecessarily large houses – it is not in Colliers Wood. The set-up is similar to that at Mole Valley Predators (TT 42), although all round a little neater and smarter. You enter the ground through a small car park to a fully-railed pitch at one side of a larger sports ground. There is hard standing all around and additional spectator facilities on just one side. These are centered on a pleasant club house/tea bar/dressing room block, which has a small area of cover attached to the front between the two dugouts. Around 30 plastic seats are set out in this area. All-important are the new and powerful floodlights which have made games possible once more at this venue. Hot drinks and filled rolls were available from the clubhouse.
Merstham are going all-out for promotion and looked a good side. Colliers are no mugs either though and this was a very good game with a real end-to-end first half. Goalless at half-time with Merstham looking most likely, the goal finally game shortly after the break. Just after that though an away player was sent off, leading to a much tighter second half. Merstham eventually went further ahead with a last minute penalty. Very enjoyable; Match Rating 4*
 
A thin programme was included with admission and further copies were on sale for £1. Now of course I have to find an opportunity to see a game at London APSA’s new location, and soon it will be Arsenal’s turn I guess, if I am to maintain the full set.
 
08/02/06 TT No.173: Mike Latham - Biddulph Victoria (Midland Football Alliance)
 
Tuesday 7 Feb 2006. Harvey World Travel Midland Football Alliance: Biddulph Victoria 5-0 Causeway United.  Attendance: 60est; Admission: £4; 44pp programme: £1; FGIF Match Rating: 3*

 

Heavy rain on the M6 motorway and on the approach road to Biddulph through Congleton from J17 was hardly the best preparation for a rare foray into the Midland Alliance but any negative thoughts about the wisdom of spending a Tuesday evening in the straggling Staffordshire town were soon dispelled.

 

A warm welcome at the gate, a friendly official only too please to give out the team line-ups (after encountering a wall of secrecy at recent visits to other clubs this was a welcome change) and an excellent pint of Ruddles County on handpump in the clubhouse raised the spirits.

 

The Vics produce an excellent 44-page programme full of interesting reports, historical articles and statistics that is a credit to editor John Shenton and this helped pass the time before kick-off on a rain soaked though relatively mild evening.

 

Sharing their facilities with the cricket club, the football ground is effectively three-sided with a white post and rail fence around the perimeter of the pitch. The only cover is a bench seated stand behind the nearside goal with a capacity, according to the programme, of 224. The overall ground capacity is 1,075 though this mark was never going to be tested for this game.

 

The cricket ground boasts an imposing black and white pavilion and a distinctive scoreboard and was the venue for a couple of Derbyshire county games in the 1980s in the Sunday League. There is a club house shared by the cricket and football clubs and behind the far goal is an all weather floodlit pitch.

 

Formerly known as Knypersley Vics before changing their name in 2002 the Vics are a friendly club and boast an excellent tea bar where the pie and peas come heartily recommended. The dressing rooms and committee room are also located behind the nearside goal.

 

With the weather so poor all but a handful of the spectators gathered in the covered stand and saw the homesters earn a convincing victory. After going in 1-0 ahead at the break they added four more in the second half. The game was played in a good sprit and was splendidly refereed by Bolton official Mr Siddall.

 

On a sunny afternoon the Tunstall Road ground would be a splendid place to watch a decent standard of football and even on a miserably wet evening in deep winter it was good to be out and about. A visit here is a rewarding one.

 
06/02/06 TT No.172: Stephen Harris - Desborough Town (United Counties League Premier Division)
 
Saturday 4 February 2006; Desborough Town 1-3 Yaxley; UCL Premier; att c.62, programme issued, admission £3.50

I found myself with spare time in Kettering on Saturday, with a wide choice of fixtures in the area and opted to visit Desborough, just 15 minutes away by bus. The towering corner floodlights of the Waterworks Field ground are immediately obvious as you enter this small Northamptonshire town – just as well really as there is precious little else to detain you here. The George did serve a reasonable pint however and I was able to stock up on some excellent pies from the family butcher on the main street.

The ground is fabulously ramshakle; a real connoisseur’s special. The turnstiles lead in to a covered end. The central section of this is an ancient and battered corrugated iron box, painted dark blue and with a rather narrow opening through which to watch the action. It feels more like a birdwatching hide than a football terrace. Alongside this is a more modern cover surrounding the entrance itself, by the corner flag. Fifty percent of the crowd stood here, not venturing more than twenty feet from the entrance. The side to the left of the entrance has cover over a gentle gravel slope, extending almost to the halfway line. Sitting astride the halfway line is a very old wooden stand. This has five rows of wooden bench seats and is in a poor state of repair, with the roof noticeably slumped at one end. Beyond here is a shallow open terrace made of bricks and rubble. The far end and the other side are uncovered, with a rail and concrete walkway. A marvelous place for stadium addicts like me, but I hope the health and safety people don’t have reason to visit. On the basis of what is there today, it is inconceivable how 8,000 people once apparently attended a game here against Kettering Town. Immediately outside the ground is the Ar Tarn Social Club, busy with people watching the televised Welsh Sports game from Twickenham. Hot food and drinks were available from here at half time.
 
Yaxley totally dominated a scrappy first half going ahead on the half hour through a penalty and following this up with a long-range effort a few minutes later. Desborough picked up in the second half to make a game of it, eventually pulling one back with five minutes to go. But Yaxley scored a third almost immediately after to make the game safe and leave Desborough looking nervously at the league table.
 
A programme with all the basics sold for a sensible 50p and Issue 1 of the UCL News was available for a further 50p. Match Rating 3*
 
05/02/06 TT No.171: Paul Roth - Maldon Town (Ryman League Premier Division)
 
Maldon Town vs. Worthing; Ryman League Premier Division; Sat 4th February 2006;  Res: 2-0; Att: 121; Entry: £8;  44 page programme - £2
 
With a few choices open to me I plumped for Maldon Town today as it was long overdue that I visit their not so new ground in Park Drive, having visited the old Fambridge Road ground back in 1993.
 
