A Visit To Park Avenue In Bradford & Then A Trip To Watch Bradford (Park Avenue) Play

After completing the 92 last week. I was back to watching domestic football this week. I. Went to watch Spennymoor Town play away at Bradford (Park Ave). I left it very late to book my train to get for this trip, so I ended up. Having to get the 0630 train from Kings Cross to Leeds. Which meant I was in Bradford by 09:30 on Saturday morning.

As I had such an early start from Kings Cross, I was there just before 6:00 AM unexpected the area to be very quiet with perhaps one or two people on their way to work. Coming out of the underground station I was surprised to see several gangs of youths milling about and various knife fights taking place between the different gangs. I heard barely a word of English between these gangs, and it was quite a worrying situation. I spoke to one of the door staff at McDonald’s who told me that this was a regular occurrence and that the police did very little about the matter. Further investigations suggest it is likely to have been fights between Bengali use based in Kings Cross and Somali Youths based in Camden. A lot of those taking part were high on substances and I suspect had probably been in the local nightclub which don’t kick out until 5:00 AM in the morning.

I got myself a coffee in McDonald’s and moved to the safety of Kings Cross station. There is a number of security staff on duty at Kings Cross station and an order of the youth seemed to attempt to come anywhere near the inside of the station.

For all my journey from Kings Cross to Leeds, apart from the last quarter mile, my train was running ahead of schedule (and yes, I am that sad that I monitor the progress of the train past every point on the route). Unfortunately, we were delayed outside of Leeds and arrived 5 minutes late. Ironically on the journey home the train was running slightly late all the way until the last stretch when it actually arrived in Kings Cross 5 minutes early

I made full use of the time I had in Bradford. I initially had a wander into the town centre to the local Wetherspoons pub for a breakfast. A sausage and Egg Muffin and a drink for two pounds forty was not to be turned down. Also, they were serving beer at 99p applied. The same as in Fleetwood the previous week. It would have been rude not to have taken Mr. Wetherspoons up on his generosity.

I had plenty of time to spare before my friends looking into profit, so I decided to go on visit Bradford’s old ground. The club have a long history, their predecessor club were in the Football League until approximately 1970 when they lost their place in the league and eventually went bankrupt in about 1973. That ground at the time was shared with the Bradford Cricket Club and unlike some grounds, the cricket and football pitches were separate. After Bradford Park Avenue went bankrupt the Cricket Club purchased the football ground and knocked it down. The old football ground now has cricket Nets on it and a gymnasium. there remains little of the old ground visible from the outside.

On Park Avenue itself you can see the old external wall of the ground and the bricked-up turnstiles. You can still see the old price marked on the wall next to the turnstiles showing as a pre decimal amount. Unfortunately, that is all that can be seen from outside the site. The Cricket Club have secured all entrances to the site with big metal fencing. Because it is the wintertime the Cricket Club is all locked up so very little can be seen from the outside.

One thing I did notice though was that in the wall of the old cricket ground you could see there had obviously been numerous turnstiles and ticket windows there. Bradford cricket club was used on several occasions by Yorkshire cricket club to host County Championship games and the ground was clearly quite a substantial ground in the past.

There being nothing more to see at Park Ave, I took a cab over to low Moor which is near where Bradford plays now. A few beers in a very nice pub called the British queen wait some of my fellow Spennymoor fans was in order. The landlord of the British queen is quite proud of drinks he serves and certainly serves a very good paint. I would recommend this pub to anybody going to watch Bradford play. Paragraph from this pub it is approximately a 10-minute walk to the can you ground that Bradford play out will stop the ground is a former athletic stadium which for current purposes consist basically of 1 seated stand, a large substantial stand that. Behind both goals at present there was just flat standing. On the far side of the pitch which housed the dressing rooms and dug outs spectators were not allowed.

Bradford have done the best they can with the ground. Because the main stand as a quite steep rake to it, you do not notice the running track around the pitch that much. Certainly, compared with around this area where Ilford play at Cricklefield and it is not a pleasant venue to watch football at. The same is not the case at Bradford. Paragraph the game itself was uninteresting game. Bradford is a well drilled and physical side but when they attack, they get lots of men forward and they know exactly what they’re doing will stop however they did not create that many chances and Spennymoor took the lead in the game add had by far the most chances. Bradford equalised through a penalty which couldn’t be argued with it was clear from where we stood but a foul had taken place.

After the game I had booked a taxi to take me back into the centre of Bradford. The taxi driver was not aware that Bradford existed. When I said I’ve been to a football match he thought I had been to watch Bradford City Youth or Academy team play. He was not aware that there was another team in Bradford. Bradford City are in the Football League in league 2. This means they are only two divisions above Bradford. It is quite sad that Bradford has so little recognition even within their hometown, especially when one considers the history of their predecessor club.

The taxi took me back into the centre of Bradford where I had about an hour and 3/4 to wait for my train. So, I did what most football fans would do and headed back to the Wetherspoons pub for something to eat and a few more beers at 99p a pint. I left just in time to get some drinks for the train home will stop got the train from Bradford into Leeds which was packed with football supporters. They turned out to be Orient fans who were heading from Rochdale back to London. I hadn’t expected the Orient fans to be travelling this way.

I eventually arrived home at approximately 11:00 PM at night some 18 hours after I had left my house as all football fans know you make sacrifices to follow your team.

92 Not Out & Nearly Not Home

On Saturday, I made the trip north to the FA Cup. First round tie between Fleetwood Town and Burton Albion. I do not support either of these teams and had little interest in who won the game. The reason for making the trip was to complete the 92 Premiership and Football League grounds again.

It has been a number of years since I had last completed all the 92 clubs. At the start of this season. I had five grounds to visit. Harrogate Town and Barrow came into the Football League last season and owing to Covid I never got the chance to visit them. AFC Wimbledon and Brentford had both moved Newgrounds last season and again owned COVID. I had not been to their new grounds but had been to their previous grounds. I visited all those four grounds earlier this season.

That left me with Fleetwood to do. They have been in the Football League for a number of years, but I have never managed to get to their ground. I tried to go several times in the past , but Northern Rail were having weekend strikes and it would have meant I may well have been stranded in Blackpool. Unable to get depressed and for my train home. Then COVID intervened. I was determined this time I was going to complete that ground.

When the draw for the FA Cup first round was made and Fleetwood were drawn at home to Burton Albion, that seemed an ideal opportunity to visit Fleetwood. I initially had to withhold from booking train tickets until the TV companies had decided which games they were going to show and whether this game was going to go ahead or not. When eventually. It became clear that this would be a Saturday 3:00 PM. Trip I booked my train tickets to Fleetwood. To get the cheapest available route. I had to go up. From London Euston to Liverpool. Then get a train from Liverpool to Blackpool and coming back. I had to travel from Blackpool to Preston and then take a train from Preston to Euston. The observant among you will have noticed, I said about train journeys to and from Blackpool. The reason for this is that there is not a train station in Fleetwood and has not been for many many years now. It was necessary to walk from Blackpool North train station to the sea front and take a tram from there. 2 Fleetwood. It actually turned out to be the best way of travelling. I could have taken the bus from Blackpool to Fleetwood, but as the Illuminations were on the bus on the way home would likely have got delayed in the Illumination traffic.

