Men of Kent beat Kentish Men

Sporting Club Thamesmead

Following the midweek postponement of Maidenhead United's fixture against Farceborough, I was struggling for replacement entertainment with an invitation to play cricket falling foul of the weather and a late check for seats at Craven Cottage revealing only options which were not undercover but definitely overpriced, so I decided to head for a part of London with which I was unfamiliar to watch the Isthmian Premier Division match between Thamesmead Town and Margate.

View from the stand

Arriving at Woolwich Arsenal via the Docklands Light Railway I walked past the former entrance to the Royal Arsenal en route to the bus stop. This was appropriate as it was on the former Arsenal firing range that the modern post war suburb of Thamesmead was built. My destination became recognisable when I saw the flats featured in Stanley Kubrick's notorious film adaptaion of Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange.

However thoughts of ultraviolence faded and as I alighted from the bus and wandered up Bayliss Avenue to the ground entrance in surroundings more reminiscent of Brookside. The brand new development known as Sporting Club Thamesmead soon came into view. This consisted of an artificial pitch and other leisure facilities with the building topped by a stand facing onto the Thamesmead Town pitch.

Entry was £10 with £2 for an excellent programme, the same as charged at Maidenhead United. This was the third home game of the campaign so with a season's best attendance of 94 mainly consisting of Margate's travelling contingent clearly a lot of marketing needs to be done to make the club viable at this level. With a fair sized local population isolated by unsympathetic roadways surely the best way to boost these paltry crowds is reduce prices?

Margate free kick with a backdrop of the Eastern way

The keynote element of the development, the stand also revealed a major flaw as two of the three rows of seats got soaked in the rain that persisted all afternoon. At least a standing area behind the seats was provided, an option that is being considered as part of the development of the new stand at York Road.

The all Kent clash provided something of a David and Goliath affair with Margate's men of Kent featuring virtually an all ex Conference South line up most notably including last season's title winner at Welling Scott Kinch, whilst John Scarborough aside Thamesmead's team belied its lowly origins.

Whilst Sussex might be my favourite football county for the nature of its grounds, Kent have the history and tradition, and it looks like Margate are shaping up for another tilt at a return to the Conference South after last season's effort was derailed by manager Chris Kinnear leaving for rivals Dover in January. He was replaced rather unusually by goalkeeper Craig Holloway who is still in his 20s, ably assisted by veteran Simon Osborn. 

Certainly Margate showed their superiority in the final result of 2-0 but the wet conditions helped Thamesmead to make a real fight of the game, the points only being sealed in stoppage time. With both teams opting to line up in 4-4-2 formation there was an element of cancelling each other out which once the rain had slowed the game down and the referee made it clear he was not going to let play flow, meant it was hardly a classic game to watch.

Margate attacked with much more incisiveness and were frequently denied by man of the match, goalkeeper Rob Budd. Thamesmead although enjoying long periods of pressure in the second half had a significant lack of quality and pace up front, striker Michael Power resembling a taller version of Lee Devonshire. Perhaps their best chance of a goal came in the opening minutes when an innovative corner kick routine reminiscent of George Graham's Arsenal, led to a headed clearance off the line by Kinch. This was quickly followed by Margate's first goal, a doubly deflected Phil Walsh strike.

Thamesmead first half corner

Unlike other local games at Charlton and Thurrock there was no chance of the game being interrupted by the at times torrential rain. Despite the Thames being just a short walk way there did not appear to be so much as a puddle on the pitch. 

Thamesmead second half pressure

Extra pace in the form of substitutes Lanre Azeez and Warren Whitely ensured Margate maintained their attacking threat and indeed it was the former who confirmed the result deep into stoppage time with virtually the last action of the game.