The day started badly with a serious accident on the M2 and this put my timing back by almost an hour and a half but of course this pales into insignificance when you know  someone has been seriously "hurt." Their for the grace of God. Anyhow I still had enough time to travel past Maldon itself and visit a couple of pubs picked from the GBG, The Chequers at Goldhanger being particularly noteworthy.
 
Arriving at the ground 30 mins before kick off, I paid £8 for entry and £2 for the 44 page programme, a large tome that flattered to deceive being very top heavy on adverts.
 
The arena is typical of so many new builds with a small seated stand on the far side and a small covered terrace to the left as one enters. There is no other cover and just hard standing all round. The clubhouse is on the right and as it is so new lacks any character, this of course being my own personal view. I felt if my visit to Park Drive had been for a Vase quarter final tie against a northern side I would have come away thinking what a nice venue this was but for a Ryman Premier League fixture I was hugely disappointed. By the end of the afternoon I was even questioning the Lux value of the floodlights as they seemed to make little impression in the gathering gloaming!!!
 
From all of this, no doubt, the reader can gather the match itself was a pretty dour affair. The first half was spent by both sets of players aimlessly booting the ball up and down the pitch but at least Maldon did somehow manage to hit the crossbar! To my utter astonishment one Worthing supporter I overheard actually thought what a cracking first half it had been. No, surely not!
 
Tea taken from the modest catering pavilion, the second half got under way and was in truth better than the first....it had to be. Surprisingly Maldon took the lead from a close range header and added a second and ultimate match clincher, from the penalty mark when a mazy run from the no 8 ended with him being hacked down in the box. Worthing contributed very little as the match petered out into a welcome win for the struggling Essex side.
 
All in all a gloomy game played on a gloomy February day.
 
FGIF rating 2*
 
01/02/06 TT No.170: Paul Roth - Union Deportivo Vecindario (Spanish La Liga 2B Group 1)
 
Sun 29 Jan 2006: Union Deportivo Vecindario vs. Union Deportivo Las Palmas; Spanish La Liga 2B Group 1; Res: 1-0  Att: 2800 (as per local newspaper); No Programme; Entry: 12 Euros.
 
Before setting off for our week in the sun I had sought out games for the Sunday and had hoped that Las Palmas might be at home....when we last were on holiday here they were in the top division but have slipped down the league pyramid since....but seeing they were away to Vecindario had me wondering where this was. To my utter joy I discovered the town was only 20 kilometres from our hotel in the lovely resort of Maspalomas. The wife's consent given and after some sunbathing, a light lunch poolside and a couple of Cruzcampo beers, I set off to get the No. 25 bus up to Vecindario.....in truth a double was possible today as Universidad de Las Palmas were at home to Castillo, only 15 k's from my resort, with a noon kick off but that would have been too selfish on my part. Arriving in the town, famous in my AA guidebook for it's tomato production, on a Sunday afternoon it was clear that Vecindario was closed...not a shop or bar was open. Quickly finding the Avienda De La Union where the club play, I walked up to the stadium which had a few people milling around and bought my entry ticket for 12 euros and then had a walk round the outside of the ground. What is nice about the small stadium is that it is compact and is jammed in between houses giving it an intimate feel....not exactly Gresley Rovers but nonetheless atmospheric. A few beers in their clubhouse which had the feel more of a big Tappas bar and a look at old photos adorning the walls and it was almost time for kick off.
 
The stadium itself is all seated with a long covered stand running the entire length of the nearside, seats behind the goal to the right as one enters and more uncovered seating across the entire length of the far side. As I entered the first surprise was that the pitch is artificial and was being watered with it's own built in sprinkling system. Hordes of Las Palmas fans were now streaming in and their colourful yellow and blue shirts made for carnival feeling as the start approached. I took up my position behind the goal to the right fully expecting the away side to rip into Vecindario as "The Palms" had beaten the top side last weekend and were now 2nd and "Vecci" were in 13th spot (out of 20) but it just did not happen. In fact the artificial surface had Las Palmas in all sorts of trouble and it was deservedly so that Vecindario took the lead with a neat half volley from a corner. The home fans went wild and it was now their band and drummers making all the noise. After 30 mins the game as a spectacle ended with the harsh sending off of the home team's  No. 8. From now on it was just to be an exercise in how to waste time and in all honesty I doubt if I have ever seen a team do this so well; even the ball boys were at it!  For all their huff and puff it wasn't until the last few minutes of the eight minutes of added time that the visitors really had a decent chance, but even this was snuffed out by the 10 men in black and white shirts who blockaded their penalty area as if their lives depended on it. As the tension grew and at long last the final whistle blew it felt that the whole of the provincial town of Vecindario exploded with joy; tonight the bars would be open! Even to me it was evident this was a most famous victory, borne out by the front page headline the game received in the local Canarian press. After the game, and it took me a long while to find one, I taxied back to the hotel after a most interesting and enjoyable afternoon of football.
 
For those interested the match I saw in Lge 2B is at the third level in Spanish football and at this level there are 4 groups of 20 clubs split into regional zones, the winners of each going forward to contest a play off at the end of the season to ultimately decide promotion. I had previously visited Deportivo Maspalomas at their huge and impressive stadium some six years ago and they were at home again on Sunday and currently languish near the bottom of the league below Vecindario's. I dug out lots of information regarding football on the Canary Islands with the help of "Google" including websites, fixtures, league tables and even ground photographs and thoroughly commend a trip to see a match; but I suppose I would say that wouldn't I!
 
End