It was an early start for me to get to Fleetwood. I was on a train at three minutes past seven from London Euston. It was interesting to see how quiet. In terms of football funds, London Euston was to how it used to be in the past when I started travelling regularly to football matches. In the 80s there would always be mobs of football fans hanging around the station. There were none this weekend, partly because. There were not that many premiership games on, but even the lower level clubs. There were very few fans there.

The train journey itself up to Liverpool was rather uneventful, apart from as we arrived in Liverpool we went through but did not stop at Edge Hill station. That is a station about. Football fans will remember from years gone by. It was always the station about the football special trains. Stop that when you are playing at Liverpool or Everton. Also, sometimes the police will put buses on for away fans from Liverpool or Everton and make the normal service train stop specifically at Edge Hill to put you on the train and keep you away from the town centre.

Arriving in Liverpool Lime Street, it was like used remarkably quiet and the edge there used to be on football days was no longer there. The station has been modernised and. The biggest threat to your pocket this time was the prices in the coffee shops rather than the local population.

A quick change of train at. Lime Street and I was on my way to Blackpool. This journey was operated by Northern Trains. Fortunately it was one of the new Northern trains rather than their old decrepit trains. Paragraph we arrived into Blackpool on time and I made my way from the station down to the sea front too. Get the tram to Fleetwood. It is the first time I have been in Blackpool for several years. Blackpool has certainly suffered a decline in that time, will stop. It is looking very run down and very shabby. The one exception to this was the tram we got from. Blackpool to Fleetwood. This is a modern tram and much more comfortable than the old fashioned trams I remember.

Arriving in Fleetwood. I was early and decided I would head to the local Wetherspoons pub for a pint and something to eat. Walking from the tram to the pub. Along the High Street it was very noticeable how many shops had closed down and were shuttered. There appeared to be no big name shops in the High Street. Indeed at one point. 3. Successive shops were a cash converter type shop, a 1 pound bakery and a Bernardo’s charity shop. That sums up the level of shops in Fleetwood. However, it is probably fair to say that the majority of the shop premises were closed.

I went into the Wetherspoons pub and. Was pleasantly surprised at the prices. A pint of real ale for 99 pence is not to be sniffed at. I cannot remember the last time I was paying less than a pound for a pint of beer. I said that I had intended to have a drink and something to eat. At those prices, it would have been rude of me not to have several drinks before the game. I took advantage of the hospitality.

Eventually I had to drag myself out of the pub and force myself to go to the game. If it hadn’t been a new ground and my. 92nd ground, I could have been tempted to spend all afternoon sat drinking in the pub. I. Instead made my way. Along the deserted High Street towards the ground.

The ticket I had was an electronic ticket and it didn’t actually tell you where the turnstiles were to go into the ground. The stewards did not seem to know where the turnstiles were for the stand I was in. That is never a good sign.

I did eventually find where the turn start were an went into the ground. You will see the various photos of the ground. It is a modern looking ground now with covered standing at both ends of the ground and a big main stand down one side and. I seated stand of only six rows. Covering about 2/3 of one side stop. That was the stand I was in. It is called the hurry. Step by band are. The odd thing about this stand is that immediately behind it is the old main stand. As you can see from the photo stop. It is not clear. Why they built the new stand immediately in front of the old stone and. Why it has not been demolished. There is a suggestion that the old stand was left there in case Fleetwood wanted to redevelop that area in the future. They would be able to say that they were demolishing a structure and replacing it rather than wanting to build something. on land currently has no building on it.

The game itself was a game between 2 mid table League One sides who were relatively evenly matched. The game ended with Burton winning 2-1. It was actually an enjoyable, hard fought cup tie. However, 20 minutes or so of the second half was played in some of the worst conditions I have seen in a long time. Very heavy rain and strong winds. It was actually. quite funny at the end of the game over the pa system they played the Travis song “Why Does It Always Rain On Me”. That about summed up the afternoons weather.

I made a sharp exit from the ground at the end of the game and got the first tram from Fleetwood into Blackpool. This gave me time to get something to eat, found a few beers for the train. It actually cost me more per can in Sainsbury’s then I was paying per pint in the Wetherspoons pub will stop. I did however, get sorted and onto the train from Blackpool to Preston, where I had to change for the train back to London.

I did even manage to sneak a peek at the Illuminations. The real highlights of the day

We arrived in Preston on time, only to hear an announcement over the PA system that the London train had been cancelled with no further information provided. No help was available for passengers as to how to continue their journey. All the Avanti West Coast staff seemed to have disappeared. The Travel Centre was closed and There were around 200 or so passengers trying to head back for London on that cancelled train. A lot of them were Horsham Town FC supporters who had been to see their team in the FA Cup at Carlisle that day.

No, thanks to Avanti West Coast. I worked out the quickest way back to London. Involving a couple of changes of train and arriving home an hour and a half later than expected. It is good to see, that despite privatisation the railway still do not run a service for the benefit of the customers. The only positive is I will get a full refund of my return portion of my train ticket.

I have now completed the 92. Ground and have completed nine out of the top 11 grounds in the National League., so hopefully. I will not have to do many grounds if any next season try. Membership of the two group. Paragraph. I suppose now I will have to find another obsession and another excuse to go to varying football grounds. I have completed 17 out of the 23 National League grounds, so I suppose I should look at trying to do the remainder of those in the near future.

Back to my Roots

So, on Saturday, I had an unexpected chance to watch Shildon AFC v Brighouse town FC in the Northern Premier League Div 1 East. Obviously, I took that opportunity.

Shildon is where I spent the first 2 or so years of my life. It is also one of the first football grounds I visited, some nearly 50 years ago. Who they played, or what the score was I canot remember. My father took me, because my older cousin who was into football was staying with us, and it was one of the few games on that day owing to the weather.

Over the years, I have been back to Shildon on many occasions, usually to watch Spennymoor United and later Spennymoor Town. It however is at least seven years since I last visited Shildon.

Shildon have played in the Northern League 1932, until this season. Prior to 1932 they had played a few seasons in the old North Eastern League in between spells in the Northern League. They remain the last Northern League team to reach the 1st round proper of the FA Cup, back in 2003/04 season.

Shildon were struggling back in the 1980s, and it would not have been a surprise if they had ceased to exist. However, a lot of hard work from dedicated people ensured the club has survived, and indeed thrived. For a period Bishop Auckland were tenants there. This resulted in a small covered terrace being installed opposite the main stand to ensure the ground met the then Northern Premier League ground grading, for it was so long ago Bishop Auckland were in the Northern Premier League then, rather than their current plight of battling to avoid being relegated out of the Northern League Division 1.

The dominant feature of Shildon’s Dean Street ground, apart from the great chip shop outside the ground, is the wonderful pagoda roofed main stand, which houses the dressing rooms and the club house. Sadly, the seats in the stand are no longer in use owing to safety issues. The cost of making the seats useable again was too expensive, so a new seated stand was built on the opposite side of the ground where the small covered terrace was installed when bishop were tenants.