Pacquette swings it for Maidenhead

The view from the Bell Street End as the clock ticks down

Hayes & Yeading United have provided in the last decade the closest approximation of a local derby for the Magpies. They possess all the qualities that the hypothetical derby against Basingstoke lacks, plenty of overlap between the playing staff, decent fans, and their Woking sojourn aside, an easy to reach crowd just up the M4/Great Western Mainline. Arguably the ludicrous abeyance over their move to the revamped Warren has only heightened the atmosphere as York Road provides the opportunity for the Hayes fans to attend a match that is as close as they are going to get to a home game at present. Joining the visiting fans were plenty of faces old and new, contributing to a crowd that at 460 topped last season's best by 10%.

Before the kick off all the ingredients for a great night were in place with old friends sharing good news. The first half saw Hayes on top as they presented a much sterner challenge in the midfield than Whitehawk had on Saturday. This led to plenty of pressure on a Maidenhead defence which had Bobby Behzadi back at right back, with Mark Nisbet moving into the middle to replace Curtis Ujah who missed the game for personal reasons.This pressure was applied most strongly down the left where it was enough to lead to errors at the back. One of these led to the game's opening goal when Behzadi committed a foul in a far from threatening position in the penalty area, Jake Reid converting the spot kick with aplomb.

Maidenhead had to work hard to build the momentum required for an equaliser, with Michael Jaimez-Ruiz in the Hayes goal dealing with the Magpies' rare efforts with relative ease. Firstly he pushed wide a Richard Pacquette shot from distance, then stood up well to block a Harry Pritchard shot when the left winger received a through ball from Michael Pook. A well worked free kick routine found Adrian Clifton at short range of the goal but Hayes got enough bodies behind the ball to deflect the shot wide.

After the break Hayes continued to look good value for their lead, until with only eight minutes of the second half gone, United manager Johnson Hipployte made a double substitution which revitalised his team. Reece Tison-Lascaris and Michael Pook were replaced by Tony Mendy and Wada Ahmidi, allowing Danny Green to slot into his more familiar wing position. 

The resilient character that was much in evidence on Saturday was shown once again as Maidenhead persisted in the search for a goal until Hayes cracked. The equaliser came with twenty one minutes remaining when a Pritchard corner saw the winger get a second chance at a cross, the ball finding its way to Matt Ruby on the edge of the six yard box, the defender forcing the ball over the line at the third attempt. Three minutes later, another former Hayes player completed the comeback with the champagne moment of the night. Pacquette fired off another shot from the edge of the penalty area which appeared to be going wide until it swung in like a Jimmy Anderson delivery to nestle in the corner of the net.

Just to rub salt into the wound of Hayes' collapse Adam Everitt was sent off for a second caution although his teammates managed to keep the deficit to one clearing a Tony Mendy effort off the line after the young striker had rounded the keeper.

The final whistle signalled the end to one of those memorable nights at York Road with even the International Space Station popping by to watch as it flew in orbit over head, the attraction of football at this level continuing as I caught the train home with fans and players alike. Bring on Farceborough!

White Hawk Down

A good start to the new season with a trip to my favourite footballing county of Sussex to Whitehawk, the Brighton suburb whose football club steamrollered their way to the Isthmian League title last season thanks to their owner's largesse.
A quick dash to the sea by train is followed by a walk along the front in weather far removed from the heatwave in which the country found itself when I went on holiday in late July. With Whitehawk's ground being a good hike from the centre I was glad that the weather was not so bad as to stop the operation of the Volk's Electric Railway which sped me along the coastline to the Marina from which it was a ten minute walk to the ground.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Whilst walking up the interminable drive which led from Wilson Avenue to Whitehawk’s enclosed ground I considered there would be two possible outcomes to the opening day of the season: either the home team’s galacticos would play the Magpies off the park, or Maidenhead would catch the new boys cold and come away with an unexpected three points.

Fortunately it was the latter scenario which came to pass. This was pleasantly unexpected as reflected by pre match odds of 7/2, a gamble that would only have been greater had the bookies heard the team news which saw both stalwart full backs Bobby Behzadi and Leon Solomon withdraw through illness and injury respectively, and striker Michael Malcolm ruled out after failing a late fitness test.