The issue of tenants reminds me of a great bit of business done by Shildon back in 2012. Darlington had been placed in the Northern League, after yet another financial crisis and they had failed to obtain the football share. Darlington signed a tenancy agreement to groundshare with Shildon which allegedly contained a £10,000 penalty if Darlington terminated the agreement early. Then only a few days after signing this agreement, Darlington decided they wanted to groundshare at Bishop Auckland instead. Quids in for Shildon – allegedly

As I say, I have not been to a game here for a few years. As well as a new seated stand, a small covered terrace has been installed by the corner of the side the Pagoda Roofed Stand is on.

The ground has been tidied up over the years. It is a surprisingly big site with, lots of space to expand the ground if it ever proved necessary. The main entrance to the ground, if you look closely originally had a lot more turnstiles than it does now. All the entrances were from Dean Street.

Coming into the ground, you have the Pagoda Roofed stand and covered terrace on your right, the new seated stand on the left, and both ends are open, with flat standing, but no terracing. all the grassed areas were taped off in accordance with grading regulations. This is something that is seemingly not complied with at many grounds.

Turnstiles & Bricked Up Former Turnstiles

Entering the small, but well appointed clubhouse, a nice touch was that on every table was a copy of the team sheet. This saved me trying to hunt out someone who had a team sheet.

The game itself was a hard fought game that for long periods ebbed and flowed. Shildon opened the scoring, but were almost immediately pegged back by Brighouse Town. However, just before half time Shildon were back ahead, and after the interval they extended the lead to 3-1.

Neither side gave up the fight and at times the game threatened to boil over, but the referee did a good job of keeping things under control.

Shildon have made an excellent start to their first season at this level, both on and off the pitch. They are currently 2nd in the table and looking good to get a place in the play offs with nearly 1/4 of the season gone.

The attendance on Saturday was 294, which is a good crowd, for a cold miserable damp Saturday. Shildon in all competitions this season are averaging over 300. This is distorted by the 824 crowd in the FA Cup v South Shields

All in all, it was heartening to see how progressive Shildon have been since I was last at Dean Street. They seem to have done lots of work both on and off the pitch and are very well equipped to do well in the Northern Premier League Div. 1 and probably also at the step above. They have boosted their crowds from the days of one man and his dog attending. Indeed there were several dogs in attendance with their owners today!

Shildon look to be a club that will not be returning to the Northern League anytime soon. I do wonder how their once famous neighbours at Bishop Auckland look at the little village of Shildon progressing up the football pyramid and going from strength to strength both on and off the pitch, whilst all Bishop have is fading memories to rely on. Indeed, there are not many people alive who saw Bishop Auckland in their last Amateur Cup success

Going from memory, it also looked that Shildon have done considerable work to improve their pitch. It looked very flat and in good condition. My memory is that it used to have a bobbly pitch and problems with drainage. Those seem to have been resolved and it looks a good pitch now.

Shildon 3 v 1 Brighouse Town
Attendance 294
Admission £9

Groundhopping : 90/ 92 Completed

After a long time failing to keep up my record of having been to all 92 Premier League & Football League Grounds, I have decided its time to re-complete the 92 Grounds. At the Start of this season, I had the following grounds to do:

Harrogate Town – admitted to league during covid lockdown
AFC Wimbledon – moved to a new ground during covid lockdown
Brentford – moved to a new ground during covid lockdown
Barrow – admitted to league during covid lockdown
Fleetwood Town – never been and had several unsuccessful plans to visit.

Harrogate Town v Exeter City 28 August 2021

Fortunately I have friends who had some of these grounds to do, so for example I travelled to Harrogate on 28 August and met my fellow Spennymoor fans Dave & Kath and had a glorious day out in the sunshine watching a surprisingly good game at Harrogate to do that ground. An easy train trip from London. The ground shows signs of their rapid rise through the leagues. It is a pleasant ground with friendly stewarding and fans.

Orient beat Exeter City 3-0 earlier in the season. then on 24 August, Harrogate came to Orient and deservedly beat Orient 2-0. As a result, i thought this was likely to be a fairly comfortable win for the home side. The truth was very different. The game ended in a 1-1 draw with Exeter probably the better team, despite playing for 50 minutes with only 10 men. Football is nothing if not unpredictable

Owing to an issue with seat reservations on the train up, I was entitled to a full refund of my outward train ticket costs, so this made it into a very cheap day out.

for anyone going on the train to Harrogate, the Harrogate Tap pub next to the train station is a fantastic pub serving lots of real ales and is well worth frequenting.

AFC Wimbledon v Portsmouth Papa John Trophy 7 September 2021

Next up on the 92 trail was on 7th September when I ventured into South London to AFC Wimbledon at their new ground. This is on the site of the old Wimbledon Dog / Speedway track. The ground is surrounded by blocks of flats that were built to finance the ground. They are not the most attractive looking flats!

The walk to the ground from the Earlsfield Station was one through a rather gentrified area. Plenty of posh cafe’s, but a lack of proper pubs to drink in.

The ground itself is bult to a size that is likely to be sufficient for the needs of AFC Wimbledon, but would appear to have no room for expansion. It has 3 stands of the same height and one much larger stand which has all the club offices, changing rooms, corporate hospitality in it.

One end of the ground has rail seating built in. I know lots of people are excited about rail seating, but to me it is pointless. you get all the disadvantages of seating , eg price, unable to congregate with your mates etc, high pricing without the benefits of seating. rail seating will not increase the capacity of a ground, so it won’t be any cheaper. Unlike proper terracing, you are knackered if you are small or have a tall person in front of you, or are a child as you are unable to move to another part of the stand where you can see.

The introduction of this rail seating will be pointed to as a reason not to bring back proper terracing at football grounds.

I got to the ground early and as I was looking round the main stand, i bumped into a fellow East London groundhopper Richard who was recompleting the 92 grounds that night. So, after a long chat with him, I took my seat and sent a tweet with a picture of the game and saying which game I was at. That was picked up on by Keepo, one of the Sutton United lads. It turned out that he was sat 2 blocks from me, so we had a good catch up at half time over a pint. We also made arrangements to go to Brentford on 21st September as we both needed that new ground.

That half time pint did highlight one thing AFC Wimbledon need to do some wotk on. The speed of service was so slow that many people had not got served by the time the second half started. More catering outlets should have been opened and for some reason the mobile bar that was in place before the game was not there at half time when the demand was higher.

A positive point was that all the plastic beer glasses are recyclable and there were dotted round the foyer places to put your glasses so they are sanitised and reused next game. A good idea to recycle more and cut plastic waste. A further bonus was those glasses were much stronger and thicker than the single use disposable plastic glasses often used

As so often happens when I go to games with Keepo, I managed to miss at least one goal. I am sure he would like me to remind him the only game i was at with him when I saw all the goals was when Spennymoor put 3 past Sutton United in the FA Trophy

Bonus Game: Sutton United v Hartlepool EFL Div 2 14 September 2021

This was a game that was supposed to have been played in August, but was re-arranged owing to delays in Sutton replacing their 3G pitch caused by bad weather. Originally I was going to this game with Dave & Kath as they need it for the 92. When it was rearranged, they couldn’t attend, but i did arrange to meet 3 exiled Durham lads who all have that same burden as me and are life long Newcastle fans.

We arranged to meet at the ground in the bar. I got their early, and despite not having been to Sutton since the weekend before the pandemic, i was warmly welcomed by the car park stewards, and the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Club Secretary. Given I am only an occasional visitor to Gander Green Lane and they are now in the lofty heights of the Football League, the fact they all took time to come and say hello to me says a lot about the friendly welcoming nature of the club.

A couple of beers in the bar and a chat with some of the regular faces preceded an enjoyable evening where until the last 10 minutes, Sutton were well on top and deservedly won the game. A quick beer or 2 in the clubhouse after the game and I had to travel home. I made my train, unlike Keepo who ended up walking home after missing his train by seconds.

If it didn’t take so long to travel to, I would be a regular at Gander Green Lane. A traditional amateur club that have kept that wonderful friendly amateur atmosphere despite the rise through the leagues.

It turns out to be a small world. One of my friends from Durham brought his son with him. It turned out his son was at school previously in the same class as one of the younger Sutton fans I know!

The biggest shock of the night was i never missed a goal.

Brentford FC v Oldham Athletic EFL Cup 21 September 2021

Another new ground tonight. This was the game I thought would be the hardest to get a ticket for as its both a new ground and Brentford’s first year in Premier League. it would be a high demand season for home and away fans. The early rounds of cup competitions are heaven sent for groundhoppers as tickets are available and prices are usually low.

Keepo sorted out tickets for me for this game and we met him and Paul at Clapham Junction Station to head to Kew. Waiting for those two, it was interesting to see how many different groups of football fans were getting trains in the station.

Arriving at Kew station, we had a couple of beers or more in the bar outside the station. Its a posh part of London right next to Kew Bridge and the price of a pint proved that. Varying between £5 and £6.50 a pint. Expensive, but there was a good selection of real ales and ciders on sale. This pub must have seen its takings rocket since the new ground opened. It has a big conservatory and beer garden and does food as well as alcohol.

The ground is less than 5 minutes walk away and once in our seats, it was clear to see other ground hoppers taking lots of pictures of a new ground. indeed sat in front of us was Alison, a Northampton Town fan from Loughborough who was doing the ground as part of the 92.

In the first couple of minutes, Brentford were awarded and scored a penalty. Game effectively over as Premiership Brentford were playing bottom of League 2 and in crisis Oldham Athletic. By half time it was 5-0 to Brentford, although I missed the last two of those goals as I was at the bar getting in the half time drinks. not cheap at £6-50 a go, but welcome. I never tried the pies, but the looked and smelt rather nice. so they should for £4-50.

Leaving the game immediately on the full time whistle, we got to Kew station and had 2 pleasant surprises. The first was seeing the Flying Scotsman steaming through the station – yes, groundhoppers are closely related to train spotters. it was the first time I have seen the Flying Scotsman in action since 31 August 1975 at the 150th anniversary of the Railway event in Shildon, Co. Durham.

The second pleasant surprise was a train not showing on the departure board, but sshown in the timetable arrived and it was a fast train back to Clapham Junction and Waterloo meaning I got home earlier than expected.

So, now I’m back to 92 grounds done and only 2 remaining. Barrow I am hoping to do in October with Dave & Kath. That will leave me with Fleetwood to do. I have been trying to do it since 2018/2019 season. That season there were lots of weekend rail strikes by Northern Rail on Saturdays, so i couldn’t be sure I could get back from Blackpool to Preston to get home. Then in 2019/20 covid stopped me going. and in 2020/21 no fans were able to go because of covid.

Football, Financial Fair Play, Administration & The fit & Proper Test

So, with the sad, but inevitable news Derby County have gone into administration after years of grossly over spending, there are many calls on social media railing about how the “authorities” should have stopped this.

In this blog, I am going to share a few of my thoughts on the topic and explain why I am of the view the authorities get unfairly blamed. I come at this from someone who has seen four teams I watched suffer financial problems.

Newcastle United – whilst not necessarily financial problems, they have an owner who is hated by the fans and seems to do all he can to avoid spending his money on the club.

Darlington – they have had numerous financial crisis dating back to 1982 and partially contributed more recently by the costs of their then ground at Darlington Arena

Leyton Orient – so nearly went out of existence, and did fall out of the football league under the owner of Albanian Bechetti

Spennymoor United who did go out of business before a new club was formed in the summer of 2005

Reading that list, perhaps you should be worried if I start watching your club. It seems that I may be an albatross.

The first thing that should be born in mind is that the number of football clubs that go out of business is far below the average across all business types. Football clubs do get into financial trouble, but few actually are wound up. In recent years, Macclesfield Town are the only EFL/ EPL club I can thing of to be wound up and even then by the time they had been wound up they had ceased to be in the EFL.

Those complaining about the “authorities” on social media not doing enough all seem to not understand the difference between the Football Association (FA), English Football League (EFL) or English Premier League (EPL). The FA are the governing body for football in England. The EPL and EFL run competitions that clubs compete in and all three are separate organisations.

All these organisations have separate rules for clubs in their competitions. I have seen for example people complaining Manchester city got treated differently by UEFA for breaching the UEFA version of Financial Fair Play, compared to how Derby or Sheffield Wednesday were treated by the EFL for breaching EFL rules. That is a bit like complaining someone in Russia got a different sentence for a public order offence there to someone in England for a public order offence here

The starting point here is that all these organisations are governed by English Law and must act in accordance with English Law. The Companies Act governs the ownership and running of Companies in England. All football clubs in the EPL or EFL are Companies.

Various people suggest that the “authorities” (often not specifying which body they mean) should have prevented an owner from buying a club. Firstly, they are looking back with hindsight. Yesterday, the owner of Fleetwood Town appeared in Court charged with financial crimes. He has not been convicted and people are saying the authorities should not have allowed him to pass the “fit and proper test” (FPT). At the time he bought the club there was nothing to suggest he was not fit and proper and indeed the mere existence of criminal charges is not reason to say he is not fit and proper given he has not been convicted of anything. The FPT can only be carried out on information known at the time it is applied. The “authorities”, do not as far as I am aware have the ability to travel forward in time and use hindsight.

It has repeatedly been said on social media that the FPT is not fit for purpose. I think this is partly because people do not understand what its purpose is or what the EFL or EPL can actually do, given they are limited to acting in accordance with English Law.

If say the leader of Russia, wanted to buy Derby County and purchased the same, the EFL (or EPL as appropriate) have no power to stop them doing so. The purchase of a company is governed by Company Law. So if Mr Putin bought the shares in Derby County, he in English Law owns the football club.

So, what is the FPT and what is the point of it. The FPT basically looks to see who is funding / owning the club and are they good for the money and of good character. So in my imaginary situation, what can the EFL do if they decide Mr Putin does not pass the FPT? They cannot legally prevent the takeover by Mr Putin as that is a matter governed by the Companies Act. What the EFL can do ultimately is not approve the takeover and as a final resort, they can remove the football share from Derby County. As they did in 2020 from Bury.