However virtually from the kick off it was clear Maidenhead had the capacity to upset the odds when a Reece Tison-Lascaris through ball set up Richard Pacquette only for the striker to pull his shot wide. It wasn’t long before Whitehawk replied in kind and an entertaining game ensued, the crucial difference being United’s ability to hit the back of the net.

Land of a thousand scaffolding poles

In contrast to the excitement on the pitch the surroundings were quite desperate with the only change to the ground since United’s last visit in 1999 for an FA Cup tie being two temporary stands at either end, with one having a half finished roof and innumerable scaffolding poles. At least the addition of a white hawk on the hill above drew attention away from chalk bank which ran the length of one touchline and was off limits to supporters. Incidentally this was the bank (then covered with grass) where Lee Channell was christened “Porno” back on that sunny summer’s day at the end of the last century.

The White Hawk and Porno's bank

Back to the football, and an intriguing contest was developing with each side taking a different route to goal. The home side exploited the wings, whilst Maidenhead with impressive debutant Adrian Clifton to the fore, passed their way through the centre of the midfield. This approach saw Clifton emulate Pacquette’s miss in the opening minute whilst up the other end Elvijs Putnins did well to tip a Jake Robinson shot around the post.

My view of the first half

Maidenhead then opened the scoring in fortuitous circumstances when a Pacquette cross from the right was met by Danny Green. His effort struck defender Tom Cadmore so the ball looped over the hapless keeper and into the back of the net midway through the first half.

The game continued as before with United still looking dangerous whilst Whitehawk hit the woodwork twice by the interval. The second occasion seeing Tommy Fraser rattle Putnins crossbar with a free kick.

After the break Whitehawk laid siege to the Maidenhead penalty area, but the Magpies responded in kind, showing a great unity of purpose, literally barring the way to goal with black and white shirts. With Clifton moving to right back to replace the injured Mark Nisbet, the Hawks ramped up the pressure but could not quite fashion an equaliser, coming closest when a diving header found its way through a forest of legs only to be met by a tremendous save at full stretch by Putnins.

Inevitably gaps began to open in the home team defence as they committed more and more men forward, giving Maidenhead the opportunity to seal the win. This became a reality with fifteen minutes remaining when Green returned the favour for his goal by swinging a corner from the right to the far post to Pacquette to head home.

Ten minutes later Harry Pritchard applied the coup de grace with the goal of the game, a typically classy strike with his right foot from the edge of the box which curled its way into the far corner.

Thus the final whistle signalled the end to a great opening day performance by the Magpies which by virtue of the margin of victory sent them to the top of the league to provide an opportunity for much celebration in the countless pubs of Brighton.

As for Whitehawk I'm sure this will be a wake up call as to the nature of the standard of Conference South football. The quality of their squad suggests they will be a top half side and surely their aim will be to consolidate on the pitch so they can bring their ground up to standard. Their neighbours Brighton & Hove Albion are the best supported club in the Football League, whilst just up the road Lewes have attracted two 500+ crowds to their opening home games despite being relegated last season. With clearly a keen appetite for football in the area Whitehawk must be embarrassed by a crowd of 150, with Brighton playing up north and Maidenhead providing 20% of the crowd. Surely some covered terracing would help although I guess they are a bit stuck with the currently closed chalk bank along one touchline.I just hope they don't turn into the new Truro.

The original stand set well back from the touchline

Style council crushed by the wheels of industry

Merstham take a corner from the Albury End

Back in the UK from my holiday I found that the football season was in full swing in plenty of divisions so I selected a hors d'oeuvre last Wednesday night ahead of  Maidenhead United's opener at the weekend.

An Isthmian League Division One South clash between Merstham and Ramsgate offered the right combination of accessibility and a new ground with a hint of a Magpie connection in the shape of new Merstham captain Lee Newman or as he used to be known during my tenure as programme editor "the diminutive blonde striker". Merstham is also the setting for former Maidenhead United Chairman (and current President) Jim Parsons' oft repeated anecdote about it being the venue where he came closest to sacking a manager on the spot. The occasion was an FA Vase defeat in the autumn of 1989 and it was a good job he he didn't as within twelve months Martyn Spong was leading the Magpies on a record breaking run of wins which would ultimately lead to promotion.

TU Tea

Alighting from the train I found the expected leafy suburban Surrey stockbroker town so it was a surprise to find that the ground was located on the other side of the tracks in the middle of a council estate.The first person I met after I went through the turnstile was programme seller Bob McGillivray with whom I share the pages of For The Love of the Game (pic 3 on link). After a brief discussion about the new club captain I assured him I would be rooting for Merstham. Judging by the crowd of 119 which contained a fair contingent from Ramsgate, they needed my support but I didn't much persuading to favour the home team with their well appointed ground (excellent surface with both ends named cricket style), stylish Adidas strip and tea served in a trade union mug!

My support was secured soon after kick off when it became apparent that the game would be a real clash of styles with Merstham determined to pass their way to goal in the face a physical approach from the visitors. With Newman on the bench, ironically the home team's weak link was striker Aaron Stone who wasn't quite able to capitalise from the excellent right flank combination of Jordan Wilson (full back) and Troy Williams (winger) and the mercurial talent of Aaron Rhule on the opposite side.

However Merstham's style proved to be their downfall. After the portly goalkeeper from Kent Darren Hawkes had shown surprisingly agility and ingenuity to deal with a couple of attacks, Ramsgate started to expose a shaky defence exemplified by the poor handling of Hawkes opposite number Brannon Daly. Sadly it was centre back Liam Harwood who was guilty of the error which led to the opening goal, giving the ball away minutes after hitting a couple of tremendous pass forward, Darren Pilcher applying a neat finish to score. 

Ramsgate then gained the upperhand with their up and at 'em approach demonstrated when centre back Ollie Schulz ran the length of the pitch to confront an opponent after the referee had given the away team a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. A further incident of handbags before half team suggested the match might turn ugly before the interval.

Put your handbags away boys

After the break Merstham pushed hard for an equaliser and did everything but score, Hawkes again denying them a goal with two superb last ditch stops on the line. Ramsgate then scored a killer second goal when Andrew Miller was first to the loose ball to score after an initial shot from Ian Pulman had hit the post. Merstham continued to stick to their principles with Newman coming on to demonstrate he still has the knack of creating space in the penalty area with a short burst of pace. However this time they were continuously foiled by a well sprung offside trap which held itself together deep into the Ramsgate half. So the final score finished 2-0 to the visitors who depressingly will probably prosper this season. I hope Merstham carry on with their footballing experiment and get their just reward in due course.

Warming Up

 

I've never been a big fan of pre season friendlies as for me they mark the beginning of the end of the cricket season rather than the advent of the new football campaign. Still with the ECB doing their damnedest to ensure there is little or no meaningful cricket to watch on a midsummer Saturday I headed north to Wingate & Finchley's well appointed ground in the aptly named Summers Lane to catch a glimpse of what would await me at York Road when I returned from my holiday in mid August.

Any notion of watching incognito disappeared when I was spotted by a local member of the non league Twitterati Mike Bayly on arrival in the bar. Catching up with the North London scene, two mysteries emerged: how homeless Hendon are attracting big names to play for them and what is the point of Boreham Wood? As the match kicked off we exchanged info on our respective XIs, Maidenhead appearing to field what may well be a first choice line up come August whilst Wingate included the odd trialist along with ex Magpie Dean Mason.

Thus the first half went as expected with United dominating, new attacking signings Danny Green and Michael Malcolm impressing most. However although enough chances were created to provide an opportunity for a half time declaration, the superb form of trialist goalkeeper Cain Davies and the profligacy of the United attack led to just the one score which was equalled ahead of the interval from the penalty spot.