Withdrawing the football share would have the effect of expelling Derby from the EFL and ultimately, the may find themselves having to apply to re-join the football pyramid in the 10^th tier, the Midland League or similar. This is a league where generally gates of 100 people are considered good. Almost certainly it would mean the end of the club as it could not operate at that level and maintain the ground at Pride Park. Back in 2012, Darlington ended up in 9^th tier (for financial reasons) and had to move out of the Darlington Arena, and out of Darlington for several seasons.

If the EFL says someone has not passed their FPT and that person refuses to relinquish control of the club, then if the EFL removes the football share it effectively brings about the end of the club in football competitions. Thus bringing about the very situation the FPT was supposed to guard against!

So those calling for the FPT test to be stronger appear to fail to see that the consequences could be that more clubs go out of existence.

The FPT test in reality acts as no more than a check or an obstacle to someone running a club. It does not and cannot prevent someone buying a club. To think it does is to show a complete lack on English Law.

Football fans also need to look at themselves, its everyday on social media you see fans demanding their chairman spends more money, eg why doesn’t he put his hand in his pocket and buy x” OR “We need a bigger squad” etc. This is exactly what the owner of Derby County has done, and finally he reached a point when he can’t or won’t continue to throw good money after bad and turns off the tap of money. Fans then turn on the owner, calling him corrupt and saying it’s the EFL to blame for not doing enough in their FPT to stop such a person becoming the owner of the club.

Fans create huge pressures on their clubs to spend money chasing the unlikely dream of promotion, Europe etc. The reality is that only 3 or 4 clubs in a division n can achieve promotion. All the other clubs are not going to reap rewards for their excess spending and are heading like Derby and so many others to financial disaster.

In this respect the situation at Newcastle United is interesting. Mike Ashley operates on the basis the club will not spend money it does not have and insists on paying transfer fees upfront, rather than spreading the debt over several years. To be honest, this is a laudable approach and financially very prudent. The situation at Newcastle is much more complicated than that and the contempt shown by Mike Ashley towards the fans, with his refusal to do interviews, issuing false claims of taking cup competitions seriously etc cause huge resentment with all fans.

Also, he has not spent any money on ground maintenance or improvements and as such the stadium is looking shabby and run down. Even the corporate sections are looking shabby and run down and are not attractive to the prawn sandwich brigade, they running down the value of the club.

Derby County over speculated and paid the price. Newcastle United under Mike Ashley are spending the bare minimum to retain their place in the EPL and are letting facilities run down. It is clear Ashley is hoping someone will buy the club and have to pay for the refurbishment of facilities.

The situation at Orient a few years ago was again one of an owner stopping funding a loss making enterprise after losing £millions over the previous couple of seasons. The owner it has to be said tried to interfere in team selection and got through several managers. However, it should be remembered that the club, like all professional football clubs is a business. Owners of a business can run their business in any way they like. This seems to be something that many football fans fail to appreciate. The claims its “our” club not the owner’s club is emotional nonsense that football encourages because it breeds customer loyalty. You wouldn’t continue to shop at Tesco every week if you got awful produce at a high price. You would look around for a better grocery supplier. However, football promotes this idea of tribal loyalty from its fans and thus fans turn up week in week out even when the product is rubbish and you are treated like crap. An example of this is the huge crowds Newcastle continue to get despite the anger at the owner and the way he treats the fans with open contempt.

Back in the early days of football when players largely played for their local teams, it is understandable that people had a tribal loyalty. These days few clubs have local players and there is a large number of foreign mercenaries playing for teams that have no loyalty at all to their current team. These mercenaries demand a move when there is a sniff of an extra 50p a week from another club. The same is true of managers, and even owners. They have no loyalty to the business, but they want fans to have blind loyalty and to pay up their money every week.

This blind loyalty to a club is why fans are treated so much with contempt. The prices charged for football over the last 40 years for admission have risen far faster than inflation, but fans continue to pay stupid prices willingly.

This alone suggests the average football fan either is not discerning about the product or does not think about finances.

Most football clubs that get into financial trouble is because of overspending by the owner rather than because of any criminal or improper financial dealings. Yes they are some sharp accounting practices at some clubs in relation to the presentation of their accounts, especially in relation to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. This overspending is encouraged or even demanded by fans, until the proverbial hits the fan. Then the same fans blame the “authorities” for not stopping the owner buying the clubs years before, even though they have no such ability in English Law. For these powers to exist, the government would need to change the law before the football “authorities” could try to prevent such takeovers. This seems to escape the football fan who brainlessly lashes out at the EFL, EPL or FA instead

Another regular call when clubs like Derby get into financial trouble is that Manchester United, Man Chester city, Chelsea etc should bail them out. Again those making such calls seem to want to reward a club for its financial mismanagement. No one says Tesco should bail out Mr Patel’s corner shop when it is losing money. So why should football businesses bail out other badly run businesses?

Another cry is that the EFL / EPL should run/ finance a club that is in administration until a new buyer can be found. Firstly, those making such calls fail to think about where such money would come from. It would have to come from the other clubs in such competitions. This would penalise the well run clubs who have managed their finances accordingly and reward the profligate club in administration by making the well run clubs pay to bail out the profligate. This would mean that effectively clubs are paying their rivals to compete against them and allowing the profligate club to pay wages for players the well run club decided were too expensive.

This is without the clear and obvious conflict of interest there would be is the EFL / EPL were to run a team or teams in that competition

This is a long rambling post, but to sum it up I am trying to say:

1. Football Clubs are businesses and the owner can run them as he wishes. He takes the rewards or bails out the loss making club.

2. When a club ends up in administration, it is the owner who loses most if not all of the money he has put into the club.

3. Fans are merely customers and do not have any right to demand an owner run a club the way they want. They can however, vote with their wallets, i.e. stop funding the club if you do not like the way it is being run.

4. The EFL / EPL can do little under English Law to stop someone buying a business. Their ultimate sanction is to remove the football share which will cause the immediate and inevitable collapse of the business – they very thing fans want to prevent happening.

So, what can the EFL / EPL do? The first thing would be to tighten up the FFP rules and for the EFL / EPL to work together and end the situation where if a club breaches FFP in the EFL, but gets promotion to the EPL then do not get punished until or if they are eventually relegated. Sanctions should apply whichever division a club are in.

The FFP investigations need to move at a faster pace, to try to reduce the time lag between the breaches of the FFP rules and the punishment

Punishments need to be made far more sever, both in financial terms and in terms of points deductions. For example make a minimum 30 point deduction for breaching FFP, with the ability to increase the punishment depending on the seriousness of the breach.

Allow the points deduction to be used over more than one season – for example if a club ends a season (in which they were sanctioned for breaching FFP rules) on 50 points and if they had 10 points deducted they would be relegated, then the remaining 20 points deduction would apply the following season. Thus making the punishments so swingeing that clubs would not risk breaching the FFP rules. In addition the rules on FFP need to be tightened up to allow clubs less wriggle room.

Que Sera, Sera

So, yesterday (18th September 2021), I decided against travelling to watch Spennymoor Town at AFC Fylde in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying round, mainly due to it not being possible to get a train ticket or tickets for under £100, even using split ticketing websites, a variety of routes and being very flexible on train times.