For Maidenhead it was fitting that Malcolm opened the scoring in the 27th minute, as it was his free kick which led to the corner from which he scored. Malcolm went closing from another free kick from distance later in the half and the way he combined with strike partner Richard Pacquette bodes well for the season ahead. Likewise in Danny Green it looks like Maidenhead will have a right winger to balance the prodigious talent of Harry Pritchard on the left.

Finchley's equaliser came in rather fortunate circumstances when an innocuous cross reared up and struck Curtis Ujah's hand with no attacker in sight. Leon Smith calmly despatched the spot kick. 

After the break Maidenhead switched their front four for the raw talents of Reece Tison-Lascaris, Anthony Mendy, Ryan De Bastien and a left sided player simply known as Mo. With Davies not required to exert himself to the same extent as the first half, it was Wingate who came closest to a winner when they hit the cross bar thirteen minutes into the second half. The main value to the second half from a Maidenhead point of view was to get a glimpse of other new faces such as Matt Ruby and Wada Ahmidi. 

With faces put to names the final whistle signalled the end of my pre season, my next match falling on the opening day of the Skrill South season at Whitehawk.

Frauleins beat men to Euro glory

Stamford Bridge provided the location for a fitting end to my football season at the Women's UEFA Champions League Final. Having enjoyed the corresponding fixture two years ago at Craven Cottage, the fact that admission was doubled to £10 was not a problem as I went to see if Olympique Lyonnais could win a third successive final against Vfl Wolfsburg,

However the evening was a pretty anodyne experience compared to that at homely Fulham, an impression which was formed as soon as I was greeted by a phalanx of five bouncers and signs informing me of football prices at the local Wetherspoons. 

A crowd approaching 20,000 gathered at the Bridge to watch a tense affair with the French meriting their favourites tag throughout, the winger of two years ago Louisa Necib controlling the game from the middle of the pitch. They were unable to break down the German defence though, Wolfsburg maintaining a breakaway threat throughout and once they had weathered an early second half storm, Martina Muller took advantage of a generous penalty award to score what proved to be the winning goal from the penalty spot.

Weary Wigan surrender to fate

L for Latics

A wet Tuesday evening in North London was the backdrop to what finished as a comfortable win for Arsenal but what, up to the hour  mark was a keenly contested game.

Playing for an essential three points to keep up hopes of winning the soul destroying race for Champions League Football, Arsenal started brightly when Lukas Podolski opened the scoring with a header. With the Gunners well in control a jaded Wigan looked to have run out of gas after their awesome FA Cup win last Saturday.

Having been applauded onto the pitch by all corners of the stadium the small knot of Latics fans, penned appropriately in a small L shaped section of the normal away end, comfortably made themselves heard, and as complacency crept into the Arsenal ranks, Athletic began to get into the game.

Failing to score a second that would have killed off the game, Arsenal began to sit deeper and become preoccupied with referee Mike Dean's decisions. An athletic toe poke by Laurent Koscielny saved the blushes of Wojciech Szczesny when he came out late to challenge Arouna Kone and it was no surprise when Shaun Maloney levelled the score with a delightful free kick just ahead of half time.

At half time a pitchside interview with ex Gunner Brian Talbot introduced some perspective to the argument about squad rotation as his remarkable feat of being on the pitch for every second of Arsenal's 70 matches in the marathon 1979-80 season was recalled.

After the break Wigan continued to show the spirit and invention required to win the match and with Arsenal also needing to win an open game ensued. It was clear that the next goal was going to be crucial and the tide turned in Arsenal's favour when Szczesny pulled off a decent save from Kone. The sorcery of Santi Cazorla then paid divdends as the Spaniard set up three goals in nine minutes for Theo Walcott, Podolski and Aaron Ramsey the latter seeing the Welshman cap another solid game with a deft finish.