Leyton Orient were away at Bristol rovers, and 2 of the 3 remaining teams I need to re complete the 92 were playing away. The other are Fleetwood, the neighbours of AFC Fylde, so ruled out this weekend on price grounds.

A scan of the FA Challenge Cup 2nd Qualifying Round ties produced some interesting local ties that I could attend, but I had already done those grounds, so I decided to take in a game at a ground I had not visited before and decided upon AFC Sudbury.

Unusually, for a club with a name starting AFC, they are not a phoenix club formed out of the ashes of another club. The AFC stands for Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury. Formed from the merger of Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers. I first became aware of AFC Sudbury in 2003 when they lost the FA Vase Final at West Ham. They returned the next 2 seasons to lose the finals again at Villa Park & White Hart Lane. A hat trick of FA Vase wins was completed by Billericay in the 1980s and by Whitley Bay in the late 2000s, but a hat trick of losing finals is unique. Looking back over the list of Vase finals, I also learn that back in 1989 Sudbury town, one of the predecessors of AFC Sudbury also lost in the FA Vase Final.

Given this record, perhaps AFC Sudbury could be forgiven for not wanting to get to the Final of a National Competition! Fortunately for AFC Sudbury, they now play at Step 4 in the Isthmian League Division 1 North (currently 3rd).

The visitors today, Stowmarket Town also play in the Isthmian League Division 1 North (currently 8th), although this is their first season at this level.

An added incentive to choose this game was that I could have a quick visit to the outlet shopping centre at Braintree Freeport on the way home. Killing two birds with one stone so to speak.

I have cycled in the Sudbury area a few times, and it is in a lovely location, but I had never been to the ground, in fact I didn’t even know where in Sudbury the ground is. appropriately as I arrived on South edge of the town, I had to turn left at the traffic lights by a café called The Cyclist. The ground is down a leafy lane, near the River Stour.

Om arrival at the ground is a large free car park and a football pitch outside the ground. There is a building next to the pitch that is I understand for the AFC Sudbury Academy. Beyond this

building are the turnstiles. The sign above them gives an indication of the friendly nature of the set up. Admission is £10 and can be paid by card or cash. Certain clubs like Darlington £16 admission to sit or Chester FC £17 for a seat could take note of this.

Into the ground and the first think I notice is the 3G pitch. A great idea for boosting income for clubs and it ensures a good playing surface.

The ground has cover on all four sides. Behind each goal, it is a very simple cover over a flat standing walkway. Along the halfway line on either side is a seated stand. On the far side this stand unusually has standing behind the seating.

There is a large clubhouse, changing rooms, corporate viewing area on one side with tables outside so you can sit and drink whilst watching the game in the glorious September sunshine we had on Saturday.

Another big plus for the set up here was that they sold real ale at the bar.

One unusual item in the ground was the vending machine unit in one corner. I presume this is used when the pitch is being hired out.

The floodlights look slightly unusual, not the pylons, but the actual lights. I believe they are LED lights, which would account for the unusual appearance.

A simple electronic scoreboard is built into the turnstile block, giving the score and the number of minutes played.

There are 2 different refreshment huts in the ground. The main hut selling burgers, chips, soft drinks etc. in the fridge there was a selection of bottled beer and also bottles of wine…Is there a drink problem in Sudbury? certainly not a problem in getting it!

For those who want a paper programme, you are going to be disappointed as AFC Sudbury have moved with the time and produce a 30 page electronic programme that is free to download. It is very bright, being on yellow pages with blue writing! On the page for the visitors details, it is blank apart from this:

I do believe that if it comes to the attention of the FA that a fine may be heading Stowmarket’s way for failing to provide details

It was good to see so many families and children at the game, along with a decent number of Stowmarket Town fans. It seems the club forms a real part of the local community.

The game itself was one of few chances. The two teams were very well matched and closed each other down well. it was I have to be honest not the best game to watch, but that was not for lack of effort on the part of the players or the fans. A 0-0 draw means both teams will have to replay on Tuesday night at Stowmarket. In the meantime, both are in the draw on Monday for the 3rd qualifying round and can continue their FA Cup dreams for a couple more days.

Attendance was a healthy 440.

Taking The Knee At Football & The Crowd Response

There are so many issues to discuss here, and I am not going to attempt to cover them all in this blog.

Let me start by saying that I oppose racism by anyone. Racist behaviour can be by anyone towards someone of a different race.

I wrote a personal block about this in August of 2020. That blog post was entitled Black Lives Matter. It is the story of one of my ancestors, the son/ grandson of a freed black slave, so the whole topic is one that has a real and personal link to my family history. This is perhaps not the case for many of those who rioted in the UK last summer “in support” of a movement founded on the death of a convicted criminal in the USA. I urge you to read (or re-read) that article I wrote.

Out of that protest came the sight of footballers adopting the gesture of the Black Lives Matter movement in taking the knee. This is a Marxist organisation who have on their website a demand to

“defund the police”

and also contains the outrageous and false statements

The police were born out of slave patrols. We cannot reform an institution built upon white supremacy.

Now it is clear there are issues currently involving footballers and the abuse they face on social media. it is not just racist abuse, there are all sorts of abuse handed out by keyboard warriors. Most of it is unfair and a lot is very offensive. No reasonable minded person can condone such behaviour or to justify why anyone should have to receive such abuse.

If, footballers want to highlight this issue, then no one can deny it is a just cause, but one may question why footballers choose to make the gesture of a Marxist organisation that want to defund one of the pillars of a democratic society. This causes many people to take offence at the gesture, not the issue. Imagine if instead the footballers chose to use a different gesture, say a Nazi salute, It won’t happen? Well it did on many occasions

England famously doing Nazi Salute v Germany

Ireland doing Nazi Salute

Derby County doing Nazi Salute

These three images are only a sample of the occasions it was done. It was pre World War 2 and was supported by the footballing authorities, rather like the current gesturing by players is.

It is not surprising that football fans object to players making gestures associated with a Marxist organisation whose views they oppose. It would be the same if the players made Nazi salutes instead.

If players want to indulge in political gestures, then they must accept that not everyone shares their political views. To hear current England manager, Gareth Southgate complaining that his players should not have to face distractions from football such as the fans booing the taking the knee gesture is rather ironic. There is a simple way of the players not having to deal with the distraction of the booing, and that is to stop making a gesture which is associated with a Marxist political organisation.

Again, Gareth Southgate talks about some people not getting the message. Has it never occurred to him, that it is him and his players making gestures in support of a Marxist organisation that wants to defund the police and talks about white supremacy, that have not got the message.

As I said earlier, no reasonable person can object to players wanting to take action to end the online abuse they sadly get. However, making the gesture associated with the Marxist Black Lives Matter movement is not the way to do this. It offends a large section of the fans and as a result the intent of the players is lost in the row over booing.

I am sure this article will upset people on both sides of the debate, some will see me as supporting “racists” by not condemning the booing of the players, others will see me as supporting the players by not sufficiently condemning the players. To all those people on either side, I would refer them to the quote often mistakenly attributed to Voltaire

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”

The players have the right to protest , but equally the crowd have the right to express their views. I will always defend the right of both parties to express their views.