At the final whistle Wigan dejectedly plodded over to thank their supporters. Although many sounded the death knell for the club following their failure to once again save themselves at the last from relegation its timely to note that it was Paul Jewell who led them to promotion into the Premier League. There are plenty of managers of Jewell's ilk around for manager Dave Whelan to appoint should Roberto Martinez leave, and with the club's financial structure still in place there is no reason to doubt that they will be challenging for a return to the top flight next season. Arsenal in the meantime made preparations for a lap of appreciation although I opted to trudge off to the tube in the pouring rain, a prospect preferable to saluting the possibility of  the pseudo achievement of another Champions League qualifying place.

Freedom Football

Left it late for my annual visit to Craven Cottage this season but I was rewarded with an enjoyable day at the match which in the style at Fulham is how football ought to be. With opponents Reading already relegated this freed up the mind to focus purely on the game and forget what might be happening elsewhere. Indeed the end of season mania was firmly left in the pub pre match as we voyeuristically watched the final day of the Football League in the aptly named Temperance a hostelry just busy enough to enjoy a pre match pint with the buzz of football talk.

A brisk walk in the sunshine through Bishop's Park took me to the away end and a fixture I had regularly watched in the late 80s/early 90s in an altogether more sedate atmosphere. These games were played in Division Three before crowds around the 4,000 mark and were low scoring affairs, the faded glory of the Cottagers summed up by the minor celebrities such as the Oxo Dad and Duffy from Casualty brought onto the pitch to perform the half time draw, and the bitter men who stood in the paddock of the Stevenage Road stand next to the Cottage shaking their fists at the steepling open terrace of the away end.

Although the roof to cover the still temporary feeling seats on the terrace unfortunately obscures the view, at least it creates an atmosphere with the away fans buffered by the unique neutral zone. Freed from the worry of their fate, the Reading fans were determined to enjoy their day out by the Thames, creating a raucous atmosphere to which their team responded with their biggest win of the season. All this was in spite of the unnecessary attentions of the inappropriately named WISE stewards who seemed to spend most of the game trying to confiscate Mr Blobby.

Reading started the game in fine form, deservedly taking the lead from a Hal Robson-Kanu penalty. As the half drew on Fulham came in to the game but found their path to goal blocked by the outstanding Alex McCarthy who looks as though he may one day justify the chants of England's number 1. However a change following the opening goal to boost the home teams attack with the addition of Hugo Rodallega seem to have the reverse effect by the way the impressive David Ruiz was moved into a more withdrawn role.

Reading justified their half time lead by pioneering a second half goal fest which on the one hand reinforced the best league in the world tag with the concomitant excitement but on the other the number of unforced defensive errors suggested that this was a game more of Championship quality.

Despite striker Pawel Pogrebnyak appearing to play with the hand brake on, his team mates needed no stimulus, scoring three goals marked by the quality of the finish. Taking advantage of a deep lying one paced centre back pairing of Hangeland and Senderos, Robson-Kanu and Le Fondre maintained the Royals lead before Karacan sealed the points with a shot drilled in along the ground from the edge of the penalty area.

The goals only served to exhort the already buoyant away support to new heights of glee at this unexpected turn of events regularly pointing out the incredible nature of the win. Fulham did belatedly wake up to the fact that they are not quite safe from relegation with Ruiz spearheading their comeback by scoring two goals, but on the rare occasions that McCarthy was unable to stop any further scoring attempts the woodwork came to Reading's rescue.

Thus with both teams going for it in the style of promotion/relegation death match, both sets of fans were treated an extraordinarily open second half which went some way to justifying the ticket price. Looking ahead Fulham need to address their decline if they are to maintain their Premier League status next season, whilst its clear that Reading have the makings of a team which can hold steady in the Championship. So it will be the signings made in the summer which will be crucial in inspiring each club to better themselves next season. 

A relaxing afternoon ended with a stroll back to the Temperance where we were briefly joined by Reading legend Adie Williams. It somehow summed up the day that he was able to freely chat with fans despite the Premier League hype, and proves yet again that a trip to Craven Cottage is the best value day out at the match in London.