Perhaps the way forward is for footballers to find a way to express their views that does not use gestures associated with a Marxist organisation who want to defund the police and preach about white supremacy. The actions are not supporting their cause, and indeed, sadly seem to give more motivation to the keyboard warriors to anonymously abuse players. It is of course not the case that those booing the gestures are necessarily the offensive keyboard warriors.

Sometimes, to win the war, it is necessary to change tactics. That is not an admission of weakness or failure, rather it is a sign of strength.

Hopping Around

Only three more games this week to write about. I had planned to go to games tomorrow ( Friday 11th ) and Saturday, but owing to a welcome change in plans I have ended my week of ground hopping early.

Barkingside 1 v 0 Hackney Wick FC – Eastern Counties League Div. 1 South Monday 7 September 2020

A very local game for me as I can walk to and from the ground. Its a regular venue for me as both Barkingside and also Ilford play here. Barkingside ironically used to play at Oakside which was the venue of last game I attended. Barkingside are a favourite club of mine for several reasons, apart from being so close to my home. The Chairman Jimmy is always so welcoming and puts a huge amount of effort into making people welcome. Also Barkingside often play on Monday nights or Friday night to avoid clashes with other games and to attract the ground hoppers.

One slight difference for this game was the need to ring Jimmy to get a reservation for the game because of the covid restrictions. imagine having to ring the chairman at Manchester United on a match day for a ticket?

So, after a stroll to the ground and after a temperature check etc, I wandered along to the Main Stand to take my seat for tonight’s Eastern Counties League Division 1 South game ( step 6 ). There was a much higher than usual crowd for the game. It was later announced as 155, compared to the usual 50-75. Part of the reason for the extra fans was the regular East London ground hoppers. Many of whom I had not spoken to since early in the year pre lockdown. It was good to catch up and learn that none had suffered physically owing to Covid.

Barkingside took the lead from a good header from a good free kick in the first half. That proved to be the difference between the two sides. The game itself was an entertaining affair, probably more so than one would expect from a step 6 game ( that’s the 10th tier of English football). The lack of further goals was no reflection on the entertainment value.

A few of noticeable events tonight were:

a) the relative quality of the pitch. It certainly looked far better than I remember. This may simply be because of the lack of use since early March, but I think that work has been done to improve the pitch.
b) parked up against the fence around the pitch was a scooter. Not something you expect to see at a football match.
c) In the second half, the Barkingside chairman Jimmy made a point of thanking those in the main stand for attending. A nice gesture that sums up the friendly nature of this club

A short walk home and I was in the house only 15 minutes after the final whistle

Good value for £6

Waltham Forest 1 v 2 FC Stansted Essex Senior League Tuesday 8 September 2020

Tuesday night saw me make the short trip to Wadham Lodge Sports Centre to watch Waltham Forest host FC Stansted in the Essex Senior League. This is a step 5 league and at the same level in the pyramid as the Northern League in theory. In practice, the Northern League is much stronger as shown by the fact that the 2019/2020 FA Vase Final is between 2 Northern League sides. It is several years since an Essex Senior League side reached the semi finals of the FA Vase ( Bowers & Pitsea who lost to eventual winners Morpeth (from the northern League!)). I hadn’t been to Wadham Lodge since the start of last season. I’m not sure why as its not very far from my home.

Another lively and entertaining game tonight. Waltham Forest took the lead after 13 minutes from a penalty after a clear foul inside the area. Lots of protest from the Stansted players, but it was one of the simplest decisions the referee had to make.

After 34 minutes it was 1-1 with Stansted equalising after a goalmouth scramble.

The whole game was a rather feisty affair and it was credit to the referee that he never sent anyone off and only sin binned 1 player. Stansted in particular seemed to be very pumped up for it and seemed to want to argue everything. Their competitive spirit was rewarded in the 74th minute when they scored after a corner. It was a bit of a turn around as 4 minutes earlier Stansted could have been 2-1 down when Waltham Forest hit the post.

It was probably a fair reflection of the game and another entertaining game.

Admission £7

Ilford FC 6 v 2 Redbridge FC Essex Senior League Wednesday 9 September 2020

So Wednesday and my 2nd visit in 48 hours to Cricklefields. This time to see Ilford play. Last week, you will recall I saw Ilford lose at home in the FA Cup to a side from a division below them, whereas on Saturday I saw Redbridge unlucky not to beat a Sawbridgeworth side who would probably have been promoted if it wasn’t for the lockdown last season. On this basis, you may have expected Redbridge to be favourites, but other ground hoppers who watched Redbridge in the FA Cup last week said they were very poor.

After only 18 minutes of tonight’s game, Ilford were 3-0 up. Its a while since Ilford were so dominant in a game. It was 1-0 after 5 minutes. After 16 minutes, it was 2-0 with a David Beckham –esq free kick. One of the best free kicks I will see this season. Two minutes later, Ilford had made it 3-0 after beating the offside trap and a well taken goal.

Shortly before half time Redbridge pulled one back from the penalty spot giving a slight chance of making a game of it in the second half.

The second half was dominated by Ilford with goals in the 70th and 72nd minutes to make it 5-1.
A few minutes later a Redbridge player launched into a foul mouthed rant at the referee accusing the referee of timewasting. The foul mouth rant was heard by everyone in the ground and should have resulted in an immediate red card for the foul mouthed yob. The referee chose to ignore completely the incident…or did he?

A minute or less later the ball was played forward by Ilford and the Redbridge foul mouthed yob challenged for the ball and was penalised by the referee with a straight red card for an elbow ( allegedly). Some may think the referee had in mind the foul mouthed rant when making his decision.

This was not the ned of it, because as he walked off the pitch and along the running track, the Redbridge player resorted to a further foul mouthed rant about the referee , the decision etc. I wonder if the yob realised that his rant was directly in front of both the ESL Chairman and Secretary? Could make for an interesting hearing if he is stupid enough to appeal his card.

After this, the player went into the changing room, got changed, came back out to near the main stand where he spoke to the league chairman and sat down quietly to watch the last few minutes of the game. Technically this is not allowed as a player sent off has to remain in the changing room and can’t return to the stands. A rather silly rule it seems to me. I can’t see the harm done by the player watching the game as opposed to being detained in the changing room like a prisoner in a cell.

After 83 minutes, Redbridge were 6-1 down and a minute later it was 6-2. That was the final score.

Another entertaining game and probably the best I have seen from Ilford in many years. What a contrast to a week ago.

So, three enjoyable games in three nights and all for a total sum of less than £20. Great value for money.

That’s my lot for this week. Next week? I haven’t got as far as planning that yet, other than perhaps Barkingside on the Friday for the FA Vase tie

Glad To Be Back–Football Has Come Home

Football is back and on Wednesday night I went to watch my first competitive football match since mid March.

To be honest, it was actually the 2nd game I had seen.

Frenford 0 v 5 Coggleshall Town Pre Season Match 22 August 2020

The first was a one sided friendly game between Frenford FC and Coggleshall town FC which saw Frenford lose 5-0 to a side 2 divisions above them. That game marked the 1st game at Frenford’s redeveloped ground that admitted spectators. Even though Frenford are based in Ilford, it is the first time I have ever visited their ground. I did see them last season when they were ground sharing with Bowers & Pitsea whilst their ground was being redeveloped. Frenford have an interesting history. They started out as a boys club and now have a first team playing at step 6 of the Pyramid ( 10th Tier of English Football).

Frenford have a new 3G pitch on a ground that has apparently been turned through 90 degrees since they last played there. There are 2 seated stands there, but at present no other covered accommodation. When I went, I ended up cycling there ( not my original plan), but was allowed to take my bike into the ground and left it next to one of the stands. In the new Covid era, as well as paying, I had to give my name and phone number for contact tracing purposes. There appeared to be no refreshments in the ground, but I am not sure if you could have got them in the clubhouse. I expect this will change once the season proper starts.

As I said above, Frenford were outclassed by their visitors, but that is not surprising given their visitors are 2 levels above Frenford. There is little more to say really other than Frenford was a friendly club and one to visit again.

Ilford 1 v 3 Halstead Town FC FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round 2 September 2020

As the FA Cup is late starting this season, the FA have scrapped replays in the early rounds. This meant tonight’s tie would reach a conclusion.

After cycling to Frenford, tonight’s game was reached by pony – Shank’s Pony. Its only a mile from my home, so I walked to the game.

For probably the first time since Ilford reformed, there was a queue to get into the ground. Indeed the attendance was well over 200 compared to their normal 50 or so. There were several reasons for this, including quite a number of Halstead fans and people desperate for football after the lockdown. Indeed all the programmes had gone by the time I got there.

Into the main stand, and there were the usual groundhoppers there. It was good to catch up as I hadn’t seen them since February / early March time.

Tonight’s FA cup tie saw 9th tier Ilford hosting 10th tier Halstead. It was the first competitive game for both sides. Ilford started very strongly and hit the post in the 1st minute and were a goal ahead by the time 5 minutes had gone. It looked as though this was going to be a very one sided game. Unfortunately for Ilford, no one had told Halstead this.

After 34 minutes a blooper by the Ilford keeper allowed Halstead to score a simple goal. Its to be hoped no one recorded this incident to save the embarrassment of the keeper. Only 5 minutes later, Halstead were ahead. Could a cup shock be on the cards?

There were no more goals in the first half, but only 1 minute into the 2nd half, Halstead extended their lead and surely took the game out of Ilford’s reach.

There was no more scoring in the game and after a rather good cup tie, Halstead Town claimed victory and a place in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup. Ilford must be disappointed after letting victory be taken from them by lower ranked opposition.

Redbridge FC 2 v 2 Saffron Walden Town FC Essex Senior League 5 September 2020

Today brought lots of choice in games to watch. There were pre season doule headers at Avely and at Barking and it was also the opening round of the Essex Senior League. I only decided on which game to attend as I returned from my late morning bike ride. After a quick 36 miles, it was 13:30 and therefore time was limited as to where to go. I decided to cycle over to Redbridge for their game. Mainly because it was near and I could cycle there so didn’t need to shower and change etc before going.

Redbridge play at Oakside Stadium in Barkingside and its fair to say it has been gradually deteriorating for a number of years now, but it was convenient and a competitive game was more appealing than a pre season double header with no doubt lots of substitutions etc.

Arriving at the ground I was allowed to bring my bike inside and safely chain it up to railings near the clubhouse. Thank you Redbridge FC. I had to pass a temperature test and to scan in using the EvePass system. Interestingly, this said I was at West Essex not Redbridge. West Essex had played there on Wednesday night, so wonder if it was an old barcode. I am not sure how the system works if truth be told.

Once into the ground, the first think I noticed was the massive smartening up of the ground since my last visit. A new fence around the ground, new dug outs, the removal of the dilapidated covered stand opposite the main stand, the cleaning of the seats in the Main Stand and most significantly the work that had been done to the pitch. The ground now looks a lot more welcoming and I for one am more likely to attend at games here when it looks like this.

Saffron Walden were top of the Essex Senior League last season when the season was abandoned, so they have to be one of the favourites this season. Redbridge finished mid table last season, so it was not unreasonable to expect an away win today.

As I wandered around the ground before the game, I had a lengthy chat with the Redbridge club secretary who approached me after noticing my UK Police Unity Tour cycling shirt. It was interesting to learn of the work the club officials have put in. Many clubs have similar hard working officials who never get the credit they deserve. I think its fair to say Redbridge know where they would like to go and deserve to succeed.

The game started, and it was easy to tell that Saffron Walden possessed the more skilfull side, but the work rate of the Redbridge side was fantastic and they made life uncomfortable for Saffron Walden. Indeed, Redbridge should have taken the lead after 29 minutes when they were awarded a penalty. Sadly it was a poorly taken one and the keeper dived to his right and saved it

https://youtu.be/0xBWyo0HOwU

Six minutes later, Saffron Walden were unlucky not to take the lead when they hit the post and the ball bounced away with the keeper well beaten. Half time came with the game still scoreless. Chances at both ends in a very enjoyable first half.

Seven minutes into the second half, and somewhat against the run of play, Redbridge took the lead with a breakaway goal. A shock on the cards?

The lead did not last long and after 59 minutes, Saffron Walden were level and it was no more than they deserved.

On 72 minutes, Redbridge had the ball in the back of the net only for it to be ruled out for offside. A correct decision in my opinion.

Three minutes later and another Redbridge goal ruled out, this time for a foul and correctly so again I think.

Two disallowed goals, a missed penalty and one that counted. Redbridge could have been 4-1 up!

On 81 minutes, Redbridge went 2-1 up and it seemed there was no way back for the visitors. That was so until the 94th minute when from an attacking set piece, Saffron Walden got an equaliser.

There was a total of 8 minutes of stoppage time played, and still time for more drama with the referee threatening to abandon the game as the ball went out of the ground and all the spare balls had been used, even the visitors warm up balls had been used. Eventually a ball was found and the last 2 minutes could be played out.

Imagine a game being abandoned in stoppage time owing to no match ball!

A very enjoyable 2-2 draw was the final result and if Redbridge keep up their battling performances, they will surprise a few people this season.

The game was fantastic value for the £5 admission fee and an afternoon I thoroughly enjoyed.

However, I can’t end this match report without a couple of negative comments.

1. The foul language used by some of the players, especially the Redbridge players make it a venue I would hesitate to suggest people bring their kids. Quite gratuitous foul language is not needed, and the referee should have dealt with it.

2. At half time the haranguing of the referee by a manager / coach again was not needed and again, the referee should have dealt with it firmly and sent the person concerned off. The referee is not there to be shouted at and abused

3. The language and behaviour of some of those from Saffron Walden sitting in the seats reserved for away officials casts a bad reflection upon Saffron Walden which is a lovely club. It is something the Saffron Walden officials need to clamp down up. Sitting in the officials seats, it suggests the persons were players from the club.

however, I am not going to let these three points ruin my afternoon and I will be back at Oakside again soon to watch Redbridge